Building material innovation: Concrete cloth simplifies difficult pours

Milliken recently debuted a flexible fabric that allows for concrete installations on slopes, in water, and in other hard to reach places—without the need for molds or mixing.

Concrete Cloth features a cement mix trapped in a layer of fabric, backed with a waterproof membrane. The fabric is simply laid on the ground, hung vertically, or cut and formed into shapes. Contractors wet the fabric to activate the cement; the product is cured to 80% strength within 24 hours.

Unlike regular concrete, Concrete Cloth can be installed in the rain and other wet conditions, virtually eliminating rescheduling due to weather conditions. It comes in a variety of sizes, including portable rolls that two men can carry, reducing the need for heavy machinery.

Learn more about Concrete Cloth from Milliken.

All-electric multi-family Passive House projects can be built at the same cost or close to the same cost as conventionally designed buildings, according to a report by the Passive House Network. The report included a survey of 45 multi-family Passive House buildings in New York and Massachusetts in recent years.

Regulations | Aug 23, 2023

Gas industry drops legal challenge to heat pump requirement in Washington building code

Gas and construction industry groups recently moved to dismiss a lawsuit they had filed to block new Washington state building codes that require heat pumps in new residential and commercial construction. The lawsuit contended that the codes harm the industry groups’ business, interfere with consumer energy choice, and don’t comply with federal law.

Government Buildings | Aug 23, 2023

White House wants to ‘aggressively’ get federal workers back to the office

The Biden administration wants to “aggressively” get federal workers back in the office by September or October. “We are returning to in-person work because it is critical to the well-being of our teams and will enable us to deliver better results for the American people,” according to an email by White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients. The administration will not eliminate remote work entirely, though.

Building Owners | Aug 23, 2023

Charles Pankow Foundation releases free project delivery selection tool for building owners, developers, and project teams

Building owners and project teams can use the new Building Owner Assessment Tool (BOAT) to better understand how an owner's decision-making profile impacts outcomes for different project delivery methods.