Building Design & Construction articles from June 2007

Building Design & Construction archives from June 2007

8 Tips for Converting Remnant Buildings Into Schools.
June 1, 2007... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor Leading experts in K-12 design and construction provide valuable advice on transforming vacant or underused structures into high-performance learning environments. Faced with overcrowded schools and...

Another W Hotel coming to Atlanta.
June 1, 2007... Staff Atlanta's Ai Group is the architect for the W Buckhead-Atlanta, a $100 million conversion due in June 2008. It'll be the fourth W in metropolitan Atlanta. The renovation will completely overhaul a Crowne Plaza hotel, located in the...

Houston, we have a downtown mixed-use development.
June 1, 2007... Staff GID Urban Development Group, Boston, has announced plans to develop a pedestrian-focused mixed-use neighborhood in downtown Houston. Regent Square will encompass 24 acres of inner-loop property and include buildings designed by...

A Starck addition coming to the Panama skyline.
June 1, 2007... Staff Construction recently began on a new 56-story upscale residential tower in Panama City, Panama, designed by architect Philippe Starck. The condominium development will be a joint venture between developer/designer YOO of New York and...

Light-filled building will greet newly naturalized citizens.
June 1, 2007... Staff A new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Building for the Department of Homeland Security is being built in Irving, Texas. The facility, designed by 4240 Architecture of Chicago, will house the USCIS's Dallas office...

New performing arts center at Texas school.
June 1, 2007... Staff The John Cooper School in Woodlands, Texas, is getting a new performing arts center designed by Houston firm Morris Architects on its 43-acre campus. The 38,000-sf Performing Arts Center, estimated at $12-14 million, will feature a...

New York developer/architect team wins green housing competition.
June 1, 2007... Staff Phipps-Rose-Dattner-Grimshaw (PRDG), a joint venture of developers the Phipps Houses and Jonathan Rose Companies, and architects Dattner Architects and Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners, all based in New York, are the winning...

Hybrid school planned in California.
June 1, 2007... Staff Slated to be completed by this September, The Learning Center will be a 120,000-sf, $35 million facility that will combine a preschool and K-6 elementary school with a comprehensive program for on-site teacher training. It's being...

Science Center will memorialize Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy.
June 1, 2007... Staff Marking the fourth anniversary of the Columbia Space Shuttle tragedy, Congress has approved plans for the Columbia Memorial Space Science & Learning Center in Downey, Calif. The $6 million center will honor the seven crew members who...

New African-American cultural center coming to Charlotte.
June 1, 2007... Staff The Afro-American Cultural Center will soon get a new home in Charlotte, N.C. The new cultural center is a key component of Charlotte's cultural and arts district, a $1 billion, 1.5 million-sf mixed-use development anchored by the...

Water wars, slums coming soon to a planet near you.
June 1, 2007... Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief There are several disturbing trends on the horizon that AEC professionals of good conscience should be losing sleep over: resource allocation, spiraling global urbanization, and shortages of drinking water....

A high-rise condo tower opens on the Jacksonville riverfront.
June 1, 2007... Staff In a redevelopment milestone for Jacksonville, Fla., Miami-based developer American Land Ventures has completed The Strand, the city's first riverfront high-rise condominium tower in the evolving Southbank area. The 28-story,...

Nothing gets in the way of natural light.
June 1, 2007... Staff Now you can install skylights anywhere without compromising lighting efficiency or performance. Extension tube made of Spectralight Infinity material can go from zero to 90 degrees for fully flexible tubular skylights. Comprised of...

Vinyl with virtue.
June 1, 2007... Staff GreenVinyl Program products are sustainable, high-performance, and resilient. Twenty-nine styles of sheet vinyl in the Loneco line are LEED-compliant, and five styles are Greenguard Indoor Air Quality certified. Loneco products...

Sticking to green values.
June 1, 2007... Staff Bio-based urethane foam adhesive replaces and outperforms traditional polyurethane adhesives in bonding roof insulations and substrates, base sheets, and other insulation boards. Eliminates the need for mechanical fasteners. Adhesive...

