Humans’ voracious sand consumption for infrastructure activities threatens global supply of this critical natural resource. But do we even know how much sand we are consuming worldwide? New research shows that we’ve been calculating the basic unit all wrong.
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Though fiber cement is gaining ground, brick continues to be a popular material for exterior house walls. The Brick Industry Association put together a video highlighting some of the brick trends for 2020 in home and commercial exteriors and interiors.
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Pressure treatment is a method to prevent wood rot, but it does have its downsides. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology explored treating wood using atomic layer deposition and found they could manage moisture content, mold growth, and thermal conductivity.
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Existing creep damage models for concrete assume compressive and tensile creep are identical, but recent experimental evidence suggests otherwise. Researchers from the United Kingdom and China propose a modified model that accounts for drying-induced damages and load eccentricity to more accurately model creep.
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Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder designed a living building material cemented together with cyanobacteria-secreted calcium carbonate—offering possibilities for construction in resource-limited settings.
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Texas-based construction company ICON built the first permitted 3D-printed house in 2018. Now, working with nonprofit organizations New Story and ÉCHALE, ICON completed the first two of 50 planned 3D-printed houses to help local communities in Mexico.
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Though construction season is mainly ended for the year, sometimes critical construction projects cannot wait until spring. Learn how to effectively pour concrete in cold weather.
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Have you ever wondered what it takes to create a float for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Find out the steps involved in the design process and take a look at the five new floats that will debut this Thanksgiving!
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Porcelain enamel is found in various products, places, and applications in modern homes, but at one point in history, it looked like houses would be made entirely of this material. Learn the history of the Lustron homes that served as a quick and low-cost solution to the post-World War II housing crisis.
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Many companies tout wireless devices as key to the Internet of Things. In the case of smart buildings, though, Ethernet cables may be the best way to achieve IoT. Learn what Power over Ethernet (PoE) offers smart buildings and take a look at a new hotel that uses PoE.
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