Schöck Isokorb for Controlling Thermal Bridging

Isokorb K uses EPS to reduce the thermal bridging at cantilevered concrete slabs.
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A German system for reducing thermal bridging in commercial construction looks like a real winner.

In commercial buildings where cast-in-place, reinforced-concrete balconies extend through the insulated building envelope, tremendous heat loss occurs, and this thermal bridging often leads to condensation and associated mold problems. The German company Schöck Bauteile, GmbH, has the answer with the Isokorb product line.

How Isokorb works

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Making integrative design measurable

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Update: USGBC has closed Pilot Credits 5 and 6 to new project registrants as of 1/12/11.

This prerequisite (PC5) and accompanying credit (PC6) were introduced to elevate integrative design to specific, actionable and measurable steps in the design process rather than assume that project teams will engage in integrative design in a meaningful way.

Increased use of VAV

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Note: This pilot credit was closed for new registrations as of March 1, 2012.

For decades, conventional hospital ventilation system design has been based upon constant volume reheat systems with outside air economizers delivering air through overhead air distribution systems.

Explore alternatives to harmful products

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Note: This pilot credit was closed for new registrations as of March 1, 2012.

Vallejo hospitalThe PBT Source Reduction pilot credit encourages project teams to explore alternatives to building products and materials that may contain ingredients that have a harmful effect on human health.  The credit specifically promotes alternatives assessment and avoidance of building products which contain certain halogenated compounds.

Controlling Humidity

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To remove moisture when showering, install a quiet Energy Star bath fan, such as this Panasonic FV-08VKM2 with built-in motion sensor. Click on image to enlarge.

High relative humidity is a significant problem in many regions of the country during the summer months. In hot weather, the higher the humidity, the less comfortable we are--partly because moisture does not evaporate from our skin as readily.

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Innovative Gas-Filled Panel Insulation from Fi-Foil

A new gas-filled panel insulation material that consists of pockets of low-conductivity gas in a honeycomb foil substrate provides high insulation levels.
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Fi-Foil GFP Insulation showing expanded (above) and as shipped (below). Photo: Fi-Foil. Click on image to enlarge.

A new gas-filled panel insulation material that consists of pockets of low-conductivity gas in a honeycomb foil substrate provides insulation levels as high at R-11 for inch-and-a-half-thick panels.

About gas-filled panels

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The DOE Showerhead Rule: Someone is all wet

Draft interpretive ruling from the Department of Energy throws a few new wrenches into the system.
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You would think that establishing a definition for “showerhead” would be simple. But, as the Department of Energy (DOE) is discovering after issuing a draft interpretive rule on the matter, nothing is simple when it comes to getting people wet.

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Simple Strategies for Keeping Cool

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While blocking sunlight on the outside of a house is better than using interior insulating blinds to reflect sunlight back out through windows, the latter can still make a big difference. Click on image to enlarge.

We're into those hot days of summer--really hot--with temperatures predicted in the mid- to upper-90s, even in Vermont, this week.

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