Knight Wall Systems’ CI-Girt is a “drop-in” commercial rainscreen system that simplifies installation of cladding over exterior foam insulation. The “CI” in CI-Girt emphasizes the importance of the system in supporting continuous insulation—insulation installed on a building exterior so that there are no penetrations other than fasteners and necessary openings. In contrast, insulation placed solely between the framing, particularly in steel-framed buildings, can lead to thermal bridging and moisture problems. CI-Girt is specified with all the component parts needed for the rainscreen, including rigid foam insulation (either XPS or polyisocyanurate) and Knight Wall Systems’ cladding options—thin brick, stucco, tile, metal, cement and composite panels, and Boston Valley Terra Cotta. These claddings hang on the same frame, so one building can have several different looks without altering the rainscreen frame or insulation.

Rainscreens on non-residential buildings typically use a metal framework that holds cladding away from the exterior weather barrier. That space between the cladding and the weather barrier supports ventilation of the cladding and drying of errant moisture. But in steel-framed buildings using continuous foam insulation, the clips that anchor the cladding’s framework provide a thermal bridge through the insulation to the building’s interior. A thermal short-circuit like this compromises the nominal R-value of the building shell and can lead to condensation on the building interior, potentially leading to mold. The problem is serious enough that continuous insulation is a standard requirement for steel-framed buildings under ASHRAE 90.1-2007.

EBN June 2005), so it has been a long wait for an affordable, widely available line of cabinetry built with formaldehyde-free plywood. With Armstrong’s rollout of its Origins formaldehyde-free kitchen cabinets, the wait is over.

According to Armstrong, the Origins line, using PureBond plywood from Columbia Forest Products, meets LEED requirements with no added urea-formaldehyde (UF), and California Air Resources Board (CARB) Phase 2 requirements for very low formaldehyde concentrations. Armstrong spokeswoman Michele Zelman said Origins cabinets are available nationally and, given the wide variation in cabinet prices based on type and style, are relatively cost-competitive. Zelman said Origins cabinets cost about 20% more on average than typical particleboard cabinets, and about 15% more than Armstrong’s Genuine Allwood line (also made of plywood).

Induction hobs produce medium-frequency magnetic fields that generate electric currents in ferromagnetic pans. (There are special pans made for induction hobs, but, in general, if a magnet sticks to a pan it will work for induction cooking.) The resistance of the metal in these pans to the current creates near instantaneous heat on their surface, but only the pan and the food are heated while the surrounding air and stove surface remain relatively cool, and since there is no flame, there are no combustion gases.

Developed by Geopier Foundation Company in 1989 and used on over 4,000 buildings since, a RAP system starts by auguring 30-inch-wide shafts 7–30 feet deep and filling them with crushed rock in small batches. A specially designed hydraulic hammer compacts the aggregate at a rate of several hundred hits per minute at an energy exceeding one million foot-pounds. The ram’s angled shape forces the aggregate down and laterally to compact and stabilize the surrounding soil. The first layer uses clean stone to form a “bottom bulb” that stabilizes the soil at the pier’s base. Each additional layer is made from smaller road-grade aggregate or other materials compacted vertically to a thickness of about one foot until the shaft is completed.

Though there are many options for installing foundation supports in poor to moderately poor soil, one of the most common involves excavating and disposing of the poor soil and bringing in engineered fill to replace it. The removal of these materials through trucking consumes fossil fuels, is logistically difficult in urban areas, and often increases toxic emissions in dense urban neighborhoods. With the RAP system, the small volume of soil that is removed during installation can often be reused onsite, and much less aggregate needs to be trucked in than is typical. (The company’s Impact RAP system does not remove any soil and is used on contaminated sites). According to the company, use of a RAP system could also allow for use of a shallow foundation or floor slab in place of a deep foundation or structural floor slab, requiring fewer materials and less embodied energy—particularly from concrete—to produce and install.

