Green Is the Word: 6 Highlights from Greenbuild, Day One

Architizer is in the nation’s capital this week for the 2015 Greenbuild sustainability conference and expo. After combing the show floor of the Washington Convention Center on the first day of the expo, we’ve got some product highlights as well as news to share. (Stay tuned for more Greenbuild recaps.)

Sherwin-Williams: Attack of the Killer Paint
First came Aura, Sherwin-Williams’ antimicrobial paint that inhibited growth of microorganisms. Now. it’s launched Paint Shield, the first EPA-registered microbicidal paint that continuously kills greater than 99.9 percent of infection-causing bacteria after two hours of exposure on the painted surface. This paint can be groundbreaking in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, as well as a range of public spaces, as it has the capability to stop MRSA, staph, E. coli, et al., dead in their tracks. The interior paint is offered in a wide variety of colors.

MechoSystems and SageGlass: Made in the Shade
MechoShade announced a partnership with electrochromic glass pioneer SageGlass for automated dynamic glazing: MechoSystem’s SolarTrac system provides predictive sky analysis to automatically adjust shades, blinds, and electrochromic glass. In this joint offering, it’s being used to control SageGlass’ LightZone, which is a dynamic glazing system with three adjustable sections. By individually tinting the sky (top), vision (middle), and floor light-shelf (bottom) sections of LightZone, this integrated option optimizes views and daylighting while controlling solar heat gain.

Big Ass Fans: What a Smart Ass (Fan)
Also shown earlier this year at the Builders Show, the manufacturer’s stylish Haiku 52 and 60 fans feature SenseME technology, which monitors temperature conditions in a space and, then, automatically adjusts the speed accordingly. It also allows smartphone-control of the fan, allows for programming based on preferences or schedules, and enables motion detection.

Shaw Contract Group: Hitting It Out of the Park
A NeoCon introduction, The Park is a carpet tile collection inspired by the multifaceted nature of parks. But aside from looking pretty, the line boasts green attributes: it’s composed of Eco Solution Q Nylon yarn, which contains recyclable Type 6 Nylon and is backed with EcoWorx, a PVC-free, low-VOC, recyclable Cradle to Cradle-certified backing system.

Assa Abloy: They’ve Got the EcoPower
The company’s Securitron brand demonstrated how drastically its EcoPower product could reduce energy use. People rarely stop to think about the electricity used in powered locks (such as card-swipe units commonly seen in office buildings) when the lock is in an idle standby mode. With an average 20W or more per typical access point, it adds up. EcoPower is a compact power supply that can reduce the supply standby power by 99 percent (to roughly 0.0085W). Easily installable, it can be surface-mounted, recessed into drywall, or mounted on an existing UL-listed double-gang junction box.

Kohler: Water, Water Everywhere …
A whopping 1.8 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, particularly in remote regions. So Kohler has developed Kohler Clarity, an affordable ceramic filtration system that works on gravity alone: it holds 2.9 gallons of dirty water, which, then, flows through the ceramic unit to remove over 99 percent of bacteria and protozoa and into the bottom reservoir, which stores the cleaned water to prevent recontamination. It is estimated to reduce the risk of some water-borne illnesses by 45 percent.