Insulating a Quonset hut - (Can we make a sandwich?)
Imagine an arched metal Quonset hut, such as an older aircraft hanger. The skin of the building is structural; there is no structure under. The buildings are a set of panels which are bolted together, weatherstripped to form an arch. Each arch is bolted to the next to form the building.
Many of these structures are used a workshops or garages, we would like to use one as a studio. Typically these are insulated using either spray foam or fiberglass that is pinned to the shell, which looks somewhat like a quilt.
In our case, we are thinking of building a smaller second shell to go inside, so envison a shell over a shell. The idea would be to build the outer shell, frame the end walls and then spray closed cell foam, 4-6" (or more) to create a a "weather tight" area.
The second shell would be 1 feet (or more) from the outer shell, so there would be a gap. The idea that we are considering is as each arch is built, set it in place and then use blown in dense packed cellulose to fill the area between the inner shell and the foamed outer shell. Erect arch, place arch, insulate arch then repeat until the inner shell is compete. Last arch would be tricky, but considering access on the end wall to fill in the space or build each panel of the arch one at a time and then insulate with the final panel with access ports to blow in insulation...
Assume a heat recovery ventilator and a mitsubishi heat pump for the space.
This is a running idea, but when crafting an insulated sandwich like this what other items should be taken into consideration?
The goal is to have metal arched interior that is insulated.
Posted May 4, 2012 7:01 AM ET
Edited May 4, 2012 7:40 AM ET
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