Archinect - News

EPA bans the last commercially used asbestos product in the United States

2024-03-20T11:49:00-04:00

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will be banning the use of chrysotile asbestos, the last commercial asbestos derivative available in the United States. The ban will primarily impact the automotive industry and puts an end to the 40-plus years of reforms against its use, which has for a long time been proven to cause multiple forms of cancer.

In a statement on the ban, EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters: "The science is clear — asbestos is a known carcinogen that has severe impacts on public health. President Biden understands that this concern that has spanned generations and impacted the lives of countless people. That’s why EPA is so proud to finalize this long-needed ban on ongoing uses of asbestos."

CNN noted that the chrysotile type of asbestos is most commonly used to manufacture car brakes and linings and other automotive p...

U.S. Air Force Academy releases update on iconic Cadet Chapel refurbishment

2023-08-09T16:21:00-04:00

Earlier this year, the ongoing refurbishment of SOM’s Walter Netsch-designed United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado reached a significant milestone when contractors for the $220 million project removed the final aluminum fin from its iconic exterior, culminating the renovation’s asbestos removal stage and clearing the way for the final reconstruction to begin.

The painstaking process, which began in 2019 and hit an impasse after two years due to “unforeseen” issues that added nearly $80 million to the project’s original budget of $158 million, is now on track for completion in 2027 and will result in the installation of an aluminum water barrier system the Air Force scrapped during construction in favor of cheaper caulking seals.

“Scraping the sealants off the building damaged the aluminum finish and as time went on and new resealant projects came in, the sealants were no longer adhering to the aluminum very well,” Academy architect Duane Boyle said in an Air Forc...

Air Force Academy chapel restoration hits a snag as construction issues abound

2021-11-30T12:33:00-05:00

The more than $150 million renovation of the Cadet Chapel at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs is going to take months — or perhaps more than a year, longer than originally expected; contractors are contending with more asbestos than they expected, as well as other unforeseen challenges.

The project began in 2019 and is now expected to be pushed back a yet-to-be-determined amount of time away from its original 2023 completion date owing to an unexpected amount of asbestos in addition to other “unforeseen” challenges. The long-overdue restoration is necessary to fix faulty caulking underneath its signature aluminum panels that was hastily installed in the original 1963 design from SOM’s Walter Netsch Jr., leading to water damage.

The entire structure is now encased in a temporary protective metal building. The caulking has been replaced several times over the years at considerable cost to the Academy.

“We had 32 miles of caulking on this building, which is kind of ridiculous when you start thinking about that,” AFA architect Duane Boyle told Colorado Public Radio. “I think it would compete as one of the most complicated and intensive historic preservation projects of all time.”

Nakagin Capsule Tower: demolish or preserve?

2019-08-26T13:43:00-04:00

Tatsuyuki Maeda, a member of the Nakagin Capsule Tower Building Conservation and Regeneration Project, hopes the building will be spared both for its place in architectural history and because of its popularity with tourists. If he had his way, it would not only be preserved but improved, restored to its original state.

Reports about the fate of the Kisho Kurokawa-designed Nakagin Capsule Tower — and likely most popular example of the Japanese Metabolist Architecture movement — have been from swaying from planned demolition to possible protection in recent years.

Marie Doezema's CityLab piece tries to find out if the iconic, but troubled, 1970s structure will still be around when the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and Paralympics kick off next summer.

Condition of the tower in 2018. Photo: Wikimedia Commons user Kakidai.

EPA regulation reform opens the door to new asbestos use in manufacturing, and architects are angry

2018-08-08T14:44:00-04:00

According to Fast Company, the Environmental Protection Agency is attempting to make the use of asbestos in manufacturing much easier. In June, under Scott Pruitt's leadership, the agency proposed the Significant New Use Rule (SNUR)—open for comment until August 10—that would allow for new uses of asbestos-containing products on a case by case basis.

Although banned in more than 55 countries, the United State has left use of the dangerous carcinogen open, choosing instead to heavily restrict and regulate the fibrous mineral. Despite efforts under the 1973 Clean Air Act and the 1989 Asbestos Ban and Phase Out Rule—the latter of which was overturned in 1991—asbestos, today, is still allowed in hundreds of consumer goods as long as it accounts for less than one percent of the product.

In addition to SNUR, the EPA also announced it will no longer review exposures from abandoned uses of asbestos. During the Obama Administration, under an amendment to the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Ac...

Asbestos is still making young people sick—40 years after it was banned

2017-03-03T12:43:00-05:00

According to reportedly baffled researchers at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asbestos-related medical issues continue to plague younger people despite widespread efforts to reduce exposure.

While the largest increases in deaths related to malignant mesothelioma were witnessed in those over 85 years of age, a substantial number of people between the ages of 25 and 44 were affected. In fact, according to the report, the number of deaths due to asbestos-produced illness rose from 1999 to 2015.

In the 1970s, the EPA banned most asbestos-related products and the once-common material—used often for insulation—became much less prevalent. Yet, some 40 years later, people born after the ban are still getting sick.

"Although deaths among persons aged less than 35 years are of concern, we do not have information to understand potential causes," said Dr. Jacek Mazurek, lead author of the CDC report.

Josef Albers's Manhattan mural could return to New York

2014-11-25T13:26:00-05:00

Josef Albers’s Manhattan, a mural that enlivened the lobby of New York’s Met Life (previously the Pan Am) Building from 1963 until its controversial removal in 2000, could make a triumphant return to the city. Possible sites include the World Trade Center Transit Hub, The Art Newspaper understands. Finding a suitable home for the work is not the only obstacle: the original mural is in a landfill site in Ohio.