Southwall Technologies, the producer of Heat Mirror low-emissivity (low-e) suspended film for windows, and Dow Corning, the leading producer of silicone sealants, announced on November 9, 2010 the availability of a new glazing system that will enable Heat Mirror to be used with structural sealant glazing systems in large commercial buildings. This opens the door to significantly better energy performance in heavily glazed curtainwall buildings. According to Ron Fillmore, vice president of construction for Dow Corning, “Structural sealant glazing has quickly grown to account for one-third of all commercial glazing.”

The new system combines Heat Mirror “S” (for “structural”) suspended film with a two-component Dow Corning silicone sealant that forms the secondary seal. John Meade, architectural products sales manager for Southwall Americas, explained to

Commercial kitchens consume more energy per square foot than any commercial building space. The equipment used in these kitchens—gas ranges, ovens, broilers, deep fryers, gas-fired char broilers, and steamers—produce excess heat as well as combustion gases, particulates, and grease that need to be removed by commercial kitchen ventilation (CKV) systems. Some large institutional kitchens vent over 30,000 cubic feet of air per minute (cfm), and all of that air has to be replaced by make-up air that must be heated or cooled, depending on the climate, significantly raising the overall energy consumption of the restaurant or cafeteria.

The Halton HRU uses a fin-tube heat exchanger that captures heat in the exhaust duct and transfers it to another heat exchanger in the make-up-air ducts using a closed glycol loop. Sensors in the ducts determine whether or not the make-up air needs to be preheated. If not, an optional configuration can divert the glycol loop to heat domestic hot water. According to Jeff Martin, developer and owner of Martin Air System, the large coil can efficiently heat water to temperatures approaching 110ºF–140ºF (60ºC).

BuildingGreen, LLC, publisher of the GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News (EBN), announced its ninth annual Top-10 Green Building Products during the 2010 Greenbuild conference in Chicago. The list recognizes the most exciting products drawn from recent additions to GreenSpec, coverage in EBN, and BuildingGreen blogs.

Southwall Technologies, the producer of Heat Mirror low-emissivity (low-e) suspended film for windows, and Dow Corning, the leading producer of silicone sealants, announced on November 9, 2010 the availability of a new glazing system that will enable Heat Mirror to be used with structural sealant glazing systems used in large commercial buildings. This opens the door to significantly better energy performance in heavily glazed curtainwall buildings. According to Ron Fillmore, vice president of construction for Dow Corning, “Structural sealant glazing has quickly grown to account for one-third of all commercial glazing.”

The Xicato Spot Module (XSM) LED was one of the first released and has been available in Europe since 2009. Designed for the same applications as MR16 halogen lamps, these LED modules are secured (with screws) to a separate heat sink, a reflector, and a remote driver. Xicato is available with outputs of 400, 700, and 1,000 lumens (1,300- and 2,000-lumen models are in development) in 2700K, 3000K, and 4000K color temperatures (2700K is “warmer” like an incandescent bulb, whereas 4000K is a neutral, cooler white).

Used for thousands of years, clay roofing tiles are common in Europe, particularly in Mediterranean countries; in the U.S. they are found primarily on high-end, Mission-style buildings in Florida, California, and the Southwest. Clay tiles are expensive but have a number of positive environmental attributes: they’re made from readily available raw materials, won’t burn or rot, are insect-resistant, and are highly durable—often outlasting the roof decking on which they sit. Curved clay tiles have small air gaps at the roof edge and overlaps, allowing air to circulate under them and escape at the ridge, helping to cool the roof. U.S. Tile’s Mission-style tiles also have a solar reflective index (SRI) as high as 61—well above the Energy Star criterion of 25 for steep-sloped roofs and LEED’s requirement of 29.

Incorporating PV into a clay roof has, until now, been a challenge. Clay tiles are installed on roofs with steep slopes—typically a 4:12 pitch (a 4" rise for every 12" run or 10 cm for every 30 cm)—and the tiles are breakable, so walking on these roofs to install PV panels is treacherous. Mounting standard flat PV panels into the rafters or trusses risks damaging the tiles and requires careful flashing details to prevent moisture penetration.