Tag: Concrete - Page 3
-
Bunker Turned Into Studios by Index Architects
Often our readers complain that some of the architecture I like looks like a bunker; (see church here) sometimes they are right, such as in this case in Frankfurt. It is, in fact, a World War II bunker in Frankfurt that had been previously disguised as
-
Drain Pipe Accomodations, UCONN Goes Green and Orphanage Clothing
EcoLibris takes it to the streets, joining forces with the University of Connecticut's campus coop bookstore.
-
Casa Pentimento by Jose Maria Sáez and David Barragán
In the Dairy house shown recently, horizontal slots were filled with glass. In Ecuador, the climate is a bit different; it appears more important to have lots of natural ventilation. in the Casa Pentimento, the architects have developed a prefabricated
-
"Sustainable Cement is Like Vegetarian Meatballs"
That's what Professor of Engineering Julian Allwood told Elisabeth Rosenthal of the International Herald Tribune. "The big news about cement is that it is the single biggest material source of carbon emissions in the world, and the demand is going up,"
-
Cementing the dual goals of development and sustainability
No, there were "no climate change protesters waiting to jeer as the chief executives and other senior figures of one of the world's biggest industries gathered on Wednesday," in Brussels, as David Adam wrote in "The unheralded polluter: cement
-
Cement, the Unheralded Polluter
It is time again for the Green Building Festival in Toronto, and like last year, it is sponsored by St. Lawrence Cement. We did a rant last year at this time about why concrete isn't green and won't repeat it; instead we will note a column by David
-
Concrete Canvas Shelters
Blaine at Transmaterials shows Concrete Canvas Shelters: "a rapidly deployable hardened shelter that requires only water and air for erection. It can be deployed by two people without any training in approximately thirty minutes and is ready to use in
-
Potato Chip Ingredient Provides Longevity Boost to Concrete
Who would've thought that the flavoring that helps give "salt & vinegar" chips their tasty tang could also help protect concrete from water damage? A new study by Awni Al-Otoom and his colleagues in Jordan has revealed that sodium acetate — a chemical
-
Gigacrete: An Alternative to Concrete
We have never been fond of concrete for single family residential uses; there is too much gravel excavation, carbon released making cement, transport of a heavy, marginally recyclable material to house a couple of people. Yet there is something to be
-
HauteGREEN 2007 Sneak Peek: Solus Decor's The Grate Bench
"Y'know, it's really hard to find a nice, modern garden bench " So started the design process that led to Solus Decor's The Grate Bench, which was inspired by the need for an attractive, outdoor bench that will last a lifetime, does not
-
What Lies Beneath: Our Homes' Foundations
There was a hot and heavy discussion over the use of insulated concrete forms a while back, where I said "with rare exceptions all foundation technologies are pretty gross, primitive and invasive and few systems tread lightly on the landscape." and
-
Building Houses out of Garbage, Not Concrete
Readers have noted that I am not fond of concrete; Dr. Jim Forth of Leeds University isn't either. He has developed the Bitublock, a sustainable low energy replacement for concrete blocks. "Our aim is to completely replace concrete as a structural
-
Insulated Concrete Forms: Another Opinion
ICFs are a way of building a well
-
Sarah Harmer Dethrones the Gravel Kings
Proof of the power of song: Sarah Harmer (shown here with David Suzuki) has won a huge victory in her struggle (reported on earlier here) against the gravel kings. The Province of Ontario has declared 15 pockets of the Niagara Escarpment around her
-
Made in China: Your New (Energy-Efficient) Home
China's drive to increase buildings' energy efficiency by 50% may not be going as hoped—lax local officials are being blamed as usual—but the effort is sure to breed solutions for export around the world. One of the latest products to come ou
-
Materials Science- More Than Meets The Eye
Two scientific reports this past week highlight advances in materials science and their potential impact on the environment. Jeff highlighted how nano-research into concrete could cut carbon dioxide emissions up to 10%. In a different story, Walter
-
It Slices, It Dices: Pollution Eating Concrete
Another tip came our way from Brian to check out a Wired News story on "Scrubbing Bubbles Hit the Streets". Turns out that nanotechnology can do more then keep your pants stain free - a coating of titanium dioxide on concrete surfaces has the ability to
