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Incredible innovations in concrete that will make construction easier

Image courtesy of Dean Hochman at Flickr.com

Concrete has been the go to material to build for ages. Being one of the most used, it was only a matter of time until different institutions began to research ways to make it easier to use, lighter, faster to dry, among other things. We now have an array of innovations that will revolutionize the way we see concrete forever.

Supercap System

Pumping up to 30,000 pounds per hour in a completely flat slab that will be dry by the next morning, this is the next big thing in concrete for slabs. An example of this was the Swedish Hospital and Medical Office Building, which has a 600,000-sf campus. They managed to save $35,000 and finished before schedule due to many different methods used during the construction, including the Supercap system to cap the concrete base slab. Normally, a trowel-applied finish would have taken a lot more time and would actually have come out more expensive. This self-leveling cement base is revolutionizing construction and peace of mind about quality and in this case flatness of slab during projects.

What is LATICRETE SUPERCAP? Click here to see the video

Image courtesy of LATICRETE International, Inc. at YouTube.com

Drying time reduction

There have been two advances on this front. One is the Aridus Rapid Drying Concrete that is a ready-mix. It has a unique combination of fast drying time, high early strength, compressive strength and low permeability. It sped up one particular project from its four-month drying period to 21 days, at which point all the crew was able to install final flooring. With Airdus Rapid Drying Concrete you can prevent that floors go bad, which costs millions of dollars to the construction industry. With flooring nightmares, you could be looking at delays, environmental hazards, cost overruns, liability issues, moisture mitigation and damaged reputation. With their promise to avoid all of this, they are definitely helping construction companies be more efficient and effective.

The other is a Rapid-curing polyaspartic coating which offers faster productivity, along with high performance and durability. This coating can be used for both metal and concrete surfaces and it will resist damages by even the toughest substances like chemical spills, abrasions or ultraviolet light, which usually starts wearing down the material within a construction. Many buildings that have concrete flooring like hotels, restaurants, retail space and healthcare are starting to look for alternatives and this could definitely be one of them.  

Solving problems

Concrete is also coming to rescue on some occasions, with alternatives to solving real issues. For example, the BoralPure Smog-Eating Tile is literally removing nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere. The company not only makes roofs, but stone, bricks, siding and trims. All made in concrete, they also offer amazing finished to not have to sacrifice elegance and beauty for all the advantages that this particular treated concrete will give you. The BoralPure Smog-Eating Tile definitely made the list with its environmentally friendly attributes as well as its other features like using UV light to break down organic substances, which in the long run can turn into mold or algae. They can even be recycled when their lifespan is over.

Going Green

Like the previous example, here concrete is looking at ways to go green and without sacrificing its strength and endurance, making it more environmentally friendly. A clear example was with one of the World Trade Center’s new constructions. Faced with some strict restrictions in terms of the material used and informed they had to use recycled materials, they went out in search of a solution and found one in BASF Construction Chemical’s Green Sense. Besides the environmental benefits like reduction in fossil fuels and greenhouse gas production, rain acidification potential, water and solid waste, they are also saving at least 25.4 million in kWh.

BASF Construction Chemicals has advanced in many technologies and applications for cement and concrete like cement additives, concrete protection, flooring, concrete admixtures and fibers, and concrete repair. As long as companies like this continue exploring new uses and ways to improve the use of concrete, we can continue to expect amazing things from this industry.

Making it look good

Now, we all know concrete is not necessarily the most attractive looking material to include in a construction, but there have also been innovations on this front. PROSOCO, with its Consolideck line, have designed a way to improve the density and surface appearance of concrete. It has two lines, the Consolideck LS line features a lower viscosity and more highly reactive silicates, allowing it to penetrate deeper than most concretes and to harden without aggressive scrubbing and rinsing. The Consolideck LSGuard is a high-gloss sealer, hardener and densifier, which not only makes the floors more resistant, but gives a high-gloss finish. This kind of finish will allow light to reflect off of it much more, there won’t be a need for floor waxes or liquid polishers or any other convention resin coating for that matter. This will definitely bring the much needed brilliance cement was lacking.

Image courtesy of Passive House Institute & Alliance U.S at Flickr.com

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The 3 largest islands made by the hand of man

Welcome to the Palm Dubai

Image courtesy of Jason Mrachina at Flickr.com

The Palm Islands are the three largest islands in the world designed and built by the hand of man.  They are also referred to as The Palms and they are located on the coast of the emirate of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  Al Nakheel Properties (Nakheel Corporation) is leading the project and the aim is to increase the coast of Dubai in about 520 kms and attract three times more the number of tourists.  The idea was first announced in May 2002 and the first artificial island, in addition to the two in process of construction have taken Dubai to the rank of first class and super exclusive tourist destination.

Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, The Palm Islands, are also known as the Eighth Wonder of the World.  The islands are being built in the shape of a palm which has a trunk, 17 branches, and it is surrounded by a crescent island that acts as a breakwater.  Once the three of them have been built, the islands will hold more than 4,000 residential villas, 60 luxury hotels, 5,000 coastal apartments, 1,000 unique homes, marinas, water theme parks, shopping malls, sports facilities, restaurants, health spas, cinemas and several dive sites.

Project development

It took four years of methodical planning and exhaustive feasibility studies in Dubai, ensuring that building the islands would not harm the environment.  The first stage of development for this project includes the construction of foundations of land.  Tons of sand need to be transferred as well as tons of rock need to be placed.  The next stage will involve the construction of infrastructure and services, as well as of bridges to connect the islands to the mainland.  The final stage involves the construction of houses, townhouses, and apartments.

The Palm Jumeirah is the smallest of the three islands.  It is located on the Jumeirah coastal area of ​​the emirate of Dubai.  The construction of this island began in June 2001.  The first residents moved in by the summer of 2007.  If you want to know what it was like, you could ask David Beckham and his family.  This island is primarily residential, intended for living, relaxation, and leisure.  The Palm Jebel Ali is a medium-size island which is structurally complete and the largest island, the Palm Deira, is still undergoing sea reclamation.

Image courtesy of Werner Bayer at Flickr.com

The Palm Jumeirah intends to offer over 25 hotels from internationally renowned brands including Antara, Fairmont Palm Residence, Movenpick Resort Oceana Palm Jumeirah, Moevenpick Resort & Spa Palm Jumeirah, Hilton, Marriott, Metropolitan, Radisson SAS, Shangri La, One & Only Royal Mirage, Starwood, Oberoi, Kempinski, Chedi, Taj Exotica & Spa Resort and Dusit. Other projects include buildings such as Al Basri, Al Habool, Al Anbara, The Emerald Palace, Oceana, and Trump Plaza & Marina Residences.  

Lighthouse Hotel and Residence, which is located on the crescent of the Palm Jumeirah, is one of the more advanced projects so far.  This Hotel contains 320 rooms and its architecture was designed to capture the light of the sun when it is rising to then be projected inside the complex.  During the night, the roof is lit and an arc of light is projected across the Palm Jumeirah and the Arabian Gulf.  The Residence will contain 200 apartments of two, three, four bedrooms.  

Al Nabat and Al Haseer are two magnificent residential apartment buildings. They are located on the eastern shore of the trunk of Palm Jumeirah and they offer you their own private beach and clubhouse.  It is very interesting how it has been designed mixing the Arab Eclectic style and its elements from the Arabian heritage with modern materials.  The apartments have either view to the ocean or to the gardens.

Another big project located on the northern edge of the trunk of Palm Jumeirah is Marina Residences consisting of six residential buildings with 858 luxury apartments and 12 penthouses. It also includes 30 independent urban housing and is surrounded by the scenic design and recreational areas.

In brief, this construction started in 2002 and the project aimed at building three artificial islands for touristic enhancing purposes.  The first phase or The Palm Jumeirah was completed in 2006 and it occupies an area of 5 km². 

The United Arab Emirates trusted the concept design to Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock (HHCP) and hired as Prime Contractor the Hill International Company, and as Contractor Specialist the Van Oord Company.  The project has several phases and the first was fulfilled on the completion date expected.  The other two projects are ongoing but, unfortunately, they have been delayed by the maintenance the part already finished requires.  The ocean is an extreme force that makes it difficult to advance in these pending projects while keeping and protecting the phase already finished.

