ToolBase E-News volume 144
In This Issue:
PATH UNVEILS FLEXIBLE HOME DESIGNS:
The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) recently unveiled designs for the flexible "home of the future" - aka the PATH Concept Homes. According to a recent article in the Washington Post (Jeff Turrentine, 03/23/06), the homes - one a traditional house and the other a contemporary urban townhouse - incorporate flexible floor plans, movable walls, "utility cores," easy-to-access mechanical systems, and wireless networks. With the unveiling of the Concept Home designs, PATH will also present the workshop "Design a 'Flexible' Home" (session T26), during Residential Design 2006 in Boston, Mass., on April 6, from 3:30-5:30 pm. Attendees can meet the architects and learn how PATH is using market research to respond to builder and consumer needs and guide the development of innovative homes. For more information about the Concept Home or to view designs, visit the PATH Concept Home website.
CANADIAN TEST HOME POWERED BY FUEL CELL:
According to a recent article in the Toronto Star (Pat Brennan, 03/11/06), a fully-automated research house built on the Ottawa campus of the National Research Council (NRC) is the first home in Canada to get its heat and electricity from a fuel cell. The house, which tests various energy conservation and environmental technologies, simulates energy and water usage for a family of two adults and two children. The home is frequently upgraded with new technologies, while a duplicate house, also built on the NRC campus, is used a reference house and remains as it was built. Fuel Cell Technologies Ltd. installed a fuel cell in the test house last year for a three-month experiment. Although the firm cannot fully disclose the results of the test, it states that they "were beyond what we anticipated." The home was even able to feed electricity back into the city's electrical grid. To learn more, read the article.
NEW BUILDING PRODUCTS OFFER GREEN ATTRIBUTES, DURABILITY:
A recent article in New York Construction (Diane Greer, 03/06) highlights several innovative new construction materials that aim to improve durability and performance or provide an environmentally-friendly alternative to existing options. A water- and corrosion-resistant concrete admixture from Hycrete Technologies prevents water-based damage to concrete. Purebond, a soy-based adhesive for plywood, offers performance characteristics equal to or surpassing carcinogenic urea-formaldehyde adhesives, while remaining competitively priced. The new Solarban 70XL solar-control low-e glass combines low heat gain with a high level of visible light. Varia, an environmentally-friendly eco-resin made from 40 percent recycled content can be tailored to specific applications by combining colors, patterns, textures, layers, and finishes to form panels. To learn more about these and other new technologies, read the article.
TECHNOLOGY TURNS CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT INTO USEFUL PRODUCT:
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing new technologies that can turn contaminated river and harbor sediments into useful products, such as building materials or soil for landscaping. According to a recent press release (03/24/06), one technology, patented by BioGenesis Enterprises, Inc., uses water under high pressure and biodegradable detergents to strip away contaminants and leave behind soil that can be blended with compost or yard waste to produce high quality top soil. Other uses could include construction-grade cement, lightweight aggregate, composite bricks and structural fill. Another technology, patented by Endesco Clean Harbors, heats up sediment to 2600° F and blends it with cement. The technologies are part of a demonstration program to decontaminate dredged materials from the Port of New York and New Jersey. The program is being funded and implemented by EPA and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), with the ultimate goal of creating a self-sustaining industry that uses treated dredged sediments as building material. To learn more about the technologies, read the release.
APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS FOR PRESTIGIOUS ENERGYVALUE HOUSING AWARD:
The NAHB Research Center recently announced that it will begin accepting applications for the 2007 EnergyValue Housing Award (EVHA). All professional U.S. home builders whose primary occupation is constructing homes and/or developing real estate are eligible for participation. The award program honors builders who voluntarily integrate energy efficiency into the design, construction, and marketing of new homes. All EVHA applicants receive a detailed evaluation of their entries, complimentary passes to the award ceremony at the 2007 International Builders' Show, and a free, one-year single-user subscription to BuildingGreen Suite. The official EVHA application must be postmarked by July 17, 2006. Judging will begin in late August, and applicants will be notified if they are a finalist or not in October 2006. For more information, read the press release. To obtain an EVHA application, visit www.nahbrc.org/evha or email evha@nahbrc.org.
ELECTRONIC HOUSE EXPO SHOWCASES CUTTING EDGE TRENDS:
According to a recent release (03/23/06), the seventh annual Electronic House Expo (EHX), which will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. from March 28 to April 1, will showcase several new trends for the home technology industry. One of the most prominent trends is the arrival of new digital media server products that allow homeowners to centralize storage and management of content and distribute it to multiple rooms in their homes. This provides whole-home, on-demand music, movies and memories for a wide variety of home markets. New technologies also demonstrate a resurgence of home automation and automated lighting control, with a number of new low-cost, high-quality technologies for wireless and no-new-wires control communications and interoperation. For more detail on the Expo, read the release.
KATRINA COTTAGE VIES TO REPLACE TRAVEL TRAILERS:
According to a recent story published by The Advocate (Joe Gyan Jr., 03/22/06), the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) recently unveiled the "Katrina Cottage II," a two-bedroom, hurricane-resistant, Creole-style cottage that the LRA considers a cheaper, safer, faster, and more permanent alternative to FEMA travel trailers. The model features lightweight panelized walls constructed of 6 inches of hard foam insulation sandwiched by sheets of fiber cement siding. The roof is made of steel siding with 6-inch solid-foam insulation, and the interior ceiling also has a steel finish. The LRA and the Mississippi governor's office are lobbying FEMA to replace temporary travel trailers with Katrina Cottages, although the 1974 Stafford Act prevents FEMA from spending money on permanent residential construction. For more information, read the article.
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WEBSITES BENCHMARKED IN NEW INTERNET STUDY:
According to a recent release (03/23/06), the Internet Standards Assessment Report (ISAR) released by the Web Marketing Association says construction industry websites are generally inline with the overall ISAR Index. This shows a substantial improvement from their significant underperformance in 2003. The ISAR study provides industry benchmarks for site development and is based on data collected from 9,748 site evaluations in more than 80 industries over the past decade. The Web Marketing Association also conducts an annual WebAward Competition for website development. To view past WebAwards Best Construction website winners, or to nominate a site, visit www.webawards2006.org, or download a copy of the full ISAR report.
