Building

The Latest Building Materials and Green Wares

• By Katy Tomasulo
• Source: BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine
• Publication date: 2009-05-07

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Ecobee

Ecobee. The Smart Thermostat is designed to provide the energy-saving control of a programmable thermostat with easy-to-use functionality that homeowners can understand. The unit operates via a touchscreen or the Internet. The thermostat allows utilities to communicate with customers and to send alerts and notices of demand-response events. 877-932-6233 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 877-932-6233 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.ecobee.com.

KlipTech

KlipTech. EcoClad exterior cladding is made with a 50/50 blend of FSC-certified post-consumer recycled paper/wood fiber along with bamboo fiber, bonded with a water-based co-polymer resin. According to the firm, the cladding offers durability comparable to metal, brick, and stucco. The 4x8 panels come in 10 stock wood-grains and six stock matte colors, or in custom colors. 253-507-4622 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 253-507-4622 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.kliptech.com.

Sustainable Flooring

Sustainable Flooring. Showercork flooring is made with 1/4-inch pieces of cork cut from post-industrial wine corks. The durable material is suitable for wet applications such as shower floors and pool surrounds, is slip resistant, comes prefinished or unfinished, and offers thermal and acoustical properties. The sheets, which come 12 inches by 24 inches, are adhered with thinset or glue and then grouted. 303-544-6076 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 303-544-6076 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.sustainableflooring.com.

Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore. Natura zero-VOC interior paint is available in nearly 3,500 colors (plus limitless color-matching), with a waterborne colorant system that ensures the addition of colorant doesn't affect VOC content. According to the company, the paint offers excellent hide and durability, dries quickly, is virtually odorless, and is washable. 800-344-0400 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-344-0400 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. www.benjaminmoore.com.

Eco-Towns promote green building techniques:

by peroty

Eco-Towns promote green building techniques:

OBC’s Green Builders in Bromley and the UK

Being a building and construction company in the UK, it is important for us at OBC Building in Bromley and Tunbridge Wells to stay up to date with news and innovations that concern the building industry and environment. In order to live up to our reputation as green home builders, it is important for us at our OBC builders in Tunbridge Wells and Bromley to know about current green building and environmentally friendly construction techniques that can shape the future of the home building market.

Eco-Towns: A showcase of green home building:

We are living in unprecedented times where technology and inventory ideas are concerned and the concept of creating eco-towns in the UK might at first sounded unrealistic and far-fetched. However, this new project promises to epitomise greener home building and could inspire the global construction industry along with our Bromley builders to take on a greener approach to home building.

Eco-Towns: Inspiring greener home building techniques:

To OBC Builders in Tunbridge Wells, the development of the new Eco-Towns in the UK could be of special interest. It is important for our OBC builders in Bromley to foresee what effect these Eco-Towns will have on the local construction and building industry and to adapt a similar green home building approach where possible.

The Local Government Association is in the process of allocating £60million as start-up funding for the local infrastructure of these eco-towns. With thousands of people still on the waiting list for affordable housing in the UK, the government realises the need for new settlements that offer green buildings and low-cost housing alternatives. The state of the environment has received ample international attention during the past few years and people are realising the importance of acting out their concern in a practical way. Our planet is currently facing resource depletion and a sustainable housing alternative could advance the combat against climate change while solving the current housing dilemma.

What will these Eco-towns look like?

These Eco-communities will consist of approximately 5000-15000 carbon neutral homes, developed through green building techniques. Each eco-town will have sufficient biodiversity and 40 % percent of the town’s space will be made up of green space while half the space will be allocated to the community. 30 % percent of the homes in this eco-town will be low-cost housing and the plan is to have and average of one job per house within close proximity of the eco-town itself. The objective of these Eco-towns is to combat climate change by creating a functional living space where the immediate environment will promote sustainable living through its green buildings and environmentally friendly facilities. Each town will incorporate the latest technology to ensure that these towns are carbon neutral. This unique green building project will incorporate the following:

Water efficiency An increased waste recycling system Rain collectors Zero carbon emissions Solar energy panels

These towns will contain all the necessary facilities such as schools, shops and healthcare centres. Each eco-town will also have a good transport infrastructure.

