January 29, 2013 —
Roads, bridges, buildings, runways, homes, dams, canals and more are all built with concrete. The coarse, gray building material has been so ubiquitous throughout history that even the nearly 2,000-year-old Roman Colosseum was constructed with an ancient concoction of concrete. Despite all its benefits of strength and durability, there is a downside. Production of cement, primary ingredient in concrete, is responsible for a whopping 5 percent of human-generated carbon dioxide emissions. The good news: Some industry newcomers are creating cleaner versions of the versatile building material.
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Dave Staub Feb. 24th, 2013Low carbon concrete is not a new concept. About 90 years ago the Danes and Germans developed aerated autoclaved concrete (AAC), importing the first production plant to the United States in 1995 in Georgia. My son and I have built a single-family home and a duplex two-story using this material. It is structural, fireproof, rodent proof, sound proof and relatively energy efficient compared to wood construction. It is nearly as simple as Lego construction. Nearly most of the tools will fit in a 5 gallon plastic pail. We have learned from our two prototype buildings the process of building efficiently and simply. Our designs incorporate mass to even out the thermal requirements of heating and cooling. Excluding land costs, our goal is to build for $75-$100 a square foot. The economics of building are truly remarkable, but the economics of life cycle costs, as rental space, are more remarkable. Although our website needs to be updated, details can be seen at www.staubdesign.com. Dave Staub