ToolBase E-News volume 145
In This Issue:
INNOVATIONS PROPOSED FOR REBUILDING LOUISIANA:
According to a recent article in the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report (Seth Fox, 03/28/06), Louisiana Economic Development (LED) is hoping to speed the rebuilding efforts for homes damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita with innovative construction materials and systems that can be installed more quickly than conventional stick-built houses. Two dozen companies have approached LED with ideas. Many of the ideas focus around "systems building," which includes a number of technologies for mass-producing large parts of a house in a factory and then assembling the final product on site, saving actual construction time. One product proposed is a new resin-coated fiberglass panel, developed by Composite Building Structures, that can withstand 300 mph winds and be erected on site within days. Pumice-crete Building Systems proposes a simple and fast method for building on site by framing a house's walls in plywood molds, then applying a low-density concrete. Casting takes one day, and the 14-inch walls do not require additional insulation or structural components. Other proposed methods of construction for the rebuilding include steel framing, modular housing, and shipping containers. To learn more, read the article.
DOME HOUSES COMBINE STRENGTH AND THERMAL EFFICIENCY:
A recent article by the Australian Associated Press (04/05/06) reports that the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and DomeShells Technology have developed a new building technique that combines the strength of the dome shape with "composite panel technology." The dome houses, which can be erected in as little as two weeks, distribute stress created by strong winds across the entire building, eliminating structural damage during storms. The method uses "sandwich paneling," which consists of two outside layers made of polymer-modified, glass-fiber reinforced concrete, separated by a foam core. This makes the houses exceptionally strong and gives them highly-efficient thermal properties. For more information, read the article.
NEW 'LEGO-LIKE' HOUSE OFFERS FLEXIBLE LIVING:
Canadian architect Avi Friedman has developed a construction technique that he likens to Lego blocks-identical, mass-produced boxes that can be stacked into different shapes and then customized with cladding and interior details. According to a recent article in the Yorkshire (UK) Post Today (Sharon Dale, 03/28/06), the "Accent Home" aims to keep construction costs to a minimum, making it affordable to buy or rent. The home highlights four principles: (1) it is quick to build, (2) environmentally friendly, (3) healthy for occupants, and (4) has flexible space, which can be changed to suit changing demographics and lifestyles. For example, each unit can be used as a single large family house or divided into several units. It is constructed with as few load-bearing walls as possible so that room sizes and shapes can be easily changed. According to Friedman, the approach has worked well in Canada. For more information, read the complete article.
VIRGINIA STUDENTS AND FACULTY DESIGN AND BUILD ENVIRONMENTALLY-RESPONSIBLE MODULAR HOMES:
Over the next several years, University of Virginia students and faculty will design and construct several ecological, modular and affordable homes as part of a multi-year project called ecoMOD, according to a recent press release (03/22/06). The first ecoMOD house, "the OUTin house," which was completed in Charlottesville, Va., last year, focuses on "bringing the outside in." Its three decks expand the living area and its design maximizes use of outdoor space. The second house, ecoMOD2, is one of six Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville (HFHGC) projects for Katrina relief housing. The panelized house kit will be fabricated at a decommissioned airport owned by the University, and then shipped to Biloxi, Miss. by the end of the spring 2006 semester. To learn more, read the press release or visit the project website.
MAINSTREAM GREENHOMETM BREAKS GROUND:
According to a recent release (04/03/06), Cherokee Investment Partners, a private equity firm that acquires and remediates environmentally-impaired assets, recently held a groundbreaking for its National Homebuilder Mainstream GreenHomeTM in Raleigh, N.C. The home, which the company hopes will bolster the public image green building, showcases a number of innovative, environmentally-friendly features, while looking and functioning as a traditional home. According to Cherokee Investment Partners, it is the first home in the nation known to be built in a typical subdivision under the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Model Green Home Building Guidelines and is just one of three green homes in the nation known to meet such guidelines. The GreenHomeTM aims to use 50 percent less fossil fuel and consume 50 percent less water than a typical home; recycle or reuse 90 percent of organic waste on site and recycle 75 percent of all construction and demolition waste; retain 95 percent of all storm water for reuse; and provide exceptional indoor air quality. To learn more, read the press release or visit the Mainstream GreenHomeTM website.
UNIVERSITY STUDY ASKS MAINSTREAM BUILDERS TO PROVIDE OPINIONS ON GREEN BUILDING:
Builders and remodelers are invited to participate in a University of Michigan research study about their experience with and perspective on "green" or environmentally-friendly building practices. This study is for all residential builders and remodelers, not just those who are involved with green building. The goal of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of how innovation occurs in the building industry, and how to improve the fit between existing and emerging practices. The online survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Printed copies of the survey can be obtained by contacting Kif Scheuer, project organizer.
ANTI-MCMANSIONS HAVE EVERY COMFORT OF HOME:
As the American landscape is increasingly peppered with overgrown palaces that many call McMansions, some homeowners have opted for the opposite extreme by living in tiny houses. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune (Craig LeMoult; 03/31/06), homeowner Greg Johnson lives in a miniature chalet in Iowa City, Iowa, that measures only 7 feet wide by 10 feet long. Johnson built the house with the help of Jay Shafer, who started the Tumbleweed Tiny House Co. The home features metal roofing, exposed stud interior walls, red oak flooring, high ceilings, and a sleeping loft. Another homeowner, Julie Martin, who lost her home in Bay St. Louis, Miss. to Hurricane Katrina, also lives in one of Shafer's homes-a Gulf Coast version of a tiny house, with a front porch, asymmetrical windows and doors, porcelain faucet handles, and other details typical of the area's old homes. These homes come with full bathrooms and a walk-in closets, and because they're built to last and can be set on property later as a guest cottage, the tiny houses, which start at $37,000, will appreciate, unlike a trailer, according to the builder. To learn more, read the article [free registration required, or see the article summary in Nation's Building News].
CUSTOM-INSTALLED A/V OFFERED BY MORE BUILDERS:
According to a new study by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Associations of Home Builders (NAHB), 74 percent of builders who offered home technology last year offered multi-room audio as a standard or option, up from 68 percent in 2004 and 56.8 percent in 2002, and installed them in 15 percent of the homes they built. The results of the survey, which are described in a recent article in TWICE (Joseph Palenchar, 03/27/06), reveal that builders selling home technology increased their sales of everything but structured wiring, which may have been affected by an increase in inexpensive wireless networking technologies. The overwhelming majority of the surveyed builders agreed that home technologies are important to marketing homes, and a third of builders who install home technology believe that it helped them both sell homes and boost their revenues last year. To learn more about the results of the survey, read the article [free registration required].
RESEARCH PROJECT LAUNCHED TO EXPLORE RESIDENTIAL SUPPLY CHAIN:
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson recently announced that the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) has been chosen as one of the recipients of a PATH Cooperative Research grant. According to a recent release (04/05/06), this research project will develop processes to access and integrate home building product innovations into existing production builder supply chains; evaluate opportunities to modify the home building supply chain to introduce innovative products; and project the effectiveness and business viability of supply-chain modifications for selected home building product innovations. Preliminary results will be available in late winter 2006, and final results will be available a year later. For more information, read the release.
