After years of hard work, it comes with much excitement to announce that Glavel Saxon Hill is a fully operational foam glass plant. The first of its kind in North America, this electrified facility in Essex VT produces foam glass gravel for a wide variety of construction verticals. At 25,000 square feet, this facility will be the home to an additional foam glass line in 2023, and in-house glass processing to vertically integrate as much of the process as possible. The flexibility of this space will allow for adjustments to be made to match the current and future needs of the foam glass market.
In an effort to align the finished goods with the purpose of the organization, every effort to decarbonize the product have been taken. Chief amongst those efforts is the electrification of the kiln. Green Mountain Power’s nearly carbon neutral electrons are a key feature that differentiates Glavel’s kiln from typical manufacturing outfits. By changing over from the industry standardized natural gas powered kilns, the Glavel kilns will be able to abate a significant portion of the carbon footprint associated with manufacturing. The full scope of this carbon footprint will be detailed out in an LCA + EPD, available in 2023.
“This is the result of years of diligent work. The team we’ve put together is capable of doing great things; combined with this prodigious facility, we cannot wait to develop the foam glass market and stake ourselves as leaders in the low embodied carbon space. From sub slab insulation, to green roof systems, and civil applications, we expect Glavel to be ubiquitous across the built environment.” said Rob Conboy, CEO of Glavel.
As green building and high performance building practices continue to grow in the near and long term future, Glavel seeks to be a leader by replicating the features of this facility in markets across north America.