Take control of your lighting.
June 1, 2007... Staff Single-zone lighting control switches on to lighting levels specified by the facility manager. LS-101 features a digital display that makes adjustment fast and simple. The unit displays current light levels to help users set...

Dejà vu for your carpet.
June 1, 2007... Staff Commercial-grade broadloom carpeting features an innovative backing system that is moisture resistant, flexible, lightweight, and PVC-free. The Cradle to Cradle-certified product is manufactured using a five-part process that allows...

ICFs get wider.
June 1, 2007... Staff Insulated concrete form is now available in a 12-inch width for thick-wall applications. Amvic ICFs are manufactured using 2½ inches of 1½-lb/cf expanded polystyrene foam on each side of the form, providing a rigid...

Protect your investment, and the Earth.
June 1, 2007... Staff Topshield water-based finish keeps linoleum floors looking like new, even without regular maintenance. Two-layered system ensures floor colors stay bright and saves money on maintenance, repair, and cleaning. The finish works with...

Windows on a brighter future.
June 1, 2007... Staff Mecho/5 is the first complete solar shade system to receive Cradle to Cradle Silver certification. The system's shadecloth is made with thermoplastic olefin yarn, which is fully reclaimable and recyclable. Drive brackets require no...

Insulation made easy.
June 1, 2007... Staff Insulated edge form system bridges the gap between standard insulation systems in the building foundation and walls. Insulation is made from recycled materials, is insect resistant, and contains no CFSs, HCFCs, HFCs, or formaldehyde....

Rubber stair tread/riser.
June 1, 2007... Staff One-piece tread and riser combination is made of solid rubber, creating a clean appearance. Uno-Tred is available in 25 colors and with a circular raised-disc pattern for traction. Musson

Construction jobs decrease, wage gains increase.
June 1, 2007... By Jim Haughey, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data Construction employment in the U.S. market has been declining for six months and will continue to decline for another six months. However, job losses are not yet...

RSMeans costs comparisons.
June 1, 2007... Staff [TABLE OMITTED]

Office vacancies edge lower, starts surge.
June 1, 2007... Staff Offices became the most attractive market to commercial real estate investors late in 2006 and will hold that position for at least another year. The demand for office space is expanding faster than supply in most major markets. The...

Building websites that win clients and recruit staff.
June 1, 2007... By Matthew Phair, Contributing Editor While techies may disagree on whether the building industry is on Web 2.0 or beyond, one thing is for certain: The traditional park-your-company-on-a-homepage website is no longer sufficient to support...

Tech briefs.
June 1, 2007... Staff * Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, Calif., has launched a Photoshop CS3 Extended plug-in for the Google 3D Warehouse. The free plug-in enables users to query and download free 3D content from the Google 3D Warehouse, Google's online...

Dream Fields, Lone Star Style.
June 1, 2007... By Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor In Texas, student athletic facilities are becoming more and more sophisticated, in response to demographic shifts, safety concerns, and the lure of playoff revenue. How important are athletic programs...

New Flooring and Office Products NeoCon 2007.
June 1, 2007... Staff The world's largest interior design and facilities management conference takes place June 11-13 at Chicago's Merchandise Mart, with more than 1,200 exhibiting companies and 1.2 million sf of exhibit space. The 39th annual NeoCon...

Managing the K-12 Portfolio.
June 1, 2007... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor New Haven, Conn., is spending $1.5 billion on a 17-year program to overhaul its entire stock of schools, a massive undertaking for program manager Gilbane Building Companies. In 1995, the city of New...

Carmax's home office near Richmond gets LEED Silver.
June 1, 2007... Staff Located on 130 acres of land in Goochland County, just outside of Richmond, Va., the new 250,000-sf headquarters for car-reseller Carmax has earned LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Design by ADD Inc.,...

New life for the last original building in St. Louis's Gaslight Square.
June 1, 2007... Staff The Ben J. Selkirk & Sons Building, the last original structure still standing in the once-thriving Gaslight Square area in St. Louis, has been restored and converted into loft apartments and commercial space as part of the ongoing...

