NEW YORK, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Substrates and Encapsulation for BIPV

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0878030/Substrates-and-Encapsulation-for-BIPV.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Building_Material

Summary

This report identifies the opportunities for encapsulation and substrate materials and systems in the emerging building-integrated PV (BIPV) market. NanoMarkets believes that the BIPV sector will be the fastest growing part of the solar industry in the next decade, but that demand patterns for encapsulation and substrate materials from this sector will be different from the traditional PV industry.

Even though glass will be the most widely used material for both encapsulation and substrates in the BIPV sector, special coatings may be required as the result of the use of novel absorber materials in BIPV. In addition, NanoMarkets believes that in the emerging BIPV market there will be a considerable trend toward flexible PV because of its ability to offer lightweight installation and improved aesthetics. On the one hand this means new opportunities for suppliers of special metal substrates. But it will also require cost effective flexible encapsulation systems.

With all this in mind, in this report, NanoMarkets quantifies the new business revenues that will be generated by novel substrates in the BIPV sector as well as by advanced multi-layer encapsulation systems, including the new breed of encapsulation system that makes use of atomic layer deposition (ALD). The report also discusses how, as monolithic integration becomes more common in BIPV, specialist encapsulation systems will be required to protect the relatively delicate CIGS, OPV and DSC absorber materials that will be used in such products.

Finally, the report takes a look at how the leading suppliers of encapsulation products are viewing BIPV as a market for their products. In addition, this report includes a granular eight-year forecast of the BIPV encapsulation and substrate markets in volume and value terms.

Methodology of this Report

Extensive interviews with various industry and academic sources carried out in the spring of 2012 are the primary source of the opinions and conclusions in this report.

More here:
Substrates and Encapsulation for BIPV

Up a newly laid crushed rock driveway and through an archway opening made in a treeline sits one of Chippewa Valley's newest farmhouses.

Though surrounded by rented farm fields, owners of the new home only plan to plant what will grow in their backyard garden, making the home agriculturally related in appearance but not really in practice.

Builder and owner Lance Brunkow said he and his wife, Gaye, wanted a house that drew inspiration from classic farmhouses but had all the modern touches desired by them and their three teenage children.

"We wanted to do something that fit in," said Lance Brunkow, owner of Brunkow Builders. "We tried to be fairly authentic, but with new products."

The new house fits surprisingly well with the surrounding farms just south of Eau Claire's city limits.

Doors on the three-stall detached workshop and garage appear to be made of wood and steel, salvaged from an old carriage house. But the doors roll up like a standard modern garage door.

While a wood-burning stone fireplace in the living room can be used to warm the main floor, the home is primarily heated using a geothermal system, a network of buried pipes that draws heat from the earth.

Classic white siding running along the outside of the house was laid on top of an inch of foam insulation. Brunkow used SmartSide, a composite material offering the strength, low maintenance, moisture resistance and aesthetic benefits of cement siding, but with easier installation and less weight.

The house is one of 16 on the 38th annual Chippewa Valley Parade of Homes, which starts next weekend.

Varied trends

See original here:
Parade home inspired by rural setting

Written by Joe Scotchie: jscotchie@antonnews.com Friday, 01 June 2012 00:00

The proposed law is a response by the village to the continued existence of foreclosed homes in Massapequa and their upkeep, which village officials are displeased with. If approved, the ordinance would require that all individual and bank-owned homes be properly maintained. More specifically, the proposed law would cover the maintenance of pools, shrubbery, windows, siding and general upkeep of the property.

The law will have strict maintenance requirements so that the residents of Massapequa Park do not have to live with the mismanagement and ill will of those institutions, rental property owners and negligent homeowners who hold title to properties within the Village of Massapequa Park, said Mayor James A. Altadonna. A message needs to be sent that we will no longer tolerate poor property maintenance in our community or any community and that the hardworking people who maintain their homes should not have to live with adverse conditions next door to them.

The June 11 meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in Village Hall, 151 Front St. Village officials said the meeting would discuss the law in detail, but they did not say if the BOT would seek passage.

At recent meetings, the BOT has approved a $10,000 transfer in funds from the contingency account to the unemployment insurance segment of the village budget.

It has also referred the Planning Commission to study the possible installation of a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Van Buren Street and Park Boulevard. The BOT, in May, authorized the village administrator to sign a cash management direct service agreement with Flushing Bank to install an IronKey trusted solution device for internet banking. It also approved the annual stormwater management plans annual report, plus cabaret licenses for both Il Classico Restaurant and The Good Life, located respectively, on 4857 Merrick Rd. and 1039 Park Blvd.

