While Irene did more damage in the Northeast, states farther south are more likely to take a lashing from tropical weather during the new hurricane season that started June 1. The remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl late last month did little damage in North Carolina but served as a reminder of the urgency to rebuild houses before more storms arrive.

Irene caused $15 billion in damage and killed 49 people across an area that stretched from the Carolinas to Vermont. North Carolina took the hardest hit in the Southeast, with at least $1.2 billion in damage, not including uninsured crop losses.

Its like how I expected, said Charles McKinney, a volunteer who came to Virginia. When something like this happens, when it first happens, you have all the media attention, you have the FEMAs and the insurance people. And everybody descends upon the area. But three months this has been close to a year later, and these people still have no homes.

About 2,200 households in Pamlico County, which has a population of about 13,000 people, registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and 104 households received a temporary housing unit from FEMA, a local volunteer leader says. More than 350 people completed the grant application for either buyout or elevation assistance.

The founder of Eight Days of Hope, Steve Tybor, said that while Katrina caused the most damage of any disaster hes seen, he finds the situation in Pamlico County more shocking because so much time has elapsed since the storm.

People dont realize people are still living in homes that are like they were the day after Irene, he said.

Pamlico County is the ninth area visited by Tybors faith-based group, which is based in his hometown of Tupelo, Miss. Tybor started it after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. Its volunteers descend upon a disaster-stricken area for eight days to repair houses. The 1,685 volunteers in North Carolina came from 43 states, Canada and Australia.

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9 months after Irene, people in NC still suffer

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Associated Materials, LLC today announced the appointment of James Kenyon as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer. Mr. Kenyon, previously Vice President, Human Resources at Rexnord Corporation's Water Management Platform, brings over 20 years of management experience in manufacturing companies.

Jerry W. Burris, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We are excited that Jim will be leading the AMI human resource organization. He will play an integral role in linking organizational design to our business strategies that will help us support and drive sustainable profitable growth. Jim's knowledge of organizational design, lean methodologies and talent management will provide valuable leadership to the organization as we continue to strengthen and grow our business."

Mr. Kenyon earned a masters degree in Organizational Development from Bowling Green State University and a Bachelors in Business Administration from Cleveland State University. Prior to joining Associated Materials, Mr. Kenyon served in various management positions at OM Group and Danaher Corporation.

About Associated Materials

The Company is a leading, vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of exterior residential building products in the United States and Canada. The Company produces a comprehensive offering of exterior building products, including vinyl windows, vinyl siding, aluminum trim coil and aluminum and steel siding and accessories, which are produced at the Company's 11 manufacturing facilities. The Company also sells complementary products that are manufactured by third parties, such as roofing materials, insulation, exterior doors, vinyl siding in a shake and scallop design and installation equipment and tools that are primarily distributed through its company-operated supply centers. The Company's products are sold primarily through its extensive dual-distribution network, consisting of 121 company-operated supply centers, through which it sells directly to its contractor customers, and the Company's direct sales channel, through which it sells to approximately 250 independent distributors and dealers, who then sell to their customers. The Company maintains a website athttp://www.associatedmaterials.com.

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Associated Materials Announces Appointment of Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

NEW YORK, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Vinyl Doors and Windows Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0397770/Global-Vinyl-Doors-and-Windows-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Home_Buil

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Vinyl Doors and Windows in Thousand Units. Market Estimates & Projections provided in the report pertain to Vinyl Windows. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 242 companies including many key and niche players such as Anglian Group Plc, Atrium Companies, Inc., Chelsea Building Products, Inc., Crystal Window & Door Systems, Ltd., Deceuninck N.V., Fortune Brands, Inc., Groupe Lapeyre, International Window Corporation, Internorm Fenster International GmbH, Jeld-Wen, Inc., Kaycan Ltd, Kolbe Vinyl Windows & Doors, Masco Corp, MI Windows and Door, Inc., Peachtree Doors and Windows, Inc., Pella Corporation, Ply Gem Industries, Inc., Soft-Lite, LLC., True Home Value, Inc., Weather Shield Manufacturing, Inc., and Weru AG. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONSStudy Reliability and Reporting Limitations I-1Disclaimers I-2Data Interpretation & Reporting Level I-3Quantitative Techniques & Analytics I-3Product Definitions and Scope of Study I-3II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW II-1

