Askthefm’s Weblog

If you are looking among the various websites suggesting ways to create sustainable buildings you might be amazed at the choices that are available.

Now I have found houses made of all kinds of materials, some of which frankly I can’t see a building inspector in California giving the green light to.  Some of the oldest technology is to be found in building a straw house.  I believe the information presented as far as the insulation values and such however I would be worried about the structural integrity over time.  What appears to be a pretty comprehensive site on this subject is here: http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/strawbale.html. It is interesting to note that the site clearly shows that there are regulatory problems with this tyoe of construction and all of the associations listed are found in places where earthquakes are very rare.

Another technique that has gotten some press is with used tires and packed earth.  This is different from the rammed earth buildings I have posted about earlier. (http://askthefm.wordpress.com/2008/06/19/rammed-earth-buildings-not-for-me-but-maybe-for-you/)  One of the highest profile advocates of this technique is Earthship Biotechture (http://www.earthship.net/).  They are currently building a demonstration project in the Netherland Antillies during the month of July 2008.  This type of building seems like a good fit for this area as it is massive and is often shown built into the side of a hill.  It would probably survive the the severe weather found in the Carribean.

Now if you aren’t quite this adventerous there are plenty of sites to help you build a converntional house with recycled, used or otherwise sustainable materials. SustainableABC.com (http://www.sustainableabc.com/recycled.html) has a California centric directory for these materials.  Another good one is PlanetReuse.com (http://www.planetreuse.com/how_it_works) that looks to work like a Craig’s List type setup for extra, used or available building materials.  It appears to have current listings in most of the 50 states.

Now if you just want to look at some of this houses, this site shows examples of the five more common types of recycled architecture: http://weburbanist.com/2007/10/23/5-kinds-of-creative-recycled-architecture-cans-bottles-and-other-unusual-building-materials/

On the up and coming front I found a recent patent (http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5241795.html)

Abstract

The invention relates to building materials made from paper sludge,
repulped waste paper, or virgin paper pulp, mixed with clay and portland
cement, or animal protein adhesives, or manufactured resins or polymers.
Specifically the invention relates to a building system using this
material in the form of building blocks that are glued together during
assembly and are intended to be used for above grade exterior and interior
walls. A block design which increases the R-value and other building
products made of this material are covered in this invention. The material
of this invention has unusual compression strength properties such that;
when an imposed load limit is reached which begins to compress the
material, the material does not break apart, but rather compresses
slightly and allows considerably more load to be imposed without failure
of the material to hold the superimposed load.

It will be interesting to see what this stuff actually is…..

Lastly here is my canidate for the house built out of the most unsual material, the Agate House.

Frome the waymarking.com website: (http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM14DV)

“It is not so much the shape that makes this building unique, but its on-of-a-kind building material. It is petrified wood! The location is Petrified Forest National Park, where, 225 million years ago, a lot of tall trees were washed into a floodplain, where a mix of silt, mud and volcanic ashes buried the logs. The sediment cut off oxygen and slowed the logs decay. Silica-laden groundwater seeped through the logs and replaced the original wood tissues with silica deposits. Eventually the silica crystallized into quartz, and the logs were preserved as petrified wood. Since the quartz rock of the petrified logs was a lot sturdier than all the other building materials (clay and sand stone), petrified wood was an obvious choice.”

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A historic coalition of disability advocates, businesses and supporting organizations has succeeded in negotiating a compromise to restore the original protections and intents of the American with Disabilities Act!

Organizations from the US Chamber of Commerce ( http://www.uschamber.com/issues/letters/2008/080624_ada.htm) to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness: http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=June9&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=63384) worked together to get this passed.

A basic summary from the NAMI site:

“The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 reaffirms civil rights protections dismantled by a series of Supreme Court decisions that narrowly interpreted the definition of disability, leaving people with epilepsy, diabetes, cancer and mental illness without the protections Congress envisioned when the ADA was originally enacted in 1990.

Business, human resource, disability and civil rights organizations have recognized that the courts went too far in some decisions, leaving out many people with disabilities Congress intended to protect. In a 2007 case, a Court even held that an individual with severe intellectual disabilities (“mental retardation”) was not covered by the ADA because he had failed to adequately demonstrate his impairment substantially limited a major life activity. The alliance of employer and disability advocacy organizations negotiated the compromise to clarify elements of the ADA Amendments Act, a bill first introduced in July of 2007.

