LEED guides sustainable building by providing us with a precise framework of identifying and creating practical and measurable solutions for green building design, construction, operation, and maintenance. This system covers all aspects of the development and construction process throughout a building’s lifecycle and adapts to different types of structures.

Rating systems for LEED are developed through a transparent process where technical data is publicly reviewed by USGBC members in LEED committees. This allows for marked consistency, opportunities for stakeholder involvement and review, member ballots of rating systems and an open appeals process.

Currently, LEED awards points to encourage green building practices. In 2009, there were 100 possible base points for all categories of buildings except LEED for Homes, which has a different rating system. Note that an additional six points that may be awarded for Innovation in Design and four points for regional priority. Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points), Platinum (80+ points).

Materials that are recycled, reusable, and energy efficient help to increase the number of points on a LEED certified building.

Norsteel Building’s construction processes, combined with recycled steel sheeting, frames, and alternative wall and roof products are good steps towards creating an energy efficient structure. The design and construction of these buildings are energy efficient and can lead to LEED point eligibility. If you are in the market for a green building project, contact us at Norsteel Buildings to learn more.

Some customizations and modifications have more than simply a visual appeal. They can prove to have a useful purpose. Large glass areas that invite natural light into your building or shade providing awnings in front of your doors are both great examples of a customization that serves both an aesthetic and practical purpose.

There are other practical customizations in and around your building and building site that are also worth consider and plan for before erecting your prefabricated building; Items such as indoor and outdoor wheelchair ramps,  handicap bathrooms and accessible kitchen areas or break rooms, for example. In other words, now is the time to incorporate accessible, or universal design.

According to Wikipedia, there are seven major principles that encompass universal design:

1. Equitable use
2. Flexibility in use
3. Simple and intuitive
4. Perceptible information
5. Tolerance for error
6. Low physical effort

Incorporating universal design into your prefabricated building at the planning stages is smart, compassionate and perhaps even profitable. You will be better able to seamlessly integrate accessibility accommodations that serve the handicap and the public in general. You will also avoid costly post build modifications and additions. If you are still in the planning stages of your prefabricated metal building project, now is the time to find out about your particular area’s zoning laws and accessibility requirements, and to really consider the people who will be utilizing your building space.

Green buildings are the new trend in the building and construction industry. People who have realized the benefits offered by this new technology in construction have now opted to renovate their homes with green building materials, ranging from the different types of roofing options, decking options, paneling, and paint to name a few. The benefits to using these green construction materials are vast and they benefit not only homeowners but the environment as well.

Here are some of the benefits of green construction to the environment:

• Waste reduction
• Reduced pollution
• Enhanced biodiversity
• Conservation and restoration of natural resources
• Moderated temperature. Constructing buildings the green way can help minimize the onset of urban heat island effects. The planting of trees and other strategies used in green construction may help offset growing temperature in particular areas.

Green building strategies or the concept of sustainable building is focused on using renewable and recyclable materials in constructing buildings and structures. The result is a significant reduction of waste construction materials thrown into the dump. Accumulation of large amount of solid waste materials that are often a result of construction and demolition may now be controlled and reduced through this process. In turn, because there is less wastage and utilization of non environment-friendly construction materials, pollution is significantly reduced. In addition, natural resources are being conserved more and longer time is given for them to be restored.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has more information on why people should choose to go green with the construction and renovations of their buildings and homes.

This building would be great for an industrial condo. It’s 60’ x 200’ x 22’ high. It could be a great investment in that you can use part of it for your own business and then rent out space to others. Plenty of space for that at 12,000 square feet. You’d be getting them to pay for the space you need. Tom is the guy to speak to about this building. Call him at (866) 822-4022 ext. 267.

This nice little building is a STEEL OF A DEAL. Get it? Steel? But it’s a steel building… oh, never mind. In spite of the humour, it is an awesome bargain. It’s 80’ x 100’ x 20’ high. That gives you lots of square footage for whatever you need. This building has a lot of accessories including gutters and downspouts. The drawings are included as well. This building needs to go! Call Ron for the details and get yourself a great price (866) 822-4022 ext 350.

This third building is a chance to get some custom modifications, since the basic engineering is done, but not the fabrication. It has an insulation package—and you know how important that is. Get ONE THIRD off the price, for this building only. Call Jim for more information (866) 822-4022. Ext. 248.

Okay, last special for this week—this one has video, check it out!

