Sony Corp and Sony Marketing Inc exhibited a set of 3D video production system for business use at International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition 2009, which runs from Nov 18, 2009, at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture, Japan.
"Not only movies but also other moving images will go 3D in the near future," the companies said.
The two companies showcased a business-use camera, processor to compensate and adjust 3D images, switcher and recorder for editing, monitors to check images, projector and so forth.
Among them, there was the "SRX-R320," a digital cinema projector that can project 4k2k 3D video and was released Nov 9, 2009. The "HDC-P1," a multi-purpose camera for taking 3D images, and a "rig" will be launched in February 2010. The rig is a mount for the camera, and it enables to combine two units of the HDC-P1 and a half mirror to shoot 3D video.
This time, Sony and Sony Marketing exhibited the "3D LED Wall," a 280-inch LED display that is 6.4m in width and 3.4m in height and can switch between 2D and 3D video. It seemed to be made by combining 70 LED displays, each of which measures about 28 inches.
3D images are shown by using two overlapping images for the right and left eyes. And polarization glasses are used to separate those images.
Home-use TVs and Blu-ray players that can show 3D images are expected to be released in 2010. But it is still impossible to predict when terrestrial TV broadcasts will support 3D images in Japan.
"In the United States, 3D images are already broadcast in live sports and music programs via cable TV networks and satellite broadcasting," Sony said. "In the future, such movements will occur in Japan, too."
2009年11月19日星期四
2009年11月17日星期二
Toledo's OC begins to recover from chilled sales
WHEN HARD times cause boaters on Italy's Lake Como to delay trading up, executives at the Toledo headquarters of Owens Corning take notice.
Slumping sales of swimming pools, corrosion-resistant oil pipelines, and windmills - wherever in the world - are also a cause of concern.
A deal with a rival in late 2007 helped cement the downtown Toledo corporation's position as the globe's undisputed No. 1 producer of glass to reinforce plastic, which is commonly known as fiberglass - "composites," in company parlance.
The product has many uses, including sporting goods, blades for windmills, pipelines, construction, auto parts, blast protection for military vehicles, and smart-phone cases. Sliced into fibers, the glass is combined with polymers to form plastic that is tough, corrosion-resistant, and lightweight.
It is so common around the globe that it is something of a bellwether for the international economy.
And late last year, it became a fire bell.
Fiber-glass sales at OC in December plunged 45 percent from 2008's monthly averages as economies around the world fell into a deep recession that experts described as the worst since the Great Depression.
Officials at the firm's Cesar Pelli-designed office building on the Maumee River characterized what happened to fiber-glass sales as a "global demand collapse."
Blades for wind turbines are among uses for fiber glass-reinforced plastics.
They responded quickly, shutting down more than half of production lines worldwide.
In a conference call with financial analysts three weeks ago, Mike Thaman, OC's 45-year-old chief executive officer, said: "We still have a lot of equipment turned off and a lot of our operations turned off."
Other industry players also experienced declines.
In the United States alone, manufacturers of frp grating shipped 16 percent less product in 2008 than in 2007, according to the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
"Demand dried up," Chuck Dana, head of the division of the Fortune 500 firm that makes fiber glass, said in an interview last week.
But OC's sales of fiber glass are beginning to revive, especially in China, India, and Brazil, he said. The recovery has been slower in western Europe, the United States, and Canada.
"We are restarting capacity in a number of places around the world," Mr. Dana said. He cited a plant in Italy and one in Amarillo, Texas, which had been partially shut down.
After two consecutive quarters of losses, the company's fiber-glass business broke even in the third quarter. But sales in that three-month period, which ended Sept. 30, were down 23 percent from a year earlier to $451 million, according to the firm's financial report issued late last month.
Through the first nine months of the year, the company overall has had a profit of $86 million on sales of $3.6 billion.
The firm's core insulation business also is struggling.
A bright spot is the roofing business, where sales and profits remain strong.
The situation illustrates how OC became much more vulnerable to international economic forces after its purchase two years ago of the fiber-glass business of French rival Saint-Gobain. Fiber glass, which generated $2.4 billion last year, accounted for 41 percent of total company sales in 2008, up from 30 percent in 2006 before the deal with the French firm.
The business has 7,100 of OC's 16,500 employees worldwide, with 100 at the Toledo headquarters.
Two-thirds of fiberglass sales were outside the United States and Canada last year, compared with just 7 percent of building products sales.
The business operates 38 manufacturing plants, including ones in Amarillo, Texas; Jackson, Tenn.; Anderson, S.C.; Chambery, France; Gous, Russia; Vado Ligure and Besana, Italy; Kimchon, South Korea; Ibaraki, Japan, and Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
Construction is under way on a second plant in China in the outskirts of Shanghai. It is to be completed next year.
The renewed importance of fiberglass at OC represents something of a return to the firm's roots.
The company was founded in 1938 as Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp. but dropped Fiberglas from its name in the mid-1990s as then-Chief Executive Officer Glen Hiner sought to enlarge the firm's fiberglass-insulation franchise into a building-materials powerhouse.
Fiberglas, without the second "s," is a company trademark. But it is rarely used in promotional material anymore.
More often, executives refer to "composite materials" or "reinforcements." Consumers continue to talk about "fiberglass boats" and "fiberglass skis." But that is something of a misnomer. In actuality, they are made of glass-reinforced plastic. Fiberglass refers to the glass fibers that are combined with polymers to create the material with which the products are made.
In recent decades, glass' dominance has been challenged by other advanced materials. For example, manufacturers of aircraft and high-end bicycles have mixed carbon fibers with polymers to create a light, steel-like material that is much stronger -and more costly-than glass-reinforced plastic.
But, according to experts, glass continues to represent 85 percent to 95 percent of reinforcements.
Other fiberglass manufacturers include Johns Manville Corp., Denver, and PPG Industries, Pittsburgh.
More recent entrants into the industry include China's state-owned Jushi Group Co. Ltd. Its Web site boasts that Jushi is "the world's leading manufacturer in terms of capacity, technology, and economic efficiency."
OC officials aren't ready to concede leadership in those areas.
"We know Jushi and we know they have grand aspirations," said Mr. Dana. "Their strategy is largely emulating Owens Corning and aspiring to be as big and as technologically oriented as we are."
Said Garik Shmois, a stock analyst with Longbow Research in Cleveland: "OC is certainly No. 1 globally."
He recently raised his rating on OC shares to buy, and predicted that they will reach $27 each. They were in the $24 range in trading last week on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock dropped as low at $5.02 a share over the past year.
The stock analyst expects OC's roofing business to continue to nail down strong profits, sees early signs of a recovery in insulation, and is pleased with progress made by the fiberglass unit.
Even before the Saint-Gobain unit purchase, many of OC's fiberglass sales were outside North America. Partly as a result, business has grown 5 to 7 percent annually for at least a decade as product manufacturers sought out lighter-weight alternatives to steel and other traditional materials, company officials said.
In the United States, shipments of fiberglass material have declined by 26 percent after peaking at 4.2 billion pounds in 2005, according to the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
Problems culminated last year. Losses can be traced largely to problems in three key markets supplied by the industry: boat-building, auto manufacturing, and construction.
However, the crisis of 2008 had been brewing for some time, said John Busel, director of the association's composites growth initiative.
"Our industry was something of a bellwether that something was happening," he said. "We probably didn't know it was going to turn into what happened."
It is difficult to predict how rapidly the U.S. fiberglass industry will recover, but the nation's struggling construction, auto, and boat-building industries are unlikely to lead the recovery, he acknowledged.
OC executives have acknowledged that the firm's fiberglass business is unlikely to turn a profit in 2009.
Jim Barrett, an analyst with C.L. King & Associates, Albany, N.Y., expects losses for the unit to reach $20 million by the end of the year. He predicts a turnaround next year, for which he expects $100 million in profit.
"This assumes that worldwide economies show gradual recovery as we move through 2010," he said in a research note to clients after OC released its third-quarter earnings.
Slumping sales of swimming pools, corrosion-resistant oil pipelines, and windmills - wherever in the world - are also a cause of concern.
A deal with a rival in late 2007 helped cement the downtown Toledo corporation's position as the globe's undisputed No. 1 producer of glass to reinforce plastic, which is commonly known as fiberglass - "composites," in company parlance.
The product has many uses, including sporting goods, blades for windmills, pipelines, construction, auto parts, blast protection for military vehicles, and smart-phone cases. Sliced into fibers, the glass is combined with polymers to form plastic that is tough, corrosion-resistant, and lightweight.
It is so common around the globe that it is something of a bellwether for the international economy.
And late last year, it became a fire bell.
Fiber-glass sales at OC in December plunged 45 percent from 2008's monthly averages as economies around the world fell into a deep recession that experts described as the worst since the Great Depression.
Officials at the firm's Cesar Pelli-designed office building on the Maumee River characterized what happened to fiber-glass sales as a "global demand collapse."
Blades for wind turbines are among uses for fiber glass-reinforced plastics.
They responded quickly, shutting down more than half of production lines worldwide.
In a conference call with financial analysts three weeks ago, Mike Thaman, OC's 45-year-old chief executive officer, said: "We still have a lot of equipment turned off and a lot of our operations turned off."
Other industry players also experienced declines.
In the United States alone, manufacturers of frp grating shipped 16 percent less product in 2008 than in 2007, according to the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
"Demand dried up," Chuck Dana, head of the division of the Fortune 500 firm that makes fiber glass, said in an interview last week.
But OC's sales of fiber glass are beginning to revive, especially in China, India, and Brazil, he said. The recovery has been slower in western Europe, the United States, and Canada.
"We are restarting capacity in a number of places around the world," Mr. Dana said. He cited a plant in Italy and one in Amarillo, Texas, which had been partially shut down.
After two consecutive quarters of losses, the company's fiber-glass business broke even in the third quarter. But sales in that three-month period, which ended Sept. 30, were down 23 percent from a year earlier to $451 million, according to the firm's financial report issued late last month.
Through the first nine months of the year, the company overall has had a profit of $86 million on sales of $3.6 billion.
The firm's core insulation business also is struggling.
A bright spot is the roofing business, where sales and profits remain strong.
The situation illustrates how OC became much more vulnerable to international economic forces after its purchase two years ago of the fiber-glass business of French rival Saint-Gobain. Fiber glass, which generated $2.4 billion last year, accounted for 41 percent of total company sales in 2008, up from 30 percent in 2006 before the deal with the French firm.
The business has 7,100 of OC's 16,500 employees worldwide, with 100 at the Toledo headquarters.
Two-thirds of fiberglass sales were outside the United States and Canada last year, compared with just 7 percent of building products sales.
The business operates 38 manufacturing plants, including ones in Amarillo, Texas; Jackson, Tenn.; Anderson, S.C.; Chambery, France; Gous, Russia; Vado Ligure and Besana, Italy; Kimchon, South Korea; Ibaraki, Japan, and Apeldoorn, Netherlands.
Construction is under way on a second plant in China in the outskirts of Shanghai. It is to be completed next year.
The renewed importance of fiberglass at OC represents something of a return to the firm's roots.
The company was founded in 1938 as Owens Corning Fiberglas Corp. but dropped Fiberglas from its name in the mid-1990s as then-Chief Executive Officer Glen Hiner sought to enlarge the firm's fiberglass-insulation franchise into a building-materials powerhouse.
Fiberglas, without the second "s," is a company trademark. But it is rarely used in promotional material anymore.
More often, executives refer to "composite materials" or "reinforcements." Consumers continue to talk about "fiberglass boats" and "fiberglass skis." But that is something of a misnomer. In actuality, they are made of glass-reinforced plastic. Fiberglass refers to the glass fibers that are combined with polymers to create the material with which the products are made.
In recent decades, glass' dominance has been challenged by other advanced materials. For example, manufacturers of aircraft and high-end bicycles have mixed carbon fibers with polymers to create a light, steel-like material that is much stronger -and more costly-than glass-reinforced plastic.
But, according to experts, glass continues to represent 85 percent to 95 percent of reinforcements.
Other fiberglass manufacturers include Johns Manville Corp., Denver, and PPG Industries, Pittsburgh.
More recent entrants into the industry include China's state-owned Jushi Group Co. Ltd. Its Web site boasts that Jushi is "the world's leading manufacturer in terms of capacity, technology, and economic efficiency."
OC officials aren't ready to concede leadership in those areas.
"We know Jushi and we know they have grand aspirations," said Mr. Dana. "Their strategy is largely emulating Owens Corning and aspiring to be as big and as technologically oriented as we are."
Said Garik Shmois, a stock analyst with Longbow Research in Cleveland: "OC is certainly No. 1 globally."
He recently raised his rating on OC shares to buy, and predicted that they will reach $27 each. They were in the $24 range in trading last week on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock dropped as low at $5.02 a share over the past year.
The stock analyst expects OC's roofing business to continue to nail down strong profits, sees early signs of a recovery in insulation, and is pleased with progress made by the fiberglass unit.
Even before the Saint-Gobain unit purchase, many of OC's fiberglass sales were outside North America. Partly as a result, business has grown 5 to 7 percent annually for at least a decade as product manufacturers sought out lighter-weight alternatives to steel and other traditional materials, company officials said.
In the United States, shipments of fiberglass material have declined by 26 percent after peaking at 4.2 billion pounds in 2005, according to the American Composites Manufacturers Association.
Problems culminated last year. Losses can be traced largely to problems in three key markets supplied by the industry: boat-building, auto manufacturing, and construction.
However, the crisis of 2008 had been brewing for some time, said John Busel, director of the association's composites growth initiative.
"Our industry was something of a bellwether that something was happening," he said. "We probably didn't know it was going to turn into what happened."
It is difficult to predict how rapidly the U.S. fiberglass industry will recover, but the nation's struggling construction, auto, and boat-building industries are unlikely to lead the recovery, he acknowledged.
OC executives have acknowledged that the firm's fiberglass business is unlikely to turn a profit in 2009.
Jim Barrett, an analyst with C.L. King & Associates, Albany, N.Y., expects losses for the unit to reach $20 million by the end of the year. He predicts a turnaround next year, for which he expects $100 million in profit.
"This assumes that worldwide economies show gradual recovery as we move through 2010," he said in a research note to clients after OC released its third-quarter earnings.
2009年11月15日星期日
Despite All of the Clouds
The use of a 3D Laser scanner to survey can quickly result in a cloud of more than one million points; none of which contain any intelligence or reference information on the their topology or what they are supposed to be representing.
PointCloud and PointCloud Pro from kubit allow the display and processing of point clouds directly inside AutoCAD. Every single point of a 3D cloud can be accessed (OSNAP) and thus be used in combination with all traditional AutoCAD commands. Furthermore, PointCloud provides numerous tools for an efficient analysis of 3D laser scan data.
Coordinate systems, polylines, planes and cylinders can easily be fitted to point cloud sections. Planes can be fitted and intersected to quickly derive the edges of houses or curbs. Corners can also be precisely determined using the intersection point of three planes. Full pipe-runs and routing lines can easily be fitted for pipe design programs.
The results of such post-processing techniques can vary between 2D plans or 3D models.
The latest release of PointCloud Pro 5 extends AutoCAD by adding a photogrammetric, multiple image analysis. Three-dimensional objects can now be modelled using digital photos instead of scanned point clouds.
Oriented images can be generated directly within PointCloud and then drawn on to get an image plan. Lines drawn on a two dimensional photograph are simultaneously displayed inside the 3D point cloud at the correct geometric position.
PointCloud license holders may deliver fully functional cloud files free of charge with the FreeEdition version of PointCloud. Thus, service providers can hand their measured point cloud data to their customers for further processing in AutoCAD without the customers having to purchase a licence of PointCloud.
Versions 5 of PointCloud and PointCloud Pro support AutoCAD 2007-2010 and all vertical applications (e.g. Architecture, Civil 3D). They run on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Prospects may try the software free of charge.
Related blog:djthsurty.gujaba.com
PointCloud and PointCloud Pro from kubit allow the display and processing of point clouds directly inside AutoCAD. Every single point of a 3D cloud can be accessed (OSNAP) and thus be used in combination with all traditional AutoCAD commands. Furthermore, PointCloud provides numerous tools for an efficient analysis of 3D laser scan data.
