Cradle to Cradle

The SCIP (http://www.studio-rma.com/HOME-BLDG-SCIP.htm) building method is one of the building systems identified by William Mc Donough as a Cradle to Cradle building system. Current cement practices consume high amounts of energy and are loaded with pollution causing chemicals The China Building Boom - all concrete - has driven up the price of concrete worldwide. Now come new Eco-Cretes, where traditional cement is replaced by Geo-binders - that can actually get their strength from local dirt and other advanced techniques. Get rid of the chemicals and bring in the Geo-Binders! The SCIP panels weigh close to nothing – think of the energy savings in transporting them.
The panels contain 75% air! 1.5 Gall [think milk carton] of foam pellets creates a 4' by 40' ft panel. A 1/4 left front door of an Audi creates the space-age re-enforcing mesh for same panel. Sprayed-on, top and bottom, coats of special concrete mixes create a structure that can withstand 200MPH winds and easily the California seismic forces. Plus a 4 hr fire rating!
Easy erection - the panels are light weight - then you click-clack [stitch] them together - No cranes - No heavy equipment [Carbon emissions]
StudioRMA - www.studiorma.com is at the forefront of designing houses with Composite Concrete / SCIP building techniques. These houses create a higher energy efficiency than wood framed houses. In processing the LEED Certification for the SCIP Pasadena EcoHouse (www.thepasadenaecohouse.com) the energy efficiency of this SCIP Home is 63% higher than the Title 24 requirement, the current energy standard for California.
Robert Mechielsen, (www.studio-rma.com/PEOPLE-Robert-Mechielsen.htm) Principal of Studio RMA, is a Dutch native who is combining advanced engineering and design techniques to create an architectural vernacular that expresses “green building” in a new way. According to Mechielsen, “The Pasadena EcoHouse could not be built in a cost-effective manner with traditional wood- or steel-framed methods.

7 Steps in the Lifecycle of a Green Product7 Steps in the Lifecycle of a Green Product

Despite claims to the contrary, products with zero environmental impact do not yet exist. But
these new approaches to green design point to a day when that might just be possible.

By Martin C. Pedersen

As we set out to create a green-products issue, we were confronted with a pair of dil­emmas. Amid all the hype and hot air some real progress was being made, but as Ray Ander­son told us in 2004, “No one should be claiming sustainable products. There is no such thing yet in terms of zero footprint. What you can do is demonstrate reduced footprint.” This remains true today—and yet the dizzying array of new efforts boggles the mind. There is no shortage of products claiming the green mantle. So how do we mark this vast but imperfect moment? Borrow­ing from the Okala Design Guide (www.idsa.org/whatsnew/sections/ecosection/okala.html), we’ve organized our stories around the life cycle of green products. Since there is still no perfect product, think of these as seven pieces of a Platonic whole, a set of best practices, and a possible road map for a new model of twenty-first-century manufacturing.

More at: http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/story.php?artid=2998