The new compromise bill clarifies for the courts that people with disabilities should not lose civil rights protections because their condition is treatable with medication or can be addressed with the help of assistive technology. The bill also clarifies the definition of disability to include all individuals whose impairment substantially limits a major life activity.”

This is major step forward and I salute all of you who worked hard to make this possible!

For those of you tasked with ensuring compliance under the ADA rules, take heart this would seem to make things simpler as the sometimes hair splitting decisions about whether someone qualifies under the act becomes very easy. Also new guidance will be issued by the US Department of Justice.  You can check for updates and general ADA news at: http://www.ada.gov/adahom1.htm

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I have been looking for some time into ways to reduce my utility bills.  I have of course looked a solar power in its various forms and have decided to wait a little longer.  However if I can find a wind turbine small enough and with a low enough start up speed I may be a buyer.

I am especially interested in the vertical axis models.  All reports of these suggest that they are more effcient and generate more power at lower startup speeds.  A recent article covering the American Wind Power Associations’s recent conference suggests much promise very soon.

http://cleantechnica.com/2008/06/20/vertical-axis-turbines-the-future-of-micro-wind-energ/

I mentioned in an earlier post about Jay Leno, the Tonight Show host installing one of these on his private garage.  The maufacturer of that particular unit is here: http://www.pacwind.net/

My problem is that most of the micro sized units need a start speed of around 8 mph and of course a fairly constant wind.  Now I live some what near the beach in Southern California and get a fairly constant breeze every afternoon and early evening.  The wind I get on this regular basis does not provide enough for the current crop of equipment to generate any useful amount of power on a regular basis.

A good listing of these are to be found here: http://cleantechnica.com/2008/03/21/the-five-best-micro-wind-turbines/

This is where my interest in the vertical and horizontal units comes in. In many cases these configurations have a lower start speed ( as low as 4 mph), require less overall space and are more friendly to local birds.

The two most interesting sites on these types of turbines that I have found are:

BroadStar, an English firm: http://www.broadstarwindsystems.com/home.php

And Windside, a Finnish firm: http://www.windside.com/products.html

Lastly I have a recommendation for a book on the subject that I have ordered:

Wind Energy Basics by Paul Gipe: http://store.sundancesolar.com/wienbagutosm.html

This is subject I am continuing to follow and hope along with you that it advances significantly soon and becomes affordable to the masses.

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Buildings Magazine has put out the 100 best products for year issue and among them are some flooring products that look pretty darn good and claim to be made completely from recycled materials.

The first up is Sustainable Flooring’s Strandwood Product (http://www.sustainableflooring.com/?index=strandwoven).  Here is the description from the website:

Our Strandwoven wood line encompasses three main products: Aspen, MSB, and Timber, and can be best described as the re-engineering of densified and compressed wood. Our goal is take weed species, post-industiral scraps, and economically–challenged woods, and use a bit of healthy technology to create unmatched aesthetics and superior products.

From the pictures on the website it looks like a good product and should be very durable as well.

Next up is a a product from FritzTile (http://www.fritztile.com/#9877949936143315923) using recycled glass from various bottles and other post consumer glass content.

Both of these products should qualify for LEED and Greenpoint Rated credits and look beautiful doing so.

Now there are other types of flooring that qualify potentially as sustainable options.  Included here would be cork and bamboo flooring.  Of course our earlier manufacturer Sustainable Flooring also offers both of these options (http://www.sustainableflooring.com/index.php?index=home).

Also I have found a great explainer at BuidlingGreen.com for those interested in how bamboo flooring is made. (http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm?fileName=061005c.xml)

It is also interesting that Treehugger.com gives bamboo flooring a less than superior rating from an overall green perspective.  The full article can be found here: (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/bamboo_flooring.php).

Cork flooring on the other hand is seemingly mostly ignored by the green rating sites.  It supposedly has high marks in acoustic dampening and abrasion resistance.  However I imagine that it design differences would be limited and as such would be of limited use except in specific situations.

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I came across an article today about rammed earth as a home building material and was intrigued.  I am pretty sure that my local city officials might have a problem with it from and earthquake stand point (note: I live in Southern California) It seems that it might make a pretty good alternative from a green building stand point in other parts of the USA.