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Is Japan's amazing artificial beach going to be closed for good?

Image courtesy of Pastimers - World's Best & Worst at YouTube.com

It's a trend: artificial beaches are gaining popularity worldwide.  The concept of "artificial" or "urban" beaches has been used for some years now in other countries like France, to refer to public establishments that try to simulate the conditions of a real beach.  Several of them have already been build and are open for you to swim and enjoy a day on the beach.  You could find them in places as diverse as Monaco, Hong Kong, Paris, Berlin, Rotterdam or Toronto.  However, none of them is as spectacular and huge as the Seagaia Ocean Dome, the world's largest water park, located in the city of Miyazaki, in Japan.  This dome measures 300 meters long and 100 meters wide, and such a construction was included in the Guinness World Records.  So far Miyazaki Dome fully succeeds when it comes to exemplify this innovative concept.

It opened its doors in 1993, built by the Mitsubishi industrial group, but it was in 1995 when the number of visitors reached the top, receiving around 1.25 million people a year.  The entrance fee was ¥ 2.600 per adult and ¥ 1600 for children; although the price would vary depending on the season.  It was built just 300 meters from a natural beach of the Pacific island Kyushu.  You might wonder why if they have a natural alternative so close.  Well, it is possible that one of the reasons is that beaches are not the best of Japan; as in many beaches in the Pacific, you always need to be aware of jellyfish, the tide and torrents, among other factors.  So, Japanese have built a Dome in which every single detail makes you feel like you are in a real beach without all the risks already mentioned.  Just take your sweet time and imagine:

An always-blue sky provided by the world's largest retractable roof

Thousands of tons of artificial sand that does not stick to your skin or clothes

Hundreds of artificial palm trees

Multiple swimming pools and slides

Constant temperature, humidity and wind.  You will feel a stable summer temperature –average 30 degrees- all day, every day of the year

No storms threatening to ruin your day or even weekend

Clean air as smokers have an established area

Clear water always at 28 degrees

Constant and perfect conditions for surfing; small but perfect waves guaranteed

All this environment is under the gaze of a "real" volcano frequently erupting fire

Food court with restaurants, ranging from fast food to establishments dedicated to traditional Japanese and international cuisine.

Many shops for souvenirs or items for the beach

CLICK HERE TO VIEW A VIDEO

Image courtesy of Pastimers - World's Best & Worst at YouTube.com

The dome offers visitors, both Japanese and foreign, a safe relaxing experience, with maximum hygiene and comfort in a man-made paradise.  Isn’t it like a dream come true?  Obviously, keeping this place as neat as it has been described demands for strict measures that visitors must observe in order to enter the premises:

You must not use street shoes in the beach area

You must not bring your pets with you

You must eat in the established areas.

You must smoke in the areas specially equipped with smoke extractors.  Smoking elsewhere is highly prohibited.

Children under four years of age must always be under the supervision of an adult.

Of course, you cannot compare the artificial beach of the Dome with the so-called "artificial beaches" installed in Mexico City.  In this case, the Japanese example is the product of economic planning among a group of private funds.  While the case of Mexico is an initiative of the government carried out as a public investment with less than 2 million Mexican pesos. However, after the description of the artificial beach of the Seagaia Ocean Dome, perhaps it would be more appropriate to speak of public or upgraded swimming pools in the case of Mexico.

The Seagaia Ocean Dome makes part of the Sheraton Seagaia Resort which includes, of course, hotels of various categories, and a zoo, in addition to this artificial beach which happens to be the only indoor beach in the world, so far.  As everybody knows, in Japan, the summer heat is unbearable and if it's not the heat, rain is incredibly heavy, additionally to humidity or cold wind.  A magnificent retractable roof was built as an alternative to keep visitors safe from suffering the changes of weather depending on the time of the year they visit the Dome.  However, the magnitude of such a construction has implied great efforts on maintenance.  In 2007 it closed its doors for a thorough structural and economic restructuring as operating costs were gigantic.  It has been closed ever since for this purpose and the reopening date has not been announced yet.  Let’s hope you will have the chance to see this wonder at least once!

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How is Tech Transforming the Real Estate Industry?

The face-to-face walkthrough is not enough for many people looking to buy a home nowadays. Most are in need of getting as much information and insight on a property before even contacting the real estate agent. On the upside, technology has made so many tools available to you that this is not a real problem, and the fact is the more you are up to par with the up and coming tech, the more you can reach out and communicate with potential buyers. Different apps and social media have changed many industries and real estate is not the exception.

Apps 

Videos Videolicious

This easy-to-use tool can help real estate agents create amazing footage of their homes, reaching thousands of people with a professional-looking video. By using this tool, real estate agents are empowered and growing their business in the style of the digital age. This app lets you choose all of the shots you made of the home you’re promoting and then record your voice over, music and effects in an extremely easy to use platform. Check out the video for more information.

VIEW VIDEO

Image courtesy of Videolicious at Flickr.com

Periscope

Although many may use Periscope for personal uses, it is an amazing tool for real estate agents. It allows them to get closer to their interested audiences, offer real-time home tours and answer questions while your customers are from the comfort of their homes or out and about. It closes the gap on having to be on-location to experience the home and see everything you want and need before taking the next step. Periscope is also great, because it’s interactive, allowing potential buyers to ask questions and at the same time giving you the opportunity to show off the house to newcomers as well.

Maps Google Maps

Another big change in real estate has been the availability of tools like Google Maps. Many people when researching a home will immediately go over to Google Maps and take a tour of the neighborhood and “walk the streets” themselves to see if it’s what they are looking for. Google Map’s features like analyzing neighborhood trends and market values, identifying local communities, even adding special layers special for real estate agencies. The layers could have your assets like local listings and office locations, your imagery like floor plans and development sites for new buildings, your data like land parcel information or real estate projects, third-party data like local businesses, communities and even crime rates, all over the Google Maps we all know. Find out about more ways to use Google maps for your industry here.

Online real estate marketing sites

Trulia

Trulia is an interactive, fully-equipped site that has many tools to help you find home buyers and sell your properties in no time. They offer tons of features like advertising, obtaining seller leads, neighborhood guides, Trulia maps and mobile, as well as online help for whatever you may need. This site is amazing for home buyers as well, allowing them to sort easily and find whatever they are looking for.

Zillow

Zillow, which is in the works of merging with Trulia, is quite similar and offers alternatives to posting your advertising on new homes you’re selling and finding potential buyers. It allows buyers to become informed before buying by offering, similar to Trulia, mortgage estimates and property values.

Other tech

Image courtesy of Storm Crypt at Flickr.com

Drones

Spark Aerial

Drones are the next big thing, and real estate agencies are seeing the potential. Spark Aerial is offering classes to real estate professionals on how to fly drones so they can make their very own aerial shots of properties and projects to share with potential buyers. Sometimes, they are the only ones that know what they want their buyers to see, so it’s easier to take the reigns and fly themselves.

Drone Base

Another alternative is to hire pilots to fly your drone for you and get those shots you want from the property. Drone Base gives you everything you want from aerial shots and videos, without the hassle of owning a drone or learning how to fly one.

Matterport

Another innovative approach to letting potential buyers visit your property is 3D video. Matterport released a camera that can film 3D videos, perfect for real estate agents that want their customers to literally “walk” through the property without actually being there. This camera can even do the walkthroughs and capture the measurements of a space, letting the buyer get an accurate feel for the property.

Image courtesy of Matterport at Flickr.com

Social Media

Tiny Torch

Many surveys show that new business is coming in to most real estate agencies via social media. Which is why many realtors are turning to social media and blogs to get their properties out to home buyers. Tiny Torch can come in very handy when dealing with all those post updates and keeping all your social media presence full of interesting and engaging content. With Tiny Torch real estate professional can find, create and share content easily.

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How the energy in a building comes from its windows

Image courtesy of Tony Hall at Flickr.com

Architecture continues to get more and more green everyday. Companies are looking for ways for buildings and constructions to be sustainable and leave as little footprint as possible. They have been able to do so with many different alternatives like power generated by wind, solar, geothermal or heat. These innovations are not only creating architectural masterpieces, but also demonstrating that construction can help in the world’s fight against pollution and significantly reduce the consequences of current types of electricity and power.

