Building Design & Construction articles from December 2005

Building Design & Construction archives from December 2005

Be a builder, not just an owner!(EDITORIAL)
December 1, 2005... Pardon me if I gush too much, but I must urge you to read "Master of the House: Why a Company Should Take Control of Its Building Projects," in the October 2005 Harvard Business Review. In it, David Thurm, VP/CIO of the New York Times...

Adaptive reuse rules are reshaping downtown LA.(NEWS & TRENDS)
December 1, 2005... Since the Los Angeles City Council passed an adaptive reuse ordinance to revitalize its downtown in 1999, Los Angeles has seen its city core flourish, with hundreds of former commercial buildings transformed into condominium and mixed-use...

Downtown revival depends on residential growth.(NEWS & TRENDS)
December 1, 2005... Efforts to revitalize downtown centers are paying off for many U.S. cities, according to The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. Using U.S. Census Bureau data from 1970 to 2000, Brookings analyzed downtown households, populations, and...

ULI survey says hotels show highest rate of return.
December 1, 2005... Stephen Blank, senior resident fellow of finance with the Urban Land Institute, said 300 real estate investors and 150 business leaders surveyed by ULI see hotels as their best investment in terms of rate of return. As for a housing bubble,...

Architectural billings index shows growth in market.
December 1, 2005... The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), a leading economic indicator of nonresidential construction activity, showed growth for the tenth consecutive month in October, according to the American Institute of Architects. The October ABI rating of...

Costliest part of Gulf Coast rebuilding yet to come.
December 1, 2005... The federal government has spent or obligated through contracts more than $18 billion in Hurricane Katrina relief in just over two months. But the real big-ticket items will not come until months and years down the line as the government...

Designer says Seattle City Hall is no energy hog.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2005... I would like to comment on some misleading press the Seattle City Hall (LEED Gold) has received, in particular an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer labeling the building an energy hog. The author spoke to no one on the design team and...

Clarifications.(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2005... A statement in the article by Rita Schenck ("Why LCA?') in the November White Paper on Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainability should have read: "In the classic example comparing paper bags to plastic bags at the grocery store, plastic...

USGBC weans paper-based LEED submittals.(GREENBUILD SHOW REPORT)
December 1, 2005... In what U.S. Green Building Council president and CEO Rick Fedrizzi called a "huge refinement" to the LEED rating program, the Washington, D.C.-based organization announced sweeping enhancements to LEED in an effort to streamline the...

Report shows support for green schools, college buildings.(GREENBUILD SHOW REPORT)
December 1, 2005... Asurvey of 205 executives involved in K-12 school construction and 250 executives involved in university buildings showed enhanced perception of green facilities over more traditional educational buildings. The survey, from Turner Green...

Report ranks BD&C #1 media source for green building information.(GREENBUILD SHOW REPORT)
December 1, 2005... Asurvey of 417 architects, engineers, building owners, and contractors by McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics found Building Design & Construction tied with Engineering News-Record as the most often mentioned source of information on...

Long-vacant Chicago land parcel finally gets a project.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Ground was recently broken at 108 North State Street for a mixed-use and transit project planned for Chicago's long-vacant downtown Block 37. The development will feature 400,000 sf of retail, entertainment, and dining, a broadcast facility, an...

New minor league ballpark planned for North Little Rock.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Dallas-based HKS has designed the Arkansas Travelers Ballpark in North Little Rock, Ark. Construction of the 5,100-seat ballpark will begin in early 2006 as part of a mixed-use development on 22 acres of riverfront property. Construction costs...

Moscow will soon be home to Europe's tallest building.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Federation Towers, a mixed-use development planned for Moscow, Russia, includes twin towers (85 stories and 57 stories) rising from a common podium. Upon completion in 2007, the structure will be Europe's tallest building at 345 meters (1,131...

Mixed-use project breaks ground in Scottsdale.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Ground has been broken on the Mercer Center at Fairmont Princess 101 in Scoltsdale, Ariz. The $36 million project includes a build-out of the existing 65,000-sf Mercer Center, an additional 50,000-sf office/retail building, and 10,000 sf for a...

Glass bridge to let visitors walk 4,000 feet above ground.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... A glass bridge is under construction as part of an expansion of the Hualapai Ranch at the Grand Canyon West resort in Arizona. The skywalk will provide hair-raising views of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, more than 4,000 feet below....