Finally, two new banners will be waving from Massapequa thoroughfares this summer. The BOT approved a request to hang a Massapequa Hall of Fame banner at the Massapequa Park Long Island Rail Road station from June 1 until Aug. 1. Similarly, a banner from the Ancient Order of Hibernians for Irish Night will be placed at the same location from Sunday, June 17 through Saturday, June 30.

Continue reading here:
Public Hearing On Property Maintenance

Forty feet above America Street, a flag has flown for 21 years. It is a U.S. flag, but then again, it isn't.

With 13 stripes and 50 stars in the black-liberation colors of red, black, and green, the flag is an uncompromising piece of art planted in the historically black East Side of Charleston. Designed by Harlem-based artist David Hammons, it is one of the only pieces that remains standing from an ambitious city-wide art installation exhibit called Places with a Past, which involved 19 artists and took place during the 1991 Spoleto Festival USA.

Flapping above the rooftops of the surrounding houses, the flag is a curiosity to outsiders passing through, causing some drivers to slow down at the intersection to crane their necks and marvel at it. But to the people who live on and around America Street and see it every day, it has simply become a part of the landscape.

On a sweaty spring afternoon, a man (who declines to give his name) who has seen the flag flying for two decades sits in a folding chair on the sidewalk along Reid Street. The man, who doesn't want to give out his name, lives next door to it and knows all about its origin, but he doesn't have much to say on the topic. "It don't mean nothing to me," he says in a voice as dry as cornmeal. "It's just like any other thing around here you don't pay no attention." Jason Cooper, who just got his hair cut at a barber shop on Columbus Street, gives a similar response. "It don't mean shit to me," Cooper says.

Others are more opinionated. A man named Nate who has spent 50 years in the neighborhood says the colors have a clear symbolism: Black for the people. Green for Africa. Red for the spilled blood of African Americans on North American soil. "Well, it tells a story," says Nate, who prefers to just go by his first name. "You can be angry, you can be cool, you can feel whatever you want to. But the thing is, it tells the story of a sojourn of a certain race of people. You can be mad, and it doesn't matter. Nobody's going to listen to you no way if you get mad."

Marvin Smalls, who has lived for 30 years on the East Side, is mending the chain-link fence in front of his house and installing a wooden gate. His shirt is off, exposing a Black Panther tattoo on his bicep. "It's representative of the African American," he says of the flag, squinting down Reid Street toward the tiny park where it stands. "It's bringing the two together. People that don't agree with the American flag, they might be able to agree with that."

Beside the flag stands a one-story billboard, once emblazoned with an advertisement for Newport cigarettes. It now bears a faded, purplish monochrome image of a group of schoolchildren looking up toward the flag with eyes closed and lips pursed, perhaps in a song or a pledge. City ordinances prohibited billboards in residential neighborhoods, and yet, according to the book Places with a Past (about the exhibition of the same title), many existed in the early '90s, and a sizable portion of them advertised alcohol and tobacco in black neighborhoods. When Newport pasted a new, bright-orange advertisement over Hammons' photo a week after the show closed, the city helped Hammons to reclaim the billboard and then started cracking down on other billboards in residential areas.

Jamal Brown, standing outside a fried chicken joint at America and Reid streets, points across the road at the image of his classmates from Wilmot J. Fraser Elementary School, who happened to be at the Mall Playground when Hammons took the photo. Many of them still live in the neighborhood, he says, and are regularly greeted with a blown-up photo of their adolescent selves. Those children are in their 20s and 30s now.

Shameeka Green is walking south on America Street with her arm around the shoulders of her 13-year-old son, who is nearly as tall as she is. She can see how the portrait of the kids fits with the flag: "It's probably representing his people, wanting to do better for the community," she says. Her son, Cosohn, stops to take a look at it, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun with his hand. "When I first saw it, I thought it wasn't the American flag," he says.

Mohammed Idris, a community worker known as the Walking Imam, has never been a fan of the installation, and for just the reason that Cosohn pointed out: It's not an American flag. "To me, it looks like a foreign flag, and it looks like some children are up there looking at a foreign flag, and that could almost go for treason," Idris says. "I spoke to the city about that flag. I told the mayor and them they should take it down ... You see the youths looking up, and they've been looking up for years. What are they looking up for?"

Read more from the original source:
Controversial flag still flying from Spoleto '91

NEW ALBANY A retroactive request to allow vinyl siding to be used to replace the original wood material of the house that quarters Bradford Realty was denied by the New Albany Historic Preservation Commission this week.

It was the second time the commission rejected Bradford Realty owner Ron Craigs petition for a Certificate of Appropriateness or COA for the installation of vinyl siding, and the previous decision was upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals in March.

The issue is vinyl has already been applied to the 419 E. Market St. building, and there isnt much of a track record for the city to call upon in terms of how to go about removing the siding.

