Blog Archive
Mechanical Systems: HVAC Modern heating and cooling systems are often complex; high-performance devices give us fingertip control over indoor climate that would have been unthinkable less than a century ago. Though most heating and cooling devices are intricate systems, it is quite easy to
Chris Magwood is obsessed with making the best, most energy efficient, beautiful and inspiring buildings without wrecking the whole darn planet in the attempt. Chris is currently the executive director of The Endeavour Centre, a not-for-profit sustainable building school in Peterborough, Ontario. The school
Bessemer converter is a pear-shaped vessel invented by the American Henry Bessemer that enabled the refining of steel at a lower melting point while keeping carbon content low. Blooming is a process of separating iron from slag by repeated heating and hot hammering. Brass
Testing Products for Flame Resistance Testing agencies such as Underwriter’s Laboratory will test the fire resistance of an assembly of components used to construct a wall, for instance. An assembly refers to the components of a structure, wall, or enclosure, combined and rated as
Feng Shui Home Design Cures if the Bathroom is facing the Front Door There are bathroom locations that do not create good Feng Shui Home Design energy, like a bathroom above a bedroom or the bathroom door facing the kitchen. However, there is one
PRODUCTION: HOW CONCRETE IS MADE Three components make up concrete: cement, aggregate, and water. Cement in concrete acts as a binding agent. Mixed with water, the resulting paste coats and fills the spaces between the aggregate of gravel, rocks, or sand. The term hydraulic
Agencies That Develop Standards National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Established in 1897, the NFPA’s stated mission is to “reduce the worldwide burden of fire and other hazards on the quality of life by providing and advocating consensus codes and standards, research, training and education.”
Tanks and weeping beds are sized to meet standard flow rates for the number of bedrooms in the home. Soil tests are often required of the weeping bed area to ensure adequate percolation rates. A degree of anaerobic secondary treatment happens within the tank,
Stone is a natural material extracted from the earth. It does not burn and it is fire resistant. Stone absorbs heat and retains heat well, and because of this, it is cool to the touch. It is normally dense, creating heavy weight. Architects and
Silicate dispersion — Suitable for exterior and interior surfaces over mineral substrates including plaster, concrete, and brick. Silicate paints are also known as water glass, silicate dispersion paint, silicate mineral paint, or silicate emulsion paint. Sodium and potassium silicate are water soluble, and when
