Jul 9 2010
A brick building like no other is being constructed in Florida by Culpepper Construction using unique “green,” low-energy bricks made by CalStar Products of Silicon Valley.
“The green building sector is holding steady even in today’s economy,” said Culpepper President O.J. Knox. “We continue to look to introduce innovative green building practices at our Evening Rose development. CalStar brick is our latest move to set new standards in sustainable construction.”
The U.S. Green Building Council predicts green building will more than double from $36-$49 billion in 2009 to $96-$140 billion by 2013.
Culpepper Construction is one of the southeast’s leading masonry builders. The company’s projects include many prominent education, medical and government buildings.
“As an established leader in masonry construction, Culpepper is a perfect partner for CalStar,” said Tom Pounds, CalStar’s CEO. “Together we’ll be setting a new benchmark in green building practices by laying our new, greener bricks.”
CalStar got its start in Silicon Valley, birthplace of Google, Apple, and eBay, and now a hub of innovation in “clean” technology. The bricks, manufactured in Racine, WI, are made from 40 percent recycled fly ash, a byproduct of electricity generation from coal. Unlike traditional clay bricks, CalStar’s are not fired in a kiln at high temperatures. They use only 15 percent of the energy required to produce clay bricks, and produce 85 percent less CO2 (a greenhouse gas).
Compared to clay bricks, a 100,000-brick project using CalStar’s products reduces CO2 emissions by 40 tons – the equivalent of taking seven cars off the road for a year. In addition, it delivers a 500 million BTU reduction in energy consumption, avoids the mining of 200 tons of virgin raw material, and keeps 70 tons of byproduct out of the landfill.
Source: http://calstarproducts.com/