From a retrofit home to an entire Passive House District, the idea of homes so well built they use a minimal amount of energy for heating and cooling is taking hold. Building with an eye to energy efficiency is not only cost-effective, it can also augment architectural design. This was proven by the winners of the 2014 Passive House Award. Six buildings and one region were recognized at the opening of the International Passive House Conference in Aachen, Germany. Energy efficient construction and refurbishment often sets the stage for appealing aesthetics, in addition to its benefits for the climate. In the words of Sigmar Gabriel, German Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy and patron of the Award, "The Passive House Standard serves as a global benchmark for energy efficient construction and refurbishment. I am especially pleased to see that the Standard is now underpinning more than just individual buildings, serving as the basis for building complexes and even entire neighborhoods."

Water scarcity, according to the World Health Organization fact files, affects one in three people on every continent around the world. In developing countries like China, the lack of water has become an everyday reality, as some villagers in Western China only bathe once a month or even not at all because of water scarcity. Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Water Resources reveals that 300 million rural residents have insufficient access to safe drinking water (http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.mwr.gov.cn/english/sdw.html) and 400 out of 663 cities are dealing with water shortage with the affected 40 million people coming from the urban population. In response to the water crisis, CINTEP, a Brisbane-based cleantech company, developed a patented recycling shower technology has shown reductions in water consumption by 70 percent. Invented by industrial designer Peter Brewin, who is also co-founder and director at CINTEP, the patented shower system also uses less energy than traditional showers without having to reduce flow rate at the showerhead, water pressure, and water temperature. Essentially, the CINTEP shower system, while only using about 2.7 liters per minute, does not diminish the simple pleasure of showering. CINTEP’s patented system captures shower water before it reaches the drain then pumps it through a recirculation circuit, which features three separate types of filter and a pasteurization system. The entire filtration and pasteurization process happens in less than 25 seconds.

Atlanta, GA – March 3, 2013 - Sto Corp., the innovative world leader in cladding, air barrier, coatings, and restoration systems has introduced Stolit® Milano, a very fine, workable finish for interior or exterior wall surfaces. Stolit Milano offers ease of application with a wide range of decorative looks. The water-based acrylic finish is highly breathable, mildew resistant and can also be top coated to provide additional surface protection. Stolit Milano can be custom tinted to a wide selection of colors, and will provide a longer lasting and more uniform look to the surface. Milano is a cost effective ready mixed finish, requires no additives so it minimizes waste, and unused material can be stored in the sealed pail. The low VOC formulas are safe to use and tools clean up in water. Stolit Milano is the latest offering in a long list of decorative finishes, including Sto Limestone and StoCreativ® Brick. Sto Limestone has the smooth, natural look of stone at a fraction of the cost. StoCreativ Brick has the classic look of brick in a lightweight, energy efficient cladding. For more information on Sto Corp. and its line of finishes and other products, please visit www.stocorp.com, or call (800) 221-2397.

This unique event is a great opportunity to enjoy fine food, meet and mingle with your fellow engineers, and learn more about Earth Shield® waterstop products and their role in Louisiana's environmental sustainability. The event is completely free of charge; however it is FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE regarding the invites and seating is strictly limited. You must contact Kevin McDugle (phone 281-682-9984) to confirm your request for attendance. The City Club is located in the heart of Downtown at 355 North Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70801 Phone: (225) 387-5767 Please plan on spending approximately one and a half hours with us, which includes lunch. The event host is Contractors Supply and Equipment of Baton Rouge and La Place, Louisiana and the featured speaker is David Poole of Earth Shield® waterstop.

Chicago (April 2014)— ROCKFON® introduces Chicago Metallic® 1494 SSC seismic separation joint clip for use with ceiling suspension systems. This shaker table-tested clip not only complies with the current International Building Code (IBC), but also provides a neat, clean appearance on the finished ceiling. According to the current IBC, every construction project must meet a Seismic Design Category (SDC), regardless of geography. The IBC outlines six SDCs, A through F, ranging from the least to the most stringent. For projects in SDCs D, E and F with ceilings larger than 2,500 square feet, IBC requires a separation joint that allows cross tees to move laterally during a seismic event. The patent-pending 1494 SSC seismic separation joint clip currently is approved for use on Chicago Metallic 1200 and 4000 ceiling suspension systems. Shaker table test reports are available upon request by Authorities Having Jurisdiction. ROCKFON’s product portfolio in North America includes an extensive range of solutions from suspended and concealed ceilings to clouds and baffles. To learn more about its Chicago Metallic of metal ceiling suspension systems or other ROCKFON products, please visit www.rockfon.com.

