Building Design & Construction articles from April 2008

Building Design & Construction archives from April 2008

Integrated Project Delivery Using BIM.
April 1, 2008... By Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor Building information modeling is being touted by its advocates as a lifesaver for complicated projects because of its ability to correct errors in the design stage and accurately schedule construction. But...

Work begins on four faceted mixed-use towers in Shenzhen.(Leo A. Daly Co.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff The Washington, D.C., office of Omaha, Neb.-based Leo A Daly is serving as the design architect for four soaring towers and an expansive retail podium that comprise the Excellence Huanggang Century Center in Shenzhen, China. When...

South Florida transit-oriented development gets city approval.(York Residential )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Atlanta-based developer York Residential has received approval from Deerfield Beach, Fla., to build Deerfield Station, a transit-oriented development with office, retail, hotel, and housing components. Construction of the $180...

Luxury condos coming to Houston's Upper Kirby/River Oaks area.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Priced from $500,000 to more than several million dollars, each of the 96 condo units at the new 2727 Kirby at River Oaks development in Houston's Upper Kirby/River Oaks area will feature 12-foot ceilings, fireplaces, and a private...

Purdue learning center to test and explore new approaches to teaching.
April 1, 2008... Staff Purdue University's $17.5 million, 90,000-sf Discovery Learning Center, set to open in fall 2009, will provide an environment for creating and studying the impact of new teaching methods and cutting-edge learning approaches....

Residential lofts promote live-work environment in Carlsbad, Calif.(Trammell Crow Residential Services)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Trammell Crow Residential's newest loft development in Carlsbad, Calif., is designed for the niche market of people that operate home-based businesses or are trying to get their small businesses off the ground. The Bluwater Crossing...

North Miami to get a new high school.(Miami-Dade Community College)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff The City of North Miami and Miami-Dade County Public Schools have broken ground on the 165,000-sf North Miami Senior High School on a 4.5-acre site in North Miami, Fla. Designed by local architect Arquitectonica, the multi-story...

Art and opulence coming to Pasadena.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Construction work has commenced on The Dalton, the first condo project in Pasadena, Calif., to incorporate a large-scale public art project into its design. The four-story mixed-use development includes 55 opulent condos and 7,500 sf...

How to prepare for-shhh!!!- the 'R' word.
April 1, 2008... By Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief Construction jobs, mostly in housing, are down more than 330,000 since late 2006. U.S. home prices dropped 11.4% in January, the steepest decline in 20+ years. The Conference Board said consumer confidence...

Big fan on a pivot.(Big Ass Fan Co.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff A functional, flexible solution for mezzanines, narrow aisle ways, around ceiling obstructions, and in confined workspaces, the Pivot ceiling fan features two pivot points that provide 73 unique hanging positions. The compact,...

Bullet-resistant glazing.(Sheffield Plastics Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff AeroLite Armor NIJ Level III-rated anti-ballistic glazing has heightened bullet resistance for critical military and security applications, including flight control towers and federal buildings. Manufactured with Makrolon AR1...

Window wall system.(TRACO)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Line of window wall systems has been expanded to include 4 5/8-inch-deep products and an accessories package featuring receptors, subsills, and mullions that provide enhanced performance, ease of installation, and potential cost...

Concrete admixture.(Grace Construction Products)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Color-enhancing and efflorescence-control admixture is formulated to improve the overall appearance and physical properties of manufactured concrete products such as segmental retaining wall units and concrete paving stones by...

Green workstation partition panels.(HON Co.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Nature Core fiberboard is an alternative construction material for HON's Initiate panel systems for office workstations. The non-woven composite material is made from a blend of natural and synthetic fibers, resulting in a panel...

UFAD design guides.(Tate Access Floors Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Tate Access Floors offers a series of guides extracted from its experience working on underfloor air distribution projects to help ensure the successful design and construction of these systems. The three-part series includes guides...

