As a leader in the building products industry, Armstrong World Industries Inc. (AWI) has a rich history of innovation and collaboration to bring solutions to market that make a positive difference in the spaces where people live, work, learn, heal and play. For decades, this has included manufacturing sustainable, cost-effective products. And, AWI has exciting news to share – it recently earned a coveted spot among 17 cutting-edge technologies in the U.S. General Services Administration’s (GSA) Green Proving Ground (GPG) program with some of its latest technology!
Operated in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Green Proving Ground program leverages federal real estate to evaluate innovative building technologies in real-world settings. Thanks to expanded funding from the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), GSA is investing $9.6 million in 17 energy efficient new projects to accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies and achieve net-zero emissions across the federal building portfolio by 2045.
Enter Armstrong Templok® Energy Saving Ceilings—a novel solution designed to reduce energy consumption and cost. This technology will be tested as part of GSA’s initiative to lower operational costs and advance sustainability in federal buildings.
Armstrong Templok®: A New Era in Ceiling Panels
Armstrong Templok® Energy Saving Ceilings panels introduce a groundbreaking feature to the company’s mineral fiber ceiling portfolio: energy saving using phase change material (PCM) technology. PCM absorbs and releases heat as indoor temperatures fluctuate, aiding HVAC systems to maintain indoor thermal comfort. This technology has the potential to significantly reduce cooling and heating energy consumption by as much as 15 percent under certain conditions, according to lab tests.
“Customer demand for solutions that reduce energy use is at an all-time high,” AWI CEO Vic Grizzle said in a press release highlighting the importance of the innovation. “Buildings account for approximately 40 percent of global energy use, so products like Ultima® Templok® ceiling panels can have a meaningful impact on both financial and environmental performance.”
The product introduction was enabled by AWI’s acquisition of PCM technology assets from North Carolina-based Insolcorp, LLC – a strategic investment that will support a multi-generational platform for energy-efficient ceiling products for Armstrong customers.
Easily installed, the PCM tiles can reduce energy costs and consumption while improving thermal comfort for building occupants. Their ease of installation has the potential to facilitate widespread adoption.
Driving Sustainability through Innovation
The GSA’s Green Proving Ground program plays a crucial role in de-risking new building technologies and scaling them for broader adoption in commercial real estate markets. By testing these technologies in federal buildings, the program helps contractors and decision-makers understand the value of advanced solutions like the Ultima® Templok® panels.
Jetta Wong, GSA’s senior adviser on climate, called Armstrong’s PCM ceiling tiles a “game changer,” for the fact that the drop-in technology can be used anywhere standard tiles are used, making it easier to adopt innovative solutions without complicated retrofits.
Impact of the Inflation Reduction Act
The IRA has significantly expanded the scope of the Green Proving Ground program by tripling the number of technologies evaluated. Of the nearly $1 billion in IRA funding, $30 million has been allocated to the GPG program to deploy solutions like the Ultima® Templok® panels. In addition to testing, the GSA is upgrading 40 million square feet of federal building space with energy-efficient technologies such as heat pumps, solar panels, and LEDs, with the goal of electrifying 100 government buildings and achieving net-zero emissions in 28 of them.
The Future of Energy-Efficient Buildings
Through participation in the Green Proving Ground program, AWI can demonstrate the real-world effectiveness of its innovative ceiling solutions on a massive scale. Results are expected in 2026 and if proved successful, they could pave the way for broader use of PCM ceiling products, spurring market adoption and increasing replacement and renovation across broad-based industrial sectors.
Armstrong Templok® Energy Saving Ceilings offer a glimpse into the future of building materials—where energy efficiency and comfort are seamlessly integrated. With initiatives like the Green Proving Ground program leading the way, the potential to transform commercial buildings into sustainable, energy-efficient assets has never been greater.