In the article on Green Upgrader (http://greenupgrader.com/2156/rammed-earth-home-building-with-compressed-dirt/#more-2156) it does mention that you can add steel reinforcement as you would in concrete for strength however…..

As I read on however on another site which at first glance seems pretty extensive (http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/rammedearth.htm) I was getting more interested until I got to the bottom of the page where I found this disclaimer:

Disclaimer Of Liability And Warranty
I specifically disclaim any warranty, either expressed or implied, concerning the information on these pages. Neither I nor any of the advisor/consultants associated with this site will have liability for loss, damage, or injury, resulting from the use of any information found on this, or any other page at this site. Kelly Hart, Hartworks, Inc.

By this time I am getting wary again but I find this site: Rammed Earth is for Everyone (http://rammedearth.blogspot.com/) and judging from the pictures and testimonials on the site maybe this will work in some areas and those walls inthe pictures sure look a strong like concrete.

Then I get to Adobe Builder (http://www.adobebuilder.com/) and on the front page we are into disclaimers and warnings again.  This site specifically warns that many states have a great deal of restrictions on adobe and rammed earth buildings, especially California.

“So yes, you can do it, legally speaking. In areas without codes, you have more freedom, but you should still build to a recognized standard. If your building department has little experience with earth walls, they may require that your plans be stamped by a licensed engineer or architect. In many areas of the Southwest, prescribed codes allow you to build to a standard, without a professional stamp. This is the case in Arizona and New Mexico, and portions of Utah, and Colorado. At present, Texas has few restrictive codes, and California, the most restrictions.”

Now I could tell you all about how the cost for this type of construction is very competitive with traditional construction methods and that it also has many green advantages including a very stable temperature inside the building due to the massive wall structure usually required for this process.

However based on the obvious drawbacks in many parts of the country and some potetial dubious methodologies I am hard pressed to recommend even spending the time to research this further.  There are many simpler ways to reduce a buildings footprint realtive to its impact on the environment both locally and globally. Perhaps if the process is revamped and improved such that it is more main stream realtive to building codes I would be willing to relook at the subject, but for now I would recommend staying away from this as an option to build a house or other building.

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Now I am in favor of there being more green buildings and the more efficient we can be the better off the planet, our companies and all of us are.  However I am unsure if going to the trouble of acquiring a certification really provides and adequate return on the investment of time and money required.

That brings us to the newly revised LEED-EB or LEED for existing buildings. The original program had many issues, some of which were simply growing pains inherited from conversion of the original LEED new construction program.

Now I have read a couple of articles lately on this subject and they make points about how the consultant and the process will help the facility manager find overlooked opportunities and similar advantages, but I am skeptical.  One fo the articles is here at Building Operating Management magazine: (http://www.facilitiesnet.com/8967bom).

Also you can read all about it at the USBGC site: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221

Now the other piece I read gets into the important at least for me part the actual additional cost of teh process. This source figures that the total cost of getting a building certified comes to $2.48 per square foot!  I don’t know about you but I would have to have missed a whole lot of efficiency issues to recover that kind of cost even the intermediate term of 5 - 10 years.  You can read his full article here: http://reallifeleed.blogspot.com/2008/05/leed-eb-fees-explained.html and the report for the Leonardo Academy that he references can be found here: http://www.leonardoacademy.org/download/Final%20Report%20on%20the%20Economics%20of%20LEED-EB-2008-4-23.pdf

Finally I think I can sum this post up by saying that I agree with the column by Jeff Crane in Today’s Facility Manager magazine found here: http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/tfm_08_04_fmfrequency.php and his basic proposistion is that your CFO isn’t going to pay for the extra cost for certification if he can use that extra money to make the building even more efficient and save even more money!  That is a very hard argument to win and I don’t think I could easily be induced to even try.

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I have looked at prefabricated buildings over the years and I have always found them severely wanting in just about every category except speed to complete. Now on Ecogeek.org today I read a post on an ecologically correct prefab structure!

