Show Review – Best New Products at Greenbuild 2022

StoneCoat

Recently, thousands of industry professionals congregated at the 2022 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in San Francisco, the largest annual event for green building professionals worldwide.

Following are just a few of the innovative products and solutions that were on display.

 

Fantastic Prefabs

Focused on improving building efficiency while also addressing the growing affordable housing crisis, Preflex aims to disrupt the homebuilding industry with its high-performance, sustainable housing solutions. The company’s Preflex Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) for walls, floors and roofs incorporate framing, insulation, wire conduits and sheathing in a single component, making it easy to achieve airtight, energy-efficient structures. Compared to traditional building methods, the company’s offsite fabrication approach uses 65 percent less timber, generates 90 percent less onsite waste, includes no harmful chemicals, and reduces average building times by half.

 

Growing Greenscapes

Taiga from Biome is a turnkey living wall solution for homes that requires no plumbing or soil, and can be installed in just 30 minutes, very similar to a whiteboard. The self-sustaining system includes 34 hydroponic plants along with automated grow lights based on circadian cycles, and the ability to automatically deliver nutrients and send reminders when the plants need more water. These smart living walls actively filter indoor air pollution while creating a connection with the outdoors in interior spaces — helping to foster homeowner well-being.

Mowbot by Robin Autopilot replaces large, loud, emissions-spewing commercial lawnmowers with zero-emission, quiet and cheaper-to-operate robotic lawnmowers. Similar to robotic vacuums cleaners, the robotic mowers monitor and mow lawns as they grow for better-looking lawns that require less fertilizer and less dependence on irrigation while also being less costly to maintain.

 

Clever Cladding

Inspired by the Moroccan tradition of Tadelakt, a wall surfacing technique composed of lime plaster and black soap made from olives, Tradilakt lime plaster by ecostucco® is a natural mineral plaster for interior and exterior walls made from high-grade hydrated lime, hydraulic binders and fine aggregates. It arrives ready to mix with water and is easy to apply. In interior applications, vapor permeability, a high PH and the absence of harmful substances helps to preserve indoor air quality. Ecostucco plaster finishes are also well-suited for exterior applications, yielding a smooth stucco finish that is resilient and withstands the elements.

A sustainable alternative to traditional concrete siding options, Smooth® and CARVE® from StoneCoat is a proprietary blend of limestone and other natural stone and minerals, that can be handcrafted to mimic the appearance of stucco, brick or stone. Available as split block stone, dry stack-style versetta stone or precision chiseled blocks, StoneCoat Carve’s carved block panels install easily with no need for metal lathe or additional footings. StoneCoat Smooth can be applied to subsurfaces such as concrete or brick without additional bonding agents – and also to wood, metal cladding, painted brick or existing stucco.

 

The K&A team participates at numerous trade shows each year to do a deep dive into industry trends. We are always inspired by the many innovations that continue to move the building industry forward.


About the Author

Steve Kleber is the founder of Kleber & Associates. He is the president of the National Remodeling Foundation, and past president of the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Center for Kitchen & Bath Education and Research. He serves on the Home Projects Council Board, and National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Global Opportunities Board. Visit: https://kleberandassociates.com/