What's New

TransMineral USA, Coming to an expo near you!
Catch us at one of these events in the upcoming months.


Keep Up on What's Happening with Green Building, Check Out Building Green on PBS

www.buildinggreentv.com

'Lime Plasters Add Beauty' in Green Building Product
Feb. 2007 article

Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility awarded LEED® Gold certification, sports St. Astier NHL exterior finish


 

Just awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the new Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility in Santa Clarita, CA, sports a St. Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) plaster exterior and interior finish over a straw bale construction.

Completed in May 2006, and touted as a first for a government building—being constructed of straw bales—this LEED certification has attracted the attention of the press, including the Aug. 9, 2006 edition of the Wall Street Journal, and honorable recognition for the architectural firm of HOK Sustainable Design, making this their 12th project to earn a LEED recognition from the USGBC.

Among many of the building's redeeming LEED qualities is that the lime plaster-straw bale combination allows for efficient, effective insulation, and a healthier environment due to a considerable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to cement stucco.

"We were able to exceed California Energy Efficiency Standards by over 40 percent," notes HOK Senior Project Manager, Charles Smith

Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma, California, July 20, 2005


http://www.arguscourier.com/business/news/transmineral050720.html

CASBA Journal Article, Spring, 2005


In the Newsletter of the California Straw Building Association

"Lime and Straw: A Symbiotic Relationship" - by Michel Couvreux

Sonoma Index-Tribune, Sonoma, California, Dec. 14, 2004


www.sonomanews.com/articles/2004/12/13/news/business/business02.txt

St. Astier Natural Hydraulic Lime garners British award

The Institute of Maintenance and Building Management (IMBM) in Britain has awarded its prestigious First Prize British Building Maintenance Award 2004 to Dewis Chartered Building Surveyors for their restoration work of the lighthouse keeper's cottage in North Wales, off the coast of Anglesea in the Irish Sea, in recognition of their superior handiwork and the product's ability to withstand extreme harsh weather conditions.

WALLS & CEILINGS Magazine, JULY, 2004


Interview with Michel Couvreux, President, TransMineral USA, Inc.

Plaster Man in the Lime Light, by Robin Raymer

TCA and Natural Hydraulic Lime:

For many years TCA has been a part of the viticultural environment in California. This affliction has already caused the loss of entire harvests and has cost numerous wine growers millions of dollars. Natural hydraulic lime can solve the problem. Read More

 

 

 

 

Under Construction :



San Carlos Cathedral:
Monterey, California
www.sancarloscathedral.net
Architects, Conservators: Anthony Crosby, Charles Franks
Engineering Consultant :John Fidler
General Contractor :Devcon
Plastering Contractor: Chris Ingram
Description:
Built between 1770 and 1794, San Carlos Cathedral stands as the oldest stone building in California today, continuing to serve the Catholic community of the Monterey Peninsula. Built with sandstone and mud-mortar in its most ancient section, the walls were originally covered with a lime plaster, very similar to a NHL 2. Surprisingly enough, this structure sustained minimal damage from all the earthquakes for several centuries. The lime plaster weathered the elements without failure. Nevertheless, the Cathedral is an "unreinforced masonry building," in need of seismic retrofitting to bring the structure up to code, thus requiring removal of the original lime plaster in the retrofitting process. After achieving the structural reinforcing, simple mixes of NHL 2 and sand are used for repointing and replastering. Great care is being brought to this restoration done in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute.



Santa Rosa Junior College, Petaluma Campus, Phase II : Petaluma, Sonoma County, California
Architect : TLCD Architecture
Plastering Contractor : North Bay Drywall and Plastering Inc.
Completion Date: 2008
Description:
In the expansion of Santa Rosa Junior College's newer second campus, Saint-Astier Natural Hydraulic Limes are used on the exterior on the crown jewell building of this complex: the library.