Building Design & Construction articles from August 2007

Building Design & Construction archives from August 2007

4 Telltale Signs Your Brick Wall is Failing.
August 1, 2007... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor Building restoration guru K. Nam Shiu identifies and diagnoses four key indicators of an unhealthy brick wall system. All brick walls, old and new, are susceptible to deterioration. Exposure to harsh...

New condominiums planned for Las Vegas.
August 1, 2007... Staff San Diego-based Graham Downes Architecture has begun design work on ArtHaus, a 132,000-sf residential condominium in Las Vegas. The $14 million building will contain 78 units, each with private outdoor living space. San Diego-based...

Southwest Virginia center to display regional art.
August 1, 2007... Staff The new Artisan Center of Southwest Virginia is intended to showcase local artisans and foster regional economic development. Located on the campus of Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon, Va., the 40,000-sf center will...

UMass medical school to get a new educational facility.
August 1, 2007... Staff The new Advanced Education and Clinical Practice Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, will house medical education, clinical and translational research, and ambulatory care programs. The central...

New towers will bring more office space to Kuwait City.
August 1, 2007... Staff With an aim to attract businesses to the region, the Kuwait Business Town in Al-Sharq, Kuwait City, will bring 680,000 sf of office space to the city. The $75 million project consists of four towers that will feature convention...

Green mixed-use tower goes up in South Mumbai.
August 1, 2007... Staff Construction has commenced on India Tower, a 60-story mixed-use tower in South Mumbai, India. Designed by FXFOWLE Architects, the tower will include shopping, dining, entertainment, a Park Hyatt hotel, and condominiums. The Building...

Mixed-use complex to surround Patriot's Gillette Stadium.
August 1, 2007... Staff Patriot Place is a $350 million retail and entertainment complex that will sit on 700 acres surrounding Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots in Foxboro, Mass. Upon completion in fall 2008, the 1.3 million-sf complex...

Residential complex planned for Arlington.
August 1, 2007... Staff Design is under way for 2000 Wilson Blvd., a 226,000-sf multifamily residential community that will incorporate 141 condo units and 35,000 sf of street-level retail, plazas, and outdoor dining areas. Washington, D.C-based WDG...

Shanghai mixed-use complex will help revitalize city.
August 1, 2007... Staff As part of an urban renewal program, Taipingqiao Lot 126-127 will add 2.4 million sf of retail and office space to Shanghai. The $425 million mixed-use development will include two 28-story office buildings and three ground-floor...

Construction under way for UW-Whitewater business building.
August 1, 2007... Staff The new Timothy J. Hyland Hall will be the home to the College of Business and Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Neenah, Wis.-based Miron Construction recently broke ground on the $41 million, 187,000-sf facility,...

Baltimore hospital to get a new in-patient tower.
August 1, 2007... Staff A $400 million, 672,000-sf in-patient tower will be added to Mercy Medical Center's facilities in Baltimore. The 18-story tower will feature 32 private rooms per floor and 15 operating rooms. Baltimore-based Whiting-Turner...

Two Museums, One Story.
August 1, 2007... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor A museum complex in the Southern California desert tells how the building of a dam led to the discovery of a massive collection of ice age fossils. Looking at the raw desert landscape of the San...

Here's one way you can win the recruitment wars.
August 1, 2007... Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief Recently, I asked a group of employees of a major AEC firm to name the most important person in their organization. After an awkward silence, I answered for them. 'The most important person in your firm?...

Making access truly universal.
August 1, 2007... Staff Even the most-accomplished traditional door switch systems remain closed to people without upper body mobility, including those without limb use and people who just have their hands full. The INGRESS'R switch and complementary...

Silence your projects.
August 1, 2007... Staff All Weather Sound Panels from Acoustiblok pack the sound-deadening power of 12 inches of poured concrete into a flexible membrane that is easy to install. Recommended for use in hotel and hospital applications, or to block noise from...

