Recent decades have brought about numerous developments in the structure of glass: layered, stronger, lighter, and even energy-producing varieties are used in homes and offices around the globe. Getting rid of glass altogether may be the next big advancement in transparent building materials. Glass has natural disadvantages. It is a poor thermal insulator, which requires HVAC systems to work harder, and architects to work smarter. Glass is also a relatively weak material. Wood, on the other hand, is a natural insulator. It moderates indoor temperatures with less drain on the HVAC. Wood is also one of the strongest, renewable, and most versatile building materials around. Wood is so versatile, in fact, that it can now become transparent. Sweden and the Unites States have both made large strides in transparent wood research. In both countries, engineers begin by putting wood through a bath of sodium hydroxide, additional chemicals, and hot water. This process (also used in the production of paper) strips the wood of lignin, the polymer that gives wood its color. The countries vary in what comes next. Lars Berglund, a researcher at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, injects the wood with a polymer. Dr. Liangbing Hu of the University’s Department of Material Science and Engineering injects the channels with an epoxy. Both end with nanoscale tailoring that usher the wood from whitish towards transparent. The resulting products are similar. The wood becomes translucent, up to 85 percent transparent. The final product is also stronger than the original. As researchers refine their technique, they’re getting closer and closer to true transparency. The wood composite has roused interest with several major manufacturers. Both engineers believe that they are only a few short years away from bringing transparent wood products to market. Possible applications for...

Traditional sustainable building standards focus heavily on resource conservation and waste management. The effect of building materials on plants and animals receives less scrutiny. Such oversight has lead to the growing presence of imidacloprid in construction, a known hazard of the already dwindling honeybee population. Imidacloprid is a pesticide commonly found in construction materials such as sealants, vinyl siding, polystyrene insulation, and pressure treated wood. Most pressure treated wood carries at least 11 parts per million (ppm) of imidacloprid. Some brands of plywood use up to 300 ppm. PVC siding can contain about 10,000 ppm. Only .025 parts per billion is toxic to bees, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Their recent report states that even at very low levels of exposure, imidacloprid is deemed “very highly toxic” to honeybees. Though the adverse effects of the chemical’s use are widely publicized, the EPA continued to approve additional uses of the pesticide. Six major manufacturers are known to used the chemical, including Lanxess, Viance, Arch Treatment Technologies, United Phosphorus, Willowood, and Zelam. Building materials leach imidacloprid into water and soil. Plant roots absorb the pesticide and ultimately siphon it to plants’ pollen and nectar where it is consumed by bees. The insects are again exposed to the chemical when they encounter standing water that has been tainted with imidacloprid. Lastly, bees use treated sawdust in the construction of their hives, piling the poison directly into their abodes. Honeybees preference for an imidacloprid-infused diet exacerbates their dilemma. A study conducted by Nature reveals that honeybees demonstrate a growing dependency on the toxin. “Free-flying honeybees prefer to collect sucrose solutions containing low concentrations of nicotine,” the report states. “Remarkably, the preference occurred even when bees consuming these solutions were more likely to die.” Imidacloprid is one of...