A Curtain Raiser II-1

Construction Industry Dips During Recession II-1

Vinyl Window and Door Sales Reflect Decline in Construction

Industry II-2

Global Scenario II-2

Original post:
Global Vinyl Doors and Windows Industry

NEW YORK, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Substrates and Encapsulation for BIPV

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0878030/Substrates-and-Encapsulation-for-BIPV.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Building_Material

Summary

This report identifies the opportunities for encapsulation and substrate materials and systems in the emerging building-integrated PV (BIPV) market. NanoMarkets believes that the BIPV sector will be the fastest growing part of the solar industry in the next decade, but that demand patterns for encapsulation and substrate materials from this sector will be different from the traditional PV industry.

Even though glass will be the most widely used material for both encapsulation and substrates in the BIPV sector, special coatings may be required as the result of the use of novel absorber materials in BIPV. In addition, NanoMarkets believes that in the emerging BIPV market there will be a considerable trend toward flexible PV because of its ability to offer lightweight installation and improved aesthetics. On the one hand this means new opportunities for suppliers of special metal substrates. But it will also require cost effective flexible encapsulation systems.

With all this in mind, in this report, NanoMarkets quantifies the new business revenues that will be generated by novel substrates in the BIPV sector as well as by advanced multi-layer encapsulation systems, including the new breed of encapsulation system that makes use of atomic layer deposition (ALD). The report also discusses how, as monolithic integration becomes more common in BIPV, specialist encapsulation systems will be required to protect the relatively delicate CIGS, OPV and DSC absorber materials that will be used in such products.

Finally, the report takes a look at how the leading suppliers of encapsulation products are viewing BIPV as a market for their products. In addition, this report includes a granular eight-year forecast of the BIPV encapsulation and substrate markets in volume and value terms.

Methodology of this Report

Extensive interviews with various industry and academic sources carried out in the spring of 2012 are the primary source of the opinions and conclusions in this report.

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Substrates and Encapsulation for BIPV

Up a newly laid crushed rock driveway and through an archway opening made in a treeline sits one of Chippewa Valley's newest farmhouses.

Though surrounded by rented farm fields, owners of the new home only plan to plant what will grow in their backyard garden, making the home agriculturally related in appearance but not really in practice.

Builder and owner Lance Brunkow said he and his wife, Gaye, wanted a house that drew inspiration from classic farmhouses but had all the modern touches desired by them and their three teenage children.

"We wanted to do something that fit in," said Lance Brunkow, owner of Brunkow Builders. "We tried to be fairly authentic, but with new products."

The new house fits surprisingly well with the surrounding farms just south of Eau Claire's city limits.

Doors on the three-stall detached workshop and garage appear to be made of wood and steel, salvaged from an old carriage house. But the doors roll up like a standard modern garage door.

While a wood-burning stone fireplace in the living room can be used to warm the main floor, the home is primarily heated using a geothermal system, a network of buried pipes that draws heat from the earth.

Classic white siding running along the outside of the house was laid on top of an inch of foam insulation. Brunkow used SmartSide, a composite material offering the strength, low maintenance, moisture resistance and aesthetic benefits of cement siding, but with easier installation and less weight.

The house is one of 16 on the 38th annual Chippewa Valley Parade of Homes, which starts next weekend.