A kinder, gentler wall.
August 1, 2007... Staff PolyPro 4000 KD Flat Wall makes construction a snap. Insulated concrete forms are fast, installing 50-100% faster than other ICFs. Knock-Down design simplifies transportation and storage. Efficient, six-inch-on-center ties reduce job...

High-use toilets.
August 1, 2007... Staff Toilets for high-use environments available in two models, the Highline and the Wellworth, feature one-flush, no-plug performance, pressure-assist technology for best bulk flushing, and generous water surface for improved hygiene....

Shower seats in four shapes.
August 1, 2007... Staff ProSpec PreFormed shower seats bring style, safety, and the benefits of easy installation to tile installation projects. Recommended for hotels, ProSpec seats install using a five-step process and come in four different shapes and...

11 Tips on Designing Interior Glass Walls.
August 1, 2007... By Anne Hartman, Editorial Intern A growing number of designers are turning to interior glass walls and door systems to help flood interior spaces with natural light. Interior glass is a simple daylighting method, but designing these...

Process industries booming; other manufacturing stagnant.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data Manufacturing construction is a mixed market. Construction spending for 'under a roof' manufacturing is the same as it was two years ago (allowing for project cost...

Healthcare constructiongrowth will slow to 10%.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data Healthcare construction spending was 18% higher in mid-2007 than a year earlier and is expected to continue expanding through next year, although growth will slow to...

R.S. Means costs comparisons.
August 1, 2007... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data [TABLE OMITTED]

Acrobat 3D 8 makes 3D/CAD file-sharing easier.
August 1, 2007... By Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor Just as Adobe strove to make its PDF file format the industry standard for sharing documents and forms, so now is the company aggressively trying to make PDF the standard for CAD and 3D file-sharing....

Posh Plexes Make for Boffo B.O.
August 1, 2007... By Kristin Foster, Editorial Intern Designers are working with forward-thinking movie theater operators to raise the bar on the movie-going experience. Easy DVD rentals, sophisticated home theater systems, and outrageous ticket prices...

Auburn, California, gets a new justice center.
August 1, 2007... Staff A 36-foot-high domed rotunda is the centerpiece and front door of Auburn, Calif.'s newly opened, $27 million justice center. Designed by San Francisco-based Beverly Prior Architects, with Allen L. Bender Inc. of West Sacramento,...

Science is cool in Huntington Beach.
August 1, 2007... Staff Six new science labs, 11 classrooms, and much-need support space have been added to the campus of Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, Calif. The $13.8 million expansion project was executed by St. Louis, Mo.-based McCarthy...

New Jersey Sheraton gets complete renovation.
August 1, 2007... Staff Located in East Rutherford, N.J., the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel and Conference Center recently underwent a complete renovation. A total of 250 guest rooms and suites and 427 bathrooms were refurbished, along with the lobby...

Residence hall is New Hampshire's first LEED Gold dormitory.
August 1, 2007... Staff Plymouth State University's newly completed Langdon Woods residence hall is the first college dormitory in New Hampshire to receive LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed by the Boston office of...

NIST WTC recommendations finally adopted in the model building codes.
August 1, 2007... Staff More than two years after the National Institute of Standards and Technology released its 30 recommendations for improving the safety of tall buildings based on its post-9/11 investigation of the World Trade Center towers, the...

News Briefs.
August 1, 2007... Staff *10,000th company joins USGBC. Earlier this month, FABMAC Homes of Hawaii became the 10,000th corporate member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the nonprofit organization that promulgates the LEED sustainability rating tool. As...

People + Firms.
August 1, 2007... Staff * Boston-based A/E firm Cubellis recently announced a merger with Seyffer + Koch Architectural Group , a New Jersey-based firm focusing on architecture, space planning, and interior design. S+K will now operate under the Cubellis...

2010 edition of healthcare design guidelines up for public comment through September.
August 1, 2007... Staff The Heath Guidelines Revision Committee, with the support of the Facility Guidelines Institute and the American Institute of Architects, is seeking public input for the development of the 2010 edition of the Guidelines for Design and...