Student center opens on the campus of Wilkes University.
June 1, 2007... Staff Sordoni Construction Services, Forty Fort, Pa., has completed construction on the 84,000-sf University Center on Main, a student services and athletic/recreational facility that features a 29-foot rock climbing wall, three tennis...

San Diego State University opens student health services facility.
June 1, 2007... Staff A four-story exterior courtyard walkway is the primary design element for the $20.4 million, 101,000-sf Calpulli Center student health service facility on the main campus of San Diego State University. The courtyard provides access...

Building owner gets 5% discount on insurance premium for going green.
June 1, 2007... Staff Last October, Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. made waves in the green building market when it announced that it would begin to offer discounted property insurance rates for commercial buildings that are certified through the U.S. Green...

News Briefs.
June 1, 2007... Staff * New green building standard nears completion. A proposed new standard that will provide minimum guidelines for green building practices has been released for public review and comment through July 9 at www.ashrae.org/publicreviews....

People+Firms.
June 1, 2007... Staff * Hill Glazier Architects , a 40-person hospitality design firm based in Palo Alto, Calif., has merged with Dallas-based HKS Architects , a top-five national architecture/engineering firm. HKS and Hill Glazier have worked together...

BD+C Award Winners.
June 1, 2007... Staff BD+C 's editorial staff picked up a few honors when the Construction Writers Association announced the winners of its 37th annual journalism and photography awards. Associate Editor Jeff Yoders won the Godfrey Body of Work Award...

Letters.
June 1, 2007... Staff In the dark about south central Alaska I read your article on the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center (BD+C April 2007, p.36) and had to comment on some of the hyperbole you used. When I read your lead-in that described 'days...

Lighting control helps Las Vegas area school cut energy costs.
June 1, 2007... Staff As part of a major energy retrofit project that also includes HVAC replacements and installation of new insulated walls, the Clark County School District in North Las Vegas is incorporating Square D Clipsal lighting control products...

Custom curtain wall wraps Syracuse University students in the First Amendment.
June 1, 2007... Staff If students enrolled in Syracuse University's School of Public Communications don't already know the First Amendment word for word, university officials certainly won't let them forget about it. As part of a $30 million expansion to...

Mega-door allows MIT aeronautical students to dream up projects of virtually any size.
June 1, 2007... Staff The buildings at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are known not just for containing high-IQ students and faculty, but also for their role in supporting innovation, experimentation, and rigorous thought. An example is...

Aluminum panels transform Lear Jet's main office.
June 1, 2007... Staff Approximately 6,000 sf of Citadel Envelope 2000 aluminum composite material panels were used to transform Lear Jet's dilapidated main office building in Wichita, Kan., into a sparkling customer service center. 'The appearance of...

Reclaimed wood flooring spruces up Coca-Cola cafe.
June 1, 2007... Staff To create a durable, rich, and eco-friendly environment for Coca-Cola Company's chic Far Coast Cafe in Toronto, architects from Otto Design Group, Philadelphia, specified flooring made from Asian rosewood reclaimed from vintage...

Betting on a winner.
June 1, 2007... Staff Vancouver's 70,000-sf Edgewater Casino isn't your average gambling emporium. Built in the shell of a building that was originally constructed for the 1986 World's Fair, the casino's envelope is made up of 90% glass and features...

High school gets topped off with a 'cool' roof.
June 1, 2007... Staff After years of exposure to Southern California's scorching sun, the 76,000-sf modified bitumen roof atop the Southwestern High School in El Centro, Calif., was finally starting to fail. Rather than tear off and replace the existing...

SmartBeam cellular beams.
June 1, 2007... Staff Manufactured by CMC Steel Products of Rockwall, Texas, SmartBeam castellated beams are an alternative to traditional steel I-beams for roof and floor structures. The beams are manufactured using a standard wide-flange steel beam that...

'Clients look to us to lead them'.
June 1, 2007... Staff Ann Banning-Wright, LEED AP, serves as a senior vice president, member of the board, and chief strategy officer of Syska Hennessy Group, as well as managing director of the 160-plus-person office in Los Angeles. A member of the...

