Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Lamboo, Inc. partners with Max-R for sustainable bamboo product


(Wednesday, July 25, 2012) -- Lamboo, Inc. and Max-R announce their partnership in the integration of engineered bamboo into Max-R products. With the use of bamboo materials, Lamboo and Max-R are committed to ensure growth and development to the industry as a whole.

Max-R manufactures a variety of site-furnishings, but specializes in making waste recycling enclosures tailored for their customers' various needs and waste streams. Some of their products include modular foodservice stations, benches, planters and more.

"Using our products and seeing our products goes to show how different we are over the alternatives. The level of function they provide along with the way they look puts them on another playing field - they're really an aesthetic recycling solution. A lot of people are beginning to see our waste and recycling enclosures as furnishings not just trash bins. That's something that really sets us apart," says Mark Hammer, Executive Vice President of Max-R.


Max-R takes a bottom up, through and through approach to sustainability. They use environmentally preferable materials in their products, pure recycled plastic and now bamboo. Taking that a step further, its how they make those products - using 100% renewable energy as an EPA Green Power Partner. Max-R believes that choosing sustainable materials amount to an investment in our future and by investing in green power, they take that pledge further by affecting positive change in another way.

Lamboo, Inc. specializes in the manufacturing of engineered bamboo for structural, architectural and industrial applications worldwide. Bamboo as a lingo-cellulosic fiber can be processed into products with enormous advantages in mechanical properties. In its engineered form, laminated bamboo provides great durability, uniformity and strength.

Lamboo, Inc. CEO and Founder, Luke Schuette says, "We are pleased to see our premium products being utilized within Max-R's markets including; education, restaurants, governmental and park applications. Max-R's unique position within the market is very exciting to us and ensures Lamboo's growth. With this ongoing partnership we are excited to see our continued growth."

Lamboo recognizes the growing demand for superior products that deliver outstanding performance, while respecting our planet and our neighbors. Lamboo products are not only a superior option of traditional sources in terms of quality and performance, but are a highly sustainable option as well. Accordingly, Lamboo introduces uniformity, workability and the ease of integration that make it a great fit for any Max-R product.

Related articles:

Yahoo

JSOnline

All Voices

Digital Journal
 
Press Release provided by Vanessa Summers of Lamboo Incorporated.

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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated


 
Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Friday, July 20, 2012

Wood architecture: as close as nature can get

In a new volume, Star-writer Philip Jodido captures the wondrous world of wood architecture. See what he found from Tierra del Fuego to North Cape, from Japan to Germany.


Wood is renewable and sustainable, solid and attractive. Wood architecture is just that - and so much more dazzling than ever thought. Woods is the material of the moment for contemporary architecture.


In a new volume readers are now able to get a glimpse of the most exciting and dynamic new uses of wood in architecture from all over the world. Like earthen architecture, the use of wood is almost as ancient as building itself. The columns of Greek temples are stylized trees. Today’s wooden buildings do all kinds of surprising things, and most of all, they are as “green” as they come.

(Excerpt of article by Philip Jodidio, of World's Luxury Guide. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)


Timber is rapidly being recognized for its potential as a great building material in a culture where designers are looking to other alternatives than the non-renewable resources traditionally used such as steel or aluminum. It only makes sense to start using options that we can replenish 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. As we have been reporting bamboo is increasingly being recognized and used in many applications where timber has in the past providing remarkable strength, performance, and stability far exceeding anything we have witnessed with 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.

Lamboo is working to make these predictions come true by manufacturing the world's first certified structural grade bamboo component. Through species selection, patented adhesives, and lamination processes Lamboo is able to create bamboo panels and components that may appear very similar to traditional lumber on the outside but far exceed its performance in nearly every aspect.

For more information about Lamboo attributes please visit our Resource Library, or check out our certifications.

Lamboo interior grade panels

For questions regarding Lamboo, our products, or to schedule an interview 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, July 18, 2012

C.T. Windows partners with Lamboo, Inc. to create innovative, bamboo curtain wall system



WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2012
-- C.T Windows strives to provide property owners, designers, architects and contractors with the most innovative and environmentally friendly products. This is what makes Lamboo, Inc. and C.T.W. such a good fit. C.T.W's newest series HYBRID is a perfect example of what they as a company stand for in their products.

As a new and unique concept in façade solutions, HYBRID is a fully tested and compliant composite wood and aluminum system. HYBRID achieves remarkable insulation properties and is complemented by a full range of operating windows and doors. Combining the long life and low maintenance of aluminum to the exterior, with the aesthetics and environmental benefits of Lamboo to the interior, this HYBRID system surpasses all current benchmarks.

