IN THE CAUSE OF ARCHITECTURE: "Architecture, the expression of the materials and methods of our times."—1894

IN THE CAUSE OF ARCHITECTURE: "...while Le Corbusier as the hero (or villain) of Western architecture is a story that has often been told, his ambiguous standing outside of Europe and North America has seldom been thoughtfully considered."

Architectural Record | House of the Month | Wood House: "handicapped-accessible wing that acts as a full-time house and office adjacent to an early eighteenth century farmhouse in Connecticut"

HGTV :: Garden :: Articles, “Fundamental principles and tools of feng shui gardening” gives the rationale for the meandering path. Sometimes it is helpful to think of this for long corridors inside buildings as well.

Toxics Targeting Products and Services

Apparently, the WTC released asbestos and PCBs, and the EPA did nothing about it after 9-11, nor does it do anything now according to an interview on Democracy Now for today.

A perfect door hinge.

This looks like the perfect hinge.

An example of a continuous hinge and assorted channels.

SIPs connection details, lots of them.

A micro-connection system is proposed in this page. It refers to 3M dual lock such as this pdf.

Spline method of connection

A construction detail for panel connection, drawing only.

Products Listing shows low-priced institutional furniture.

KSTA.DE, Kölner Stadt · Anzeiger in a review of „Ring des Nibelungen” in Bayreuth has a picture of curved panel.

. . . ECOLIEBHABITAT . . . is the creation of Dan Liebermann, teacher and extraordinary organic architect. A friend worked for him on a house, and when it didn't win easy approval for permit, Dan's approach was to fight the building officials. But consider the outstanding results and the dedication to teaching and pro bono service, and the picture is so positive the combativeness must be worth it.

Suspended ceilings were a great mystery. Are. So several searches later came up with a Salt Lake City resource, and contacted Armstrong.

A potential ceiling or wall finish material turns out to be more than the budget a current project can stand. Panels for the ceiling would be $51,000. A four by eight foot panel of the least costly material would be a little over $400, and 32 panels would be needed to make up a $13,000 minimum order of 1000 sq. ft. Wall facing for the total project is approximately 7000 sq. ft., $91,000.

A digression is DSA Architects straw bale with research into stressed skin. Alusion is a quirky aluminum foam product that is mainly used decoratively, not structurally. Green Home Building has a good page on manufactured systems such as SIPS.

Results of "curved building panel modular foam" are not very good. This page gives some general ideas of curved architectural panels, and this page, Galileo, specifically calls for sandwich panels for this, but unfortunately it is European. Loxley provides many related solutions, but it is very difficult to find a real product for a low-budget project since the company is offshore. ThermaSpan residential has a metal and foam profile that matches imaginative ideas of colleagues of what a panel should be, but there is no picture of a curved panel, and the supplier is offshore. If the project were huge, then Radome might be the answer. Kalwall is a product that might be the answer, a real product that offers curves and light transmission. It has a person where the project is located, a spec, and systems applicable to walls and roofs. Todco can do almost anything in a curved panel, but apparently on a high budget. One of the approaches in mind at the outset of search was corrugated or honeycomb kraft.

Search for "building panel modular foam" casts a wide net. Here are some of the results. An Australian firm offers panels for structural concrete applications, Unibuild, with US application. The National Park Service uses modular construction for collection storage inside historic buildings or in separate outside structures and offers many pointers in this Conserve-O-Gram. Sustainable Building Sourcebook provides an overview of structural wall panels and green considerations such as molded expanded polystyrene (MEPS) are "acceptable insulation or an alternative that has no ozone-depleting chemicals must be used. Additionally, waferboard, OSB [oriented strand board], sheetrock and/or siding need to be used as facings....COST: $1.75 to $2.75 per square foot or higher (material only). This can be slightly higher than conventional framing costs." Vesta Builders, Inc., a residential contractor serving a specific local area provides solid guidelines for details and allowances. Structall is a typical panel manufacturer of a patented insulated panel. None of these systems lend themselves to curved walls, so try a different search.