A home in Barwar City, Qatar is set to be the guinea pig to answer whether Passive House design will work in the desert. Â Passive House (or Passivhaus in German) design relies on the mass of a building and super insulation to naturally heat and cool a building, limiting the need for heat and air…
Tag Archives: green construction
05
Sep
Sep
This post is part of the Green Materials Report series. GBE is providing information on various building materials and what makes them green. Each post focuses on one material. We will be looking at the ingredients in the material, how it is used, what makes it green, and any green product certifications that it has earned. We…
26
Aug
Aug
Composite Panel Building Systems announced the introduction of a new sheathing system that can improve the energy efficiency of existing buildings and homes, as well as new construction projects. Â The C-SIS exterior sheathing system combines insulation, an air/water barrier, structural components, and a water drainage plane into a compact panel that can be installed easily…
25
Jul
Jul
In design, when concepts become creations that the world hasn’t seen before, then the job is well done. A young and upcoming firm is Penda and their goal is to create nothing that isn’t unique and thought out. Penda was started in 2012 by Chris Precht and Dayong Sun. Every project that they undertake becomes…
18
Jul
Jul
This post is part of the Green Materials Report series. GBE is providing information on various building materials and what makes them green. Each post focuses on one material. We will be looking at the ingredients in the material, how it is used, what makes it green, and any green product certifications that it has earned. We…
27
Jun
Jun
This post is part of the Green Materials Report series. GBE is providing information on various building materials and what makes them green. Each post focuses on one material. We will be looking at the ingredients in the material, how it is used, what makes it green, and any green product certifications that it has earned. We…
04
Jun
Jun
Take a look at this beautiful prefab home, with wood structure and finishes, featured on ArchDaily. The commission had very clear premises: very tight budget, deadlines, and an energy-efficient construction – it inspired this prefab bioclimatic house, fashioned to Passivhaus energy demand standards. The architect, Alventosa Morell Arquitectes, decided to design a completely prefabricated wooden…
29
May
May
There is something amazingly raw and beautiful in cast concrete forms and buildings. These forms can become any shape imaginable and all that is required is the form to hold the concrete as it dries. Panels of remarkable sizes can be placed on site in construction zones, allowing buildings to rise in record breaking time…
26
May
May
These futuristic building materials will change the way we construct buildings in the years to come. 1. Graphene Graphene is a one-atom thick layer of carbon. Â It is thin, strong, flexible, conducts electricity, and is virtually transparent. Â Researchers won the 2010 Nobel Prize for Physics for developing graphene. Â It’s potential uses include solar cells, touchscreens,…
19
May
May
Last week Greenwash Action released its answer to critics of the LEED green building certification program, administered by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) and the US Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED has been under attack by proponents of the Green Globes certification program, which is administered by the Green Building Initiative. “LEED Exposed” claims…
01
May
May
In homage to our previous post on all natural building products, here is a photo collection of earthbag buildings – built from bags of dirt or sand, stacked brick-like, and covered with mud mixed with straw. Divine Nectar retreat cabin –Â This stunning earthbag cabin was built as part of a retreat center in the desert…
24
Apr
Apr
Will the buildings of the future be printed? Chinese construction materials company Winsun New Materials says it has printed 10 houses on its new 3-D printer that cost them about $3.2 million to develop and took 12 years to build. Winsun’s 3D printer is 6.6 meters (22 feet) tall, 10 meters wide and 150 meters…
21
Apr
Apr
Globus Cork has announced the winner of its 1st Annual Globus Cork Floor Design Competition. Ms. Carlotta Valsecchi, a student at the NY School of Interior Design (NYSID) is this year’s winner. Ms. Valsecchi is in her final year of the BFA Interior Design program at NYSID. Globus Cork Vice President Jennifer Biscoe said, “We’re happy…
17
Apr
Apr
Everyone has their heroes, their role-models, their if-I-could-be-like-anyone-it-would-be persons and I am no different. I wrote about his past accomplishments, including his cardboard cathedral and paper tube relief houses on GBE a couple of years ago and now my career hero was given the ultimate award in architecture this past month. He is Shigeru Ban…
16
Apr
Apr
Life cycle assessment (LCA) looks at the environmental impacts of a building material over the entire life of the material, from extraction to disposal. LCA attempts to quantify these impacts for the purpose of comparing materials or buildings. What is measured? LCA is a scientific study of the environmental inputs and outputs to a building…
06
Feb
Feb
Architecture, like all art forms, has its lovers and its critics. If a new structure did not draw attention of both, then there would be nothing new to celebrate or berate. A new residential structure built for West Bund in China is one dwelling that is causing a stir. The building is the Vertical Glass…
15
Jan
Jan
The companies that are the most inspiring are the ones that grew out of necessity for a product and stand the test of time by continuing to grow their product, meet the demands of industry and introduce new cutting edge materials. One such company that has been around for over 60 years is the Construction…
30
Sep
Sep
The Story of Eagleyew: A High Efficiency Natural Building on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada I’m pleased to say that I have been building Natural Buildings for a number of years now. My work has taken me up and down the West coast of North America, with a focus in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been calling…