Eco-towns: Inspiring local builders to build greener:

The government has already initiated the first consultation phase with prospective developers of these eco-towns and the public has raised concern about whether or not these eco-towns will detract from local planning and regeneration objectives. It might be that these towns will motivate local UK developers and builders such OBC Builder in Tunbridge Wells to implement greener building techniques in order to stay ahead of the competition. These carbon neutral communities could easily increase local awareness of the environment and motivate local homeowners to seek out greener living alternatives.

As a smaller building and construction company, OBC builders in Bromley have incorporated various green building techniques into our home building approach. Not everyone will be able to relocate to one of these eco-towns and it is therefore important to implement an environmental building strategy that can easily be implemented on a commercial front, outside of these eco-towns. The biggest environmental challenges still concern our local suburbs and cities and it is therefore important that green building alternatives are promoted and implemented by local builders such OBC Building in Bromley, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

OBC Builders Bromley – is a registered builder with the National House-Building Council (NHBC) for Bromley, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks. OBC’s specialised building and construction services include the following; new builds, heritage property restoration, interior decoration, extension building, loft installations and basement conversions. They offer expert services in the following areas: Bromley, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.

ICP Piles

ICP piles is another type of piling, it’s also known as Pretensioned Spun High Strength Concrete Piles (ICP PHC Piles) which offer an economical foundation system with consistent and superior quality compared to the ordinary concrete piles.

ICP Piles are circular in cross-section and are manufactured in sizes ranging from diameter 250mm to 1200mm with standard lengths varying from 6m to 46m in single pieces. ICP Piles can be easily joined to any combination of length as per design requirement. ICP piles are manufactured with steel end plates for splicing.

Today, with the state-of-the-art autoclave curing system, ICP Piles can be installed immediately after autoclaving. ICP piles have been used extensively as foundation piles for power stations, highrise buildings, civil engineering works, bridges, marine structures, harbours, schools and government project, etc.

Materials For ICP Piles

1) Aggregates
Coarse aggregates shall be 20mm granite. Fine aggregates shall be clean river sand or washed mining sand.

2) Cement
Ordinary Portland cement.

3) Prestressing Steel
High frequency induction heat treated bars.

4) Spiral wire
Hard drawn wire.

Joint

The joint is designed to have the same performance as the main body particularly in respect of bending strength. All ICP piles will be supplied with steel extension plates for splicing.

Lifting Points

Two lifting point will be marked on all piles exceeding 9m. No special lifting bolt or wire rope is cast into the piles. Lifting is by wrapping wire ropes round the piles at specified points.

Pile Shoes

All ICP Piles will be supplied either open ended, with a flat shoe or with an X-pointed shoe.

Curing

After casting, the piles are steam cured. When the concrete reaches the specified transfer strength, the piles are demoulded, marked and checked for quality. The piles can normally be transported and driven when the cube strength reaches 50 N/mm2. Today with the state-of-the-art autoclave curing system, the piles can be installed immediately after autoclaving.

AuGeo Piling System

Rapid construction of maintenance free infrastructure on very compressible soil demands new foundation techniques which can be applied economically on large-scale projects. A new system named AuGeo Piling System was developed to construct embankments on piles, whereby a geogrid is used to transfer the weight of the embankment to the pile foundation. With this so-called AuGeo piling system it is possible to construct settlement free embankments within a very short time period.

The AuGeo piling system is characterized by a relatively light piling system provided with a cap and an enlarged point. The piles are pushed into the soil at short distances by a modified drain stitcher. Compared to a standard ramming method, where it is very important that no rest settlements occur, small settlements will not affect the construction of an AuGeo system or the geogrid mattress.

The AuGeo piling system consists of a corrugated HDPE casing which is filled with a cement mortar. The piles are installed from a working platform. A circular steel tube of dimension 190mm diameter is pushed into the soil by a drain stitcher type MY-200 with a force of approx. 40tons. The tube is closed at the bottom by a 5mm thick steel plate, which acts as an enlarged pile point. This plate remains in the soil. The tube is installed at a regular speed to avoid disturbance of the subsoil and any potential damage to the piles already installed. When the steel tube has reached its final depth, the HDPE tube of diameter 150mm is lowered into the steel casing and filled with a comment mortar. The mortar is mixed on site in a mobile mixing plant and pumped to a temporary storage bin on the installation rig or pumped directly from ready mix trucks. The steel tube is retracted and the pile is cut at its correct level, filled to the top if necessary, and provided with a concrete cap of dimensions 300×300mm. During normal operations, production rate of 20 piles per hour can be achieved.

