Less Pricey Protection

by Jeff Schmucker

Surprise: More steel, less intumescent coating might save money in specifying fire-resistant construction materials.

All that glitter is SILVER (Aluminum Metallic, Actually)

by Joe Maty

The ambitious makeover of Seattle’s McCaw Hall has won rave reviews; the supporting cast includes sparkling metallic finishes.

Buying Guide

Air Barrier Buying Guide

This Guide is intended to help users of liquid air-barrier materials find sources of products they need. Information was collected through a survey sent to manufacturers known to be air-barrier suppliers and follow-up phone calls. All companies are listed

Getting It Right

Coating selection, surface preparation hold key to successful painting of galvanized steel

by Jayson Helsel

Successfully painting galvanized steel can present a challenge. First, one must differentiate between painting new and existing galvanized surfaces, since the approach to preparing each will differ.

Projects

Concrete Finishing: Reactive stain breathes life into landmark chapel’s concrete

by Joe Maty

Seattle University’s prizewinning St. Ignatius unites ‘ancient and new’ - In seeking to achieve a confluence of the modern and the ancient, the participants in the design and construction of the landmark St. Ignatius Chapel at Seattle University settled on

Passing the Test

Corrosion and durability testing: changes in the air

by Allen Zielnik

Advances in methods offer greater ‘real-world’ correlation - Congratulations! Your design has been selected by "The Donald" for his newest luxury high-rise building. As one would expect, the timeline on the project will be intense and your new customer exp

Projects

Design team prescribes resin-based material for hospital expansion

When Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, undertook a $53 million expansion, the hospital placed top priority on materials and services from companies with a reputation for innovation and an appreciation for the importance of creating a chi

The Concept Stage

Development project seeks to employ ‘biomass-derived’ materials in coatings

Armed with a $3.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Rohm and Haas Co. recently launched a program to develop technologies that could reduce by up to 30 percent the amount of raw materials used to manufacture a variety of waterborne paint a

Product Spotlight

It's westward ho for air barriers

The barrier movement is gaining momentum, and liquid-applied materials figure prominently in the technology parade.

News

New coatings VOC limits go into effect in Mid-Atlantic

WASHINGTON—New volatile organic compound (VOC) limits on architectural and industrial maintenance coatings were scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 in six Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. Lower-VOC coatings over the next several months will