(http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7mDYpTopaGs)

This building is a beautiful truck or heavy equipment repair shop. It was originally designed for Grande Prairie, Alberta, which means it’s suitable for very heavy snow loads. The size is 80’ by 120’ by 20’ high. The building has three repair bays plus warehouse and/or office space. You can still get some modifications made to it. We can be moving you in six to eight weeks. Call Jonathan for specifics at (866) 822-4022, extension 353.

More specials later, but these are worth looking into to. Like we said, you can lock in some great bargains now!

Many people are upgrading their homes and buildings to make them more energy efficient so The Built Green Renovation Program & Guide has come at the perfect time! “It was developed with input from builders and renovators, allowing them to choose from a checklist of more than 290 action items that address everything from energy efficiency and water use to material selection and homeowner education.” said David Bengert, President of Built Green Canada.

Built Green offers building standards, mandatory builder training and third-party testing, inspections and audits across Canada. It encourages homebuilders and renovators to use technologies, products and practices that will provide greater energy efficiency and reduce pollution; provide healthier indoor air; reduce water usage; preserve natural resources; and improve durability and reduce maintenance.  More than 14, 000 homes are enrolled in Built Green Canada today!  The renovation program was created for Built Green Canada by a team from the Canadian Home Builders Association of British Columbia, which included renovators, builders, community representatives and industry experts. 

Certified builders and renovators select items from a checklist of green criteria posted on the Built Green Canada website to meet Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum achievement levels.

The renovation program guide, which you can also find at www.builtgreencanada.ca  recognizes actions that:

• Meet green codes and regulations for energy, air quality, water efficiency and storm water management standards.
• Involve Built Green members who are committed to green building, and have specific knowledge and skills.
• Use techniques that reduce site impacts, including water protection.
• Promote energy efficiency beyond National Building Code requirements, using Natural Resources Canada’s EnerGuide rating.
• Improve air quality and reduce health risks for occupants and installers.
• Choose green building materials and reduce job-site waste.
• Help owners and tenants learn how to operate their homes in a more environmentally friendly manner. Homeowner education is the only action item required for certification to ensure the home is operated in an environmentally friendly manner and stays green.

For more information on Built Green Canada and the Renovation Program & Guide, you can visit www.builtgreencanada.ca or for more ideas on green options for your building, visit www.norsteel.com

Or, in this case, a car is turned into a steel building. Seriously, (and you can probably figure this out from the age of some of this film from below), but recycling steel has been done for a long time. Of course, it’s good for the environment—it reuses an existing resource over and over again, transforming it each time for a new and useful purpose. In contrast, the process of digging iron ore from the earth and turning it into steel is vastly more complicated and requires many steps. Easier to just bust up a car, shred it, melt it and then turn it into a building. You should check this out: it shows a bunch of nattily dressed conference attendees attacking a poor defenseless Oldsmobile with a sledgehammer (actually, it’s surprising how much sledgehammering the car can sustain). I suppose they are working through some white-collar angst.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oQxSwkKtIM

Let’s geek out a bit on steel recycling, as you saw it done in this video. According to the oracle of Wikipedia, in 2008, “more than 83% of steel was recycled in the United States. In the United States, it is the most widely recycled material; in 2000, more than 60 million metric tons were recycled.

“The most commonly recycled items are containers, automobiles, appliances, and construction materials. For example, in 2008, more than 97% of structural steel and 106% of automobiles were recycled, comparing the current steel consumption for each industry with the amount of recycled steel being produced (the late 2000s recession and the associated sharp decline in automobile production explains the over-100% calculation). A typical appliance is about 75% steel by weight and automobiles are about 65% steel and iron.”

So there you go, something to think about next time you pass a car that’s smashed up. It will go on to vibrant new life! Maybe as your new warehouse or mini-storage!

Thom was fascinated with the idea of 3-D surfaces and wanted to experiment, he wanted to naturally ventilate the SAIT parking garage with perforated metal. Rather than just painting on an image, the Ombrae allowed him to create an image that was alive, changing colors depending on the angle at which you approach it, the color of the sky and even the season, as green leaves can reflect off the exterior façade.  “Rather than just a billboard, this has more life to it,” Thom said.  “I just thought it was a great technology and I could see it on parking structures, roof top mechanical screen walls, artwork for interiors—I thought this would be a great natural way of doing it without putting on any paint,” Zeeff said. “We’re dreaming and experimenting and testing,but we see Dri-Design with Ombrae in theaters because we believe the sound transmission will be awesome.I see it in lobbies, it could go into a curtainwall or glass window system. I see it as corporate logos …anywhere you want to design a theme or project a feeling.”

