Building/construction

Last year was tough on the building and construction market, but hope shines eternal, as was evidenced at this year's International Builders Show in Las Vegas, a fitting place for these who continue to bet on a return of the housing market.

Architectural privacy blocks injection molded from acrylic have become popular as interior privacy walls in baths and other areas of the home, and as privacy windows to let in natural light. And now they are being offered in casement windows.

(This update contains more details on the 10X technology for creating a micro-structured surface on plastic sheet, and reasons its creator says his technology beats injection molding for surface structuring).

Thermoset plastics supplier Interplastic Corp. now offers a new range of "green" resins developed for cast polymer applications. The resins contain both post-consumer recycled material and rapidly renewable material. Marketed under the Silmar brand, the materials can help processors, many of whom serve the building and construction market, earn LEED points according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Acrylic sheet and compounds supplier Evonik Cyro LLC has formed an alliance with 10X Technology LLC (Libertyville, IL), which develops micro- and nano-structured polymer substrates, to commercialize surface-enhanced acrylic materials for the photovoltaic market. First up will be co-development of lenses that improve the performance of energy-related products such as solar energy systems and interior lighting.

Walking the International Builders Show 2010 (Jan. 19-21) at the Las Vegas Convention Center revealed a lot about where the building and construction market is headed with respect to alternative building materials that meet today's consumers' demands for easy installation, maintenance-free products. One example, newly introduced at the show, is LifeTime Lumber, billed as a low-maintenance, eco-friendly and fire-resistant wood-alternative decking, fencing, and dock material.