Building Design & Construction articles from February 2009

Building Design & Construction archives from February 2009

Family-friendly Children's Hospitals.
February 1, 2009... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor 9 Fresh Ideas for Addressing the Needs of Patients and Parents Think children's hospital design, and what images spring to mind? Way too many bright, bold colors? An explosion of cartoon...

Elementary school facade will tell Connecticut town's history.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff The facade of Waterbury, Conn.'s planned $24.5 million North Main Elementary School, with its small sculptures and colored-brick patterns that weave in and out of windows, will serve as a graphic timeline of the "people, objects,...

Luxury senior living planned along Pompano Beach.(WDG Architecture P.L.L.C.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Washington, D.C.-based WDG Architecture has been commissioned to design a new 415-unit independent/assisted-living residential development for seniors in Pompano Beach, Fla. The 710,000-sf resort community will accommodate residents...

Auburn basketball arena will put fans close to the action.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Spectators at Auburn University's planned $92 million basketball arena will never be more than 40 feet from or 27 feet higher than the court, making an intimate environment for fans and players alike. Designed by 360 Architecture,...

NCAA College World Series to get a new home.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff The design team of HDR Architecture, HOK Sport, and DLR Group has unveiled the final design for the Omaha Baseball Stadium--home to the NCAA College World Series for the next 25 years. The team worked closely with the City of Omaha,...

Patient-centered replacement hospital breaks ground in Joliet.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for the 560,000-sf, six-story replacement hospital for Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet, Ill. Designed and master planned by RTKL, Baltimore, the $400 million facility will feature 289...

Miami to get mixed-use hotel.(Florida East Coast Realty)(Sonesta International Hotels Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Florida East Coast Realty and Sonesta International Hotels Corp. are partnering to develop a 40-story mixed-use hotel tower in Miami. Located in the Arts and Entertainment District, the Sonesta Mikado will include 252 luxury hotel...

UC Irvine tops out Humanities Gateway.(University of California)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff The University of California, Irvine, last month topped out its Humanities Gateway project, an office building and auditorium for the school's growing School of Humanities. Designed by Fentress Architects, Denver, with Hensel Phelps...

Dallas suburb breaks ground on long-awaited recreation center.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff After more than a decade of planning, Burleson, Texas, has broken ground on a two-story, 65,000-sf recreation center to serve its growing community. The $17.4 million facility will feature two 1,400-sf meeting rooms equipped with...

Health sciences building under way at Santa Fe Community College.
February 1, 2009... Staff Santa Fe (N.M.) Community College has broken ground on a 48,000-sf Health and Sciences Building that will replace several temporary portable buildings on the north side of the campus. Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects,...

Dear POTUS: Here's that climate change strategy.
February 1, 2009... Staff Mr. President, last month we promised to send you a clearly defined strategy to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. At that time, Sir, we recommended that your energy/environment team: 1) focus on conserving...

New Flooring Products.(briefs)
February 1, 2009... Staff Rapidly renewable biobased tile Migrations biobased tile is made possible by Armstrong's Biostride polymer. Identical gauge allows easy use of Migrations in spaces where composition tile is used and no new maintenance training,...

Spectrally Selective Glazing More Daylight, Less Heat Gain.
February 1, 2009... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor New developments in spectrally selective low-e glazing offer unprecedented levels of daylight with minimal solar heat gain. The nanomaterials revolution has brought many innovations to the building...

Federal construction funds delayed until late '09.
February 1, 2009... By Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist President Obama's $825 billion economic stimulus plan includes $51 billion for nonresidential buildings and multifamily housing construction in 2009-10, according to preliminary details announced by the...

RSMeans cost comparisons.
February 1, 2009... By Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist [TABLE OMITTED]

Hop in, as we road test HP's 3D desktop solutions.
February 1, 2009... By Jeff Yoders, Senior Associate Editor Challenging economic conditions don't necessarily mean curtailed IT spending and less investment in software and hardware for mid-to-large-sized AEC firms. Total IT spending per employee among...

ASU's 'chicken coop' transformed into bright, open sustainability school.
February 1, 2009... Staff A once dreary, vintage '60s-era building on the Arizona State University campus has undergone a renovation that has turned it into bright, open, eco-friendly facility targeting LEED Silver from the U.S. Green Building Council....

Dell Children's first hospital to achieve LEED Platinum.(Medical Center of Central Texas)(Green Building Council)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas has been awarded LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first hospital in the world to achieve such status. The $200 million, 470,000-sf facility sits on...

