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In This Issue:
FIBERGLASS HOME IDEA PROPOSED FOR REBUILDING EFFORTS:
Since Hurricane Katrina, many manufacturers have suggested innovative building techniques to mitigate the housing shortage in New Orleans. According to a recent article in New Orleans City Business (Deon Roberts; 06/26/06), Composite Building Structures of Fort Meyers, Fla., believes that composite fiberglass may be the answer for the city. Fiberglass is 20 percent cheaper than other building materials, such as concrete block, in part because less material is wasted and fewer workers are needed. According to the company, the four exterior walls of a 2,000-square-foot fiberglass home, including a one-car garage, can be built in 48 minutes rather than four to five days in traditional construction. And fiberglass homes can endure at least 350-mph winds. The company's president is currently looking for a location in New Orleans to build a $7-million operation to manufacture studs, exterior walls, and other building materials. To learn more, read the article.
HISTORIC BUILDINGS GETTING HIGH-TECH HELP:
According to a recent article in the Burlington Free Press (Ashley Matthews; 07/01/06), student and professional researchers from Texas Tech University are using some high-tech methods for restoring an historic barn. The group has collected data with cameras and a high-definition survey instrument that scans surfaces with a laser. A computer uses the data, supplemented by hand drawings of fine details, to complete measurements of each truss, wall, post, door, window, and ceiling. The data will provide the team with information for doing the best possible preservation work. According to one of the researchers, the technology has revolutionized the measurement procedure. The work, which was completed by the four-person group in nine days, would have taken 10 people six to eight weeks or more to complete if the measurements were taken by hand. It would also require scaffolding and lift trucks. To learn more, read the article.
PATH ROUNDTABLE EXPLORES IMPROVED PRODUCTIVITY BASED ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:
During the Pacific Coast Builders Conference (PCBC) last month, the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) convened builders and IT software developers to discuss the impediments to IT adoption and potential strategies for successful IT system implementation in the home building industry. Participants stressed that businesses must carefully plan IT expansions and upgrade, and establish realistic expectations for resources and timelines required for successful system roll-out. This project is aligned with PATH's IT Roadmap and its 2003 study "Information Technology to Accelerate and Streamline Home Building." A builders' guide to IT adoption will be available in 2007.
POP SCI'S HOT GADGET REVIEW:
Popular Science's recently-released bi-annual round-up of the coolest tech products on the market (July 2006) includes a number of products intended to make projects easier for contractors and do-it-yourselfers. The Black & Decker Firestorm Compound Miter Saw sports a laser on the blade guard rather than up on the pivoting arm so that the guiding light isn't blocked when the blade is lowered. The new Pocket Driver palm-sized drill from Bosch Litheon has a 10.8-volt lithium-ion battery and 400-rpm motor, which cranks out 80 pound-inches of torque and enables it to drive 100 three-inch screws on one charge. The Black & Decker Paint Stick roller brush gets rid of the need for the tray by sucking up to 18 ounces of paint in the handle, enough to cover an 8x8-foot wall. The Werner Equalizer extension ladder features the first factory-installed leg-leveling device, which compensates for up to eight inches of elevation change between the two sides. And the Prazi Quick Draw hammer holster provides an adjustable toolbelt saddle that cradles the head of the hammer, allowing the user to grab the hammer by its handle when it's needed. Visit the Popular Science website to see photos of these and other cool tech products.
FIELD EVALUATION PROJECT FIRST IN NEW ENGLAND TO USE LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT:
An article in the (New Hampshire) Union Leader (Garry Rayno, 07/15/06) recently reported on the Braemoor Woods residential project in Salem which employs low impact development (LID), a technology designed to reduce the impact on the environment by preserving natural resources while reducing infrastructure costs. The Braemoor Woods development, headed up by builder Steve Lewis, is a PATH field evaluation. Techniques used in the project include bio-retention, an alternative to storm water drainage that slows down water runoff and allows it to go back into the ground on site; grass swales and underdrains that capture water in high-flow storm events; and an unusual three-arch bridge made of concrete that goes over wetlands, minimizing impact on wildlife and the water. To learn more about the project, read the article, or check out the field evaluation summary write-up on ToolBase.org.
RESIDENTIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY BOOSTED BY FLORIDA SOLAR GRANTS:
Qualified homeowners will be able to recover half the cost of their solar electric and water heating systems, up to a maximum of $20,000, under Florida's Renewable Energies Technologies Grants Program. According to a recent article in Nation's Building News (07/17/06), the grants act as an incentive for consumers who are interested in photovoltaic (PV) cell systems but who have been discouraged by the high price of energy-producing technologies. Although the technology already exists for zero-energy homes (ZEHs), rebates, tax credits, and other financial incentives are key to increasing consumer acceptance, according to a recent study released by the NAHB Research Center. With incentives in place, the study forecasted that by 2050 zero-energy homes can reduce the energy consumption of all single-family homes by 19 percent, even while the stock of single-family homes increases by 39 percent. To learn more, read the article. For more information on the study, visit the ToolBase website.
MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE TESTING RESULTS FOR TOILET MODELS NOW AVAILABLE:
The seventh edition of the Maximum Performance (MaP) testing report on toilets is now available for download, according to a recent press release. The report covers performance and other data on 247 different toilet fixtures in the U.S. and Canadian marketplace. The MaP test project began in 2003 as a cooperative effort between the United States and Canada to identify how well popular toilet models perform using realistic test media. A new testing protocol, developed by water-efficiency and plumbing fixture specialists in the two countries, incorporated the use of soybean paste as a test media, closely replicating the "real world demand" upon fixtures. The initial report, published in December 2003, summarized performance testing of 80 different toilet fixture models. The latest version allows readers to view the test media and how it was developed and see the final test results. To download a free copy of the condensed report, visit the California Urban Water Conservation Council's website.