Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 10/26/2005 8:51:00 AM
An alternative to Portland Cement
Lithistone is an environmentally friendly alternative to Portland Cement that Ryan Waxman and Brett Fitzgerald use to fabricate countertops, sinks and decorative products. Lithistone will not contribute to indoor air pollution through off-gassing because it uses natural organic high colorfast pigments from Bioshield earth pigments, and non-toxic sealers and glosses. Lithistone is made from a variety of aggregates including crushed slate, granite, quartz, sea shells, marble and limestone. Furthermore, it can be carved, cast or sculpted. Lithistone provides natural contrast to a contemporary interior.
Link: Lithistone
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Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 10/25/2005 8:36:00 AM
Creative conversions of underused buildings
LoftyHeights is a new project started by Oliver Bollmann that looks at adaptive reuse and green building practices in the San Francisco Bay area that aspires to become a clearinghouse where architects, city officials, investors, home owners and real estate agents come together to post and learn about local, and potentially sustainable, building opportunities. The focus of the project is the existing urban environment, often underused or abandoned, the message is the idea that urban density is more sustainable. The site has been in existence since July 2005.
What we're committed to at LoftyHeights is to bring forth the creative conversions of underused buildings, buildings that sit idle after the dot.com crash or others, including warehouses, industrial, R&D and offices, into living homes that create community while remaining kind to our dwindling resources. Creating a quality of space for the owners out of an everyday structure, using green practices, encouraging proximity and density.
Link: LoftyHeights
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Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 10/22/2005 7:41:00 AM
Wallpaper and paint for the eco-stylish
Farrow and Ball wallpapers and paints are beautiful, tactile and unparalleled in quality and finish. Think of them as hand-crafted products that use time-tested palettes for their line of paints, and employ a 19th century method of dragging and stripping for their papers. Sound old-fashioned? Maybe, but Farrow and Ball wallpapers, Emulsions, Exterior Masonry and Eggshell paints are environmentally preferable with low VOC emissions; the same goes for their papers.
As a user (ok, F&B addict) I can testify to the fact that there is little to no smell after an application, and the matt finishes allow light to blend with the colour rather than reflect off of it. There are over 100 Farrow and Ball colours to choose from, most of them with unconventional names and descriptions like Dead Salmon and Pigeon, but they do not custom blend, which can be a downside for some. On the plus side, Farrow and Ball paints are to be stirred not shaken and they don't separate when left to stand. Furthermore, most distributors offer free (with purchase) in-home consultation. Sample pots are available, and recommended, before committing to a colour.
Link: Farrow and Ball
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 10/12/2005 11:17:00 AM
Water-retentive paving blocks
 It looks like your run-of-the-mill paving block, the same kind you can pick up at your local home improvement store. But these "Eco-Pavers" manufactured by Matsuo Corp. of Ibaraki, Japan can actually retain water and, used en-mass, greatly reduce the heat island effect of large areas of paving.
Made of recycled construction materials, Eco-Pavers are specially cast to wick up water through capillary action. The pavers actually mimic plant transpiration to provide natural cooling; surface temperatures of the blocks can be lower than the air temperature by 2° - 3° C (3.5° - 5.5° F) and lower than the surface temperature of ordinary blocks by 10° C (18° F) or more.
Link: Matsuo Corp (Japanese)
Article: Daily Yomiuri
Via: Treehugger - Matsuo Corp's "Eco-Paver", Water Retentive Blocks
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Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 10/5/2005 6:43:00 AM
In-situ soil analysis
Brownfield reclamation is on the rise, and soil analysis and remediation is becoming an art form of its own. The ability to analyze soil in-situ means considerable time and cost savings, and Niton's new XRF Analyzer series is designed to do just that. Armed with the technology to analyse soils for levels of lead, lead paint and heavy metals, it is a valuable tool that happens to be extremely portable at only 3lbs. It also has the added option of being fitted with Bluetooth wireless connection. Niton was recently awarded the IDEA (Industrial Design Excellence Award) Gold medal award for its XRF Analyzer family.