If  you’re wondering if a photographic panel would require special installation or maintenance requirements,  it actually is easily installed with ease and maintains the same kind of low-to-zero-maintenance quality you would expect from metal panels says Dri-Design. 

For more information on Ombrae Imaging Technology, you can visit www.dri-design.com or for more information on Norsteel Buildings Limited and their products, please visit our website at www.norsteel.com

Called Lumenhaus (here is the project’s website) the building’s goals were to “clearly demonstrate that solar houses can be built without sacrificing energy efficiency or comfort, and that they can be both attractive and affordable.”

Some of the features the house boasts are electronic systems monitored by an iPhone app, lighting from LEDs, and multiple glass walls for maximum sun exposure. The modular design can be extended to add bedrooms, thus giving the homeowner the flexibility to have a two, three or four-bedroom home.

What makes Lumenhaus different from other energy conscious offerings out there? According to the team:

Where most energy-conscious houses are closed with strategic openings to resist heat transfer, LUMENHAUS has open, flowing spaces linking occupants to each other within the house and to nature outside. The fully automated Eclipsis System, comprising independent sliding layers, permits a revolutionary design in a solar-powered house, while filtering light in beautiful, flowing patterns throughout the day. LUMENHAUS epitomizes a “whole building design” construction approach, in which all the home’s components and systems have been designed to work together to maximize user comfort with environmental protection.

This is a bit of fluffy writing, to be sure, and it doesn’t answer the question of how the house actually does deal with heat transfer. But hey, it must be pretty good if it can be run completely from sunlight.

Here’s a video tour of the house:

The R value or R-value is the measure used in the building and construction industry for thermal resistance. Thermal resistance is the ability of a material to keep, or store, heat or cold. The R is from the equation used to calculate the figure. It’s calculated using the ratio of the temperature difference across an insulator (in this case an insulated panel) and the heat flux (the direction and intensity of the heat moving through the material). The bigger the number, the better the insulation’s effectiveness.

Increasing the thickness of an insulating layer increases its thermal resistance, and thus its R-value. For example, when you double the thickness of a fiberglass batting, this doubles its R-value. Manufacturer R values apply only to insulations that are installed properly. For example, cramming two layers of batting together into the thickness intended for one layer increases, but does not double the R-value (a good reason to make sure your walls and ceilings have enough clearance for the appropriate amount of insulation).  Also, the studs and windows of a building set up a heat conduction path that is separate from the rest of the building—therefore those areas are unaffected by the R-value of your chosen insulation. Because of this, you could use great insulation but if your building’s windows aren’t looked after, you might not realize a very big energy improvement.

We like to think about these things, so if you’re wondering what your options are for making your building energy efficient and cozy and/or cool, let us know. Norsteel buildings can accommodate the very latest in insulating materials and do it with ease!

On our Insulated Panel page, you can get a complete run-down, but let’s cover some of it here as well.

Key Benefits to using these include lowered energy costs and a really high long-term durability. These panels offer the highest R values over the life of the building. (R values are the term used to measure the insulative properties of insulation. We’ll go into this in the future in greater detail.)

We offer several types of panels.

Architectural wall panels are flat panels, available in a large range of colours and are perfect for your fussier-appearanced projects. They offer a very attractive appearance, and can be installed vertically or horizontally for more flexibility.

Striated wall panels have narrow ripples running vertically down the length of the panels. They’re also very attractive because the grooves add pleasing detail. They have a core of blister-free polyurethane and a high insulation rating.

Mesa & Light Mesa partition panels are also quite attractive, and you can use these on an interior or exterior basis. The subtle design–wide vertical stripes, evoking board and batten siding–is nice, and the design repeats on both sides which adds visual consistency to your project. Lots of colours to choose from.

Fluted panels offer an attractive and bold design, with a high-tech industrial look. Great colours and r-values.

Tuff-Wall panels are really attractive, and give a similar look to stucco. They’re highly abrasion and impact resistant, as well as offering EXTREME weather resistance.

We also offer insulated roof panels, which is another chance to add some insulation to your project. These come in the standing seam design, with an all in one composite panel.

Give us a shout if our insulated panels could work for you!