Areas Of Usage

1) Highways and Railway Embankments

2) Approach Embankments to Bridges

3) Light and medium Industrial Structures

4) Housing Development Area

Advantages Of The AuGeo Piling System

1) Competitive costing. It is cheaper than normal piled embankments.

2) Speed of installation compliments fast track construction projects.

3) Easy to install, no vibrations and very small displacement.

4) Environmentally friendly system.

5) No post construction settlements.

6) Effective load transfer via 2 layers of high strength Geogrid.

Thanks

Internet

New Forensic Quality Control System Lowers Construction Cost, Eliminates Frivilous CDL

Builders, consumers benefit from new risk management technology.

(SAN DIEGO) -- Construction defect litigation has become a pandemic throughout the United States. In San Diego alone, it is reported that virtually 100% of all multi-residential construction projects built since the mid 1980s have faced litigation claiming construction defect within the ten-year statute of limitations.

David Blackburn, President, established CIA to address the widespread pandemic of construction defect litigation that is crippling the construction industry. By systematically documenting construction projects using its specialized hardware, state of the art software, and specially trained personnel, CIA aims to greatly improve construction quality while reducing exposure to costly lawsuits and more notably, has become the only third party quality control process on earth, proven to reduce the risk and cost of construction defect litigation.

"With the flood of new contractors it is hard to tell the qualified from the unqualified," said Blackburn. "But with the presence of our camera technicians on site, CIA will help keep the honest people honest, and persuade the not so honest to the right thing. The system saves time, saves money, and saves a lot of heartbreak and frustration for everyone involved."

By creating the ability to view jobsite conditions by multiple parties, CIA reduces the risk of construction defect issues that are often left unnoticed, uncorrected, or even covered up. These issues lead directly to construction defect litigation and end up costing the developer substantially more than it ever would have cost to do it right the first time.

How does it work?
CIA photographically documents construction projects on a daily, weekly, monthly, or as needed basis and uploads the photographs in real time to a secured project web site for its clients and other interested parties, which may include project owners, developers, subcontractors, lenders, insurance agencies, and fund control agents.

This simple system visually identifies construction deficiencies on the spot. These problems can be communicated by users from remote sites anywhere in the world with Internet access to construction personnel so on site corrections can be made immediately.

By creating the ability to view jobsite conditions by multiple parties, CIA reduces the risk of construction defect issues that are often left unnoticed, uncorrected, or even covered up. These issues lead directly to construction defect litigation and end up costing the developer substantially more than it ever would have cost to do it right the first time.

How great is the threat of construction defect litigation to the building industry?

Construction defect litigation adds an average of $23,000 per unit on all multi family residential projects of 20 units or more. CDL plagues the entire residential, commercial, retail, and specialty construction industry as a whole. All costs developers are forced to incur with wrap insurance policies and other protective measures, threaten to make otherwise viable projects too costly. IN many cases, developers are forced to directly pass the costs on to the consumer.

Construction defect litigation has become so pervasive and lucrative for attorneys in California that every multi-family construction projects of 20 units or more, built in San Diego over the past two decades has been litigated against.


About this author:
Gayle Falkenthal has been a journalist for nearly two decades and now owns and operates a successful public relations company in San Diego , CA. Her clients include the Red Cross, Good Earth, and more.

Piling

Piling - All you need to know?

It is a well known and accepted fact that for any building, house or concrete structure to be built well, it must have a very strong foundation and underground structural base that supports the building. This is what makes piling so important.

What Is Piling? - Piling is a technique used extensively by contractors to set a deep foundation for structures such as buildings.

By driving and embedding piles of wood, concrete or steel into the deep soil of the ground, the piling contractors are able to provide a strong support to the building structure at the foundation level - a pre requisite for any construction project.



Factors such as the size, capacity and scope of the project, the condition of the soil immediately beneath the ground, and space required for rigging, all need to be taken into consideration before beginning the piling process. As opposed to a shallow foundation, a deep foundation is used to transfer the load of the structure to the deeper, stronger layer of the soil which has a high bearing capacity and can take the load, thus supporting the structure well.

Materials Used - The commonly used Piling materials include wood, concrete or steel - precast concrete piles, vertical columns of wood, steel sheet piles and timber piles etc.

Piles of the chosen material may be drilled or driven into the ground, thereby, making a solid foundation for the structural load. Geotechnical Engineers, Structural Engineers, Site Fitters and Foreman, Area Contractors as well as all other team members of the construction staff play their individual roles in designing, planning, understanding and streamlining all the tasks that go into digging, piling and constructing a strong structure.

