ToolBase E-News volume 150
In This Issue:
NEW ENERGY-SAVING POWERHOUSE OPENS DOORS:
The PowerHouse, an innovative new high-performance production home in Maryland, is complete and open to the public, according to a recent announcement by the NAHB Research Center (06/08/06). The 3,724-square-foot home, which was constructed by Bob Ward Companies of Edgewood, Md., features advanced technologies and design techniques that save energy and improve comfort, including a photovoltaic system, and is expected to use less than half the energy of a similar code-compliant home. The PowerHouse opened to the public with a ribbon cutting and open house on June 23. To learn more, visit the PowerHouse webpage on ToolBase.org or the Bob Ward Companies website.
HOME BUILDER LAUNCHES PODCASTS TO ATTRACT BUYERS:
According to a recent article in the (Riverside, CA) Press-Enterprise (Leslie Berkman, 6/18/06), home builder Taylor Woodrow Homes is using podcasting to reach tech-savvy Southern California buyers. Last week, the company's western regional office initiated audio and video podcasts of seven of its communities on its website. The company cited recent studies that show that homebuyers are using the Internet more often to find homes, while physically touring fewer communities. According to the company, moving in the direction of technology will ultimately save 15 to 20 percent in marketing costs. To learn more, read the article.
NEW FLORIDA 'HURRICANE HOUSE' OPEN TO PUBLIC:
The new "hurricane house" at the University of Florida's Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center opened to the public on May 26. According to a press release (05/04/06), the house is built to withstand winds of more than 140 mph. The 3,000-square-foot house, officially known as the Broward County Windstorm Damage Mitigation Training and Demonstration Center, is one of four demonstration facilities located at UF Extension Service offices around the state. Homeowners and builders can visit the house to investigate three types of window shutters, impact-resistant doors, a steel "safe room," and a garage door that will withstand winds of more than 150 mph. Exposed sections of interior walls show alternative construction methods such as insulated concrete forms (ICFs). To learn more, read the release.
ENGINEERS INVESTIGATE HURRICANE RETROFITS:
According to a recent article in the University of Florida News (Aaron Hoover, 06/20/06), researchers have conducted several experiments on 10 vacant homes in rural Polk County in order to learn why many of Florida's older homes buckle under hurricane-force winds and to test methods for fortifying them with post-construction retrofits. Although changes in the state's building codes have helped newer homes stand up to hurricanes, the majority of existing homes were built before the codes went into effect. Researchers are looking to quantify how to reduce a home's vulnerability and provide homeowners on limited budgets with a way to prioritize retrofits. The tests evaluated protective window covers that can prevent wind and rain from entering the house and metal straps that can anchor concrete beams. To learn more about the research, read the article.
STEEL COMPANIES JOIN TOGETHER TO REBUILD GULF COAST:
According to a recent article in Purchasing.com (Tom Stundza; 06/15/06), a dozen North American steel companies have joined together under a special initiative to help repair and replace hurricane-damaged buildings in the Gulf Coast region using steel construction materials and techniques. The group has committed $1.1 million to support a Gulf Coast Steel Initiative, developed by the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). The Initiative will train workers on the correct use of steel framing and roofing and provide educational programs for building inspectors. It will also promote building codes and insurance and lending programs that promote the use of durable construction materials and practices in hurricane-prone areas. For more information, including a summary of the benefits of steel framing and roofing, read the article.
SEISMIC DAMPERS TO BE TESTED ON WOOD-FRAME CONSTRUCTION:
According to a recent release (06/22/06), University of Buffalo researchers will soon test the applicability of fluid seismic dampers on wood-frame housing. The dampers, a technology originally used during the Cold War to isolate ballistic missile silos from vibrations, take the energy of an earthquake and convert it into heat, allowing it to escape from the structure. In July, a test townhouse at the University's Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory (SEESL) will be used to test the dampers in a simulation of the magnitude 6.9 Northridge earthquake. In November, the project's final test will simulate a far more powerful earthquake. Currently, the dampers are used in 180 commercial buildings and bridges worldwide, but have never been used in a wood-frame residence. To learn more, read the release.
USED SHIPPING CONTAINERS COMBINE PREFAB AND GREEN BUILDING:
According to a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle (Carol Lloyd, 06/16/06), more and more innovative architects are using shipping containers to combine the benefits of prefabricated housing and green building. The containers are cheap, strong, and easily transportable, and are hurricane-, flood-, and fire-resistant. Used containers, which are abundant at American ports, can be purchased for $1,500 to $2,000, and often have teak floors and are sometimes insulated. As a virtual waste product themselves, the containers are the highest form of "recycled content" for home construction. The article concedes that the corrugated boxes may not appeal to everyone, but says contemporary hipsters find them aesthetically pleasing and the ultimate in postmodern housing. One architect has developed a number of innovative home designs from shipping containers, including the "Quik House," a prefabricated kit that assembles in no more than three weeks. For more information, read the article. To learn more about the Quik House, visit the website.
