construction

I could not help but recall our own prefab house kit construction when I read in the paper that a local landfill wants to quadruple the amount of construction debris it receives.

Here's an idea: Instead of increasing landfills to accept more waste, how about if we get the construction industry to WASTE LESS?

"The landfill can currently accept a maximum of 900 tons of waste per day. The proposed modifications would allow up to 3,500 tons of waste per day and increase the capacity by about 25 percent to 2.6 million cubic yards."

The majority of  the landfill's intake is construction and demolition waste. WHAT? What ever happened to
1. creating less (how about zero?) waste, and
2. re-purposing and reusing materials instead of just demolishing?

I called the modern prefab house architect David Day to have him weigh in.

"In new construction, you can recycle leftover drywall, concrete, etcetera; there are a lot ways to recycle materials instead of putting it into a landfill. Better yet, don't buy and cut unnecessary materials.

There are standard material sizes. If you work within those dimensions, there is no need to cut or waste material. If there IS waste, often it can be reused on the same site or repurposed for something else. There's a whole section in LEED standards about reduction of construction waste.

Copeland's husband mentioned to me the door landings on their prefab house kit were built from the small pile of leftover wood that they reused for the prefab modern house! Even that pile of wood could have fit into the trunk of their car if they wanted to repurpose it elsewhere.

Do we need to tear down buildings to begin with? How often can we rehab and reuse buildings? Think of Habitat for Humanity's Restore Richmond or Caravati's - often there is someone looking for that exact material you want to throw away!

From a builders standpoint, it's a money-saving, good business decision."

It's not just construction waste.
In the U.K. (I can only imagine what it is in the States) more than £12 billion in food waste goes in the garbage every year.  I think everyone needs to rethink waste.

Shop Green ‘Til You Drop! Is sustainable retail development an oxymoron? Not according to the many retailers and retail developers profiled in Jerry Yudelson’s latest green building book, Sustainable Retail Development: New Success Strategies (Springer, October 2009), written for the 70,000-member International Council of Shopping Centers. For the past two years, Yudelson has been ICSC’s Research Scholar for Retail Real Estate Sustainability. In the book, he profiles retail sustainability efforts worldwide and presents a solid business case for greening retail operations and shows how leading companies are advancing sustainable retail businesses.

Sustainable Retail Development maintains that green retail buildings and retail development that will grow significantly in importance over the next half-decade, a trend being seen throughout the developed world.

This book is a practical and comprehensive guide to greening retail real estate, featuring green building and marketing strategies, corporate sustainability programs and features a 10-point “action program” for greening any retail real estate portfolio.

While it’s aimed at professionals in design, construction and operations of shopping centers and retail stores, it provides a good read for anyone interested in how sustainability thinking and green building design are changing this huge commercial sector. With projects and concepts featured in full color, the book features more than 30 green retail developments from North America, Europe, South America, Asia and Australia, as well as interviews with 25 leading industry experts.

You can order the softcover version of the book from the ICSC or from Amazon.com.

Testimonials:
Mary Lou Fiala, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Regency Centers:
“Sustainable Retail Development does an excellent job of discussing the opportunities available to retail developers for adopting high-performance building design. Addressing and understanding the split incentives between retail developers and their tenants is the first step to finding solutions that reward both sides.”

Martin Townsend, Director, Building Research Establishment, U.K.
“An authoritative book which is not only a pleasure to read from cover to cover, increasing the knowledge of the reader with the turn of every page, but also a book that can easily be used for quick reference. A must for all wanting to know about the current state of sustainability in the retail sector.”

“Jerry Yudelson has done a first-class job in collecting constructive initiatives, examples and ideas from all over—not only from the USA—to assist retailers and retail property owners everywhere in pursuing a more sustainable business model.”
—Milton Cockburn, Executive Director, Shopping Centre Council of Australia

“In good economic times, or in bad, green buildings and operations are here to stay. Jerry Yudelson provides a glimpse of some of the best industry practices worldwide, strategies to implement an effective green business plan and an invaluable road map for sustainable retail real estate.”
—Arco Rehorst, Technical Director, Multi Asset Management, Gouda, The Netherlands

