Fifteen years ago, before the sustainable building groundswell began in earnest, environmentally friendly products had an organic (some might say earthy) look that only the sandal-wearing hippie fringe could appreciate. If you were looking for a refined finish, you looked elsewhere.
Today, of course, there's money in green products. As a result, manufacturers have invested large sums to develop high-performing eco-surfaces that look good in addition to performing well. Those are the kinds of products Santa Monica, Calif.–based LivingHomes uses in its houses.
Launched last year by CEO Steve Glenn, LivingHomes is a builder and developer of modern, sustainable, prefabricated homes, and the company places a premium on design as well as the environment.
“We are designing our homes to create the healthiest living environments—and to radically reduce the impact they have on soil, water, air, and energy use,” Glenn says in a release announcing the launch of the company. “We are following the four core tenets of good sustainable design: to reduce, reuse, recycle, and reclaim.” As a result, the builder offers only high–recycled-content countertops in its homes. Lisa Jackson, a representative for the developer, says the important criteria for the company's choice in countertops are sustainability, aesthetics, and price.
These days, it's not that hard to find products that fit those criteria well; the selection is vast. For example, Tacoma, Wash.–based Richlite has made a reputation manufacturing paper-based countertops for residential and commercial applications. Its newest product is a material made from corrugated cardboard and wood pulp. The product contains no dyes or pigments, so the countertops have cardboard's warm color. The manufacturer says it is stain and scratch resistant and can stand up to a hot pot.
“The building industry requires resources in order to grow,” says Don Atkinson, sales and marketing director for Richlite. “The environment requires a reduction in the use of resources to be sustainable. Countertops with recycled resources such as Richlite OCC [old corrugated cardboard] offer a balance and are a step in the right direction.”
The cardboard look might not be for all buyers; some may want a little more refinement in the kitchen. Bio Glass from Miami-based Coverings Etc has it in spades. Bio Glass is made from 100 percent recycled material, but its textured surface has a look unlike any glass you've seen. Its multidimensional appearance and its coloring vary with direct and indirect light.
“The material can be used for counter or work tops, interior flooring, walls, or other decorative purposes,” says Coverings Etc's Sonja Bogensperger. “It's an avant garde product that caters to buyers who value bio-architecture. We foresee builders, interior designers, and trendsetters incorporating this striking glass material into various modern spaces.”
Other manufacturers also have found uses for recycled glass. EnviroGLAS in Plano, Texas, produces an environmentally friendly countertop that is made from 100 percent recycled glass and porcelain terrazzo. The manufacturer says it is heat and scratch resistant and highly resistant to common household stains. Richmond, Calif.–based Vetrazzo offers a similar countertop surfacing product made primarily from cement and curbside-recycling glass.
Miami-based Trend USA produces a recycled glass–based countertop, Trend Q. But instead of producing thick slabs like other manufacturers, the company makes tiles and thin sheets. “It's only ¼ inch thick, so it's lighter in weight,” says JoAnn Locktov, the company's public relations representative. Trend Q has the strength and durability of a normal-sized slab, Locktov explains, “but it can be heated and bent to form a bullnose or backsplash.” Plus, it's easier to install, which should make it a godsend for builders to use.
For more product information, visit ebuild, Hanley Wood's interactive product catalog, at www.ebuild.com.
Glaze of Glory
There is so much more to glass technology than low-E.
We've come a long way since the days of the single-glazed window. Back then, it was standard fare and we liked it just fine—that is, until energy savings became a rallying cry and insulated low-E glass became a big deal.
But what have glazing manufacturers done for us lately? Plenty, it turns out, and insulated glass only scratches the surface of what they produce.
Auburn Hills, Mich.–based Guardian Industries Corp., for example, last year announced a deal in which Hurd Windows and Doors will use Guardian's ClimaGuard SPF glass, a product that blocks over 99 percent of ultraviolet radiation (which fades furniture, hardwood floors, and other interior furnishings) without any visible change in daylighting. Tim Singel, director of residential glass products for Guardian Industries, says, “ClimaGuard SPF glass will enable [Hurd] to deliver a more perfect combination of beauty, energy efficiency, and, now, complete UV protection.”
Pittsburgh-based PPG Industries also supplies a whole host of specialized glass products that solve a variety of issues—Solarban high-performing low-E, Sungate for areas with cold winters and moderate summers, and high-transparency Starphire Ultra-Clear Glass, among others.
“More and more architects today are designing their buildings to capitalize on the sleekness and clarity of transparent glass, and there's no product better suited to delivering that aesthetic than Starphire glass,” says Mark Fanelli, director of new products and services for PPG Flat Glass. Traditional clear glass, he continues, typically has a light green tint that Starphire eliminates.
Perhaps the, er, hottest glazing product to come along in some time is heated glass by Chicago-based Thermique Technologies . The company has been offering the product to the architectural community for some time, but now the glazing will be used in operable windows and doors.
The implications for heated glass are huge. Not only can you eliminate drafts and cold spots, but when the panel is wired to a wall-mounted electrical switch, homeowners will be able to control the heat with the twist of a knob. Now that's cool!
For more product information, visit ebuild, Hanley Wood's interactive product catalog, at www.ebuild.com.