Eco-Innovative Residences from a Rag Factory

Images from Onion Flats

A Philadelphia architecture firm, Onion Flats converted a rundown industrial site into a creative residential complex. Previously a collapsed and vacant dump site in Fishtown, Philadelphia, “Rag Flats” is the result of experimental exploration of local urban dwelling and energy efficiency.The Rag Flats exemplifies innovative conversion of historic buildings into modern living spaces. The site features a 6000 gallon cistern to store rainwater. Different scales of residential units reflect Onion Flats’ consideration of density, intimacy, and privacy in an urban community. The building features an individually metered, 32KW photovoltaic panel system, green roof gardens and earth friendly flooring.

Today, the Rag Flats established itself as a hub for the community, bringing people from the Southern Philadelphia and Fishtown together. Tenants and friends are able to enjoy parties and other events in this remarkable green space.

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Building with Bamboo

Thanks to the efforts of Yan Xiao, an engineering professor at the University of Southern California, bamboo can now be turned into structural beams to build and support houses and even bridges. Initially reserved for cosmetic and non-load bearing applications, bamboo is now a viable alternative to traditional hard wood lumber. Xiao’s invention, called GluBam, is a structural lumber made from laminated bamboo veneers that are pressed into beams. The beams can be cut and handled like traditional lumber, but come from a rapidly renewable resource.

Yan Xiao’s GluBam is currently being used to construct classrooms and homes across China and was even used in a bridge in the town of Leiyang in China’s Hunan province. The bridge is the first ever to be constructed using structural bamboo and is a testament to the great strength and range of use that this new bamboo derivative has.

GluBam will also be a great aid to developing countries like China that have vast bamboo forests but lack more robust traditional hardwood resources. By transforming the bamboo stalks into manageable beams, GluBam can be used for a variety of applications and can perform just as well as its hardwood counterparts.

To find out more see GluBam’s feature in Popular Science

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Put a Little Hemp in Your Concrete

In Europe, the oft-stigmatized hemp plant is becoming a widely accepted, environmentally friendly alternative source to concrete or brick in the building industry, but sadly has yet to gain any real traction in the US market. Hemp based concrete, a mixture of aggregate hemp stalks, sand, lime and concrete, is becoming more widespread in Europe due to it being a rapidly renewable resource, its impressive thermal and sound dampening qualities and its small carbon footprint.

Hemp-based concrete cannot be used for load bearing walls but is still a very versatile material; it can be cast into blocks or in a solid mass around timber frames, and can even be sprayed onto many surfaces. It is extremely energy efficient and can be used in multiple applications including roof and under floor insulation, in casting solid walls and as wall filler around a timber-framed building.

The stalks of the hemp plant, once considered waste, are processed and used as a renewable, fast growing aggregate in the concrete. Hemp is an extremely hardy plant, requires little maintenance, pesticides or water but unfortunately has been mired in controversy do to its close ties with a certain close relative. Today, numerous companies like Tradical and Hemcrete are prospering in Europe and their hemp-based products have successfully been implemented in a wide range of projects. Like many large industries, America’s building industry is slow to accept and adopt new methods and technologies, but the promise of hemp-based concrete certain; its future in the US however is not.

To find out more visit www.americanlimetec.com

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Drywall of the Future?

Dry wall has been a staple of conventional building in the United States for years. Just about every interior wall in America is sheathed in the gypsum-based material, but few realize the vast of amount of energy consumed during its manufacture, and unfortunately there have been few viable alternatives on the market, until now. Spertech, a New Mexico based company, has just developed a fly ash based wallboard, called Greentech Wallboard, that looks, feels and performs like the standard gypsum drywall used throughout the country.

This commercially viable alternative to traditional drywall is made from 98% recycled content, primarily fly ash, a common by-product of coal-fired power plants. Fly ash has traditionally been relegated to landfills and the US creates upwards of 60 million tons of fly ash annually.

By using fly ash destined for the landfill, Spertech is able limit the need for further large-scale gypsum mining that has disastrous consequences on the local environment. The Greentech wallboard, unlike gypsum, does not require extreme heat to cure, takes far less energy to produce and creates a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional drywall.

As more and more buildings are being built with the environment in mind, look for Greentech wallboard to find its way into more homes near you.

Spertech Website

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Meet the ReUse People of America

As their Mission Statement articulates, “The ReUse People of America reduces the solid waste stream and changes the way the built environment is renewed by salvaging building materials and distributing them for reuse.”  With headquarters in Oakland, CA, and a number of branches throughout the country, TRP is busy spreading the word about salvaging the overwhelming amount of materials from construction sites, in an effort to minimize waste flow to landfills.  Begun in the immediate aftermath of catastrophic floods in Tijuana, Mexico in April, 1993, with the help of San Diego and Tijana government and business leaders, the firm set out to provide over 400 tons of donated material to help rebuild devastated communities.  Once they acquire materials from construction sites, The ReUse People of America will then either sell them to customers at one of their facilities, or donate them to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity.  The company also offers demolition services for homeowners, whereby one may acquire tax deductions based on the overall value of salvaged materials, and provides online inventories of available materials according to location at regional TRP warehouses.

