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The US’s Largest Net Zero Public School

March 3, 2016 Shane Hedmond
lady bird johnson middle school

Net zero buildings, which are buildings that produce as much energy as they use, are gaining popularity throughout the world.  The earth has a lot of energy to share with us, but actually harnessing that energy is a science that’s still developing.  When people are willing to invest in energy manufacturing technologies, scientists gain what is otherwise unattainable inside a laboratory, real world examples in real world situations. 

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In Green Building Tags construction, green building, largest net zero energy projects, largest net zero public school, lady bird johnson middle school irving tx, how much did irving spend on lady bird johnson middle school, bosch geothermal heat pumps, bosch climate
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GE Will No Longer Make CFL Lightbulbs

February 11, 2016 Shane Hedmond
Photo by Katy Warner, CC BY SA 2.0

Photo by Katy Warner, CC BY SA 2.0

Compact Fluorescent (CFL) lightbulbs had a good run in our new-ish energy saving world, but one gigantic company is going to stop making them, in favor of LEDs. In a series of breakup letters written to CFLs and love letters to LED bulbs, GE announced that it would stop making CFLs in 2016. CFL bulbs are notorious for taking a while to brighten up a room and their signature ice cream cone swirl shape isn’t great for aesthetics.  They’re also filled with mercury, which make them tricky to get rid of.

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In MEP, Green Building Tags construction, llighting, ge to stop making cfl, cfl vs led, are cfls going to stop being manufactured
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Could Bamboo Replace Steel in Reinforced Concrete?

February 5, 2016 Shane Hedmond
bamboo reinforced concrete

Steel has had a foothold on the construction industry for roughly 100 years, because it’s high in strength and aids in the tensile strength of concrete.  But is it the best material for reinforcing concrete?  Swiss architect Dirk Hebel doesn’t think so.

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In Green Building Tags construction, green building, bamboo reinforced concrete, bambootech, bamboo steel replacement, alternative material to steel, is bamboo stronger than steel?, Dirk Hebel bamboo, ba, bamboo composite material
1 Comment

This Company is Literally Growing Bricks Like Plants

January 29, 2016 Shane Hedmond
biomason

Green building is not just a trend anymore, it is making huge impacts all across the construction industry, whether by government regulation or market shifts.  According to the US Green Building Council, the Green Construction Industry will account for 1/3 of all construction projects by the year 2018.  That’s certainly something to pay attention to.  But it’s not just building practices that are affected by green building trends, products are affected, as well.  A startup company in Raleigh, North Carolina has a solution for the high carbon dioxide emissions created by firing bricks in kilns: growing them in a plant with bacteria and water.

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In Green Building, Technology Tags construction, green building, green building products, eco friendly bricks, bricks with no carbon emissions, biomason, company that grows bricks, growing bricks with bacteria, growing bricks like plants
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Scientists Create First Fire Proof Self-Compacting Concrete

January 21, 2016 Shane Hedmond
Photo credit: Luke Bisby, The University of Edinburgh

Photo credit: Luke Bisby, The University of Edinburgh

Self-compacting concrete, which does not need to be vibrated to become fully compacted, has many advantages on a job site, such as lower overall costs, faster construction times, no need for a concrete vibrator, and thinner concrete sections.  One of the major disadvantages of this type of concrete, however, is that it’s notoriously poor in regards to fire resistance.  Traditional concrete solves the fire resistance problem by adding polypropylene (PP) fiber, which allow the concrete structure to stay intact when it comes in contact with fire.

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In Technology, News, Green Building Tags construction, concrete, self compacting concrete advantages and disadvantages, self compacting concrete fire resistance, EMPA, self compacting concrete, self compacting concrete fire rating, are self compacting concrete walls safe?
1 Comment

Could Roads Made Out of Recycled Plastic be Superior to Asphalt?

January 18, 2016 William Lucus

The two major issues with asphalt roadways are their lifespan and their vulnerability to weather and temperature. The optimum lifespan of an asphalt road is about 25 years and that is dependent on a large variety of factors.  In the Northern United States, this lifespan could substantially less, 15 to 20 years.   One of the largest frustrations with our current road systems is the time it takes to build and resurface roadways. Many of the solutions proposed are costly and un-sustainable. 

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In Green Building, Construction Videos, News, Project Management, Technology Tags smart roads, future of construction, plastic crack concrete, plastic, smart city, Construction technology, smart construction, plastic roads, alternate roads than asphalt and concrete, volkerwessels, project plastic road
7 Comments

World’s First Zero Energy Hotel Will Operate Without Electric Air Conditioning

December 2, 2015 Shane Hedmond
zero energy hotel amsterdam

Air conditioning uses a lot of energy, which is undoubtedly why your father was always yelling about somebody messing with the thermostat when you were younger. The problem is, though, that now that we have it and expect it in every building, we can’t live without it. One 80 year old designer and engineer believes he has solved the energy consumption problem and a hotel in Amsterdam will be using his design to create the World’s first Zero-Energy hotel.

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In Green Building Tags construction, first zero energy hotel, breeze hotel amsterdam, zero energy hotel in amsterdam, how does natural air conditioning work, can building air be cooled with water?, ben bronsema
3 Comments

Researchers Testing How Self-Healing Concrete Holds Up to Real World Conditions

November 9, 2015 Shane Hedmond
Cardiff School of Engineering

Cardiff School of Engineering

Concrete is great.  It’s strong, it’s got a long life, but then, it cracks and everyone is bummed out.  Cracking is not only an eyesore, but it leads to structural issues and leaks, among other issues.  Back in May, we wrote about a concrete additive that would allow the concrete to “heal” its own cracks and it’s got researchers pretty excited about the possibilities.

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In Technology, Green Building Tags construction, concrete, self healing concrete, self healing concrete with bateria, self healing concrete agents, self healing concrete shape shifting polymers, how does self healing concrete work?, does self healing concrete actually work?, self healing concrete testing, cardiff school of engineering, materials for life, how to stop concrete from cracking
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Here’s What The Construction Industry Could Look Like 30 Years in the Future

November 2, 2015 Shane Hedmond
2045 London Skyline

The 30 year mark for predictions made by the movie Back to the Future has come and gone, which has sparked a lot of speculation as to what the next 30 years will look like on Earth.  Though we didn’t get everything that the movie had promised, the amount of technological advances that have already been made obsolete by newer and better technology is nothing short of amazing.  

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In Project Management, Technology, Green Building Tags carbon nanotubes in construction, future of robots in construction, future of construction, green building in the future, impact of technology on construction, future of 3D printing in construction, construction, what will buildings look like in the future
1 Comment

North America’s Tallest Wood Building to Be Built in Quebec

October 8, 2015 Shane Hedmond
The Origine Condominium Complex.  Rendering courtesy of Nordic Structures

The Origine Condominium Complex.  Rendering courtesy of Nordic Structures

Buildings have been made with wood for thousands of years, but those buildings rarely make it above a couple stories high.   Due to building codes and requirements, non-combustible materials like concrete and steel are required to be used in most commercial buildings.  Typical timber buildings, like many North American houses will easily burn in the right conditions, but more and more projects are using cross-laminated timber (CLT) which has excellent non-combustion properties

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In Project Management, Technology, Green Building Tags cross laminated timber, origine condominium complex, north america's tallest wood building, nordic structures, mass timber, tallest wood structure, mass timber fire resistance, cross laminated timber fire resistance, world's tallest wood building, tallest wood building in canada, construction, construction records
1 Comment
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