Varied trends

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Parade home inspired by rural setting

Written by Joe Scotchie: jscotchie@antonnews.com Friday, 01 June 2012 00:00

The proposed law is a response by the village to the continued existence of foreclosed homes in Massapequa and their upkeep, which village officials are displeased with. If approved, the ordinance would require that all individual and bank-owned homes be properly maintained. More specifically, the proposed law would cover the maintenance of pools, shrubbery, windows, siding and general upkeep of the property.

The law will have strict maintenance requirements so that the residents of Massapequa Park do not have to live with the mismanagement and ill will of those institutions, rental property owners and negligent homeowners who hold title to properties within the Village of Massapequa Park, said Mayor James A. Altadonna. A message needs to be sent that we will no longer tolerate poor property maintenance in our community or any community and that the hardworking people who maintain their homes should not have to live with adverse conditions next door to them.

The June 11 meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in Village Hall, 151 Front St. Village officials said the meeting would discuss the law in detail, but they did not say if the BOT would seek passage.

At recent meetings, the BOT has approved a $10,000 transfer in funds from the contingency account to the unemployment insurance segment of the village budget.

It has also referred the Planning Commission to study the possible installation of a four-way stop sign at the intersection of Van Buren Street and Park Boulevard. The BOT, in May, authorized the village administrator to sign a cash management direct service agreement with Flushing Bank to install an IronKey trusted solution device for internet banking. It also approved the annual stormwater management plans annual report, plus cabaret licenses for both Il Classico Restaurant and The Good Life, located respectively, on 4857 Merrick Rd. and 1039 Park Blvd.

Finally, two new banners will be waving from Massapequa thoroughfares this summer. The BOT approved a request to hang a Massapequa Hall of Fame banner at the Massapequa Park Long Island Rail Road station from June 1 until Aug. 1. Similarly, a banner from the Ancient Order of Hibernians for Irish Night will be placed at the same location from Sunday, June 17 through Saturday, June 30.

Continue reading here:
Public Hearing On Property Maintenance

Forty feet above America Street, a flag has flown for 21 years. It is a U.S. flag, but then again, it isn't.

With 13 stripes and 50 stars in the black-liberation colors of red, black, and green, the flag is an uncompromising piece of art planted in the historically black East Side of Charleston. Designed by Harlem-based artist David Hammons, it is one of the only pieces that remains standing from an ambitious city-wide art installation exhibit called Places with a Past, which involved 19 artists and took place during the 1991 Spoleto Festival USA.

Flapping above the rooftops of the surrounding houses, the flag is a curiosity to outsiders passing through, causing some drivers to slow down at the intersection to crane their necks and marvel at it. But to the people who live on and around America Street and see it every day, it has simply become a part of the landscape.

On a sweaty spring afternoon, a man (who declines to give his name) who has seen the flag flying for two decades sits in a folding chair on the sidewalk along Reid Street. The man, who doesn't want to give out his name, lives next door to it and knows all about its origin, but he doesn't have much to say on the topic. "It don't mean nothing to me," he says in a voice as dry as cornmeal. "It's just like any other thing around here you don't pay no attention." Jason Cooper, who just got his hair cut at a barber shop on Columbus Street, gives a similar response. "It don't mean shit to me," Cooper says.

Others are more opinionated. A man named Nate who has spent 50 years in the neighborhood says the colors have a clear symbolism: Black for the people. Green for Africa. Red for the spilled blood of African Americans on North American soil. "Well, it tells a story," says Nate, who prefers to just go by his first name. "You can be angry, you can be cool, you can feel whatever you want to. But the thing is, it tells the story of a sojourn of a certain race of people. You can be mad, and it doesn't matter. Nobody's going to listen to you no way if you get mad."

Marvin Smalls, who has lived for 30 years on the East Side, is mending the chain-link fence in front of his house and installing a wooden gate. His shirt is off, exposing a Black Panther tattoo on his bicep. "It's representative of the African American," he says of the flag, squinting down Reid Street toward the tiny park where it stands. "It's bringing the two together. People that don't agree with the American flag, they might be able to agree with that."