Precast truss system.(High Concrete Group)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Ideal for mixed-use residential buildings with parking underneath, ER-Post precast trusses support two levels simultaneously, allowing for large, column-free areas on alternating floors. The trusses span approximately 70 feet and are...

Destination hotel boom not over... yet.
April 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data The hotel market continues to be the fastest growing commercial building segment, but construction spending is slowing. The 66% annual growth rate seen at the end of...

Warehouse starts down.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data The warehouse market, as always, is tracking very closely with trends in the overall economy. Warehouse construction activity in 2007 stalled at a high level,...

RSMeans costs comparisons.
April 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data [TABLE OMITTED]

Fiber Optic Skylight Illuminates Maryland's EnviroCenter.
April 1, 2008... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor A new fiber optic daylighting system brightens an architect's own green office building. A pendant light fixture trained on the building's reception desk dims as clouds pass overhead, then brightens...

Rethinking Project Delivery.
April 1, 2008... Staff An Owner-Centered Approach Earlier this year, New Millennium Building Systems surveyed architects, engineers, contractors, building owners, and developers to determine which issues were top-of-mind going into 2008. To drill...

Michael Graves-designed renovation nearly complete at Detroit Institute of Arts.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Construction is nearing completion on the $158 million master plan renovation and expansion of the Detroit Institute of Arts, designed by Michael Graves and Associates with SmithGroup as architect of record and Walbridge...

San Francisco gets its largest hospitality addition in 19 years.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff San Francisco-based Webcor Builders recently put the finishing touches on the 32-story InterContinental San Francisco, the largest hospitality addition in the city in nearly two decades. Designed by Patri Merker Architects, San...

USC cancer center promotes collaboration to find the cure.(University of Southern California Harlyne Norris Research Tower)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff The University of Southern California Harlyne Norris Research Tower, designed by Lee, Burkhart, Liu of Marina del Rey, Calif., is the latest addition to the Norris Cancer Center within the Health and Sciences campus at USC. Built to...

Turning pond scum into a community jewel.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Searching for an ideal location for a new community center and park, the city of El Paso, Texas, selected an unlikely spot: a detention pond that was riddled with crime and ignored by the development community. The city challenged...

Philadelphia's historic Ayer building gets new life.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Built in 1929 for NW Ayer, the nation's first advertising agency, Philadelphia's landmark Ayer building has been transformed into a luxury condo development following a two-year, $75 million renovation project. Designed by local...

French Alliance turns a former printing facility into its Miami 'bureau'.(construction of McGowan Buildersew )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff McGowan Builders, Coral Gables, Fla., served nonprofit Alliance Française de Miami as general contractor for construction of its new facility in Miami, known as the Alliance Française Village. The $3.1 million project...

Cuyamaca College opens its first-ever performance venue.(Rudolph and Sletten Inc. constructs Communication Arts Center )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Rudolph and Sletten, Redwood City, Calif., has completed construction of the Communication Arts Center at Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego, a suburb of East San Diego County. San Diego-based NTD Architecture designed the $44...

Georgia Perimeter College opens a 100-acre campus.(Architecture Group, Aeck & Sargent and KSi/Structural Engineers constructs college building)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Georgia Perimeter College, a metro Atlanta multi-campus, two-year college, opened the doors to a new 100-acre campus in Covington with its first building: a 104,000-sf, all-in-one campus facility. Construction on a second student...

Office Depot readies its first green store.
April 1, 2008... Jeff Yoders Office Depot has broken ground on its first green store, in Austin, Texas. Designed to achieve a LEED Silver rating from the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council, the store is one the first prototypes in the...

News Briefs.(JPMorgan Chase & Co. plans to build office building)(UAE hotels produces carbon dioxide emissions)(commercial construction forecasted)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff * LEED certified versus LEED certifiable in Boston. A new building code in Boston requires all new private developments over 50,000 sf to be LEED certifiable... but not LEED certified. After a 12-month study, a city task force...