Samuels joins BD+C editorial board.
August 1, 2007... Staff Thomas R. Samuels, FAIA, AICP, executive VP with Higgins Development Partners, Chicago, has joined Building Design+Construction 's editorial board. Samuels, who has more than 35 years of experience in the architecture and...

U.S. Census Bureau HQ looks like a 'giant wicker basket'.
August 1, 2007... Staff Rather than blending in with the heavily wooded surroundings, I think the Census Bureau building (BD+C May 2007, p. 66) looks like a giant wicker basket. What a waste of good wood. Those wood pickets may provide some shade (and...

Clarifications.
August 1, 2007... Staff In our July 2007 Giants 300 report, Kendall/Heaton Associates, Houston, was mistakenly omitted from the photo caption for Comcast Center in Philadelphia (p. 54). Kendall/Heaton is the prime architect on the project, and Robert...

Historic Chesapeake Bay lighthouse gets restored.(Landmark overview)
August 1, 2007... Staff In order to preserve the 132-year-old Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse for future generations, the city of Annapolis, Md., along with the U.S. Lighthouse Society and other partners, is working to update the structure, which is...

Paperless products protect hospital.
August 1, 2007... Staff For the Medical University of South Carolina's hospital replacement project-a joint venture by Brasfield & Gorrie, M.B. Kahn Construction, and Southern Management Group-the Building Team chose Georgia-Pacific Gypsum's paperless Dens...

Pennsylvania fire company's floors get rescued.
August 1, 2007... Staff The Coatesville, Pa., Modena Fire Co., a group of volunteer firefighters and medical care providers, needed flooring that could withstand the wear and tear their work environment presented. Flooring contractor Engine Bay Floors...

Solar panel roof tops regional archives center.
August 1, 2007... Staff When the GSA was looking for a place to demonstrate renewable energy technology, the Frederick C. Murphy Federal Center in Waltham, Mass., fit the bill. As the northeast headquarters for the National Archives and Records...

Staff, pets approve of clinic's rubber flooring.
August 1, 2007... Staff When the new Westside Family Pet Clinic facility was being built in Madison, Wis., the staff wanted a low-maintenance floor with a warm look and feel. They opted for noraplan fossil from nora. The rubber flooring is not slippery for...

Tiles bring outdoors in.
August 1, 2007... Staff Situated next to a wetland and sculpture garden, the new Ramsey County Library in Maplewood, Minn., isn't lacking scenery. The project's design team searched for ways to incorporate the outdoor atmosphere into the library's interior....

IceStone Recycled Glass and Concrete Surfacing.
August 1, 2007... Staff IceStone surfacing, made from recycled glass and concrete, can help earn LEED credits because of its high recycled content and Cradle-to-Cradle certification. Strong and heat-resistant like granite while not as porous as marble,...

An Addition that Doesn't Subtract.
August 1, 2007... By Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor Rather than try to imitate a historic neighbor, the Building Team behind the addition to San Diego's Museum of Contemporary Art went for contrast. Downtown San Diego has been experiencing record growth...

Creative Finance.
August 1, 2007... By Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor How the Seattle Art Museum partnered with a bank to finance its new building and bring three new towers to the Emerald City's skyline. The just-opened $86 million Seattle Art Museum has doubled the size...

'International work isn't for everyone, or every firm'.
August 1, 2007... Staff Bradford Perkins, FAIA, MRAIC, AICP, is the founder of Perkins Eastman, a 750-person, 10-office architectural, interior design, and planning firm based in New York. He has been the principal architect or planner for several hundred...

Toronto's Opera House Takes Center Ice.
August 1, 2007... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor After years of feeling disconnected from downtown Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company built a new home that openly embraces the city's urban vibrancy. The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts...

New WindowandDoorProducts.
August 1, 2007... Staff Sliding doors that won't blow away Simonton Windows' StormBreaker Plus Sliding Impact Vinyl doors have two panes of glass (one tempered, the other impact-resistant laminated) that the company says are strong enough to not require...