Building Design & Construction articles from January 2009

Building Design & Construction archives from January 2009

40 Under 40.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor The 40 accomplished individuals profiled on the following pages are some of the brightest stars in the AEC universe. Making them all the more remarkable--they're all under the age of 40. This amazing...

Jonathan C. Kurtz, 31.(Westlake Reed Leskosky)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate, project designer Westlake Reed Leskosky, Cleveland EDUCATION BS, BArch, Kent State University MArch, Harvard University ACCOMPLISHMENTS Championing evolution of century-old firm's design studio...

Ryan Maibach, 34.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP Barton Malow Company, Oak Park, Mich. EDUCATION BSCEM, Purdue University ACCOMPLISHMENTS Youngest VP in firm's history. Leads Specialty Contracting Group at the firm (2007 total billings: $661 million,...

Claire Bonham-Carter, 38.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Director of sustainable development AECOM, Los Angeles EDUCATION MA, Cambridge University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Oversees sustainable design and construction practice at...

Jeff Madden, 35.(Mortenson Construction)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Construction executive Mortenson Construction, Madison, Wis. EDUCATION BS, Arizona State University ACCOMPLISHMENTS Thirteen-year Mortenson career involves projects throughout the U.S. and South America;...

Carlton A. Getz, 31.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate Spectrum Engineers, Salt Lake City EDUCATION BS, Kansas State University MBA, University of Virginia PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, CFA ACCOMPLISHMENTS Electrical engineer for firm's key...

Vincent D'Ambrosio, 34.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP, business development Hill International, Marlton, N.J. EDUCATION BAE, Pennsylvania State University ACCOMPLISHMENTS Leads sales efforts on most sensitive national and international projects at the CM firm...

Sanford E. Garner, 39.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Founding partner, COO A2SO4, Indianapolis EDUCATION BArch, Howard University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB, NOMA ACCOMPLISHMENTS Co-founded firm in March 2001. Grew multidisciplinary design firm...

Brandon D. Tinianov, 39.(Serious Materials)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff CTO Serious Materials, Sunnyvale, Calif. EDUCATION BS ME, Tulane University MS ME, University of Texas PhD, Colorado School of Mines PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS ...

Susannah Kerr Adler, 38.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP, manager, architecture and buildings technical resource center Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York, N.Y. EDUCATION BS, MArch, MIT PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA ACCOMPLISHMENTS Oversees architecture and...

Dan Huntington, 37.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate principal KJWW, Rock Island, Ill. EDUCATION BS, Purdue University MS, University of California, Berkeley PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, SE, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Manages firm's 42-person...

The Honor Roll.(List)
January 1, 2009... Staff Susannah Kerr Adler , S9 VP, manager, architecture and buildings technical resource center Parsons Brinckerhoff New York, N.Y. Stacy J. Bartoletti , S12 President, COODegenkolb Engineers Seattle Jamie Blosser , S12...

Wyatt D. Chapman, 32.(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff President Cass Sowatsky Chapman + Associates, San Diego EDUCATION BSArch, University of Michigan PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS At 28, named principal architect and president....

W. Barry Forbes, 37.(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate VP, project manager TranSystems, Norfolk, Va. EDUCATION BS, MBA, Old Dominion University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Responsible for design, development, and management of...

Nicholas D. Kasik, 39.(Senior project manager at West Coast operations)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Senior project manager P1 Group, Las Vegas EDUCATION BS, University of Nebraska ACCOMPLISHMENTS In 2007, hired to open Las Vegas office and build West Coast operations for $250 million mechanical contracting...

Christopher M. Ladd, 36.(Principal-in-charge of Practice Group)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Principal Cubellis, Boston EDUCATION BArch, Wentworth Institute of Technology PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB ACCOMPLISHMENTS Principal-in-charge of Practice Group; oversees 140-person team,...

Christof Spieler, 33.(professional engineer at architecture firm)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Director of technology and innovation Morris Architects, Houston EDUCATION BS, MS, Rice University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Sole licensed professional engineer at architecture firm...