Link: Niton XRF Analyzer
Link: IDEA Awards
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Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 9/29/2005 8:31:00 AM
Bonded Logic harnesses the warmth of denim
You might not think of denim as a suitable building material, but its rugged fibers have been the choice of labourers since the 16th century given that its durable, comfortable and warm. Bonded Logic recognized denim's primary benefits and used it to create a sustainable and effective insulation.
UltraTouch is a natural cotton-based fiber insulation made from 85% post-industrial recycled fibers that harnesses the warmth and woven density of denim. It does not emit VOCs and is resistant to fungi. It also meets the highest ASTM testing standards, and contains no chemical irritants. Furthermore, UltraTouch's unique manufacturing process creates a three dimensional infrastructure that traps, isolates and controls sound waves reducing sound from traffic, airplanes, radios, television, and conversation.
Link: UltraTouch
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 9/24/2005 11:55:00 AM
Tinted particleboard and fiberboard interior finish panels
 Made by Columbia Forest Products, these eco-friendly composite panels are suitable for cabinetry, furniture, tabletops and wall paneling.
There are two products in the line, each with their own aesthetic textural qualities: either FSC-certified M3-grade particleboard or WOODSTALK® wheat straw agrifiber panels. There is
no added formaldehyde and the panels are finished with a durable, zero-emissions UV cured acrylic finish.
The material has been used by architect
Todd Saunders for the design of the BlueSkyMod prefabricated housing unit recently written up in The Globe and Mail.
Link: Columbia Forest Products
(The product is not listed on website, but they still make it
Link: EcoColors Brochure (pdf)
Via: Treehugger
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 9/19/2005 11:25:00 AM
The GreenSpec® Guide to Residential Building Materials
 From the publisher:
Here's a comprehensive directory of green building products for home building and remodeling featuring more than 1,400 descriptive listings for products from ag-fiber panels to zero-VOC paints. All phases of residential construction are covered, from sitework to flooring to renewable energy. Products are grouped by function, and each chapter begins with a discussion of key environmental considerations and what to look for in a green product.
Editors: Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn
Link: Green Building Products (BuildingGreen)
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 9/15/2005 1:01:00 PM
"An urban strip extending use over time"
 Located in the South London suburb of Tulse Hill, Brixton, the school acts as a community hub both visually and physically. The original project brief called for a building of high quality to house a complex program of multiple educational needs.
The building employs sustainable design features including natural ventilation via wind chimneys, natural lighting, a green roof planted with sedum and an insulation material made from recycled newspaper.
The school was created with a total design approach pairing architects AHMM with Martin Richman (an artist known for his work with light manipulation), furniture designer Andrew Stafford, and graphic designer Morag Myerscough.
Link: Better Public Buildings
Link: School Works Lessons From Jubilee School (pdf)
Article: BBC - Lessons of a well-designed school
Photo Gallery: BBC In Pictures: Jubilee school
Architecture Firm: Allford Hall Monaghan Morris (AHMM)
Furniture Design: Andrew Stafford
Artist: Martin Richman
Graphic Design: Studio Myerscough
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Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 9/12/2005 11:37:00 AM
Parc du Sausset and the art of patience
At the time of parc du Sausset's planning in 1979 the trend in France was still to create highly designed parks using exotics and built features. The competition brief for parc du Sausset was different in that it broke with tradition and specified conservation. Michel and Claire Corajoud took up the challenge, and proposed a naturalistic planting scheme that would be as much of a buffer to the growing industry and expanding communities, as it would echo the shapes of its industrial iconography and reflect an agrarian past.
Together with Jacques Coulon and a team consisting of Marc Rumelhart, Tristan Pauly, Claude Guinaudeau, Edith Gerard, Pierre Pascal Mourgue and Gerard Dufrense they took to creating a park that would challenge the instant garden mentality of the time. They planted whips instead of more mature trees, and proposed a marsh that would act as a refuge for wildlife, and treat the water infiltrating from the north through pytoremediation.
Link: parc du Sausset
Firm: Michel Corajoud
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