The HYBRID system offers the ideal solution for new buildings and retrofit projects where aesthetics, performance and sustainability are paramount. C.T. Windows offers Lamboo's engineered bamboo for integration within aluminum exterior systems. Whether your goal is to have a more sustainable product, increase thermal properties or if you want to achieve a natural aesthetic, the HYBRID series is a perfect option.

Lamboo, Inc. uses proprietary manufacturing processes to offer products at a quality that is unmatched by all within the building and design industries. Lamboo products are not only a superior option over traditional sources in terms of quality and performance, but also a much more sustainable option. Lamboo, Inc. offers a durable, aesthetically pleasing, workable product that appeals to finish carpenters, custom designers, builders, and product manufacturers wishing to use high performance bamboo.

Through partnership with C.T. Windows, Lamboo seeks to combine high performance bamboo products with the most advanced engineered systems in the market today.

LEED Credits available through Lamboo integration:
• 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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated


 
Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Arnold Companies partners with Lamboo, Inc. to introduce bamboo structured reception desk collection



                                                                       Arnold Companies/Lamboo Inc. reception desk

Lamboo, Inc. and Arnold Companies announced their partnership to bring an engineered, high performance bamboo product to be used within an impressive collection of reception desks, casegoods, wall units and library furniture. With the integration of the Lamboo® Design™ series bamboo materials, Lamboo Inc. and Arnold Companies are committed to producing high quality, durable products that can provide many years of service, while still providing sustainable interior design solutions and rapidly renewable materials.

The Arnold Companies represent four independent contract furniture manufactures that have been serving the design and corporate community since 1962. Their highly versatile lines of quality products are: Arnold Furniture, Arnold Reception Desks, Arnold Kolax, and Arnold Desks. In Arnold Companies' manufacturing process, great care is taken to reduce material waste and to dispose of that waste in an environmentally friendly way. Arnold Companies incorporates the goals of sustainability into all of their business decisions by instilling a respect for the environment in their employees, and by reviewing the environmental records of the suppliers.

                                                                        Arnold Companies/Lamboo Inc. reception desk

Lamboo Inc. uses proprietary manufacturing processes to offer products at a quality that is unmatched by all within the building and design industries. Lamboo products are not only a superior option over traditional sources in terms of quality and performance, but also a much more sustainable option. Lamboo, Inc. offers a durable, aesthetically pleasing, workable product that appeals to finish carpenters, custom designers, builders, and product manufacturers wishing to use high performance bamboo.

This partnership is formed to bring innovative solutions to use the best quality custom receptionist desks for municipal projects, commercial projects and upscale residences, while maintaining a reputation of reliability and quality. Through parntership with Arnold Companies, Lamboo seeks to combine high performance bamboo products with the most advanced engineered system in the market today.


                                                                             Arnold Companies/Lamboo Inc. reception desk

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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated


 
Blog by: Dustin Dennison


Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mechanical and structural marvel gives lesson in resource conservation

Richmond Olympic Oval


At night the structure of the building is clearly visible: the main arches that span 100m across the sports hall spring from inclined concrete buttresses, while the gently curved roof panels soften the silhouette [photo by Hubert Kang].

The Richmond Olympic Oval was the largest structure to be built for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games held in Vancouver and Whistler BC. The Oval was designed to accommodate the Olympic long track speed-skating events with seating for 8,000 spectators, before being transformed into a multi-sports training and recreation facility after the Games. Located adjacent to the Middle Arm of the Fraser River minutes from Vancouver’s international airport, the facility will become the focus of a new residential and commercial neighbourhood.

With a plan area of 25,000 m2 and a total floor area of more than 47,000 m2 the complexities and scale of this building, and the need to reconcile them with the client’s requirement to achieve LEED Silver certification, meant that a truly integrated approach to design was essential from the outset. The process began with goal-setting meetings and continued at regular intervals throughout the project, at times bringing together a team of more than 25 consultants.

The building is arranged on three levels: a parking garage; a ground-oriented entry, circulation, service and amenity level; and above, the activity level including the main sports hall and a mezzanine for fitness. The vaulted sports hall with its 100m span, unique wood roof and expansive views north to the river and Coast Mountains is the architectural highlight of the project.
The concrete box formed by the lower floors acts as a rigid raft, and rests on shallow expanded-base piles that resist differential settlement in the poor soil conditions. This system is designed to maintain the tight tolerances of ice surface flatness required for international competition. The second floor slab connects opposing pairs of concrete buttresses that support the shallow arched roof and resist the large spreading loads that would otherwise be directed into the ground.