10 Rules for Designing Vapor Barriers.
June 1, 2007... Richard Keleher and Judd Peterson Building envelope and moisture control specialists Richard Keleher and Judd Peterson provide 10 important rules for designing effective vapor barrier systems. Improper use of vapor barriers is one of...

ICC asks Congress to help jurisdictions better enforce building codes.
June 2, 2007... Anne Hartman, Editorial Intern The International Code Council has proposed a grant program to Congress that would provide funding to improve community code enforcement capabilities. The Community Building Code Administration Grant Program...

Energy-friendly sliding window.
June 2, 2007... Staff New C-rated aluminum slider window series offers an energy-efficient design for low- and mid-rise hotel/motels, condominiums, and apartment buildings. The NX-640 series provides a U-value of 0.36, meeting the demand for energy...

Earth-friendly floors.
June 2, 2007... Staff Formaldehyde-free, FSC-certified hardwoods will soon be available from Columbia Commercial Flooring through its PureBond line. The flooring is available by special order, but will soon be offered to the general market. Comes in three...

The only name you need to know.
June 2, 2007... Staff You've got no use for 'Jim Was Here' or 'Bob Loves Mary.' The only name you need is Hadrian. Its Anti-Graffiti Solution powder coating for metal bathroom partitions and lockers will keep your school, hotel, or commercial building...

Color your world.
June 2, 2007... Staff Tarkett's popular Azrock commercial tile line is now available in an expanded variety of colors. The Azrock line, which includes Azrock Granite, CortinaStone, and Thru-Quartz, features 27 new colors, such as Pistachio, Pomegranite,...

Glass is clearly bullet resistant.
June 2, 2007... Staff Glazing offers bullet-resistant containment up to UL 752 Level 3 and greater optical clarity and more abrasion resistance than competing polycarbonate sheets. In an independent ASTM 1044-99 Taber Test, after 100 cycles using a...

No need for shims, just clip it!
June 2, 2007... Staff Slide-clip curtain wall deflection connector provides for vertical building movement up to three inches-1½ inches up and 1½ inches down. The Extended FastClip is ideal for medium and large standoff conditions....

Mod squad.
June 2, 2007... Staff Dress your room to impress with the EVIO hanging pendant lamp. Ideal for a variety of hospitality applications, this light features a crisp, modern design that is available in two stately wood finishes, as well as the company's...

Color in the round.
June 2, 2007... Staff How do you add drama to a project that is already the world's largest? Color Kinetics was faced with that issue when lighting the Globen Arena, the world's largest spherical building, located in Stockholm, Sweden. At more than 300...

Fire-rated doors are lighter, fitter.
June 2, 2007... Staff Special-Lite fire-rated doors are now considerably lighter thanks to a new mineral core material. The lightweight core reduces the weight of a typical 3x7-foot door by approximately 60 pounds, easing installation and daily operation....

Dejà vu for your carpet.
June 2, 2007... Staff Commercial-grade broadloom carpeting features a backing system that is moisture resistant, flexible, lightweight, and PVC-free. The Cradle to Cradle-certified product is manufactured using a five-part process that allows the...

New York gets its first green five-star hotel at Bryant Park.
June 2, 2007... Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor '1' Hotel and Residences, set to open during the first half of 2010, will be New York City's first five-star green hotel. The building will be built to LEED standards and will open in a proposed 31-story...

Smart elevator system.
June 2, 2007... Staff Achieve a greater level of control for elevator systems in hospitals, hotels, and office applications with the Schindler ID human interface. The system recognizes passengers and their destination based on identification badges,...

Retention wall makes a positive connection.
June 2, 2007... Staff The SierraScape System is a cost-effective alternative to concrete-faced retaining walls for projects with 70-plus-degree grade separations. The wire-formed wall system features a positive, mechanical connection that withstands...

Kid-friendly drywall.
June 2, 2007... Staff DensArmor is the first gypsum drywall to earn Greenguard Indoor Air Quality and Greenguard Children and Schools certification. The low-VOC product substitutes mold- and moisture-resistant glass-mat facing for traditional paper...