Excerpt from post: Two years ago, the American Institute of Architects put up a challenge: design a house in which a US Fish and Wildlife Service Ecologist in Residence could live and conduct research. Challenge met. Many unique ideas were put forward and three designs took away awards. Two are very…unique…as innovative prefabs tend to be, and so I liked the third the best because it has the eco-technology without losing the home-sweet-home feeling. (complete article: http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1761/66/)

Truly a very interesting set of designs! Now with this inspiration I went searching and found many different vendors of timber framed prefab buildings. Everything from Yankee Barn Homes: http://www.yankeebarnhomes.com/p/timberframehome-2.php?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=bt-lp2&utm_campaign=build-timber&gclid=CLOPrNvY-pMCFR0ZagodTAVoVw

To prefab home exporters from China: http://www.exportbureau.com/company_report.html?code=23805&name=cogent_home_manufactory_ltd

And finally, to companies who offer everything from standard residential building to multi-family buildings to your prefabricated mansion! http://www.modular-experts.com/

In my experience prefab or modular buildings aren’t any cheaper than standard construction except that you can get things built faster. Also you should be wary and check out any firm that you are considering very thoroughly as they aren’t all created equal. Another thing to check out is how such construction is viewed by the local city you will be placing it in. While they can’t say no, they can make it more difficult unless you are upfront about your intentions. Also the city may have recommendations that will make your quest much easier overall.

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We have all heard that the green revolution will change how we live and nothing is more affecting than the materials that make up your home.

There is a movement beginning to begin using bamboo in housing instead of traditional timber products. I know we have been using this renewable resource as flooring and other no structural uses in the US for some time but I am curious whether it can really stand up as building framing.

According the the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) bamboo is a light flexible and resilient material that deserves reconsideration.

From the INBAR website: (http://www.inbar.int/Board.asp?Boardid=67)

Quick Facts

• The world’s population reached 6 billion in 1999 and at the current rate will top 7 billion people soon after 2010.
• At least 600 million urban dwellers in Africa, Asia and Latin America live in “life and health-threatening homes”. At least one billion people do not have access to safe and healthy shelter and the number will increase dramatically with population growth if the appropriate action is not taken (UNEP, nd).
• One billion people live in bamboo houses. In Bangladesh, 73% of the population live in bamboo houses. Bamboo provides pillars, walls, window frames, rafters, room separators, ceilings and roofs.
• It has been calculated in Costa Rica that only 70 ha of bamboo plantation are sufficient to build 1000 bamboo houses per year. If these houses were built with timber, 600 ha of natural forest would be destroyed each year.
• Studies show that processing of bamboo requires only 1/8th the energy for processing of concrete and 1/3rd of that of wood to create a building material of the same capacity. In comparison to steel, bamboo needs only 1/50 of the energy for processing (Roach 1996).
• Due to the lightweight and favorable elastic properties of bamboo, buildings made from it are very good at resisting earthquakes. All 30 houses in the epicenter of a 7.6 magnitude earthquake survived without any damage in Costa Rica.
• Bamboo possesses excellent strength properties, especially tensile strength. Study shows that bamboo is as strong as wood and some species even exceed the strength of Shorea robusta and Tectona grandis (Sattar, 1995).

It is interesting to note that all of the houses made of bamboo near the epicenter of a recent Costa Rican earthquake, measured at a 7.6 magnitude survived intact. The movement is growing with university’s chiming in: http://bambus.rwth-aachen.de/eng/1-building-material.pdf

as well as major architectural firms as well: http://www.deboerarchitects.com/BambooThoughts.html

This site has a good listing of websites covering supply and ordering as well as other information and numerous examples of what has been already done.

While bamboo, at least certain varieties has a better strength to weight ratio than steel I believe that it still has a ways to go before it hits the main stream as a building material of choice for more than a dedicated minority here int eh United States. I understand that worldwide millions of people live in homes constructed from this plant, but the road to approval in the building code for more than a finishes product is long and frustrating. I wish it adherents good luck and hope to hear more in the near future!

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A few days ago I put forward the information below and as it turns out neither I nor Green Technology Magazine were quite correct. Actually we over-generalized a bit…..

According to Green Technology Magazine there will soon be a green building rating system approved by ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

Excerpt: The only green building rating system that will be accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Green Building Standard has been submitted to ANSI for approval and will become the benchmark for green homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The standard defines what green practices should be incorporated into home construction on a national scale and how homeowners should maintain and operate their green homes. The rating system ensures uniformity in everything from the size of electrical outlets to testing medical devices. To get to this point, NAHB volunteers and the International Code Council attended four public hearings and considered 3,000 public comments submitted for consideration.