The London Development Agency and London Climate Change Agency share a headquarter in a new building that could be considered the future of architecture. It has 14 wind turbines on the roof and photovoltaic panels that produce up to 84 KW of power. This covers about 4-10% of energy needs for the building. Along with other strategies and units that add efficiency and flexibility to the use of energy. Despite the fact that some may think the massive structure is not practical in today’s hectic and cramped world, it’s innovative solutions to energy efficiency do demonstrate the alternatives that many other companies could follow.

One of the types of energies mentioned is on the rise as one of the most innovative advances in construction for this year, which is the photovoltaic glazed windows. These panels allow buildings to generate their own electricity by enveloping the building with solar panels and using this transparent photovoltaic glass as material to build the construction forming the windows, façades and roofs. Besides saving money on the electricity bill, this new type of window is actually less expensive than traditional glass.

Image courtesy of Lamerton at Flickr.com

How does it work?

This glass uses sandwiched solar cells between two sheets of glass to generate energy. The glass is not completely transparent, but it does allow enough light to get through to be considered a good option to be used as windows on a construction. If a building were to use a good amount of photovoltaic glass it would be able to produce electricity for the building only with its windows. This type of energy is considered to be green electricity since its source is completely renewable and it does not cause any type of pollution. PV glass besides reducing costs, is also considered to reduce carbon footprint of the facility as a whole, which helps not only the planet in its struggle against global warming and pollution, but the company would gain a good name for its concern for the environment being benefitted by PR and branding. Finally, having glass as one of the main material to build the facility, it helps to reduce costs since the the light will be filtered the heat will let you save costs on air-conditioning.

What variations are there?

There are several variations depending on the amount of light the companies want to illuminate their spaces. In these cases, the solar cells are built in with gaps so as to allow a greater light penetration, known as slitted solar glass. Some companies are producing colored, gradient and patterned PV glass, as well as double or even triple glazed glasses. By offering these varieties, the architectural design is also benefitted as they can include unique pieces that offer just the right solution for each building’s needs.

Where is it used in construction?

Because of the material and structure of the PVC glass, it can be used for walls, windows, roofs and doors. Basically, it can be used for almost any flat surface that can be translucent up to a certain degree and that has direct contact with the sun. They are perfect for insulating the heat during winter or refreshing during the hot summers, so their comfort is definitely a point to their advantage. Additionally, they will also reduce condensation, which is known for damaging building material and cause unhealthy mold. Obviously, it will not only come down to the PVC glass, but also the frames and other materials used that should also be chosen for their qualities to help with the same purposes of the PVC glass.

Using this material in high-temperature cities you will get the most out of this solar energy solution to reducing costs and carbon footprints. Although, this material is a good step towards creating structures that can truly use renewable energy sources that will have no carbon footprint at all. These innovative solutions go hand in hand with other inventions, strategies and materials that companies can use, integrate and implement at low costs with even lower maintenance costs. If you’re looking to build, it is definitely worth looking into all of these alternatives before giving the green light to begin construction. Implementing these will definitely be well-worth it in the short, mid and long term, both for you and for the planet.

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Is a transatlantic tunnel ever going to be built?

Image courtesy of Erik Daugaard at Flickr.com

Human beings have always been characterized by the spirit of testing advances and development in evolution, especially in technology, and by the ever eternal yearning of finding challenges.  This force has sometimes leads us to develop projects that we may not be able to assume.  This is the case of the great idea of making an alternative connection between Europe and America that does not depend on traditional transportation means such as ships or aircrafts.  This has been one of those dreams that have always been there, but that still seems impossible to make it come true.  The Atlantic Ocean covers more than 106 million square kilometers and the east-west average distance is 4,870 kilometers.  The two cities that have always been used as an example to support the purpose of this project are New York and London given that they are large economic cities, and the relative proximity between them is 5,585 kilometers.

The story behind the dream of crossing the Atlantic by train

There are several movies that have shown how we human beings have been dreaming of building this massive project for many years now.  The first film was released in 1914 and it was about the possibility of building a transatlantic tunnel.  This and other films are based on a novel by German author Bernhard Kellermann.  He wrote "Der Tunnel" ("The Tunnel") in 1913 and it was considered one of the most successful movies of the first half of the twentieth century.  It actually sold more than 100,000 copies in 6 months.  The novel is about the construction of a tunnel linking Europe and America, but when it is finished, the tunnel is completely obsolete given to several disasters that occur during the construction, and to the success of aircrafts as a means of transportation more adequate to travel from side to side of the ocean.

Michel Verne, Jules Verne’s son, wrote in 1888 a story by the title, "Un Express de l'avenir" ("An Express of the Future") which describes the structure of a train that would link Boston and Liverpool; in order to build it, more than 3,000 miles of steel pipes, weighing over 13,000,000 tons, would be required; and the number of ships needed to transport materials would be 200 ships of 2,000 tons, each making thirty three trips.  And the main detail: the train would move at high speed thanks to compressed air.  Amazingly, he got this idea even before Bernhard Kellermann.

Image courtesy of Raphael Cockx at Flickr.com

The current and realistic possibilities for the construction

Every now and then news about someone somewhere developing this concept reappears.  Interestingly, such projects have something in common: they always get to the phase of "proposal", but they never seem to go forward.  And sometimes there are not even real current news about the project, they are nothing more than a recycling of previous ones.  

In 1960 this idea of ​​a magnetic levitation train (maglev) inside an underwater tunnel was presented, unfortunately the project went nowhere.  However, in 2003 the Discovery Channel program “Extreme Engineering” broadcast the episode "The Transatlantic Tunnel".  In order to create it, the producers took the basis of the draft from 1960 and then updated the idea with new technologies. 

The new “proposal” for this project made by this channel was making a submerged floating tunnel which would not extend along the sea bed, but would float, instead.  It would be floating to a height -more or less constant- below the surface level, that is to say, 100 meters approximately; and in order to fix it to the bottom of the ocean, anchors and wires would be used.  The tunnel would travel in a vacuum with the magnetic levitation system.  This would make of this train the fastest means of transportation ever built.  It would achieve speeds that reach approximately 8,000 kilometers per hour, making the journey between London and New York only last an hour.

The economic and technical issues behind the project

Once the details start to be considered in a work of this nature, it becomes evident that there are still many gaps in our knowledge, and we lack the most advanced technology it requires.  The Ocean is still difficult to understand, besides it is dangerous and has the power to damage infrastructures in thousands of ways.  Artificial islands of Dubai, for example, require continuous maintenance.  This work would imply to fight the pressure, currents, temperatures, dangerous tide, very active tectonic plates and corrosion, not to mention the huge amounts of materials, resources and supplies that would be required; all these during operation and, of course, during maintenance work.

By interesting that at first glance it may seem, a fast and economical means of transportation to cross the Atlantic Ocean, the money needed to build such a bridge or highway under or over it, far outweighs its benefits.  Although the idea of ​​uniting the two continents through these media is still there the technology still needs, at least, a few giant leaps over for such a project.

Click here to see the video: Mega Engineering- Underwater Tunnel

Image courtesy of Discovery at YouTube.com

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Find out how drones are innovating the construction industry

Image courtesy of Oak Ridge National Laboratory at Flickr.com

This past year I bet all you have been hearing about are drones. Be it in the news because of reckless driving and legal issues or because of the advances it has had in the different fields. Construction has not had a blind eye to the advances that drones could bring to the field and it has even been considered to be one of the most innovative technological advancements in the industry by some. Drones can be used for many things and of course the most obvious like get aerial views of a construction as it’s in progress.

Let’s begin by measuring an overall impact drones had on the construction industry. First off, the most popular drone by far, as it occurs in other industries, is the rotor-driven drone. This drone operates much like a helicopter except it has multiple propellers. Drones have so many advantages, beginning with the fact that you don’t really need a personalized or expensive drone to get the job done. There are some construction companies that own up to 10 drones and use it for a variety of other activities, other than the obvious.

