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Posted by EDS on February 22, 2008, 8:25 pm
>
>
> Kris Krieger wrote:
>
>>
>>>>
>>>>>I designed a large car wash / lube / detailing building that is just
>>>>>getting completed. We used a Canadian system (Royal Building System)
>>>>>that has permanent PVC forms that lock together and hold the
>>>>>reinforcing in place. The forms are grouted solid to produce an 8"
>>>>>or 6" solid wall. In our case, we applied a minimum 2" EIFS
>>>>>insulation/stucco facing on the outside. All interior areas are a
>>>>>smooth white PVC finish. This system is much easier to manipulate
>>>>>and frankly looks a lot better. EDS
>>>>>
>>>>THat sounds practical - just out of curiosity, how is it on the
>>>>"green" scale? COme to think of it, is concrete more or less "green"
>>>>than wood products (taking into consideration things such as
>>>>maintenance and longevity)?
>>>>
>>>>((Heh, my dream, a house I could just hose down on the inside
>>>><LOL!>))
>>>>
>>>Why do you think we used it for a car wash?
>>>Concrete is not very green. Lots of energy used to produce Portland
>>>cement. Concrete is not very recyclable. Steel is actually quite green
>>>as most of it is recycled and many times can be reused. Wood is OK as
>>>it can be replaced and often can be reused. The greenest is to live in
>>>an old house;-) EDS
>>
>>Good to know re: concrete, thanks for the info!
>>
>
> Consider the precast concrete Roman foundations and earthworks including
> pipes over two millenia old . However green, longevity counts as you are
> not wasting through replacing.
>
>>
>>
>>
Normal concrete will not hold up as well. The Roman concrete was made with
Pozzolanic (volcanic) sand from Vesuvius that is molecularly different than
normal sand. I'm no chemist, but as I remember it bonds on the molecular
level with slaked lime to form a waterproof concrete. This concrete also
sets up under water. Here in Boston the Big Dig and several deep parking
garages adjacent to the harbor have used slurry walls made of this material
rough poured down to over 60' below sea level and reinforced with wide
flange steel sections. (Yeah I know the Big Dig leaks, but its not the
slurry walls, but the stuff drilled through them and the crappy design by
Bechtel.)
EDS
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