Wood Roof Structure


Composite glulam and steel arches spring from the tops of the inclined concrete buttresses to free span the width of the arena. Spanning between these arches is a novel pre-fabricated structural panel system, known as the WoodWave©. This system employs conventional light framing lumber harvested from forests devastated by the Mountain Pine Beetle.

Because it comes from a renewable resource, requires little energy to process, and has no toxic by-products, solid sawn lumber is by far the least energy intensive and least polluting of the major construction materials. With more than 450 panels covering the 2.5-hectare roof, the WoodWave© system has greatly expanded the understanding of what is achievable using conventional sawn lumber.

The V-shaped cross sectional geometry of the arches is maintained using a horizontal steel truss that creates a very stable structure and a hollow space inside, which conceals the main mechanical services. Holes drilled through the beams at intervals allow for the ventilating system to distribute warm or cold air as required, and for sprinkler lines and conduits to connect to branch lines concealed in the WoodWave© panels.


(Excerpt of article by Jim Taggart of SABMag. NOT AFFILIATED WITH LAMBOO)


 
This is a great example of engineered wood used within the construction industry in the hopes of building more sustainable structures for the future. Although this material is a step in the right direction timber resources are continually strained due to the long life cycle and expensive process of clearing roots and replanting. Bamboo is another resource that could be utilized due to its remarkable growth rate (6-8 years to maturity versus 25-50 for timber) and ability to regrow from previous root structures. Using this remarkable resource Lamboo Technologies is able to offer an alternative to wood that is not only more sustainable but features greater stability and performance compared to any other plant species on the planet. Lamboo materials are manufactured through a patented lamination process which can produce members and components to replace wood in any application while increasing stability and longevity. Learn more about the sustainability of Lamboo products here.
For questions regarding Lamboo, our products, or the growing importance
of bamboo in sustainable construction 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

Monday, June 18, 2012

Lamboo Bamboo

Based in Springfield, Illinois, Lamboo Inc. specializes in manufacturing high-performance engineered bamboo for a variety of commercial, residential, and industrial applications.

Luke Schuette founded Lamboo in 2003. As a student of architecture at Southern Illinois University, Schuette became fascinated with structural materials and engineered wood. For his final project, he performed an analysis on engineered bamboo for structural applications, and became passionate about the material.

In 2007, Schuette, successfully petitioned the American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM) to revise their standard, D5456, to include the evaluation of laminated veneer bamboo for structural use. He now serves as the Chairman of D07.02.03 at ASTM International.

As a result of his educational background, Schuette’s natural target market is architects, who can specify Lamboo in their building projects. They can then order products from Lamboo’s nearly 30 partners, who offer high-performance bamboo windows, doors, curtain walls, tables and countertops, structural systems, moveable glass doors, and interior and exterior panels. Lamboo’s partners span many sectors, and include NanaWall, Kolbe, Solarlux, Western Structures, Inc., Oversee Yachts, Dover, and Redbud Ridge.

Lamboo also sells panels and finished grade components directly to general contractors and carpenters.

One of Lamboo’s most notable clients is Pier 1 Imports, who has refitted close to 100 of their stores’ entryways with Lamboo bamboo awnings and doors (through partnership with Kolbe). The company plans to update 800 of their 1200 stores with the product.

Benefits of Lamboo Bamboo

Bamboo is a rapidly renewable material, meaning that its harvest cycle is 10 years or less. In fact, Lamboo has hand-picked 6 of the 1600 species of bamboo, which it believes are the best for both high performance and sustainability. These species have harvest cycles of 6-8 years, and is considered to be a low embodied energy material with an excellent life cycle as compared to other materials such as plastics and fiberglass. In comparison to a traditional forest, a bamboo forest produces six times the amount of material per acre per year and sequesters 35% more carbon.

In comparison to traditional wood, bamboo is ten times stronger in tension and over three times stronger in general mechanical properties. However, it has the same thermal properties of wood, meaning that in glass applications, it is more energy efficient than aluminum, vinyl, plastics, steel, and other alternatives.

Additionally, the materials has low VOCs and formaldehyde, making it ideal for indoor air quality.
 
LEED Credit Overview

According to the LEED for New Construction 2009 rating system, Lamboo bamboo can contribute to the following credits:

Materials and Resources (MR) Credit 6, Rapidly Renewable Materials (1 point):

This credit requires that 2.5% of the total value of building materials are rapidly renewable, which means that they can be harvested in 10 years or less.

