Booming Online Retail And The Expanding Demand In Warehouses
Online retail stores have been facing a gigantic booming effect as lockdown restrictions continue to direct consumers to online shopping modalities. The increasing demand has led to an apparent investment in supply chain and logistics throughout countless global enterprises, sending e-commerce platforms on the lookout for bigger and more compatible storage systems. Though this shift was already expected throughout the next five years, this surging pandemic has speedingly compressed the process to take place in merely twelve months, challenging businesses…
What Makes A Building Material Sustainable? Top 5 Picks
Sustainability means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It’s a hugely broad concept that often frustrates people with its many different definitions. In general, sustainability means the capacity of something to endure forever and commonly it’s important to consider the social and environmental impacts of decisions made. The same happens in the building industry regarding sustainability so we’re out to shed a bit of light on this topic; what characteristics does a building material need to…
UL Courting Solar Market With New Acquisition
This article was originally published on Planetsave Independent global testing and certification body UL (Underwriters Laboratory) has acquired renewable energy engineering services and support firm, AWS Truepower for an unspecified sum. Underwriters Laboratory (UL) announced its AWS Truepower acquisition will strengthen its full lifecycle solutions. “There is strong alignment between the two brands,” said Jeffrey Smidt, vice president & general manager for UL Energy & Power Technologies. “UL and AWS Truepower have a shared mission and complementary businesses. As the market for renewable…
$20,000 Tiny House Is Upending The Construction, Banking Industries
Rural Studio in Alabama has spent a decade perfecting the design of a tiny house that will cost less than $20,000 to build, including labor. Their first prototype was completed in January.
Pig Manure Bioadhesive Produces Alternative To Asphalt Paving
A newly discovered pig manure bioadhesive has been developed by civil engineer Ellie Fini and a team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Turns out the oils in swine manure are similar to petroleum, but are too low-grade for gasoline and perfect for asphalt. First, just to be clear, the asphalt created with this pig manure bioadhesive does not create an offensive odor. The odor-causing parts of the manure are removed during processing. “It is different from petroleum refinery,…
Minneapolis City Center NFL Showcase: Finishing Touches Take Place On US Bank Stadium
We have enjoyed following the vision and ensuing work leading to the development of US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, now scheduled to open this August. Here is the most important item to keep in mind about this project: we’re not just looking at a new Minnesota Vikings football stadium replacing the old Hubert Humphrey Metrodome. Here the $1.1 billion investment involves a new kind of product for a sporting franchise and a government. This new-fangled stadium product represents the savvy evolution…
Top 10 Green Projects 2016
AIA’s Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its list of the top 10 green projects for 2016. Biosciences Research Building, Galway Ireland The design of the BRB embraces the moderate climate of Ireland. By locating low-load spaces along the perimeter of the building, the project is able to take advantage of natural ventilation as the sole conditioning strategy for the majority of the year and is supplemented less than 10% of the year with radiant heating. Due to this…
Panama Jungle Features Plastic Bottle Village
Far south, a few degrees north of the Equator, the plastic bottle is being smartly repurposed as a residential building insulation material. We visit Panama, where on an 83-acre jungle locale, 90 to 120 planned homes will be insulated by thousands of plastic bottles which have been recovered from the waste stream. The individual behind the scenes of this eco-village named Plastic Bottle Village is Robert Bezeau, a Canadian with a passion for managing and cleaning the waste left behind from the…
Demand For Green Building Doubles Every Three Years
According to a recent report, soon to be released by Dodge Data & Analytics, green building continues to double every three years, with strongest acceleration in emerging economies, and clients and tenants worldwide are increasingly demanding sustainability – for both energy efficiency and occupant benefit. Preliminary results from the World Green Building Trends 2016 report, with funding from United Technologies, were announced by Bob McDonough, President, UTC Climate, Controls & Security at the 2015 Greenbuild International Summit in Washington, DC earlier…
Wangjing SOHO Wins Emporis Skyscraper Award
Wangjing SOHO took first prize in the 2015 Emporis Awards competition. Its fluid design and energy efficiency impressed the panel of international experts.
BioSIPs Are A New Sustainable Building Material
BioSIPs are construction products made from waste products like cardboard, hemp, weeds, and discarded forest products. They are lightweight and efficient.
Dow Liquid Armor outperforms tape.
Dow Liquid Armor is a new rubberized sealant that is sprayed on and seals cracks and gap against air intrusion. It takes less time that traditional taping.
3D Printing Reduces Building Costs, Weight And Waste
Arup Engineering of Amsterdam has designed new 3D printed construction connectors that are lighter, stronger, weigh less and create less waste for building.