Sustainability E-News
Using Innovative Materials
|
|
From The Editor
As you read this, ASTM Committees C12 and C15 are holding a Masonry Symposium: Advancing Masonry Technology. Several papers feature research on ways to provide masonry with a lower environmental impact. Personally I think it is important to explore new ways of creating 'masonry'. This may include non-traditional masonry materials, non-traditional ways of constructing masonry, or improvements in traditional materials and processes. One of the important things to remember though, about using new materials and techniques, is that testing and validation of performance are just as important as the environmental benefits new products may bring. Which is why it's so great to see research being done. Are there new masonry products you have used on your products? If so, I'd love to hear more about it.
Christine "Tina" Subasic, PE, LEED AP
CSubasicPE@gmail.com
NOTE: Inclusion in this newsletter is not an endorsement of the products and materials featured, nor have these products been evaluated by TMS or the editor. Furthermore, the views expressed in the articles featured are those of the article authors.
|
|
GREEN BUILDING NEWS
Podcast: Advantages of retrofits not understood
ECO-BUSINESS
Misconceptions, such as retrofits are prohibitively expensive and only new buildings can be green, hinder the drive to retrofit old buildings, says Vinod Jethani in this article. Jethani explores issues around retrofitting, such as return on investment and how retrofitting compares with new construction.
The West, a building in New York with a recycled-brick façade
DESIGNBOOM
The West’s intricate brickwork is the result of a collaboration between the Amsterdam-based design firm Concrete, and the Dutch company StoneCycling. The brick matrix is a proprietary mix of recovered construction debris blended with raw clay quarried in the Netherlands. A total of thirty different brick shapes and sizes were required for the project, and each piece was individually hand-brushed with a subtly reflective glass glaze before being fired in a centuries-old factory. Read more.
Urban Sequoia design concept touts sustainable materials
STRUCTURE MAGAZINE
In this column, four engineers explore the Urban Sequoia design concept, which holds great potential to reduce carbon emissions in vertical construction through the use of alternative materials such as recycled ground glass, carbon fiber, algae-based concrete, hempcrete, and Mycelium. "By combining optimized structural design resulting in minimal materials and integrating biomaterials, biomass concepts, and carbon-capturing technologies into an integrated system, the Urban Sequoia can achieve substantially more carbon reductions than using these techniques separately," they write.
|
CODES and STANDARDS NEWS
Earning the full Living Building Challenge certification is not easy, and not many buildings have done so. Most earn 'Petals' that represent achievements in specific areas such as energy or water. The fact that a sizable building has achieved this status is big news. ~Tina
|
World's largest commercial living building opens
ARCHITECT’S NEWSPAPER
At 58,000 square feet, the newly opened PAE Living Building in Portland, Ore., is the largest commercial building in the world to earn full Living Building Challenge certification by the Seattle-based International Living Future Institute. Portland-based ZGF Architects designed the building to last 500 years and withstand powerful earthquakes, while meeting ILFI standards for beauty, place, water, energy, equity, materials, and health and happiness. Read more.
Whole Building Design Guide commissioning section to be updated
BUILDING ENCLOSURE ONLINE
The National Institute of Building Sciences has partnered with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Building Commissioning Association, AABC Commissioning Group, and NEBB to advance and revise the Building Commissioning resources on the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG). The WBDG’s Building Commissioning section presents information about current approaches and processes as well as overcoming challenges and emerging issues. Read more about their plans here.
|
GREEN PRODUCTS NEWS
Innovations in masonry and related products continues. Do you have any experience using any new products on the market? ~Tina
Cambridge academics achieve zero-emissions cement breakthrough
THE CONSTRUCTION INDEX
Researchers have filed a patent and secured funding for what they say is “the world’s first-ever zero-emissions cement." There are many ways to make cement with reduced emissions, mainly based on mixing new reactive cement (clinker) with other supplementary materials. However, it had not previously been possible to make the reactive component of cement without emissions. The new invention achieves this for the first time within the parameters of established industrial processes, they say. Another article that further describes the process can be found here.
Biocement producer secures $8M in funding
CONCRETE PRODUCTS
Sofinnova Partners led a $8 million Series A funding round for Prometheus Materials, a producer of biocement that uses microalgae as a binder. The funds will be used to produce masonry units that will be marketed to architects, engineers, developers as the company aims for commercialization. Read more here.
|
EDUCATIONAL NEWS
If you or someone you know are an educator interested in teaching masonry, act fast to be a part of the upcoming virtual Masonry Educators' Workshop! This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from recognized masonry experts and award-winning instructors. Check out the link below. ~Tina
Call for Abstracts for 14th North American Masonry Conference
THE MASONRY SOCIETY
Papers are invited for the 14th North American Masonry Conference (NAMC), which will be held from June 11-14, 2023, in the heart of historic Old Market in Omaha, Nebraska. The conference is being jointly hosted by the Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and the Nebraska Masonry Alliance (NMA). The conference provides a forum for sharing the latest advances in masonry knowledge and applications from around the world. Papers are sought on a wide variety of masonry topics. For more information, visit masonrysociety.org/14namc.
Masonry Educators' Workshop
THE MASONRY SOCIETY
Register now for the Virtual Masonry Educators' Workshop (MEW) on June 21-23, 2022. The workshop is targeted towards professors and educators teaching undergraduate and graduate design and construction management classes on masonry and seeks to assist them teaching future designers and construction professionals. Topics will include Innovative Approaches to Education, Masonry Design and Detailing, Designing for Constructability, and much more. As an added bonus, the Concrete Masonry Association of CA and NV is offering scholarships to all educators in CA and NV. Contact TMS for a coupon.
|
To Subscribe, click here.
|
Advancing the Knowledge of Masonry
|
Please note: Your email address is from a list solely owned and maintained by The Masonry Society (TMS) for our exclusive email purposes. If you are a TMS Member, participate in a TMS Committee, or have requested TMS mailings, your email is essential to your membership, committee participation (including virtual meeting announcements and ballots), delivery of various TMS e-publications, and meeting/seminar announcements. Unsubscribing through our email sender, Constant Contact, will block all emails from TMS. If you would like to specify what type of emails you would like to receive from TMS, have questions about our email policy, or would like to subscribe to our newsletters, please contact TMS directly at info@masonrysociety.org. To view the TMS Privacy Policy, click here.
|
|
TMS's Sustainability
E-Newsletter Sponsors
Platinum Level
|
Concrete Masonry Association of California & Nevada *** |
International Masonry Institute*** |
Southeast Concrete Masonry Association ** |
Masonry Institute of Washington*
|
TMS Sustainability
E-Newsletter Sponsors
Click on the links above to learn more about each of these organizations who have graciously sponsored this E-Newsletter. The Sponsors designated with an asterisk (*) are also TMS Members at the following levels:
*** Sustaining Member
** Affiliate Member
* Individual Member
Interested in becoming a Newsletter Sponsor?
Contact TMS for more information on becoming a Sustainability E-Newsletter Sponsor and having your organization's logo appear before thousands of subscribers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
