Insulated metal building creates a standout agricultural facility
The 740,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility encloses 17 acres in three interconnected structures. The fully enclosed facility pulls fresh air into the structure on one side, and exhausts old stale air out the other side. Additionally, high-pressure fogging systems immediately cool the fresh air as it enters the facility. This creates an indoor climate that is the most conducive to the cows, and is the first dairy of its kind in the region, where most only offer outdoor carport-like shade structures for the animals.
“The facility design in totality emphasizes the prevention of heat stress among the cows,” explains Beath. “Because they are large animals, they are prone to it. When heat stress occurs with cows, their respiratory rate increases and their body switches from a focus on producing milk to a focus on cooling them down. Lactation dramatically decreases and may not return to full capacity until the affected cow bears another calf.”
The base of the facility is built of red iron beams and covered with a baked enamel metal skin. Dublin, Texas-based PRIME Metal Buildings supplied the large-scale, pre-engineered metal building, along with all of the necessary components, including its Spectrascape Polar White G90 Galvanized Substrate roof panel; metal wall panels coated in Minneapolis-based Valspar Corp.‘s Sahara Tan and Koko Brown; poly-carbonate poly panels; hot-dipped galvanized primary frames and galvanized secondary framing. The project features approximately 1,750 tons of products.
Due to Phoenix’s hot climate, which can lower a cow’s production and require more water for them to drink, the Zinkes decided to use spray foam insulation for the metal structure, choosing Houston-based Lapolla Industries Inc.’s FOAM-LOK 2000-4G. Applied to the underside of the roof and to the interior walls, the high-performance FOAM-LOK 4G closed-cell spray polyurethane foam insulation seals the structure to maintain indoor temperatures of 75 F or less, even when outside the temperature can rise up to 120 F.
“The closed-cell spray foam also helps control moisture in the facility,” says Beath. “Moisture is a key consideration because of the fogging and misters, as well as the 5,000 living cows inside producing humidity.”
Beath goes on to add that the FOAM-LOK spray foam insulation has more than doubled the efficiency of the cooling of the inside of the facility, which offsets the impact the hot metal building would have on the interior.
By maintaining a stabilized conditioned environment with better indoor air quality for the cows, the Zinkes have reported a significant increase in milk production, along with a reduction in the amount of water needed. There has also been a dramatic reduction in the insects and flies around the cows.
Tri-County Insulation (dba Boss Sprayfoam and Insulation LLC), Phoenix, was the spray polyurethane foam insulation contractor and installer. The project was the runner up in the commercial wall foam category of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance’s 2017 National Industry Excellence Award.