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Educational Video Available
KIRKLAND, Wash.
Architects and designers for commercial buildings and homes are increasingly returning to the use of natural light to create comfortable, energy-efficient and aesthetically pleasing spaces. Known as daylighting, the technique is to capture the sun's light to illuminate interior areas. A free educational video from Technical Glass Products (TGP) explores the benefits of daylighting and the challenges such as glare and heat gain/loss that must be addressed when working with natural light.
Hosted by actor Grant Goodeve, A Bright Future: Daylighting for Tomorrow's Buildings is a 20-minute video available at no charge to architects, designers, specifiers and other industry professionals. The video highlights how buildings using modern daylighting practices and materials can actually cost less to operate than other similar buildings, while improving the work and performance of building users, and improve shopping and home environments. It also discusses the role of daylighting in designing environmentally sustainable buildings, including how use of natural light can play a large role in earning credits under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™.
The video will also be used as part of a free presentation on daylighting that TGP offers to architects and other qualified industry professionals. The presentation is registered with the American Institute of Architects' Continuing Education System (AIA/CES) and qualifies for 1.0 Health, Safety and Welfare (HSW) learning unit hour.
For industry professionals interested in learning more about the appropriate applications for fire-rated glazing, TGP also provides a free 20-minute video entitled Burning Issues: Understanding Today's Fire-Rated Glass and Framing. The video is part of an AIA/CES registered presentation that qualifies for 1.0 HSW learning unit hour.
New Concrete Products Reduce Reinforcing Steel
Kingman, Kan.
Polymer Group Inc., introduced a new concrete fiber-reinforced product at at the World of Concrete show in Las Vegas that can eliminate reinforcing steel, thereby reducing the amount of labor needed on a construction jobsite, say company officials. Performax is a replacement for welded wire fabric, light gauge steel and steel fiber in concrete slab construction. It is a proprietary blend of synthetic macro polymeric resins that provide concrete fiber reinforcement for crack control, flexural toughness, and increased shatter resistance.
Performax is ideal in industrial and warehouse floors, concrete pavement, and commercial slab construction, says PGI’s Paul Schmidt. The company also offers a Performax product for pre-cast applications as a welded wire fabric replacement.
Rising steel and asphalt prices are resulting in higher concrete densities or the amount of cement used per every construction dollar, according to the Portland Cement Association.
PGI had $85 million in sales last year, and expects a 15% growth in 2007, says PGI’s Paul Schmidt. Only 15% of all the concrete poured in the U.S. currently contains fibers. The 27-year-old firm is also pursuing product accreditation from the U.S. Green Building Council for LEED certifications. (by Tony Illia)
Gotham Architectural Unveils LED Downlight
Conyers, GA
Gotham® Architectural Downlighting (www.gothamlighting.com) announced the introduction of a new decorative recessed downlight incorporating multicolor Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology. Gotham’s patent-pending dual reflector design enables a compact fluorescent source to provide effective general illumination.
Designed by Gotham to integrate Osram-Sylvania ColorMix LED’s and Color Kinetics patented LED drive techniques, Candéo LED provides three levels of color changing capability, including basic on-board modes, a flexible wall mounted user interface and compatibility with Color Kinetics hardware and DMX512 software for customized effects.
Recyclable Bags Hit the Tile and Stone Market
LATICRETE
International, Inc., a manufacturer of ceramic tile and stone installation systems, shipped its first batch of materials in recyclable plastic bags.
Not only are the bags recyclable, but the plastic keeps the warehouses free of cementious powder.
Nuheat Launches New Thermostat
Nuheat has launched a new thermostat. The programmable floor warming thermostat is an alternative to conventional wall mounted thermostats. The design allows it to be flush mounted behind any double gang faceplate, giving the designer the opportunity to choose a faceplate that best matches each room’s décor. It is Energy Star rated.
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