Lamboo is a Major Material Provider for the University of North Carolina Charlotte Urban Eden Solar Decathlon Competition

The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends affordability, consumer appeal, and design excellence with optimal energy production and maximum efficiency. 

Open to the public free of charge, the Solar Decathlon gives visitors the opportunity to tour the houses, gather ideas to use in their own homes, and learn how energy-saving features can help them save money today. 

The Solar Decathlon competition took place in Orange County Great Park, Irvine, California spanning over a course of ten days from October 3-13, 2013. Here is where UNC Charlotte competed against twenty other university-led teams in ten different contests.

UNC Charlotte’s entry to the Solar Decathlon 2013, Urban Eden, incorporates revolutionary approaches to sustainable design and construction, combining city-sophistication with an appreciation for our natural world. UrbanEden consists of solar strategies, geopolymer concrete, urban gardening, smart technologies, and urban lifestyle. Consisting of several sponsors, Lamboo was included as a sustaining partner in providing interior as well as exterior materials to complete UrbanEden’s sustainable design. 

The materials for UrbanEden were chosen based on three criteria: environmental impact, durability, and beauty. Lamboo® Design™ panels were used for all the interior built-ins as well as the exterior rain screen panels.

The UNC Charlotte team brought home two awards from the Solar Decathlon 2013. They tied for third place in the juried Engineering Contest and won the popular-vote People’s Choice Award.

For more of the story, see the Solar Decathlon website here.

Lamboo has been featured in previous Solar Decathlon programs as a proud supporter of the University of Illinois team’s “Gable Home” in 2009 and in the international competition in 2011. Since placing 1st in the completion and 2nd overall internationally, Lamboo has been integrated into several other university decathlons.

Visit a gallery of more photos here.

Vital tool to support timber use in construction

Aiming to position timber as a first-choice ‘primary and preferred construction material’, Wood First Plus will provide evidence of the credentials of timber from cradle to grave.

Work has begun to create a free online information hub containing all of the environmental and design data necessary for project managers, designers and architects to specify timber as a first choice material.

The hub will be called Wood First Plus, and has been organized by Wood for Good, the UK timber industry promotion and sustainability group, supported by Scottish Enterprise, the Timber Trade Federation, Forestry Commission Scotland and the Timber Research and Development Association.

Building on the arguments of the Wood First campaign, which aims to position timber as a first-choice ‘primary and preferred construction material’, Wood First Plus will provide evidence of the credentials of timber from cradle to grave.

The project is a result of on-going consultation with timber industry organizations and external stakeholders, including contractors groups, architects, professional institutions and many others.

All stakeholders will be able to access whole-life information on timber products free of charge through a dedicated website, managed by Wood for Good.

Individual timber companies will be able to use this data as a basis to develop specific environmental product declarations (EPD) for their products to guarantee their sustainability and traceability.

David Hopkins, Wood for Good’s head of external communications, said: “With the built environment sector now firmly focused on delivering low-carbon, sustainable buildings, being able to quantify the environmental impact of construction materials is becoming increasingly important.

“The aim for Wood First Plus is to provide empirical evidence on the performance of specific wood products, making it easier for construction professionals wishing to build with timber to do so, and helping them to adhere to industry regulations. We look forward to announcing the first set of results later this year.”

The use of wood in construction brings numerous benefits for the environment, the economy, and the community. Trees absorb CO2 and store it, and when used in construction form an important store of atmospheric carbon, helping to limit global warming.

With sustainably managed forests and increased use of timber in construction it is an endlessly renewable process.

Additionally, wood has good thermal performance properties, increasing the energy efficiency and operational performance of a building. Timber framed buildings are often quicker to erect saving on construction cost.

The organization is also calling for a 'Wood First' stipulation in planning guidance that would require wood to be considered, where feasible, as the primary construction material in all publicly-funded new build and refurbishment projects, from housing to bridges to schools.

PE International has been engaged to oversee the collection, analysis and review of all life cycle assessment (LCA) data for a wide range of timber and timber products that will be used in the online tool.

The company has extensive experience in the construction materials sector and in working with the timber industry, having previously completed a major LCA project on US hardwood lumber for the American Hardwood Export Council.

(Excerpt of article from Link2. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)

                                                                                                                                                             

As more and more organizations return to the basics and look for sustainable options in their projects, the demand for renewable resources such as wood will grow exponentially. Often overlooked by mainstream architecture, is an ancient building material that can meet these demands, bamboo. As a rapidly renewable, high performance, material bamboo can be integrated with other bio based (or renewable) materials to provide truly sustainable buildings and products. Bamboo has a wealth of environmental and performance attributes that make it ideal for the construction and retail markets.

Other articles of interest:

Wood's New Wave

Evolving Building Codes: Wood Revolution

The Virtues of Bamboo

Bamboo Architecture and Construction

What Can Bamboo Do About CO2?

Bamboo As A Carbon Offset: INBAR Does The Math

Can bamboo tackle environmental and poverty concerns?

In Africa’s Vanishing Forests, the Benefits of Bamboo

Nigeria Can Generate 24 Million Jobs From Bamboo Production

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
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“MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD” – Lamboo Incorporated