California African-American museum to be expanded.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... A team from the Los Angeles office of HGA Architects and Engineers has been selected to design an expansion for the California African-American Museum in Los Angeles's Exposition Park. The $23 million project will expand the museum from 45,000...

University of Virginia gets a Jeffersonian-style arena.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... The University of Virginia's planned 15,000-seat, multipurpose arena in Charlottesville will combine modern design with elements of the Jeffersonian style. The arena's white columns and red brick exterior, for instance, will replicate buildings...

Hospital campus planned for Chicago suburb.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... A 645,000-sf, $280 million hospital campus is being planned for Elgin, Ill., 40 miles northwest of Chicago. Sherman Health Hospital will replace an existing hospital that will be converted into an outpatient care facility. The new hospital will...

World's largest vedic-style office planned for Maryland.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... The 200,000-sf, $72 million Tower II office building is scheduled to begin construction in Rockville, Md., this winter. Planned to be the world's largest commercial application of ancient Vedic architecture, the project was designed by...

'School of the Future' under way in Philadelphia.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... The School District of Philadelphia has broken ground on its "School of the Future." Being built in partnership with Microsoft, the $46 million facility will aim to be the most technologically advanced school in the world. Wireless and mobile...

Mixed-use center planned for downtown Minneapolis.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Milliken Development Group of Seattle plans to develop a $180 million mixed-use project in the heart of Minneapolis. The development will occupy an entire city block and feature a 76,000-sf Whole Foods Market, 250 luxury condos, and 6,500 sf of...

Condominium project breaks ground in Phoenix.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... Construction has started on Portland Place, a $22 million, six-story condominium project in downtown Phoenix. The post-tension concrete structure will be clad with standing-seam metal, glass, plaster, and masonry. DFD Cornoyer-Hedrick of...

$700 million New York City Science Park planned.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced the site selection for the $700 million, 870,000-sf East River Science Park. The complex will be constructed on a parcel of city-owned land in the Bellevue Hospital Center, near New York...

Graves-designed school will serve the disabled.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
December 1, 2005... The new 99,000-sf, $32 million St. Coletta s School in Washington, D.C., was designed to serve students with autism, mental retardation, and multiple disabilities. National Medal of Arts-winning architect Michael Graves is design architect for...

Nonresidential construction to stay strong in '06.(2006 CONSTRUCTION FORECAST)
December 1, 2005... The economic environment for construction remains strong in 2006. The fourth year of economic expansion will be a much better environment for the nonresidential than the residential construction market. After a brief post-hurricane rebound...

Tablet PCs are finally poised to make their mark.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2005... With the continued growth of do-everything handheld electronic devices and the trend of replacing desktop computers with laptops, it's only natural that the tablet PC has finally come into its own. Tablet PCs currently make up less than 2%...

Home field advantage: shrinking athletic budgets, fierce recruitment battles, and increasingly demanding fans have universities scrambling to make the most of their football stadiums.(COLLEGIATE STADIUMS)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2005... College athletics is big business, and football is the granddaddy of them all. In 2004, the top 10 NCAA Division 1-A football programs raked in a combined 5417.87 million in total revenue, according to the U.S. Department of Education's...

New tricks for old dogs: office buildings eclipsed by new construction and lagging in marketable features are being 'repositioned' for second lives by savvy development teams.(OFFICE BUILDINGS)
December 1, 2005... When the 1.6 million-sf office tower at 55 East Monroe Street in Chicago was completed in 1972, the 50-story skyscraper quickly gained a reputation as one of the city's premier business addresses. More than three decades later, however, the...

Mining the store: a luxury jeweler's flagship store had to reflect the precious nature of the product. The design team's solution: an artificial diamond mine, carved out of Corian.(INTERIOR SOLUTIONS)
December 1, 2005... Jacob & Co. Fine Jewelry caters to star customers like singer/actress Jessica Simpson, tapper 50 Cent, Victoria's Secret model Gisele Bundchen, and soccer star David ("Bend It Like") Beckham. Founder Jacob ("The Jeweler") Arabo features his...

Invisible structures' [Grasspave.sup.2].(THE PROFESSIONAL'S CHOICE)
December 1, 2005... Instead of creating a hard-paved fire lane at RadioShack's World Headquarters Riverfront campus in Fort Worth, Texas, Teske specified Invisible Structure's [Grasspave.sup.2] to create load-bearing, pervious green spaces throughout the 37-acre...

