Project profile: Tesla Gigafactory Austin

By Emma Peterson. 

Smart SPF strategy, high-performance products and on-the-fly adaptation helped this team keep Tesla’s sprawling Austin Gigafactory watertight. 

There are countless contractors and installers who are getting on the roof every day to install coatings on roofs. To highlight the impressive work of this industry, the Spray Polyeurathane Foam Alliance (SPFA) hosts the National Industry Excellence Awards annually. These awards showcase the incredible craftsmanship, skill and work that SPFA members put into their projects. Today, we’re taking a look at one of the runner ups of the 2025 Specialty Applications award – Brazos Urethane! 

Brazos Urethane has spent over three decades as one of the premier waterproofing, roofing and insulation contractors in the U.S. For the nominated project, they partnered with Green Shield Products for the materials necessary to complete the single-ply membrane that was installed on the roof. The project in question? The Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas.  

This factory, which has a roof of over 3.5 million square feet, had some unique challenges for the contractors. These included unpredictable weather and the need for operations such as installation of robotic manufacturing equipment to happen simultaneously as the roofing process. The key to managing both of these issues was a unique system of installing and moving roof penetrations on a daily basis to keep the building watertight the entire time.  

The key to this plan was the use of GreenSeal 3.0 closed cell spray polyurethane foam (SPF). Spray foam is a naturally closed cell product, which means it is great at preventing moisture intrusion. It is also a quick-to-dry product, making it perfect for the critical areas that needed to be sealed faster than membrane application would allow. At the end of the day, the Brazos team of 30-50 people were able to complete the project in 730 days using equipment like the Graco E-10.  

Check out some more incredible projects that were highlighted in the 2025 National Industry Excellence Awards.

Original image source: Tesla