Silver is being used in hundreds of small consumer items to help fight bacteria, but a 100-year-old steel manufacturer is taking silver-containing products to the next level by building the first germ-resistant home in the U.S.
AK Steel Corp. of Middletwon, Ohio, has teamed with Wakefield, Mass.-based AgION Technologies to construct an 11,000-sq.-ft. home, which will be called Camino de Robles, translated as “path of oaks.” The home is to be built in Simi Valley, Calif., near Los Angeles, and will be made from AK Steel’s stainless steel, coated with AgION’s proprietary silver-based anti-bacteria compound.
“This project sets the stage for the home of the future,” says Richard Wardrop, chairman of AK Steel.
The home will be constructed from steel, from frame to roof, which should make it resistant to earthquakes and fires. Silver-imbedded areas include areas that are considered “high touch” such as handrails, faucets, kitchen areas and doorknobs. Heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning duct work also will be made of AgION-coated steel, as well as refrigerator trays and counter tops.
The steel home is part of a recent trend toward using steel instead of wood in home building, reflective of a shortage of wood in many areas of the country.
As with other silver-based anti-bacterial products, silver ions will be released slowly over a long period.
Renowned architect David Martin is designing the home, which has already received an award from the American Institute of Architects for design excellence.
— The preceding is an excerpt from Silver News, published by the Washington, D.C.-based Silver Institute.
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