Another big aspect of using drones is the legality of flying one of these bad boys. Now, last year there was not much information out there about what was and wasn’t legal, but this year things are different. The FAA has since then promoted different strategies like registration of drones to prevent difficulties and a way to keep track of them and their owners, if any accidents should occur. It’s also important to keep in mind the conditions that the FAA announced on owning a drone like that it must weigh at most 55 pounds, it had to be flown at speeds up to 100 mph within the visual line of sight of the pilot, camera should only be installed if there is requirement of use that is specific to needing a camera on board. One of the big ones is that they are restricted to flying under 500 feet and that it can only be flown when there is good weather, with at least 3-mile visibility.

A clear example of the huge impact drones have had on the construction business can be seen when new products and services derive from its use. One company that made this evident last year was Komatsu, which began to offer a service called the Dubbed Smart Construction that uses the intelligent Machine Control (iMC) technology on their drones to be able to offer an automated site prep service. Komatsu is not selling this idea, instead they are leasing it out.

One more example could be DroneBase which hires out drone pilots. This is a great way to get started and not have your money spend tons of money without needing to (yet). So, now let’s see how drones are really being used in the industry:

Surveying

One of the most common ways drones are used it survey the construction site and build maps from what is captured

Sharing with clients

Clients will want to know where you are at with the project, so a drone will help you ease their minds and show the play by play as the building is made.

Keeping an eye out

In many cases job sites can be left alone for long periods of time, or simply you have multiple projects at the same time. It will not only save you time, but money and energy as well. Instead of having to make it all the way out to each site and do a complete visit by foot, you can send a drone and see for yourself every project without even leaving your office.

Examining structures

Drones will easily allow you to inspect the structure of a construction avoiding the use of heavy software or lots of people. It’s easy and cost-effective.

Image courtesy of Joe A. Kunzler at Flickr.com

Improving safety

With these eyes in the sky you can make sure all of the site is safe and there are no dangerous situations like an unstable pillar, that could put in harm's way one of the construction workers.

Sticking to a timeline

By overseeing the site, with a drone you can easily verify that the project is not falling behind and if it is you can identify where it’s falling behind rather quickly. A drone can help you notice this early on, when you can still do something to stay on track.

If you are ready to get on board with using drones on your sites, be sure to follow the guidelines and stay safe. You’ll quickly notice the advantages and this will surely affect the way your company is seen by current and even prospect clients. It will definitely affect your business in many ways, and there is no doubt that there are many more to be found along the way.

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How to improve your marketing in real estate

Image courtesy of Mark Moz at Flickr.com

Are you looking for the right strategy to improve the marketing of your real estate agency?  The traditional marketing, as we know it, is on the verge of disappearing because people actually prefers innovative options.  That is why it is the time to integrate best practices to your digital strategy.  

Inbound marketing is a methodology whose main goal is to offer services in a non-intrusive way, giving your customers the importance they deserve so that they don’t feel that your only aim is to get sales.  This strategy will allow users and potential customers to find you faster online and get familiar with your services.  When you use inbound marketing, your customers will end up coming to you if you manage to create quality content for them in order to attract their attention.  On the contrary, when you use outbound marketing, you need to have a big budget to find potential customers that could be up to 62% more expensive.

Here you will find 10 tips to try something new and that will bring great outcomes for your real estate agency.

1.. Make a diagnosis of your digital marketing strategy.  

How much are you currently investing in Marketing? What results are you getting with that? How much is it to get a new customer? What are the most profitable efforts?  Answering these questions before starting a new campaign will allow you to know in detail your areas of opportunity.

2. Define the profile of your ideal customer.  

Who are the customers you are aiming at? How old are they? Where do they live? What information do they seek for and where? Do they live with their family?  In order to answer these questions, you could interview at least 5 current customers that perfectly fit the profile of your ideal customer to define profiles for your "Buyer Person" before starting your new campaign.

3. Define your action plan.  

When do you need more visits to your website?   When do you have visits but need to improve your conversion?  When do you have visits and conversion but you need to sell more?  From here, you will define the focus of your first Inbound campaign.

4. Assign tasks and responsibilities to your team.  

Does your sales and marketing team have the necessary talent?  Do you have an agency that helps you out?  An effective Inbound Marketing campaign requires a talented and multidisciplinary team as well time, dedication, trained staff and a budget.  However, if you apply your strategy, resources will be an investment and not an expense.

5. Define an editorial calendar.  

What days and how often are you going to post on your blog and social networks?  What are the themes of your content?  The editorial calendar is the key to planning your campaign and its main objective is to commit to dates for developing and publishing content.

6. Begin by writing on your blog.  

A good blog helps to position yourself as an opinion leader and it is an essential tool in Inbound Marketing.  You can share your content and generate conversations with potential customers interested in a particular subject.  Your goal should be to educate, generate opinions and analysis that help them make a better decision.  At the beginning of the process, it is aimed at informing and not to at selling.

7. Create a database.  

You can use many tools that will help you build your database.  You need to keep it up-to-date with current or potential customers’ interests and needs.  You can create downloadable content and post them in Landing Pages with registration forms.  This way, you will integrate the data base to your efforts in marketing.

8. Define your strategy of Inbound selling.  

Inbound Selling should complement your marketing methodology and it’s successful when you integrate marketing and sales teams.  You need to establish a strong commitment for both teams: marketing generates enough potential customers and sales commits to follow up and close with efficiency.

Image courtesy of Phil Sexton at Flickr.com

9. Focus on three key metrics: visits, potential customers and sales.  

How many people get to your site?  Where do they come from?  Are the pages where they come from important?  How many of your visitors are actually potential customers and end up filling out your forms or end up in a sale?  You definitely should know in detail the strengths and weaknesses of your processes to capture customers.

10. Be patience.  

When developing a new business model, it is logical for companies to want results as soon as possible.  However, Inbound marketing works very different from the traditional marketing; you should not expect short term results.  A good campaign takes time but once you start, it generates an exponential growth.  Your potential customers will nourish using the content you created and if you take your time to observe, you will know what the right time is to contact them or wait for them to contact you.

[kennyslaught]

Is Straw one of the best building materials?

Image courtesy of grahamvphoto at Flickr.com

As we have mentioned before on this blog, energy efficient building construction and design is a significant step in the direction of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, since the building sector is responsible for 44.6% of total U.S. CO2 emissions in numbers of 2010. It is estimated that at least the 15% of that amount corresponds to the manufacture of construction products and materials. Climate change concerns make consumers and industries very aware of the importance of using environmentally friendly products as an effective way to reduce human carbon footprint; moreover, as we have pointed out, the use of environmentally friendly construction materials additionally eliminates the risk of exposure to potentially harmful materials at any point of the building’s life-cycle, making homes healthier places to live in. One extraordinary example of these kind of materials is the modest straw, scientifically demonstrated as efficient, affordable and super insulating, the new hope that will hit the market very soon.

Straw in nature

The principal food grain crop produced in the United States is wheat, where more than 50 million acres are harvested per year. American wheat production is mainly concentrated in the Plains States, but almost every state shows some production. Straw is basically the dried stalks of the wheat plants which grain has been stripped and the yield per acre vary greatly from 1 to 3 tons per year. As we can see, straw is a sub-product of wheat production which doesn’t represent extra land requirements for its production. Traditional uses of wheat straw are hey feeding, horse bedding, mushroom production, landscaping, organic fertilizer, and others. Additionally to straw’s low cost characteristics, as any other plant, wheat captures and stores CO2 during photosynthetic processes, which finally means is a natural carbon sink.   

Traditional uses of straw as a building material

Many examples of the use of straw are found, even since the Paleolithic, when straw houses were built in the plains of Africa. Roofs covered with straw are been used in the north of Europe and Asia. The invention of the mechanical hay baler, around 1850, facilitated this type of construction, since straw bales could be stacked like bricks in load bering or non-loadbering walls. The National Register of Historic Places lists the Pilgrim Holiness Church in the village of Arthur, a straw bale building built in 1928. However its proven durability, straw has not been a building alternative because of concerns about its fire resistance and lack of structural integrity. But this situation has recently changed.

