On June 29, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the state’s shopping malls will be required to use air-conditioning systems capable of filtering-out the COVID-19 virus. To meet this requirement, HVAC systems will...
HDPE Plastic Pipe Goes Under Ground with Fewer Trenches Time to make water main repairs at Arlington National Cemetery, and officials chose HDPE plastic pipe. The pipe laying project replaced 44,500 feet of 60 year old...
Plastics’ energy and greenhouse gas savings using housewrap applied to the exterior of single family residential housing.
Doors are the passageway to our homes. In addition to welcoming friends and family, doors also serve as barriers to the outside environment. As such, a door should provide a family with security, durability, energy-efficiency, as...
Smart from the Start With all the “green” products or materials on the market, how do you navigate the claims and confidently pick the best green-building materials? A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can help. LCAs are one of the...
Maintaining and improving infrastructure—roads, bridges, tunnels, sewers, water supply, etc.—is a fundamental charge of states, cities, and localities. Whether it’s replacing leaky pipes or repairing roads, choosing the...
In our last post, we talked about the current state of green building solutions in the International Green Construction Code (IgCC). We explained how the existing materials and resources pathway for compliance in the IgCC code...
Now that the show is over, here’s a question: Who got the gold—in architecture—at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing? Was it PTW Architects for their luminescent, bubble-clad Watercube, also one of the world’s most...
No matter the region of the United States, inclement weather and extreme temperatures can play havoc with energy bills—as any homeowner will quickly confirm. Without proper insulation, these heating and cooling costs can rise...
When the time came to replace membranes in insulated and ballasted roofing assemblies on four terminal buildings at the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, everything old was new again. The project team looked for...
Since design, construction, and maintenance practices can have a significant effect on their environmental surroundings, measures can be taken to either lessen negative impacts or improve previously contaminated sites (i.e....
In previous editions of Modern Materials, we have brought you extensive information about the role plastics can play in the built environment, showcasing products made from various polymers and resins. That said, this issue of...
For several years, a trend toward energy-efficient roof technology has been emerging in design and construction circles.Cool roofing evolved as a means to help keep buildings cooler and make them more energy efficient. When...
The Plastics Division of American Chemistry Council (ACC) is on the cusp of providing unprecedented cradle-to-polymer information about many of its plastic resin products. This life cycle assessment inventory (LCI) data, culled...
Not every environmental benefit of a design/construction product or practice fits neatly into the categories of various green building rating systems. For example, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) Leadership in...
PEX pipes, also known as cross-linked polyethylene pipes, rely on plastics structurally modified for impact/tensile strengths, decreased shrinkage, high temperature/pressure performance, and resistance against creep, chemicals,...
Since the time of the Roman Empire, radiant systems have been used to deliver heat to buildings. One of the more recent modern examples involves Frank Lloyd Wright, who incorporated hydronic radiant heat into his designs in the...
