I enjoy reading the newsletters from Building Science Corporation. Many of their publications have had an impact on our project and our decision making. They often were the only sound and scientifically based resource on the issue of deep energy retrofits.
I just came across one of their new publications (BSI-068) titled “Rocks Don’t Burn”. It caught my attention as it talked about the excellent fire protection properties of rock wool. This was one of the factors that sold us on the use of rock wool insulation.
But there was more. Even our home town Chicago got a mention:
“Consider this assembly as the Mrs. O’Leary Cow Assembly. If her barn had been enclosed with this wall we would not have had that little Chicago barbeque in 1871. This assembly is my perfect gift to the City of Chicago. Well, it is almost perfect for Chicago. Still working on the bulletproof part to handle the drive-bys.”
Ooooooh, snap! I call that “a reputation.”
Joseph Lstiburek, the author of the publication, must have a lot of friends in Chicago. So many that he apparently is trying to unload some of them.
But it’s not just Chicago that bears the brunt of his feistiness. Read the footnote on Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow:
“Catherine O’Leary’s cow is often blamed for starting the Great Chicago Fire. Turns out that this was a made up story published at the time by the Chicago Tribune. The reporter made it all up ‘because he thought it would make colorful copy.’ Apparently journalism has not changed all that much since then.”
Ok! Focus! What was the article about? Rocks and rock wool…






































