Construction Articles

November 18, 2008

Buildings with monostrand unbonded tendons post-tensioned slabs are becoming a widely used application of prestressed concrete. This method achieves performance and construction improvements over other construction methods. However, in order to reap the benefits of this method, proficiency is required in both structural design and construction. Post-tensioned slabs is a preferred method for industrial, commercial and residential floor slab construction. The increasingly extensive use of this method is due to its advantages and its nature of easy application to a wide variety of structure geometry and design solutions. Full Story 

November 4, 2008

When we call radiant floor heat mat, we generally mean electric radiant floor heat mat. These are designed to warm stone and tile floors in bathrooms, kitchens, entries and sunrooms--almost anytime anywhere. With the addition of almost tons of different products, you can also warm almost any floor without replacing or refinishing your existing one. Therefore, there is no need to replace, refinish or alter your existing room setup. Wherever you wish to put these radiant floor heat mats, you can do that easily. Radiant floor heat mat is an exclusive option in electric radiant heat offered by these specially designed floor mats. Full Story 

November 4, 2008

As the public sector becomes much more concerned about the cost and sustainability of energy in general, energy efficient lighting has a major point of focus in our industry. Since much of this technology is still very new and continually evolving (as in the case with LED and Induction), explaining the technical dynamics of new luminaires to your clients may not be the best way to sell them on the idea of an upgrade. Since engineers are constantly coming up with new ways to conserve power and extend lamp life, and since new ways of producing light itself are still emerging, it is best to talk about the general benefits that an upgrade will bring to organizations regardless of the actual fixtures and lamps ultimately chosen for the new system. The following summary represents the top five benefits that clients can expect from energy efficient lighting. Full Story 

November 4, 2008

For contractors and developers, a declining real estate market is a double whammy. Most conspicuous, of course, is the resultant decrease in new construction that ensues when the market slides. But more alarming is the correlation between a dipping market and the regularity of lawsuits against developers and contractors. Contractors Studies of dozens of insurance company filing s show a direct inverse correlation between the robustness of the real estate market and the number of insurance claims filed against developer and contractor's insurance policies Full Story 

November 3, 2008

Making our dwellings gorgeous is nothing new. Humans have been decorating their homes for millennia. From the Australian Aborigines painting ochre onto cave walls over 40,000 years ago to the almost modern Egyptian pyramids of only 4,500 years ago we all have an innate desire to express ourselves and make our surroundings part of that expression. But we have always paid a price for this activity. Paints have always contained poisons and toxins that not only pollute the environment but the air within a home. Early paints famously contained lead, which had a sweet flavor tempting for kids to ingest. We all know the horrible affects of these paints that caused problems with developing nervous systems in children and kidney damage, mood changes, memory and high blood pressure in adults. Full Story 

October 28, 2008

It doesn't matter if it's winter or summer. You can take steps to lower your energy costs. There are measures you can take to keep your home warm in the winter, cool in the summer and save money on your heating bill also. If you are a do it yourself person you can easily get your home weatherized on a weekend. Here are some important energy saving tips: 1. Make sure the hot and cold water pipes are insulated. There are two ways of doing this. You could wrap them with fiberglass insulation or you could use pre-formed foam pipe insulation sleeves. Simply measure the diameter and length of the pipes and purchase the size needed. These pipe insulation sleeves easily snap on to the pipes and fit securely... Full Story 

October 24, 2008

There are many terms that are often used to describe real estate with environmentally friendly architecture. "Green," "eco-friendly," and "sustainable" buildings reduce energy and water use and may improve the quality of life for those who live or work inside it. Architects design green buildings using various design techniques, including... Full Story 

October 24, 2008

As most people know, the latest trend in construction is 'GREEN' or environmentally friendly buildings. As energy prices continue to soar and global warming attracts more attention, the GREEN construction trend is likely to escalate. The goal of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the benefits of GREEN construction and illustrate how... Full Story