Roof Decks A to Z Part VIII: Precast Lightweight Cementitious Planks December 05, 2015 Steel-edge crete plank is an appellation often used for what is actually a proprietary brand name for the product formerly marketed by Martin Fireproofing. The product/system is more appropriately termed in generic fashion “precast lightweight cementitious plank.” The Martin Fireproofing product was lightweight structural concrete (LWSC), but its production ceased some years back. It was […] Read More
Considerations in Design and Construction of Freezer Buildings for Building Envelope Consultants December 05, 2015 Freezer buildings may contain many food staples, such as fish and other seafood, frozen fruit juice, and dairy and meat products. According to the USDA,1 the United States has 3.79 billion gross cubic feet of general refrigerated storage capacity, including both freezer and cooler space. The five states with the largest gross capacity are California […] Read More
Extreme Occupancy Challenges From a Nuclear Perspective December 05, 2015 As building envelope consultants, we typically deal with design challenges relating to the occupancy of the buildings we work on. Challenges directly related to the occupancy of the building include scheduling conflicts, safety concerns, and continuing functionality of the facility. These challenges commonly arise in schools, hospitals, high-security data centers, correctional facilities, and public service […] Read More
Building Code Occupancy Groups: Challenges for the Building Envelope Professional December 05, 2015 Buildings come in all shapes and sizes, are utilized for just about every conceivable purpose, and have several different types of occupancies. For the building envelope professional who is asked to evaluate, investigate, develop repairs, or observe repairs, certain occupancy classifications can sometimes be more challenging than others. What may be challenging for one occupancy […] Read More
Don’t Forget the Business of Insurance September 03, 2015 You have worked hard to get the degrees and certifications that help you stand out as a respected building envelope professional or roof consultant. Your hard work and dedication are allowing you to steadily increase your annual billings. You are regularly getting referrals and adding new clients. Insurance is one of those business necessities that […] Read More
How Can You Help When Disaster Strikes? September 03, 2015 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 I n t e r f a c e • 3 7 How Can You Help When Disaster Strikes? In response to an e-mail from the International Code Council (ICC) advertising the course “Disaster Preparedness Training,” several calls came in to RCI […] Read More
Biomimicry June 03, 2015 8 • I n t e r f a c e J u n e 2 0 1 5 We can learn a lot from examining and mimicking successful natural adaptations in our designs. The concept is simple and beautiful in its simplicity. The Biomimicry Institute, whose purpose is to learn from nature and apply […] Read More
The Fundamentals of Design for Proper Energy Conservation May 15, 2015 PROPER ENERGY CONSERVATION DESIGN Energy consumption in buildings can be reduced by designing more energyefficient building components. Reducing a building’s energy usage lowers utility bills, benefits the environment, and also makes occupants more comfortable. Many of these energy-efficient building components interface with the building envelope, requiring understanding of building envelope design and energy-engineering best practices. […] Read More
Creating an Environmental Product Declaration for Single-Ply Roofing May 15, 2015 INTRODUCTION The environmental impact of a product can be modeled and measured using life cycle assessment (LCA). LCA is governed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14000 environmental management standards (specifically, ISO 14040 and ISO 14044), under which it is defined as “an objective process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, […] Read More
