by Charles Hendricks | Jul 31, 2015 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect
Your heating and cooling system should be inside your thermal envelope or you are wasting money. We often find the HVAC system in homes in unconditioned attic, basement, or crawl spaces. That means you are trying to cool or heat air and send it through a space that is working against that goal. You are also probably growing mold.
This not only means the HVAC mechanical equipment should be on the conditioned side of the insulation, it means the duct work should as well. While duct work has insulation, it is not as much insulation as you should have between inside and outside of your home. Keeping the mechanical system and duct work on the inside of the insulation will reduce the amount of energy required to achieve comfort.
If you mechanical system is in an unconditioned space, you are wasting money. The best solution is to add insulation to the space placing the mechanical system inside the thermal envelope. It is not a simple problem to fix if it was not done with building science in mind to start. However, it is a problem that should be solved for lower energy bills and higher comfort.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 27, 2015 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect
We start them young here at The Gaines Group. The advantage to these young workers is you just have to give them a place to live and feed them and they work hard. For those waiting on design solutions from us – we have our best team on it! The one limitation is all our products seem to be on a Lego grid system. They also seem to either work in primary colors or all white?
Now if only I could find a building product that would work to execute these designs…
Never mind.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 27, 2015 | architecture, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
Green Term Defined: Fly Ash
Fly Ash is a fine, glass like powder recovered from the coal-burning process for the production of electricity. Fly ash can be mixed with lime and water to form a cement like compound similar to Portland cement. Using fly ash in concrete creates a denser mix that provides a smoother surface.
Fly ash is also known as “pulverized fuel ash.” It was released into the atmosphere until air pollution standards required it to be sequestered. It is commonly used to replace Portland Cement in concrete mixtures. It is also used in trim products the resists expansion and contraction as well as water intrusion. Finding uses for waste products reduces impacts on landfills and on virgin ingredients.
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 24, 2015 | architecture, Building Science, Commercial Architect, Harrisonburg Architect, project update
Read our progress on the Harmony Square Dairy Queen here:
Part 2 – Part 3 – Part 4 – Part 5
It is always exciting to see dirt moving on a project job site. Our latest ground breaking is for the new Harmony Square Dairy Queen. This project is sweet!
If you have been to the existing Dairy Queen you will certainly look forward to the added space this new project will provide. It will also expand the outside seating area, features solar panels, skylights, a high-efficiency heating and cooling system, and an advanced insulation package. In other words, the upcoming Dairy Queen is sustainably designed! Can you say blizzards made by the power of the sun?
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 22, 2015 | architecture, Harrisonburg Architect
An open letter to Mark Dorsey, New Executive Director and CEO of CSI
Dear Mark,
Welcome to the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI). I am excited to see where you lead us in the future.
You are going to be contacted by CSI members, many CSI members, with lots of thoughts and opinions. Some members will be young and some will be more experienced – again, all will share with you lots of thoughts and opinions (it is what we do). CSI members have a wide spectrum of expertise – architects, builders, product experts, specifiers, and engineers – all with lots of thoughts and opinions (again, it is what we do). These are the leaders of the construction industry. They all have a common character trait, members of this organization love CSI. I am no different – I too love this organization and want to see it grow to be even better than it is today. So like any good CSI member – here are my thoughts and opinions for you:
First, our members love this organization like you have not experienced before. Once you become a CSI member and get involved, you are part of a family. This goes beyond paying annual dues and attending a meeting. The members of this organization want other members of this organization to be successful and for this organization to be successful. We care about each other and will help a complete stranger in the industry – if they have CSI on their business card. We rely on each other for information, advice, and support – and we get it without question. Welcome, you are now part of our family! Just as a heads up, like any family, we have a few members that are a little, lets say different. So careful who you associate with early on in your tenure! You might not become a Kraken immediately if you don’t build the right alliances.
Second, this organization is not just a place to hang your hat as a member. This organization wants members to be involved, plugged in, expressing opinion, and providing expertise. If you understand technical documents, you will be writing for CSI. If you are passionate about education, you will be on a CSI committee. If you blog, you will be presenting at the Construct Show. If you are on social media, you will help others in the organization to get on social media. If you let your guard down, you will be on stage yodeling at Construct. If you know how to shake things up and build community, you will be a Kraken. As our new CEO, we want you to find members with talents and put them to work.
Third and this is important, if you are on twitter, find your family, we are here and active. If you are not on twitter, you will be ridiculed until you get on twitter. This is where #CSIKraken gather, talk, and have fun – join us! Now!
Fourth, we are looking forward to your leadership, vision, and inspiration. Challenge our standards. Push us to into the future. We are here and ready to support you. We might be a little busy having fun, but we are ready to work.
Finally, the CSI staff is amazing. They go above and beyond to support members and we love working hard to support them. Take care of them – they are critical to the success of this organization!
by Charles Hendricks | Jul 20, 2015 | Building Science, green term defined, Harrisonburg Architect
Green Term Defined: Cellulose Insulation
Cellulose Insulation is a low-thermal-conductivity material use to reduce heat loss and gain from a building. It is also a great noise transmission reduction materials as it is made of cellular materials.
There are four major types of cellulose insulation. They have the general characteristics of being dry, spray applied, stabilized, and low dust cellulose.
Dry Cellulose is used in renovation work where you are spraying in material through holes in a wall. This type of insulation will settle over time as gravity pulls it down. To avoid this settling problem a method called dense-pack is used which requires more than just small holes for installation.
Spray-applied Cellulose is a wet installation that mixes in adhesives during installation. This approach will reduce air movement through the insulation. It does force a drying period for the wall after installation to allow the mixture to dry out. Drywall should not be installed until the material has dried per manufacturers recommendations.
Stabilized cellulose is often found in flat installations such as attics. It uses water and adhesive in order to reduce settlement and to reduce air movement through the material.
Low-dust Cellulose is the type of insulation used in homes where the occupants may be sensitive to dusts.
Cellulose insulation has a lower thermal performance rating than does spray foams and it is not as air tight. It does provide a higher level of sound insulation than spray foam so could be used in homes where sound isolation is a priority. Cellulose typically contains between 75-85% recycled paper – often newspaper. It has the lowest embodied energy of any insulation type on the market. The most compelling advantage for this insulation type is that it has thermal storage properties – so it acts similar to a mass wall in storing heat during the day and allowing it out at night.