Turn heads with recycled wall covering.
June 2, 2007... Staff Get noticed for all the right reasons with Second Look, the first recycled vinyl wall covering. Ideal for hotel and hospitality applications, the wall covering has 18% recycled content with a minimum of 10% coming from post-consumer...

In the line of fire.
June 2, 2007... Staff No more expensive surface polishing. No more orange-peel texture. Pyran Platinum fire-rated glass-ceramic for doors and windows provides improved surface quality and attractiveness and is fire-rated for three hours in doors and 90...

Hurricane shutters that shine.
June 2, 2007... Staff Tested and certified to meet the Florida Building Code for impact resistance, Polygal hurricane shutters are a mid-range cost alternative for apartment and condominium dwellers that want a certified hurricane protection system. The...

Dashboard confessional.
June 2, 2007... Staff Web-based, touch-screen Building Dashboard system translates building energy use data into formats easily understood by lay audience. The system combines information from building automation systems, data loggers, webcams, and...

To protect and decorate.
June 2, 2007... Staff Dockawell-Mono architectural woven wire cloth gives exterior surfaces a transparent appearance while protecting spaces behind from sun exposure and intruders. The material has been used successfully in healthcare projects,...

NFPA adopts changes for sprinkler hose fittings.
June 2, 2007... Staff For the first time, the National Fire Protection Association's 'NFPA 13: Installation of Sprinkler Systems' includes code language that clarifies the use of flexible sprinkler hose fittings and provides applicable guidelines. The new...

Dimmer promotes gang activity.
June 2, 2007... Staff Forget about expensive components, long lead times, and unprofessional finishes. Titan dimmers make it easy to create an attractive and affordable multi-gang installation. Each dimmer comes with all the screw-less components required...

Green skyscraper will have 'steel-like' concrete skin.
June 2, 2007... Dave Barista, Managing Editor At the AIA Show in San Antonio last month, Paris-based architect Jacques Ferrier showed off his latest concept for a green mixed-used skyscraper. The unusual design incorporates a curving lattice façade...

Fire-rated doors.
June 2, 2007... Staff Architectural interior stile and rail wood doors are just 1¾ inches thick, yet feature a 90-minute positive-pressure fire rating. As a result, there's no need to specify two different door thicknesses for projects. VT...

Wood or metal?
June 2, 2007... Staff Is that ceiling real wood? Occupants might think so, but MetalWood ceiling panels work better than the natural product-easy to care for with a longer lifespan, resistant to mold and moisture, and can't be damaged by vermin or...

Flat panels on the move.
June 2, 2007... Staff Take flat-panel televisions where none have gone before-make them portable with SmartMount 500 Series TV Carts made especially for flat-panel screens. SmartMount can help schools and other educational settings get the most...

Hardcore floor.
June 2, 2007... Staff Johnsonite XF, the finish top coat for linoleum flooring, takes a beating and keeps looking great. The abrasion-, stain-, and chemical-resistant coating cuts maintenance costs by up to 30% in high-traffic applications like schools...

Looks like stucco, yet strong like cement.
June 2, 2007... Staff Cement board stucco systems offer the strength of cement board and the appearance and weather protection of stucco, but without the numerous installation stages of traditional stucco systems. StoQuik Silver is available in three...

Best of both worlds.
June 2, 2007... Staff Countertop for commercial and residential applications combines the appearance of natural stone and quartz with the practicality of a solid surface. Staron Tempest offers a seamless appearance with nonporous, hygienic properties and...

These hands were made for washing.
June 2, 2007... Staff Touch-free faucets help reduce the spread of germs in sanitary environments, such as hospitals, and reduce water usage in high-traffic bathrooms. Moen's FreeHand electronic sensor faucets conserve gallons of water and reduce energy...

Glare-free daylight helps green Greenwood Elementary.
June 2, 2007... Staff Looking to introduce controlled daylight into the 775-student Greenwood Elementary School in Glen Allen, Va., designers at BCWH Architects, Richmond, Va., specified translucent Kalwall panels at every opportunity, including the ends...