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Credit 4.4, Low-Emitting Materials - Composite Wood and Agrifiber Products (1 point):

This credit requires that composite wood products, agrifiber products, and laminating adhesives contain no added urea-formaldehyde.

Lamboo could also potentially contribute to the Innovation in Design category as an Environmentally Preferable Material and/or Life Cycle Assessment/Environmental Impact.

(Read more)

(Excerpt of article by Claire Moloney of Green-Buildings.com.


For questions regarding Lamboo, our products, or to schedule an interview 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, June 12, 2012

Green Building Materials

Attributes that help determine if a building material is “green” include whether the product is - natural - renewable - non-toxic - made of recycled materials - produced locally - reusable - certified sustainable. A material does not have to have all these attributes to be considered green, but, in general, the more of these attributes it does have the better.

BAMBOO

Bamboo is one of the earth’s fastest-growing plants and can be grown without the use of fertilizers or pesticides. While most trees typically need decades to grow before they can be harvested, bamboo requires only four to six years. Bamboo has also been reported to sequester 35% more carbon than trees, making it attractive in the battle to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Because of these qualities, bamboo has become a popular material for use in a variety of green products.

Not all bamboo is the same. Luke Schuette, president of Lamboo®, Inc., notes, “there are nearly 1600 species of bamboo worldwide. Some are soft while others are very dense.” To engineer a laminated bamboo product suitable for structural use in buildings, including horse barns, Lamboo, Inc. uses five species of bamboo that are harder than wood. “The structural capacity of Lamboo,” says Schuette, “is over three times stronger on average than wood.”

In addition to considering the strength of a material used in a horse barn, it is essential that any building material used in your barn is safe for your horse. “It’s really important to be wary of what may be marketed as ‘green’ substitutes for wood products to be sure they aren’t toxic, either in the material itself or the binding agents, and how it does or does not splinter if chewed since horses will nibble on whatever’s within reach,” notes Blackburn. According to Schuette, testing performed by Lamboo concluded it is safe for animal consumption, and horses are less likely to nibble on bamboo compared to wood.

An added benefit of Lamboo is that it burns more slowly than wood due to its increased density, making it less of a fire risk.

 (Read more)

(Excerpt of article by Josh Englander of HolisticHorse.com.

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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated


 
Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Lamboo: Bamboo Made Better?

The idea behind engineered wood products (EWP) is to make wood stronger and more flexible in terms of design applications like long-spans and curved beams. Bamboo is already a highly regarded, sustainable wood species, and now one company is trying to make it better by turning the best kinds of bamboo into an EWP.


Made of thin layers of bamboo held together by adhesives, Lamboo is an engineered, high-performance bamboo product for exterior and interior applications such as beams, trusses, panels, awning systems and more. Choosing from 1,600 different species of bamboo, the company has isolated four with the strongest cellular structures to compose its Lamboo product, which is reported to be ten times stronger in tension, three times stronger mechanically, and twenty percent more stable in moisture and temperature changes compared to its wood counterparts.


And then there are the inherent advantages of bamboo itself, one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It’s an easily renewable resource and a building material that offers some of the highest strength and stability ratings. Bamboo has a warm and soft texture that has won many fans in the remodeling world. So the question is, can Lamboo improve a wood species that’s already excellent in terms of performance and sustainability? I’d like to know.

You can request a quote or order samples from the Lamboo website.

(Read more)

(Excerpt of article by Josh Englander of HGTV Remodels.

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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated


 
Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

NanaWall Systems Lamboo Laminated Bamboo

Glass wall technology with laminated bamboo frames

NanaWall Systems, a leader in opening glass wall technology, introduces a folding door system featuring custom-crafted frames of Lamboo laminated bamboo. The Energy Star-Certified NanaWall folding door system incorporates an ecologically responsible wood-alternative material.


Lamboo laminated bamboo was introduced at the American Institute of Architects Convention May 12-14 in New Orleans.

NanaWall Systems has achieved Energy Star ratings and Dade County Hurricane Certification. NanaWall also offers Triple Glazing and OrniluxBird Protection Glass.

“We chose Lamboo because our customers requested more ecologically responsible material to use in LEED certified projects,” says Ebrahim Nana, president of NanaWall Systems. “We already offer FSC wood but Lamboo takes the concept one step further and is recognized as a rapidly renewable resource by the U.S. Green Building Council.”