This sounds pretty good and I am interested to see how this really plays out. If ANSI can get behind a rating system, then the other rating systems such as LEED and Greenpoint Rated will probably update their rules to be compatible. It would make trying to get your building evaluated a lot simpler and less expensive.

However I was contacted by Elizabeth Austin from ANSI and in a very nice email shared with me how the ANSI accreditations system functions:

Thank you very much for your recent post, “Green Building Code coming soon!” Articles like this one contribute significantly to overall public awareness of the importance of voluntary consensus standards. On behalf of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and our entire Federation of members, I thank you for your efforts.

I would like to call your attention to some inaccuracies in the source material you referenced from Green Technology Magazine:

The only green building rating system that will be accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Green Building Standard has been submitted to ANSI for approval and will become the benchmark for green homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

ANSI approves standards as American National Standards (ANS) based on evidence of procedural compliance with the requirements established in the ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process requirements for American National Standards. The hallmarks of the development process associated with a document that is approved as an American National Standard include openness, balance, due process and consensus.

I have highlighted the phrase “the only green building rating system” because in point of fact, more than one standard in a particular area may be approved as an American National Standard. To clarify, ANSI may approve a standard that is sponsored by an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer, such as NAHBRC, as an American National Standard. The ANSI Board of Standards Review (BSR) makes such decisions based on the evidence presented to it and in accordance with the ANSI Essential Requirements.

I’ve also highlighted the phrase “will be accredited” because approval of a standard submitted to ANSI by an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developer is neither automatic nor guaranteed. The ANSI BSR, in accordance with its procedures, will review each submittal and determine whether the evidence of procedural compliance submitted in support of it demonstrates that consensus has been achieved in accordance with ANSI’s requirements set-forth in the ANSI Essential Requirements. In the case of the draft National Green Building Standard developed by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), this process is still underway. Further, the term “accredited” relates to the status of the standards developer’s procedures, not to a particular standard.

So I stand corrected but still I am looking forward to the day when one or more accredited national standards regarding a green building code see the light of day!

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Formaldehyde has been in the news a lot lately especially in regards to the travel trailers used to house refugees from hurricane Katrina. In fact a great story was aired by NPR tonight and can be found here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90957184

The basic facts are that this chemical is in quite a few products that go into buildings and the off gassing issues with newly constructed or remodeled spaces are quite real. Many people who are sensitive to other allergens and chemicals are sensitive to formaldehyde.

Here are some links that will probably scare you, however realize that these are written regarding the employees and situations where this chemical is actually used to manufacture products using formaldehyde.

From OSHA: http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/formaldehyde-factsheet.pdf

From the National Cancer Institute: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/risk/formaldehyde

From the US EPA: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formalde.html

The good news is that over this last 10 years the technology has improved so that less of this chemical is released into the surrounding environment and in California new regulations go into effect on January 1, 2009 that will further limit what is allowed as a step toward eliminating it as much as possible. The information on these rules can be found here: http://www.arb.ca.gov/toxics/compwood/compwood.htm

The main problems that still exist is that this chemical off-gasses while relatively new and under certain conditions. The new phase still has only one solution, extra ventilation during that period which in my recent experience is from a few days to a couple of weeks. The other situation, which is covered very well in the NPR article listed above is during times of high heat and humidity, like those conditions found in the gulf area. Under these conditions the plywood and particle board would have increased and sustained off-gassing levels. This is the cause of the problem with the FEMA trailers.

The main technique to lessen the transmission levels from the materials we in the building industry normally handle is a simple one, paint. Yes by painting the plywood, strand board and MDF, including the edges we can cut the transmission rate by almost 90% in most cases. Other suggestions on reducing risk in the environment can be found here. http://www.sefalabs.com/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3394 They include some interesting ones for instance permanent press clothing should be washed before being worn as these items represent a potentially large source of formaldehyde in a local area when first used.

As always I appreciate you interest and please let me know what you think in the comment area below. Any questions or suggestions for future posts should be directed to askthefm@gmail.com

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