The hard-core homeowners who fortify themselves against any possible calamity—from hurricanes to nuclear attack—are testing materials and technology that could change home building for the rest of us.
The Blue Sky Frame, as it’s called, is made from 70 percent recycled material. A steel fabricator in Fontana, Calif., AEP Span, shapes and cuts the framing to order and ships it flat to the jobsite.
So far, recycling efforts have made barely a dent in this waste pile. But that might change if recycled plastic were to emerge as a core structural component for new-home construction.
The Binational Softwood Lumber Council is sponsoring a competition for urban wood building design, Timber in the City: Urban Habitats challenges architecture students to design a mid-rise, mixed-use complex for a site in the Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood of Red Hook.
If precedent and the calendar hold, this week's delay in consideration of new design values for visually graded Southern pine could mean that mills and consumers won't have to deal with the effects of any changes until July 2013 or even later.
SBCA is pleased to announce that ANSI has approved SBCA FS 100–2012:Standard Requirements for Wind Pressure Resistance of Foam Plastic Insulating Sheathing Used in Exterior Wall Covering Assemblies.
In a letter submitted to ALSC's Board of Review, SPIB announced it was withdrawing its submission of proposed lumber design values for the remaining grades and species of visually-graded Southern Pine lumber.
Simpson Strong-Tie has just introduced its Integrated Component Systems for roof and floor trusses and wall panels, along with a full line of code-listed truss connector plates.