Products at an Exposition

Hemp products included a new countertop option from HempWood, a former BuildingGreen Top 10 Products winner for its biobased flooring. There was established hemp insulation and new board products from Hempitecture. And hempcrete products (a mix of lime binder and hemp hurd) were well represented by Americhanvre’s game-changing Ereasy system spray equipment and Sativa Building Systems’ hempcrete block panels.

Rapidly renewable straw building products were also on display, including a panelized wall system from EcoCocon, an established Slovakian company building a U.S. facility. The Australian company Dura Panel had its wall and ceiling straw acoustic panels on the floor. Made primarily from straw and craft paper, these were used for partition walls at the Sydney Olympics and later shredded and used for soil amendment.

Databases and tools

BuildingGreen doesn’t typically highlight search engines and other tools found at Greenbuild as they are constantly evolving, but this year there were some significant upgrades made to established databases that are worth talking about. The Health Product Declaration Collaborative was demonstrating its organization’s new functions, which include the ability to search its Health Product Declaration (HPD) database for specific chemicals, such as those banned by International Living Future Institute, C2C, and others. Sustainable Minds also had its upgraded system on display. The manufacturers in the database pay to be on there, so that limits some product selection, but the database now goes well beyond simple searches of HPDs and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).

Speaking of EPDs, Pathways had its lifecycle assessment tool on display. Having an EPD is critical for documenting a product’s embodied carbon and other environmental impacts, but EPDs can be expensive and time-consuming to obtain. Pathways’ AI-powered tool promises third-party verified EPDs at lower costs and with a quick turnaround.

Other cool, random products

Two of the more intriguing products in the expo were hiding in plain sight at the Armstrong booth. Those were the Ultima LEC (for low-embodied carbon) that is made with bio-char, and Templok ceiling tiles that incorporate phase change materials (PCM). PCMs absorb thermal energy and then release it back into the building, acting as a thermal battery. For Templok, Armstrong places squares of PCM material (in this case salt-based) on the back of its ceiling tiles. By capturing and slowly releasing heating or cooling energy, the tiles can help offset energy consumption. The thermal storage, end use, and building science of PCMs are complicated, so these would be for select uses, but in theory, they could improve a building’s thermal and acoustic performance.

ClearVue had its building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels on display. BIPV cannot generate as much power as standard PV panels, but ClearVue has panels available that can replace glazing, cladding, and spandrels, giving buildings the ability to generate power where standard panels cannot.

Another unique product for the expo floor was a self-powered commercial treadmill. Built for the demands of health clubs, the Eco-Powr from SportsArt generates energy as you run. This author took a quick run on the Eco-Powr and it felt similar to a standard treadmill, and much, much safer than other self-powered curved treadmills on the market, which force runners to plant their feet in just the right position on the belt in order to drive the belt. A wrong step changes the belt speed, making it tricky to run on and stop.

And finally, I’d like to give a shoutout to Vermont Natural Coatings, which made the first product I covered for BuildingGreen 17+ years ago. Vermont Natural Coatings offers the only isocyanate-free polyurethane wood and floor finishes on the market. And this year, they were highlighting an improved floor coating with additional UV protection and durability, according to the company.

Okay, so some of these products are not works of art in the traditional sense of the word, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I am a product nerd, after all. This review did not cover all the products on the expo floor. So which was your favorite? The appliances from LG and Bosch? The Passive House windows from Alpen? Let us know in the comments.