13 Simpler, Smarter Building Products

The best structural elements are easy to install and safer to touch.

Building products are evolving from the inside out. Structural elements appear streamlined for easy installation, surface patterns mimic natural materials, and the lists of material ingredients are increasingly brief (for worker and user safety) and recycled. One virtual capsule of these trends is Aspire’s LEED-friendly line of stone-look recycled rubber and plastic pavers. Review more of today’s simpler, smarter building products on the following pages.

ABOVE IMAGE:

RE8

The latest architectural mesh from Kaynemaile signals the company’s transition from sourcing virgin fossil fuel–based materials to using an advanced polycarbonate made from a circular feedstock of upstream waste and residues. The shift shrinks the polymer’s carbon footprint by 80 percent, without sacrificing performance. 

KAYNEMAILE 

kaynemaile.com

INTERLOCKING PAVER SYSTEM

An alternative to poured concrete, individual pavers have always boasted better drainage and a flexible design that’s forgiving of shifting earth. What’s new are durable recycled ingredients and colorful options such as the nine shades available on these interlocking units (4″ x 4″, 4″ x 8″, and 8″ x 8″) from Aspire.

ASPIRE BY BRAVA

aspirepavers.com

FLUSH MOUNT FOR LUTRON PICO 

For a visually smooth integration of controls, this mounting hardware can be recessed in any material to house Lutron’s popular Pico keypad insert flush within the surrounding surface. 

WALL-SMART

wall-smart.com

ACROVYN CURVED DOOR 

Developed in collaboration with health-care designers, this door is engineered to work with space-saving radius walls that offer medical staff better sight lines for patient care.

CONSTRUCTION SPECIALTIES

c-sgroup.com

OTTO

A collaboration between interior design firm Float Studio and hardware company Modern Matter resulted in this collection of simplified and softened profiles of kitchen pulls, handles, and hooks. The aesthetic works well with transitional styles.

 MODERN MATTER

modern-matter.com

QWEL DESIGNER ACOUSTIC TILES 

These recyclable, washable, heat-molded tiles are made of nonwoven PET fibers, containing up to 50 percent recycled material and zero chemical treatment for a mold-resistant acoustic product that absorbs 75 percent of sound.

GENESIS PRODUCTS

qweltiles.com

WEATHERED OAK

What looks like vintage wood floorboards is actually a hand-molded, self-healing timber composite. The innovative outdoor decking is insect-, rot-, and warp-resistant. 

MILLBOARD

millboard.com

MODERN AVALON
COLLECTION

The subtle impact of address numbers is amplified in this midcentury-style collection that can be mounted flat or raised on brick, wood, siding, and concrete. Numbers are available in 4″ and 6″ sizes and Aged Bronze, Brushed Nickel, or Matte Black finishes. 

ATLAS HARDWARE

atlashomewares.com

ROLLOUT ORGANIZER

This cabinet organizer comes preassembled to help streamline kitchen build-outs. Two insert options add storage for bottles or cookware. 

HARDWARE RESOURCES

hardwareresources.com

YAKISUGI SIDING

Emphasizing the no-maintenance durability of wood treated with the ancient, chemical-free yakisugi (or shou sugi ban) preservation process, siding manufacturer Nakamoto Forestry has scaled it up and added carbon footprint labeling for the North American market. 

NAKAMOTO FORESTRY

nakamotoforestry.com

ULTRA-PURE

Unlike other spray foam insulation, this one developed
by Natural Polymers (now owned by Owens Corning) has a low-VOC formula that is GREENGUARD Gold and UL Bio-based certified.

OWENS CORNING

owenscorning.com

ASHLAR DRYSTACK

What appears to be stacked stone is really high-tech mimicry, made by combining rigid foam core, a fiberglass-reinforced compound, and real stone particles in a panel system.

ARCITELL

qoracladding.com

ADVANCED PVC DECKING

Unlike other composite decking, this is made from 85 percent recycled PVC waste. Owned by AZEK, North America’s largest recycler of landfill-bound PVC, manufacturer TimberTech mixes pipes and vinyl siding with reclaimed wood fibers and internal factory scraps in a circular process that diverted 500 million pounds from landfills in a single year. 

AZEK

timbertech.com

Photography: COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURERS

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