Bathroom 'pods' coming to Rice University student residence halls.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Later this month, construction crews are expected to begin installing more than 175 prefabricated modular bathrooms for twin, six-story, 120,000-sf student residence buildings at Rice University in Houston. Manufactured by...

People + Firms.(Sandy Mendler appointed at Mithun Partners Inc.)(Denise van den Bossche appointed at Smith Seckman Reid)(Fletcher-Thompson Inc. opens a office)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff * Nationally recognized design leader and sustainability advocate Sandy Mendler , AIA, will be a principal at Seattle-based architecture firm Mithun starting later this year. The former SVP and design principal for HOK will work...

CLARIFICATION.(Correction notice)
April 1, 2008... Staff A news item in the March 2008 issue of BD+C (p. 80) on Sika Sarnafil's 2007 Projects of the Year Competition incorrectly stated that Sika Sarnafil manufactures TPO roof systems. The company makes PVC roofing membrane.

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Staff Thanks for the credit, but- Ghafari appreciates the interest in its BIM programs and applications, but your November 2007 article 'Further Down the Merry Road to BIM' (p. 52) contained some inaccuracies that we feel need to be...

Innovative tension cable and fabric membrane roofing system tops Kuwait Stadium.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Completed in December 2007, Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, also known as Kuwait Stadium, seats more than 64,000 spectators and is the largest soccer and Olympic-standard sports venue in the country. The stadium is topped with...

Concrete shines for medical equipment maker.(QuestMark Flooring )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff When Medrad, a Warrendale, Pa.-based manufacturer of medical equipment, wanted to replace its clear-coat epoxy floors with a new flooring system that was both easier to maintain and environmentally friendly, the company specified a...

Ballpark has a neighborly feel, thanks to fiber cement siding.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff To achieve an attractive neighborhood look and feel for the Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark in Frisco, Texas, the design team of HKS, Dallas, and David M. Schwarz Architectural Services, Washington, D.C., chose to clad the pavilions in...

Wausau windows make an impact at Florida hospital expansion.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff Located in Florida's distinguished retirement community, The Villages (Fla.) Regional Hospital's patient friendly atmosphere and stylish design are paramount. Wausau Window and Wall Systems was called upon to provide a window system...

Atlanta tower gets a new garden roof.(American Hydrotech Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff A fully landscaped garden roof, outdoor dining terraces, and two new 56-foot dome skylights highlight the recently completed green roof renovation project at Atlanta's Northpark 500. As part of the project, the building's original...

Corian goes on exhibit in New York.(design and construction of New Museum of Contemporary Art)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff When New York's New Museum of Contemporary Art opened its doors to the public on December 1, visitors experienced 'Museum As Hub,' an exhibit whose centerpiece is a flexible social system made entirely from DuPont Corian solid...

3form Varia custom architectural resin panels.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Staff 3form Varia architectural resin panels can be custom designed with virtually any color, pattern, interlayer, and finish, providing architects with endless design possibilities for functional and decorative panel systems. Diane...

Cantilever Design Transforms Chicago Hotel.
April 1, 2008... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor A developer builds a 17-story hotel using a staggered steel truss framing system-a first for Chicago. Early in 2002, Craig McNay was having lunch with his old friend Bill Gerdes, a steel fabricator...

'Construction is a very dysfunctional industry'.
April 1, 2008... Staff Barry B. LePatner, Esq., Hon. AIA, is founder of LePatner & Associates LLP, a New York City law firm that represents owners, institutions, developers, and architects. Clients include Barnard College, Gehry Partners, Goldman Sachs,...

Design Criteria for Windows + Doors.(Industry overview)
April 1, 2008... By C.C. Sullivan and Barbara Horwitz-Bennett Whether it's offering a pleasant view, providing a fresh breath of air, or contributing to overall comfort and mood, windows and doors go a long way toward ensuring the well-being of building...