Building Design & Construction articles from February 2006

Building Design & Construction archives from February 2006

White House Summit reflections.(EDITORIAL)
February 1, 2006... In this observer's view, the first White House Summit on Federal Sustainable Buildings, held last month in Washington, accomplished quite a lot in just two days. First, the signing of a "memorandum of understanding" by 17 federal agencies...

Summit unites federal agencies on sustainability.(NEWS & TRENDS)
February 1, 2006... A memorandum of understanding signed by 17 federal agencies on January 24 establishes "guiding principles" of sustainability for the government to take into account in its buildings. The agencies agreed to: 1) employ integrated design and...

Gupta, Tobey join BD&C's Editorial Board.(NEWS & TRENDS)
February 1, 2006... The BD&C editorial staff welcomes Raj Gupta and Philip Tobey to our Editorial Advisory Board. Gupta is president of Environmental Systems Design, a Chicago-based consulting engineering firm that specializes in the design and commissioning...

Architecture Billings Index reports growth for every month of 2005.
February 1, 2006... The American Institute of Architects reported that billings at U.S. firms were positive every month in 200.5, the first time positive growth was reported for each month of a calendar year since 2000. The Architecture Billings Index, an economic...

Unforeseen increases are driving construction project prices up.
February 1, 2006... Materials costs over the past year have risen as much as 18% due to demands created by Hurricane Katrina and the growth of the building industry in China, says Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America....

Developer sets sail on an entertainment center in Atlantic City.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Greenwich, Conn.-based Gordon Group Holdings has commissioned Elkus Manfredi Architects, Boston, and New York-based Rockwell Group to convert a mall located on Atlantic City's Million Dollar Pier into a luxury retail, dining, and entertainment...

Ft. Lauderdale to get twins in latest hotel development.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based Colonial Development Group has started work on a hotel-condo development in Ft. Lauderdale. When completed in spring of 2007, the W Fort Lauderdale Hotel and Residences will offer 171 hotel-condo units and 346 hotel...

Architects unveil plan for Javits Center expansion.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... The plan will add a hotel and more an double the size of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City, increasing exhibition and meeting space from 790,000 sf to more than 1.3 million sf. A team from the New York offices of Richard...

Plan for mixed-use center in Nashville will incorporate landmark theater's facade.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Belle Meade Theatre's famed glittering facade will serve as the face of a new $30 million mixed-use center in Nashville, Tenn. Giarratona Development is spearheading the 140,000-sf project, which will add 50 luxury apartments, upscale retail...

Work begins on museum that says Ad Icons are grrreat!(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Mr. Peanut, Tony the Tiger, the Aflac duck, the Jolly Green Giant, and hundreds of other advertising icons will soon be housed in a Kansas City, Mo., museum honoring their contributions to American culture. Construction began last week on the...

Biopharmaceutical firm plans new HQ in Manhattan.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Thoe New York office of Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum is designing a 130,000-sf research headquarters far ImCIone Systems at 325 Spring Street, a farmer Port Authority truck depot in Manhattan originally constructed in 1949. Flexible...

New Mexico gets its first pre-certified LEED-CS building.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... The three-story, 80,000-sf office building in Albuquerque, N.M., designed by local architect Dekker/Perich/Sabotini, has been pre-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council far a Silver rating in its LEED Core and Shell program. The...

Mixed-use center planned for twin cities suburb.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Construction is underway on the 750,000-sf Fountains at Arbor Lakes mixed-use center in Maple Grove, Minn., about 15 miles northwest of Minneapolis. Situated on 101 acres of a farmer gravel mine, the $90 million development includes 23...

Southeast Michigan finally gets a new hospital.(ON THE DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Southfield, Mich.-based Barton Malow broke ground last month on a 200-bed, $224 million hospital at St. John Health's Providence Park campus in Novi, Mich. Designed by Seattle-based architect NBBJ, the facility will incorporate acuity-adaptable...