Please visit The ReUse People of America for more information.

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Richlite, A Great Eco Material From Hemp and Certified Pulp

Richlite Company has allowed itself to become very versatile with the products they offer, and maintain a range of markets, from industrial and culinary, to recreational.  The company was established in 1943 and is based in Tacoma, Washington.  They first produced sustainable composites for aerospace and industrial markets in the 1950s.  The Boeing Company adapted Richlite’s material for tooling purposes, as did the marine industry for boat building materials.  In fact, Boston Whaler uses the same building material for their boats today.  In the 1960s, commercial kitchens began using cutting boards and baking surfaces from Richlite, which offer sanitary and low maintenance qualities that others do not.  Today, Pizza Hut utilizes Richlite’s services for their facilities.

In the 1990s, Richlite ventured out into the skateboarding realm with their product called Skatelite, a ramp surface that uses the same material as the boating and kitchen material – top skate parks and professional BMX riders and skateboarders use it.  The materials used to make Richlite’s products are sustainable., consisting of pulp that comes from certified managed forests in North America.  The company is the first to offer hemp-based countertops.  As well as offering sustainable products, Richlite also donates supplies to Habitat for Humanity, and any paper that is left over from manufacturing is given to school districts in the State of Washington.

Richlite

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Give Wood a Second Chance

(All images courtesy of Trestlewood.com)

Using reclaimed wood has its benefits.  For one, it’s a good contribution to green building.  Rather than cutting down trees to get the needed wood, reusing wood is just as good if not better.  Another key benefit is the wood’s history of origin, as knowing the wood came from a source with a history adds depth and value to a project, and often makes it a centerpiece and conversation starter for years to come.  These benefits along with others, are attractive selling points for companies who have invested in reclaiming wood.  Trestlewood, a wood salvaging company based in Utah, gets its wood from a part of U.S. history, and its story is really quite remarkable.  It all started in the early 1900s, with the completion of the country’s first transcontinental railroad.  The Southern Pacific conquered another feat as well, the Great Salt Lake with the Lucin Cutoff.  The construction for the Cutoff took two years, thousands of men, large amounts of equipment, miles of wooden trestles, and millions of board feet of timber.  The Lucin Cutoff was in service until the 1960s, when it was replaced by a causeway, by which time the trestle contained over 38,000 piles.  In 1993, Cannon Structures, Inc. established its Trestlewood Division when they obtained salvage rights to the trestle from the old Lucin Cutoff, and thus, a business was born.

Salvage of the Douglas Fir timbers, Redwood decking, and Douglas Fir piling took more than seven years to bring to shore.  Poles as long as 100 feet were carried over by a barge, some weighing more than 4,000 pounds.  Trestlewood maintained a desire to handle all salvaged wood cautiously, in order to preserve its value. Once on shore, some re-manufacturing was required, for example, any metal that may have still been in the wood was removed.  Most of the wood had been affected greatly by the Great Salt Lake, in that they were soaked to the core with salt water, which gave the final product a unique coloring.  These factors and more, make Trestlewood’s products different from others on the market, and they have been very active in identifying a market to fit the wood from the trestle.  Trestlewood is a small family-owned business based in Utah, and they are conservative with their budget and stand by their products, which have unique characteristics like no other.  The company believes in creating good relationships with their customers, and would rather see a customer happy than make a sale.  Currently, their products are being derived from the Douglas Fir piling, called Trestlewood II, with selections ranging from flooring, building lumber and timbers, to special products like fireplace mantels.

Trestlewood

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Materials from Detergent Bottles, Swimming Pool Covers, and Old Tires

Yemm & Hart, based in Missouri, offers many unique products featuring their own materials made from common recycled items such as detergent bottles, swimming pool covers, and tires.  Their three lines of materials create unique and colorful products that can be used by anyone.  One decorative material, known as Origins, is created from discarded detergent bottles.  Unlike other plastic laminate products with patterns that are printed on to create a uniform design, Yemm & Hart’s products made from their Origins line, have a more random coloring pattern.

The creation of Origins involves many steps.  Used bottles are collected, sorted by color, shredded into very small pieces, and then soaked in hot water to remove any contamination such as soap or paper labels.  Sorting the bottles by color during this preparation process, allows for color pattern customization.  A measured amount of blended colors is then spread into a mold, placed in an oven, and heated until it transformed into a liquid.  Pressure is then applied, which causes distribution of the colored flakes.  The pattern comes out differently every time for each product, and the colors used tend to be very vibrant, which Yemm & Hart believes is a key selling point for this material line, making them stand out from other products on the market.  In the end, they are pleasing to the eye, and more desirable than typically one-colored recycled items.  Products range from countertops, casegoods, lighting and tables, to smaller items such as clipboards and picture frames.

YEMM & HART

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