Straw goes to the building market

The use of straw bale in prefabricated wall panels was the opportunity to market straw, given that the process of making the wall panels is presently done inside factories, protecting the material from weather conditions. Additionally, the condition of prefabricated means an industry certification, which makes the product much more acceptable for all agents in the building market. And the building industry owes the presence of straw in the market to the University of Bath, in England. They have been working to develop these prefabricated straw bales and are responsible for proving that modern panels are able to bear heavy loads, and consequently, suitable for building low-energy prefabricated straw bale houses. The outstanding work of the University not only included the developing of the prefabricated bale panel, they also designed scientific tests and monitoring arrays, the data needed to achieve industry certifications. Nowadays, straw buildings are accepted as durable, weather resilient, fire safe and energy efficient, which means that costumers can get the same mortgages and insurances as of buildings made of other materials. 

 Image courtesy of Nicolas Raymond at Flickr.com

Advantages of straw as a low-impact building material

The potential of straw bale construction is clear, and could have very positive impacts in local communities as well as the global environment.

Low impact material

As noted before, straw is a sub-product of wheat production which doesn’t represent extra land requirements for its production. Since more than 50 million acres of wheat are harvested per year, the availability of the raw material for prefabricating straw bale panels is enormous. According to the University of Bath, an average three-bedroom house needs 7.2 tonnes of straw. If half of the straw production of the U.S.A. could be used, there is a potential for building more than 3 million new houses per year.

Huge energy savings

According to the University of Bath, houses using straw walls provide more than two times the insulation required by UK regulations, which means energy bill reductions near to 90%. From any of the constructions systems available, straw bale technology combines the lowest CO2 footprint and the best operational savings. If we consider straw as a sub-product of agriculture, straw buildings are even carbon negative.

Reduction of construction times

Straw bale also reduces radically on site construction times. Houses could be erected in less than twelve weeks instead of the average 16 weeks for conventional buildings.

Additional information : Click to view the video.

Image courtesy of University of Bath at Vimeo.com

[kennyslaught]

Beautiful and Sustainable: Breathtaking Innovative Construction.

Image courtesy of Forgemind ArchiMedia at Flickr.com   (Guangzhou Circle)

Innovation in construction will always be of great advantage to progress, but something that is becoming more important everyday is the need to think of sustainability and the improvement of the quality of life. Sustainable architecture is one of the options many cities have opted for to lower the amount of waste and misuse of natural resources and to be able to utilize such resources in a better way instead of simply taking away from the natural environment that surrounds us.

Architectural construction today, go beyond the limits, ahead of what is expected leaving behind the conventional and go forth to transform unique creations that can adapt and provide all needs and comforts. Innovations to construction have been stepping up to the plate and bringing solutions to the table trying to answer the demands of the growth of cities and their population. One thing is true, and is the fact that architecture never ceases to provide us with comfort, so much that we take for granted its impact and its ability to improve our quality of life. Here we have some examples of innovative constructions that amazes due to its complexity and efficiency of design.

Guangzhou Circle - Guangzhou, China

Located next to the Pearl River in the province of Guangzhou – China, this giant donut-shaped building is not quite considered a skyscraper missing the mark by just 12 meters, yet it stands 33 stories high, making it the tallest circular building in the world. Joseph di Pasquale, the architect responsible for designing the Guangzhou Circle says the building is perceived as a Chinese monument, he used a closed circular structure in order to make the building different from traditional vertical skyscrapers. The designed is inspired in jade disks and the traditional numerology of Feng Shui. The circle has a 50-meter diameter empty hole in the center and it doesn’t have internal walls. The front and rear faces of the building are covered with copper walls and the curved sidewalls are made of glass. Guangzhou Circle is the headquarters of the Hongda Xingye Group and the home of Guangdong Plastic Exchange (GDPE), the world largest trading center for raw plastic material.

Image courtesy of John Lord at Flickr.com (Scale Lane Bridge)

Scale Lane Bridge - Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire

Inaugurated in 2013 over Hull River in Kingston, England. This black seemingly rustic bridge, swings by means of an electric system a few meters over the river in order to allow the traffic of small ships. This bridge is the first in the world that allows pedestrians to ride it as it opens. The bridge’s sweeping form creates a choice of two curving pedestrian routes – one gently sloping, the other stepped. The circular shape of the bridge’s hub means the walkway is always in contact with the river’s west bank as it opens, allowing people to walk on and off as it moves. The structure offers an observation deck and also its own restaurant and it connects to the west bank’s museums and some of the city’s best attractions.

Image courtesy of Hernán Piñera at Flickr.com (Metropol Parasol)

Metropol Parasol - Sevilla, Spain

Jürgen Mayer H designed this wooden mushroom-shaped structure back in 2005 and it took 6 years to complete. Located at La Encarnación square and covers an area with cafes and shops. The structure claims to be the largest wooden self-sustaining structure in the world standing 26 meters tall. The place also houses an event venue, a traditional market and the archeological museum Antiquarium which has been there since before the Parasol was built.  The structure is commonly known as Las Setas de la Encarnación, Spanish for Incarnation’s mushrooms. The design arrangement and the idea of the Parasol was to offer shade, a valuable asset in a city as sunny as Seville, thus the square, which used to be a parking lot more pleasant.

Alcabideche Social Complex. - Alcabideche, Portugal

Located at the municipality of Cascais in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. It attempts to recreate a Mediterranean lifestyle with plazas, gardens and streets that are part of the houses themselves. The place was design to provide senior citizens with an alternative to live a quiet life with intimate and at the same time social, domestic spaces. The complex has 52 houses and a main building intended for social events, medical facilities and individual rooms for citizens with movement impairments. One could say the place is a small city with its beautiful sidewalks shaded by the houses themselves during the day and their lighting functioning as guidance by night. The place also has the latest technology in alarm systems in the event of an emergency that changes the outside lighting of the house to red. The roofs and walls are able to reflect light and create a thermal efficiency due to the cushion of air created between the roof and the habitable area on the base of exposed concrete.

[kennyslaught]

How a smarter home can make your life easier

Image courtesy of Mark Moz at Flickr.com

Be it standalone technologies or internet connected devices that remotely control appliances in your home, today home automation has slowly become a reality. Many homes now have different elements that have made their lives easier and allow them to remotely monitor, control or operate different elements in their home. There are so many alternatives and options out there, that it has even become easy to include some of the newly available home automation devices from surveillance cameras to automated sprinklers or programmed lighting systems. Some could be as basic as a Bluetooth control to turn something on or off, while others could be sensitive to motion or sound to activate a specific appliance. Some of these new technologies are definitely proving to be useful, time saving and cost effective.

Understanding (superficially) how it all works

Any home automation system works with a protocol, which is a technological platform that allows different devices and systems to interact with each other. Some examples are the X-10 that uses your home’s electrical systems as the signaling network to remotely control lamps and appliances. This technology is set to one of the 256-low voltage codes. The device is plugged in directly to the AC outlet, and the lamp or appliance is then plugged into the device. By setting the same code to a few receivers you could even turn on, off or dim the lights to a few lights at the same time. There’s also ZigBee Pro and ZigBee Remote Control, just to mention a few, which are wireless networking technology operating at 2.4 GHz. This is for devices that don’t exchange much data and are restricted within a 100m range. Finally, another popular protocol for home automation is Z-Wave with its low-power RF communication technology. Protocols simply set up the tech required to pull together the different systems, but other electronics manufacturers design end-user devices that are the ones that we use to actually control our homes.

Some recommended gadgets

Amazon Echo

This popular Bluetooth speaker, does much more than just play music. It also lets you use a Siri or Google Now type function, but for your home. This digital assistant helps you by fetching information, offering interesting data or following simple tasks or even find answers on the internet, all hands-free. From alarms and calendar events to finding out about the weather Amazon Echo will easily keep you company and make your life a little bit easier.

Nest Cam

This wireless security camera can be set anywhere around the house, allowing you to watch a 1080p stream with a wide angle. It’s very useful for those that have kids or pets and just want to be safe and keep an eye on them every once in awhile. This is not a full-on security system. Although it will send you alerts and save the footage on a cloud.

Belkin WeMo Switch

This device lets you control any appliance connected through it to an AC outlet via Wi-Fi. So with your phone, you can easily turn anything on or off, independent of where you are. This baby can also save you money. I can measure the energy consumption of appliances and you can even set it up so once it reaches a certain limit it turns off automatically.

