Building Design & Construction articles from March 2007

Building Design & Construction archives from March 2007

Inspiring Offices: Office Design That Drives Creativity.
March 1, 2007... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor With office design linked to business outcome, designers need to understand the importance of creating workspaces that get people's juices flowing. Office design has always been linked to...

Modern hall complements old English boarding school.
March 1, 2007... Staff Wymondham College, in South Norfolk, England, is expanding, and one of the boarding school's biggest projects is a new Sixth Form residence hall. Designed by LSI Architects, London, the contemporary building features three- and...

Corporate offices coming to the waterfront in Fall River, Massachusetts.
March 1, 2007... Staff Healthcare informatics supplier Meditech Medical Information Technology has broken ground on a $30 million, 120,000-sf office building on a 15-acre waterfront campus in Fall River, Mass. Designed by Boston-based Payette, the...

A new downtown will soon spring up in Lenexa, Kansas.
March 1, 2007... Staff Five years into its 20-year plan, Lenexa, Kan., is about to break ground on a 16-block mixed-use development that will create a new downtown for the city. The project is comprised of 430,000 sf of retail, 430,000 sf of office space,...

Downtown Orlando to get a new luxury condominium tower.
March 1, 2007... Staff This summer, construction work will begin on the 13-story East on Park, the latest luxury condo in downtown Orlando. Designed by Baker Barrios Architects, Orlando, with Atlanta-based R.J. Griffin as general contractor, the tower will...

Quaint 'village' rises in the Las Vegas desert.
March 1, 2007... Staff The $1 billion Sullivan Square is a mixed-use, mixed-income project on 16.5 acres a few miles from the hotels, entertainment, and neon lights of the Las Vegas Strip. Toronto-based Kirkor Architects & Planners is designing and...

Benedictine Sisters plan a 'green' monastery near Colorado Springs.
March 1, 2007... Staff Construction work is nearly set to begin on the Benet Hill Monastery project, a $6.1 million, 33,500-sf monastery and residence building for the Benedictine Sisters located 15 miles north of Colorado Springs, Colo. Designed by local...

Mixed-use center rising on the banks of the Ohio.
March 1, 2007... Staff Cincinnati's latest mixed-use development, One River Plaza, encompasses dual condo towers (nine and 12 stories) along the Ohio River. Designed by local architect Cole + Russell Architects with RTKL, Baltimore, the brick-and-glass...

Work under way on cancer center in California's OC.
March 1, 2007... Staff A dramatic cantilevered aluminum-and-glass canopy will mark the main entrance of the $68.5 million St. Joseph Hospital Center and Medical Office Building in Orange County, Calif. Designed by Chong Partners Architecture, San...

What the PVC report and TXU buyout portend.
March 1, 2007... Robert Cassidy, Editor-in-Chief Two recent events-the release of a U.S. Green Building Council report on PVC, and the involvement of two high-profile environmental groups in the proposed purchase of energy giant TXU Corp.-spell big news...

Green roof reduces need for irrigation.
March 1, 2007... Staff New green roof technology, called the Advanced Vegetative Roof System, utilizes patented, cornstarch-based granules that work like a sponge, holding and releasing water as the plant roots need it. Zeba granules are mixed into the...

Sound the horn.
March 1, 2007... Staff Audible/visible notification appliances feature a plug-in design that allows installers to pre-wire mounting plates and check wiring continuity before installing any devices. The SpectrAlert Advance line includes wall-mounted horns,...

ICF anchor for masonry walls.
March 1, 2007... Staff Masonry anchor for insulated concrete form applications provides strength and security when installing brick or stone veneer finishes. The tieKey is an easy-to-install, cast-in-place adjustable masonry tie anchor that is embedded...

Bright colors for resin panels.
March 1, 2007... Staff Line of resin-based architectural panels is available in 27 new colors, including grass, lavender, tulip, and rose (pictured). 3form's proprietary color infusion process, developed in conjunction with Bayer Material Science, utilizes...

Modular wiring system.
March 1, 2007... Staff Modular wiring system for raised-floor applications is faster and more efficient than hand wiring. The Walkerflex system consists of stranded MC cables, redesigned cable connectors, large-capacity distribution boxes, and home run...

Is that real brick?
March 1, 2007... Staff Decorative wall finish can be used over any prepared exterior surface such as EIFS, stucco, tilt-up, and concrete masonry units to give the lasting impression of traditional brick. StoCreativ Brick is lightweight and easy to install....

Concrete sealer.
March 1, 2007... Staff Liquid floor hardener for decorative concrete finishes seals, hardens, and densifies concrete by penetrating and reacting to create tough, insoluble calcium silicate hydrate within the concrete pores. Consolideck LS Guard also...