Historic Dallas hotel to get luxury condominiums.(DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Built in 1923 as a hotel-apartment building, the 11-story Stoneleigh Hotel in Dallas is being expanded with luxury condominiums by developers Prescott Realty Group, Dallas, and Apollo Real Estate Advisors, New York. Residential Constructors...

Education center explores the importance of water.(DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... Atlanta-based Juneau Construction broke ground last month on the $15.6 million Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center, a two-story, 50,000-sf educational facility in Bufard, Ga., that will feature interactive exhibits exploring the impact...

Dorm will have aeronautical students gazing at the sky.(DRAWING BOARD)
February 1, 2006... To better compete with off-campus housing options and relieve a campus housing crunch, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced plans for a four-story, 280-bed residence hall. Designed by the Jacksonville,...

Industrial vacancy rates dip, even as construction of new factories and warehouse facilities soars.(INDUSTRY DATA)
February 1, 2006... The factory and warehouse vacancy rate dropped 0.1% to 10.1% in the third quarter of 2005, continuing the industrial sector's two-year space-filling spree, during which vacancy rates dipped 2% annually. The latest quarterly decline occurred...

Hotel sector is poised for boom.(INDUSTRY DATA)
February 1, 2006... The delayed cyclical expansion of the hotel construction market is set to begin in 2006 and extend at least through 2007, after the initial expansion fizzled out in late 2004. Hotel construction spending stalled at a $12 billion annual pace...

Construction industry's two-year hiring spree comes to an end.(INDUSTRY DATA)
February 1, 2006... Following 23 consecutive months of job growth, during which the construction industry added 491,000 jobs (including 43,900 jobs in the non-residential market), construction employment declined in December, losing 9,000 jobs. The December...

Cost comparisons per square foot in select metro markets.(INDUSTRY DATA)
February 1, 2006... Cost comparisons per square foot in select metro markets Office, 2-4 story Office, 5-10 story '06 '05 % chg. '06 '05 % chg. Atlanta 123.24 110.72...

Healthy sales: hospitals are opening standalone wellness centers and selling medical fitness to members who don't buy into traditional fitness chains.(WELLNESS CENTERS)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... One Nineteen Health and Wellness Center in Birmingham, Ala., might be associated with St. Vincent's Hospital, but one look around the striking 154,600-sf facility reveals this is not a traditional healthcare building. A 15,000-sf,...

14 steps to greener hospitals.(HEALTHCARE FACILITIES)
February 1, 2006... Think about this: If you were asked to identify the one building type that needed the highest-quality indoor air, the lowest levels of toxic off-gassing, the greatest access to daylighting and outdoor views for occupants, the most efficient...

Wal system guides the way: an elliptical steel-and-glass system improves wayfinding in a South Korean office lobby.(INTERIOR SOLUTIONS)
February 1, 2006... When New York architect David Yum first set foot in the high-rise Leema Building lobby in Seoul, South Korea, he felt out of place. "There was no center to the place. There wasn't a sense of where you would arrive at the elevator," said...

What specifiers look for in a roof: product performance, warranty, and the manufacturer's reputation are the most important roofing attributes, according an exclusive survey of BD&C readers.(ROOFING)
February 1, 2006... When evaluating the merits of roofing systems, specifiers generally consider a product's performance record, warranty, and the manufacturer's reputation before all other attributes, according to a recent survey of 300 designers, contractors,...

Gleaming the tube: daylighting systems that siphon light are shining on more commercial buildings.(BUILDING TECHNOLOGY)
February 1, 2006... Until recently, daylighting was one of the most misunderstood sustainable building product categories, mostly because the amount of daylight entering a skylight is not uniform or constant. While radiant heat can be measured by indoor air...

The professional.(THE PROFESSIONAL'S CHOICE)
February 1, 2006... Paul Kelley Senior Principal Simpson Gumpertz and Heger Waltham, Mass. Paul Kelley, senior principal with Waltham, Mass.-based consulting engineer Simpson Gumpertz and Heger, has more than 25 years of experience with projects...

