Record breaking heat being recorded around the world and right in our backyard. I am sure you will enjoy this short informative read focusing on the Pacific Northwest dealing with triple digit temperatures reaching 121 degrees Fahrenheit, causing hundreds of deaths, and starting wildfires like never seen before.
I remember, when working as an architect and I went back to college for my Master of Architecture, I was introduced to passive solar house design strategies and the light bulb went off inside my head! We must stop building traditional residential and commercial buildings with old means and methods and replace them with sustainable passive solar strategies!
Now more, than ever we need new solutions to help combat climate change. This article speaks about some existing… Continue reading
Today is a warm 88 degrees in the suburbs of New Jersey with the heat island effect expected to reach close to 100 degrees in NYC. It is a large temperature swing that could have life threatening complications! The human body has a narrow temperature range for tolerating heat.
This article speaks about different solutions cities can implement to help reduce the ever-rising temperatures across the globe. What I like about the article is that it looks at the concept of measuring temperature across a city at a micro level, as temperatures can vary by 20 degrees from one building to the other or one block to the next. This temperature swing can depend on building materials and strategies implemented to reduce the absorption of… Continue reading
Last post I spoke about the different ingredients that make up concrete and today I will talk about the lifespan of concrete and why it is labor-intensive overtime.
The average modern-day lifespan of concrete is a lot shorter than it was when Rome was built. On average concrete only lasts 50 to 100 years due to the material used for assisting in tensile stresses. This material is known as rebar made from steel. Eventually water finds its way into the concrete through tiny cracks. The water rusts the steel rebar from within, then starts to expand and crack the concrete.
In my past life, working in corporate America, I was on construction jobsite hired as an inspector. My job was to walk the existing… Continue reading
Why not research and invent new products than can replace the carbon intensive process of making cement? Well, that is exactly what is happening amongst some forward-thinking people! As I mentioned before, a tremendous amount of CO2 is emitted during the process of producing cement. The manufacturing of one ton of portland cement produces one ton of CO2 emissions. This is not an option moving forward! Portland cement accounts for 8% of global CO2 emissions.
Let’s talk about the ingredients of cement that makes it’s CO2 emissions so high. Portland cement is a mixture of sand, gravel, water, and lime. High CO2 emissions are produced during the making of lime which acts as the glue to the cement. First you must extract the raw material… Continue reading