“[To think, feel and act sustainably, companies need to be able to draw on best industry practices and] Sustainable Retail Development provides an excellent source for such practices in retail real estate. With examples from Austria to America and from Australia to Portugal, it gives a practical view of sustainability and what green shopping centers and retail stores can contribute to the corporate bottom line.”
—Prof. Dr. Filipa Fernandes, Spar European Shopping Centers, Salzburg, Austria

“Jerry Yudelson provides powerful insight into both why and how retail shopping centers should design and build green.”
—Romily Madew, Chief Executive, Green Building Council of Australia, Sydney

“Sustainable Retail Development is a very impressive work. Undoubtedly, it will be an invaluable resource for architects and other professionals involved in the design, construction and renovation of shopping centers and retail stores."
—Lauren Yarmuth, Principal, YRG Sustainability, Denver/New York

"Sustainable Retail Development" is a great snapshot of the transformation that the professional and consumer market will begin to witness in the retail industry. Jerry Yudelson provides a solid overview of what retailers should know to position themselves for the green transformation.”
—Justin Doak, Founder, Ecoxera retail consultancy, Austin, Texas

ORLANDO – Global Hybrid Roofing Solutions (www.globalhybridroofingsolutions.com), a subsidiary of Global Hybrid Solutions, has acquired the rights to manufacture and market a line of innovative synthetic composite roofing products formerly offered by Titan Manufacturing. Global Hybrid Roofing Solutions (GHRS) forecasts investment of $50 million over the next three years in global product development, by way of both manufacturing and licensing.

In recent months, GHRS has established manufacturing facilities in Iowa and Kentucky, creating 25 new jobs. GHRS also plans to establish a location in the United Kingdom, which will create at least six new jobs in the midst of the current global recession. GHRS intends to open four additional manufacturing facilities in the United States, with its corporate headquarters located in Central Florida.

GHRS’ buildup coincides with its acquisition of numerous intellectual property rights in relation to a unique color blending and proprietary material composition process integral to the manufacture of its synthetic roofing products. The Renovar process—and the unique material produced by the process—incorporates UV components and formulations that use recycled materials, while ensuring the products’ lasting color and performance. GHRS’ product line also has received National Test Approval Certification.

GHRS was established by a consortium of successful American and European entrepreneurs in 2008 with the intention of meeting the global demand for green energy and products that are not just environmentally friendly but are produced from recycled (as much as 40% post-consumer and 20% pre-consumer) resources.
The products offered by GHRS come in a variety of colors, are impact resistant, and come in Class A and Class C fire ratings in the profiles of Old World Slate, Old World Spanish barrel tile, slate roofing and shake roofing. The GHRS line also features the only Class A and Class 4 hail impact approved and certified composite barrel tile on the market—Old World Spanish A4. Not only are these products manufactured from recycled materials, they are 100% recyclable.

By Guest Author Joe Lederman

In the home design and construction world, there are many additional responsibilities home owners have. Highly regarded throughout the 20th century, asbestos was the pinnacle of building materials, containing flame resistant and durable qualities that industries sought out. Fueling many aspects of life in the United States, environmental sustainability is on the minds of citizens and those involved in construction in many states.

Potential home buyers, designers or those involved in construction should be aware that homes may contain asbestos and other obsolete methods of construction. This isn’t to make you worried because asbestos exposure is easily prevented by taking simple precautions. There are now many green Eco-friendly design alternatives that replace the need for harmful asbestos and can reduce annual energy costs in the home.

If you locate asbestos in the home, you shouldn’t panic. Most asbestos that is in good condition does not pose any health risks. Most experts suggest leaving it undisturbed until an inspector can determine the legitimacy of concerns. Asbestos still regularly appears in roof shingles, dry wall, attic insulation, popcorn ceilings, joint compounds and electrical wires.

Frequent exposure to airborne asbestos fibers may lead to the development of peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare but severe form of asbestos lung cancer. Manufacturers of asbestos were aware of its toxic qualities, but repressed any evidence that demonstrated that. The amount of asbestos incidents has lead to mesothelioma lawyer firms fighting for victim rights. Thousands of workers, citizens and military personnel were wrongfully exposed as a result of the asbestos scandal. This has become known as one of the more formidable cover-ups that took place in the 20th century.

