Building Design & Construction articles from February 2008

Building Design & Construction archives from February 2008

Green university building planned for Union County, N.J.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Construction is currently under way on the $39 million, 105,000-sf on Kean University's new Center for Science, Technology & Mathematics Education in Union County, N.J., which will include teaching and research laboratories, computer...

New mixed-use community planned in northern Florida.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Looney Ricks Kiss has been selected as the design architect for the town center at Tapestry Park, a master-planned, mixed-use, traditional neighborhood development in Panama City Beach, Fla. Looney Ricks Kiss is focused on delivering...

Tampa Bay Rays plan new ballpark, will rehab the old one.(MLB Advanced Media L.P.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The Tampa Bay Rays (formerly Devil Rays) of Major League Baseball have finalized plans for a new 34,000-seat seat stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. New York-based developer Hines has also reached a deal to redevelop the site of the...

New autism center planned for Shaker Heights, Ohio.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The Center for Autism in Shaker Heights, Ohio, was designed by Westlake Reed Leskosky of Cleveland for the Cleveland Clinic. The $8 million, 24,000-sf single-story building expresses a clarity of purpose in its design and aspires to...

Health center will serve San Diego County's low-income residents.(Consolidated Contracting Services)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Construction work has commenced on San Ysidro (Calif.) Health Center's Maternal and Child Health Center. The 39,000-sf, $14.4 million facility will provide healthcare services for low-income residents living in the south region of...

Zaha Hadid lands new Michigan State University museum.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Michigan State University has chosen Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Zaha Hadid to design its new 41,000-sf, $26 million Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum in East Lansing. Hadid's design calls for a sharply angular, low-slung,...

Dallas firm designs soccer stadium for Liverpool Football Club.
February 1, 2008... Staff The Liverpool Football Club of England's Premier League recently began construction on its new 60,000-seat stadium in Stanley Park near the team's existing Anfield Stadium. The club's owners are Americans Tom Hicks and George...

Recruitment solution: Bring back retirees.
February 1, 2008... Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief The biggest obstacle to growth for most AEC firms today is a shortage of skilled professionals. 'The workforce shortage in the AEC industry has no immediate end in sight - The issue is serious and one that...

Roof membrane system.(StressPly SA )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff A self-adhering roofing membrane, StressPly SA roof system eliminates the need for open-flame torches, hot kettles, or cold-applied solvents during installation. It can be installed when the building is in full operation, which makes...

HVAC system gets slimmer.(Mitsubishi Electric Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The new generation of Mitsubishi Electric's Mr. Slim split-ductless indoor HVAC product offers a four-way ceiling-recessed cassette with individual vane control. This allows customized positioning of air flow into cubicles and open...

Luminaires for parking garages.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff MetalOptics fluorescent luminaires for parking garages provide up to 65% energy savings over 175-watt probe-start metal halide fixtures. Instant on/off fluorescent fixtures integrate with photocell daylight control systems for...

Fire-rated particleboard.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Fire-rated particleboard comes in two thicknesses, 5/8-inch and ¾-inch. Architectural applications for fire-rated materials include schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, malls, airport terminals, office buildings, and...

CMU wall system.(concrete masonry unit wall construction system by Polylok Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Rebar-Lok is a concrete masonry unit wall construction system that makes it easy to center rebar while eliminating the need to position a lapping rebar every four feet, or lift heavy concrete blocks over preinstalled rebars. Keith...

Waterproofing membrane.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Waterproofing membrane for exterior and interior applications is a thin, load-bearing membrane that does not require the use of fabric, coves, or corners in the field. Laticrete Hydro Ban forms a flexible, seamless waterproofing...

Seamless floor for hospitals, other high-traffic uses.(Stonhard Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Stonblend GSI-G is a seamless, low-gloss flooring material that blends recycled glass chips into the surface. The manufacturer recommends it for use in healthcare, retail facilities, hotels, public spaces, and other high-traffic...

Primer for concrete surfaces.(Convenience Products Inc. )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Lock-Down is a resin-based, self-cross-linking epoxy bonding primer designed for concrete surfaces. Ultra-fine nanoparticles penetrate deep into concrete, binding chalk and providing a clean substrate for paint or decorative...

Porcelain tile series.(Eliane Ceramic Tiles )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Contemporanea is a large-format technical porcelain tile in three neutral colors-chocolate, grey, and off-white-and two bold colors, Ferrugem (green with orange touches) and Petrol (navy with red touches). The neutral colors come in...

Impact-resistant storefront.
February 1, 2008... Staff Series 526 Thermal Impact Storefront is designed to accommodate 15/16-inch insulating glass unit that incorporates a polyurethane thermal barrier. The system meets large- and small-missile impact standards. EFCO

Humanizing Behavioral Healthcare Design.
February 1, 2008... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor With a growing number of adults in the U.S. being diagnosed with mental disorders, Building Teams are being called upon to design specialized psychiatric facilities where patients can be treated quickly...