NEW YORK, April 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Globus Cork Inc. has announced the winner of its 1st Annual Globus Cork Floor Design Competition. Ms. Carlotta Valsecchi, a student at the NY School of Interior Design (NYSID) is this year's winner. Ms. Valsecchi is in her final year of the BFA Interior Design program at NYSID. Globus Cork Vice President Jennifer Biscoe said, "We're happy to congratulate Ms. Valsecchi on winning the competition. We are thrilled with Ms. Valsecchi's design as an excellent display of the style possibilities with 100% cork tile flooring. The Globus Cork Floor Design Competition is a new annual competition and the goal is to inspire designers and architects to think creatively about cork tiles which are one of the most sustainable flooring in the world." Details about the contest are available online at CorkFloorDesign.com. View the winning entry at http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.corkfloordesign.com/winner/

Leading manufacturer of decorative surfaces introduces user-friendly website TEMPLE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Homeowners, design professionals, building contractors and fabricators now have a one-stop site to explore Wilsonart’s full range of high-quality, decorative surface products. Wilsonart.com offers easy-to-navigate product information and inspirational ideas for anyone looking for today’s most appealing, cost-effective and durable surface options. Guided by the needs of primary website visitors, the new site enriches the user experience with enhanced visuals of Wilsonart’s innovative products and, through an advanced search mechanism, makes it easy for DIYers and professionals alike to quickly and efficiently search the latest Wilsonart designs, and access samples and specs from any page on the site. Wilsonart.com’s fully interactive format can be accessed from a variety of Internet-enabled devices, including smartphones and tablets. The new website requires users to re-register in order to save design selections and order samples. For a limited time, registrants to the new website will be entered for a chance to win a signed copy of Upcycling Celebrations by eco-lifestyle expert and author Danny Seo or tickets to see Danny speak at the Dwell on Design conference in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 21, 2014. Contact Wilsonart Customer Service at 1-800-433-3222 or smartline@wilsonart.com with any questions about the new website.

ROSWELL, Ga., April 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- SCOTT®, a leading Kimberly-Clark Professional brand, offers home improvement contractors and professionals the opportunity to win a 2015 Ford® Transit and VIP Race Experience with Team Penske and driver Joey Logano. The tried-and-true brand has launched a promotional sweepstakes, "Get Geared Up," that will run through Aug. 31, 2014. There is no purchase necessary to enter the "Get Geared Up" sweepstakes. To enter and for full details, including eligibility and prize descriptions, contractors and professionals should visit www.scottproprojects.com. Be sure to follow SCOTT® Home Improvement on Twitter @SCOTTPaintPro and on Facebook for updates and future promotions.

ROCKFORD, Ill., April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The newest Frank Lloyd Wright museum, The Kenneth & Phyllis Laurent House, will open to the public on Friday, June 6 in Rockford, Illinois. A series of events beginning Wednesday, June 4 will celebrate the opening. The opening coincides with what would have been Wright's 147th birthday on June 8. The home, considered by Wright as one of the 35 best works of his career, is the only building designed by the famed architect for a person with a disability. Kenneth Laurent was a disabled, wheel-chair-bound World War II veteran who, at the prompting of his wife, contacted Wright asking him to design a home to meet his unique needs. Wright responded, "Dear Laurent: We are interested but don't guarantee costs. Who knows what they are today - ?" The Laurents commissioned the home in 1948 and lived there from 1952 until early 2012, when the home and all of its original Frank Lloyd Wright-designed furniture was acquired by the Laurent House Foundation and added to the National Register of Historic Places. This single-story Usonian home is both functional and beautiful, meeting the needs of its owner decades ahead of Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility requirements. The home features a solar hemicycle footprint, patio, fishpond, carport, and outdoor connectivity to the natural landscape. The modest home is built of Chicago Common Brick and Red Tidewater Cypress. Much of the labor and materials used to build the home were sourced locally in Rockford.

Consistently ranked as one of the top 40 universities worldwide, The University Of British Columbia offers a unique blend of knowledge and nature. The main campus combines picturesque scenery with state of the art facilities and beautifully landscaped grounds. As part of its “Place and Promise” initiatives, the university has recently invested in an infrastructure upgrade that includes 2 new fountains that employ sustainable design techniques. The central feature at the intersection of University Boulevard contains 3 curved manifolds with 39 of Crystal’s cascade jets with corresponding LED020 lights. The water feature mimics the ebb and flow of university life by activating its jets only for the 10 minute breaks between classes. Energy is also conserved at night when the fountain converts to a mist effect. The smaller step cascade feature ties into the stormwater management system used by UBC. Stormwater is collected by the fountain and then biofiltered before being stored in an underground cistern. The water is then slowly released into the environment, reducing water volume and erosion. The fountain also includes Crystal misting jets and energy efficient LED technology.