Stephen W. Fort, 38.(Turner Construction Company, Chicago)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP, general manager Turner Construction Company, Chicago EDUCATION BS CE, Pennsylvania State University ACCOMPLISHMENTS Leads Chicago business unit for the firm (2007 total billings: $9.4 billion, according to...

Abhay Wadhwa, 38.(Abhay Wadhwa Associates )(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Principal, founder Abhay Wadhwa Associates (AWA), New York, N.Y. EDUCATION BArch, Sir JJ College of Architecture, Mumbai, India MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Founded AWA Lighting...

Jamie Blosser, 39.(architects)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate Atkin Olshin Schade Architects, Santa Fe, N.M. EDUCATION BASc, MArch, University of Pennsylvania PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA ACCOMPLISHMENTS Director of 10-person Santa Fe office. Oversees...

Stacy J. Bartoletti, 39.(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff President, COO Degenkolb Engineers, Seattle EDUCATION BS CE, Purdue University MS CE, University of Texas PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE ACCOMPLISHMENTS President and COO of engineering firm (2007...

John Kovacs, 37.(Tishman Construction Corporation)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff SVP, national director of technical services Tishman Construction Corporation, New York, N.Y. EDUCATION BS, Northwestern University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Named national...

Greg Hosch, 37.(architect, Harris Companies)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff CEO Harris Companies, St. Paul, Minn. EDUCATION BS, Iowa State University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS At 34, named president; at 36, promoted to CEO of 60-year-old mechanical...

Corey Wieseman, 39.(architect, DLR Group)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Principal, national corporate design practice leader DLR Group, Chicago EDUCATION BS, University of Nebraska PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Director of firm's 30-person Chicago...

Kimberly E.H. Roy, 31.(architect, HITT Contracting)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Senior project manager HITT Contracting, Fairfax, Va. EDUCATION BS, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ACCOMPLISHMENTS Enjoyed one of firm's fastest career progressions: joined HITT in 1999,...

Shannon B. Kraus, 36.(architect, HKS)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP HKS, Dallas EDUCATION BS, Southern Illinois University MBA, MArch, University of Illinois PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB, ACHA, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Senior healthcare designer and...

Nellie Reid, 32.(architect, Gensler)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Senior associate Gensler, Los Angeles EDUCATION BA, BArch, Rice University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Director of sustainable design at largest design firm in the U.S (2007 total...

Jon A. Schmidt, 38.(architect, Burns & McDonnell)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate structural engineer, director of antiterrorism services Burns & McDonnell, Kansas City, Mo. EDUCATION BS, MS, The George Washington University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, SECB, BSCP ...

Stephanie Kingsnorth, 35.(Pfeiffer Partners Architects)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Principal Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Los Angeles EDUCATION BArch, University of California, Berkeley MArch, University of Washington PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS ...

Gregory Chang, 39.(National director of healthcare, Ellerbe Becket)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff National director of healthcare Ellerbe Becket, Washington, D.C. EDUCATION BSArch, BArch, The Catholic University of America PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS At age 35, named...

Gina M. Vitiello, 38.(architect, Chamberlain Hrdlicka)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Shareholder, construction sector Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Atlanta EDUCATION BA, St. Lawrence University J.D., State University of New York at Buffalo ACCOMPLISHMENTS Firm's first female shareholder. ...

John D. Seely, 37.(RTKL, architect)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP RTKL, Dallas EDUCATION BS, MArch, University of Texas at Arlington PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB ACCOMPLISHMENTS Youngest-ever VP in health sector at the 1,200-person firm (2007 total firm...

Paul Edward Kouri, 34.(PSA-Dewberry)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Project architect PSA-Dewberry, Peoria, Ill. EDUCATION BEnvD, University of Colorado MArch, University of Michigan PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA ACCOMPLISHMENTS Project manager, four K-12 projects...