Green: Better for Your Health and Your Pocket

Most people are unaware to the fact that Eco-friendly products can cut energy costs by 25 to 35 % per year. Many cities in the U.S. have created lumberyards which re-store where you can purchase recycled building materials that are authentically strong and inexpensive. Rather than expensive and mal-treated wood, interior walls can be made from steel and concrete, avoiding many of the problems associated with asbestos and other insulation methods. Green alternatives to asbestos include the use of cotton fiber, lcynene foam and cellulose.

Cotton fiber is also becoming a favorite insulation method. Made from recycled batted material, it is then treated to be fireproof. Water based spray polyurethane foam, Icynene, is a healthy insulation which contains no toxic components. These new environmentally-sustainable alternatives create healthier, quieter and more energy efficient homes in the 21st century.

Joe Lederman is the Awareness Coordinator at the Mesothelioma Cancer Center. (www.asbestos.com)

This post was submitted by ThinkDwell. Visit Our Blog.

The Photovoltaic roof consists of a set of solar panels assembled to cover the surface of the roof of a house or a building. Don't confuse it with the pool solar heaters, they are used to hot water and not to generate electricity.

There are no moving parts, maintenance requirements are reduced to the minimum terms and consist, mostly in periodic checks of the accumulator battery.

The photovoltaic modules that make up the solar panels, transform the energy received from the sun into electricity used for domestic use in partial or total replacement of conventional supply.

This solar system is feasible even on complex already built but is considerably cheaper, obviously, if already part of the plan for a new building.

Of course, the main advantage of these systems is in the use of an inexhaustible energy source, free and clean. The energy produced by photovoltaic panels is included in the existing electrical system and connected to the supplier of electricity.

Therefore, a practical example is that when it produced more energy than required, the system can assign an energy surplus to the electricity distributor.

The market is increasing its penetration, the experts for the magazine "World Renewable Energy" have estimated a change of 1000 kW in 1990, 2000 in 1993, 7000 in 1996, 36,000 in 1999, 60 thousand in 2000, 800 thousand in 2010.

More modern design, passive solar house kit updates... We headed out to the land today... It was cold, but beautiful.

You could see the sun on the foundation, demonstrating it's passive solar house energy efficiency even before it was weather tight. It was amazing to walk around there, realizing that is 1,200 square feet of efficient, happy living. There is nothing we need. And we can have all our friends over. For all our stages of life. The one thing you need to note in these pictures/video is that some of the interior braces will be removed, there is storage/systems space in there but they did that to quickly allow for the roof panels they will add tomorrow.

For some reason my 360 pics won't show on Building Green, so if you would like to see them you can go here: See 360pics on my blog here.

Here's the latest house kit update from Ron, our wonderful, money-saving contractor:

I started the call mentioning how dramatic the sky looked in the pictures he took.

His reply? ; )

"I didn't even see 'em, I was looking at the house.

All the outside walls were up, within 2 hours of what I had hoped.

We have no crew tomorrow because of the Amish wedding, Thursday we'll put the top plate in and build a bearing wall in the middle.
Friday we're out...

We won't set panels until Monday morning."

Finally, some sun.

Please again welcome our guest blogger, Ron Bernaldo of Giant Oaks Construction!

...Otherwise known as "Fabulous Contractor."

If you've followed along, we were rained out two days last week.

Finally, with sun, we resumed.

Also, please note Ron's crew are all, with one exception, Amish.

And this is Amish wedding season. Their weddings are on Tuesdays or Thursdays, hence cutting into our construction schedule. (But I wouldn't change the experience for the world, and it is so special our local neighbors are the ones constructing the house kit.)

Here Ron sums up today's house kit construction:

"Nothing eventful.

Put up panels...could possibly finish tomorrow- only have half of a crew tomorrow, no crew on Wednesday because there's another Amish wedding, this time in New York.

If we finish putting up the walls tomorrow we'll be at my goal, which is exterior walls in three days.

The weather has NOT been nice to us.

I don't have the entire Amish schedule, but I'm hoping to have the roof panels in place next week, vapor barriers on, weather tight."

