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- Suntech BIPV System Installed on Model Sustainable Home in United Kingdom
- PRNewswire (6/15/2007)
- New Requirements for Sustainable Housing in UK RepresentWUXI, China, June 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. , one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, today announced the demonstration of its MSK Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system at the OffSite exhibition at the UK Building Research Establishment. The "Lighthouse" was developed by Kingspan Off-Site in conjunction with multiple partner companies and is the first house to co-generate sufficient electrical power to meet the new sustainable home requirements.
- Family Takes Climate Change Personally
- Associated Press/AP Online (6/15/2007)
- SYDNEY, Australia - From the street, Alicia Campbell's house looks no different from the others in her suburban cul-de-sac. The four-bedroom home she shares with husband Jason Young and their two sons sucks no water from Australia's drought-stricken reservoirs, recycles everything from food scraps to sewage, and even pumps electricity back into Sydney's power grid.As the world debates how best to respond to climate change, families such as Campbell's, like others in the U.S. and Europe, are taking the challenge personally.
- Building a Field of Green
- Roanoke Times & World News (6/13/2007)
- Two teachers and a surgeon, in a new home-building venture, will erect seven Roanoke houses to demonstrate energy and environmental strategies that include routing rainwater through toilets and the washing machine.Their company, Icon Development LLC, sees its mission as building so-called "green homes" that minimize energy waste and environmental harm. Although Icon Development is intended as a profit-making business, the owners see this venture as primarily a demonstration of projects to come, managing partner Veronica Van Deventer said.
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MVP Award Winner: Plytanium DryPly Plywood
- BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine (6/13/2007)
- Georgia-Pacific. Rain and snow inevitably interrupt the building process and can mean materials must be torn out and replaced. "If it rains over the weekend, water could wind up standing on the subfloor for two or three days. With DryPly, that's not an issue," said Raymond Craven of Raymond Craven Construction in a written testimonial. The water-repellent coating on Plytanium DryPly plywood protects the product from downpours and storms for four weeks. The wood absorbs 40 percent less water than unprotected plywood, says the manufacturer. When floors are stiffer and thus quieter, builders get fewer callbacks. Cost: $25 and up per 4-foot-by-8-foot sheet. 800-284-5347.
- Functional Fashion: Bathrooms Meet Luxury: Design By D'Vontz
- Tulsa World (6/13/2007)
- For generations, the bathroom has existed as the most utilitarian of household spaces -- a necessary room set aside for basic usefulness rather than for beauty or a showcase for style.Greg Hoff and John Kellerstrass saw an underserved niche and set out to put bathrooms on a pedestal and blend fashion with function.In 2004, the former high-end home remodelers founded a bath and plumbing design company, D'Vontz, offering sleek, contemporary pedestal and vessel sinks, vanities and vanity counter tops, bath tubs, faucets and drain works.
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MVP Award Winner: Trus Joist TimberStrand Laminated Strand Lumber Beams
- BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine (6/13/2007)
- iLevel by Weyerhaeuser. Given that you can only put so many holes in a beam to accommodate plumbing and electrical work, the new Trus Joist TimberStrand laminated strand lumber beam offers a whole new option. In a 14-inch-deep beam, you can drill holes up to 4 5/8 inches wide. This "helps eliminate guesswork and time lost waiting for an answer from the engineer," one judge said. The number of holes you can drill is determined by the length of the beam and the size of the holes. The beam comes in widths of 1 3/4 inches and 3 1/2 inches, with depths from 9 1/4 inches to 16 inches. Cost: $20 to $30 per cubic foot. 888-453-8358.
- Gathering the Rain ; Company's Systems Save Water By Collecting Precipitation for Future Use
- Albuquerque Journal (6/12/2007)
- When Karen Stallings was growing up in rural Ohio, her source of drinking water was rain water that ran off the shingle roof of the family's 1820 farmhouse and into a large stone cistern. "Rain catchment systems have been around for thousands of years," Stallings said. As president of Desert Rain Systems, Stallings is at the forefront of technological advances in the field.
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MVP Award Winner: Hot-Dipped Galvanized Post Anchors
- BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine (6/12/2007)
- Oz-Post. These post anchors are said to offer an easier alternative to the time-consuming, backbreaking job of digging post holes and mixing concrete for fences and decks. They are jackhammered into the ground using a special adapter in about five minutes apiece, and go through asphalt, hard-packed clay, and frozen or rocky ground. They "will make all fence installs a cinch," said a judge. Oz-Posts are hot-dipped galvanized and are longer and wider than other post anchors. They come in a wide range of sizes and lengths. Cost: $12.75 per post. 866-422-0751.
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MVP Award Winner: ZIP System Wall Panels
- BUILDING PRODUCTS Magazine (6/11/2007)
- Huber Engineered Woods. Everyone loves a two-fer, which is exactly what ZIP System wall panels provide. These distinctive-looking 7/16-inch-thick structural panels feature a built-in water-resistant barrier, eliminating the need for housewrap. "I like the one-step installation," a judge commented. ZIP System tape is then used to install the panels and secure the seams. The panels feature a preprinted fastening guide for 16-inch and 24-inch on-center stud spacings for vertical and horizontal installation, plus a preprinted tape guide. The barrier doesn't blow off or tear like housewrap can, according to the maker. Cost: $7 to $9 a panel. 800-933-9220.
- Finished Basement
- Virginian - Pilot (6/9/2007)
- For those thinking about finishing their basement, make sure you put enough design and features to make the trip down the stairs worthwhile. The lower level family room shown in this photo provided by lifestylehomedesign.com offers a wall of built-in beauty. Framed in stone around the fireplace and along the far wall, the cherry bookcases and display niches are attractive even with the large-screen TV turned off.
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