This column first ran in Walls & Ceilings in July 2005. Our technical service hotline has recently received several calls that this article addresses, so we have decided it’s time to revisit the topic. We have updated the article in a few places to ensure that the information is current and germane to today’s circumstances.
Consumers are awash in green product marketing claims, and often have no way to verify the validity of claims being made. This problem is something green building practitioners face on every project. Without time and resources to verify green product claims, designers are forced to rely on the honesty and integrity of the manufacturers making the claims-sometimes with unpleasant results.
About a decade ago, I attended a seminar by businessman and author Jack Stack. He is known as the father of “Open-Book Management,” a methodology centered around sharing financial and decision-making duties among all employees.
This month, instead of having the column be a single topic, I’m going to have a lot of small topics. Most of these are things that I have seen or heard over the years; a compendium of bits and pieces of information about EIFS.
It’s been about five years since model building codes were initially modified to limit the use of water-resistant gypsum board (“green board”) in shower and tub areas. Accordingly, it seems like a good time to review where the code language rests at present and to discuss some related misconceptions.
The question is: Will you survive? And if you answer yes, what did you learn during this bleak period? Only a few years ago, most contractors can remember having all the work they wanted, possibly even turning away jobs or bidding them so high.
This is the first of a two-part series about common EIFS questions. My Web site www.eifs.com generates a lot of e-mail and phone inquiries. Usually they are basic questions from people looking to learn more about EIFS. Over the last 30 years of working with EIFS I’ve seen or heard of almost anything that can be done with EIFS.
What is a feel good law? A law passed by our government that has great intentions, but does little to nothing in reality, except make the politicians and a few special interest groups feel good about themselves. The ban on smoking in bars is a good example. Do they really help the public? But they sure make the anti-smoking crusaders and some lawmakers feel good about themselves, and I am not a smoker.
What is the most important thing to an architect? A plum commission? Peer recognition? Design awards? Fellow status from the AIA? All of these are certainly revered and desired, but the thing that most architects value above all is professional registration.
RSS