Framing Manufacturer is Helping Reduce the Massive Carbon Footprint Left By Buildings Built “The Old Fashioned Way” Phoenix, AZ, April 13th, 2014 – Is the building or house you are sitting in right now contributing to global warming? Chances are it is. Due to inefficient construction methods, commercial buildings and residential homes are responsible for 39% of all human CO2 Greenhouse Gas emissions worldwide - this according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). These harmful CO2 gases are created through the total amount of fossil fuel energy that is consumed to heat and cool buildings and homes throughout the world. There is a solution to this problem - Eko SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels). These innovative building panels are factory-built utilizing two 1/2” thick Magnesium Oxide Cement (MgO) skins that are “sandwiched” over an insulating core of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam. The two MgO skins and the EPS foam core are average in strength by themselves, but when these three pieces are pressure-laminated to one another, they form a composite panel that is exponentially stronger than the sum of its parts. When assembled with its connection hardware, the resulting frame system is strong and energy-efficient. It also saves our Earth's trees by using no lumber in the entire system. For more product information contact Rob Johnson, VP of Sales at 480-265-6987 or sales@eko-sip.com. Visit Eko's website at www.eko-sip.com.

Companies View IFC as a Strong Interoperability Option for Users Columbia, Md. (April 15, 2014) – Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. and Synchro Software Ltd. have joined forces to provide truly open and flexible collaboration between architectural modeling and construction planning BIM tools. Both companies are committed leaders to the proliferation of open BIM workflows in design and construction and work to improve the efficiency of the industry through the successful implementation of open standards-based data exchange. In addition, both companies support the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) file format as an interoperability solution for their customers. One recent example of a large BIM project using Synchro and Vectorworks software is the construction of two metro subway stations in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The Consortium Heleno & Fonseca and the TIISA made use of BIM technology as a support for studies and planning of the stations Eucaliptos and Moema, both part of the expansion of line five of the Sao Paulo metro. Vectorworks Architect software was used for the generation of the BIM models of the stations and for accurate estimations of volumes and areas of different building elements of the 3D models. Synchro was used to associate the elements of the model to the schedule activities, as well as to generate the 4D analysis. Some of the resulting benefits of the 4D analysis included more speed and accuracy in the generation of the studies of the construction schedule alternatives, greater versatility and speed in decision-making, the creation of informative presentations of the work for external stakeholders through short videos, and visualization of the structures and equipment in different phases of the project. More information about this project can be found here: http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.cadtec.com.br/news/bim4d_metrosp_en.html

PHILADELPHIA, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A new web article by Best Masters Degrees puts 50 of the world's most sustainable university buildings in the spotlight. "The 50 Most Impressive Environmentally Friendly University Buildings" in the article were hand-picked for their eco-friendly features including engineering, architecture, design and qualities of sustainability. Environmentally sound university buildings typically consume far less energy and afford better sanitary conditions than older buildings. These facilities have earned considerable industry honors for excellence in architectural and green design. Awarding agencies include the AIA (American Institute of Architects), BPN Sustainability, and the United States Green Building Council (USGBC LEED). All of the buildings exhibit characteristics of aesthetic appeal as well as sustainability. They range from a university science lab in Pittsburgh made of 94% recycled materials to a park-like, six-story, underground university building in Seoul, South Korea. The top five are listed below: 1. EWHA Woman's University, Seoul, South Korea: Dominique Perrault Architecture 2. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia: HOK 3. Nanyang Technical University - School of Art, Design and Media, Singapore: CPG Consultants 4. La Trobe University – Institute for Molecular Science, Bundoora, Australia: Lyons Architects 5. American University of Beirut - Charles Hostler Student Center, Beirut, Lebanon: VJAA; Samir Khairallah & Partners (associate) To see the complete list click on the More button below or go to: http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.bestmastersdegrees.com/50-most-impressive-sustainable-university-buildings

Optical devices could bring natural light into dark, highly populated areas WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In dense, urban centers around the world, many people live and work in dim and narrow streets surrounded by tall buildings that block sunlight. And as the global population continues to rise and buildings are jammed closer together, the darkness will only spread. To alleviate the problem, Egyptian researchers have developed a corrugated, translucent panel that redirects sunlight onto narrow streets and alleyways. The panel is mounted on rooftops and hung over the edge at an angle, where it spreads sunlight onto the street below. The researchers describe their design in a paper published today in Energy Express, a supplement of The Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express.

