When done right, offsite construction gives builders speed, predictability, cost savings, and quality control while reducing waste and energy consumption. And when you use thoughtfully designed, airtight panels, it can do even more, ensuring lasting energy and moisture performance.
We launched ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES (OPA) to help builders meet rising demand for healthy, efficient, and durable homes. Our goal is to help you build quality houses with exceptional thermal and moisture performance in the quickest, simplest way possible. To understand how we achieve that goal, you should understand a crucial component of every exterior wall panel we make: the service layer.
A Simple Way to Maximize Efficiency
Also known as an MEP cavity or service channel, the service layer is a utility channel between the interior wall finish and exterior wall framing. It provides a space to contain mechanical, plumbing, and electrical components so they don't reduce the efficacy of the high-performance structure, insulation, or smart vapor retarder - all key components to a safe and durable low-energy home. By moving the MEPs to the inside of the walls, you eliminate perforating or notching structural members, removing insulation, or penetrating the vapor retarder (which prevents moisture-related issues such as mold and rot). This way, all components of the building envelope can perform at their best, including the plumbing and mechanical runs, which are now fully insulated. For even higher performance, the service layer itself can be insulated after the MEPs are installed.
Isolating the service layer from the building envelope is what makes OPA homes as airtight as possible, improving indoor air quality, thermal comfort, moisture management, and energy efficiency. And it's why we're confident your homes will provide optimal thermal performance for years to come.
Easy, Flexible Design
The benefits of the service layer don't end after the home is built. It provides easy access to systems in the home that need maintenance or upgrades over time. It also allows more flexibility in home design, fit-out, and renovation.
After our home is erected, design tweaks like moving a light switch are easy to accommodate. And you can make these kinds of changes for the life of the building. Relocate an outlet at any time without cutting into studs or exposing an insulated layer, keeping the home's performance and durability intact.
By separating the utility channel from the rest of the building envelope, we ensure performance will not be compromised over time when homeowners or tenants need to hang shelves or run new wire.
The Trusted Performance of CertainTeed
OPA delivers code-compliant, climate-specific, prefabricated panels built to your design in weeks and installed on site in days. Thanks to the OPA service layer, homes can be built to near-completion in a factory year-round. You can raise a fully insulated, weather-tight home ready for plumbing, electrical, and interior fit-out in as little as one day.
Constructed from CertainTeed's industry-leading building solutions - and backed by our unparalleled warranty - the return on investment of an OPA assembly is hard to overstate. The superior airtightness and performance achieved by our service layer reduces environmental impact and leads to cost-saving efficiency and durability.
To learn how OPA can help you build desirable, energy-efficient homes with a single specification and warranty for the entire building envelope, visit certainteed.com/opa or call 610-893-6200