Richard E. Stump, 37.(Stanley Consultants)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP, project principal Stanley Consultants, Muscatine, Iowa EDUCATION BSArch, University of Illinois MArch, MIT PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Leader in firm's International...

Mark Konchar, 38.(architect, Balfour Beatty)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP, business acquisition Balfour Beatty, Fairfax, Va. EDUCATION BAE, PhD, architectural engineering, Pennsylvania State University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS Leads 35-person...

Dennis M. Wittry, 38.(Walter P Moore)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Principal, regional director forcentral Texas Walter P Moore, Houston EDUCATION BS, Texas A&M University MS, University of Texas PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, SE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Principal and...

Zheng (Jane) Chen, 39.(architect, AECOM Design)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate principal AECOM Design, Shanghai, China EDUCATION BLArch, Tongji University MArch, University of Arizona PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA ACCOMPLISHMENTS Honed skills at DMJM's Phoenix...

Ronald Jezerinac, 38.(architect, Bliss and Nyitray)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff President, partner Bliss & Nyitray, West Palm Beach, Fla. EDUCATION BSCE, Case Western Reserve University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS PE, SE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Named partner at 32, president at 36. ...

Holly Williams Leppo, 34.(architect, SMB&R)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff VP, architect, and interior designer SMB&R, Camp Hill, Pa. EDUCATION BA, Pennsylvania State University MArch, Washington University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, RA, CID ACCOMPLISHMENTS...

Kevin Sullivan, 39.(architect, Shawmut Design and Construction)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Managing director, Academic Group Shawmut Design and Construction, Boston EDUCATION BS, Wentworth Institute ofTechnology ACCOMPLISHMENTS Heads academic group at the firm (2007 total billings: $850 million,...

Sean M. Stadler, 38.(architect, WDG Architecture)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate principal WDG Architecture, Washington, D.C. EDUCATION BArch, BS, Kent State University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS AIA, NCARB ACCOMPLISHMENTS Named principal in 2006, youngest in firm's...

Nish Kothari, 34.(architect, SmithGroup)(Occupation overview)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Associate, lead designer SmithGroup, San Francisco EDUCATION BArch, University of Mumbai, India MArch, Washington University PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS LEED AP ACCOMPLISHMENTS BIM guru. Developed...

Pittsburgh to get two hotels in one.(Hampton Inn and Suites and a Homewood Suites)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Vista Host, a Houston-based hotel management and development firm, is heading a joint hotel development project that will co-locate a Hampton Inn and Suites and a Homewood Suites (both Hilton brands) on the same property in downtown...

Retail sector holding strong in Palm Springs.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Santa Barbara, Calif.-based retail developer Investec Real Estate Cos. is erecting Gene Autry Plaza, a $17.5 million, 60,000-sf shopping center that's part of a retail center development planned for Palm Springs, Calif. The 60-acre...

High-tech incubator breaks ground at Kettering University.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Hoping to attract science and technology start-ups to its Flint, Mich., campus, Kettering University has broken ground on a 9,000-sf incubator building in the school's new technology park. The LEED-registered facility is expected to...

Seaside town to get replacement senior center.(Oasis Senior Center)(Robert R. Coffee Architects)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Construction is expected to commence in March on Newport Beach, Calif.'s Oasis Senior Center, a $21 million, 35,000-sf replacement facility that will house educational classrooms, art and crafts programs, health and fitness...

USPS goes LEED with processing and distribution centers.(United States. Postal Service)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff St. Louis-based Clayco Inc. has been named design-builder for the U.S. Postal Service's first two LEED-registered buildings. Plans entail the renovation and expansion of mail processing and distribution centers in Troy, Mich., and...

'Green' living coming to the Dominican Republic.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Rooftop solar panels, gray water recycling, lush natural gardens, and abundant daylighting are among the key green features of the Dominican Republic's latest condo development. The 25-story residential tower, dubbed Las Arenas, will...