From hardware store to architecture school: Woodbury University's design campus open for business in San Diego.(Johnson and Jennings General Contracting)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff San Diego-based Johnson & Jennings General Contracting has completed the build-out of Woodbury University's School of Architecture building. The distinctive campus was born out of the former Gould Hardware building in Barrio Logan,...

Construction completed on St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center.
February 1, 2009... Staff Twenty years in the making, St. Louis recently opened its $27 million Gateway Transportation Center, a 37,000-sf multi-modal building that provides facilities for Amtrak passenger train and Greyhound bus service in a single...

Chicago Marriott gets a makeover.(Chicago Marriott Downtown)(Bulley and Andrews)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Chicago-based general contractor Bulley & Andrews recently completed a multi-phased renovation of the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile that included a makeover of the hotel's lounge bar area and an updated lobby with self...

2008 record year for skyscraper construction.
February 1, 2009... Staff The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reported that, despite a worldwide economic downturn, 2008 was the most successful year for tall building construction in history, both in terms of skyscrapers built and average...

News Briefs.
February 1, 2009... Staff Daily news@www.BDCnetwork.com Architecture firm uses Craigslist to find owner for skyway. Minneapolis architecture firm CityDeskStudio turned to Craigslist to find a potential owner for a 1,380-sf downtown skyway. The firm is...

Healthcare and transportation among 2009's 'hot' building sector markets.
February 1, 2009... Staff The top five markets to watch in 2009 are healthcare, municipal government, transportation, energy/power, and green building, according to ZweigWhite's newly released 2009 AEC Industry Outlook: Strategy and Insight for Design &...

LEED projects doubled in 2008.(leadership in energy and environmental design)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff The number of LEED-certified projects doubled in 2008, and that growth is expected to intensify this year as the U.S. Green Building Council begins outsourcing the certification process to carve down its backlog of LEED-registered...

People+Firms.(briefs)(Miyamoto International)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Anshen+Allen Architects has named two new principals in its San Francisco office: Craig McInroy , AIA, and Benjamin Larance , AIA. The Albert Kahn Family of Companies , Detroit, has elected Michael Durand , PE, LEED AP, to serve...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2009... Staff Economics skews benefits of energy-saving technologies I read the January 2009 Editorial with interest, since energy projects have been a focus of my work for many years. I believe many of your suggestions are clearly correct,...

Hamilton College addition gets green ceiling.(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Hamilton College, a small liberal arts school in Clinton, N.Y., is big on sustainability. As part of its commitment to environmental stewardship, the college installed rapidly renewable acoustical ceiling tiles in one of the...

Translucent panels key to historic facelift.(American Architectural Window and Door)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff American Architectural Window & Door (AAWD), a Sparta, N.J.-based fenestration installation specialist, recently completed a renovation project that transformed a 1913, 10-story storage building in Manhattan into a hip multifamily...

Lock allows users to re-key fast.(Kwikset Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Lock system allows users to re-key locks quickly and easily without removal from the door, for improved access control and security. The Kwikset SmartKey system features side-locking bar technology that permits property owners to...

Composite floor system for elevated floor construction.(Ecospan)(Vulcraft )(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Made with 99% recycled steel in the joists and 70% recycled steel in the decking, the Ecospan composite floor system provides all the necessary open-web structural steel components for elevated floor construction. Ecospan can be used...

School gets lifetime warranty on door hardware.(Churchill Center and School)(Hager Companies)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff The design team for the new 46,000-sf Churchill Center & School for Learning Disabilities in St. Louis specified a range of door hardware products from Hager Companies, many of which offer a lifetime warranty. Hager worked with...

Hospital enhances patient experience with LEDs.(Franklin Hospital)(Everbrite Lighting)(light emitting diode)(Brief article)
February 1, 2009... Staff Properly illuminating MRI and CT suites while still encompassing a sustainable, holistic design is a challenge for healthcare providers. MRI patients are often claustrophobic, stressed, or scared--or all three. To help improve the...

'University campus design starts at the back door'.(dialogue with Arthur A. Spruch)(Interview)
February 1, 2009... Staff Arthur A. Spruch, PE, is SVP and director of higher education services at S E A Consultants Inc., Cambridge, Mass., with 35 years' experience in the planning, design, and construction of large urban infrastructure projects. He has...

6 Great Tips for Specifying and Installing Windows and Doors.
February 1, 2009... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor New standard practices from the American Architectural Manufacturers Association provide design, installation, and specification advice on the installation of windows and exterior glass doors for commercial...

Selecting, Specifying and Building with Wood Products.
February 1, 2009... By C.C. Sullivan and Barbara Horwitz-Bennett Do cell phones make people want oak parquet floors? In 1982, John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene predicted, in their best-selling Megatrends: Ten New Directions Transforming Our Lives , that...