Tag: building

HercuWall

Framing, Reimagined

Want to lower project costs and enjoy a faster build cycle all while improving the quality of the finished product? Of course you do. HercuTech’s HercuWall, the poster child of reNEWable Living Home 2018, makes it possible. The Product HercuWall offers the durability of composite concrete construction without the need for steel rebar. The product […]

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Better Building

Mitigating Disaster Impacts

As several devastating natural disasters have leveled towns and stalled economies, industry attention returns to smarter building. Construction professionals seek materials that are durable, versatile, and sustainable. An existing concrete product may be the key to better building. Conventional concrete—the go-to material for low- and mid-rise buildings— lacks the combination of compressive strength, tensile strength, […]

Technology

Sun vs. Snow

Rocky Mountain Institute

Touted as the one of the nation’s most energy efficient structures, the Rocky Mountain Institute’s new headquarters doesn’t just survive Colorado’s harsh winters – it thrives. With nighttime temperatures hovering around 5 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and an average of 90 inches of snow per year, Basalt, Colorado may not seem like the ideal […]

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Recycled Brick

Efficient, Affordable Solutions

Two new recycled brick products offer energy efficient, low-cost solutions for your next green building project. WasteBasedBricks, manufactured by Amsterdam-based StoneCycling, produces bricks by creating a composite of demolition waste, rejected clay, leftover ceramics, insulation, and glass. Clients can chose between machined bricks for large-scale products as well as intriguing handmade bricks for accents and […]

Technology

Tread on Me

Pavegen Floor Tiles

By harnessing every footstep, Pavegen floor tiles turn walkways into energy sources and help cities convert pedestrians into power. What if that “spring in your step” could be converted to energy? Imagine your footsteps providing enough power to light the path you’re walking on, or even contribute to the overall load at the supermarket you […]

Technology

SURE HOUSE

Ultra low energy home

The SURE HOUSE strikes a balance between mitigating and protecting against the vagaries of climate change and extreme weather all under one charming, beach cottage roof. The winner of the US Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon for 2015, the SURE HOUSE is an entirely solar-powered structure designed to make the most of the weather, including […]

Technology

Masonry Goes Modern

Robotic Brick Layer

There is one thing the Egyptian Pyramids, Rome’s Colosseum, India’s Taj Mahal, and the Great Wall of China have in common: masonry. All these astonishing architectural achievements, scattered all over the globe, share the same building technique chosen for its beauty, versatility, and durability. The level of complexity varies from simple masonry to ornate exteriors […]

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Build Smarter

Or it's free

Building a house is nothing like ordering a pizza over the phone. But maybe it should be. With few exceptions, restaurants order ingredients and supplies in advance. They create a menu of offerings and then take orders over the phone based on the menu listings. Substitutions are made when the order is placed. Once the […]

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Back on Track

Apartment markets improve

The U.S. apartment market is getting back on track. As of July 2014, 386,000 units are underway, shows Fannie Mae’s Housing Industry Forum. Multifamily research firm Axiometrics reported that year-to-date effective rent growth was the highest since the Great Recession, with June 2014’s YTD effective rent growth clocking in at 4.5 percent. Class B properties […]

Technology

A House in 24 Hours

A robot built it

Giant 3D printers, though still in the research stage, may be the perfect candidate to replace built-by-hand homes. USC Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis designed a robot able to build a 2,500-square-foot home in just 24 hours. The process, called Contour Crafting, is in fact scaling up 3D printing to the scale of the building. The big […]