flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Top 10 green building products for 2016

Green

Top 10 green building products for 2016

A hybrid urinal, ventless dryer, and a chair made of mushroom roots are among the new green products to make BuildingGreen's annual list.


By BD+C Staff | November 23, 2015
Top 10 green building products for 2016

Duo-Gard bike storage. Photo: Ferut Architects (via BuildingGreen)

Every year, BuildingGreen names the ten best green building products that, as the publication states, “transform the design and construction industry” by helping to solve environmental problems, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to finding durable and safe materials.

A urinal, bike rack, ventless dryer, and a chair made of mushroom roots made the cut. For more on this year’s list, click here. Here are the 2014 and 2015 editions.

Honeywell’s Solstice Liquid Blowing Agent — Based on hydrofluoroolefin technology, it replaces a high global warming potential blowing agent, HFC-245fa, found in spray polyurethane foam. Solstice has a 100-year GWP of 1, which means it is equal to carbon dioxide in terms of global warming potential. The product is used by Whirlpool in appliance lines, as well as for Lapolla’s Foam-Lok 2000 4G SPF wall insulation, and Henry-West Development Group’s 3012-EB-3 SPF roof insulation.

Whirlpool HybridCare Ventless Clothes Dryer — The ventless heat-pump dryer improves efficiency by using a refrigeration loop that condenses moisture from the drum and returns excess heat energy. HybridCare saves on HVAC energy, providing 40% energy savings over a standard dryer.

Sloan Hybrid Urinal — The urinal uses a water-free cartridge and automatic rinser to keep it clean and odor-free. The unit’s Velocity cartridge pumps liquid through it and out the drainpipe, lessening buildup, while a water solution called Jetrinse is flushed every 72 hours to keep solids from forming in the housing and drain line.

Gunlocke Savor Guest Chair with Ecovative MycoBoard Backing — This guest chair is made from an engineered-wood alternative made from mushroom mycelium, a root, and is as strong and stable as a standard plywood- or particleboard-backed chair.

Duo-Gard Bike Racks and Shelters — The racks can be incorporated into a building to help it achieve LEED status. The shelters’ roofs are made of standing-seam metal or polycarbonate, and walls are made of polycarbonate, safety glass, perforated metal, or steel or aluminum mesh. Photovoltaic panels and LED lighting can also be included.

NuLED Power over Ethernet (PoE) Low-Voltage LED Lighting — The system uses DC power from a standard PoE network, and it can monitor and control LED power consumption and color temperature, all with less energy loss than AC systems.

Personal Comfort Systems Hyperchair — When HVAC systems can’t accommodate everyone’s preferred indoor temperature, this office chair provides personal heating and cooling powered by a lithium ion phosphate battery and controlled by a panel on chair’s arm.

Unity Homes High-Performance Panelized Homes — The high-performance panelized home system uses computer numeric control equipment to help create panelized wall systems and small prefab room modules to minimize thermal bridging. Unity Homes use energy-saving insulation and FSC-certified wood with low-VOC finishes.

Sanden Heat Pump Water Heater with CO2 Refrigerant — This heat-pump water heater uses CO2 as a refrigerant and creates water temperatures high enough for hydronic heating. It can deliver around 16,000 Btu/hr and can produce 149°F water.

Tesla Powerwall and Powerpack Onsite Energy Storage — The rechargeable lithium-ion battery system incorporates liquid thermal management, battery management, and a DC–DC converter. It has a 10 kWh unit optimized for weekly or backup use and a 7 kWh unit for daily use.

 

Tesla’s Powerwall and Powerpack. Photo: Tesla (via BuildingGreen).

Related Stories

Metals | Sep 11, 2023

Best practices guide for air leakage testing for metal building systems released

The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) released a new guidebook, Metal Building Systems - Best Practices to Comply with Whole-Building Air Leakage Testing Requirements.

Office Buildings | Aug 31, 2023

About 11% of U.S. office buildings could be suitable for green office-to-residential conversions

A National Bureau of Economic Research working paper from researchers at New York University and Columbia Business School indicates that about 11% of U.S. office buildings may be suitable for conversion to green multifamily properties.

Multifamily Housing | Aug 23, 2023

Constructing multifamily housing buildings to Passive House standards can be done at cost parity

All-electric multi-family Passive House projects can be built at the same cost or close to the same cost as conventionally designed buildings, according to a report by the Passive House Network. The report included a survey of 45 multi-family Passive House buildings in New York and Massachusetts in recent years.

Regulations | Aug 23, 2023

Gas industry drops legal challenge to heat pump requirement in Washington building code

Gas and construction industry groups recently moved to dismiss a lawsuit they had filed to block new Washington state building codes that require heat pumps in new residential and commercial construction. The lawsuit contended that the codes harm the industry groups’ business, interfere with consumer energy choice, and don’t comply with federal law. 

Sustainability | Aug 15, 2023

Carbon management platform offers free carbon emissions assessment for NYC buildings

nZero, developer of a real-time carbon accounting and management platform, is offering free carbon emissions assessments for buildings in New York City. The offer is intended to help building owners prepare for the city’s upcoming Local Law 97 reporting requirements and compliance. This law will soon assess monetary fines for buildings with emissions that are in non-compliance.

Green | Aug 7, 2023

Rooftop photovoltaic panels credited with propelling solar energy output to record high

Solar provided a record-high 7.3% of U.S. electrical generation in May, “driven in large part by growth in ‘estimated’ small-scale (e.g., rooftop) solar PV whose output increased by 25.6% and accounted for nearly a third (31.9%) of total solar production,” according to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. 

Resiliency | Aug 7, 2023

Creative ways cities are seeking to beat urban heat gain

As temperatures in many areas hit record highs this summer, cities around the world are turning to creative solutions to cope with the heat. Here are several creative ways cities are seeking to beat urban heat gain.

Government Buildings | Aug 7, 2023

Nearly $1 billion earmarked for energy efficiency upgrades to federal buildings

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) recently announced plans to use $975 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding for energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades to federal buildings across the country. The investment will impact about 40 million sf, or about 20% of GSA’s federal buildings portfolio.

Codes and Standards | Aug 7, 2023

Cambridge, Mass., requires net-zero emissions for some large buildings by 2035

The City of Cambridge, Mass., recently mandated that all non-residential buildings—including existing structures—larger than 100,000 sf meet a net-zero emissions requirement by 2035.

Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2023

6 multifamily housing projects win 2023 LEED Homes Awards

The 2023 LEED Homes Awards winners in the multifamily space represent green, LEED-certified buildings designed to provide clean indoor air and reduced energy consumption.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021