Posts Tagged ‘innovation’

ASHRAE Show and Millennium Park

Posted by Cynthia Lapp

This week we had the pleasure of attending the ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers) winter show in Chicago, North America's largest heating and cooling show. Lots to see, and lots of innovation going on. 

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We had fun scootering around the city, looking at materials and building techniques. In Millennium Park, we saw frost patterns on the Cloud Gate sculpture (the "Bean") one morning, then had the opportunity to speak with one of the builders from the firm that constructed the sculpture and did the finishing work. He was taking out a scratched graffitti tag.

Frost patterns melting on Cloud Gate

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A steel worker removing scratched graffitti

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He recounted the long, slow process of constructing the sculpture and taking the stainless steel panels to a seamless mirror finish. He said the first time they saw the frost patterns, they thought the whole mirror finish had somehow gone wrong. They were relieved when the air temperature warmed and all the lines vanished.

Red, green and blue LEDs that create the video imagery on the Crown Fountain

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Inspiration in the Netherlands

Posted by Cynthia Lapp

We just returned from the Netherlands researching materials and visiting manufacturers.

The Netherlands enacted progressive housing standards in 1901, making provisions for healthy indoor space including lighting and ventilation. Current manufacturers of ventilation systems, control systems and high-efficiency windows are using excellent materials and innovative techniques.

Touring many areas, including old and new towns, we saw ingenious construction details and uses of materials, old and new, that inspired us.

Early rainscreen principle and cellulose insulation in an agricultural building ruin on the island of Tiengemeten

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Electric car charging station in Rotterdam

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Cross-laminated structural wood from Austria at the RDM campus in Rotterdam

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Industrial felt for cafe seating at the RDM campus in Rotterdam

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Printed glass dividing wall in the offices of the RDM campus in Rotterdam

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Concrete grass pavers at Oostvaardersplassen Nature Reserve

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A green roof at the Energate window office in Speyer, Germany

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Supporting Energy Innovation

Posted by Cynthia Lapp

Meteek was featured in a PEW foundation project highlighting energy leadership from various businesses in Minnesota. "Economic and Job Growth Starts with Policy" is their nationwide effort to influence energy policymakers to adpot energy policies that create jobs and attract private investment.

Andy Hoffmann, Laura Larson, Randy Larson and Molly in the Meteek meadow

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You can go to the link below and click on Minnesota to see the feature on Meteek:
http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/other-resources/economic-and-job-grow...

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“Hot Box” for Materials Testing Co-Developed with UMD Students

Posted by Cynthia Lapp

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The performance of windows and wall sections has been our focus with projects that we build, remodel, or supply. With an annual temperature variance of at least 120°F,  our climate challenges the best materials on the market. When we can't find a material that will stand up to conditions, we create solutions to fit the job.

Working with five students in Civil Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Meteek offered the assignment of buidling a "hot box" to test the thermal qualities of window and wall sections, as well as individual materials. These students took the idea and ran, building, wiring and writing the programming for this testing instrument as their combined senior projects. 

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We attended their project presentation this week and were treated to a demonstration. The material to be tested is clamped into place. A program runs a freezer on one side and an oven on the other create the thermocline necessary for the test. Results are recorded for each testing cycle. 

A win-win project, the Hot Box was a success for the students who built a "real-life" project for an actual client, and a success for Meteek to continue innovating solutions for our tough climate. Congratulations!

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