Eclipse shrinkage-reducing admixture.(The Professional's Choice)
February 1, 2006... Eclipse is a liquid admixture for concrete (or virtually any portland cement-based material) that can reduce the material's drying shrinkage by up to 80% within the first 28 days and up to 50% after a year, according to its maker, Grace...

Maximizing daylight in Philly.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... Currently under construction on the waterfront in Philadelphia, Waterfront Square Condominiums and Spa consists of five 30-story buildings that will house 780 residential units. To maximize daylight in the condos, which range in size from 760...

Custom-printed tile.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... When the owners of ShopRite Wines and Spirits planned the renovation and expansion of their retail store in Caldwell, N.J., they hoped to add representations of their logo at pedestrian eye level at the entrance to the store. Mindful of the...

Hot curves and spicy meatballs.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... To form the curved sheetrock ceiling at the new Meatballs Plus restaurant in Staten Island, N.Y., architect Salvadeo Associates, New York, utilized Flex-C Trac. The flexible metal track system provides an easy way for builders to frame complex...

Movable glass walls have car dealers.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... Auto showroom and dealership managers can now move vehicles in and out of showrooms with ease by incorporating a NanaWall. The dual-pane, weather-tight glass wall can be folded away in seconds to create an open space. NanaWall consists of...

Stucco meets the demands of harsh coastal climates.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... Faced with choosing an exterior wall system for twin, 18-story condo towers and an eight-story parking deck in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Clint Burdett of architect Jenkins, Hancock and Sides, Columbia, S.C., evaluated several systems before...

Perfect performance.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... During a recent renovation of the 91-year-old Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, architect Harmony A. Edwards-Canfield from local interior design firm Vive! Lifestyle Design LLC was searching for new flooring for the dressing room that was...

Water-tested doors and windows.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... More than 2,700 window units, 1,500 sliding glass doors, and 12,500-sf of curtain wall from Wausau Window and Wall Systems was specified for the $116 million, 56-story 55 East Erie condo tower in Chicago. Wausau worked closely with contractor...

Make the connection.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... Connector system helps transfer lateral loads from purlin framing into adjacent glulam support beams in wood frame construction. The Purlin Cross Tie can support loads of up to 39,665 pounds and requires fewer parts than any other connection...

Glass is rated for fire and impact.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... SuperLite I-W wired glass meets the Consumer Products Safely Commission's category II impact safely rating (400 foot pounds), and provides a positive pressure fire rating of up to 90 minutes. The 1/4-inch-thick glass is an affordable...

Let it snow.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... Mineral fiber ceiling panels are manufactured from a cotton-like substance that provides excellent sound absorption and high thermal resistance. Snowen panels are formaldehyde-free and are suited for commercial environments where acoustical...

Keeping concrete moist.(PRODUCTS AT WORK)
February 1, 2006... Evaporation retardant forms a thin monomolecular film to reduce rapid moisture loss from concrete surfaces prior to curing. By minimizing evaporation, Evapre-RTU reduces plastic shrinkage, cracking, wind crusting, stickiness, and sponginess,...

Curb seismic stress.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... ThyCurb seismic curbs for rooftop HVAC equipment are custom designed to meet seismic criteria of any geographic location. Options include built-in filters, extra height for installation of sound traps beneath the unit, built-in roof pitch, and...

Plenum insulation.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... Plenum insulation provides a single-layer, flexible enclosure around combustible items located within fire-rated return-air plenums, such as plastic pipe and cable. FlameChek is a 1/2-inch-thick, non-ceramic, glass-fiber insulation blanket that...

All purpose mortar.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... Line of mortar allows tile installers to use the same mortar for virtually every type of ceramic and stone. 3N1 combines the advantages of latex modified, medium bed, and non-sag mortars, allowing for easy troweling on a range of applications....

