RCI Interface Featured Article: Construction Litigation Issues: An Update September 01, 2018 Construction Litigation Issues: An Update By Derek Hodgin, PE, RBEC, CCCA Over the past 25 years, I have investigated numerous issues that have been the subject of construction litigation. Some of the issues have been related to product failures, while others are associated more with a construction type and/or process. This paper is intended to […] Read More
First 3-D-printed Housing Project Planned in Netherlands September 01, 2018 The city of Eindhoven, Netherlands, will be the site of what developers are claiming will be the first 3-D printed concrete homes. Project partners are the municipality of Eindhoven, Eindhoven University of Technology, contractor Van Wijnen, real estate manager Vesteda, materials company Saint Gobain-Weber Beamix, and engineering firm Witteveen+Bos. The first, a single-floor house, is […] Read More
Which Side of the Envelope Does One Open? Upside-Down House Disorients September 01, 2018 This upside-down house in Szymbark, Poland, was designed by Polish businessman and philanthropist Daniel Czapiewski and was originally created as art, meant to represent the communist era in Poland. The structure, completed in 2007, took about five times longer to build than a conventional home, as tradesmen became disoriented while working inside it. Tourists also […] Read More
AIA to Vote on Addition to Code of Ethics Banning Sexual Harassment September 01, 2018 A resolution calling for an amendment to the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA’s) code of ethics would include a provision requiring members to ensure that their workplaces are “environments of mutual respect and equitable treatment, free of abusive behavior and harassment,” according to ENR. Delegates at AIA’s annual meeting in June passed the resolution by […] Read More
RCI Interface Featured Article: Nails: Let’s Get to the Point August 01, 2018 By Rick Allen Nails are an integral part of modern wood frame construction structural connections such as framing, floors, walls, and roofs. These are the building blocks needed for a structure prior to completing a proper building envelope. For many, important information regarding nails and their use may need refreshing and updating. What is a […] Read More
Roof Shingles Reducing Smog? August 01, 2018 A newly released specialized coating, when applied to a roof shingle, is said to reduce air pollution. The 3M Industrial Mineral Products Division has launched 3M Smog-reducing Granules to help remove nitrogen oxides (NOx) when applied to roofing shingles. Integrated throughout the shingle’s surface, the granules are designed with a specialized photocatalytic coating applied to […] Read More
New Gateway Arch Museum Opens August 01, 2018 Watch this very cool time-lapse video of the construction of St. Louis’s Gateway Arch Museum: https://tinyurl.com/y7m227hq. The new museum opened on July 3, 2018. The project is the largest public-private partnership in National Park Service history, led by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, Bi-State Development Agency, Jefferson National Parks Association, Great Rivers Greenway, and the […] Read More
GB Prime Minister Intends to Ban Combustible Materials on High-rise Buildings August 01, 2018 Nearly a year in the making since the disastrous Grenfell Tower fire of June 2017, Dame Judith Hackitt published her long-awaited independent review of building regulations and fire safety in Great Britain in May. The final report, commissioned by the government, concluded that outlawing the use of combustible materials on tall buildings would not address […] Read More
OSHA Fines Roofing Company for Hyperthermia Death August 01, 2018 The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Middleburg, Florida-based Southeastern Subcontractors Inc. for failing to protect employees from the dangerous hazards of working outdoors in extreme heat. OSHA investigated the roofing company after an employee died from hyperthermia while working at a residential site in Jacksonville. Hyperthermia occurs when […] Read More
Buildings Harnessing the Power of Algae July 02, 2018 Perhaps a decade or two from now, RCI will offer a class on bio-building of the building envelope. If that happens, algae-powered structures may be a unit of that class. In 2013, engineering firm Arup built the first “bio-adaptive façade” on an apartment building in Hamburg, Germany as part of the International Building Exhibition. Called […] Read More