Coordinate systems, polylines, planes and cylinders can easily be fitted to point cloud sections. Planes can be fitted and intersected to quickly derive the edges of houses or curbs. Corners can also be precisely determined using the intersection point of three planes. Full pipe-runs and routing lines can easily be fitted for pipe design programs.
The results of such post-processing techniques can vary between 2D plans or 3D models.
The latest release of PointCloud Pro 5 extends AutoCAD by adding a photogrammetric, multiple image analysis. Three-dimensional objects can now be modelled using digital photos instead of scanned point clouds.
Oriented images can be generated directly within PointCloud and then drawn on to get an image plan. Lines drawn on a two dimensional photograph are simultaneously displayed inside the 3D point cloud at the correct geometric position.
PointCloud license holders may deliver fully functional cloud files free of charge with the FreeEdition version of PointCloud. Thus, service providers can hand their measured point cloud data to their customers for further processing in AutoCAD without the customers having to purchase a licence of PointCloud.
Versions 5 of PointCloud and PointCloud Pro support AutoCAD 2007-2010 and all vertical applications (e.g. Architecture, Civil 3D). They run on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Prospects may try the software free of charge.
Related blog:djthsurty.gujaba.com
2009年11月10日星期二
Towards a safer construction industry
The National Building Research Organization (NBRO) formed in 1984, became a pioneering research and development organization in the country specializing in various spheres of technology. After 25 years NBRO now stands as one of the leading multidisciplinary institutions in the country.
This institution was initially formed under the Local Government Ministry, subsequently brought under the Policy Planning and Plan Implementation Ministry and later placed under the Housing and Construction Ministry covering the requirements of housing sector which was then a national priority. During that period NBRO developed solutions for cost effective housing, structural engineering research, and housing in problematic soil areas. NBRO kept expanding their fields of expertise and consequently developed their capacity on landslide studies. Now NBRO is under the Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry catering to new areas of Disaster Management, Disaster Risk Reduction and Landslide Mitigation.
During this 25-year period, NBRO has stayed ahead of other institutions by developing a multidisciplinary human and physical assets base. NBRO had two laboratories related to building industry; building materials laboratory and soil or geotechnical engineering laboratory.
These laboratories gave NBRO a unique identity of being capable of testing both soil and building materials. Twenty five years ago, NBRO was the only institution that had the capacity in investigating soils or problematic ground conditions.
Formerly the soils and materials laboratories belonged to the Buildings Department and these facilities were used by the Department to conduct investigations on building on problematic soils and on construction materials used in their construction work. As this became inadequate with soil investigations for complex construction becoming common and most of the consultants requesting soil and material investigation reports, a market demand was created naturally that the Department could not ignore.
Also, outside work could not be done within the Buildings Department. In 1984, these became push factors for soil and building material laboratories to break off from their original ‘owners’, the Buildings Department.
The pull factor being that at that time, the Government was looking for an independent institution to provide support services to implement the million housing program. After forming NBRO, the Geotechnical Engineering Division and Building Materials Division provided services such as lab investigation of soils and building materials to such programs.
In 1984, Structural Engineering Research Centre and Project Management Division were added when forming the organization.
The Million Housing Program lacked proper for project management and this was provided by the NBRO at that time. Due to the highlighted Government focus at that time, NBRO got the highest level of attention. NBRO was the main focal point in providing project management services to the Million Housing Program.
To meet other service requirements, the Human Settlements Division and the Environmental Division were created and these supported the process of project management and monitoring.
In 1986, a large number of deaths were reported due to landslides in the hilly areas. This attracted the attention at the highest level. NBRO had been newly established and at this juncture, NBRO was the only institution that was capable of geotechnical and soil related work. For these reasons, the Government decided to develop the capacity of NBRO in the field of landslides and the UNDP stepped forward to help. The initial landslide investigations were carried out by the Geotechnical Engineering Division (GED) of NBRO and at that time, they highlighted the need for further advancement in this newly emerging field. Later, the Landslide, Studies and Services Division was created.
With the establishment of the NBRO and subsequent developments, two diversified areas appear to coincide, the work related to construction industry and housing sector merging with work related to landslides or geo-technical matters. In 1988, UNDP developed a project on landslide risk reduction in hilly areas. This project was conducted with the overall assistance of a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). The project initially tries to understand the landslide occurring phenomena and the possible remedial measures that can be adopted to reduce the risk on the affected population.
In parallel to the housing program, NBRO seemed to have reached to its climax at that time and most of the value addition programs were carried out based on the research work of NBRO. Most of this research work has gone unnoticed since they were used in policy making by the decision makers. Hence, the access to these reports was very limited to the public. Some of these research work included building standards for economically and differently abled population and condition of workers’ dwellings in the export processing zones. NBRO embarked on a program to introduce cost effective building materials.
Numerous research work was carried out by the Building Materials Division on micro concrete tiles, rice husk ash cement and dolomite lime. During this period, Structural Engineering Research Centre and Project Management Division (SERC and PMD) assisted various development projects in the country specially the Gam Udawa program.
In this program SERC and PMD provided the technical inputs in engineering research, project management and overall project monitoring work. NBRO became one of the silent partners in the Gam Udawa program. NBRO was one of the organizations that could develop through the process and divert from the mainstream of housing and construction at that time. During the past 25 years, NBRO diversified from mainstream of housing and construction to environmental management, landslide disaster risk reduction and now disaster risk reduction through safer environment.
The landslide studies conducted during the past 20 years have created some important developments in the organization, and important land mark being the establishment of the ‘Landslides Services and Studies Division’ (LSSD) of the NBRO.
This was carried out in 1993 by combining all the staff members working in the Landslide Hazard Mapping Project (LHMP) to form the LSSD.
The landslide studies project developed by the Chief Technical advisor of the NBRO/UNDP led to the Landslide Hazard Mapping Project. The study team noted the importance of establishing a system to map the landslide prone area of the country. The team highlighted this issue of the importance in developing mapping methodology. Today these maps are effectively used in development planning, project approval, landslide risk reduction and mitigation projects.
This institution was initially formed under the Local Government Ministry, subsequently brought under the Policy Planning and Plan Implementation Ministry and later placed under the Housing and Construction Ministry covering the requirements of housing sector which was then a national priority. During that period NBRO developed solutions for cost effective housing, structural engineering research, and housing in problematic soil areas. NBRO kept expanding their fields of expertise and consequently developed their capacity on landslide studies. Now NBRO is under the Disaster Management and Human Rights Ministry catering to new areas of Disaster Management, Disaster Risk Reduction and Landslide Mitigation.
During this 25-year period, NBRO has stayed ahead of other institutions by developing a multidisciplinary human and physical assets base. NBRO had two laboratories related to building industry; building materials laboratory and soil or geotechnical engineering laboratory.
These laboratories gave NBRO a unique identity of being capable of testing both soil and building materials. Twenty five years ago, NBRO was the only institution that had the capacity in investigating soils or problematic ground conditions.
Formerly the soils and materials laboratories belonged to the Buildings Department and these facilities were used by the Department to conduct investigations on building on problematic soils and on construction materials used in their construction work. As this became inadequate with soil investigations for complex construction becoming common and most of the consultants requesting soil and material investigation reports, a market demand was created naturally that the Department could not ignore.
Also, outside work could not be done within the Buildings Department. In 1984, these became push factors for soil and building material laboratories to break off from their original ‘owners’, the Buildings Department.
The pull factor being that at that time, the Government was looking for an independent institution to provide support services to implement the million housing program. After forming NBRO, the Geotechnical Engineering Division and Building Materials Division provided services such as lab investigation of soils and building materials to such programs.
In 1984, Structural Engineering Research Centre and Project Management Division were added when forming the organization.
The Million Housing Program lacked proper for project management and this was provided by the NBRO at that time. Due to the highlighted Government focus at that time, NBRO got the highest level of attention. NBRO was the main focal point in providing project management services to the Million Housing Program.
To meet other service requirements, the Human Settlements Division and the Environmental Division were created and these supported the process of project management and monitoring.
In 1986, a large number of deaths were reported due to landslides in the hilly areas. This attracted the attention at the highest level. NBRO had been newly established and at this juncture, NBRO was the only institution that was capable of geotechnical and soil related work. For these reasons, the Government decided to develop the capacity of NBRO in the field of landslides and the UNDP stepped forward to help. The initial landslide investigations were carried out by the Geotechnical Engineering Division (GED) of NBRO and at that time, they highlighted the need for further advancement in this newly emerging field. Later, the Landslide, Studies and Services Division was created.
With the establishment of the NBRO and subsequent developments, two diversified areas appear to coincide, the work related to construction industry and housing sector merging with work related to landslides or geo-technical matters. In 1988, UNDP developed a project on landslide risk reduction in hilly areas. This project was conducted with the overall assistance of a Chief Technical Advisor (CTA). The project initially tries to understand the landslide occurring phenomena and the possible remedial measures that can be adopted to reduce the risk on the affected population.
In parallel to the housing program, NBRO seemed to have reached to its climax at that time and most of the value addition programs were carried out based on the research work of NBRO. Most of this research work has gone unnoticed since they were used in policy making by the decision makers. Hence, the access to these reports was very limited to the public. Some of these research work included building standards for economically and differently abled population and condition of workers’ dwellings in the export processing zones. NBRO embarked on a program to introduce cost effective building materials.
Numerous research work was carried out by the Building Materials Division on micro concrete tiles, rice husk ash cement and dolomite lime. During this period, Structural Engineering Research Centre and Project Management Division (SERC and PMD) assisted various development projects in the country specially the Gam Udawa program.
In this program SERC and PMD provided the technical inputs in engineering research, project management and overall project monitoring work. NBRO became one of the silent partners in the Gam Udawa program. NBRO was one of the organizations that could develop through the process and divert from the mainstream of housing and construction at that time. During the past 25 years, NBRO diversified from mainstream of housing and construction to environmental management, landslide disaster risk reduction and now disaster risk reduction through safer environment.
The landslide studies conducted during the past 20 years have created some important developments in the organization, and important land mark being the establishment of the ‘Landslides Services and Studies Division’ (LSSD) of the NBRO.
This was carried out in 1993 by combining all the staff members working in the Landslide Hazard Mapping Project (LHMP) to form the LSSD.
The landslide studies project developed by the Chief Technical advisor of the NBRO/UNDP led to the Landslide Hazard Mapping Project. The study team noted the importance of establishing a system to map the landslide prone area of the country. The team highlighted this issue of the importance in developing mapping methodology. Today these maps are effectively used in development planning, project approval, landslide risk reduction and mitigation projects.
2009年11月8日星期日
Portable 3-D Laser Technology Preserves Texas Dinosaur's Rare Footprint
Using portable 3D laser technology, scientists have electronically preserved a rare 110 million-year-old fossilized dinosaur footprint that was previously excavated and built into the wall of a bandstand at a Texas courthouse in the 1930s.
The laser image preserves a "type specimen" footprint -- an original track used to describe a species of dinosaur identified in the 1930s as ichnospecies Eubrontes glenrosensis, says paleontologist Thomas L. Adams at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Portable 3D laser scanners capture original fossil morphology and texture, making it possible to use the data for rapid 3D prototyping in foam or resin, Adams says.
Without prototyping, the shape of the original track might ultimately be lost. The footprint embedded in the bandstand has been exposed to the elements for nearly 75 years, causing portions of it to erode, Adams says. Erosional loss has affected the outer edge of the toes and heel, altering the initial shape of the track impression.
The track of the ichnospecies Eubrontes glenrosensis was originally excavated in 1933 from a main track layer in a riverbed in what is now 1,500-acre Dinosaur Valley State Park in North Central Texas. Not long after it was excavated, the citizens of Glen Rose built a stone bandstand and embedded the track in one of its walls.
The track was described in 1935 by Ellis W. Shuler, SMU's first geology professor.
Adams says the footprint is that of a three-toed, bipedal, meat-eating dinosaur, with the most likely candidate being the theropod named Acrocanthosaurus, found mostly in Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
"The track is scientifically very important," says Adams, who is earning his doctoral degree in paleontology at SMU. "But it's also a historical and cultural icon for Texas."
Dinosaur Valley State Park boasts the ancient shoreline of a 113 million-year-old sea and is renowned for some of the best preserved dinosaur footprints in the world. The bandstand track is a popular draw for tourists passing through Glen Rose, which is an hour southwest of Dallas.
In an effort to preserve the specimen, as well as to compare its present state with the original description, Adams used a portable 3D laser scanner to perform in situ digitization of the track.
The scans were post-processed to generate high-resolution 3D digital models of the track. Finally the models were rendered in various media formats such as Quicktime VR Virtual Reality and Tagged Image File Format for viewing, publication and archival purposes.
Adams will make the raw scan data and industry-standard 3D object files format available for download.
The research demonstrates the advantages of using portable laser scanners to capture field data and create high-resolution, interactive models that can be digitally archived and made accessible to others via the Internet for further research and education.
"It's a nice way to share scientific data," Adams says.
For more information, go to www.smuresearch.com. Adams' research was funded by the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at SMU. He presented the research at a scientific session of the 2009 annual meeting of The Geological Society of America in Portland, Ore., Oct. 18-21. His co-researchers are Christopher Strganac, Michael J. Polcyn and Louis L. Jacobs in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences at SMU.
The laser image preserves a "type specimen" footprint -- an original track used to describe a species of dinosaur identified in the 1930s as ichnospecies Eubrontes glenrosensis, says paleontologist Thomas L. Adams at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Portable 3D laser scanners capture original fossil morphology and texture, making it possible to use the data for rapid 3D prototyping in foam or resin, Adams says.
Without prototyping, the shape of the original track might ultimately be lost. The footprint embedded in the bandstand has been exposed to the elements for nearly 75 years, causing portions of it to erode, Adams says. Erosional loss has affected the outer edge of the toes and heel, altering the initial shape of the track impression.
The track of the ichnospecies Eubrontes glenrosensis was originally excavated in 1933 from a main track layer in a riverbed in what is now 1,500-acre Dinosaur Valley State Park in North Central Texas. Not long after it was excavated, the citizens of Glen Rose built a stone bandstand and embedded the track in one of its walls.
The track was described in 1935 by Ellis W. Shuler, SMU's first geology professor.
Adams says the footprint is that of a three-toed, bipedal, meat-eating dinosaur, with the most likely candidate being the theropod named Acrocanthosaurus, found mostly in Texas, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
"The track is scientifically very important," says Adams, who is earning his doctoral degree in paleontology at SMU. "But it's also a historical and cultural icon for Texas."
Dinosaur Valley State Park boasts the ancient shoreline of a 113 million-year-old sea and is renowned for some of the best preserved dinosaur footprints in the world. The bandstand track is a popular draw for tourists passing through Glen Rose, which is an hour southwest of Dallas.
In an effort to preserve the specimen, as well as to compare its present state with the original description, Adams used a portable 3D laser scanner to perform in situ digitization of the track.
The scans were post-processed to generate high-resolution 3D digital models of the track. Finally the models were rendered in various media formats such as Quicktime VR Virtual Reality and Tagged Image File Format for viewing, publication and archival purposes.
Adams will make the raw scan data and industry-standard 3D object files format available for download.
The research demonstrates the advantages of using portable laser scanners to capture field data and create high-resolution, interactive models that can be digitally archived and made accessible to others via the Internet for further research and education.
"It's a nice way to share scientific data," Adams says.
For more information, go to www.smuresearch.com. Adams' research was funded by the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at SMU. He presented the research at a scientific session of the 2009 annual meeting of The Geological Society of America in Portland, Ore., Oct. 18-21. His co-researchers are Christopher Strganac, Michael J. Polcyn and Louis L. Jacobs in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences at SMU.
2009年11月4日星期三
Workshop takes on sustainable building
Ben Sasse installed a rainwater cistern in his development to help reduce water consumption -- saving him nearly $1,000 annually on water bills.
Joe King decided not to clear-cut his building lots, nestling his homes in the natural Florida landscape to reduce irrigation costs and storm-water runoff and create a forested feel his buyers love.
The building boom may be gone, but Sarasota County leaders are working to ensure that future developments look more like what Sasse and King have created when construction returns.