Yes, that'z riiiiight, you heard it straight from the source:
Green Modern Kits is being hijacked by the Amish! ; )
Tru.
; )

On my front I have (and am still in the process) been battling some national vendors to lower their cost, and it all came to a head just this week.
So, don't say I don't fight fer ya... ; )

"The truck is 70 feet long.

I did not anticipate that.

The biggest issue was getting it in the driveway - this is a rural property and it took them over an HOUR to make that turn. We took out the driveway posts, and fortunately there were no large trees that we had to cut down in order to get the truck onto the site.

You don't want a large staff the first day - we used three: myself and two Amish.

The last pictures show everything is staged- they just came bundled, not sorted, so we had to sort everything out (another reason you don't want a lot of people on hand the first day because people might stand around while you're organizing). We stacked in reverse order so when you bring your bigger crew in, it's all ready.

They don't weigh much, but I would have preferred to have a forklift with the forks further apart, and longer.

(Because the packages are so big.)

Tomorrow we will not work as there is an Amish wedding.

We're going to start on that long wall, and work our way around, clockwise.

The weather forecast does not look great for the later part of the week. So we will be keeping an eye on it, because if the cladding arrives Friday we certainly do not want a truck full o' metal being towed out out of the mud at our expense."

Thank you Ron! Finding a *super* contractor who is passionate about efficiency saves YOU money. We are *very* grateful to Ron Bernaldo, and Giant Oaks Construction, in making this project such a success.

While the remodeling of existing older buildings to make them more energy efficient is certainly a necessity, it doesn't come without its hazards. Remember, older homes and commercial buildings probably contain all sorts of toxins, most notably asbestos. The miracle of the 20th century building industry, touted for its amazing heat- and fire-resistant properties, this hazardous mineral can be found in attics, wrapped around pipes and furnaces, and even in walls, floors, and ceilings, especially in buildings constructed prior to 1980. Rare forms of cancer may result from exposure, including peritoneal mesothelioma and pericardial mesothelioma so a safe transition is vital.

Once the asbestos is addressed and then removed by a licensed professional and disposed of properly, green insulation options should be given serious consideration. The Department of Energy says heating and cooling accounts for 50-70 percent of the energy used in the average American home so finding sound and healthy insulation options are a necessity. Today, these options can save natural resources as well. Eco-friendly insulations are often made of recycled materials and include cellulose (old shredded newspapers treated for fire resistance), cotton fiber (usually made of recycled batted denim), and spray polyurethane foam.

Statistics show that the foam, for example, can cut energy costs by about 35 percent annually, according to studies done by manufacturers. The other projects claim similar figures. And because these are recycled materials, less waste is going to the nation's already crowded landfills.

Savings of Green Construction

Thankfully the idea of "building green" is gradually becoming much more than a trend. Builders and investors are recognizing that eco-friendly construction provides not only long-term positive environmental benefits but also immediate financial payoffs as well.

Cities throughout the U.S. and the world are also slowly recognizing the necessity of green construction practices in the remodeling and renovating of older residential and commercial facilities, taking advantage of loans offered to them by various foundations, designated for the purpose of upgrading lighting and heating and cooling systems in aging buildings, where the most energy is consumed.

Such initiatives also prompt the need for healthier and more cost-efficient options in the world of building materials. Indeed, the United Nations Environmental Program says that the use of recycled building materials, like cotton fiber insulation, in addition to the installation of energy saving appliances and the maximization of natural lighting in a building, can reduce energy use energy use by 25 to 35 percent. In some best-case scenarios, they say, results have been as high as 80 percent.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), in a study conducted in 2003, estimated a savings of $50-$65 per square foot for well-constructed green buildings in the U.S. (see table below) during that year. The numbers continue to improve as more eco-friendly options become available, and those kinds of figures have finally begun to attract those who thought eco-friendly construction was just a bunch of hogwash.

Type of Benefit

20-year Net Present Value / sq. feet

Energy Savings

$5.80

Emissions Savings

$1.20

Water Savings

$0.50

Operations and Maintenance Savings

$8.50

Productivity and Health Benefits

$36.90 - $55.30

Subtotal

$52.90 - $71.30

Initial Investment in Green Building Practices

$3.00 - $5.00

Total 20-year Net Benefit

$50 - $65

Source: USGBC Capital E Analysis, 2003.