After a hot dinner, our soldiers in Iraq can return to warm tents, thanks to foam insulation. (Photo: Jacob Silberberg/Associated Press)
I’m something of a building materials geek. Show me a cool new product and I’m a happy girl. One of my favorite stories of all time was a little piece that I wrote on the HurriQuake nail, the fastener’s version of a better mousetrap. It exponentially increases the strength of a house for withstanding hurricanes and earthquakes – potentially saving tens of millions of dollars in damage – at an added cost of about $15 on the average house. The year it came out, it was "Popular Science" magazine’s innovation of the year.
And, I get very excited about anything that makes life better for our military. So, I got a double dose of happiness from this story about the Army using a spray-on foam insulation to make Army tents more comfortable for soldiers stationed in the deserts of Iraq.
I’ve been a big fan of foam insulation for a long time – it’s an incredibly effective material and can really keep your house cool and knock down your energy costs -- but I’ve never seen it used on the outside of a structure this way. What an awesome idea! I’m thrilled to see such innovation being used to improve conditions for our soldiers. This should make it easier for them to get a good night’s sleep.
I also loved the fact that the story quoted building science guru Joe Lstiburek, founder of Boston-based Building Science Corp. I interviewed him years ago for a story on building material failures. He’s an amazingly smart guy -- he is the only person I know who really is a rocket scientist -- who has dedicated his career to improving the quality and safety of the built environment.
It’s great to see building science used in such a neat, creative way. Sleep well, soldiers!—Pat Curry