Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Virtues of Bamboo



Bamboo. It’s been around us all our lives. It’s something we have so much of that we don’t even think about it anymore.

But, after reading architect Rosario Encarnacion-Tan’s book “100 Things about Building with Bamboo,” it turns out bamboo is something we should begin thinking very seriously about.

It’s precisely because we have so much bamboo that we have to think more about it. It’s an abundant, everyday resource so underutilized we haven’t even begun to realize the possibilities of.

Tan’s book is a great bamboo primer.

Bamboo is sustainable. Several species —123, to be exact, out of a total of 550 worldwide species—grow profusely in our tropical Philippine landscape. Although it has to be manually transplanted, bamboo regenerates so quickly that it seems to multiply before our eyes.

It is environmentally friendly, grows easily even in subsoil or sandy soil, and is good for reforestation or erosion control.

(Read More)

(Excerpt of article by Augusto F. Villalon of Philippine Daily Inquirer. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)

Lamboo, Inc., a world leader in the industrialization of bamboo and innovative material technology, is leading the trend of sustainable development by utilizing the super material, bamboo. As the main manufacturer of structural grade bamboo, Lamboo is committed to cultivating this material to its full potential for use as a replacement over traditional and depleted resources as an ultra-renewable alternative. Bamboo is not only a rapidly renewable resource in the form of engineered LVB (Laminated Veneer Bamboo), but also features performance attributes far greater than any other plant species. Superior performance, rapid replenishment, and environmental benefits make bamboo the ideal building material.

Incorporating Lamboo (LVB) Laminated Veneer Bamboo into projects can earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification under the following:
  • MR Credit 6 - Rapidly renewable materials
  • IEQ Credit 4.4 - Low-emitting materials
  • ID Credit 1 - Innovation in Design
    (Environmentally Preferable Material)
  • ID Credit 2 - Innovation in Design
    (Life Cycle Assessment / Environmental Impact)
  •  FSC Certification - Available Upon Request 







For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our website
at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us 866-966-2999

“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated




Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Lamboo Blog ranked top site for 'Green Construction'



Lamboo, Inc. awarded #5 spot for top 'Green Construction' site as a resource for students, researchers, and professionals within the industry.

100 sites were selected to be recognized for their efforts in various aspects of construction and architectural education such as home building, green construction, and materials & design.

Construction Management Degree was founded in 2010 and is a comprehensive online resource that lists every campus and online construction management degree offered in the U.S. They maintain this database in the effort to provide students who are considering a career in construction management with an unbiased and straightforward means of assessing their school options.

Construction management (CM) is the overall planning, coordination and control of a construction project from its inception to its completion. Construction managers must aim to meet a client’s requirements and direct a functionally and financially feasible project.

Lamboo, Inc. is honored to be recognized for this top distinction as a resource for individuals interested in the industry. Focused not only on sharing company updates we strive to provide news about developments in the architecture and construction sectors as well as educating our readers about the emerging resource of bamboo as a building material for the future.

 

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our website
at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us 866-966-2999

“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated


Thursday, January 17, 2013



The International Builders' Show (IBS) is the largest annual light construction show in the world—over miles and miles of the latest and most advanced building products and services ever assembled. Visitors to the show will experience hands-on demonstrations and working models in over 300 building industry categories. IBS is the National Association Home Builders’ annual convention and takes place this year at the Las Vegas Convention Center January 22nd through the 24th.


         

IBS is a great networking opportunity where you can see nearly every top brand product and visit with their professionals face to face. You get to see the latest and greatest before it hits the store. There are also a wide range of seminars every day all under one roof.


Lamboo partners will be in attendance at the convention showcasing their latest designs and systems. As industry leaders they are integrating superior performing Lamboo (laminated veneer bamboo) within their window, door, and curtain wall systems providing some of the most stable, sustainable, and long lasting systems available to the market. The following partner companies will be in attendance at the show:


Kolbe Windows and Doors Booth #C2607

Tel:  (715) 843-0242 
Web: http://www.kolbe-kolbe.com/


NanaWall Booth #C3842

Tel:  (415) 944-8586
Web: http://www.nanawall.com/


Solar Innovations Booth #C5447
Tel: (800) 618-0669
Web: http://www.solarinnovations.com


Pacific Millwork Booth #N2306

Tel: (562) 905-3200
Web: www.pacmillwork.com

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our website
at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us  866-966-2999

“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated



 

Thursday, January 10, 2013

BAU 2013




BAU the world's leading building annual trade fair will be held in Munich Germany January 14 – 19, 2013. BAU showcases the latest trends in architecture, materials and systems for industrial, commercial and residential construction and for interior design. Exhibits are divided according to building material, product and theme areas – key themes for the future such as sustainable building play an important role in all sections of the exhibition.

BAU targets all those involved in planning, designing and building: engineers, architects and project developers and also the building trades, building materials retailers, building firms and representatives of the housing industry.

Lamboo partners Raico and Solarlux will be in attendance showcasing their latest innovative designs and products. As industry leaders in the window, door, and curtain wall markets they have chosen to implement Lamboo's laminated veneer bamboo (LVB) due to its superior performance and longevity.

