If you have been following our posts we have been covering Bamboo as a sustainable building product quite a bit lately and this video continues our hunt for more facts, figures and examples of building with this hearty grass.
Plus, and it's a big "plus" we are on location and publishing the iBuildgeen Blog from Marbella, Guanacaste, Costa Rica where green building with sustainable materials and eco friendly practices are part and parcel with living in this ecologically supercharged part of the globe.
Enjoy and "Pura Bamboo" from Matt
Covering topics like green home building, green school construction, prefabricated modular building, sustainable architecture, recycled building materials and solar power.
Showing posts with label Building Materials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Building Materials. Show all posts
Friday, May 10, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Video - What is Bamboo and why build with it?
Posted by
Matt Banes
Hello...this is Matt with today's green building video post. This video is helpful if you are considering bamboo as a building material for a home. The producer does a good job of explaining that bamboo is a sustainable and renewable grass - not a tree as many people believe. Happy Learning...
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Brick as a Sustainable Building Material
Posted by
Matt Banes
Brick is a very sustainable building material and with the amount of brick found in demolition it is easily recycled and reused for new projects. The people an firms being honored in the event below have completed some very green building projects worth plenty of press!
BrickStainable Award Winners Honored During Ceremony at National Building Museum
Cambridge Professor Alan Short delivers "world tour" keynote address
ROCKVILLE, MD—April 6, 2011— Innovative thinkers from across the globe gathered in Washington, DC to recognize the winners of the 2nd Annual BrickStainable International Design Competition.
Competition winners created sustainable architectural designs using brick as the primary material. Potomac Valley Brick hosted the Awards Ceremony at the National Building Museum, an apropos location, given it is constructed with over 15 million bricks. Among nearly 200 guests included representatives from the EPA Energy Star Program, Integrated Environmental Solutions, Enterprise Green Communities, and the Brick Industry Association.
The night's festivities included a Keynote Address delivered by one of the industry's foremost minds on sustainable heavy construction, University of Cambridge Professor of Architecture, Alan Short, MA DipArch RIBA FRSA. Short took the audience on a riveting world tour of buildings his firm, Short & Associations, have designed that maintain a temperate interior atmosphere using minimal or no mechanical systems. They've worked in various climates, from the desert of Malta to the fluctuating hot and cold of Chicago.
Video presentation clips from the jury deliberation revealed a little bit about why the four jurors selected each winning entry as the winners were called to the stage to receive with their awards.
The BrickStainable Competition was broken into two categories, integrated building design, where entrants were tasked with creating a sustainable building in an urban Baltimore setting, and technical design, where entrants explored specific aspects and assemblies of a brick. Winners in the two categories include:
Integrated Building Design Grand Prize
· Jamillah Muhammad, Ronald Moore, Dindo Mabana, Tou Boran Pek, Kathleen Stover, Boryana Fileva, a team from Perkowitz & Ruth in Virginia (USA) for Net Zero in Baltimore
Integrated Building Design Honorable Mentions
· Robert Kane, a student in San Casciano (Italy) for in BRICK, of BRICK, for BRICK, & by BRICK
· Heather Santos and Jillian Schroettinger, students at Cal Poly Pomona in California (USA) for MassEnergy Science Center
· Shane Valentine, a student at University of Texas San Antonio, Texas (USA) for Cultivating Energy
Technical Design Grand Prize
· Jason Vollen and Kelly Winn, of CASE New York (USA) for EcoCeramic Masonry Systems
Technical Design Honorable Mentions
· Rizal Muslimin, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Massachusetts (USA) for BrickBead
· Jason Vollen, Kelly Winn and Ted Ngai, of CASE New York (USA) for Climate Camouflage
Potomac Valley Brick's President and BrickStainable Founder, Alan Richardson spoke of the global attention the competition has received, citing the 21,000 website visits from 128 countries.
"We set out to achieve greater awareness of the role brick can play in the green movement and with the support of our growing list of sponsors and endorsers it's starting to happen in a big way. This year total registrations were from 62 countries."