Some of the ideas proposed Tuesday at the county's annual Sustainable Communities Workshop included impact fee credits for builders who conserve water, allowing taller buildings that preserve more green space, better storm-water management to limit runoff into streams and bays, and charging higher prices for treated water to encourage conservation.
Sasse told the audience of about 100 that his office building uses 83 percent less water than conventional buildings because of the rainwater cistern, low flow urinals and other conservation methods.
"It's really impressive," said County Commissioner Joe Barbetta. "Hopefully it will be contagious throughout the community."
Yet the increased costs of many "low impact" development practices have limited widespread acceptance and it is unclear if government leaders will hold developers to higher standards when people are desperate for economic development.
Current plans include a mix of incentives for developers and new regulations.
New development standards in the works would require more native landscaping and building materials such as pervious concrete that can absorb storm water.
County leaders have also established a panel to investigate impact fee reductions for developers who conserve water.
Sasse believes the impact fee incentives are essential to make products like cisterns more affordable. Sasse's system cost $27,000.
It will take 30 years to recoup that cost based on the $1,000 annual savings in reduced water bills. Technologies will not move from the fringe to the mainstream until they are more affordable, Sasse said.
"Saving water is more than just about saving dollars," Sasse said, "but we live in a real world."
Barbetta said he supports reducing impact fees for conservation. "If you reduce your impact it seems logical to reduce the fees," he said.
But some speakers at the workshop favored more drastic measures that would force developers to abide by higher standards and shock consumers into action.
Pierce Jones, a University of Florida professor in the Resource Efficient Communities program, believes water rates need to be raised to encourage conservation.
"That would change the payback if the cost of water was raised to where it should be," he said.
Reated website:frp grating,http://www.lydry.com/
Joe King decided not to clear-cut his building lots, nestling his homes in the natural Florida landscape to reduce irrigation costs and storm-water runoff and create a forested feel his buyers love.
The building boom may be gone, but Sarasota County leaders are working to ensure that future developments look more like what Sasse and King have created when construction returns.
Some of the ideas proposed Tuesday at the county's annual Sustainable Communities Workshop included impact fee credits for builders who conserve water, allowing taller buildings that preserve more green space, better storm-water management to limit runoff into streams and bays, and charging higher prices for treated water to encourage conservation.
Sasse told the audience of about 100 that his office building uses 83 percent less water than conventional buildings because of the rainwater cistern, low flow urinals and other conservation methods.
"It's really impressive," said County Commissioner Joe Barbetta. "Hopefully it will be contagious throughout the community."
Yet the increased costs of many "low impact" development practices have limited widespread acceptance and it is unclear if government leaders will hold developers to higher standards when people are desperate for economic development.
Current plans include a mix of incentives for developers and new regulations.
New development standards in the works would require more native landscaping and building materials such as pervious concrete that can absorb storm water.
County leaders have also established a panel to investigate impact fee reductions for developers who conserve water.
Sasse believes the impact fee incentives are essential to make products like cisterns more affordable. Sasse's system cost $27,000.
It will take 30 years to recoup that cost based on the $1,000 annual savings in reduced water bills. Technologies will not move from the fringe to the mainstream until they are more affordable, Sasse said.
"Saving water is more than just about saving dollars," Sasse said, "but we live in a real world."
Barbetta said he supports reducing impact fees for conservation. "If you reduce your impact it seems logical to reduce the fees," he said.
But some speakers at the workshop favored more drastic measures that would force developers to abide by higher standards and shock consumers into action.
Pierce Jones, a University of Florida professor in the Resource Efficient Communities program, believes water rates need to be raised to encourage conservation.
"That would change the payback if the cost of water was raised to where it should be," he said.
Reated website:frp grating,http://www.lydry.com/
3D Laser Mapping Appoints South American
3D Laser Mapping has appointed GEOCOM to act as Chilean representative for it's hi-tech laser scanning systems. With over 20 years experience in providing advanced solutions for field surveying, GEOCOM was the obvious partner for the region. Chile is a vital area for mining and economic development and 3D Laser Mapping sees the region is a key market for its laser monitoring systems. The partnership with GEOCOM will build on 3D Laser Mapping's position as an international specialist in the global development and deployment of 3D laser monitoring systems.
SiteMonitor is a safety monitoring system that automatically detects tiny movements in slopes and walls in open pit mines and other environments. Using advanced laser scanning technology, the modular SiteMonitor 3 system offers extensive user-defined alarm options with remote monitoring over the Internet and automated warning e-mails. SiteMonitor 3 can be used with virtually
any terrestrial laser scanner giving flexibility in the range, rate and accuracy of scan measurements. It has been designed as a completely flexible laser scanning system that includes configurable software modules to meet individual user's requirements, plus hardware accessories and a comprehensive service package including commissioning, training and remote support, making it a
complete turn key solution.
SiteMonitor is a safety monitoring system that automatically detects tiny movements in slopes and walls in open pit mines and other environments. Using advanced laser scanning technology, the modular SiteMonitor 3 system offers extensive user-defined alarm options with remote monitoring over the Internet and automated warning e-mails. SiteMonitor 3 can be used with virtually
any terrestrial laser scanner giving flexibility in the range, rate and accuracy of scan measurements. It has been designed as a completely flexible laser scanning system that includes configurable software modules to meet individual user's requirements, plus hardware accessories and a comprehensive service package including commissioning, training and remote support, making it a
complete turn key solution.
2009年11月3日星期二
Thomas Jane’s Dark Country 3D
October 6th, 2009 saw two very momentous occasions. Firstly, and most importantly, it was my birthday. Secondly, Thomas Jane’s first feature directorial effort (he’s listed as having directed Jonni Nitro, but even I’m clueless as to what that is) Dark Country was released on DVD. Our own Rob Hunter listed the film as a rental in his DVD recommendations but that didn’t stop me from heading out and purchasing it. Then, in a bit of good fortune, I promptly tossed it on the “to watch” pile and forgot about it for three weeks. I say good fortune because not watching the standard, 2D version of the film allowed me to walk into a small, one of a kind screening in late October, the first ever Annual Halloween screening of the film – in glorious 3 dimensions. So my first experience with the film would be as intended – in a theater, with the full effect of the 3D, not on some TV with a flat picture.
Cut to late October and I’m settled in at a Halloween screening, complete with decorations and, no joke, a string trio playing along. The film is introduced by Tom Jane and some characters in face paint as he takes a very Crypt Keeper like approach to the night, complete with “gaping chest wound” t-shirt and flashlights. After a brief intro, the glasses go on and the film comes up.
Dark Country is a Twilight Zone-esque thriller that follows a newly-wed couple Dick (Tom Jane) and Gina (Lauren German) as they drive out of Las Vegas in a vintage car, heading deep into the dark desert country with some steamy love between them and plenty of questions between them. In the dark night on the empty roads, things quickly go south when they come across a car wreck and a badly injured man in the road. Attempting to do the right thing, they load his bloody, disfigured body into the car and go off in search of a hospital. As one might expect, soon they’re lost and the bloodyfaced hitchhiker in the back reveals he’s got some murderous secrets of his own.
Walking into a film like this, I often don’t know what to expect or what I’m in store for. I’m no stranger to lower budget Tom Jane movies, like the not-great Mutant Chronicles or the totally-awesome Give ‘em Hell Malone of late, two different sides of the coin. One works, the other not as much. What makes Dark Country both smart and impressive is the budget – under $4million dollars. For that price, most movies only get the gift bags for their star actors, but Jane and crew get a coherent 3D motion picture up on the screen. I mention smart because when you’re working with little money, you can’t over extend yourself. Shooting for a sci-fi epic (a la Mutant Chronicles) you’re probably going to come up short. But if you’re smart, you find the right story with the right location and $4 million becomes just enough to put out the finished product. Indeed, when you hear about all the ingredients to this film, that it turns out as well as it did, it’s downright amazing. Firstly, you have Tom Jane, a hard-working guy taking his first crack at directing who decides to make it even more difficult on himself by jumping right into 3D. Secondly, toss in a low budget, the untested 3D technology, brand new (aka untested) equipment, night shoots, a short 25 day shooting schedule and the freaking New Mexican desert. The cards were seemingly stacked against the production, that was mired with freezing cold nights and equipment that didn’t always want to work correctly. In one story relayed by Jane after the film, a fancy shmancy piece of equipment meant to raise and lower the 3D camera malfunctioned, stopping production. One for practical solutions, they replaced the machine with the simplest of tools – the human hand – then set the camera onto the road and let the car drive harmlessly over it. That’s how you stretch a budget.
About the movie itself – overall, I liked it. The film is by no means perfect and, personally, started off on the wrong foot for me. I wasn’t engaged in the first few minutes and was beginning to fear a long ride into mediocrity. Luckily, once Dick and Gina had moved into the car, the story quickly shifted gears, sunk in its hooks, and managed to be an enjoyable ride through the dark country. Not until writing down their names (Dick and Gina) did I realize that their names are in fact Dick and (va)Gina. I don’t say this in jest, but perhaps this was a very intentional choice to have them symbolize masculine and feminine sex. Perhaps a wayward thought – until you see the steamy scene in the car. Then the theory gains about a metric ton of weight behind it. We’ve seen terrible sex scenes in cars, like in The Chase when two people somehow engage in coitus while in the middle of a high speed car chase without crashing. The scene in Dark Country is not Dick in Gina (haha, I crack myself) sex, but it is one of the most effective and exciting sexual scenes I’ve seen on film in years. That is the moment when the film really has you and from then on in, it was a far better experience than the first minutes indicated.
dark-country-7Plot wise, the story has that Twilight Zone esque twist you know is coming from the very start. Many of you will probably be able to predict it correctly, but that said, it’s not a deal breaker. I’m a huge fan of The Twilight Zone and even when you know what’s coming, it’s still a fine drive to the finish.
The biggest divider of people who see this movie is going to be style. It’s a love it or leave it type deal, that most likely works far better in 3D than in 2D. Make no mistake, the look of the film is very intentional. Both Jane and Tim Bradstreet (famed artist, Dark Country unofficial production designer and Raw Studios honcho) talked at length about the look of the film, describing it as “intended for a comic book audience.” This is an accurate way to describe much of the film, from the color palate to the angles. Color wise, the film is silvery, channeling in bits of noir and vintage film, while in shot selection, Jane proves himself to be visually very deft with the camera. Certain angles (namely a low angle looking at Bloodyface and out the back of the rear window of the car) are rarely seen in movies, at least in my experience, but are fairly common in graphic novels.
There was a lot of attention paid to the sky with almost every scene having a brilliant, colorful night sky composited in. The photography was taken especially for the film by one of the nation’s only 3D nightsky photographers (a very limited position, one assumes), who spent days up in the hills taking shots of the night sky. To call the images breath-taking is an understatement, though some may be unable or unwilling to look past the fact that it’s a stylized nightsky, the kind you’d never see with the naked eye. I say, when you’re dealing with a stylized film, let’s do it – go all out. The sky worked for me.
dark-country-9Now, I haven’t fully watched the 2D version of the film, but from what I have seen the 3D element makes the entire picture look better. The compositing (green-screening), which is one of the main criticisms of the 2D version, looks far better in three dimensions than it does in two. Dark Country is also one of the first films to fully utilize 3D for image depth rather than gimmicks. In the entirety of the movie there are only two “gimmick” 3D shots, with everything else being about the expansion of the image rather than making you giggle. I have long championed the return of 3D as a valuable and viable tool for creating image depth rather than jump scares. (I saw my first RealD live action movie in 2006 and have supported the technology ever since) Dark Country goes miles down the road in proving that 3D is here and it isn’t a joke or a toy for a kid’s movie. For any photographers out there, you understand the real magic of photography is in the depth of field and focal lengths and 3D technology opens an entirely new window.
I would be remiss in not talking briefly about the acting, but I do want to keep it brief as I’ve gone on for some time now. Tom Jane has always been an effective actor, whether it’s in comedy or drama or Punishing, but lately it seems that his game is fully realized. Mainstream critics have come around to him and praise his performance in Hung, telling us what we already knew – the guy is good. In Country, he plays a more dramatic role and nails a wide variety of emotions. I feel like he turns in a fantastic performance here. Lauren German is also good, though after her ice-cube-masturbation scene (there, I said it) she could sit there with a blank expression on her face the rest of the time and I’d still praise her performance. Ron Perlman appears late in the game and he’s Ron Perlman – nuff said.
In conclusion, Dark Country is not a perfect film, but it’s a much better film in 3D. The story isn’t groundbreaking and again I’ll mention The Twilight Zone, but the acting is top notch from Jane, the style of the film is very much grounded in the comic world, and several scenes are over the top awesome. If nothing else, Jane has proven two things: The guy can direct and 3D is awesome. As I’m sure many of you are fans of Jane, Bradstreet, and Raw Studios (hey, we’re all nerds here), be on the lookout of “Raw Cola” early in the film.
During the Q&A after the film, Jane and Bradstreet mentioned a desire and intent to tour several cities with the film and show it in 3D. Hopefully this gets off the ground and gives people more opportunities to see the film the way it was meant to be. If we’re lucky in LA, they’ll also keep that “Annual” promise and continue to show the film every Halloween.
Final words? Definitely worth checking out in 3D.
Cut to late October and I’m settled in at a Halloween screening, complete with decorations and, no joke, a string trio playing along. The film is introduced by Tom Jane and some characters in face paint as he takes a very Crypt Keeper like approach to the night, complete with “gaping chest wound” t-shirt and flashlights. After a brief intro, the glasses go on and the film comes up.
Dark Country is a Twilight Zone-esque thriller that follows a newly-wed couple Dick (Tom Jane) and Gina (Lauren German) as they drive out of Las Vegas in a vintage car, heading deep into the dark desert country with some steamy love between them and plenty of questions between them. In the dark night on the empty roads, things quickly go south when they come across a car wreck and a badly injured man in the road. Attempting to do the right thing, they load his bloody, disfigured body into the car and go off in search of a hospital. As one might expect, soon they’re lost and the bloodyfaced hitchhiker in the back reveals he’s got some murderous secrets of his own.
Walking into a film like this, I often don’t know what to expect or what I’m in store for. I’m no stranger to lower budget Tom Jane movies, like the not-great Mutant Chronicles or the totally-awesome Give ‘em Hell Malone of late, two different sides of the coin. One works, the other not as much. What makes Dark Country both smart and impressive is the budget – under $4million dollars. For that price, most movies only get the gift bags for their star actors, but Jane and crew get a coherent 3D motion picture up on the screen. I mention smart because when you’re working with little money, you can’t over extend yourself. Shooting for a sci-fi epic (a la Mutant Chronicles) you’re probably going to come up short. But if you’re smart, you find the right story with the right location and $4 million becomes just enough to put out the finished product. Indeed, when you hear about all the ingredients to this film, that it turns out as well as it did, it’s downright amazing. Firstly, you have Tom Jane, a hard-working guy taking his first crack at directing who decides to make it even more difficult on himself by jumping right into 3D. Secondly, toss in a low budget, the untested 3D technology, brand new (aka untested) equipment, night shoots, a short 25 day shooting schedule and the freaking New Mexican desert. The cards were seemingly stacked against the production, that was mired with freezing cold nights and equipment that didn’t always want to work correctly. In one story relayed by Jane after the film, a fancy shmancy piece of equipment meant to raise and lower the 3D camera malfunctioned, stopping production. One for practical solutions, they replaced the machine with the simplest of tools – the human hand – then set the camera onto the road and let the car drive harmlessly over it. That’s how you stretch a budget.
About the movie itself – overall, I liked it. The film is by no means perfect and, personally, started off on the wrong foot for me. I wasn’t engaged in the first few minutes and was beginning to fear a long ride into mediocrity. Luckily, once Dick and Gina had moved into the car, the story quickly shifted gears, sunk in its hooks, and managed to be an enjoyable ride through the dark country. Not until writing down their names (Dick and Gina) did I realize that their names are in fact Dick and (va)Gina. I don’t say this in jest, but perhaps this was a very intentional choice to have them symbolize masculine and feminine sex. Perhaps a wayward thought – until you see the steamy scene in the car. Then the theory gains about a metric ton of weight behind it. We’ve seen terrible sex scenes in cars, like in The Chase when two people somehow engage in coitus while in the middle of a high speed car chase without crashing. The scene in Dark Country is not Dick in Gina (haha, I crack myself) sex, but it is one of the most effective and exciting sexual scenes I’ve seen on film in years. That is the moment when the film really has you and from then on in, it was a far better experience than the first minutes indicated.
dark-country-7Plot wise, the story has that Twilight Zone esque twist you know is coming from the very start. Many of you will probably be able to predict it correctly, but that said, it’s not a deal breaker. I’m a huge fan of The Twilight Zone and even when you know what’s coming, it’s still a fine drive to the finish.
