No Excavation Required

The new “Ergolight” fixture from Ledalite, of Langley, British Columbia, may be the beginning of a new trend in office lighting.

Ergolight is a three-lamp direct-indirect pendant fixture, with the two outside lamps providing direct downlight, and the center lamp offering indirect ambient light reflected off the ceiling. It uses T-8 fluorescent lamps, which are by now standard on most energy-efficient luminaires.

Update: (September 26, 2006)

To the best of our knowledge, this product is no longer available.

In 1998 Montgomery KONE introduced a new elevator technology to the U.S. market, with promises of dramatic benefits for low- and mid-rise applications. Market penetration for this new machine has been slow, and

EBN delayed writing about this new product until we could show actual installations and interview users. Elevator engineers, it appears, are even more cautious than

“What’s up with your faucet?” is a typical question from friends who are visiting for the first time since our Pedalworks™ faucet control was installed. When an uninitiated person tries to turn on the kitchen faucet, they get the impression that our water has been shut off. Once we show them the pedal and they get a little practice with it, however, most people are sold. It doesn’t take long to like a system that allows you to control a faucet without touching the handles. Suddenly full hands or messy hands are no problem.

Indoor air quality testing, as most experts will tell you, is immensely complex. Different testing procedures are required for different types of contaminants, and the equipment used for identifying and measuring biological and chemical contaminants, particularly VOCs, is very expensive. The new IAQ Test Kit from Air Quality Sciences (AQS) expands the options for air quality testing with a relatively affordable kit.

The IAQ Test Kit measures formaldehyde levels and total VOC (volatile organic compound) levels, lists the three primary VOCs detected, and identifies mold and other particulates collected. Formaldehyde and VOC levels are measured with separate passive monitors. The monitors are uncapped and hung up for exposure to the indoor air for a period of time—typically 5 to 7 days. Following this period of exposure, the monitors are re-sealed and returned to AQS for evaluation. In both of these passive monitors, specialized sorbant materials capture the formaldehyde and a wide range of VOCs. In the AQS laboratory, these absorbed gases are driven off with heat, and the gases analyzed using advanced equipment (gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectrophotometry). While low-cost passive formaldehyde monitors have long been available, most of these measure higher levels of formaldehyde found in occupational situations, not background levels experienced in commercial buildings or schools.

Technical Properties of Isobord (avg. density 40 lbs.)

Source: Isobord Enterprises

Finding attractive light fixtures specifically designed for compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) has not been easy. To date, the vast majority of fixtures have been strictly utilitarian. The two product lines described here expand the options—at least with higher-end architectural lighting. While the fixtures are very different, both demonstrate the design opportunities now available with fluorescent lighting.

 

In April 1999 Interface released Solenium, a revolutionary new floorcovering product that was originally slated for release last fall (see EBN Vol. 7, No. 8). Interface calls the product a “resilient textile flooring,” bridging the divide between carpet and resilient flooring. As Interface’s first major product to be developed as part of the company’s sustainability mission, Solenium embodies a number of environmental breakthroughs, including recyclability, durability, and renewable energy-driven manufacturing.

Firestone, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of commercial roofing products, has just introduced an alternative to its single-ply PVC roofing. UltraPly TPO (for thermoplastic polyolefin) is a proprietary compound based on polypropylene and ethylene propylene rubber. Unlike the company’s UltraPly 78 (a PVC membrane), UltraPly TPO contains no plasticizers, no chlorine, and no other halogens.

Concern about the creation of toxic gases during building fires and dioxin emissions if the material is disposed of by incineration has fueled interest in alternatives to PVC with single-ply roof membranes. Even though the high chlorine content of PVC roofing (approximately 50% by weight) makes the material highly fire resistant, if it