An Armed Forces Reserve Center grows in Brooklyn.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff The Pike Company, Rochester, N.Y., and Dewberry, Fairfax, Va., have been named design-builder for the $56 million Fort Hamilton Armed Forces Reserve Center in Brooklyn. The project includes the 123,000-sf center, a 3,500-sf...

It's show time at American River College.(renovating Fine Arts Building )(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff The second phase expansion of the Fine Arts Building at American River College in Sacramento, Calif., is under way. Designed by the local office of HGA Architects and Engineers, the 26,000-sf project will double the size of the...

Construction begins on ambulatory center in New Hampshire.(Elliot Health System)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff A joint venture of Suffolk Construction, Boston, and Eckman Construction, Bedford, N.H., broke ground on an $87 million, 236,000-sf ambulatory care center in Manchester, N.H. Located on Elliot Health System's Elliot at River campus,...

Dear PEOTUS: Please open this memo Jan. 21.(Editorial)
January 1, 2009... Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief Dear Mr. President-elect of the United States: Sir, you've picked a solid energy, environment, and climate team. On behalf of America's "Building Teams," we respectfully ask you to pass on the following...

13 Tips On Working with ICFs.(Insulating Concrete Form Association)
January 1, 2009... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor Top experts provide helpful guidance on designing and building commercial structures with insulating concrete form technology. On the lookout for ever more energy-efficient building envelope solutions,...

Office market looks weak through 2010.
January 1, 2009... By Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist The outlook for office development, which quickly deteriorated in late 2008, will continue to worsen through early 2010. Improvements, however, are expected later in 2010, although the sector will still...

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

Autodesk University: More software bundles, IPD.
January 1, 2009... By Jeff Yoders, Senior Associate Editor More than 9,000 software users attended Autodesk University 2008 at the Venetian Hotel and Casino last month in Las Vegas, where more than 600 tutorial classes were offered. Autodesk CEO Carl...

Town hall offers activity rooms, classrooms.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Portola Valley, a town of 4,500 in San Mateo County, Calif., has a new town center. Siegel & Strain Architects, with Goring & Straja Architects, both of Emeryville, designed a multipurpose center on the 11-acre site: a town hall, a...

Canada high-tech training facility gets LEED Gold endorsement.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Designed by Bunting Coady Architects, Vancouver, B.C., the 185,000-sf Kwantlen Polytechnic University Cloverdale Campus provides 21 shops and 27 classrooms for up to 900 full-time students in trades, technology, and applied training...

Courtyard gets domed at Washington University.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff What was once an outdoor courtyard at Washington University School of Law's Anheuser-Busch Hall in St. Louis has been transformed into an indoor, climate-controlled gathering and meeting space topped with a transparent glass canopy....

New Mexico casino gets a soaring atrium as part of expansion.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff A soaring seven-story, glass-and-steel, open-air atrium greets guests as they enter the expansion of Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, N.M. The dramatic design by Cuningham Group Architecture, Minneapolis, draws inspiration from...

Learning opportunities abound at Springfield Literacy Center.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff The 50,000-sf Springfield (Pa.) Literacy Center was designed with several goals in mind: to immerse students in reading, instruction, and the act of learning, and to evoke a connection to nature as a way to inform, encourage, and...

ABI drops to an all-timelowfor second straight month.(Architecture Billings Index)(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Business conditions at architecture firms continue to deteriorate, with the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) posting its lowest level since the survey began in 1995 for the second month in a row. As a leading economic indicator...

Report evaluates top green technologies from Europe.
January 1, 2009... Staff Radiant heating and cooling systems and so-called "active façades" are among the green building technologies widely used in Europe that have the most promise for the U.S. buildings market, according to a recent report from the...

News Briefs.(Portland's green building policy)(Environmental Protection Agency's rule to control soil erosion)(economic impact of commercial real estate)
January 1, 2009... Staff - Portland commissioners pull back on city's green plan. At the Greenbuild conference in 2007, Portland, Ore., City Commissioner Dan Saltzman unveiled the nation's most ambitious green building policy. But since then a 34-member task...

