Houston CultureMap contributor Barbara Kuntz collected all the project proposals the website covered in 2014 and recapped four daring developments that could alter the cultural landscape in Bayou City:
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A New Swimming Hot Spot
In December, three entrepreneurs proposed a natural public swimming pool in Houston, Kuntz reports. Today, the project already has more than 270 backers making pledges on the projectās Kickstarter page. The project is also receiving support from civic leaders and organizations, including the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the Greater East End District, the city of Houston Sustainability Office, and the Shell Center for Sustainability at Rice University.
Grand Texas: The Lone Star Stateās New Entertainment District
Back in 2013, developer Monty Galland announced that the Grand TexasĀ theme park is just a single component of a larger plan that involves 450,000 sf for retail, dining, an RV area, and a 6,000-seat stadium for minor league baseball games. As of last fall, bulldozers have started clearing out space on the site along Highway 59. By 2020, officials expect 4.5 million annual visitors to this theme park district.
Farming in the Astrodome
The Urban Land Institute presented what Kuntz called an āambitious planā to repurpose the iconic stadium after Houston voters rejected a $217 million bond to transform it into a special events center. This plan involves constructing an oak-lined promenade from the METRO light rail station to the Astrodome, where the space could be used for functions including a park, sustainable farm, farmerās market, festivals, and museums. The domeās top area would include a vieweing area with zip-lining, hike-and-bike trails, and indoor rock climbing.
Memorial Park Long-Range Master Plan
This April, the final design for Houstonās Memorial Park goes before the Houston city council for consideration. The so-called Long-Range Master Plan by Thomas Woltz, principal with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, highlights updates from public input, such as 8.5 miles of mountain bike trails and 17 miles of paved walkways for bikers and pedestrians.
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BIM on Target
By using BIM for the design of its new San Clemente, Calif., store, big-box retailer Target has been able to model the entire structural steel package, including joists, in 3D, chopping the timeline for shop drawings from as much as 10 weeks down to an āunheard ofā three-and-a-half weeks.
| Jan 7, 2011
How Building Teams Choose Roofing Systems
A roofing survey emailed to a representative sample of BD+Cās subscriber list revealed such key findings as: Respondents named metal (56%) and EPDM (50%) as the roofing systems they (or their firms) employed most in projects. Also, new construction and retrofits were fairly evenly split among respondentsā roofing-related projects over the last couple of years.
| Jan 7, 2011
Total construction to rise 5.1% in 2011
Total U.S. construction spending will increase 5.1% in 2011. The gain from the end of 2010 to the end of 2011 will be 10%. The biggest annual gain in 2011 will be 10% for new residential construction, far above the 2-3% gains in all other construction sectors.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. Itās a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
| Jan 4, 2011
Product of the Week: Zinc cladding helps border crossing blend in with surroundings
Zinc panels provide natural-looking, durable cladding for an administrative building and toll canopies at the newly expanded Queenstown Plaza U.S.-Canada border crossing at the Niagara Gorge. Torontoās Moriyama & Teshima Architects chose the zinc alloy panels for their ability to blend with the structuresā scenic surroundings, as well as for their low maintenance and sustainable qualities. The structures incorporate 14,000 sf of Rheinzinkās branded Angled Standing Seam and Reveal Panels in graphite gray.
| Jan 4, 2011
6 green building trends to watch in 2011
According to a report by New York-based JWT Intelligence, there are six key green building trends to watch in 2011, including: 3D printing, biomimicry, and more transparent and accurate green claims.
| Jan 4, 2011
LEED standards under fire in NYC
This year, for the first time, owners of 25,000 commercial properties in New York must report their buildingsā energy use to the city. However, LEED doesnāt measure energy use and costs, something a growing number of engineers, architects, and landlords insist must be done. Their concerns and a general blossoming of environmental awareness have spawned a host of rating systems that could test LEEDās dominance. Ā
| Jan 4, 2011
LEED 2012: 10 changes you should know about
The USGBC is beginning its review and planning for the next version of LEEDāLEED 2012. The draft version of LEED 2012 is currently in the first of at least two public comment periods, and itās important to take a look at proposed changes to see the direction USGBC is taking, the plans they have for LEED, andāmost importantlyāhow they affect you.
| Jan 4, 2011
California buildings: now even more efficient
New buildings in California must now be more sustainable under the stateās Green Building Standards Code, which took effect with the new year. CALGreen, the first statewide green building code in the country, requires new buildings to be more energy efficient, use less water, and emit fewer pollutants, among many other requirements. And they have the potential to affect LEED ratings.