Beside the flag stands a one-story billboard, once emblazoned with an advertisement for Newport cigarettes. It now bears a faded, purplish monochrome image of a group of schoolchildren looking up toward the flag with eyes closed and lips pursed, perhaps in a song or a pledge. City ordinances prohibited billboards in residential neighborhoods, and yet, according to the book Places with a Past (about the exhibition of the same title), many existed in the early '90s, and a sizable portion of them advertised alcohol and tobacco in black neighborhoods. When Newport pasted a new, bright-orange advertisement over Hammons' photo a week after the show closed, the city helped Hammons to reclaim the billboard and then started cracking down on other billboards in residential areas.

Jamal Brown, standing outside a fried chicken joint at America and Reid streets, points across the road at the image of his classmates from Wilmot J. Fraser Elementary School, who happened to be at the Mall Playground when Hammons took the photo. Many of them still live in the neighborhood, he says, and are regularly greeted with a blown-up photo of their adolescent selves. Those children are in their 20s and 30s now.

Shameeka Green is walking south on America Street with her arm around the shoulders of her 13-year-old son, who is nearly as tall as she is. She can see how the portrait of the kids fits with the flag: "It's probably representing his people, wanting to do better for the community," she says. Her son, Cosohn, stops to take a look at it, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun with his hand. "When I first saw it, I thought it wasn't the American flag," he says.

Mohammed Idris, a community worker known as the Walking Imam, has never been a fan of the installation, and for just the reason that Cosohn pointed out: It's not an American flag. "To me, it looks like a foreign flag, and it looks like some children are up there looking at a foreign flag, and that could almost go for treason," Idris says. "I spoke to the city about that flag. I told the mayor and them they should take it down ... You see the youths looking up, and they've been looking up for years. What are they looking up for?"

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Controversial flag still flying from Spoleto '91

NEW ALBANY A retroactive request to allow vinyl siding to be used to replace the original wood material of the house that quarters Bradford Realty was denied by the New Albany Historic Preservation Commission this week.

It was the second time the commission rejected Bradford Realty owner Ron Craigs petition for a Certificate of Appropriateness or COA for the installation of vinyl siding, and the previous decision was upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals in March.

The issue is vinyl has already been applied to the 419 E. Market St. building, and there isnt much of a track record for the city to call upon in terms of how to go about removing the siding.

Bradford Realty is located within the Downtown Historic District, and the commission oversees certain building repairs for structures inside historically designated zones. One of the citys guidelines for such building repairs states that if wooden features are missing or damaged beyond repair that they be replaced in kind.

In 2008, Craig sought to replace the original wood siding on the house, as he said the panels were blemished and in need of being upgraded. But Craig didnt seek approval from the commission before ordering the repairs, and the citys guidelines forbid original wood from being replaced with an artificial material.

Officials notified Craig after work had commenced that he had to request a COA before replacing the siding. He appeared before the commission, and his was request was denied.

Craig took the matter to court and claimed he had no knowledge the building was in the Downtown Historic District, which was established in 2002. He made the same assertion to the commission Wednesday, as he stated he discussed the matter with the building commissioner at the time.

There was never any mention of the historic preservation zone, Craig said.

In 2011, Special Judge Daniel Moore decided in favor of Craig, as he ruled the commission failed to properly notify land owners of historic district restrictions. But that ruling was overturned by the Indiana Court of Appeals in March, and the commission stuck to its original decision by again denying Craigs COA request.

No revisions have been made to the design guidelines since the initial denial, and the application itself is essentially unchanged, requesting after-the-fact approval for vinyl installation, said commission member Christina Pfau, who read the staff comments portion of the reply to Craigs application.

Continue reading here:
Craig application over siding again denied in New Albany

A new tower is taking shape on Hamiltons industrial skyline.

ArcelorMittal Dofascos $120-million No. 6 galvanizing line will eventually be 65 metres tall and will be clad in high-strength steel produced in the plant.