Roomba 980

This one has gotten a lot of media exposure, and it is a bit pricy, but if you’re looking for something to make your life easier when it comes to keeping the house clean, this is it. The Roomba 980, the last version in the market, is now set to even start a scheduled cleaning, even if you’re not around.

August Smart Lock

Losing your keys all the time, may not be an issue anymore with August Smart Lock. It goes directly over your deadbolt and it lets you lock and unlock the door from your phone using an app. If you pair it with other devices, like the next one on this list, you can program it to open for specific people even if you’re not home.

Logitech Harmony Home Control

This control can pair with many devices like the August Smart Lock, Philips Hue Lights or Sonos speakers. It can still do all the basic remote control things like TVs, media streamers, cable boxes and game consoles, but additionally it will allow you control things all over the house like lights, security cameras and the locks on your door. Another advantage, in the hopes to make things easier, is that it changed the IR traditional blaster to an RF signal, which means no more having to point to get things done.

Image courtesy of Chris F at Flickr.com

The future of smart homes

There are so many things waiting on the horizon to continue automating our homes, making it easier and effortless to interact with our appliances and home in general. When looking ahead you can find companies already working on technology that will be able to identify each member of the family and visitors, adapting the space around them to certain conditions, be it temperature, lighting and ambience. By connecting already existing technology like a Moto 360 smartwatch you could integrate the data recollected and adjust protocols and other devices to truly make your home smart.

[kennyslaught]

How to increase the value of your house through remodeling

Image courtesy of Sitka Projects at Flickr.com

If you have been thinking about remodeling your home, you might have been considering a couple of possibilities: one, getting more comfort by making of your house what you always wanted it to be; and two, rising its value in the market to then rent it or sell it.  In either case, it is important to know how to prioritize the most profitable changes you want to make.  So, in order to make good decisions when remodeling your house or apartment, you want to have in mind the following tips from the experts.

1. Stop for a minute and crunch the numbers.

If, after doing the math, remodeling will involve expenses of more than 30% of the value of your house, you will definitely commit a serious financial mistake. According to calculations by Coldwell Banker, if you invest more than one third of what your house will cost, it will raise its value and will take it out of the market.  If it happens, you will be dealing with a big risk because the process of selling your house might take more time and it is possible that you will have to lower the price, which implies losing money.

However, the most important thing is that you to know why you want to do the remodeling.  You should plan ahead what you need to change and be clear about how much time and money need and have.  You could make a list of priorities to see later if you have to change some things because of budget or time.

2. Make sure that you can actually do the remodeling you want.

You need to find out if there is any restrictions in the building or condominium where you live.  In many places, you must respect the outward appearance of your house or apartment, and some details such as fittings and original wooden doors.  Hopefully, you will have no issues changing any door or window with very old materials for new ones.  Just check out the rules first.

3. Make of insulation and wiring your priority.

You must start remodeling your house checking these aspects if it is more than 20 years old.  And, if it is not that old, you still want to take a look at them as, once your house has been remodeled, it will be very complicated to remove the floor tiles or open holes in walls.  If you want to optimize energy costs, you want to invest in good insulation.  It is also important that you replace old appliances with new ones that have better energy rating as well as planning well the real needs of lighting or the use of LEDs.  You will end up having a greener home and you will notice it in the long run when receiving lower bills.  

4. Don’t rush into this adventure without guidance.

Before starting the project, you really want to have an expert perform an appraisal on your house and, then, determine the cost of remodeling.  You must include an extra 10% of the total cost of remodeling for possible contingencies as additional materials or workers.  Once you have an idea of ​​how much the project will be and a plan to develop the remodeling so your house looks like the one in your dreams, it will be easier for you to make an informed buying decision so you won’t end up losing money.

5. Ask professionals for help.

It doesn’t matter if you're just going to paint a couple of walls, or change the bathroom or kitchen tiles, you might see it so easy to do, but you still want to hire a professional and responsible person who can do it well; especially if your remodeling involves building another room or throw down a wall.  When you count with professional counseling, you may be even saving money as any structural damage to your house will be avoided.  The experts can tell you what walls hold a substantial portion of the weight of the house, so they cannot be thrown by any reason.  They will also inform you about the requirements for building a room at the top, or changing the location of the bathrooms.

It is important to invest on professional services to have the best advice and results, even in case of unforeseen events.  You will be advised about materials so that you won’t have surprises while using them and you will have a budget from the beginning.  In addition, the responsibility of controlling the deadlines and coordinating workers will be taken from you.  This eventually results in saving time and money.  

6. Be prepared for the worst while aiming for the best.

You may have a plan and budget based on your expectations and the overall revision of the structure of your house.  However, it is important to mention that you may have to deal with the appearance of structural defects like humidity or parts of the facilities older and worse than expected and that require more materials, and of course, more money to repair them.  It is a great idea then to have ‘extra cash’ saved, apart from the original budget, to keep the project on as these emerging issues may become priorities.  You may also find yourself in a situation in which, after doing the budget, you like better other materials you see and they happen to be more expensive…  Although it is clever to stick to the plan, you also want to make sure you really like the results of all this effort.

Image courtesy of Matty Sides at Flickr.com

[kennyslaught]

Make sure not to miss the most innovative conferences and events in 2016

Image courtesy of Richard Wasserman at Flickr.com

Construction in the year 2016, like everything else, is getting an upgrade. Construction is being reformed and the word innovation is being thrown around a lot in all of the different levels of the business. But what is innovation? To innovate basically refers to making changes to something that has already been established, especially by including new strategies, ideas, methods, products or services. When talking about construction, you can innovate through different procedures, costs, supply chain, products, technology or materials. A lot of what has been changing is preparing the world for a greener approach to building, and using energy in a more efficient way. There are important events all over the world where people can network, share new ideas and discover breaking-through technology.

All of the events for this year promise to bring forth new research, investigation results and innovations to the construction field. These events are bringing together experts from all over the world to converge and discuss topics that will take construction into the future. Although, the foremost topics that are most mentioned when discussing innovation are usually materials and technology, we can’t leave aside the other ones. That’s why these sessions and events are so important, because they bring the leading experts and the people who are out there every single day working to make construction and building a step into the future.

Image courtesy of F Delventhal at Flickr.com

Building Innovation 2016—The National Institute of Building Sciences Fourth Annual Conference and Expo – January 11 to 15, 2016

This year’s theme of Achieving a Resilient Future brings together hundreds of industry professionals every year. This year it was held from January 11 to 15 in Arlington, Virginia. This year’s event had five symposia, a workshop, a CEO summit, a forum and three keynotes. Industry leaders came from all over the country to highlight and exhibit the advances over the past year in products and services in building. The participants had tons of opportunities to network, brainstorm and listen to experts.

CIB World Building Congress Intelligent built environment for life – May 30 to June 3, 2016

This year’s installment will be held in Tampere, Finland. This event will focus on intelligent processes, services and products in the construction industry, and brings together more than 48 delegates from different countries. They are expecting more than 1,200 participants at this WBC16, making it the largest building industry gathering focusing on R&D.

International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering and Construction – May 18 to 20, 2016

This international conference, held in Tempe, Arizona, is co-sponsored by the American Society for Civil Engineers’ Architectural Engineering Institute and the Arizona State University. This conference continues to attract people from all over the world, and as of this year at least 30 countries at every year’s edition. Besides the conference there will also be special issues of their journal.

5th Creative Construction Conference – June 25 to 28, 2016

In its fifth version the Creative Construction Conference has rightfully earned their reputation and are now the largest conference for construction management in Europe. This year in Budapest the idea is to explore all of the known and unknown in the construction world. In this open forum you will be able to network with researchers and practitioners that are all on board with keeping up with the changes and embracing them in terms of materials, technologies, project management and seeking out creative evolutions for the future in construction.

International Conference on Smart Infrastructure and Construction – June 27 to 29, 2016

During this event you will find a unique combination of fields that will gather to focus on how to use the information in a smarter way, so as to approach problems from different angles and find proactive solutions. The main topics that will be discussed in this year’s conference are: infrastructure resilience, creating value from infrastructure, design for infrastructure adaptability and deliver smarter infrastructure. Even the keynote presentations will be focused on these overall conference topics, focusing on: “Futureproofing infrastructure: resilience and adaptability”, “Creating value from infrastructure” and “Transforming the future of infrastructure – a global view”.  