Construction materials prices drop 3.2% in November.
January 1, 2009... Jim Haughey, PhD, BD+C Economist The construction materials price index fell 3.2% in November. This was a larger decline than the 2.2% reported for the whole economy. November prices were still 5.0% above a year earlier but...

Clarification.(Correction notice)
January 1, 2009... Staff December 2008's "Thought Leader" column, "Neuroscience can inform healthcare design" (p. 52), should have stated that Dr. Eve Edelstein's work for the Salk Institute of Biological Science involved architectural design development,...

Moisture control tips for specialty buildings.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff In an exclusive six-part editorial series from Building Design+Construction , Sean O'Brien, PE, LEED AP, senior project manager with Boston-based engineer Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, provides advice on diagnosing and solving moisture...

BD+C's Robert Cassidy talks climate change with CSI, U.S. DOE.
January 1, 2009... Staff Building Design+Construction 's chief editor, Robert Cassidy, warned members of the Washington Metro chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute about the looming dangers of climate change and the impact it will have on AEC...

Efficient aluminum windows released.
January 1, 2009... Staff Traco has added a casement window solution to its NX line of architectural windows (below). The NX-3000 line yields energy efficiency values not previously available in architectural aluminum. Traco's Nexgen thermal technology...

Polyiso helps insulate coastal biology laboratory.
January 1, 2009... Staff The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory (MDIBL) in Bar Harbor, Maine, is perched high atop the steep granite cliffs of Acadia National Park. MDIBL has 10 separate laboratory buildings with a total of 32 research units, and does...

Artificial grass can absorb water, weather.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff SplashGrass is a new artificial turf designed specifically for use in water play areas and landscaping. An attractive alternative to traditional waterpark surfacing materials such as concrete, SplashGrass provides a safe, softer,...

LED lights used for medical environment.
January 1, 2009... Staff LED luminaires address the energy challenges healthcare facilities face and also focus on the need for patient comfort through lighting and graphic panels. The University of California San Diego Medical Center, Hillcrest, has opened...

Lightweight concrete barriers move anywhere.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff The Idaho National Guard recently acquired 3,000 linear feet of movable concrete barrier panels for its training facility near Boise, Idaho. The panel system can be configured to create several different training scenarios for Guard...

HVAC system helps earn LEED points.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff The owners of the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa in American Canyon, Calif., wanted to achieve LEED Gold certification for their new hotel. To get the necessary mechanical credits, local architect Todd Jersey specified a Mitsubishi...

Fire alarm specified for reopened historic hotel.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Built in 1845 in Weston, Mo., the Saint George Hotel (below) has been remodeled and reopened after sitting idle for almost 15 years. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this grand hotel features 26 guest rooms. When...

Panels help make children's center sustainable.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff The University of Calgary's Child Development Centre is the largest project in Canada to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The 125,000-sf facility focuses on supporting organizations working together for the benefit of children....

Glass solar panels create museum's energy.(Brief article)
January 1, 2009... Staff Starphire ultra-clear glass is helping to produce solar power for the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the largest "green" museum in the world. The building, designed by architect Renzo Piano, recently opened and...

New Roofing Concepts and Techniques.
January 1, 2009... By C.C. Sullivan and Barbara Horwitz-Bennett Whether it's planting a green roof, installing building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems, or applying coatings or materials to reduce material heat emittance and surface temperature,...

Senior Living 10 Top Design Trends.
January 1, 2009... By Bradford Perkins, FAIA, MRAIC, AICP The surge of silent generation retirees and the impending burst of baby boomers marching toward retirement age are creating a burgeoning market for senior living. What is less widely appreciated is how...

'AEC firms need to understand the school business'.(Council of Educational Facility Planners International)(Interview)
January 1, 2009... Staff Roy J. Sprague, AIA, CSI, REFP, is the Assistant Superintendent of Facilities & Construction for the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District in Houston, the nation's 31st- largest school district and the third-largest in Texas,...