Polyurethane spray fixes Superdome.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... A spray-applied polyurethane roof system from BaySystems and Bayer Material Science was used to temporarily fix the Louisiana Superdome roof. The sprayed-on polyurethane foam is produced by a chemical reaction that creates a rigid plastic that...

Just do it--with sustainable flooring.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... As part of Nike's commitment to using recycled and sustainable products in its new chain of Nike-Women stores, the athletic products company chose EnviroPLANK terrazzo plank tile from EnviroGLAS Products. The 6x36-inch tiles are made of 100%...

Dolphin safe floor.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... Island Dolphin Care is a nonprofit organization in Key Largo, Fla., where critically ill, disabled, and special needs children can receive physical therapy while swimming with dolphins. IDC's 5,000-sf therapy and learning facility used 3,400 sf...

Escalator meets lofty challenges.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... The Schindler Elevator Corp., challenged with the task of moving 42,000 Padres baseball fans into and out of PETCO Park in San Diego, installed its 9300 escalator series. The escalators were customized to meet the project's exacting...

JointMaster scores at Camp Randall.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... Nearly one and a half miles of JointMaster architectural expansion joint and barrier systems were used in the $109 million renovation of historic Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. InPro's JointMaster products, Series...

Secure look panels.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... A vacant building was rehabbed into the new Madisonville Criminal Justice Center in Edwardsville, III. Aluminum composite material (ACM) panels were used to give the center a secure look, yet still blend in with the existing travertine panels...

Mountaintop roof.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
December 1, 2005... When replacing a cedar roof at the Amicola State Park near Dawsonville, Ga., the state Department of Natural Resources chose Pac-Clad's Snap-Clad panels to improve energy efficiency and roof life at the mountaintop park headquarters. Roofing...

Cold storage with more efficiency.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Rite Hire Doors, a manufacturer of industrial and cold storage doors, has introduced a bi-folding cooler/freezer door that it claims has the industry's most energy-efficient sealing system. The Barrier Fold door uses the company's...

Green fabric shuts out the sun's rays.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Greenscreen Eco is a PVC-free line of solar shading fabrics designed for internal and external roller shades and sun control systems. The fabric is made of pre-stretched polyester which imparts a woven, soft texture and allows the fabric to...

An extra-sensory automatic faucet.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... The Aerada 1200 Series CS faucet from Bradley uses capacitive sensing technology to instinctively detects a user's presence from any angle of approach. The capacitive sensing technology creates a detection zone that surrounds the entire spout,...

Quieter, sustainable laminate flooring.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Sonic Floor by Kronopol is a new laminate flooring with sound deadening properties. The long, 54-inch planks are made with FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) wood and have an integral felt and rubber underpad designed to avoid...

The only shower valve you'll ever need.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Delta Faucet's Multichoice Universal shower valve allows you to easily change shower function, style, and appearance without altering the plumbing behind the wall. The valve can be installed with one of three different cartridges: a...

A more alert humidity meter.(PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Extech Instruments's 445815 Humidity Alert Meter detects high humidity, which can create a breeding ground for mold, and low humidity, which can create static electricity. The 445815 also calculates and displays the dew point, and features an...

Easy-install alarms for open areas.(PICKS)
December 1, 2005... System Sensor single-ended, reflectedtype Beam Smoke Detectors protect open areas with high ceilings. They feature a four-wire design and are easier to install than dual-ended projected beam detectors because alignment is accomplished via an...

An efficient toilet with the same lever.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... American Standard's FloWise toilets reduce water usage by 20% using a standard lever and one-flush performance while still only using 1.28 gallons per flush, which qualifies it as a high-efficiency toilet. Its normal gravity design allows more...

Downlights for high places.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Prescolite's new 6- and 8-inch aperture metal-halide fixtures are designed for commercial and institutional environments with high ceilings where lamp access is often difficult. The downlights can be specified with a choice of beam spreads, and...

Sound-absorbing PVC-free flooring.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Estrie Products' Stonescape is designed with anti-fatigue, sound-deadening, and absorption properties, which reduce noise generation and actively suppress resonance. Stonescape is PVC free, emits no VOCs, and contains natural compounds. ...

