In extreme cases, vapors may accumulate in dwellings or occupied buildings to levels that may pose near-term safety hazards (e.g. explosion) or acute health effects. This occurs when there is a migration of chemical-containing vapor from a subsurface source into an overlying building. Fortunately, mitigation and barrier systems can...
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Cold-formed steel (CFS) has been available in construction for more than a century, but some specifiers, architects, engineers, and other building professionals do not yet understand the full range of the material’s benefits and applications.
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Plaza decks suffer from an identity crisis. They have multiple definitions and names—are they roofs? Floors? Driveways? Courtyards? Vegetative decks? Located over parking areas, arcades, or water storage reservoirs, they may be large (the size of a city block) or small (just a square meter or two).
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Among the many reasons architects specify glass are its beauty and versatility. In addition to offering the full spectrum of transparency, color, and high environmental performance as vision glass components, this material can be opacified in spandrels to create visual flair.
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To many design professionals, the term ‘cool roof’ means a flat roof with a white membrane—a high-reflectance roof that performs well, but needs to be hidden from view.
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Concerns with global warming and energy consumption mean design/construction professionals need a better understanding of how these topics affect commercial buildings.
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In recent years, the term ‘resilience’ has become a buzzword used to demonstrate how products fit into adapting the built environment to expected changes. As more groups try to classify what resilience means to them, the need for a comprehensive discussion to set a standard definition of the term...
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Window film can play a key role in improving any building’s performance, whether it is a new construction or a retrofit project.
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The building envelope’s fundamental purpose is to offer protection from the elements, providing comfort and safety to occupants within. However, in the quest for improved performance and innovation, additional roles and requirements have arisen.
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A folk rhyme often attributed to Benjamin Franklin describes the unintended outcome of simply omitting a horseshoe nail—namely, the loss of a kingdom. This proverb illustrates a basic truth—quick and poorly thought-out decisions have consequences beyond the initial myopic moment.
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