Corn based paint stripper.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... Paint stripper is 100% derived from a blend of U.S.-grown corn and soybean esters designed to strip, lift, and remove mastics, adhesives, and paint from concrete, masonry, wood, metal, and other surfaces. Amazing Bio-based Stripper and Solvent...

Precast concrete joining system.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... Interlocking device provides structural integrity when joining rebar in precast concrete construction. Lenton Interlok allows load-bearing applications such as columns, beams, and shear walls to be incorporated into projects using segmental...

Stone-carved appearance.(EDITORS' PICKS)
February 1, 2006... Masonry units feature a random hand-chiseled look of naturally cut limestone, providing the beauty of natural stone with the advantages and structural integrity of concrete masonry. Chiselface, the latest addition to the Prairie Stone line of...

Directory of green products & services.(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... ADHESIVES Franklin International WE KNOW GREEN BUILDING... INSIDE AND OUT As a pioneer in environmentally-friendly glues and adhesives, Franklin International offers the industry's most extensive selection of VOC-compliant and...

WunderFixx[R] smooth patch.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... WunderFixx[R] concrete patching compound is the choice of architects, developers, building owners, and contractors for cosmetic patching of tilt ups, precast, and cast-in-place concrete projects. Formulated with original non-shrink Rapid Set[R]...

FireOut[TM].(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Eliminate costly recover boards and slip sheets with FireOut[TM] Fire Barrier Coating from GAF Materials Corporation. FireOut is a low VOC, water-based coating system that is designed to provide UL Class A protection over combustible decks when...

A must-read book for every architect and building owner.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... 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,...

United metal products' Chil-Pak[R] package central plant.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... 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....

Metl-Span III CFR metal roof panel.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Metl-Span's insulated metal standing seam roof panel is the foremost innovation in all-in-one composite panel design, combining durable interior and exterior faces with an unmatched Blister-Free polyurethane core. Superior insulation values...

Custom made--folding and roll-up doors.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Woodfold's accordion and roll-up doors serve multiple functions. Each is custom made to exactly fit your finished opening. Our accordion folding doors are offered in a variety of Series suitable for sight, acoustic, or security applications....

Fire-fighting dryers.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Milnor has added a Fire Suppression System (FSS) to its line of small dryers, raising wash-room safety to a new standard. With FSS, an advanced sensor within the dryer can detect high heat or fire conditions. The sensor activates a water jet...

TRACO Green[TM].(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... TRACO is committed to preserving our natural resources and protecting our environment through the responsible manufacture and distribution of our products and through innovation that improves the efficiency of our customer's structures. At...

Tjernlund draft, combustion air & ventilation resource CD.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... 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...

NUTRUSS[R] from NUCONSTEEL[R]--The Nu way to build.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... 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...

Pilkington offers wide range of glass products.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Pilkington Building Products utilizes an international network of research distribution, fabrication and support facilities to meet both your performance and aesthetic requirements, practically, efficiently and cost-effectively. Pilkington...

Waterway drainable Stucco assembly.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)(Advertisement)
February 1, 2006... Waterway drainage mats combine ventilation & rainscreen technologies with STUC-O-FLEX, America's finest elastomeric acrylic finish. Put Some Space Between Your Building & The Elements 800-305-1045; www.stucoflex.com STUC-O-FLEX...

Sarnafil green roof systems.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)
February 1, 2006... With the increased desire for sustainable building products, green roofs have become a "growing" roofing option Green roofs are visually pleasing, and held reduce urban meat islands, storm water runoff and energy consumption Sarnafil has been...

Announcing--Pilkington's new product brochure and technical data sheet for fire-resistant glasses.(PRODUCT & LITERATURE DIGEST)
February 1, 2006... 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...

Ray Messer: 'alternative delivery is here'.(THOUGHT LEADERS)(Interview)
February 1, 2006... Raymond F. Messer, P.E., is president and chairan of 75-year-old Houston-based consulting engineer Walter P. Moore. Messer has more than 30 years of experience in engineering design, project management, and construction, with a special interest...