The biggest divider of people who see this movie is going to be style. It’s a love it or leave it type deal, that most likely works far better in 3D than in 2D. Make no mistake, the look of the film is very intentional. Both Jane and Tim Bradstreet (famed artist, Dark Country unofficial production designer and Raw Studios honcho) talked at length about the look of the film, describing it as “intended for a comic book audience.” This is an accurate way to describe much of the film, from the color palate to the angles. Color wise, the film is silvery, channeling in bits of noir and vintage film, while in shot selection, Jane proves himself to be visually very deft with the camera. Certain angles (namely a low angle looking at Bloodyface and out the back of the rear window of the car) are rarely seen in movies, at least in my experience, but are fairly common in graphic novels.
There was a lot of attention paid to the sky with almost every scene having a brilliant, colorful night sky composited in. The photography was taken especially for the film by one of the nation’s only 3D nightsky photographers (a very limited position, one assumes), who spent days up in the hills taking shots of the night sky. To call the images breath-taking is an understatement, though some may be unable or unwilling to look past the fact that it’s a stylized nightsky, the kind you’d never see with the naked eye. I say, when you’re dealing with a stylized film, let’s do it – go all out. The sky worked for me.
dark-country-9Now, I haven’t fully watched the 2D version of the film, but from what I have seen the 3D element makes the entire picture look better. The compositing (green-screening), which is one of the main criticisms of the 2D version, looks far better in three dimensions than it does in two. Dark Country is also one of the first films to fully utilize 3D for image depth rather than gimmicks. In the entirety of the movie there are only two “gimmick” 3D shots, with everything else being about the expansion of the image rather than making you giggle. I have long championed the return of 3D as a valuable and viable tool for creating image depth rather than jump scares. (I saw my first RealD live action movie in 2006 and have supported the technology ever since) Dark Country goes miles down the road in proving that 3D is here and it isn’t a joke or a toy for a kid’s movie. For any photographers out there, you understand the real magic of photography is in the depth of field and focal lengths and 3D technology opens an entirely new window.
I would be remiss in not talking briefly about the acting, but I do want to keep it brief as I’ve gone on for some time now. Tom Jane has always been an effective actor, whether it’s in comedy or drama or Punishing, but lately it seems that his game is fully realized. Mainstream critics have come around to him and praise his performance in Hung, telling us what we already knew – the guy is good. In Country, he plays a more dramatic role and nails a wide variety of emotions. I feel like he turns in a fantastic performance here. Lauren German is also good, though after her ice-cube-masturbation scene (there, I said it) she could sit there with a blank expression on her face the rest of the time and I’d still praise her performance. Ron Perlman appears late in the game and he’s Ron Perlman – nuff said.
In conclusion, Dark Country is not a perfect film, but it’s a much better film in 3D. The story isn’t groundbreaking and again I’ll mention The Twilight Zone, but the acting is top notch from Jane, the style of the film is very much grounded in the comic world, and several scenes are over the top awesome. If nothing else, Jane has proven two things: The guy can direct and 3D is awesome. As I’m sure many of you are fans of Jane, Bradstreet, and Raw Studios (hey, we’re all nerds here), be on the lookout of “Raw Cola” early in the film.
During the Q&A after the film, Jane and Bradstreet mentioned a desire and intent to tour several cities with the film and show it in 3D. Hopefully this gets off the ground and gives people more opportunities to see the film the way it was meant to be. If we’re lucky in LA, they’ll also keep that “Annual” promise and continue to show the film every Halloween.
Final words? Definitely worth checking out in 3D.
2009年11月2日星期一
Building material prices Danube expects up to 40% yearly growth
Dubai Danube Building Materials eg:frp grating expects 30 to 40 per cent growth in revenues and profits every year.
"We expect 30 to 40 per cent growth every year. In 2008 our growth was 70 per cent but you can't sustain that," said Chairman Rizwan Sajan.
This growth will be due partly to the company's recent diversification into the home retail sphere with its Buildmart stores.
Danube aims to open 10 to 15 Buildmart stores by the end of next year across the UAE.
Sajan told Gulf News at the opening of the first store last week that the smaller stores would generate Dh5 million to Dh10 million per year with the bigger stores generating double this.
However, the main focus will continue to be on building materials. Prices have increased since the rocky first quarter and have since stabilised.
"Prices have been more or less stable for the last six months. There is not much variation — I would say not more than five to 10 per cent plus [or] minus, which is good enough. Normally there is a big variation, but for the last six months we have seen stability in prices," Sajan said.
At the end of last year, prices were at the top, and came down drastically when the full impact of the financial crisis was felt.
For example, steel rebar was $1,500 per tonne. It is now $500. The price of steel is fluctuating between $450 and $500 per tonne.
However, prices of some materials are forecast to rise by year-end.
"For the fourth quarter and the beginning of 2010 we are expecting some prices to go up, especially for wood because of the freight rate and the demand that has been created in this part of the world, in the GCC," said Sajan.
The current freight rate from China is about $1,000 for a container, which used to be $600 or $700.
"Now this freight will go to $1,500 for a container by the end of the year. If freight goes up, it means demand is there for the product, but it is not only freight but also commodity prices are also going up.
"We expect 30 to 40 per cent growth every year. In 2008 our growth was 70 per cent but you can't sustain that," said Chairman Rizwan Sajan.
This growth will be due partly to the company's recent diversification into the home retail sphere with its Buildmart stores.
Danube aims to open 10 to 15 Buildmart stores by the end of next year across the UAE.
Sajan told Gulf News at the opening of the first store last week that the smaller stores would generate Dh5 million to Dh10 million per year with the bigger stores generating double this.
However, the main focus will continue to be on building materials. Prices have increased since the rocky first quarter and have since stabilised.
"Prices have been more or less stable for the last six months. There is not much variation — I would say not more than five to 10 per cent plus [or] minus, which is good enough. Normally there is a big variation, but for the last six months we have seen stability in prices," Sajan said.
At the end of last year, prices were at the top, and came down drastically when the full impact of the financial crisis was felt.
For example, steel rebar was $1,500 per tonne. It is now $500. The price of steel is fluctuating between $450 and $500 per tonne.
However, prices of some materials are forecast to rise by year-end.
"For the fourth quarter and the beginning of 2010 we are expecting some prices to go up, especially for wood because of the freight rate and the demand that has been created in this part of the world, in the GCC," said Sajan.
The current freight rate from China is about $1,000 for a container, which used to be $600 or $700.
"Now this freight will go to $1,500 for a container by the end of the year. If freight goes up, it means demand is there for the product, but it is not only freight but also commodity prices are also going up.
2009年11月1日星期日
Quantapoint Announces Integration of 3D Laser Scan Data
announced the integration of Quantapoint 3D laser scan data with Autodesk? Revit using QuantaCAD(TM). Laser data may be accessed directly within Revit as photo-realistic Laser Images(TM) of individual 3D laser scans and high-definition Laser Models(TM) of integrated laser data, not fuzzy "point clouds" whose sparse measurements make them difficult to use and understand.
"One of the challenges of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been creating 3D BIM models that accurately represent existing buildings," said Eric Hoffman, Founder of Quantapoint. "By integrating Laser Models and Laser Images with Revit, Quantapoint can more quickly create 3D BIM models and validate their accuracy. Additionally, new 3D BIM designs can be viewed and clashed with the laser data to ensure that they will fit into the existing facility, thus eliminating rework."
QuantaCAD provides a number of useful capabilities to Revit users to enable them to create and validate 3D BIM models, visualize proposed modifications for design and constructability reviews.
By using QuantaCAD to put reality in Revit, BIM remodeling time can be reduced while ensuring accuracy, design time can be decreased by accessing complete and clear Laser Models and Laser Images that represent existing conditions, and rework from design clashes can be eliminated by correcting clashes between the Laser Models and the new design.
If you are interested in finding out more about accessing laser data in Revit using QuantaCAD or would like a demonstration, visit www.quantapoint.com/qp/contact or e-mail info@quantapoint.com.
"One of the challenges of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been creating 3D BIM models that accurately represent existing buildings," said Eric Hoffman, Founder of Quantapoint. "By integrating Laser Models and Laser Images with Revit, Quantapoint can more quickly create 3D BIM models and validate their accuracy. Additionally, new 3D BIM designs can be viewed and clashed with the laser data to ensure that they will fit into the existing facility, thus eliminating rework."
QuantaCAD provides a number of useful capabilities to Revit users to enable them to create and validate 3D BIM models, visualize proposed modifications for design and constructability reviews.
By using QuantaCAD to put reality in Revit, BIM remodeling time can be reduced while ensuring accuracy, design time can be decreased by accessing complete and clear Laser Models and Laser Images that represent existing conditions, and rework from design clashes can be eliminated by correcting clashes between the Laser Models and the new design.
If you are interested in finding out more about accessing laser data in Revit using QuantaCAD or would like a demonstration, visit www.quantapoint.com/qp/contact or e-mail info@quantapoint.com.
2009年10月29日星期四
Pioneer Demos 3D in a USB Video Box
3D display technology keeps taunting us from around the corner. Pioneer brings it a lot closer today. One of many manufacturers showcasing new technology at the Digital Contents Expo in Japan, Pioneer's next generation 3D display is actually available for order as we speak. The display, called Floating Vision, is able to float a 3D image in its USB connected display at 640x480 resolution. Drivers and software are available for both Mac and PC. The 6 inch device has fairly narrow, 10 degree, viewing range currently, so its applications will tend towards a single user.
Why? The display is geared towards a few niche markets which may take some time to develop. Video chatting and instant messaging is one. The device bears microphone and a pair of speakers, but no 3D camera. Digital modeling for medical and artistic uses are facilitated with the aid of motion sensors which allow you to physically interact with the 3D images. The most immediate use will likely be as a virtual catalog capable of letting potential buyers view and interact with products. Although the display is available now it only ships with a very simple 3D viewing program. The Floating Vision will play/create special images and videos, but Pioneer warns that you need to purchase this with the intent to develop applications. You won't be using this for much out of the box. So if you've got the stones to take on a serious project like this, you can get it today for roughly $540 but you'll need to find an importer as it's only available in Japan for now.
Why? The display is geared towards a few niche markets which may take some time to develop. Video chatting and instant messaging is one. The device bears microphone and a pair of speakers, but no 3D camera. Digital modeling for medical and artistic uses are facilitated with the aid of motion sensors which allow you to physically interact with the 3D images. The most immediate use will likely be as a virtual catalog capable of letting potential buyers view and interact with products. Although the display is available now it only ships with a very simple 3D viewing program. The Floating Vision will play/create special images and videos, but Pioneer warns that you need to purchase this with the intent to develop applications. You won't be using this for much out of the box. So if you've got the stones to take on a serious project like this, you can get it today for roughly $540 but you'll need to find an importer as it's only available in Japan for now.
2009年10月28日星期三
Scans show Nero statue
A head fragment from one of only three surviving statues of the Emperor Nero may have been discovered in Britain, experts revealed yesterday.
It was thought to depict a child after its discovery during excavations at Fishbourne Roman Palace near Chichester, West Sussex, in the 60s. But archaeologists who used laser scanning to create a 3D profile now believe it shows Nero as a teenager after he was named heir to the throne.
Palace chief Christine Medlock said most Nero artefacts were destroyed after his downfall, which is why only two other statues of him remain.
More info about 3D laser and laser crystal you can click:http://www.shining-tech.com/
It was thought to depict a child after its discovery during excavations at Fishbourne Roman Palace near Chichester, West Sussex, in the 60s. But archaeologists who used laser scanning to create a 3D profile now believe it shows Nero as a teenager after he was named heir to the throne.
Palace chief Christine Medlock said most Nero artefacts were destroyed after his downfall, which is why only two other statues of him remain.
More info about 3D laser and laser crystal you can click:http://www.shining-tech.com/
2009年10月27日星期二
the latest 3D technology is coming home
Now wait one second before you start on the whole "I'm not wearing any stupid looking glasses," because no matter what you say, there are more people paying extra to go 3D movies than ever and the reason is simple; it's because this isn't like the crappy 3D you saw during the Super Bowl last year -- or that our parents grew up with. No, the 3D that Sony, Panasonic, and others are promising next year is like nothing you've seen. We've come a long way since the old anaglyph red and blue glasses that come in cereal boxes, so before you knock the new technology before it's even out, click through and read about the technologies that might bring us a real 3D revolution.
3D, the basics
We have two eyes for a reason and while we've enjoyed stereo sound since-like-forever, stereoscopic images haven't quite arrived. At its core, 3D is as simple as using two cameras to capture the data that our eyes would, but it's the display part that's proven tricky. Ultimately, the technology has to find a way to present each eye with a different variation of an image, at that point our eyes and brain do the rest.
Circular polarized or active LCD shutter glasses
The one thing that hasn't changed about 3D is the need for glasses -- if you're holding out for 3D on a big screen without glasses, you're going to let this generation of 3D pass you by. The technology in the glasses varies by a lot and the main two types these days are circular polarized and active LCD shutter. Both serve the same purpose, to ensure each eye sees a different image, but in much different ways.
Circular polarized glasses are easily the most common used in 3D cinema today. If you've been to a 3D presentation of a Pixar movie, or maybe to Disney World and used what look like cheap sunglasses, you've probably tried the technology. Without going into too much detail, each lens is set to filter out different light, so for example in a polarized system like RealD's, there can either be two projectors with different polarizing filters in front of each (pictured below) or a special ZScreen which can alternate the clockwise and counterclockwise polarization for each frame. In either case, the right and left frame alternate at about 144 times per second so that each of 24 frames per second of a movie is displayed 3 times per eye.
RealD circular polarized filter in front of a projector
One of the problems with circular polarized 3D is that a special silver screen is required and some argue it can negatively affect the color accuracy. But what's worse is that most of us don't have a projector at home and so far only a few HDTVs like the ridiculously expensive JVC GD-463D10 LCD TV at $9,200 can pull off the same polarization trickery.
LCD shutter glasses
So in comes the LCD shutter glasses -- the technology itself has actually been around for some time, in fact there were eight Sega Master Systems games that worked with shutter glasses dating back to the 80's. But the technology was limited by the display technology of that era which could only show 480i at 30 frames per second, which worked out to about 15 FPS per eye in 3D -- so yeah, the flickering could make you sick.
Basically the way shutter glasses work is each lens can be blacked out very very quickly to synchronize with a frame displayed on the HDTV. This way a different 1920 x 1080 progressive image can be shown to each eye.
Notice that the LCD shutter on the left is closed.
An IR emitter connected to the TV sends signals to the glasses to keep 'em in sync. In larger demos, multiple emitters are mounted throughout the venue to ensure all the glasses get the signal. This is obviously less than ideal for a large movie theater, but shouldn't be a problem at home.
IR emitter used in Pansonic's 3D demo
The other reason shutter glasses make sense at home is because they don't limit the viewing angles of the display -- not to mention the glasses are more expensive and someone would likely steal them from a theater. But besides these advantages, proponents argue that the colors are more accurate, there's less ghosting and smearing, and it is argued that the contrast is greater between the left and right eyes. So, you add all these reasons together and the technology should provide the most realistic and reliable 3D technology ever unleashed on consumers -- at home or anywhere else.
It's not all good though, besides the cost of the glasses and the added emitter in the TV, some say that there is added flickering, and with the shutters closing in front of your eyes, the image is dimmed a bit. Both Sony and Panasonic claim these are no longer issues in thanks to the super fast refresh rates and brightness available on the latest HDTVs.
Short Panasonic promotional video about how its 3D technology works
XpanD LCD shutter glasses and special 3D Blu-ray player used in Panasonic's 3D demo
But why can't my current HDTV do 3D?