Vectorworks Academic Research Grants Will Fund Activities Related to Design Innovation, Community Impact & Civil or Social Concerns Columbia, Md. (April 10, 2014) — Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. is accepting submissions to the Vectorworks Academic Research Grant program, which funds individuals and teams that develop solutions to global concerns worldwide. The Vectorworks Academic Research Grant aims to support projects that have the following goals: • Designing or improving a public space that incorporates humane design concepts and principles • Increasing awareness of a design idea or solution (for example, an individual developing a curriculum, arranging a symposium, establishing a program or department, or writing a textbook/resource guide on the subject) • Disseminating information for greater public/professional awareness The application period opened on April 1, 2014 at www.vectorworks.net/grant. Both individuals and teams are urged to submit projects for consideration that represent any design discipline. Learn more about the Vectorworks Academic Research Grant program by contacting academicteam@vectorworks.net or following @Vectorworks.

(Chicago) -- ROCKFON®’s extensive North American portfolio of stone wool acoustic ceiling solutions has earned UL® Environment’s GREENGUARD Gold Certification for low-emitting products. GREENGUARD is an internationally recognized product emissions certification and labeling program for manufacturers of low-emitting indoor products, furnishings and materials. Receiving certification confirms these products meet the stringent GREENGUARD Gold emission standards, contributing to healthier and safer interiors. To achieve certification, ROCKFON voluntarily submitted its North American stone wool product line of suspended and monolithic ceilings, clouds and baffles to a series of rigorous tests as determined by UL Environment. During the strict manufacturing review, product samples from ROCKFON’s ceilings were selected for profile study testing as well as comprehensive certification testing. GREENGUARD Gold Certification is only given to products that are compliant with the certification requirements, which among others, include stringent limits on emissions of more than 360 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). GREENGUARD Certification emission criteria incorporate health-based emissions requirements as denoted among others by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of California Department of Public Health’s Section 01350. More than 400 green building codes, standards, guidelines, procurements policies, and rating systems give credit for GREENGUARD Certified products. Earning GREENGUARD Gold Certification for its complete North American stone wool portfolio marks another achievement for ROCKFON with regard to its sustainability efforts. ROCKFON products are made from stone wool, which is produced from an abundant resource, volcanic rock, and recycled material. Stone wool features unique, inherent properties to provide a number of superior performance characteristics including high sound absorption, dimensional stability, fire protection and humidity resistance. ROCKFON North America stone wool products are audited regularly by UL Environment in order to maintain GREENGUARD Gold Certification. GREENGUARD Certified products are recognized, referenced and preferred by more than 450 federal purchasers, retailers, green building rating tools and building codes.

Hampshire, IL – W. R. MEADOWS would like to Introduce INTRAGUARD, a water-based, penetrating concrete sealing compound for exterior concrete surfaces specifically designed to limit the intrusion of moisture and chlorides into concrete surfaces. Its proprietary blend of silane and siloxane penetrates deep into the pores of the concrete to help protect it from scaling caused by deicing salts. INTRAGUARD’s clear sealing properties weatherproofs and protects virtually all exterior concrete surfaces including concrete driveways, walkways, and parking lots. The product is designed to provide lasting protection from de-icing chemicals and moisture intrusion. Surfaces treated with INTRAGUARD will also be resistant to staining from oils, fuels, and common chemicals. One of INTRAGUARD’s major benefits includes its non-film forming material that penetrates deep into the surface to form an integral barrier to moisture penetration. It also reduces the entrapment of dirt particles and other contaminants that cause discoloration and inhibits soiling, protects against efflorescence, rust staining, and is water-based and VOC-compliant.

New Features and Capabilities Will Be Introduced at Events in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou Columbia, Md. (April 1, 2014) – Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of the Chinese-language version of the Vectorworks® 2014 line of design software, including: Vectorworks Designer, Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals and Renderworks®. Mad Macs, the Vectorworks distributor in China, will host launch events in Shanghai on April 9, Beijing on April 16 and Guangzhou on April 23 to demonstrate the software’s new features and capabilities and how the program supports BIM workflows. Attendees will have the opportunity to win a free license of Vectorworks software and other prizes. In addition to these live events, Mad Macs will offer an online webinar on April 29, 2014. Visit http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.vectorworks.cn/2014 for more information or to register for the Vectorworks 2014 Chinese launch events. The Vectorworks 2014 software contains more than 130 improvements, including new BIM tools for architects, increased site design capabilities for landscape architects and designers, and enhancements to lighting devices, documentation and graphic controls for entertainment designers. Visit http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.vectorworks.net/2014 to learn more about all the new features in Vectorworks 2014 software. The release of the Chinese-language version of Vectorworks 2014 continues the global rollout of the software. The English version was launched on Sept. 17, 2013; several localized versions were released across Europe in October and November of 2013; the Portuguese version was released in Brazil on Oct. 31, 2013; the Spanish version was released on Nov. 26, 2013; and the Japanese version was released on Jan. 14, 2014.