Berkeley — In a quest to make concrete more durable and sustainable, an international team of geologists and engineers has found inspiration in the ancient Romans, whose massive concrete structures have withstood the elements for more than 2,000 years. Using […]
In this article we present the outcome of our research into straw bale versus papercrete as alternatives to the most common types of building materials based on criteria such as R-value, cost of production and pollution concerns. The purpose is to see
Building deconstruction, or “construction in reverse,” is the most effective way to preserve the embodied energy of the materials that comprise the built environment. Deconstruction is defined as the comprehensive dismantlement of building components, specifically for reuse, resale, recycling and
Screen reader version: Number of LEED projects registered and certified in top regions by GSM (gross square metres – reported in millions) Latin America and Caribbean – 1,704 (39.5 GSM) Middle East and North Africa – 1,297 (69.2 GSM) North
As the world population increases, the need for accommodation will inevitably increase. Unfortunately, current mainstream building methods are unsustainable, producing large amounts of CO2 both during construction and throughout a building’s life. Thankfully, sustainability is becoming a priority for developers,
Introduction This report summarizes the results of pre-and-post retrofit airtightness tests performed on 363 Broadway, Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is a 16-storey office building constructed in 1976 which underwent a major building envelope retrofit during the summer of 2011 to replace
Homes and buildings chilled without air conditioners. Car interiors that don’t heat up in the summer sun. Tapping the frigid expanses of outer space to cool the planet. Science fiction, you say? Well, maybe not any more. A team of
MANHATTAN, KAN. — Kansas State University civil engineers are developing the right mix to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint and make it stronger. Their innovative ingredient: biofuel byproducts. “The idea is to use bioethanol production byproducts to produce a material to
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — A new method of harvesting the Sun’s energy is emerging, thanks to scientists at UC Santa Barbara’s Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Materials. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into
Air leakage is the movement of air into and out of a building that is not controlled through an exhaust system but rather through factors such as wind blowing through gaps in the building envelope. Air leakage is a concern for