The Competition also offset carbon emissions through the Enterprise Green Communities, who attended the event and spoke about its efforts to provide affordable green housing through its carbon offset fund. To see all of the winning designs, visit http://www.brickstainable.com/.
About BrickStainable
BrickStainable is a design competition seeking integrative design solutions that promote the use of clay brick to achieve sustainability goals. The competition explores the potential of brick construction in the creation of energy efficient building and challenges designers to maximize the physical characteristics of brick. The competition was created by Potomac Valley Brick in 2009. It is sponsored by Belden, Boral, Carolina Ceramics, Cloud Ceramics, Continental Brick, Endicott Clay, Essroc Italcementi Group, Genco Masonry, Hanson, Hohmann and Barnard, Hyload, Integrated Environmental Solutions, KaRon Masonry, Lehigh-Heidelberg Cement Group, LF Jennings, Mason Contractors Association of America, Masonry Institute of Maryland, Merritt Construction Services, Mortar Net, Owens-Corning, Pavestone, Palmetto Brick Company, Redland Brick, Riverside Brick, Taylor Clay Products, Triangle Brick, United Masonry, Wells & Associates, and York Building Products. More information is available at http://www.brickstainable.com/ and on Twitter @pvbrick.
This release is available at www.BrickStainable.com/press-room.
Photo Caption: Alan Richardson, president of Potomac Valley Brick & Supply, gives opening remarks to the BrickStainable Awards Program attendees.
This blog post was approved by http://www.igreenbuild.com/
BrickStainable Award Winners Honored During Ceremony at National Building Museum
Cambridge Professor Alan Short delivers "world tour" keynote address
ROCKVILLE, MD—April 6, 2011— Innovative thinkers from across the globe gathered in Washington, DC to recognize the winners of the 2nd Annual BrickStainable International Design Competition.
Competition winners created sustainable architectural designs using brick as the primary material. Potomac Valley Brick hosted the Awards Ceremony at the National Building Museum, an apropos location, given it is constructed with over 15 million bricks. Among nearly 200 guests included representatives from the EPA Energy Star Program, Integrated Environmental Solutions, Enterprise Green Communities, and the Brick Industry Association.
The night's festivities included a Keynote Address delivered by one of the industry's foremost minds on sustainable heavy construction, University of Cambridge Professor of Architecture, Alan Short, MA DipArch RIBA FRSA. Short took the audience on a riveting world tour of buildings his firm, Short & Associations, have designed that maintain a temperate interior atmosphere using minimal or no mechanical systems. They've worked in various climates, from the desert of Malta to the fluctuating hot and cold of Chicago.
Video presentation clips from the jury deliberation revealed a little bit about why the four jurors selected each winning entry as the winners were called to the stage to receive with their awards.
The BrickStainable Competition was broken into two categories, integrated building design, where entrants were tasked with creating a sustainable building in an urban Baltimore setting, and technical design, where entrants explored specific aspects and assemblies of a brick. Winners in the two categories include:
Integrated Building Design Grand Prize
· Jamillah Muhammad, Ronald Moore, Dindo Mabana, Tou Boran Pek, Kathleen Stover, Boryana Fileva, a team from Perkowitz & Ruth in Virginia (USA) for Net Zero in Baltimore
Integrated Building Design Honorable Mentions
· Robert Kane, a student in San Casciano (Italy) for in BRICK, of BRICK, for BRICK, & by BRICK
· Heather Santos and Jillian Schroettinger, students at Cal Poly Pomona in California (USA) for MassEnergy Science Center
· Shane Valentine, a student at University of Texas San Antonio, Texas (USA) for Cultivating Energy
Technical Design Grand Prize
· Jason Vollen and Kelly Winn, of CASE New York (USA) for EcoCeramic Masonry Systems
Technical Design Honorable Mentions
· Rizal Muslimin, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Massachusetts (USA) for BrickBead
· Jason Vollen, Kelly Winn and Ted Ngai, of CASE New York (USA) for Climate Camouflage
Potomac Valley Brick's President and BrickStainable Founder, Alan Richardson spoke of the global attention the competition has received, citing the 21,000 website visits from 128 countries.