Education construction hyper-boom about to end.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist Education construction activity expanded at an 18% annual pace over the last five quarters, but growth is expected to drop to a 5-6% pace through 2009. Reed Construction Data reports that the value...

RSMeans cost comparisons.
February 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist [TABLE OMITTED]

Retail construction slows abruptly.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... By Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist After four years of growth, retail construction spending is stalled, and has been since April. The value of starts peaked during the summer and then weakened more than what's considered seasonally...

One Wall Does It All.(Strategic Assessment, Planning, and Design )
February 1, 2008... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor An innovative design firm creates a dynamic, 100-foot-long wall at NYU-and covers it in felt. At 10,000 sf, the space New York University assigned its newly created Office of Strategic Assessment,...

Life cycle analysis software gets serious attention.
February 1, 2008... By Matthew Phair, Contributing Editor There's no shortage of approaches for a design team to take these days to create structures that are 'green.' Yet clarity has been elusive about just what constitutes green and how to measure the...

New performing arts center completed for Western Michigan University.(Richmond Center for Visual Arts )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Construction was recently completed for the privately funded $13 million Richmond Center for Visual Arts at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. Designed by SmithGroup, the 44,000-sf facility includes specialized spaces for the...

Former hat storage warehouse converted to apartments in St. Louis.(St. Louis-based Paric Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff St. Louis-based Paric Corp. has completed the conversion of the six-story, 97,325-sf Elias Haas Building, originally built for a family-owned hat business, into 96 loft apartments and 4,000 sf of retail in St. Louis. The Locust...

First 'universal' apartment project finished in St. Louis.(Trivers Associates contracts with McCormack Baron )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Trivers Associates of St. Louis worked with local developer McCormack Baron Salazar to design 6 North Apartments, the nation's first large-scale housing development to incorporate universal design principles. All 80 units of the...

Green homeless shelter verified in Virginia.
February 1, 2008... Staff The Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter in Fairfax, Va., was recently recognized as the first homeless shelter in the U.S. to be recognized by the Green Building Initiative's (GBI) Green Globes environmental assessment and rating...

Suffolk University gets a new residence hall in Boston.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Just six months after extensive renovation work began, Suffolk University officials celebrated the opening of its newest residence hall (above) in downtown Boston. The seven-story, 90,000-sf residence hall occupies two buildings that...

Atlanta design center earns LEED Gold.(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design )(Atlanta National Design Center)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff Herman Miller's recently opened Atlanta National Design Center has gained LEED-CI (commercial interiors) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Atlanta showroom and corporate sales office is located in the...

Saint Louis University opens $8 million student rec center.(Simon Recreation Center )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff St. Louis-based firms Lawrence Group and Alberici Constructors have completed a 10,000-sf, $8 million expansion of the Simon Recreation Center at Saint Louis University. The new space features an open floor plan, entry reception...

Illinois synagogue seeks first LEED Platinum for a house of worship.(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design )
February 1, 2008... Jeff Yoders 'And thou shalt not defile the land which ye inhabit.'-Numbers 35:34 Worshippers at the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill., will come a little closer to fulfilling the Biblical mandate when their new...

News Briefs.(New Olympic Stadium)(Abu Dhabi commits $15 billion to clean, alternative energy)(U.S. Green Building Council)
February 1, 2008... Staff * Booming Vegas feels lending thud. The credit crunch that roared through the residential real estate market is starting to bite commercial projects. Ian Bruce Eichner, developer of the Cosmopolitan Resort Casino in the heart of Las...

People+Firms.
February 1, 2008... Staff * Chicago-based building information modeling services firm Satellier has appointed three key executives: Anthony Flynn , former CMO and VP at Bentley Systems, has been named CMO and EVP of sales and marketing; Paul Doherty , AIA,...

Architects buy a mini-mall, open a new studio and flagship retail store.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Jay W. Schneider When Rios Clementi Hale Studios was looking for larger office space, the enterprising architecture firm, which also designs and sells a line of hip housewares called notNeutral, found the perfect space in an old 17,000-sf...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
February 1, 2008... Staff The architect for the $7.5 million, 47,000-sf Gannett Journal & Courier Newspaper Production Facility in Lafayette, Ind. (BD+C July 2007, p. 53), was STOA Architects, Pensacola, Fla.

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2008... Staff AGC response on C&D waste diversion In an interview with Peter Davoren (January '08, p. 84), BD+C asked, 'Why isn't AGC being more aggressive on construction waste diversion from landfill?' AGC is doing a lot on recycling....

Denver Art Museum condo project gets zinc panels to match the appearance of its famous neighbor.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The Museum Residences, located next to the expanded Denver Art Museum, are wrapped in transparent and opaque glass and accented with dramatic diagonal Rheinzink zinc/tile panels. Designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind, New York, and...