Bradford Realty is located within the Downtown Historic District, and the commission oversees certain building repairs for structures inside historically designated zones. One of the citys guidelines for such building repairs states that if wooden features are missing or damaged beyond repair that they be replaced in kind.

In 2008, Craig sought to replace the original wood siding on the house, as he said the panels were blemished and in need of being upgraded. But Craig didnt seek approval from the commission before ordering the repairs, and the citys guidelines forbid original wood from being replaced with an artificial material.

Officials notified Craig after work had commenced that he had to request a COA before replacing the siding. He appeared before the commission, and his was request was denied.

Craig took the matter to court and claimed he had no knowledge the building was in the Downtown Historic District, which was established in 2002. He made the same assertion to the commission Wednesday, as he stated he discussed the matter with the building commissioner at the time.

There was never any mention of the historic preservation zone, Craig said.

In 2011, Special Judge Daniel Moore decided in favor of Craig, as he ruled the commission failed to properly notify land owners of historic district restrictions. But that ruling was overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals in March, and the commission stuck to its original decision by again denying Craigs COA request.

No revisions have been made to the design guidelines since the initial denial, and the application itself is essentially unchanged, requesting after-the-fact approval for vinyl installation, said commission member Christina Pfau, who read the staff comments portion of the reply to Craigs application.

Continue reading here:
Craig application over siding again denied in New Albany

A new tower is taking shape on Hamiltons industrial skyline.

ArcelorMittal Dofascos $120-million No. 6 galvanizing line will eventually be 65 metres tall and will be clad in high-strength steel produced in the plant.

It is state of the art. It has all the bells and whistles in terms of fuel efficiency and it will allow us to create a greater product range, said Tony Valeri, vice-president of corporate communications and public affairs.

No. 6, which is replacing No. 2 galvanizing line, will enable the development and production of a range of advanced high-strength steels that are in high demand in the auto sector, said Valeri.

Its the key steel product to (original equipment manufacturer) car designers because it adds less vehicle weight but improved safety, said Valeri.

We want to be the supplier of choice. Its a high-value product.

The flat sheets of steel are dipped in zinc, travel up one side of the tower to be annealed (a heating process that brings hardness and consistency to the coated steel) and then travel down the other side of the tower to be cooled, strengthened and levelled.

The tower design will improve the quality, consistency and reliability of the steel, said Valeri.

The tower controls the final thickness of the coating on the steel and also cools the steel strip in a controlled manner. A vertical tower is more efficient compared to a horizontal arrangement, the company said.

The project is about halfway completed. The line is fully designed, the majority of engineering is done and most of the equipment has been manufactured. What remains is equipment installation, commissioning and startup, the company said.

See the rest here:
Tower taking shape at Hamilton steelmaker

The Making of 127 Hobson Street: A Great Mixed Use Build

First comes the site preparation, followed by foundation construction, then framing. Installation of windows and doors is important, then add roofing, siding, and some electrical and plumbing. Builders add the insulation, drywall, underlayment, and trim. As the electrical and plumbing is completed, painting, carpet, and flooring is added. The builders will hook up the water main and sewer. Residents and tenants will start to arrive bringing with them cafes, hotels, day care centres, shops and convenience stores.

And there it is: The making of a lovely eight level building sitting in central city Auckland. 127 Hobson Street is an example of one of the best mixed used buildings in Auckland, said Hamish Firth, principal of Mt Hobson Group. I think it was the combination of efficient, smart council members that worked to approve the project, the award winning architect, an engineering-focused builder, and a seasoned developer that brought it together. When you have a team of professionals that work well together, you end up with a great build. Auckland needs more of these. Firth and team obtained the necessary permits for the old three story building.

127 Hobson Street had sat vacant for eight years until it became a passion project taken on by Dennis Parbhu, a developer from Wellington with a reputation of taking nothings and turning them into somethings. He doesnt sell his builds, but instead adds them to his personal real estate portfolio. In fact, his newest addition to Auckland includes his own 2 level penthouse that was designed for his family. Everything I do, I do it to keep. It doesnt make sense to sell. Theres no money in it.

Created by Clearwater Construction and designed by Ashton Mitchell Architecture, The Hobson Street mixed use build includes a sunny child care centre; a high end, two story penthouse; a picturesque window caf complete with hardwood floors; a convenience and grocery store; seven expansive apartments with great ocean and city views; a secure basement car park; and 44 fully furnished hotel residence rooms currently occupied by Quest Hotel.

This mixed used building was a build for leisure, entertainment, retail and residence. The design aimed to create spaces that correspond to the contemporary society that surrounds it, while catering to a heritage style that is loved throughout New Zealand. The Hobson Street team started with an old building that looked dated and ended with a building that accommodates a growing population while maintaining the character and style that was started on Hobson Street generations ago.