"We set out to achieve greater awareness of the role brick can play in the green movement and with the support of our growing list of sponsors and endorsers it's starting to happen in a big way. This year total registrations were from 62 countries."
The Competition also offset carbon emissions through the Enterprise Green Communities, who attended the event and spoke about its efforts to provide affordable green housing through its carbon offset fund. To see all of the winning designs, visit http://www.brickstainable.com/.
About BrickStainable
BrickStainable is a design competition seeking integrative design solutions that promote the use of clay brick to achieve sustainability goals. The competition explores the potential of brick construction in the creation of energy efficient building and challenges designers to maximize the physical characteristics of brick. The competition was created by Potomac Valley Brick in 2009. It is sponsored by Belden, Boral, Carolina Ceramics, Cloud Ceramics, Continental Brick, Endicott Clay, Essroc Italcementi Group, Genco Masonry, Hanson, Hohmann and Barnard, Hyload, Integrated Environmental Solutions, KaRon Masonry, Lehigh-Heidelberg Cement Group, LF Jennings, Mason Contractors Association of America, Masonry Institute of Maryland, Merritt Construction Services, Mortar Net, Owens-Corning, Pavestone, Palmetto Brick Company, Redland Brick, Riverside Brick, Taylor Clay Products, Triangle Brick, United Masonry, Wells & Associates, and York Building Products. More information is available at http://www.brickstainable.com/ and on Twitter @pvbrick.
This release is available at www.BrickStainable.com/press-room.
Photo Caption: Alan Richardson, president of Potomac Valley Brick & Supply, gives opening remarks to the BrickStainable Awards Program attendees.
This blog post was approved by http://www.igreenbuild.com/
Monday, March 28, 2011
Energy Efficiency and Carbon Reduction Initiatives Dominate the Agenda of Participants in the Construction Materials Industry
Industrial wastes are now being converted into basic building raw materials. Combinations of high-performance material are increasingly utilized as suitable alternatives to conventional raw materials. The environmental aspect, juxtaposed with the possible stringent regulations of various governing councils, has boosted the development of novel materials for building construction applications.
Environmental standards and energy-efficient ratings greatly influence modern design and product selection, ensuring sizeable reductions in maintenance costs, lower carbon emissions, and optimal usage of electricity. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings and other related green building scoring systems aim to address these issues and trigger significant environmental improvements.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (technicalinsights.frost.com), Strategic Developments in Construction Materials Industry, finds that several opportunities are available in energy reduction and environmental benefits associated with the advancements in materials technology in the construction materials sector. Specifically, the demand for multi-functional characteristics will be the key to increase sustainability in this domain.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an email to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer[.]frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.
"The need for higher energy efficiency for buildings is a prominent factor spearheading growth in the construction materials industry," notes Technical Insights Industry Analyst Rajaram Vijayan. "It has been observed that the consumer demand for niche buildings is on the upswing due to the energy and environmental benefits associated with them in addition to the various subsidies provided by the government."
Although market prospects look upbeat, there are some challenges curtailing forward momentum. Production costs remain high for a majority of construction materials, such as glass, cement, steel, composites and others due to the high energy requirement and numerous environmental concerns surrounding their manufacturing process. As the construction materials domain is highly cost competitive, manufacturers are engaged in developing multi-functional materials using efficient waste recycle and waste reduction techniques.
Novel designs must offer enhanced durability and aesthetics with reduced maintenance and repair costs to be successful. It is imperative for manufacturers to ratchet down lifecycle costs and provide enhanced performance with good service life. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have proven that energy for heating, cooling, transportation, electrical and mechanical work along with water, repair and maintenance are the prime factors responsible for reduced efficiency. Hence, optimum resource management needs to be in place for lower embodied energy of products.
