Monte-Silo House by Gigaplex Architects

The architect and designer Gigaplex Architects has designed Monte-Silo House. a homey and cozy shelter to live as a residence that accommodating for a single man and weekend guests, including grandchildren, located next to Provo River. Two linked corrugated metal grain silos arranged to allow the largest (27’ diameter) to have the most proximate visual and aural access to the Provo River, and the southern exposure to ensure passive solar heat gain... 

Roll-Out Concrete Floor Slab Reinforcement Beats Construction Blues

Steel reinforcement specialist Hy-Ten, has achieved sales of 10, 000 tonnes for their innovative Bamtec floor slab reinforcement system this year, roughly equivalent to their record breaking year of 2007. This represents a real increase in market share for Bamtec in a sector that some commentators estimate has shrunk by 40 percent. Hy-Ten is the exclusive licensed manufacturer in the UK and Ireland for the Bamtec system which originated in Germany.... 

In Weekly Cycles: Apartment Walls and Slabs in Fair-faced Concrete Quality

GRIDFLEX, the aluminium grid slab formwork system from PERI, once again showed its numerous advantages during its initial use in Brazil. Within a very short period of time, it has been possible to construct the floor slabs of the MaxHaus Morumbi residential complex with even, ready to-be-painted ceiling surfaces. Modern living in a rectangular form In São Paulo´s Morumbi district, 128 modern apartments are currently being constructed, spread across... 

MET Laboratories Strengthens Echelon’s Networked Energy Services Smart Meters

Echelon Corporation and MET Laboratories today announced that Echelon’s newest generation of ANSI Networked Energy Services (NES) residential smart electricity meters have successfully completed the MET Meter Certification Program for the North American market and can bear the MET Meter Certification logo and the MET NRTL product safety certification mark. Echelon, a leader in smart grid solutions, has long provided highly reliable, industry standard,... 

Kornberg Associates Architects Opens Tokyo Office

Kornberg Associates Architects (http://www.kornberg.com) has opened a Tokyo office. The company has also been retained by the Okinawa Institute for Science and Technology (OIST) to help design a new government funded scientific research campus and graduate university. Ken Kornberg, president and founder, made the announcement. “Having a presence in Japan opens up many doors for us and further solidifies our international capabilities,”... 

EPS Insulation Delivers Consistent Energy Savings and Thermal Protection over Life of Building

A new study commissioned by the EPS Molders Association (EPSMA) found that expanded polystyrene (EPS) insulation maintains its R-Value over time, even under tough freeze-thaw conditions. The study, Thermal Resistance and Moisture Content Testing of Foam Plastic Insulation, also concluded that competing insulation materials can lose R-Value over time. As energy prices increase, selecting the best building insulation becomes even more important. Choosing... 

Seewinkeltherme, Frauenkirchen, Austria. Structural work in record time: Short construction period for large-scale project

The Austrian Seewinkel hot springs resort complete with four-star hotel is currently one of the largest reinforced concrete construction projects in the Alpine Republic with a total investment in the region of 80 million euros. The HABAU group of companies were commissioned to construct the concrete frame and in so doing have succeeded in meeting two difficult challenges. On the one hand, the special form of the spiral-shaped building with mostly... 

OpernTurm, Frankfurt, Germany. Crane-free operations facilitate working processes

The Frankfurt skyline is currently being re-defined: on one of the most beautiful locations in Germany directly opposite the Alte Oper, the so-called OpernTurm is steadily rising to reach its planned height of 170 metres. 52, 000 square metres of office space is spread over 43 floors with an additional 10, 000 m² in the adjacent seven-storey podium building. The development of this inner-city large-scale construction site is associated with enormously... 

Hilti DCH 230 & DCH 300 Diamond Cutters

The new Hilti DCH 230 and DCH 300 Electric Diamond Cutters set new standards in performance, safety and comfort, proving that cutting and grinding with an all-purpose tool isn’t the best choice for every application. With a 2.6 kilowatt motor, clever design and new cutting depth adjustment mechanism, the DCH 230 and DCH 300 reach the unrivalled and impressive depths of 3.4″ inches and 4.7″ inches, beating their competitors –... 

Paslode 501000 F-350S Powermaster Plus Clipped Head 2-Inch to 3-1/4-Inch Framing Nailer

This framing nailer is a remodeler’s dream. The width of the nailer, from tip to exhaust port, is less than 14″. This means it can fit between joists, rafters, and studs 16″ on center. This is an invaluable feature when blocking, sistering joists and the like. This framing gun is one of the lightest on the market today, is well balanced, and has minimal recoil, which reduces arm fatigue when using the tool all day. It has tool-less...