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10,000 Years of Building / History is our Future

Sarah — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:15:27 +0100

When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty . . .

but when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.

–R. B...

The Fire Retardant Dilemma: Should Green Buildings Contain Toxic Fire Retardant Chemicals?

Sarah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:20:52 +0100

Arlene Blum, Green Science Policy Institute

Polystyrene, polyisocyanurate, and polyurethane are highly energy efficient insulation materials whose use in green buildings is increasing. However, due to their flammability, fire retardant chemicals (FRs) must be added to meet building codes. Many of the FRs currently in use ...

Building Size and Environmental Impacts

Sarah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:01:24 +0100

Larry Strain, Siegel & Strain Architects

While it may be obvious that smaller buildings use fewer resources and energy than larger buildings - they're smaller after all - it's not so obvious that smaller buildings use less than larger buildings per square foot.

Why is this? When buildings reach a certain siz...

What's the Big Deal with Fly Ash?

Bruce King — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 02:40:24 +0100

People often argue about fly ash, and why we should or shouldn’t use it in concrete and other building products. (More about what fly ash actually is follows below.) It’s a bit of a hot topic in green building, and made for a lively but truncated group discussion at the recent Build Well 2010 Symposium near San Francisco. For that alone it makes a worthy topic with which t...