We know what you're thinking, you just bought a new HDTV and you want to know why it can't handle 3D. Even if it was possible to add an IR emitter to keep the shutter glasses in sync, the experience at 30 FPS per eye wouldn't be as enjoyable. And just like when the first 1080p HDTVs hit the shelves without the ability to actually accept 1080p input, the current crop of 120hz HDTVs can't actually display 120 frames per second -- only show each frame of a 60 fps signal, twice.
Of course, 3D-capable displays don't do much without 3D content, and the good news is that most of the infrastructure needed for 3D in the home is already here thanks to HD. With the new 1.4 spec, HDMI has been updated to accomdate 3D and the first source is almost guaranteed to be Blu-ray. In fact as we speak the BDA is working on standardizing the storage of 3D movies on a Blu-ray Disc. It actually isn't nearly as hard as it sounds, because what is essentially needed is to up the spec from 1080p at 30 FPS to 1080p at 120 FPS. In fact a 50GB Blu-ray Disc has more than ample capacity to handle a 3D HD movie thanks to the wonders of video compression where only the difference of each frame is stored. So 3D movies only require about 50 percent more space, and the one thing about the new 3D Blu-ray standard that has been determined, is that every 3D Blu-ray Disc will include a 2D version of the movie.
3D camera used to broadcast a College Football game on ESPN.
This part might surprise you, but there have already been 3D broadcasts of major sporting events. Using RealD's circular polarized technology, ESPN broadcasts 3D presentations of major sporting events to theaters around the country. The most recent was the USC vs Ohio State game on September 12th, but other events like the National Championship game last year, and the Olympics before it, were beamed to theaters in 3D. And let us tell you, if you haven't seen your favorite sport in 3D, you're really missing something. In fact we wouldn't be surprised if the real killer application for 3D in the home was sports. Sure movies will be the first to be delivered thanks to the slow evolution of broadcast technology, but we still have our hopes that ESPN 3D will be next. But while we wait for CableLabs and the SCTE to hammer out the details of a 3D delivery standard, satellite subscribers in the UK appear to be on track to get a 3D channel next year.
The other 3D content that is coming eventually is 3D gaming. Sony was showing 3D games at IFA this year and there have been a number of rumors that real 3D gaming is coming to the Xbox 360. The only thing we really know for sure at this point is that Avatar will be one of the first 3D games, although no word on what technology will be used.
But not everyone can see 3D
When we say that 3D isn't for everyone, we mean it. In fact it is estimated that 4 percent of us are actually physically incapable of seeing 3D no matter what the display technology. And even worse, according to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, "Research has shown that up to 56 percent of those 18 to 38 years of age have one or more problems with binocular vision and therefore could have difficulty seeing 3D." So if you are one of these affected, it might be time to see an opthamologist and get screened for amblyopia. And if you happen to be blind in one eye you can still watch 3D, but it'll just look normal to you -- assuming of course you have the glasses on.
Where we go from here
One thing we weren't able to learn in our quest for 3D knowledge was how compatible these different technologies are. Essentially we assume that the functional compatibility between the two main 3D display technologies described above are like the differences between LCD and Plasma -- in other words, they both connect to the same HD set-top-box and Blu-ray player -- but until the BDA announces the final details of the 3D specification there isn't really any way to know for sure. But it seems that if Blu-ray was compatible with both circular polarized and LCD shutter glasses, then certainly whatever broadcast standard or game console announced down the road would also work with both.
Conclusion
Like it or not, 3D is coming and just like HD before it, there will be plenty of 3D technology as 3D laser
,3D crystal pundits predicting its demise. The problem right now is very few have had the chance to check out the technology and if you have been lucky enough to see it, it is hard to convey how cool it is to others. On top of this, 3D has a long road ahead because most people think they have seen it because they've tried the anaglyph glasses during a Super Bowl Commercial. The other big hurdle is the whole stupid looking glasses argument -- which doesn't make that much sense since you'll be wearing them in the privacy of your own home. Now we know that the same technology lovers who read Engadget would never hate on any new technology without experiencing it first hand, but tell your friends and family that something new is coming, and no it isn't like anything else they've seen.
3D, the basics
We have two eyes for a reason and while we've enjoyed stereo sound since-like-forever, stereoscopic images haven't quite arrived. At its core, 3D is as simple as using two cameras to capture the data that our eyes would, but it's the display part that's proven tricky. Ultimately, the technology has to find a way to present each eye with a different variation of an image, at that point our eyes and brain do the rest.
Circular polarized or active LCD shutter glasses
The one thing that hasn't changed about 3D is the need for glasses -- if you're holding out for 3D on a big screen without glasses, you're going to let this generation of 3D pass you by. The technology in the glasses varies by a lot and the main two types these days are circular polarized and active LCD shutter. Both serve the same purpose, to ensure each eye sees a different image, but in much different ways.
Circular polarized glasses are easily the most common used in 3D cinema today. If you've been to a 3D presentation of a Pixar movie, or maybe to Disney World and used what look like cheap sunglasses, you've probably tried the technology. Without going into too much detail, each lens is set to filter out different light, so for example in a polarized system like RealD's, there can either be two projectors with different polarizing filters in front of each (pictured below) or a special ZScreen which can alternate the clockwise and counterclockwise polarization for each frame. In either case, the right and left frame alternate at about 144 times per second so that each of 24 frames per second of a movie is displayed 3 times per eye.
RealD circular polarized filter in front of a projector
One of the problems with circular polarized 3D is that a special silver screen is required and some argue it can negatively affect the color accuracy. But what's worse is that most of us don't have a projector at home and so far only a few HDTVs like the ridiculously expensive JVC GD-463D10 LCD TV at $9,200 can pull off the same polarization trickery.
LCD shutter glasses
So in comes the LCD shutter glasses -- the technology itself has actually been around for some time, in fact there were eight Sega Master Systems games that worked with shutter glasses dating back to the 80's. But the technology was limited by the display technology of that era which could only show 480i at 30 frames per second, which worked out to about 15 FPS per eye in 3D -- so yeah, the flickering could make you sick.
Basically the way shutter glasses work is each lens can be blacked out very very quickly to synchronize with a frame displayed on the HDTV. This way a different 1920 x 1080 progressive image can be shown to each eye.
Notice that the LCD shutter on the left is closed.
An IR emitter connected to the TV sends signals to the glasses to keep 'em in sync. In larger demos, multiple emitters are mounted throughout the venue to ensure all the glasses get the signal. This is obviously less than ideal for a large movie theater, but shouldn't be a problem at home.
IR emitter used in Pansonic's 3D demo
The other reason shutter glasses make sense at home is because they don't limit the viewing angles of the display -- not to mention the glasses are more expensive and someone would likely steal them from a theater. But besides these advantages, proponents argue that the colors are more accurate, there's less ghosting and smearing, and it is argued that the contrast is greater between the left and right eyes. So, you add all these reasons together and the technology should provide the most realistic and reliable 3D technology ever unleashed on consumers -- at home or anywhere else.
It's not all good though, besides the cost of the glasses and the added emitter in the TV, some say that there is added flickering, and with the shutters closing in front of your eyes, the image is dimmed a bit. Both Sony and Panasonic claim these are no longer issues in thanks to the super fast refresh rates and brightness available on the latest HDTVs.
Short Panasonic promotional video about how its 3D technology works
XpanD LCD shutter glasses and special 3D Blu-ray player used in Panasonic's 3D demo
But why can't my current HDTV do 3D?
We know what you're thinking, you just bought a new HDTV and you want to know why it can't handle 3D. Even if it was possible to add an IR emitter to keep the shutter glasses in sync, the experience at 30 FPS per eye wouldn't be as enjoyable. And just like when the first 1080p HDTVs hit the shelves without the ability to actually accept 1080p input, the current crop of 120hz HDTVs can't actually display 120 frames per second -- only show each frame of a 60 fps signal, twice.
Of course, 3D-capable displays don't do much without 3D content, and the good news is that most of the infrastructure needed for 3D in the home is already here thanks to HD. With the new 1.4 spec, HDMI has been updated to accomdate 3D and the first source is almost guaranteed to be Blu-ray. In fact as we speak the BDA is working on standardizing the storage of 3D movies on a Blu-ray Disc. It actually isn't nearly as hard as it sounds, because what is essentially needed is to up the spec from 1080p at 30 FPS to 1080p at 120 FPS. In fact a 50GB Blu-ray Disc has more than ample capacity to handle a 3D HD movie thanks to the wonders of video compression where only the difference of each frame is stored. So 3D movies only require about 50 percent more space, and the one thing about the new 3D Blu-ray standard that has been determined, is that every 3D Blu-ray Disc will include a 2D version of the movie.
3D camera used to broadcast a College Football game on ESPN.
This part might surprise you, but there have already been 3D broadcasts of major sporting events. Using RealD's circular polarized technology, ESPN broadcasts 3D presentations of major sporting events to theaters around the country. The most recent was the USC vs Ohio State game on September 12th, but other events like the National Championship game last year, and the Olympics before it, were beamed to theaters in 3D. And let us tell you, if you haven't seen your favorite sport in 3D, you're really missing something. In fact we wouldn't be surprised if the real killer application for 3D in the home was sports. Sure movies will be the first to be delivered thanks to the slow evolution of broadcast technology, but we still have our hopes that ESPN 3D will be next. But while we wait for CableLabs and the SCTE to hammer out the details of a 3D delivery standard, satellite subscribers in the UK appear to be on track to get a 3D channel next year.
The other 3D content that is coming eventually is 3D gaming. Sony was showing 3D games at IFA this year and there have been a number of rumors that real 3D gaming is coming to the Xbox 360. The only thing we really know for sure at this point is that Avatar will be one of the first 3D games, although no word on what technology will be used.
But not everyone can see 3D
When we say that 3D isn't for everyone, we mean it. In fact it is estimated that 4 percent of us are actually physically incapable of seeing 3D no matter what the display technology. And even worse, according to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, "Research has shown that up to 56 percent of those 18 to 38 years of age have one or more problems with binocular vision and therefore could have difficulty seeing 3D." So if you are one of these affected, it might be time to see an opthamologist and get screened for amblyopia. And if you happen to be blind in one eye you can still watch 3D, but it'll just look normal to you -- assuming of course you have the glasses on.
Where we go from here
One thing we weren't able to learn in our quest for 3D knowledge was how compatible these different technologies are. Essentially we assume that the functional compatibility between the two main 3D display technologies described above are like the differences between LCD and Plasma -- in other words, they both connect to the same HD set-top-box and Blu-ray player -- but until the BDA announces the final details of the 3D specification there isn't really any way to know for sure. But it seems that if Blu-ray was compatible with both circular polarized and LCD shutter glasses, then certainly whatever broadcast standard or game console announced down the road would also work with both.
Conclusion
Like it or not, 3D is coming and just like HD before it, there will be plenty of 3D technology as 3D laser
,3D crystal pundits predicting its demise. The problem right now is very few have had the chance to check out the technology and if you have been lucky enough to see it, it is hard to convey how cool it is to others. On top of this, 3D has a long road ahead because most people think they have seen it because they've tried the anaglyph glasses during a Super Bowl Commercial. The other big hurdle is the whole stupid looking glasses argument -- which doesn't make that much sense since you'll be wearing them in the privacy of your own home. Now we know that the same technology lovers who read Engadget would never hate on any new technology without experiencing it first hand, but tell your friends and family that something new is coming, and no it isn't like anything else they've seen.
2009年10月26日星期一
Costs of building materials start rising again
Construction costs have begun to rise after remaining relatively low for the past year, according to analysis of the latest producer price index.
The analysis found that the price of construction materials as frp grating increased between August and September, with copper rising 10 percent, aluminum up 2 percent and steel up 3 percent.
"These figures serve as an important reminder that governments and developers looking for a good deal on construction should act quickly before having to pay significantly more for their projects," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, who performed the analysis.
Other construction materials also increased in price, including plastic, 1.2 percent; prestressed concrete, 1.5 percent; and iron and steel pipe and tube, 1.2 percent. Materials declining in price included gypsum, down 1.2 percent, and plywood, down 0.3 percent.
The analysis found that the price of construction materials as frp grating increased between August and September, with copper rising 10 percent, aluminum up 2 percent and steel up 3 percent.
"These figures serve as an important reminder that governments and developers looking for a good deal on construction should act quickly before having to pay significantly more for their projects," said Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, who performed the analysis.
Other construction materials also increased in price, including plastic, 1.2 percent; prestressed concrete, 1.5 percent; and iron and steel pipe and tube, 1.2 percent. Materials declining in price included gypsum, down 1.2 percent, and plywood, down 0.3 percent.
2009年10月25日星期日
How 3D TV works: Part I – With Glasses
It seems that everyone is talking about 3D television these days. A few friends and relatives who called up for advice regarding what TV to buy even asked if they should wait till next year to get a 3D TV. Given the recent interest, we thought it would be appropriate to give a brief explanation of the mechanics behind stereoscopy – any technique that creates the illusion of depth of three-dimensionality in an image.
There is one basic preface needed in understanding 3D television: understanding how our eyes work. For the sake of this example, look at your computer mouse (or if you’re on a laptop, any other object nearby). In a nutshell, your left eye and your right eye are two separate lenses, registering two differently-angled images of the mouse, which are then sent to your brain. The brain then acts as the ‘image processor’, putting the two pictures together to come up with one three-dimensional picture in your mind. It’s basically the same principle by which the new FujiFilm FinePix 3D camera works.
Making screens display 3D images is based on a similar mechanism, but is divided into two main wings: Stereoscopic TVs (which require special glasses to watch 3D movies) and Autostereoscopic TVs (which appear 3D without any special accessories).
In the first part of this series of articles, we look at special glasses that are required by some of the upcoming stereoscopic TVs to deliver the 3D experience.
Shutter Glasses
The 3D technology that Panasonic, Sony and Nvidia are most gung-ho about in the near future is based on wearing what are called ‘shutter glasses’. Basically, these are glasses that alternately shut off the left eye and right eye, while the TV emits separate images meant for each eye, thus creating a 3D image in the viewer’s mind.
Here’s how it works: The video signal of the TV stores an image meant for the left eye on its even field, and an image meant for the right eye on its odd field. The TV itself is synchronised with the shutter glasses via infra-red or RF technology.
The shutter glasses contain liquid crystal and a polarising filter. Upon receiving the appropriately synced signal from the TV, the shutter glass is automatically applied with a slight current that makes it dark, as if a shutter was drawn (hence the name). So at a time, only one eye is seeing one image.
The technology perfectly draws the shutters over either eye to make the left eye see the image meant for it on the even field, and make the right eye see the odd field of the video signal. By viewing these two images from different orientations, a 3D image is built up by the viewer’s brain.
While it seems like this would cause a delay for the viewer, there’s no need for such worries. With the high screen refresh rates that these modern 3D televisions have, the end user’s viewing experience is seamless, smooth and rich.
However, the one down-side of this technology is that due to the rapid drawing of ‘shutters’, lesser light reaches the eye, thus making the image seem darker than it is.
Polarised Glasses
Polarised glasses are basically your regular sunglasses, and have been used as a medium for 3D stereoscopic viewing for a long time now. They are also the most popular mode of 3D glasses, currently used by large cinema houses and IMAX. Just like the shutter glasses, polarised glasses use the lenses to show different images to each eye, making the brain construct a 3D image for the viewer.
Here’s how it works: For polarised glasses to work, the movie being shown has to be shot using either two cameras, or a single camera with two lenses. Two projectors (left and right), both fitted with polarizing filters on their lenses, then simultaneously show the movie on the same screen. The polarizing filter orients images from the left projector to one plane (for the sake of example, let’s say ‘vertical’); and the filter on the right lens orients its images to the plane that is perpendicular to the left one (‘horizontal’).
The viewer sits wearing the special glasses, which are equipped with differently polarised lenses. The left lens of the glasses is aligned with the same plane (vertical) that the left projector is throwing up images at; and the right lens is aligned perpendicularly to correspond with the plane of the right projector (horizontal).
Thus, the viewer’s left eye sees only the images which the left projector is screening, while the viewer’s right eye sees only the images which the right projector is screening. As both the images are taken from different angles, the viewer’s brain combines the two to come up with a single 3D image.
