Echelon InsulTech System Brings Durability, Longevity and Modern Farmland Appeal to Will County EMA Building
The Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) is responsible for coordinating the emergency and disaster mitigation, preparedness, planning response and recovery efforts of the County in conjunction with the State of Illinois and other entities. The agency was previously operating out of two separate buildings that were not their own, housing their vehicle fleet as well as a training program there. For several years, Will County had been working to consolidate many of its functions in one central location and had already constructed a new Sheriff’s Office and Division of Transportation on county-owned land. In 2020, Will County opened the EMA facility. The building is constructed using Echelon’s InsulTech System, which had recently been used successfully on another County project.
“They were pleased with their experience with InsulTech and liked the durability of the product,” said Danielle Appello, associate principal and project designer with Wight & Company, the architect for the project. “The EMA had the same type of use as their other project, where a large portion of the building is dedicated to equipment storage, so it made sense to use the same material on both.”
Echelon’s InsulTech combines structural CMU, EPS foam insulation, air/water barrier and exterior veneer into a single 12 ¼-in unit, delivering above-code energy performance without sacrificing the masonry aesthetic. Its pre-assembled single-wythe insulated masonry units offer ease of installation, as it is assembled in just a single pass, meeting all necessary components of masonry construction. The product also features stainless steel “Fire Integrity Straps” that guard it from major fire and wind events alike.