It is state of the art. It has all the bells and whistles in terms of fuel efficiency and it will allow us to create a greater product range, said Tony Valeri, vice-president of corporate communications and public affairs.

No. 6, which is replacing No. 2 galvanizing line, will enable the development and production of a range of advanced high-strength steels that are in high demand in the auto sector, said Valeri.

Its the key steel product to (original equipment manufacturer) car designers because it adds less vehicle weight but improved safety, said Valeri.

We want to be the supplier of choice. Its a high-value product.

The flat sheets of steel are dipped in zinc, travel up one side of the tower to be annealed (a heating process that brings hardness and consistency to the coated steel) and then travel down the other side of the tower to be cooled, strengthened and levelled.

The tower design will improve the quality, consistency and reliability of the steel, said Valeri.

The tower controls the final thickness of the coating on the steel and also cools the steel strip in a controlled manner. A vertical tower is more efficient compared to a horizontal arrangement, the company said.

The project is about halfway completed. The line is fully designed, the majority of engineering is done and most of the equipment has been manufactured. What remains is equipment installation, commissioning and startup, the company said.

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Tower taking shape at Hamilton steelmaker

The Making of 127 Hobson Street: A Great Mixed Use Build

First comes the site preparation, followed by foundation construction, then framing. Installation of windows and doors is important, then add roofing, siding, and some electrical and plumbing. Builders add the insulation, drywall, underlayment, and trim. As the electrical and plumbing is completed, painting, carpet, and flooring is added. The builders will hook up the water main and sewer. Residents and tenants will start to arrive bringing with them cafes, hotels, day care centres, shops and convenience stores.

And there it is: The making of a lovely eight level building sitting in central city Auckland. 127 Hobson Street is an example of one of the best mixed used buildings in Auckland, said Hamish Firth, principal of Mt Hobson Group. I think it was the combination of efficient, smart council members that worked to approve the project, the award winning architect, an engineering-focused builder, and a seasoned developer that brought it together. When you have a team of professionals that work well together, you end up with a great build. Auckland needs more of these. Firth and team obtained the necessary permits for the old three story building.

127 Hobson Street had sat vacant for eight years until it became a passion project taken on by Dennis Parbhu, a developer from Wellington with a reputation of taking nothings and turning them into somethings. He doesnt sell his builds, but instead adds them to his personal real estate portfolio. In fact, his newest addition to Auckland includes his own 2 level penthouse that was designed for his family. Everything I do, I do it to keep. It doesnt make sense to sell. Theres no money in it.

Created by Clearwater Construction and designed by Ashton Mitchell Architecture, The Hobson Street mixed use build includes a sunny child care centre; a high end, two story penthouse; a picturesque window caf complete with hardwood floors; a convenience and grocery store; seven expansive apartments with great ocean and city views; a secure basement car park; and 44 fully furnished hotel residence rooms currently occupied by Quest Hotel.

This mixed used building was a build for leisure, entertainment, retail and residence. The design aimed to create spaces that correspond to the contemporary society that surrounds it, while catering to a heritage style that is loved throughout New Zealand. The Hobson Street team started with an old building that looked dated and ended with a building that accommodates a growing population while maintaining the character and style that was started on Hobson Street generations ago.

Of course the usual battles had to be fought. Parbhu took on the banks that dont seem to want to lend to anyone right now, and battled a water and electric company that changed charges, added costs, and demanded a list of their own costly requirements. Its getting incredibly expensive to build, said Parbhu.

But in the end, he admits that its been well worth the challenge. Now stands a building that Clearwater, Ashton Mitchell and Dennis Parbhu can add to their ever growing portfolios of design, engineering, and builds. As for Parbhu, hes not actively working on a new project right now. I say that Im not going to do another one, but then I find one to do, he says with a smile.

ENDS

The rest is here:
The Making of 127 Hobson Street: A Great Mixed Use Build