March 2012
LEEDing With the Right Foot: Flooring’s Role in Green Building
By: John McGrath, Director, International Standards and Training Alliance (INSTALL)
Energy-Efficient Streetlamp
The Sanya streetlamp by Urban Green Energy offers its trademark eddy vertical axis wind turbine. Like the rest of the UGE series, eddy allows for small wind power yet provides a focus on efficiency, reliability, and durability, according to the company.
Alan Scott
Alan Scott is now a team member of Cadmus Group’s building practice. Prior to Cadmus, Scott founded Green Buildings Services Inc., a Portland, Oregon-based sustainable building consultancy.
$6.5 Million Awarded to Tribal Energy Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A $6.5 million grant was awarded to Native American tribes across the country for 19 clean energy projects.
The funding is a part of the Obama Administration’s effort to strengthen partnerships with Tribal Nations and support tribal energy development.
Michigan Lighting Companies Team Up for Efficient Lighting Design
CANTON, Mich. — Duo-Gard and Arborlight LLC, two Michigan companies focused on energy-efficient lighting technology, have teamed up to develop lighting integration techniques that increase efficiency.
The technical partnership between Canton-based Duo-Gard, an architectural illumination and translucent daylighting systems provider, and Arborlight LLC, an Ann Arbor-based custom lighting developer specializing in LED technology, is expected by the companies to satisfy a broad range in the lighting market.
Lighting Control Software
Polaris 3DTM is Encelium’s latest lighting control software for the company’s energy control system. The application provides users with a single 360-degree, three-dimensional navigation in a multi-floor view of the entire facility’s lighting energy use, according to the company. Using Microsoft’s Silverlight technology, Polaris 3D will permit access to the system via a simple web browser, eliminating the need for software installation for increased security, faster set-up and start times, and easier integration with other web-based building control systems, according to the company.
Professional Grade Flooring
Tolko Industries’ new and professional grade OSB flooring, the T-Grade Pro, was developed to withstand wet building climates. T-Grade Pro’s dimensional stability across its thickness, length and width provide protection against exposure to high humidity or moisture during construction and offers improved resistance to edge swell, buckling or warping, according to the company. Featuring easily-identifiable blue edge sealing, the panels are fully sanded on both sides to ensure tightness and proper fitting.
Natural Hard Wax Oil Finish
Unearthed Paints’ new natural Hard Wax Oil Finish, a durable surface treatment, is designed to protect wood, cork and stone in interior applications. Unearthed Hard Wax Oil is produced from natural raw materials such as linseed oil, carnauba wax, tung oil, and colophonium glycerine ester. It is nontoxic and VOC-free, contributing to a healthy living environment to provide a natural, breathable silky-matte finish that penetrates deep into the pores to enhance the wood’s natural beauty.
Irvin Pearce
Irvin Pearce, AIA, a founding principal of architectural firm Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee, has been elected president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American Institute of Architects for 2012. He currently serves as co-chair of the Design and Construction Committee for AIA North Carolina’s new Center for Architecture and Design headquarters building.