Kaiser Borsari Hall will draw 100% of its electricity from a rooftop solar panel array. Photo courtesy Perkins&Will

Mass timber a big part of Western Washington University’s net-zero ambitions

Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash., 90 miles from Seattle, is in the process of expanding its ABET-accredited programs for electrical engineering, computer engineering and science, and energy science. As part of that process, the university is building Kaiser Borsari Hall, the 54,000-sf new home for those academic disciplines that will include teaching labs, research labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, and administrative offices.

MFPRO+ New Projects

Two San Francisco multifamily high rises install onsite water recycling systems

Two high-rise apartment buildings in San Francisco have installed onsite water recycling systems that will reuse a total of 3.9 million gallons of wastewater annually. The recycled water will be used for toilet flushing, cooling towers, and landscape irrigation to significantly reduce water usage in both buildings.

Mass Timber

3 mass timber architecture innovations

As mass timber construction evolves from the first decade of projects, we're finding an increasing variety of mass timber solutions. Here are three primary examples.

Senior Living Design

Healthy senior living campus ‘redefines the experience of aging’

MBH Architects, in collaboration with Eden Housing and Van Meter Williams Pollack LLP, announces the completion of Vivalon’s Healthy Aging Campus, a forward-looking project designed to redefine the experience of aging in Marin County.

Taking the next step overview of decarbonization, net-zero energy goals

Sustainability | LPA | Mar 2, 2023

The next steps for a sustainable, decarbonized future

For building owners and developers, the push to net zero energy and carbon neutrality is no longer an academic discussion.

Architecture 2030 launches carbon calculator for retrofit projects

Sustainable Design and Construction | Feb 28, 2023

Architecture 2030 launches free carbon calculator for retrofit projects

Architecture 2030’s Carbon Avoided Retrofit Estimator (CARE) tool allows project teams and building owners to accurately quantify the carbon “savings” in retrofit or reuse projects versus new construction.

Michel Baars founded New Horizon Urban Mining to have a bigger impact on recycling materials from demolitions for new construction in The Netherlands. Photo: New Horizon

AEC Innovators | Feb 28, 2023

Meet the 'urban miner' who is rethinking how we deconstruct and reuse buildings

New Horizon Urban Mining, a demolition firm in the Netherlands, has hitched its business model to construction materials recycling. It's plan: deconstruct buildings and infrastructure and sell the building products for reuse in new construction. New Horizon and its Founder Michel Baars have been named 2023 AEC Innovators by Building Design+Construction editors.

Wynne Watts Commons exterior street view

Affordable Housing | Feb 22, 2023

Passive House, sustainability standards meet multifamily development

These multifamily developments are not only Passive House (PHIUS) certified, but affordable for tenants.

Senior Living Design | Feb 15, 2023

Passive House affordable senior housing project opens in Boston

Work on Phase Three C of The Anne M. Lynch Homes at Old Colony, a 55-apartment midrise building in Boston that stands out for its use of Passive House design principles, was recently completed. Designed by The Architectural Team (TAT), the four-story structure was informed throughout by Passive House principles and standards.

Affordable Housing | Feb 15, 2023

2023 affordable housing roundup: 20+ multifamily projects

In our latest call for entries, Building Design+Construction collected over 20 multifamily projects with a focus on affordable housing. Here is a comprehensive list of all projects in alphabetical order.

The Guide for Developing Onsite Water Systems to Support Regional Water Resilience Pacific Institute

Sustainability | Feb 9, 2023

New guide for planning, designing, and operating onsite water reuse systems

The Pacific Institute, a global nonpartisan water think tank, has released guidance for developers to plan, design, and operate onsite water reuse systems. The Guide for Developing Onsite Water Systems to Support Regional Water Resilience advances circular, localized approaches to managing water that reduce a site’s water footprint, improve its resilience to water shortage or other disruptions, and provide benefits for local communities and regional water systems.

USC Sustainable Design & Construction Guidelines, courtesy USC

Sustainability | Feb 9, 2023

University of Southern California's sustainability guidelines emphasize embodied carbon

A Buro Happold-led team recently completed work on the USC Sustainable Design & Construction Guidelines for the University of Southern California. The document sets out sustainable strategies for the design and construction of new buildings, renovations, and asset renewal projects.

Sustainability | Feb 8, 2023

A wind energy system—without the blades—can be placed on commercial building rooftops

Aeromine Technologies’ bladeless system captures and amplifies a building’s airflow like airfoils on a race car.

Codes and Standards | Feb 8, 2023

GSA releases draft of federal low embodied carbon material standards

The General Services Administration recently released a document that outlines standards for low embodied carbon materials and products to be used on federal construction projects.