Photoluminescent safety signs for blackouts.
February 1, 2008... Staff Inside the United Nations World Headquarters in New York there are underground hallways and corridors that measure 1,500 to 2,000 feet in length. There are 36 exit doors and stairwells that lead out of these underground passageways....

Historic stone blends with contemporary panels.(learning facility)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, situated on 14 park-like, tree-shaded acres, has been a community presence in the Mount Airy neighborhood of northwest Philadelphia since the 1880s. When seminary leaders began to...

Stretch membrane solves acoustic problems.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The NewAcoustic stretch ceiling system is designed for high acoustical absorption for ceiling or wall applications. Created by Newmat, the stretch ceiling system consists of a patented microperforated PVC membrane that can be...

Panel system simplifies retail project.(Wickes Furniture Company Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff The project manager for glazing subcontractor Alliance Glass & Metals of Romeoville, Ill., wanted a panel system that his crew could install with the glazing and curtain wall on a new Wickes Furniture store in Chicago. More than...

More daylight for California school.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Staff When Quattrocchi Kwok Architects of Santa Rosa, Calif., designed the new Heritage High School in Brentwood, they designed many large skylights to bring daylight into the school. General contractor Lathrop Construction of Benicia,...

Eventscape E202 fabric scrim system.
February 1, 2008... Staff Composed of a custom-blended textile, E202 fabric is used by Toronto-based fabric structure fabricator Eventscape Inc. to create a variety of decorative and functional scrim systems for both interior and exterior architectural...

The Games Students Play.(student recreation facility)
February 1, 2008... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor As the college recruiting wars continue to heat up, institutions are looking to outdo the competition with bigger, badder facilities. The latest carrot on the recruiting stick is lavish, state-of-the-art...

8 Rules for Designing Roof Systems.
February 1, 2008... Staff Our trusty building envelope and moisture control experts provide eight must-follow rules for designing effective roof systems. 1. Refer to the NRCA Roofing Manual and FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets. 'A...

'Museums have to do more than house exhibits'.
February 1, 2008... Staff Dennis Barrie, PhD, is director of cultural planning at Westlake Reed Leskosky. Previously, he was director of Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center and president of The Malrite Company, where he completed the International Spy...

Using Wood for Sustainable Design + Construction.
February 1, 2008... By Barbara Horwitz-Bennett and C.C. Sullivan Wood is a historic, classic, and durable building material that has leant longevity, aesthetics, and a natural flair to buildings for thousands of years. And while wood has long been considered...

Wood wall system has no added formaldehyde.(Armstrong World Industries Inc.)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Wall panel system is constructed of an acoustical, mineral-fiber substrate that contains no wood fibers and is topped with a real wood veneer. The result is a lightweight wood wall that has no added formaldehyde in the adhesives and...

Solid surface achieves SCS certification.(Scientific Certification Systems Inc.)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff A selection of 25 colors in the DuPont Corian Terra Collection have been third-party certified by Scientific Certification Systems for having at least 6% preconsumer recycled content (seven colors have 13%). Waste materials, such as...

Fight mold at the joints.(Saint-Gobain Advanced Ceramics Corp.)(FibaTape Mold-X10)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Fiberglass mess tape for paperless drywall applications has an antimicrobial coating to kill mold, fungus, and other microbes that can affect indoor air quality. Suitable for use with all types of mold-resistant and paperless drywall...

Pint-flush urinal.(Sloan Valve Co.)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff For building owners that are not quite ready for water-free urinals, Sloan Valve offers the Sloan 1 pint-flush urinal, which requires just 0.125 gallons of water to flush, offering 80% water savings over traditional urinal systems....

Fast-curing concrete is also green.(Ceratech Inc. )(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff High-performance structural concrete cures to compressive strengths of more than 3,000 psi in less than six hours. Unlike portland cement, RediMax remains in an un-reacted state until water and the RediMax admixture are introduced,...

ICF earns Cradle to Cradlecertification.(insulating concrete forms)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff The complete line of insulating concrete forms from PolySteel has earned Cradle to Cradle Silver certification from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. PolySteel is the first ICF system to earn C2C certification. Green features...

OSB panel is market's only FSC-certified concrete forming panel.(concrete forming panel)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Custom-engineered concrete forming panel is comprised of oriented strand board with an enhanced black medium density overlay that provides a better release and less transfer of wood fibers when compared to traditional plywood forms....

EPS insulation for building foundations.(expanded polystyrene insulation)(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Rigid expanded polystyrene insulation for foundations and other below-grade concrete applications protects buildings from water infiltration and insects and offers energy savings by eliminating air leaks. Manufactured with EPS,...