Sound barrier material sets STC record.
March 1, 2007... Staff A 12¾-inch-thick common block wall assembly fitted with Acoustiblok sound barrier material has achieved the highest Sound Transmission Class rating (STC 70) ever recorded at Architectural Testing Inc. Results for the ASTM-E90...

Engineering Chicago's Next Architectural Jewel.
March 1, 2007... By Dave Barista, Managing Editor The crystalline glass exterior of the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies will soon add sparkle to the Windy City's South Loop. Last month, construction crews from Northbrook, Ill.-based curtain wall...

Designing Brick Walls for High-Wind Regions.
March 1, 2007... Staff A FEMA advisory report pinpoints the main causes for failure of brick veneer walls during hurricanes, and offers tips on how to avoid the problems. Brick walls may look sturdy, strong, and ready to take on the fiercest storms...

Following a two-year building boom, manufacturing construction spending will slide through 2008.
March 1, 2007... By Jim Haughey, PhD, Director, Research and Analytics, Reed Construction Data After two years of booming sales, U.S. manufacturing market growth is expected to closely match overall 2007-08 economic growth, which is approximately 2.5-3%...

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

Office vacancy rates continue to fall.
March 1, 2007... Staff The national office vacancy rate fell to 15.3% in the final quarter of 2006, according to Property & Portfolio Research. The vacancy rate declined 0.2% from the previous quarter and 1.1% from the same period a year earlier. Office...

Flexible Furniture for Flexible Space.
March 1, 2007... Staff Here's a selection of some of the newest and most innovative interior office products from major manufacturers. Virtual flipcharts leave users thunderstruck With Thunder Virtual Flipcharts, organizations can experience an...

Autodesk unveils 2008 products and initiatives.
March 1, 2007... By Jeff Yoders, Associate Editor Autodesk unveiled new products and announced renamed Autodesk applications last month in San Francisco. Much of the two-day media event revolved around news of specialized features in the software...

Historic Ritz-Carlton reopens in the Big Easy.
March 1, 2007... Staff Sixteen months after Hurricane Katrina caused heavy wind and flood damage to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New Orleans, the historic, 14-story hotel has reopened. The comprehensive project involved restoring the building's 96-year-old...

New York gets a state-of-the-art emergency management center.
March 1, 2007... Staff The $50 million, 65,000-sf headquarters in downtown Brooklyn for New York City's Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has been completed. The project, designed by local firm Swanke Hayden Connell Architects and undertaken on behalf...

Schoolhouse warehouse opens in Atlanta.
March 1, 2007... Staff Niles Bolton Associates recently celebrated the opening of the $20 million Howard School in West Midtown Atlanta. The private K-12 school, which the firm designed, serves students with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, and was...

Huge Southern California project completed in just 28 months.
March 1, 2007... Staff Matt Construction of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., recently completed its work as general contractor on a 769,000-sf complex that includes a 270-room Four Seasons Hotel and Spa, a California WellBeing Institute, and a television studio....

'Strengthening environmental stewardship' said to be goal of new Bush executive order.
March 1, 2007... Staff Executive Order 13423, signed by President Bush in late January, consolidates a number of 'EOs' on the environment put into effect by Mr. Bush's predecessor in the White House. 'All the goals in this executive order are either...

News Briefs.
March 1, 2007... Staff *Australia dumps incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents. Australians will have to swap their 87 million old-fashioned incandescent light bulbs for energy-efficient alternatives such as compact fluorescents under a new federal...

People+Firms.
March 1, 2007... Staff * Omaha, Neb.-based Leo A Daly has named VP Thomas A. Womeldurf , AIA, IIDA, LEED AP, director of architecture for the firm's Washington, D.C., office. Womeldurf will direct the management of the Washington, D.C., architectural...

New Factory Mutual design guidelines spur debate at the International Roofing Show.
March 1, 2007... Dave Barista For nearly two decades, Johnston, R.I.-based commercial and industrial property insurer FM Global has been publishing design guidelines aimed at reducing the chance of property loss due to fire, weather conditions, and failure...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... Staff Don't forget the children in the green crusade Great article toward advancing sustainability in the building design and construction industry (BD+C November 2006 White Paper, 'Green Buildings and the Bottom Line,'...

Focus on Workplace Design.
March 1, 2007... By Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor Gensler's U.S. Workplace Survey reveals that better office design can lead to increased productivity and bigger profits. But employees think corporate America is still too focused on design costs, not...