Where is Piling Used?

The different forms and variations of piling techniques are hired and used by all major Contractors, Housing Developers and Consulting Engineers etc in the construction and establishment of large Commercial projects, Housing Development projects, Retail and Road Construction projects, Marine projects etc.

Forms of Piling The different types of piling can be differentiated from one another based on the choice of material used or the specific method/technique adopted for piling etc.

Driven Piles: This technique makes use of a Pile Driver which is used to drive in prefabricated piles into the ground. Most Driven piles are made of wood, concrete, or steel & the driving technique leads to soil displacement.

Drilled Piles: Drilled piles are also called Cast-in-drilled-hole piles (CIDH piles) and use extensive boring techniques to drill into hard earth.

New Concrete Technology

Article written by: Martin Dawson

There have been a number of advances in new concrete technology in the past ten years. There have been advancements made in almost all areas of concrete production including materials, recycling, mixture proportioning, durability, and environmental quality. However, many of these innovations have not been adopted by the concrete industry or concrete users / buyers. There is always some resistance to change and it is usually based on cost considerations and lack of familiarity with the new technology.

The latest new concrete technology is beginning to gain acceptance in the industry. Some of the more interesting new concretes are called high performance concrete (HPC), ultra high performance concrete, and geopolymer concrete. They have significant advantages and little or no disadvantages when compared to standard concrete in use today.

High performance concrete usually contains recycled materials and thereby reduces the need to dispose of these materials. Some of these materials include fly ash (waste by-product from coal burning), ground granulated blast furnace slag, and silica fume. But perhaps the biggest benefit of using some of these other materials is the reduction in the need to use cement, also commonly referred to as Portland cement. The reduction in the production and use of cement will have many beneficial effects. These benefits will include a reduction in the creation of carbon dioxide emissions and a reduction in energy consumption, both of which will improve the global warming situation. It is estimated that the production of cement worldwide contributes five to eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. In addition, the use of fly ash and furnace slag is usually cheaper than cement and they have properties that improve the quality of the final concrete.

Today’s new concrete technology has produced new types of concrete that have live spans measured in the hundreds of years rather than decades. The use of fly ash and other by-product materials will save many hundreds of thousands of acres of land that would have been used for disposal purposes. Fly ash and other by-products from burning coal, are some of the most abundant industrial waste by-products on the planet. The elimination of burial sites for these waste by-products will translate into less risk of contamination of surface and underground water supplies. When compared to standard concrete the new concretes have better corrosion resistance, equal or higher compressive and tensile strengths, higher fire resistance, and rapid curing and strength gain. In addition, the production and life cycle of these new concretes will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90%.

BSI is a new concrete technology that has a much higher tensile and flexural (bending) strength than standard concrete. It is a fiber-reinforced concrete that is combined with premixed dry components. It is much denser than standard concrete and structures built with it will need far less new concrete, perhaps as much as 80% less. The high density gives BSI concrete other properties such as extremely high resistance to corrosion from chemicals. The higher strength of BSI eliminates the need for placement of steel rebar in structural designs. BSI, or some variation with metallic fibers and/or superplasticizers, will be used to build some structural elements less than an inch thick. Overall, structures built with BSI will have much greater life spans and will require far less maintenance.

Ductal is another new concrete technology that is denser than BSI. Ductal uses steel or organic fibers to create a concrete that is stronger than BSI. Interestingly, the ancient Romans used horse hair in their concrete to improve its strength. Ductal is being tested for use in earthquake resistant structures, bridges, tunnels, and nuclear containment structures. Although it is more expensive than traditional concrete there are a number of cost savings that will make it price competitive. Among these cost savings are no steel rebar is needed, less material is needed with less related labor and equipment costs, and structures are thinner with less weight and require smaller foundations. In addition, both BSI and Ductal have low maintenance costs because of their very low porosity and are very resistant to penetration by water or chemicals. They are both resistant to salt water which is very corrosive and damaging to today’s bridges and roadways.

Martin Dawson is the co-founder of Dawson Foundation Repair headquartered in Houston, Texas. He is a leading authority on repairing failed commercial and home foundations using the time tested and thoroughly researched drilled Bell Bottom Pier method. His company has serviced Texas and other southern states since 1984.

Tags: concrete, foundation