But again, like the shutter glasses, the amount of light reaching your eyes with polarised glasses is significantly lesser, making the image appear darker than it is.
Summing up
The biggest disadvantage with stereoscopic 3D TV is that it requires the user to wear a special apparatus. This is quite inconvenient and a burden, as it renders a large screen obsolete without a pair of tiny glasses; i.e. if you aren’t wearing the shutter or polarised glasses, the images on the screen will appear distorted.
So what’s the alternative? Check out the second part of this article which talks about the technology behind next-gen television sets that don’t require the viewers to wear glasses or any special apparatus at all.
Related web:laser crystal,http://www.shining-tech.com/
2009年10月22日星期四
Green building takes root
As architects and builders push the boundaries of green construction, unique structures emerge. Here are snapshots of three very different green buildings in the Houston area. Each makes the most of natural or recycled materials, sunlight and shade. And each is proof that great design can be green.
ZEROW House
Location: Ultimately, a Third Ward neighborhood
Background
The 800-square-foot home was designed by Rice University students for the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a competition held this month in Washington, D.C. It cost $140,000 to build, but the Rice team thinks it could do it prefab for less.
Green practices
The house runs entirely on solar power. LED lighting is used throughout, which keeps the total wattage below 200. Flooring is all bamboo. Outside, the house is clad with Galvalume metal panels, which are made from some recycled materials. A green wall of vines helps keep outside walls cool.
Quote
“We've been focused on making this an affordable house for Houston, specifically,” said Roque Sanchez, 22, a master's student studying environmental engineering at Rice. “We've known it was going to be donated to Project Row House, in Houston. Hopefully, this house will last in Houston for 100 years.”
Sysco Foods Headquarters
Location: 1390 Enclave Parkway
Background
A collective effort by lead architect HOK Houston, architect of record Kendall Heaton Associates and interior architect Kirksey, the 595,600-square-foot corporate office space is made of two glass, steel and cement towers, set side by side and connected by a pedestrian bridge. The space earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which speaks to its green construction and energy efficiency.
Green practices
Vertical and horizontal fins, or sunshades, along the outside of the structure regulate how much sunlight gets inside. Interior lights adjust themselves automatically; on a bright day, lights may turn off in some areas. Air conditioning comes from under the floor, cooling the area where people are sitting and standing more quickly and efficiently. Low-VOC paints and carpets keep occupants from breathing toxins. Outside, most of the land was unirrigated and seeded with native wildflowers.
Quote
“Sysco made the decision to go for LEED certification in 2000, so it was ahead of its time,” said Daniel Mills, sustainability manager at HOK Houston. “Building green came out of a desire to demonstrate their commitment to the community, the environment and their employees.”
Gazebo
Location: The Emile Community Farm, 700 Emile. The gazebo used to live at Discovery Green but was transplanted — heavy as it is — to the farm, aka The Last Organic Outpost.
Background
It was built by Dan Phillips of Living Paradigm, a nonprofit that helps families build their own houses using free, salvaged and recycled building materials.
Green practices
Living Paradigm uses almost anything to build structures and homes, including glass, corrugated roofing, cisterns, wood floors, wine corks and bottle caps, ceramic tile and more. The gazebo is made of mortar, recycled glass and mirrors, relish plates (for the skylight), stem pipe and license plates.
Quote
“I put together a drawing of the gazebo for Dan, and then he took it to a structural engineer,” said Amanda Tullos, president of Living Paradigm and a senior consultant at Green Building Services. “But we had a hurricane while it was at Discovery Green, and there were no issues.”
Related web:frp grating http://www.lydry.com/
ZEROW House
Location: Ultimately, a Third Ward neighborhood
Background
The 800-square-foot home was designed by Rice University students for the 2009 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon, a competition held this month in Washington, D.C. It cost $140,000 to build, but the Rice team thinks it could do it prefab for less.
Green practices
The house runs entirely on solar power. LED lighting is used throughout, which keeps the total wattage below 200. Flooring is all bamboo. Outside, the house is clad with Galvalume metal panels, which are made from some recycled materials. A green wall of vines helps keep outside walls cool.
Quote
“We've been focused on making this an affordable house for Houston, specifically,” said Roque Sanchez, 22, a master's student studying environmental engineering at Rice. “We've known it was going to be donated to Project Row House, in Houston. Hopefully, this house will last in Houston for 100 years.”
Sysco Foods Headquarters
Location: 1390 Enclave Parkway
Background
A collective effort by lead architect HOK Houston, architect of record Kendall Heaton Associates and interior architect Kirksey, the 595,600-square-foot corporate office space is made of two glass, steel and cement towers, set side by side and connected by a pedestrian bridge. The space earned LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which speaks to its green construction and energy efficiency.
Green practices
Vertical and horizontal fins, or sunshades, along the outside of the structure regulate how much sunlight gets inside. Interior lights adjust themselves automatically; on a bright day, lights may turn off in some areas. Air conditioning comes from under the floor, cooling the area where people are sitting and standing more quickly and efficiently. Low-VOC paints and carpets keep occupants from breathing toxins. Outside, most of the land was unirrigated and seeded with native wildflowers.
Quote
“Sysco made the decision to go for LEED certification in 2000, so it was ahead of its time,” said Daniel Mills, sustainability manager at HOK Houston. “Building green came out of a desire to demonstrate their commitment to the community, the environment and their employees.”
Gazebo
Location: The Emile Community Farm, 700 Emile. The gazebo used to live at Discovery Green but was transplanted — heavy as it is — to the farm, aka The Last Organic Outpost.
Background
It was built by Dan Phillips of Living Paradigm, a nonprofit that helps families build their own houses using free, salvaged and recycled building materials.
Green practices
Living Paradigm uses almost anything to build structures and homes, including glass, corrugated roofing, cisterns, wood floors, wine corks and bottle caps, ceramic tile and more. The gazebo is made of mortar, recycled glass and mirrors, relish plates (for the skylight), stem pipe and license plates.
Quote
“I put together a drawing of the gazebo for Dan, and then he took it to a structural engineer,” said Amanda Tullos, president of Living Paradigm and a senior consultant at Green Building Services. “But we had a hurricane while it was at Discovery Green, and there were no issues.”
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2009年10月21日星期三
EPA Fines Vermont Flooring Contractor for Improper Handling of Asbestos
A Vermont flooring company faces of a penalty for failing to follow federal guidelines pertaining to removal and disposal of asbestos building materials.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Morrison-Clark, Inc., of South Barre,Vermont violated federal asbestos removal regulations when workers removed a vinyl asbestos tile floor from Main Street Middle School in Montpelier in July 2008. The company did not provide advance notice to EPA, failed to wet the asbestos while stripping it and did not properly dispose of the materials, EPA alleged in announcing the penalty this month.
The company faces a penalty of up to $32,500 per day for the alleged violation so the asbestos removal regulations.
The federal Clean Air Act and the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutant, require contractors doing renovation work to follow certain inspection requirements prior to starting work and to follow specific work and waste disposal practices. The guidelines are designed to protect workers and the public from inhaling airborne asbestos fibers.
Breathing asbestos can cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs and abdominal cavity.
Earlier this year, researchers with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reported that the overall annual deaths from mesothelioma in the U.S. are still increasing, though the rate as a portion of the population has been stable in recent years. More than 18,000 deaths from mesothelioma were reported in the U.S from 1999 to 2005, researchers reported.
Although asbestos is no longer mined in the United States, it is still imported and a substantial amount of asbestos in buildings eventually must be removed. An estimated 1.3 million American construction workers and general industry workers are exposed to asbestos, researchers say, underscoring the need for efforts to minimize exposure.
In the case of the Vermont school, EPA said it was not aware of any specific harm or exposure to airborne asbestos caused by the renovation.
2009年10月20日星期二
Hardwood Floor Guide Gives Consumers Current Trends in Hardwood Floors
A hardwood floor can increase the value and beauty of a home greatly. With design trends moving toward a more traditional flare, hardwood floor installation is a choice many homeowners are moving toward.
To assist with navigating the various means of achieving a hardwood floor in your home, the Harwood Floor Guide strives to educate and inform consumers.
Whether you are looking to do some hardwood floor refinishing, clean hardwood floors or do a completely new hardwood floor installation, the information in the Hardwood Floor Guide may prove invaluable.
The guide covers hardwood floor repair for those who have an existing hardwood floor. Instructions for repairing problems such as cracked or split boards, gaps between boards, and buckling is included.
If you are looking to refinish a hardwood floor, basic instructions to do so can be found in the Hardwood Floor Guide. Step by step instructions for prepping the room, making any needed repairs, sanding and applying a surface finish are given in the guide.
Perhaps all your hardwood floor needs is a good cleaning to bring it into pristine shape, This guide will walk you through the steps you need to follow in order to bring your hardwood floors back to life. Tips for maintaining the beauty of your floors using hardwood floor cleaner is also included.
If you do not have an existing hardwood floor, but would like one, engineered hardwood floor is recommended,
"It is usually in your best interest to choose an engineered hardwood floor over one made form solid wood."
Excerpt from Hardwood Floor Guide
The guide is divided into sections of different types of material you may be able to find for your hardwood floor. Some of the materials explained include bamboo hardwood floor, oak hardwood floor, and maple hardwood floor.
Mohawk Hardwood Floor is a featured brand of flooring in the guide. Mohawk is known for it’s quality workmanship and dependable flooring. Mohawk has a patented installation process called UniClic that is unsurpassed in the flooring industry for ease of installation.
Hardwood laminate flooring continues to gain popularity for it’s superior durability and choice of finishes. Learn about the real wood look of today’s laminates in the Hardwood Floor Guide.
For the do-it-yourselfer intent on putting in unfinished hardwood floor and doing it all himself or herself, the Harwood Floor guide has you covered with information about the benefits and drawbacks of this type of hardwood floor.
The latest manufacturing advances in a floating hardwood floor (no glue required) are showcased within the guide. These innovative interlocking floor tiles make it easy for most anyone to install their own hardwood floor.
Don’t let the expensive look of a hardwood floor lead you to believe they are out of reach on even a small budget. With today’s available options in hardwood flooring; you can achieve the dramatic upgrade a hardwood floor can provide. The Hardwood Floor Guide shows you how.
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2009年10月19日星期一
Danube Building Materials goes green
Danube Building Materials, the leader in construction, building materials as frp grating and shop fitting industries, has announced the launch of the first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC)-certified whitewood and hardwood timbers products in the GCC. This is in line with the company’s commitment to sustainability, which is further underlined by its planned collaboration with the Dubai Municipality to promote ‘Green building codes’. Company officials are positive of the response for these new eco-friendly products at the upcoming ‘Big5 International Building and Construction Show’, which will mark their official launch in the UAE and across the rest of the GCC.
As support for green building initiatives in Dubai escalates - with the emirate drawing up ‘green’ building standards - Danube has reported that the number of inquiries for FSC and PEFC timber from its customers has increased. This has prompted the company to introduce building materials certified by FSC and PEFC, which are independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisations that promote sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification. Certification from these bodies is a testament of responsible production and consumption of forest products thereby letting consumers make eco-friendly purchasing decisions while supporting ongoing business value.
“No matter what policies exist, contractors cannot fulfil consultant specification if the materials are not available on ground. As the largest building materials company in the Middle East, we have invested in making green products such as certified hardwood and whitewood timber available in the GCC region, and we intend to use our extensive presence throughout the region to enable project managers to turn green policies from theory into practice,” said Frank Owens, Product Manger of Hardwood Timber, Danube Building Materials. “In addition, we have been engaged in ongoing discussion with Dubai Municipality on how to best formulate and implement ‘green’ building codes to ensure a positive effect on the environment.”
As a pioneer in supplying green building materials to GCC market, Danube will be focusing on educating buyers on certified materials, its benefits, and from which local vendors they can legitimately procure materials. Special efforts are also made to meet and educate the consultants specifying new projects so that they understand the availability implications of the certified products they aim to specify. At present, the company is actively working with certification bodies like BM Trada to promote among joinery factories in its sales network the ‘Chain of Custody’ certification, which will be a strong deterrent against certified material fraud. Danube also revealed plans to offer certified plywood and veneer soon, in line with its goals to provide a fully-certified wood products line up by end of 2009.
”The whole idea of ‘green’ building is to invest a little more in the design and materials phase of production and get a larger return on the investment over the long term as reduced energy consumption translates into significant yearly savings. As more organisations recognise and embrace this concept, we are seeing a sizable increase in the number of firms significantly involved in ‘green’ building projects as well as ‘green’ accredited building professionals. While projects in progress for which green building products were not specified will be completed as usual, our focus is to steer future projects towards green materials through education,” concluded Owens.
2009年10月18日星期日
Construction, renovation swoon hammers jobs
The slump in new residential building has taken a significant but largely invisible toll on jobs in the building products sector in Canada.
New construction and renovations are down by $8.4 billion on an annualized, inflation-adjusted basis in the first half of 2009 compared with 2008, according to real estate consultancy Altus Group.
That has translated into a loss of 41,000 construction jobs. Another 35,000 jobs in related industries have also been impacted according to estimates by Altus.
"A big part of the Canadian economy and the Ontario heartland are companies that supply building materials ... for the construction industries, and these are the sectors that are really hard hit, but they don't make the headlines," said Peter Norman, senior director of economic consulting for Altus.
Total residential construction investment was $92 billion across Canada, with about 43 per cent of that in renovation spending. Most of the $8 billion drop, representing about 9 per cent of the total, comes from the new homes sector.
Construction workers and crews on job sites are the most visible face of the sector, but plenty of related industries provide the woodworking, steel, insulation and other materials needed to build homes. Include those in the mix, and Altus estimates the $8 billion figure would be more like $15.2 billion.
The casualties can be found scattered throughout the Greater Toronto Area, in industrial strip malls such as the one in Scarborough where Richard Zedzian runs Affordable Woodworking. The maker of custom cabinets says business has declined by more than 30 per cent this year.
Last year, he laid off one of his two workers. Now he says he works longer hours to break even.
"At the beginning of the last year we couldn't even get to new customers we were so busy. It's different now," he says.
Most of his customers now are commercial as opposed to residential, said Zedzian, who has been making cabinets for two decades.
"This is my passion, I can only do the best job I can. But in a recession people are concerned more about the price than the quality."
According to Altus, Zedzian represents the hardest-hit sector, with wood materials manufacturing losing about 5,000 jobs since last year. Steel products and concrete and plastics also showed large declines.
Slowing domestic demand is just one problem. Exports have fallen 26 per cent in 2009 compared with 2008.
Still, there have been encouraging signs in the new homes sector.
"We expect construction investment to steadily improve in the second half of the year," said Norman, "but it will still be weak compared to past years."
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2009年10月15日星期四
Berlin, With Few Walls
“We were never particularly interested in property investment,” said Mr. Dragset, who is from Norway (Mr. Elmgreen is from Denmark).
The two men, once a couple but now just artistic partners, originally moved to Berlin because it was near Copenhagen, where they had lived, and because it seemed full of energy as well as inexpensive. But after a decade in Berlin, Mr. Dragset said, “We were tired of fixing up spaces and having to leave them after a couple of years.”
And, he added, “both privately, and within our art practice, we love spatial challenges — so we were looking for somewhere we could apply the concepts we had been working with in our art.”
When they saw an advertisement for the old water-pumping station in a quiet Berlin suburb, a working-class area called Neukölln in the former East Berlin, the pair’s creative antennae began to twitch. The former pumping station, surrounded by fully grown chestnut trees and flanked by apartment buildings on a residential street, had remained empty since the early 1990s because nobody knew quite what to do with such an oversize hall stuck in the middle of a non-industrial location.
“Almost too good to be true,” Mr. Dragset said. “Especially considering the price, which was ridiculously low compared to any other European capital.” He declined to specify but said it was similar to a typical two-bedroom apartment in Oslo, which is about $700,000. The renovations cost about the same as the purchase price.
Working with two young architects, Nils Wenk and Jan Wiese, whom they met through friends, the two began renovations that took about a year. Fortunately the solid old industrial building was in good condition and drastic structural changes were unnecessary. New wiring, heating and plumbing were needed, but as Mr. Dragset explained, “basically we’ve broken down more walls than we’ve built.”
