Latest Faswall® Industry News
Summer 2011:
*Faswall Block Featured in Summer 2011 Special Issue of FineHomebuilding Magazine WINNER OF BEST NEW HOUSE AWARD
Click here: www.finehomebuilding.com/PDF/Free/021219038.pdf
Fall 2010:
*Sustainable DIY House a Possibility – an interview with Tom Van Denend (The Oregonian; 10/1/2010)
“It’s such a nifty product that Peter Dusicka, Oregon BEST researcher and Portland State University professor, is working with Van Denend and his company, ShelterWorks Ltd., to test this interlocking building block wall system…”
Click here: http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2010/10/sustainable_diy_house_a_possib.html
*Better is the New Bigger- an interview with Doug McDowell (Green Fire Times; September 2010 edition)
“Doug McDowell and Jim Satzinger have been building homes in New Mexico for thirty-seven years……..”
Read about their decision to use Faswall wall forms for the wall system of 6 LEED Gold certification homes in Las Placitas Compound -Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Click here: http://greenfiretimes.com/mobile-edition/september-2010/
*Green Addition to Ananda’s Campus – an interview with architect JT Heater (The Union; serving western Nevada County, CA) September 25, 2010 edition
“We needed to have a space for artists, as well as a main space that’s acoustically good” ………..-JT Heater, architect of the Ananda Village Faswall Building, nearing completion in Nevada City, (The Union ) Read more about this 5,075 square foot performance center Click here: http://www.theunion.com/article/2010100929803 To view You-Tube Video: Building architect J.T. Heater talks about the materials used to build the new Ananda Living Wisdom center
November-2009
“Home takes ‘going green’ to a whole new level”
November-2008
Falls City (OR) High School students recently built a restroom for their athletic Field area out of Faswall.
February-2008
ShelterWorks Ltd. and KX Faswall International Corporation announce the assignment of the proprietary Faswall woodchip-concrete ICF technology and its trademarks in its entirety to ShelterWorks Ltd. Mr. and Mrs. Hans Walter, main principals in KX Faswall are enthused to see their life’s work continue on at ShelterWorks. “We will continue to build on the solid foundation that Hans and Leni Walter created since 1987 in the US” says Thomas Van Denend, President of ShelterWorks. “This remarkable building system has so much to offer to the new, longer range, sustainable perspective that is growing quickly in this country”.
September-2006
“What the heck is it? An innovative house in Ilwaco”, is the title of a recent news article in the Chinook Observer featuring our product. Read the entire article here.
September-2006
ShelterWorks had a booth at one of the largest green building exhibitions in North America in San Francisco the end of September. We had non-stop visitors and enjoyed meeting many architects, builders, developers, and home owners who are already building in a sustainable way or want to move in that direction. Our product was viewed at the exhibition as one of the most sustainable building products there.
Faswall Building Systems Testimonials
A letter from a Faswall constructed homeowner and Hurricane Katrina survivor:
Jonathan Reily
February 21, 2006
K-X Faswall Intern.Corp.
PO Box 88
Windsor, SC 29856Mr. Walter,
I am writing this letter as a testimony of how great my experience has been with your FASWALL product. I live in southern Louisiana about 40 miles north of New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina was approaching the LA coast last August I chose to stay in my house because I had about seven of my friends who had evacuated from New Orleans come stay with me. I finished building this house about six years ago and this is the first direct hit from a hurricane that we have endured. All the exterior walls in this house are constructed of your FASWALL blocks. We used the recommended construction method for the installation which included pouring the channels inside the blocks with concrete and rebar. As Katrina bore down on the LA coast we were all along for the ride. It was hard to tell the severity of the storm as it was happening despite the 130 mph winds because the house was so quite. It felt like a real fortress and it was not until it was all over that we realized the level of destruction outside. We had a total of approximately 65 large trees down on the 20 acres, but fortunately none on any of the houses. As I reviewed the house there was no damage what so ever. The metal roof where it connected to the top of the faswall blocks had no movement at all.
We are not in an area that is subject to flooding so we did not get any water like the low lying areas of Mandeville and New Orleans, etc. I have never had any water intrusion into the house but this is Louisiana and despite the humidity I have never had any mold problems. The house is never damp feeling like concrete houses can get in the winter. The breath ability of the walls seems to condition the air and keep it drier inside.
Not only are the Faswall walls very strong, but also, thermo dynamically this house is a delight. I only have my subjective experience to go on but I have never been so comfortable in a house year round. I have a solar system that runs much of the electrical needs of the house, so I do not have the usual energy bills to make a more objective comparison with other houses in this area. What I can tell you is that I have turned down my heating system to 60 degrees this winter when it went down to 35 degrees overnight and the temperature inside never got below 65 degrees. I thought that a good indicator of the superior thermo-dynamics of the wall structure.
I am not sure what else to say. I love the stability of this house and its thermal quality. Please fell free to give this testimony to anyone you wish.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Reily
Folsom, LA