Exhibitor Information

 


RAICO GmbH | Booth: B1.308
Tel: +49 8265 9110
Email: info@raico.de
Web: www.raico.de
Products



SOLARLUX GmbH | Booth: C1.329
Tel: +49 5402 4000
Email: info@solarlux.de
Web: www.solarlux.com
Products 

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our website
at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us866-966-2999

“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated



Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Evolving Building Codes: Wood Revolution

Pushing the boundaries of innovative wood design and construction

There is a quiet revolution taking place within the design community. After a prolonged emphasis on concrete and steel for buildings other than homes, design professionals are using wood to great effect in a growing number of non-residential and multi-family building types—in applications that range from traditional to innovative, even iconic. Some are driven by wood's cost effectiveness while others cite its versatility or low carbon footprint, but their collective path has been made possible by building codes that increasingly recognize wood's structural and performance capabilities, and the continued evolution of wood building systems and techniques.

When the International Building Code (IBC) was introduced in 2000, it consolidated three regional model building codes into one uniform code that has since been adopted by most jurisdictions. It increased the possibilities for wood construction by (among other things) recognizing additional fire protection techniques, consolidating the maximum allowable areas and heights from the three legacy codes into one (thus increasing what's allowable in some jurisdictions), and allowing the use of wood in a wider range of building types. In subsequent versions of the IBC, even more opportunities have been created where additional fire protection features are used.

Even so, the pioneering nature of building design is such that there are always architects and engineers seeking to push beyond the conventional, and it is common for project teams to require—and be granted—variances for designs not covered in the code that can nonetheless be justified on a case-by-case basis.


This CEU will examine the use of wood both within the current IBC and through building projects that have further pushed the boundaries of wood design and construction.

(Read More)

(Excerpt of article by Continuing Education Center. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)


Timber is increasingly being recognized for its potential as a sustainable building material in an era where designers are looking for alternatives to the non-renewable resources traditionally used. We must start using options that we can replenished over time rather than using a finite resource; however, effective in terms of application and cost it ultimately may be. Many species of timber have attributes that make it ideal for construction and even though it is renewable many of these species take 25-50 years to reach maturity and require expensive and damaging replanting, threatening many weakened ecosystems. Due to these concerns, Bamboo is being used in many applications where timber has in the past providing remarkable strength, performance, and stability far exceeding any other natural materials (in addition to having a growth rate of 6-8 years). Testing and forecasting by experts has led to the coining of the term "the next super material" due to Bamboo's amazing attributes and resiliency.

As the world leader in the industrialization of bamboo, Lamboo is striving to make this prediction a reality by manufacturing the world's first certified structural grade bamboo component, laminated veneer bamboo (LVB). Through species selection, patented adhesives, and manufacturing processes Lamboo is able to create bamboo panels and components that far exceed wood's performance in nearly every aspect.

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our website
at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us 866-966-2999

“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated

Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Next Generation of LEED Tracking

BIM + Project Management Software: The Next Generation of LEED Credit Tracking

Today, software solutions are being designed specifically to help construction firms track their LEED credits. These LEED-specific solutions can drive efficiencies in the accreditation process.

"We typically see a 25-30% average in time saved when using Greengrade’s LEED Management Software, but often experience an even greater savings when working on larger projects." – Ryan Ennis, LP Consulting Engineers

According to Mike Stuart, President of Greengrade, a 12 million dollar LEED project takes (on average) 400 hours of consulting work and LEED management services are typically billed at $100 per hour. So, with a 25 percent average time savings, a customer can shave $10,000 (100 hours saved x $100/hour) off an average project.

In addition to tracking and managing LEED credits, some construction firms are also using Building Information Modeling (BIM) to plan LEED credits. BIM is a building development tool that can create a multi-dimensional design of a facility that incorporates the quantity, location and type of materials (among other things) for a building design.

By using a combination of BIM and LEED project management software, construction firms can more accurately plan for LEED credits and document project progress. Here are five ways these technologies make it easier to achieve LEED certification.

 

BIM Helps Plan for LEED Credits

Although BIM is not a new technology, it’s becoming more relevant to LEED projects. BIM is useful during the design phase of a LEED project because it allows architects to add several layers of information to a 3-D model. For instance, a BIM model of a facility can show what percentage of building materials come from recycled content, and where materials were made. This is important to know because LEED credits (e.g., MR Credit 4.1) are awarded for using recycled and local materials.

"The real work in LEED is during the design phase, not the construction phase. Construction is the easy part, it’s just about execution." – Phil Williams, Vice President of Webcor

According to Williams, BIM models allow Webcor to predict which LEED credits each project will quality for. Williams says that this kind of predictive modeling was an important factor in helping 98 percent of Webcor’s projects achieve LEED status.

 

Manage LEED Projects from a Workbench

LEED credit submittals require a laundry list of documentation, such as drawings, photos, receipts, and product spec sheets. Amid all this documentation, it’s easy to lose sight of how close the project is to LEED certification. To help LEED project managers stay on track, vendors provide visual project overviews.

 Source: Greengrade

 In the screenshot above, users can monitor the number (and type) of credits planned for a particular project. Green indicates that the project team plans to obtain this credit while red indicates that the team will not. Yellow and orange indicate a “maybe”–yellow means “probably” and orange means “probably not.” This lets team members know where to focus their energy–and where they might be able to snag a few extra credits.

(Read More)
 
(Excerpt of article by Software Advice. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)  


Incorporating Lamboo (LVB) Laminated Veneer Bamboo into projects can earn LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification under the following:
  • MR Credit 6 - Rapidly renewable materials
  • IEQ Credit 4.4 - Low-emitting materials
  • ID Credit 1 - Innovation in Design
    (Environmentally Preferable Material)
  • ID Credit 2 - Innovation in Design
    (Life Cycle Assessment / Environmental Impact)
  • FSC Certification - Available Upon Request

For questions regarding Lamboo or our products please visit our website
at www.lamboo.us or contact us at info@lamboo.us 866-966-2999

“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated

Blog by: Dustin Dennison