An instant antique.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Armstrong's Tincraft Circles ceiling tile can now be finished with a paint that makes the tin ceiling tile look antique. The new paint is offered in bronze, pewter, copper, and silver. To achieve the antique look, the 2x2-foot ceiling panels...

Heavy-duty ADA drinking fountains.(EDITORS' PICKS)
December 1, 2005... Halsey Taylor expanded its line of vandal-resistant, heavy-duty drinking fountains by adding two models that meet adult ADA requirements. The barrier-free units are made from 14-gauge stainless steel and are available in single- and bi-level...

United Metal Products' Chil-Pak[R] Package Central Plant.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... The Chil Pak[R] is a true "Plug and Play" for applications from 150 to 540 tons. The Chil Pak[R] brings all the variables associated with the engineering and construction of a typical central plant into an energy and space efficient cabinet....

Announcing--Pilkington's new product brochure and technical data sheet for fire-resistant glasses.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... The new material includes information on both the Pilkington Pyrostop[TM] Fire Resistant Glass and Pilkington Pyrodur[TM] Fire Protection Glass products. Pilkington Pyrostop[TM] is a fire-rated and impact safety-rated glass for blocking radiant...

A must-read book for every architect and building owner.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... This new book, Audiovisual Best Practices: The Design and Integration Process for the AV and Construction Industries is a complete resource explaining everything about AV design and the installation process. Published by InfoComm International,...

Waterproof membranes under ceramic tile.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Protect tile jobs in showers and shower vestibules against water, moisture migration and substrate cracks. Use COMPOSEA/ BLUE Shower Pan Liner under full mortar bed. For thin-set areas such as vestibules and dressing rooms, transition to...

Roof Selection Software.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... One bad roofing decision can lead to disaster--don't let it happen to you. Use Roof Advisor[TM] Roof Selection Software. It evaluates your specific roofing problem, and provides a customized analysis of the most suitable roofing options. Roof...

Tjernlund draft, combustion air & ventilation resource CD.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Resource CD contains 1000's of pages of useful information including; brochures, spec sheets, performance curves, installation/service instructions, wiring diagrams, parts breakdown/cross reference, product photos and more. Bonus features...

Charlotte Pipe & Foundry ChemDrain[TM] Corzan[R] CPVC Chemical Waste Drain System Technical Manual.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Learn more about Charlotte Pipe's new ChemDrain[TM] CPVC Chemical Waste Drain System product offering, technical specifications and installation requirements in this convenient manual. Charlotte's ChemDrain System offers a safe, durable and...

Level-Right handles any floor leveling challenge.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Level-Right is a specially formulated, highstrength, cementitious underlayment that can handle any floor leveling challenge--without shotblasting or scarifying. LevelRight is poured over concrete and old floor goods and adhesives. Level-Right...

National Gypsum's Hi-Abuse[R] XP[R] and Hi-Impact[R] XP[R] wallboards.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Hi-Abuse XP and Hi-Impact XP are part of National Gypsum's XP Family of Products. Distinguishable by its purple color, Hi-Abuse XP is mold, mildew and abuse resistant while Hi-Impact XP is mold, moisture, abuse and impact resistant. Both...

NUTRUSS[R] from NUCONSTEEL[R]--the Nu way to build.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... A NU Force has emerged in the building industry today. Presenting NUTRUSS from NUCONSTEEL--a Nucor company, a fully engineered, integrated truss system, from plans through fabrication straight to job site installation. NUTRUSS[TM] is a...

Crystallized glass ceramic architectural panels.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
December 1, 2005... Neoparies[R] and Neoparies[R] LT are lighter yet stronger than granite. Commonly used for cladding interior and exterior walls, flooring, and counter or tabletops, they are virtually impermeable and not subject to freeze-thaw damage,...

BD&C contacts & resources.(Directory)
December 1, 2005... Publisher Dean Horowilz 2000 Clearwater Dr. Oak Brook, IL 60523 (630) 288-8180 Fax: (630) 288-8155 dhorowitz@reedbusiness.com Midwest Meg McNeel 2000 Clearwater Dr. Oak Brook, IL 60523 (630)...

Jeff Masters: 'be holistic about risk management'.(THOUGHT LEADERS)(Interview)
December 1, 2005... Jeffrey D. Masters is a partner with Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLE Los des, specializing in complex insurance coverage, construction defect cases, and real estate litigation. A graduate of UCLA Law School and UCLA's Anderson Graduate School of...