Although, attending events is usually the best way to know about the new trends, you can also keep an eye out for websites and different blogs to stay up to date.

AEC Business

This blog can definitely keep you up to date to strategic insights as to the construction business. Aarni Heiskanen makes sure to include how-tos perfect for construction managers that want to stay in the loop.

Building.co.uk

This construction magazine is an award-winning site that dates back to 1843. You’ll be able to focus on sustainability and safety best practices on this one.

Building Design + Construction

This is the place to go to find out about the news in the construction world. You’ll find news on the construction business independent on your role and expertise in the construction world.

Builder

This one is focused on residential construction and you can even sign up for the newsletter to get news on design, process and even tips on how to run your own business.

[kennyslaught]

8 Wonderful Examples Of Green Construction In The World.

20 years ago, green buildings were still somewhat rare. Back then, having a few solar panels was enough to impress audiences and pass off as innovative, revolutionary and with a true commitment to the environment. Fast forward to today, when global warming and climate change are social issues that need to be addressed in our everyday living, and you will understand that sustainable design and green constructions as more than mere luxury and innovation for the sake of it. Using resources more efficiently, while creating healthier and more energy-efficient homes has become a staple of good construction somewhat impossible to divorce from what’s expected of architects and designers nowadays.

The principles of sustainable architecture are not new ideas; they actually trace its origins back to the Roman aqueducts and their innovative way of distributing renewable water throughout the city and the way ancient Greeks situated their constructions to capture the sun for heat and lighting. It is safe to say that today, most new architecture contains at least some sustainable design features.

These are some of the most innovative designs of green buildings and structures around the world.

The Crystal, London, United Kingdom.

Siemens is a German company headquartered in Berlin and Munich, the largest engineering company in Europe and they have built The Crystal. This building is considered one of the greenest buildings in the world. It takes advantage of natural available sunlight to illuminate the entire building and is aided by an integration of LED and fluorescent lights powered by photovoltaic cells, in case the available light is not sufficient. The Crystal also has an amazing system that captures rainwater from the roof of the building to recycle it and a black water purification system that converts sewage into drinking water.

Image courtesy of Chris Price at Flickr.com

Bullitt Center, Seattle, United States.

This beautiful construction by the Miller Hull Partnership is considered the greenest office building in the world. The architecture combines examples of pretty much every sustainable feature that exist so far. Toilets that transform waste into compost, mechanical and electrical rooms with glass windows that display information where tourists can scan QR codes with a smartphone to learn about individual elements and a state-of-the-art stairway that discourages the use of inconveniently located elevators, by providing users with a beautiful panoramic view of downtown Seattle; are some of the features that this amazing building has to offer.

Kiowa County Schools, Greensburg, United States.

After this Kansas town was destroyed by a tornado in 2007, the city of Greensburg decided to rebuild green. The School District is a leader in the territory in the development of environmentally conscientious and responsive educational facilities. The construction followed LEED criteria and received LEED Platinum certification. A 50-kilowatt wind turbine outside the school provides part of the building's energy requirements, with the majority of the rest coming from a wind farm located outside the town.

Bahrain World Trade Center, Manama, Bahrain.

The 50-story complex contains two identical towers that rise over 240 meters in height. The construction incorporates three 29-meter wind turbines that are said to provide about 10-15% of the power used by both towers, this is equivalent to providing the lighting for about 300 homes.

Image courtesy of Mubarak Fahad at Flickr.com

Pixel Building, Melbourne, Australia.

The Pixel Building in Melbourne is a perfect example of Australia’s commitment towards the world of sustainable development; this is the first building ever to achieve a perfect Greenstar score. Pixel was designed to be carbon neutral and it could be disconnected from the main and be self sufficient for water supply due to its efficient water recollection and reuse systems.

Military Medical Hospital, San Antonio, Texas, United States.

This massive medical unit for burn treatment was designed to create a more welcoming environment for patients. The building uses canopies to shade the structure to save energy used in cooling. Due to the water-intensive equipment used by the building, the hospital harvests 100% of rainwater.

Taipei Public Library, Beitou branch, Taiwan.

The Taipei Public Library is the first ever building in Taiwan to qualify for the highest diamond rating under its government’s EEWH certification system. It uses large windows to aid with energy consumption and one part of its roof is covered by photovoltaic cells that directly convert sunlight into electricity. The library also captures rainfall to conserve water. Its roof was designed to catch rainwater and store it for use in the library’s toilets.

Image courtesy of yf Chan at Flickr.com

Vancouver Convention Centre West, Vancouver, Canada.

The first structure of this kind in the world to earn a platinum rating from LEED. The 6-acre roof hosts 400,000 indigenous plants and free cooling economizers lower temperatures when needed the most. In the inside you can find CO2, VOC and humidity sensors; the heating and cooling are delivered by seawater heat pumps powered by hydroelectricity.

[kennyslaught]

Are nanomaterial a thing of the distant future?

Image courtesy of Penn State at Flickr.com

The world revolves around the evolution and innovation in all fields, allowing us to better understand and interact with the world around us. Construction is not the exception, and when it is discussed it usually goes hand in hand with sustainability, ecology, home automation, autonomy arise and energy efficiency. Construction thus is becoming a result of not just the structure itself, but its surrounding, the material used and the technological novelties that can be included in an integrated manner, offering a more beautiful and efficient environment.

One of the elements that has recently been making progress and continues to be considered of great potential in the construction industry is nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is the science of controlling matter at a nanoscale to create and utilize the material, device, structure or system in different fields. That structure that’s created at nanoscale is manipulated at the atom, molecular and supramolecular level to create larger structure with a whole new molecular structure.

Nanotechnology can be seen as nanocrystalyne that is integrated with solar panels to increase the solar absorption. Or for example the use of nanopigments as solar concentrators so as to allow the integration of solar collector systems into the exterior structure of buildings. Nanocomposites, unlike the aforementioned are not used for solar collection, but to introduce highly durable and efficient material in the construction of turbines that can be used to generate energy. There are many more, but these are just to mention a few.

As of now the construction industry is looking at nanomaterials due to their ability to integrate in one material so lightweight the strength of steel. At Caltech for example, the Applied Physics and Materials Science Department is studying the possibility of harnessing nanomaterial to adapt it to different situations. By trying to mold nanomaterial they are putting it to the test in different fields like construction and biology. In construction they are making small scales of nanomaterials and putting it to the test to see exactly how resistant it can be. It has proven to keep the promise of being comprised almost 99.9% of air, but retaining the strength of steel. The next steps for this team of engineers is to see how to advance on the road to scaling up the structures made in nanomaterials, in a way they can be built efficiently and large enough to become part of the construction of a building.  By honing in on the strength of the nanomaterial it could affect everything from costs of flights, if airplanes weighed less.

Image courtesy of Nanomaterials - Professor Julia Greer at YouTube.com

CLICK TO VIEW A VIDEO ABOUT NANOMATERIALS

Every year around the world there are conventions that explore the possibilities of nanomaterials and present the new findings of engineers and scientists from every corner of the world. In this year’s conventions, we are expecting to see many new research results, but among the top is the hope of getting closer to the answer of the biggest challenge the building sector has right now, which is the renovation rate of the buildings that have been built to date. It is at the moment considered to be very poor. At the same time, while trying to solve this challenge, it must be a cost-efficient solution. In terms of innovations, nanomaterial is expected to start showing multi-functionality to current materials, including making them lighter as mentioned before. It could very well be applied to buildings or the materials used to build it for example in the form of a coating of ceramic so as to make it a self-cleaning surface or for it to absorb CO2 emissions. There are other similar cases of involving coatings of nanoparticles for specific uses and at the moment is one of the most widely used applications of nanotechnology in construction. There are coatings for many functions from sterilizing properties to anti-graffiti, thermal control or even anti-reflection coatings. In these cases, they are adding value instead of improving energy efficiency, and in this way they are at the end improving the sustainability of construction products.