LEDs light up German shopping center.
March 1, 2007... Staff As part of a complete modernization of the KÖWE shopping center in Regensburg, Germany, local lighting designer LI-EX created an all-glass facade that is backlit with 2,448 Golden Dragon LEDs. The LEDs are fitted on the top and...

Fireproof glass gives 911 operators a window to the world.
March 1, 2007... Staff When the city of Bellevue, Wash., opened its new city hall, it wanted to create a civic space that would become a key part of the life of the community. The new centralized Eastside 911 Communications Center located in the building...

Rec center goes green.
March 1, 2007... Staff To blend the new Plainfield Recreation/Aquatic Center in Plainfield, Ind., with its lush green surroundings, architect Sabree & Associates, Avon, Ind., and contractor Summit Construction, Indianapolis, topped the facility with...

Creative floor graphics create cable conduit underfoot.
March 1, 2007... Staff Employees in the new Amersfoort, Holland, offices for European telecommunications and cable provider KPN may find themselves avoiding walking down the center of the hallways, at least for the first few weeks. In an effort to spice up...

More than one Super Bowl record set in Miami.
March 1, 2007... Staff Devin Hester's electrifying opening kickoff return for a touchdown for the Chicago Bears set a Super Bowl record for the fastest touchdown scored (just 14 seconds into the game). But that wasn't the only record set on February 4 at...

Stainless-steel panels clad R.I. student union.
March 1, 2007... Staff Engineered to withstand the conditions of a seacoast environment, more than 20,000 sf of InvariMatte stainless steel was specified to clad a 45,000-sf addition to the student union at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I....

Historically styled windows help restore Denver landmark.(Landmark overview)
March 1, 2007... Staff When officials at the University of Colorado decided to restore and convert an 1866 brewery building in downtown Denver into a new student union for its Auraria campus, they knew they had their work cut out for them. In addition to...

Bank puts its trust in hurricane glass.
March 1, 2007... Staff Looking for an exterior glass solution that met hurricane-zone standards while also providing energy saving and clear views of the outdoors for one of its biggest clients, SunTrust Bank, Tampa, Fla.-based architect Robert Reid...

Blue Ridge Commercial Carpet.
March 1, 2007... Staff Ellijay, Ga.-based Blue Ridge Commercial Carpet offers more than 70 different modular and broadloom carpet products for high-traffic applications like offices and schools. Most products are available with the company's EnviroFlex...

Office projects under construction.
March 1, 2007... Staff 1450 Bricknell Office Tower 35 stories, 580,000 sf $240 million Rilea Group (D); Nichols Brosch Wurst & Wolfe Associates (A); PBS&J (CE); DeSimone Consulting Engineers (SE); Steven Feller Engineers (M/E/P); Coastal...

'There's a changing role for the specifier'.
March 1, 2007... Staff Walter T. Marlowe, PE, CAE, is the executive director and CEO of the Construction Specifications Institute. Before joining CSI last December, he spent 16 years in association management with the American Society of Civil Engineers,...

Go ahead, turn on the AC.
March 2, 2007

Workstation works harder.
March 2, 2007

Trade asphalt for 'grassphalt'.
March 2, 2007

Rub a dub dub.
March 2, 2007

Tile installation simplified.
March 2, 2007

The beauty of cork.
March 2, 2007

Heart of the matter.
March 2, 2007

Cement coating for stucco.
March 2, 2007

Drywall with no mess, no fuss.
March 2, 2007

The latest in natural flooring.
March 2, 2007

An owner's best friend.
March 2, 2007

A five-in-one solution for moisture control.
March 2, 2007

Standing on quality.
March 2, 2007

A healthy way to build.
March 2, 2007

Kid-friendly insulation.
March 2, 2007

MDF with a green soul.
March 2, 2007

Drain your troubles away.
March 2, 2007

Product & Literature Digest.
March 2, 2007

Software assesses the life cycle impact of building assemblies.
March 2, 2007

Want a high-performance hospital? Help is on the way.
March 2, 2007

No flush, no fuss.
March 2, 2007

Clearly efficient.
March 2, 2007

Hold your green roof in place.
March 2, 2007

Step into the light.
March 2, 2007

Low impact overhead.
March 2, 2007

Plastic makes saving lives possible.
March 2, 2007

Go reconfigure.
March 2, 2007

A kinder, gentler window covering.
March 2, 2007

Composting toilets help China go green.
March 2, 2007... Staff The 21,000-sf Ailu Community Center in Shanghai, China, will soon become a center for community recreation in the midst of a massive, 2,800-unit housing complex. The building's architects intend for it to serve as a sustainable...