Lamboo products meet criteria for 2011 "CALGreen" A4.405.4 (Use of building materials from renewable sources) and contribute to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification under MR Credit 6 - Rapidly renewable materials, IEQ Credit 4.4 - Low-emitting materials; ID Credit 1 - Innovation in Design (Environmentally Preferable Material), and ID Credit 2 - Innovation in Design (Life Cycle Assessment / Environmental Impact).



Lamboo is available with NanaWall’s WD65 wood-framed system and WA67 aluminum-clad wood-framed system.

Lamboo is an engineered bamboo product that is not only structurally stable but aesthetically pleasing as well. The production process uses 15 percent less embodied energy than that of engineered wood and 300 percent less embodied energy than aluminum and steel. Lamboo on average is 20 percent more stable than wood in moisture and temperature changes, ten times stronger than wood in tension and three times stronger mechanically. Bamboo sequesters 35 percent more carbon than its tree counterparts and also produces 30 percent more oxygen than a like-sized timber forest area.

(Read more) 

(Excerpt of article by WorshipFacilities.com.

NanaWall Lamboo system at 2011 AIA (Video)


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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated


 
Blog by: Dustin Dennison

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Are Bamboo Products The Future of Retail?

It's no surprise that the growing popularity and trendiness of “green living” has given rise to an entirely new subset in the global retail industry. With new and recent demands by the public that no longer exclusively includes the extremist eco-conscious microcosm, more sustainable products in retail aimed at the widespread general population are pushing through the niche market into the mainstream.

At the heart of this exponential increase in the green retail marketplace is the material bamboo that encompasses what sustainability represents while being chameleon enough to provide every type of eco-friendly product one could demand. On top of that, Bamboo has the capabilities to produce both quality and aesthetically pleasing products that are able to capture the interest of the mainstream public who are often set in their comfortable buying patterns that can be hazardous for the environment. This combination of sustainability, durability, versatility and beauty makes one wonder that if, while the future of capitalism is sure to be green, is the future of retail rooted in bamboo? All predictions and market trends are pointing towards the affirmative with the industry expected to be worth $25 billion in 2012. What was once overlooked as a predominantly third world material or decorative piece in tropical motifs is about to tidal wave through the global retail industry. Here's why:

Sustainability
Since it can easily adapt easily to changing temperatures, climates, and soil conditions, bamboo can grow everywhere and in almost any condition except Antarctica. It is also naturally anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-pest which makes the need for pesticides null and void. Bamboo produces greater biomass and 30% more oxygen than a hardwood forest of comparable size.

Renewability
Bamboo grows on average 1.6 feet per hour and reaches maturity in about five years making it the fastest growing and most renewable plant on earth. Compare this to Oak, which grows on average 12 inches per year and can take 120 years to mature. To put this in perspective, a sixty-foot tree cut for market takes 60 years to replace and a sixty-foot bamboo cut for market takes 59 days to replace.

Durability
The tensile strength, or the ability to withstand stress, of bamboo surpasses that of steel. Bamboo’s tensile strength is 28,000 per square inch, while steel rates only 23,000 per square inch. That’s why bamboo is used as a building material in areas often wrought with earthquakes.

Versatility
Bamboo is material that can and is used for almost everything. It is popular as a building material such as flooring, furniture and structures in earthquake-ridden areas. Bamboo products are a choice for clothing, textiles and even paper. In fact, there is not a single industry that bamboo doesn’t touch as it can even substitute for charcoal.


Restorative
Bamboo not only produces more oxygen but helps to actually reduce carbon dioxide gases faster than other plants, which can help reverse the effects of global warming. Since it is highly adaptable to most climates and soil conditions it can help restore degraded and damaged lands. It also acts as a natural water control barrier, which helps reduce rain run off and soil erosion.

Aesthetically Pleasing
Simply put, bamboo is pretty. Its universally appealing aesthetic makes it popular for both those that lean towards trendy designs and those that favor a more classic look. Bamboo products have a smooth sleek texture that is pleasing to touch and symmetrical design pattern that people like to look at. It produces soft clothing, savory food, unique looking buildings and even good-looking gadgets.

Bamboo products are the new kings of the green and environmentally friendly retail market. With its flawless reputation and ability to “do it all” the trend towards bamboo becoming the future of all retail seems imminent.

(Read more)

(Excerpt of article by Greg Voakes of Business Insider.



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

"MAKING INNOVATIVE THINKING A STANDARD" - Lamboo Incorporated
Blog by: Dustin Dennison