After the initial apprehension at owning their own property, Mr. Dragset said, they began to treat the renovations more like an art project, playing with the space and coming up with clever uses for the former station’s various features. For example, the four large vents in the upper floor once used to ventilate the building have been transformed into a fireplace, a table, a guest bed and an embedded bathtub.
There’s no clutter: just white walls, glacial light streaming in through old warehouse-style windows, trees silently waving at visitors from the outside and what feels like acres of floor space.
The building is now both home and studio space. Generally, the renovation materials have been inexpensive. Most of the floors are sanded asphalt covered in clear polyurethane that goes with the industrial nature of the building. On one hand, “it’s reminiscent of the building’s industrial history,” Mr. Wenk said. “On the other hand, it’s very economical.” In smaller rooms, the asphalt was sanded more finely, he explained, then tinted to reflect the personal nature of the rooms.
The farther up and back one goes, the more private the space becomes. The back boasts five levels, including two private areas for the artists, a kitchen, an attic living room and four bathrooms. And the renovated attic space is reminiscent of a playboy’s penthouse. In this upper section, a window in the roof slides back at the push of a button like something out of Dr. Evil’s lair.
“We deliberately made the borders between the work and living spaces fleeting,” Mr. Dragset said. “The combination of vast floor space and the small, quirky nooks means you can be very hidden here, or very exposed depending on your moods or needs.”
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2009年10月14日星期三
New Report Just Published US Resilient Flooring Market
provides action-oriented executives with up-to-date information on vinyl sheet products, vinyl floor tile, rubber flooring, linoleum, frp grating flooring and other resilient floors. Each page will assist the resilient flooring executive exploit growing product lines, improve plant efficiency, strengthen distribution, penetrate end-use markets, and plan for 2009 and beyond.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR FINDINGS
The $2.5 billion (manufacturers’ dollars) U.S. resilient flooring market has significantly increased its share of the domestic floor coverings industry. Resilient flooring gained share due to growing commercial market demand, successful introduction and acceptance of luxury vinyl tile and fiberglass-backed vinyl sheet, and consumer’s growing preference for low-cost hard surface flooring as the housing market weakened and the economy contracted. However, the sharp cut in residential demand and the surge in material costs cut plant profit margins. Margins were also adversely affected by increasing competitive pressures from foreign- and domestic-based manufacturers. Resilient flooring is forecast to make additional inroads in the U.S. floor coverings industry during 2009 as the Federal stimulus package encourages construction of healthcare and educational facilities, two key end-use markets. Profit margins may also rebound along with moderating in material costs.
RESILIENT FLOORING SALES TRENDS
Catalina Research has uncovered these trends in our 190-page in-depth analysis of the global resilient flooring market. U.S. shipments, exports, imports, and price trends are evaluated for vinyl sheet products, vinyl tile, rubber flooring, linoleum, cork flooring and other flooring materials. Data is provided on a dollar and unit basis. Catalina also reviews product innovations such as luxury vinyl tile and fiberglass-backed vinyl sheet. Import data analyzes shipments of foreign-sourced products by major country of origin, and export data analyzes foreign sales by major country of destination. Catalina also investigated global demand by product segment and world area.
END-USE MARKET PURCHASES AND DISTRIBUTION
The report’s end-use market analysis provides executives with the growing sales opportunities in residential, nonresidential, and transportation equipment markets. Residential markets are further divided into new construction, residential remodeling, and manufactured housing markets. Nonresidential markets are segmented into new construction and commercial contract purchasers. Catalina used these data trends to calculate resilient flooring’s share of total residential and nonresidential flooring markets. Retail sales are provided as well.
FACTORS AFFECTING DEMAND
End-use market trends are correlated with U.S. housing demand, nonresidential construction spending, mortgage interest rates, and other housing and economic indicators to uncover the factors affecting demand, and provide insights into the direction of domestic demand in 2009 and beyond.
PROFIT MARGINS AND THE COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT
In addition, Catalina Research examined the cost structure and profitability of U.S. resilient flooring plants. Data trends are compiled for material, labor, and capital inputs. As part of this analysis, Catalina profiled 27 global manufactures and marketers, and compiled company resilient flooring sales. Catalina used this information to calculate U. S. market shares of the leading competitors. Company profiles cover product lines, manufacturing and distribution, capital investments, acquisitions, and new products. Executives are urged to review the growth- and profit-oriented strategies of leading worldwide resilient flooring manufacturers and compare their company’s own performance to the industry averages.
RUBBER MAT, STAIR TREAD, AND COVE BASE MARKET
Catalina Research also evaluated the U.S. and Canadian market for rubber mats, stair treads, and cove base. Product shipments cover roll goods, automotive mats, other mats, and cove base and other products. Export and import trends are also included.
WORLD RESILIENT FLOORING MARKET
The global resilient flooring market is investigated as well. Market trends are segmented for vinyl, rubber, and linoleum flooring; and by world area. Sales of Tarkett and Armstrong are also segmented by world area. Global market shares are calculated for 10 leading manufacturers. Canadian market trends include shipments, imports, and exports.
2009年10月13日星期二
Governments embrace building deconstruction
More governments are deconstructing buildings and reusing building materials from obsolete structures as they update and upgrade their communities’ building stock. Many find that the practice saves money as well as resources.
Government-owned buildings are showing their age. A recent Energy Information Administration analysis calculates that 25,000 of the 635,000 government-owned buildings in the United States were constructed before 1920.
Several categories of public buildings offer deconstruction opportunities, says Thomas Napier, research architect at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, in Champaign, Ill. “In a governmental context,” Napier told GovPro.com, “deconstructing obsolete public housing could provide ‘green collar’ job opportunities. Any other wood-framed buildings, offices, institutional buildings and other similar structures could provide significant opportunities.”
Seattle is one city that has been deconstructing rather than demolishing government buildings, and it has been encouraging the practice among residents and businesses, too. "We are actively encouraging increased salvage of building materials and increased deconstruction, especially in the single-family areas," says Dick Lilly of Seattle Public Utilities, part of the Seattle city government.
Dirk Wassink, general manager of Seattle-based Second Use Building Materials, told GovPro.com, “We are currently working with the local government in Seattle on a project to recover building materials at city transfer stations. They have also sponsored some deconstruction efforts on government-owned properties.” Wassink’s firm salvages used but still usable construction materials and finds them new homes.
The public sector is key to supporting the widespread adoption of the practice, explains Wassink: “Since governments tend to be owners of large numbers of buildings, their decisions have a large impact on how construction (and deconstruction) gets done.”
Wassink outlines ways that deconstruction can compete with demolition on cost. “Some of the additional labor costs due to the more intensive dismantling process can be offset with the value of the recovered materials. Also, separated recycling streams tend to have lower tipping fees than mixed recycling and landfilling options, so some savings can be achieved there.”
Government agencies that want to salvage materials from old buildings must specify that in contracts. “A huge consideration, as I understand it, is how the demolition/deconstruction specification is written, so that contractors are required (or at least highly motivated) to prioritize reuse over recycling, and to recover as much as possible from the site,” Wassink says.
Napier agrees. “Standard contracting processes and technical specifications have been developed around conventional demolition practices,” he says. “Some adjustments may be required to solicitation and contract award practices.”
The Building Material Reuse Association (BMRA, www.bmra.org), based in Beaverton, Ore., is an educational and research organization whose mission is to facilitate building deconstruction and the reuse/recycling of recovered building materials. Its Web site includes an online directory of contractors and consultants, and a library of case studies and articles. It also offers training in deconstruction and organizes a conference every other year that many government agencies attend. “Government agencies are encouraged to join the BMRA. We currently have representatives from the EPA and the Empire State Council on Economic Development and other government agencies among our members,” says Anne Nicklin, a member of the BMRA’s board of directors and a sustainability consultant for San Francisco-based construction consulting firm Davis-Langdon.
building materials:frp grating
Government-owned buildings are showing their age. A recent Energy Information Administration analysis calculates that 25,000 of the 635,000 government-owned buildings in the United States were constructed before 1920.
Several categories of public buildings offer deconstruction opportunities, says Thomas Napier, research architect at the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center, in Champaign, Ill. “In a governmental context,” Napier told GovPro.com, “deconstructing obsolete public housing could provide ‘green collar’ job opportunities. Any other wood-framed buildings, offices, institutional buildings and other similar structures could provide significant opportunities.”
Seattle is one city that has been deconstructing rather than demolishing government buildings, and it has been encouraging the practice among residents and businesses, too. "We are actively encouraging increased salvage of building materials and increased deconstruction, especially in the single-family areas," says Dick Lilly of Seattle Public Utilities, part of the Seattle city government.
Dirk Wassink, general manager of Seattle-based Second Use Building Materials, told GovPro.com, “We are currently working with the local government in Seattle on a project to recover building materials at city transfer stations. They have also sponsored some deconstruction efforts on government-owned properties.” Wassink’s firm salvages used but still usable construction materials and finds them new homes.
The public sector is key to supporting the widespread adoption of the practice, explains Wassink: “Since governments tend to be owners of large numbers of buildings, their decisions have a large impact on how construction (and deconstruction) gets done.”
Wassink outlines ways that deconstruction can compete with demolition on cost. “Some of the additional labor costs due to the more intensive dismantling process can be offset with the value of the recovered materials. Also, separated recycling streams tend to have lower tipping fees than mixed recycling and landfilling options, so some savings can be achieved there.”
Government agencies that want to salvage materials from old buildings must specify that in contracts. “A huge consideration, as I understand it, is how the demolition/deconstruction specification is written, so that contractors are required (or at least highly motivated) to prioritize reuse over recycling, and to recover as much as possible from the site,” Wassink says.
Napier agrees. “Standard contracting processes and technical specifications have been developed around conventional demolition practices,” he says. “Some adjustments may be required to solicitation and contract award practices.”
The Building Material Reuse Association (BMRA, www.bmra.org), based in Beaverton, Ore., is an educational and research organization whose mission is to facilitate building deconstruction and the reuse/recycling of recovered building materials. Its Web site includes an online directory of contractors and consultants, and a library of case studies and articles. It also offers training in deconstruction and organizes a conference every other year that many government agencies attend. “Government agencies are encouraged to join the BMRA. We currently have representatives from the EPA and the Empire State Council on Economic Development and other government agencies among our members,” says Anne Nicklin, a member of the BMRA’s board of directors and a sustainability consultant for San Francisco-based construction consulting firm Davis-Langdon.
building materials:frp grating
2009年10月12日星期一
Protest prompts coastal rethink
PLANNING and the National Trust for Jersey will compile new guidelines for building applications on the west and north coasts in response to the ‘Line in the Sand’ protest, according to Environment Minister Freddie Cohen.
The minister says that although there can be no ‘blanket ban’ on buildings, he wants to work with campaigners behind last weekend’s demonstration with great building materials as high quality frp grating.
The protest last Sunday saw 7,000 Islanders gather on St Ouen’s Bay to protest against ‘inappropriate’ development on the coast.
And while Senator Cohen says that he cannot stop property owners putting in applications for land that they own on the coast, he wants to consult on new guidelines for the proposed Coastal National Park that would encompass the west coast and most of the north coast too.
The minister says that although there can be no ‘blanket ban’ on buildings, he wants to work with campaigners behind last weekend’s demonstration with great building materials as high quality frp grating.
The protest last Sunday saw 7,000 Islanders gather on St Ouen’s Bay to protest against ‘inappropriate’ development on the coast.
And while Senator Cohen says that he cannot stop property owners putting in applications for land that they own on the coast, he wants to consult on new guidelines for the proposed Coastal National Park that would encompass the west coast and most of the north coast too.
2009年10月11日星期日
European building materials industry outlook remains negative
The outlook for the European building materials(eg:frp grating) industry remains negative, reflecting the ongoing economic weakness in some markets and continued depressed demand, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report of 11 companies it rates. However, there are signs that the decline in volumes is not getting any worse in mature markets and may even start to improve from 2010.
"Overall end-market demand for building materials is expected to remain weak in H2 2009," said Matthias Hellstern, a senior vice president in Moody's Corporate Finance Group. "Indeed, forecasts indicate that global cement consumption is expected to decline by around 16% in 2009, excluding China."
Although economic stimulus packages in the mature countries should help offset declines in demand for building materials from commercial or residential construction, Moody's expects that growth in public construction projects will not be sufficient to fully offset such declines going forward.
"It will take more time for building material volumes to recover," explained Hellstern.
"As a result, profitability and cash flow generation will remain affected for the time being and it is unlikely that levels reported in 2007 and 2008 will be reached in the intermediate term."
However, in line with economic indicators, Moody's believes the current cycle for European building materials companies has reached its bottom.
Indeed, despite the reduction in demand, prices for building materials, especially cement, remain stable overall. Furthermore, liquidity concerns have largely been addressed by many of the building companies, and Moody's believes that the short-term liquidity position of nearly all its rated companies should be sufficient to cover liquidity needs in the next 12 months. However, as a result of past acquisitions, many rated issuers still have major maturities to be covered in 2011 and 2012; thus, Moody's will continue to closely monitor liquidity in the industry.
Moody's also recognises that cement and other building materials producers have set ambitious cost cutting targets and, combined with a reduction in energy costs, should be able to report improving margins in H2 2009 despite the expected ongoing weak demand. Companies are also expected to generate positive free cash flow going forward, by cutting maintenance capex to the minimum, reducing expansion capex and efficiently managing working capital.
Assuming better visibility and positive volume trends, there is a possibility that Moody's could change its outlook for the sector to stable from negative in the next few months. Moody's will continue to assess the situation and take rating action as and when necessary.
"Overall end-market demand for building materials is expected to remain weak in H2 2009," said Matthias Hellstern, a senior vice president in Moody's Corporate Finance Group. "Indeed, forecasts indicate that global cement consumption is expected to decline by around 16% in 2009, excluding China."
Although economic stimulus packages in the mature countries should help offset declines in demand for building materials from commercial or residential construction, Moody's expects that growth in public construction projects will not be sufficient to fully offset such declines going forward.
"It will take more time for building material volumes to recover," explained Hellstern.
"As a result, profitability and cash flow generation will remain affected for the time being and it is unlikely that levels reported in 2007 and 2008 will be reached in the intermediate term."
However, in line with economic indicators, Moody's believes the current cycle for European building materials companies has reached its bottom.
Indeed, despite the reduction in demand, prices for building materials, especially cement, remain stable overall. Furthermore, liquidity concerns have largely been addressed by many of the building companies, and Moody's believes that the short-term liquidity position of nearly all its rated companies should be sufficient to cover liquidity needs in the next 12 months. However, as a result of past acquisitions, many rated issuers still have major maturities to be covered in 2011 and 2012; thus, Moody's will continue to closely monitor liquidity in the industry.
Moody's also recognises that cement and other building materials producers have set ambitious cost cutting targets and, combined with a reduction in energy costs, should be able to report improving margins in H2 2009 despite the expected ongoing weak demand. Companies are also expected to generate positive free cash flow going forward, by cutting maintenance capex to the minimum, reducing expansion capex and efficiently managing working capital.
Assuming better visibility and positive volume trends, there is a possibility that Moody's could change its outlook for the sector to stable from negative in the next few months. Moody's will continue to assess the situation and take rating action as and when necessary.
2009年10月9日星期五
Market mezzanine judged to lift trade
Listed building consent has been granted for an extension to a mezzanine floor in a grade II listed covered market in Durham after an inspector held that it would add to the variety of retail space.
The building was split into two levels and the frp grating market operator wished to secure more space on the upper floor. The inspector noted that the market contained a mixture of open stalls and booths that added to the vibrancy and bustle of the area as a place to shop. Although extending the mezzanine in the manner proposed would affect some views of the upper walls of the building, she was satisfied that the scheme would preserve the overall character of the market.
Mezzanine Floors and Raised Storage Areas
Mezzanine Floor Systems available from Erect-A-Rack allows companies to expand its existing facilities to meet changing requirements without enlarging the site whilst offering simple and cost effective floor solutions.
Raised Floor Access
Erect-A-Rack staircases are designed to suit floor heights and required widths, whilst complying with standard regulations. Tread boards are available in solid steel, grating or timber. Steel gates are available for forklift loading of the upper level. Gate positions are carefully designed to ensure safety and easy access. Incline conveyors are available for rapid feeding of goods to and from the upper level.
