Could ‘smart’ building facades heat and cool buildings?
A promising research project looks at the possibilities for thermoelectric systems to thermally condition buildings, writes Mahsa Farid Mohajer, Sustainable Building Analyst with Stantec.
HORIZONTV FEATURING BD+C: WATCH EPISODES ON DEMAND AT HORIZONTV
Concrete Technology
MIT researchers are working on a way to use concrete as an electric battery
Researchers at MIT have developed a concrete mixture that can store electrical energy. The researchers say the mixture of water, cement, and carbon black could be used for building foundations and street paving.
Construction Costs
Despite challenges, 2024 construction material prices continue to stabilize
Gordian’s Q2 2024 Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report indicates that supply chain issues notwithstanding, many commodities are exhibiting price normalization.
Building Tech
In a world first, load-bearing concrete walls built with a 3D printer
A Germany-based construction engineering company says it has constructed the world’s first load-bearing concrete walls built with a 3D printer. Züblin built a new warehouse from a single 3D print for Strabag Baumaschinentechnik International in Stuttgart, Germany using a Putzmeister 3D printer.
Building Materials | Apr 8, 2016
AIA: Architects release first white paper on materials transparency and risk
It provides the steps architects should be taking to ensure change, promote openness, and increase collaboration between themselves, their suppliers, and their clients.
Market Data | Feb 26, 2016
JLL upbeat about construction through 2016
Its latest report cautions about ongoing cost increases related to finding skilled laborers.
Jan 28, 2016
AIA CES class: The rainscreen approach to a better building envelope
Building envelope expert Bradley Carmichael of Hoffmann Architects explains how rainscreen wall systems work and evaluates the effectiveness of various rain-control methods, including mass walls, perfect barriers, and masonry veneers. This AIA/CES class is worth 1.0 learning unit.
Building Materials | Jan 25, 2016
Johnson Controls to merge with Tyco International
The $20 billion deal is the latest corporate inversion maneuver.
Concrete | Jan 15, 2016
Fallingwater to Sydney Opera House: Ranking the world’s best concrete buildings
Large and small, some of the most iconic structures of all time were made of the composite building material.
Jan 14, 2016
How to succeed with EIFS: exterior insulation and finish systems
This AIA CES Discovery course discusses the six elements of an EIFS wall assembly; common EIFS failures and how to prevent them; and EIFS and sustainability.
Building Materials | Nov 16, 2015
A new database sheds more light on building products’ content
The Quartz Project’s collaborators, which include Google, hope these data will better inform design decisions.
Building Materials | Nov 5, 2015
U.S. Naval Research Lab develops transparent aluminum
The material is made out of highly compressed aluminum powder.
Architects | Oct 20, 2015
Four building material innovations from the Chicago Architecture Biennial
From lightweight wooden pallets to the largest lengths of CLT-slabs that can be shipped across North America
Building Materials | Oct 16, 2015
Challenges in arctic, subarctic regions subject of new ASHRAE guide
Cold, remoteness, limited utilities, and permafrost addressed.
