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
Houses Hewn from Hemp? July 02, 2018 Hemp is making a comeback in the U.S. in more ways than through the legalized use of marijuana for recreational and medicinal purposes. It is undergoing a revival as a building material. While both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their plantations in the 1700s, it was outlawed in the U.S. starting in […] Read More
Mandated Reports Reveal UK Construction Firms’ Gender Pay Gaps July 02, 2018 In April, firms in the United Kingdom revealed through their first government-mandated compensation reports that the construction industry has the largest gender gap out of 27 business sectors. More than 100,000 firms with 250 employees or more reported, showing a 24% median gap in hourly pay between men and women in the construction industry. Among […] Read More
“In Bamboo” Is Shaped Like Infinity Symbol July 02, 2018 A bamboo and tile structure in the shape of an infinity symbol has been created in the rural town of Daoming in Sichuan Province, China. Archi-Union Architects combined traditional Chinese construction techniques with prefabrication technology to create “In Bamboo,” a pavilion that serves as a multi-functional community cultural center celebrating the town’s renowned bamboo-weaving craftsmanship. […] Read More
RCI Interface Featured Article: Roof Decks: A to Z; Part XI: Post-Tensioned Concrete July 02, 2018 By L.D. Hogan, RRC, FRCI, PE Abstract This is the 11th in a series of articles examining various deck types. Among the numerous considerations when selecting a roof system, the type of decking is among the most important. With the variety of decks to be encountered (both new and old), it is incumbent upon roofing […] Read More
Tiled Shower Walls are Comparable to Clad Exterior Walls May 03, 2018 Introduction In many ways, ceramic-tiled shower walls can be investigated and evaluated in the same manner as clad exterior walls. Both rainwater and plumbed interior water have the same potential to promote decay, deterioration, and fungal growth via unintended breaches in a wall’s water-protective envelope. In all cases, the most severe levels of internal damage […] Read More
Air Intrusion Impacts in Seam-Fastened, Mechanically Attached Roofing Systems February 28, 2018 By Suda Molleti, PEng; Bas Baskaran, PEng; and Pascal Beaulieu Editor’s Note: This article presents the summary of a research study. A peer-reviewed paper on the study was published at the 15th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology in November 2017. Background Air intrusion is termed as “when conditioned indoor air enters into a […] Read More
HVAC Interaction With the Building Enclosure in Natatoriums January 30, 2018 By Paul Totten, PE, LEED AP; and Amanda Stacy, LEED GA Natatoriums and similar buildings with a body of water set within an interior space have requirements that differ from most buildings as they pertain to the control of HVAC systems and considerations for building enclosure design and management. Natatorium operation must consider pool water […] Read More
American Wood Council Notes NDS Changes to Nail Withdrawal Testing January 30, 2018 The National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDS®), published by the American Wood Council, has made changes with respect to the withdrawal (pullout) values of nails in wood and wood products. The International Staple, Nail, and Tool Association (ISANTA) has published an advisory on the changes. In the 2018 edition, there were five areas of […] Read More
