“Pultrusion Solutions” an interview of Paul Inglese on Northstar’s Innovations in the Construction Industry

Original story written by Susan Keen Flynn for Composites Manufacturing Magazine

Pictured: 2 Residential Builds (3,800 square feet & 3200 square feet) in Naples, FL built out of pultruded structural composite building systems

In 2020, Northstar Technologies Group Inc. transitioned from traditional materials to a 100% composite system for its exterior wall panel system. The company’s EXOSHELL™ wall panels include a Level 1 ballistic-rated GFRP armor plate bonded to a pultruded composite 6-inch C-channel frame assembly that is factory fitted, sealed and fire coated.

The company initially targeted residential construction for the product line, which earned Florida’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ) approval and secured a 250-mph impact rating. A local investor in Naples, Fla., contracted the company to design and construct a one-of-a-kind 3,100-square-foot prototype house featuring the EXOSHELL wall panel system. Nicknamed The Lotus, the home was completed in 2024 and has already survived two hurricanes – most recently Hurricane Milton. Five additional homes are currently under construction, and another 9,000-square-foot house just landed a permit.

“We’ve brought composites into the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in market segments where they’ve never been used before, primarily high-rise curtain wall systems and modular units for military purposes and data centers,” says Paul Inglese, CEO of Northstar Technologies Group. He will share how the company penetrated the AEC industry during his keynote presentation at NAPC.

The wall panels are one component of Northstar’s composite building system for residential and commercial markets, which also includes GFRP floor and roof trusses, framing and decking. EXOSHELL panels weigh approximately 5 to 10 pounds per square foot compared to precast concrete, which could weigh 70 to 75 pounds per square foot. In addition, the panels incorporate Owens Corning insulation products – Thermafiber® FireSpan® 40 in the core and Thermafiber RainBarrier® continuous insulation between the wall panel and decorative rainscreen cladding – creating an effective R-value of 29.5.

“One of the big problems in construction has been how to stop thermal massing and thermal bridging,” says Inglese. “Concrete heats up and heats the inside of the building. Steel and aluminum transfer heat or cold back to the building structure. Our FRP curtain wall is thermal neutral.”

Along with the wall panel system for residential and commercial buildings, Northstar Technologies Group also manufactures modular units, including a blast and ballistic resistant, mobile modular system for the military.

“In addition to modular units, we offer a panelized knock-down system that includes four fully assembled walls, floor and roof panels that are structurally engineered to be stacked and can be deployed to remote areas where military personnel can assemble them very quickly,” says Inglese.

Northstar also developed a 55-foot-long, 12-foot-wide, 12-foot-tall FRP modular data center that helps eliminate inefficient thermal massing issues.

“The servers inside data centers generate massive amounts of heat, and you have heat gain from the ambient temperature outside. That’s a bad combination and requires very large HVAC units,” says Inglese. “Our composite floor, wall and roof structure reduces weight and heat gain. From a standpoint of longevity – especially in harsh coastal areas – they outperform any existing modular data center, lowering maintenance costs over the life of the structure.”

Another product line offered by Northstar is its SOLARGLAS pultruded composite columns and trusses for solar parking canopies, utility-grade ground structures and rooftop systems. They can withstand HVHZ locations, as well as snow loads of 60 pounds per square foot, according to the company. The racking systems support a maximum of 64 solar panels per section, eight high by eight across.

A primary reason for Northstar’s success in the AEC industry is it offers services from pre-design through engineering, manufacturing and installation. The company employs architects, structural engineers, product engineers and others to work hand-in-hand with developers and end-use customers.