"The cement industry is a high volume production industry utilizing several million tons of alternate fuels and raw materials on an annual basis, thereby accounting for high carbon dioxide emissions," says Vijayan. "Consequently, even slight alterations in the production process will entail large scale measures to reduce the environmental footprint in this industry."
Portland cement clinkers could be replaced with industrial wastes such as carbon dioxide, fly ash and others to create environmental benefits for concrete usage. However, significant research initiatives need to be undertaken to optimize the commercial viability of such substituted products within this volume- and cost-competitive industry. There is a huge potential for application of automated manufacturing processes to reduce the dependence on manual labor and control emissions in conventional production facilities.
Strategic Developments in Construction Materials Industry, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides an analysis of the major drivers and challenges involved in the adoption of technologies in the construction materials arena. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan (frost.com), the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents.
Read More on Green Building
Read More on Concrete Executive
Environmental standards and energy-efficient ratings greatly influence modern design and product selection, ensuring sizeable reductions in maintenance costs, lower carbon emissions, and optimal usage of electricity. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings and other related green building scoring systems aim to address these issues and trigger significant environmental improvements.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (technicalinsights.frost.com), Strategic Developments in Construction Materials Industry, finds that several opportunities are available in energy reduction and environmental benefits associated with the advancements in materials technology in the construction materials sector. Specifically, the demand for multi-functional characteristics will be the key to increase sustainability in this domain.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure for this study, please send an email to Sarah Saatzer, Corporate Communications, at sarah.saatzer[.]frost.com, with your full name, company name, job title, telephone number, company email address, company website, city, state and country.
"The need for higher energy efficiency for buildings is a prominent factor spearheading growth in the construction materials industry," notes Technical Insights Industry Analyst Rajaram Vijayan. "It has been observed that the consumer demand for niche buildings is on the upswing due to the energy and environmental benefits associated with them in addition to the various subsidies provided by the government."
Although market prospects look upbeat, there are some challenges curtailing forward momentum. Production costs remain high for a majority of construction materials, such as glass, cement, steel, composites and others due to the high energy requirement and numerous environmental concerns surrounding their manufacturing process. As the construction materials domain is highly cost competitive, manufacturers are engaged in developing multi-functional materials using efficient waste recycle and waste reduction techniques.
Novel designs must offer enhanced durability and aesthetics with reduced maintenance and repair costs to be successful. It is imperative for manufacturers to ratchet down lifecycle costs and provide enhanced performance with good service life. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have proven that energy for heating, cooling, transportation, electrical and mechanical work along with water, repair and maintenance are the prime factors responsible for reduced efficiency. Hence, optimum resource management needs to be in place for lower embodied energy of products.
"The cement industry is a high volume production industry utilizing several million tons of alternate fuels and raw materials on an annual basis, thereby accounting for high carbon dioxide emissions," says Vijayan. "Consequently, even slight alterations in the production process will entail large scale measures to reduce the environmental footprint in this industry."
Portland cement clinkers could be replaced with industrial wastes such as carbon dioxide, fly ash and others to create environmental benefits for concrete usage. However, significant research initiatives need to be undertaken to optimize the commercial viability of such substituted products within this volume- and cost-competitive industry. There is a huge potential for application of automated manufacturing processes to reduce the dependence on manual labor and control emissions in conventional production facilities.
Strategic Developments in Construction Materials Industry, a part of the Technical Insights subscription, provides an analysis of the major drivers and challenges involved in the adoption of technologies in the construction materials arena. Further, this research service includes detailed technology analysis and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
Technical Insights is an international technology analysis business that produces a variety of technical news alerts, newsletters, and research services.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan (frost.com), the Growth Partnership Company, enables clients to accelerate growth and achieve best-in-class positions in growth, innovation and leadership. The company's Growth Partnership Service provides the CEO and the CEO's Growth Team with disciplined research and best-practice models to drive the generation, evaluation, and implementation of powerful growth strategies. Frost & Sullivan leverages over 50 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from 40 offices on six continents.
Read More on Green Building
Read More on Concrete Executive
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)