July 4th, 2007 Issue - Happy Independence Day!

Greetings %%First Name%%
 

Table of Contents

• Setting the Record Straight - Indoor Air Quality Does Not Equal Indoor Comfort Quality

• New Public Review Drafts from ACI (Concrete) and ASHRAE (Energy Efficiency)

• Customer's Bill of Rights by Dan Holohan

• History of Radiant  - Did Not Begin With The Romans

• Two-Day Workshop in Mt. Pleasant, MI - Courtesy of Ferguson, H.S. Buy Van and Uponor

• Sponsor Acknowledgement

• Turning Animal Shelters Into Places of Hope and Life

• A Must See Blog - Inhabitat

• Bonus Link

It's remarkable how indoor air quality is often contracted to indoor comfort quality when in fact they are two very distinct metrics in indoor environmental quality. In particular, consumers have been led to believe that if IAQ was delivered, then comfort surely follows. We are setting the record straight with this short explanation. 

Forum visitors know they get first hand knowledge of public review drafts of industry standards. Why is this important to you? Well the first thing is, public review drafts don't cost you a dime. That's right you get a document created by industry experts which, granted is under review but, still contains their opinions and suggestions - for no charge. Secondly, you get advanced notice of what may be changing in the near future.  Third, you get to see what was published in the past, always good for reference. Last but not least, you get a chance to voice your opinion - meaning you get to be part of the solution. Today's new notices include BSR/ASHRAE/IESNA/USGBC Standard 189P, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings and "Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-05) and Commentary"  Obtain the links here.

Last week, Dan Holohan's newsletter subscribers were treated to a great essay on consumers 'Bill of Rights'. I love this stuff, because it reminds us the important person in the exchange between dollars for products and services is the customer.  I'm recommending to our readers to download Dan's words and to obtain Seth Godin's, "The Dip" - a short and very easy read about being the best or knowing when to quit. Like many, I was raised never to quit - but in this New York Times Bestseller, Seth provides ample proof that quitting mediocre activities is the best thing you can do, so that you may focus on being the best at other things.
 

For sometime now, I've always wondered how and who gave the Romans credit for inventing radiant heating with their hypocausts. In Huts and History: The Historical Archaeology of Military Encampment During the American Civil War, the authors make reference to early radiant heating applications called the 'Californian System". This intrigued me because early settlers of California were of Asian descent, many who helped develop the North American railway system and helped forge north during the mid 1800's gold rush - shortly before the American Civil War.  A study of  Chinese Architecture and Planning by Professor Qinghua Guo illustrates the Asians using radiant heating long before the Romans and quite possibly it was they who unknowingly gave birth to the term 'Californian System' used by the civil war architects to heat some of the huts during the battles between President Jefferson Davis and President Abraham Lincoln. More to come as we did deeper into this historical topic.

I want to extend a personal thank you to all the attendees and fine folks from Ferguson Enterprises, H.S. Buy Van and Uponor for a great two-day workshop in Mt. Pleasant, MI.  Day one was for the business owner and all about scraping the inside of your intellectual head ( a mind grenade ala Seth Godin) and day two scratched the technical itch...the #1 lesson - learning takes place when you realize what you don't know. Be the woodpecker...keep chipping away and the rewards will follow.

I spend a lot of time traveling around the country educating industry and consumers alike. None of this is possible without our website and seminar sponsors so please be sure to visit our colleagues at Taco, Uponor and Weil McLain. If your company is interested in supporting our educational projects please contact us via email or voice at 403.255.0121.

At the blog we're featuring "Turning Animal Shelters Into Places of Hope and Life", an excerpt from LA Animal Services' Ed Boks. These new shelters would make most consumer envious...I say lets hire Ed for our next industry conference - he has lots to share about indoor environmental quality.

Last but not least...I came across publisher Jill Fehrenbacher and her team's Inhabitat by accident...and what a bump! Inhabitat.com is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. One of the most exciting elements within this group is its' youthfulness - there is hope for our children's children if these unique individuals pursue their dreams and continue on with their remarkable influence. Be sure to visit their site.

Closing off this month's newsletter is a quote from Architect, Sarah Susanka, "We don't have words for high-quality space. We don't have words for anything other than quantities. Realtors have a real challenge on their hands because if they're trying to say, 'This is a cool house,' they have to use words like spacious, and if you can say high ceilings, it sounds better. Or cathedral ceiling-that sounds pretty cool. But when you say cozy, it's a euphemism for too small. And there is nothing in-between. So what I am trying to do is develop some words that help people to understand that there is more to a house than just size."  (Learn more at this bonus link).

Yes, "there is more to a house than just size" until next time, stay well,

Robert Bean, R.E.T.
Registered Engineering Technologist
Building Construction, Industry Development
Editor

Next Month: Radon and Your Home, The Psychology of Comfort (another mind grenade) and other intriguing facts.

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