The small dimensions of nanomaterials allow it to generate new features and perform new functions, not to mention their physical and chemical properties like stability, hardness, optical sensitivity, conductivity, among others to be manipulated to improve conventional materials. The applications that nanomaterials can be used for are: low maintenance coating, lighter and stronger structural compounds, reduce thermal transfer rate of fire retardant and insulation materials, increase sound absorption of acoustic absorbers, increase reflectivity of glass, even improve pipe joining materials and techniques and better properties of materials made of cement. Cement in particular, being the most common construction material, is one material that has been studied at a macro level, but they are still on their way to understanding it at micro level. At the moment what can be said is that the nanomaterials can enhance the cement’s performance and many levels.

When seeing the innovations in the construction industry, it can definitely be said that nanotechnology and nanomaterials will have a big part in the search for affordable, efficient and eco-friendly constructions.

[kennyslaught]

5 Absolutely Awesome Advances In Construction Materials

Image courtesy of Alexandra Cavoulacos at Flickr.com

Building techniques have come a long way from the first mud huts in which our prehistoric ancestors dwelled, using simple materials such as animal skins, straw, wooden poles, bark, stone and even tall grass packed tightly and baked under the sun. The romans showed great sophistication using rudimentary concrete mixing limestone and volcanic ash to build structures like the Parthenon, aqueducts, roads and the Colosseum, and many of those techniques are still used today. Throughout the years, engineers and architects are always looking for ways to build bigger, taller and stronger structures, yet as time passes, new challenges arise. How can we improve upon what we know so far about construction? It isn’t enough to simply build bigger but we must also build better. Lighter yet resistant, environmentally friendly, recyclable, reusable, biodegradable, enduring and resilient are some of the words you hear today when we talk about futuristic building materials. Here we have some of the most innovative construction materials and a brief glance into what the future of construction looks like.

Self-healing concrete.

Concrete is the most widely used construction material and second only to water as the most consumed substance in the planet. Concrete is extremely cost-effective and it has a vast number of uses, most commonly houses, buildings and roads, however, it does deteriorate and is susceptible to extreme cold and heat which makes it begin to crack. The only alternatives available to fix it would be to patch the concrete, or in the worst-case scenarios, knock the structure down and rebuild again, resulting in a huge loss of time and resources. Self-healing concrete uses different approaches to attacking the same issue. In some cases it uses bacteria that’s pre-added into the mix and it activates when water seeps into cracks, thus filling them with calcite and completely filling the gaps. Another more cost-effective alternative is using a concrete mix embedded with sodium silicate capsules that fill cracks with a gel-like substance that hardens thus healing the concrete. These alternatives go beyond saving money, they potentially save lives avoiding structure collapses and helping the environment by providing us with longer-lasting concrete that reduces the need to create more demands for the substance.

Image courtesy of Geoff Hutchison at Flickr.com

Super-strength Nano-compounds.   

The research on these materials is advancing leaps and bounds every year. Carbon nanotubes are some of the most promising alternatives having the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any substance in the planet and with the ability to being stretched to 1 million times its thickness. These nanotubes can be added to concrete mixes or embedded into glass, metals, wood or glass to add to their tensile strength and density. Being able to harness this power would allow us to construct buildings able to withstand a huge amount of pressure and wear without collapsing, thus saving millions of lives and allowing architects and engineers to design using more efficient distributions of space.

Transparent and translucent aluminum-like materials.  

Some of these materials are made from alternating rubber and glass layers of about 20 nanometers in thickness and allows stopping fast moving projectiles such as bullets or space debris in the case of satellites. In architecture they would have a great number of applications in many structures like skyscrapers and different buildings. Engineers have long obsessed over creating a material with the purity of glass and the strength of steel, and since as early as the 1980s, advances in science have created compounds that are being used today in military applications such as windshields and optical lenses.

Aerogel.

This is one of the least dense substances on earth. Aerogel keeps it shape while still being almost as light as air and with incredible insulating capabilities. Its many applications include lighter batteries for electric cars and bikes, since some forms of these gels are able to conduct electricity.

CO2.

As unbelievable as it sounds, a research team at MIT has found a way to genetically modify yeast in order to convert CO2 gas into a solid, carbon-based construction material. The source of inspiration for this incredible idea came from certain crustaceans that are able to convert CO2 and other minerals underwater into the silica they use to build their shells. This yeast is able to double the mass of CO2 into solid material, solving not only the need to extract more substances from the planet, but also the excess of CO2 that we produce in earth.

Image courtesy of Marufish at Flickr.com

Solar panels.

These are becoming a staple of green constructions and innovative design. Solar panels get better and better everyday, and lately with the implementation of nanotechnology, scientist have found a way to pack even more cells into a single panel, thus giving us more efficient and power capable constructions, a real alternative to our dependency on fossil fuels.

[kennyslaught]

One of the world's most innovative buildings beautifully transformed Seville

Image courtesy of  Harshil Shah  at Flickr.com

Some architectural structures are so beautiful that they are considered works of art, and people travel across the world just to visit and admire its magnificence. There is one in particular that sits in the heart of Seville, Spain. The Metropol Parasol masterpiece by the firm of German artist and architect Jünger Mayer a, J. Mayer H. Architects, has been in the city since the construction finalized in 2011. With the hopes of converting Seville into a modern urban city center of the world, this building has come to be known as a landmark around the world.

Jünger Mayer, along with his firm, aims to participate in projects where architecture can focus on communication and new technology. He has overseen everything from urban planning schemes and buildings to installation works, always exploring the use of new materials and including the relationship between the human body, technology and nature. This Stuttgart University, The Cooper Union and Princeton University alumni has worked in this field since 1996. His most recent project is the Metropol Parasol, which had the purpose to redevelop the Plaza de la Encarnación, but before this he had been working on a courthouse in Belgium and several public and infrastructural projects in Georgia like the airport. He is also an artist and his work has been displayed around the world in the most prestigious museums like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York and the one in San Francisco, as well as private collections. He has received various awards like the Holcim Award Bronze 2005 and the Winner Audi Urban Future Award in 2010. He has even been a professor at Princeton University, Columbia University and the Architectural Association in London, just to mention a few. His work speaks for itself and has allowed him to explore his art form to the fullest.

The Metropol Parasol located in the fourth largest city in Spain is considered to be the greatest and most innovative wooden structure of our time. They elevate over the plaza and surpass the old archaeological digging site to make this the center of both the historic and modern.  It was constructed with curves that give it natural movement and the sense of an almost organize tissue. The M Jürgen H Architects were awarded the opportunity to build this structure after a contest was opened in 2004. It was built up from the 560-meter plaza that was being used as a parking lot until 2005, when it was decided who would take over this project that would change the city dramatically.

People who visit this structure year round walk away with different perceptions or concepts of what it is and what it stands for. Some say it is a series or clouds hovering over the city, others say it’s an umbrella, whereas others simply see a beautiful landscape. The building itself contains many spaces that are used to exhibit art, bring together the cultural community and it even offers a space for leisure activities. The visitors can walk up the four floors and admire the different activities and spaces available. On the first floor is The Antiquarium Museum, which was designed on the interior by the architect Felipe Palomino and the archeologist Fernando Amores. In this museum you can still see the finds of the archeological dig and explore the remains of a Roman city. On the second level there is a market that is completely integrated with the street and the Plaza de la Encarnación, which is named the same. The market also has a walkway leading the Plaza Mayor. The Elevated Plaza is on the third floor, which is 5 meters over the market and is completely dedicated to cultural events.

Image courtesy of  KΛ13  at Flickr.com

Finally, the fourth level has the “Parasols” which take on a kind of mushroom shape and cover almost all of the plazas underneath it. They have a panoramic curved platforms allowing you to look over onto the old Seville and a balcony. These large structures offer shade to the plazas and the market, but it lets the air breeze through the whole structure, offering a lovely experience at the market and the surrounding plazas. When under construction the neighboring buildings were taken into account not only for the height of the umbrella, but also the angle.

This innovative modern structure constructed mainly from wood, was not without controversy. The initial proposal was modified and approved before it could move forward, and start the construction of the pillars from which the 6 umbrella-type structures come out of. The location of these pillars or columns had to be in very specific locations to comply with the technical requirements. So the use of the micro laminated wood and the ambitious design truly makes this one of the most innovative structures of our time.