Mezzine Floor Adaptability
The structure of a Mezzanine Floor is of a bolted steel construction which enables easy extension, re-engineering or relocation with significant cost savings whilst manufacturing and constructing the floor to your specific requirements.
Floor Safety
Erect-A-Rack Mezzanine Floors are engineered to the highest structural standards using high grade steel with compliance to all regulations. All perimeter areas of a Mezzanine Floor are fitted with safety rails.
Raised Storage Areas
Erect-A-Rack Raised Storage Areas can double storage space in existing buildings and be equipped with shelves and aisles to suit all your storage needs.
Shelves are available in a variety of short, medium and long spans, also narrow and extra wide depths.
Shelf decking materials includes timber, steel and mesh. Shelves are tailor made for the optimum use of space, ergonomics and productivity.
Mezzanine Floors and Raised Storage Areas Benefits
* Erect-A-Rack Raised Storage Areas are available in multi-tier systems that can increase storage areas up to 300%, within the same rented floor area
* Raised Storage Areas can be classed as one of your assets, not part of your rent. They are depreciable in value, yet never wear out and last a lifetime and they can also be moved if needed
* Raised Storage Areas increase productivity by minimising travel distance and time by 40% and up to 75% with multi-tiered systems
* Erect-A-Rack endeavours to always supply carefully engineered products and systems that are all in compliance with applicable standards, practical, reliable and safe, offering benefits to our valued customers
A related site:http://www.lydry.com/
Raised Floor Access
Erect-A-Rack staircases are designed to suit floor heights and required widths, whilst complying with standard regulations. Tread boards are available in solid steel, grating or timber. Steel gates are available for forklift loading of the upper level. Gate positions are carefully designed to ensure safety and easy access. Incline conveyors are available for rapid feeding of goods to and from the upper level.
Mezzine Floor Adaptability
The structure of a Mezzanine Floor is of a bolted steel construction which enables easy extension, re-engineering or relocation with significant cost savings whilst manufacturing and constructing the floor to your specific requirements.
Floor Safety
Erect-A-Rack Mezzanine Floors are engineered to the highest structural standards using high grade steel with compliance to all regulations. All perimeter areas of a Mezzanine Floor are fitted with safety rails.
Raised Storage Areas
Erect-A-Rack Raised Storage Areas can double storage space in existing buildings and be equipped with shelves and aisles to suit all your storage needs.
Shelves are available in a variety of short, medium and long spans, also narrow and extra wide depths.
Shelf decking materials includes timber, steel and mesh. Shelves are tailor made for the optimum use of space, ergonomics and productivity.
Mezzanine Floors and Raised Storage Areas Benefits
* Erect-A-Rack Raised Storage Areas are available in multi-tier systems that can increase storage areas up to 300%, within the same rented floor area
* Raised Storage Areas can be classed as one of your assets, not part of your rent. They are depreciable in value, yet never wear out and last a lifetime and they can also be moved if needed
* Raised Storage Areas increase productivity by minimising travel distance and time by 40% and up to 75% with multi-tiered systems
* Erect-A-Rack endeavours to always supply carefully engineered products and systems that are all in compliance with applicable standards, practical, reliable and safe, offering benefits to our valued customers
A related site:http://www.lydry.com/
2009年9月29日星期二
Price caps mulled for building materials
Cement, steel bars and sheets, and wood are not among the goods automatically slapped with price caps when a state of calamity is declared in an area.
Manufacturers said they would comply with the caps if approved but pointed out that they had no plans to hike prices anyway.
"We will recommend it immediately. They (construction materials suppliers) better shape up," Trade Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya told reporters at the sidelines of a National Price Coordinating Council meeting on Monday.
The price ceilings will depend on week-ago prices. If approved, the controls could stay in place for up to 60 days.
Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila added to this later, saying: "Let us recommend it for all prime commodities."
Under Republic Act 7581, only basic commodities are placed under price ceilings in times of calamity. These include rice, corn, bread, fresh meat and vegetables, canned fish, root crops, firewood, certain drugs, cooking oil, salt, and detergent.
Representatives of supermarket groups present at the council meeting yesterday said they were cooperating with the price control order, but noted that inventory could dwindle in the next few days as deliveries are held up by road problems and lack of trucks.
Price ceilings will have to be mandated by Malaca?ang if it wishes to include prime commodities such as cement, steel sheets, hollow blocks, plywood, nails, electrical supplies, flour, dairy products, and noodles, among others.
Sought for comment, cement industry leaders said price hikes were unlikely as supply was sufficient. "We have sufficient inventory and there is no problem," said Eduardo A. Sahagun, Holcim Philippines senior vice-president for sales.
Cement plants do not intend to hike prices anyway, said Cement Manufacturers of the Philippines President Ernesto M. Ordo?ez.
"With or without price ceilings, firms can be charged with profiteering. We aren’t raising prices in this time of need," Mr. Ordo?ez said.
"We have more than enough cement. Our plants are running just at 56% of the 22-million-ton annual capacity," he added.
Producers of steel products likewise do not anticipate supply and delivery problems.
"I don’t think there will be [a] shortage. There is a high volume of inventory," Steel Angles, Shapes and Section Manufacturers Association of the Philippines director Al S. Tatel said.
"Most houses are still standing. [And] even if some tightness occurs, raw materials are expected to come in this month," he added.
Supply of steel sheets will also be adequate as floods did not damage roofing, said Rene Roberto G. Garcia, senior vice-president of Steel Corporation of the Philippines.
Manufacturers said they would comply with the caps if approved but pointed out that they had no plans to hike prices anyway.
"We will recommend it immediately. They (construction materials suppliers) better shape up," Trade Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya told reporters at the sidelines of a National Price Coordinating Council meeting on Monday.
The price ceilings will depend on week-ago prices. If approved, the controls could stay in place for up to 60 days.
Trade Secretary Peter B. Favila added to this later, saying: "Let us recommend it for all prime commodities."
Under Republic Act 7581, only basic commodities are placed under price ceilings in times of calamity. These include rice, corn, bread, fresh meat and vegetables, canned fish, root crops, firewood, certain drugs, cooking oil, salt, and detergent.
Representatives of supermarket groups present at the council meeting yesterday said they were cooperating with the price control order, but noted that inventory could dwindle in the next few days as deliveries are held up by road problems and lack of trucks.
Price ceilings will have to be mandated by Malaca?ang if it wishes to include prime commodities such as cement, steel sheets, hollow blocks, plywood, nails, electrical supplies, flour, dairy products, and noodles, among others.
Sought for comment, cement industry leaders said price hikes were unlikely as supply was sufficient. "We have sufficient inventory and there is no problem," said Eduardo A. Sahagun, Holcim Philippines senior vice-president for sales.
Cement plants do not intend to hike prices anyway, said Cement Manufacturers of the Philippines President Ernesto M. Ordo?ez.
"With or without price ceilings, firms can be charged with profiteering. We aren’t raising prices in this time of need," Mr. Ordo?ez said.
"We have more than enough cement. Our plants are running just at 56% of the 22-million-ton annual capacity," he added.
Producers of steel products likewise do not anticipate supply and delivery problems.
"I don’t think there will be [a] shortage. There is a high volume of inventory," Steel Angles, Shapes and Section Manufacturers Association of the Philippines director Al S. Tatel said.
"Most houses are still standing. [And] even if some tightness occurs, raw materials are expected to come in this month," he added.
Supply of steel sheets will also be adequate as floods did not damage roofing, said Rene Roberto G. Garcia, senior vice-president of Steel Corporation of the Philippines.
2009年9月28日星期一
What are your floor plans?
Excuse the lame humor, but I was totally floored! I had never realized the staggering impact our flooring choices have on the environment until I recently began reading Ray C. Anderson's book "Mid-Course Correction."
Mind you, the book was penned way back in 1998 by the CEO of Interface, "the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet," but its age is precisely what makes the facts and figures that Anderson quotes so astounding.
Taking stock of his company's environmental footprint, Anderson learned that in 1995 Interface and its suppliers extracted 1.224 billion pounds of raw materials from the earth to manufacture its carpets. Of these raw materials, 800 million pounds were "petro-based, coming from either coal, oil or natural gas," two-thirds of which were burned to turn the rest of the materials into carpeting.
And, that's just the impact of one company, producing one flooring material, in one year, more than a decade ago. Pretty amazing.
As you can imagine, to satisfy worldwide demand for flooring, billions and billions of pounds of raw materials are mined, chopped down and processed in factories, using a variety of dangerous chemicals. These same chemicals end up in our homes, affecting air quality and exposing our loved ones to toxic substances. It all goes to show you that our collective flooring choices really do matter, not only to the health of our planet, but also to the health of our children and families.
It's All about Choices(you can refer to frp grating)
Green flooring is all about choices. No, I don't mean the choice between an environmentally friendly floor over one that's esthetically pleasing and comfortable. No sacrifice is involved. With green flooring, you can have it all. In fact, like Anderson's company, a large number of manufacturers have committed to going green over the last few years, creating an explosion of eco-friendly flooring options for the consumer. There's something for every taste; the only hard part is making a decision.
Lustrous Woods
Previously, installing hardwood floors went hand-in-hand with the destruction of forest eco-systems and the loss of old-growth trees. Now, thanks to a wide range of wood choices, you can enjoy beautiful hardwood floors without the guilt.
One option to explore is Forest Stewardship Council or FSC certified wood floors. This designation assures the wood has been harvested sustainably by requiring lumber companies to adhere to a set of independent standards.
Going further, for those wishing to avoid the felling of additional trees, look for reclaimed wood flooring, removed from houses, barns or industrial buildings, and ready for reuse inside your home. Finally, consider cork, whose bark can be stripped for manufacture into flooring, without killing the tree. Flexible, cork has the added benefit of being able to "heal" itself of minor dents by springing back into place.
Durable Linoleums
It you caught my previous column on PVC poly vinyl chloride, you recognize the importance of avoiding vinyl floors, often mistakenly called linoleum. If not, consider the dangers of exposure to vinyl chloride, a potent human carcinogen, whose molecules can be become "unbounded" and "volatile" in flexible forms of PVC, such as flooring.
"Vinyl flooring is very popular, but from a green standpoint, it's a product to avoid. Plasticizers called phthalates used to make PVC soft are a health hazard, especially in nurseries and play spaces," agree Johnston and Gibson, authors of "Green from the Ground Up: A Builder's Guide."
If you like the qualities of this so-called linoleum, why not try real linoleum instead? Made from linseed oil, linoleum is a non-toxic, environmentally friendly and surprisingly durable alternative. Lasting 30 to 40 years or more, it comes in a wide range of colors sure to please any palette.
Soft Carpeting
Cradle to cradle carpets -- those made from recycled plastics that can in turn be recycled at the end of their useful lives -- are all the rage. Nevertheless, I'm a bit skeptical. Yes, from one standpoint, these carpets are environmentally friendly, but I don't like the idea of using large swaths of petro-based plastics in my home. Moreover, plasticizers in these carpets outgas, damaging air quality and have who-knows-what effects on children and pets who spend large periods of time on the floor.
Instead, I prefer wool carpeting. Not only is it recyclable, but it's a natural, biodegradable product. To further minimize environmental impact, check out Greenspace's "chemical-free" and "dye-free" wool options, and make sure the carpet is installed using the least toxic, low-VOC adhesive you can find. Carpet tile is also an excellent option for minimizing waste, allowing soiled and damaged sections to be replaced without throwing the whole carpet away.
Gleaming Tile
Ceramic tile flooring is an excellent green choice. According to BuildingGreen.com, "the materials involved are readily available and mined with fairly low impact." In addition, tile is non-toxic and durable, lasting up to four times longer than other flooring materials according to Environmental Design + Construction.
To minimize environmental impact, Johnston and Gibson recommend purchasing tile that is sourced locally and made from recycled content, and installing it using thinset mortar for less off-gassing.
Jennifer Parrish writes a biweekly column for the Sentinel on environmental issues. She has a background in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Mind you, the book was penned way back in 1998 by the CEO of Interface, "the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet," but its age is precisely what makes the facts and figures that Anderson quotes so astounding.
Taking stock of his company's environmental footprint, Anderson learned that in 1995 Interface and its suppliers extracted 1.224 billion pounds of raw materials from the earth to manufacture its carpets. Of these raw materials, 800 million pounds were "petro-based, coming from either coal, oil or natural gas," two-thirds of which were burned to turn the rest of the materials into carpeting.
And, that's just the impact of one company, producing one flooring material, in one year, more than a decade ago. Pretty amazing.
As you can imagine, to satisfy worldwide demand for flooring, billions and billions of pounds of raw materials are mined, chopped down and processed in factories, using a variety of dangerous chemicals. These same chemicals end up in our homes, affecting air quality and exposing our loved ones to toxic substances. It all goes to show you that our collective flooring choices really do matter, not only to the health of our planet, but also to the health of our children and families.
It's All about Choices(you can refer to frp grating)
Green flooring is all about choices. No, I don't mean the choice between an environmentally friendly floor over one that's esthetically pleasing and comfortable. No sacrifice is involved. With green flooring, you can have it all. In fact, like Anderson's company, a large number of manufacturers have committed to going green over the last few years, creating an explosion of eco-friendly flooring options for the consumer. There's something for every taste; the only hard part is making a decision.
Lustrous Woods
Previously, installing hardwood floors went hand-in-hand with the destruction of forest eco-systems and the loss of old-growth trees. Now, thanks to a wide range of wood choices, you can enjoy beautiful hardwood floors without the guilt.
One option to explore is Forest Stewardship Council or FSC certified wood floors. This designation assures the wood has been harvested sustainably by requiring lumber companies to adhere to a set of independent standards.
Going further, for those wishing to avoid the felling of additional trees, look for reclaimed wood flooring, removed from houses, barns or industrial buildings, and ready for reuse inside your home. Finally, consider cork, whose bark can be stripped for manufacture into flooring, without killing the tree. Flexible, cork has the added benefit of being able to "heal" itself of minor dents by springing back into place.
Durable Linoleums
It you caught my previous column on PVC poly vinyl chloride, you recognize the importance of avoiding vinyl floors, often mistakenly called linoleum. If not, consider the dangers of exposure to vinyl chloride, a potent human carcinogen, whose molecules can be become "unbounded" and "volatile" in flexible forms of PVC, such as flooring.
"Vinyl flooring is very popular, but from a green standpoint, it's a product to avoid. Plasticizers called phthalates used to make PVC soft are a health hazard, especially in nurseries and play spaces," agree Johnston and Gibson, authors of "Green from the Ground Up: A Builder's Guide."
If you like the qualities of this so-called linoleum, why not try real linoleum instead? Made from linseed oil, linoleum is a non-toxic, environmentally friendly and surprisingly durable alternative. Lasting 30 to 40 years or more, it comes in a wide range of colors sure to please any palette.
Soft Carpeting
Cradle to cradle carpets -- those made from recycled plastics that can in turn be recycled at the end of their useful lives -- are all the rage. Nevertheless, I'm a bit skeptical. Yes, from one standpoint, these carpets are environmentally friendly, but I don't like the idea of using large swaths of petro-based plastics in my home. Moreover, plasticizers in these carpets outgas, damaging air quality and have who-knows-what effects on children and pets who spend large periods of time on the floor.
Instead, I prefer wool carpeting. Not only is it recyclable, but it's a natural, biodegradable product. To further minimize environmental impact, check out Greenspace's "chemical-free" and "dye-free" wool options, and make sure the carpet is installed using the least toxic, low-VOC adhesive you can find. Carpet tile is also an excellent option for minimizing waste, allowing soiled and damaged sections to be replaced without throwing the whole carpet away.
Gleaming Tile
Ceramic tile flooring is an excellent green choice. According to BuildingGreen.com, "the materials involved are readily available and mined with fairly low impact." In addition, tile is non-toxic and durable, lasting up to four times longer than other flooring materials according to Environmental Design + Construction.
To minimize environmental impact, Johnston and Gibson recommend purchasing tile that is sourced locally and made from recycled content, and installing it using thinset mortar for less off-gassing.
Jennifer Parrish writes a biweekly column for the Sentinel on environmental issues. She has a background in energy efficiency and renewable energy.
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