Of course the usual battles had to be fought. Parbhu took on the banks that dont seem to want to lend to anyone right now, and battled a water and electric company that changed charges, added costs, and demanded a list of their own costly requirements. Its getting incredibly expensive to build, said Parbhu.

But in the end, he admits that its been well worth the challenge. Now stands a building that Clearwater, Ashton Mitchell and Dennis Parbhu can add to their ever growing portfolios of design, engineering, and builds. As for Parbhu, hes not actively working on a new project right now. I say that Im not going to do another one, but then I find one to do, he says with a smile.

ENDS

The rest is here:
The Making of 127 Hobson Street: A Great Mixed Use Build

WEST WINDSOR Councilman Bryan Maher criticized Mayor Shing-Fu Hsueh for the way he has handled the controversial Mercer County Community College solar farm project after a public forum on the Windsor Plaza development on Wednesday.

Questioning the extent of the mayors knowledge of the project, Mr. Maher accused Mayor Hsueh of siding with the Mercer County Democrats and pushing this agenda quietly for their purposes.

He said the first time hed heard of the project was April 4. I brought this up months ago and read about it last fall so either hes an absentee mayor, he doesnt know whats going on in the town or he lied, said Mr. Maher. Theres no gray area and he needs to be called out on that.

Mayor Hseuh, who was not at the forum, said he heard about the project more than a year ago, but had no idea of the projects scale, engineering and other details until a month ago.

But Mr. Maher said he thinks partisanship has been guiding the mayors actions.We have a Democratic mayor in this Democratic county who didnt say anything about this (so as) not to upset the upper Democrats he aspires to be one day, he told the crowd.

The mayor expressed shock at Mr. Mahers partisan attitude and said the issue should be solved professionally not through political attacks.

Thats not what we should be doing at West Windsor theres no Democratic or Republican way of dealing with issues, he said. I would hope he would go to council and ask questions, not go behind it. I hope Mr. Maher looks into the facts before he says anything.

Mayor Hsueh said he has been consulting with lawyers and Township Attorney Michael Herbert who have told him the same thing the college does not have to grant a public hearing because the school is an educational institution operating on county land.

The $40 million solar farm, which would plant a 9.5 megawatt ground-mounted solar array on 67 acres of West Windsor farm land, has already been approved by the county and state and has already been under review by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Go here to read the rest:
WEST WINDSOR: Maher accuses mayor of playing party politics

The Broadway Historic District of Rock Island is a roughly 30-square-block area between 17th and 23rd streets and 7th and 13th avenues.

The tract includes about 550 Victorian-era homes in the architectural styles of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Italianate and Second Empire. The earliest home was built in 1854.

About 25 years ago, more than half of the homes in the area below the hill had become rentals, some of them owned by absentee landlords who did not always keep them up and some with tenants who were known to deal drugs. The once-elegant residential neighborhood had fallen on hard times.

In 1988, a core group of strong-willed homeowners organized an association to help revitalize the neighborhood. They dubbed both the group and the area Broadway, which was 23rd Streets original name.

The association has spearheaded many projects over the years, including getting the area listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Other efforts are the annual tour of homes, a website (broadwaydistrict.org), the installation of sign toppers to identify the area and neighborhood unveilings in which neighbors gather to remove synthetic siding from homes.

Read more from the original source:
What is Broadway?

ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - Spring has arrived, meaning its time for home repairs.

Local home improvement service Mr. Handyman released a list of the top five actions homeowners should take to get their houses in shape.

1. Gutter Installation/Cleaning Gutters, one of the most underrated aspects of any home, will extend the life of the roof, soffits and fascia of a house. For the integrity of the roof, having the gutters cleaned is highly recommended.

2. Window Frame Repair Its time to let in the fresh air and cool breezes. This is especially tricky with a busted window, which happens frequently when the weather is cold.

3. Power Washing Services Getting the house, deck, and patio furniture professionally power washed can really increase curb appeal. Not only does power washing reduce wear and tear, it makes everything look good as new.

4. Deck Repair Perform a careful inspection of the deck to determine areas that will need attention. Are railings solidly fastened? Is the surface splintered or have nails exposed? Does any framing need to be replaced? Make a list of all the work to be done to stay safe this summer.

5. Wood Rot Repair Wood rot usually means there is underlying damage caused by water leaking behind the siding or between seams. Oftentimes, the leaking and rotting began years before, hidden from sight. Underneath, however, soaked wood has begun to rot and may be infested with insects.

For more maintenance and repair tips, visit http://www.mrhandyman.com.

Go here to see the original:
Top 5 Spring Fix-Up Tips For Your Home