VOC-free coating offers next-day operation.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Aliphatic polyurea coating for industrial buildings and decorative concrete applications dries in less than one day, reducing down time in labs, warehouses, airplane hangars, and other buildings with exposed concrete floors....

Biodegradable concrete form release agent.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Concrete form release agent is 100% biodegradable, fume-free, and virtually odorless, providing an environmentally friendly option for detaching formwork from concrete structures. Ideal for architectural concrete and general forming...

8 innovations that will rock your next concrete project.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff In the January 2008 issue of BD+C (p. 46), architect, author, and building products expert Blaine Brownell revealed eight technologies that transcend typical concrete construction. Bendable concrete, concrete that displays...

Polished concrete keeps recreational center clean and slip-free.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff The Cardel Recreational Center in Calgary is a large multifunctional family activity center featuring just about every wet and dry sport one could possibly fit under one roof. It is also the city's first LEED Gold-certified building....

KeeGuard® Contractor Portable Safety Railings.
February 2, 2008... Staff OSHA-compliant KeeGuard Contractor safety railing systems provide temporary or permanent fall protection barriers for rooftops, construction, utility worksites, and maintenance areas. Installs without penetrating the roof membrane or...

Kalwall® is Daylighting.
February 2, 2008... Staff Skylights of every imaginable configuration, from massive Clearspans of 150 feet to small Pyramids from the world's leader in translucent daylighting. No other system, technology, or company can deliver the pure Museum-quality...

Green innovations from the Pacific Rim.
February 2, 2008... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor From fully recyclable architectural resin panels to self-cleaning glass, Blaine Brownell has pretty much seen it all when it comes to sustainable building materials. For the past eight years, the architect...

AAMA releases comparative performance analysis procedure for windows and doors.
February 2, 2008... Staff The newly created document from the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, AAMA 2502-07, Comparative Analysis Procedure for Window and Door Products, allows Building Teams to easily compare the performance of different...

AEC professionals sound off on what's hot in green products and programs.
February 2, 2008... Staff In a pair of podcasts, BD+C Managing Editor Dave Barista asked two industry professionals to pick their favorite new products and programs from the recent Greenbuild show in Chicago. HOK's John Cantrell discusses the latest green...

ASHRAE bumps up roof and wall R-value for first time in 19 years.
February 2, 2008... Staff For the first time in nearly two decades, ASHRAE has increased the minimum required prescriptive R-value (resistance to heat flow) in ASHRAE Standard 90.1 to R-20 for above-deck roof insulation, from the current R-15 level-a 33%...

LED-infused metal fabric can turn any building façade into a work of art.(light-emitting diodes )(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Recent advancements in the architectural metal fabric industry have led to a novel solution for dressing up virtually any building façade. The approach marries LED lighting with traditional metal mesh systems, creating a...

A new angle on brick wall construction.
February 2, 2008... Staff Single-wythe masonry unit is now available with angled web surfaces toward the center of the unit, which ensures that crack-induced, wind-driven rain is directed down to flashing and weep hole exits. By improving moisture drainage,...

Maximize daylight without glare.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff An alternative to glass block and other translucent materials, Profilit is composed of self-supporting glass channels and an extruded metal perimeter frame that create exterior or interior walls or partitions that obscure vision but...

Self-cleaning tile also improves air quality.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff HydroTect tile is embedded with photocatalysts to help decompose organic materials such as dirt, soot, grime, and oil, and biological organisms like mold and allergens that collect on building surfaces. The photocatalysts also help...

Floor tiles are cork through and through.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Unlike cork veneer tiles, which are surface-stained, Viale homogeneous cork flooring tiles hold their pattern through the material, which means the tiles can be easily sanded, repaired, and refinished. Available in a variety of...

A cheaper way to install radiant floors.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Radiant flooring system combines a structural subfloor and a radiant panel into one system, reducing the labor involved with installing radiant floors. Warmboard begins with a stiff 1 1/8-inch, 4x8-foot sheet of tongue-and-groove,...

Rubber floors install without adhesive.
February 2, 2008... Staff Johnsonite's Triumph and Inertia multifunctional rubber flooring lines are now available with a hidden tab locking system that eliminates the need for adhesive during installation and allows the flooring to be easily dismantled and...

No harsh chemicals for this resilient flooring.(Brief article)
February 2, 2008... Staff Stratica Eco-Polymeric flooring is a non-PVC, chlorine-free material that requires no harsh chemicals to maintain. Suitable for healthcare and education applications, the flooring is stain-resistant and will not fade with age, heat,...

Modular carpet can earn LEED 'Innovation in Design' credit.
February 2, 2008... Staff The U.S. Green Building Council has begun to award LEED credits in 'Innovation in Design' for the use of products that have net zero greenhouse gas impact. InterfaceFLOR's entire product line earns an extra LEED credit through the...