1. MINIMAL HARDWARE CREATES A SLIDING SHOWER DOOR WITH A MODERN AESTHETIC
The Cambridge Bypass Sliding Shower Door System from C.R. Laurence features a double-bypass configuration that allows for entry from the left or right side. Minimal hardware creates a modern aesthetic. Stainless steel rollers (inset) yield smooth door operation. The stainless steel design can be installed on full standing showers or onto bathtubs. Maximum door width: 37 inches; maximum door weight: 84 pounds.
2. ALL-IN-ONE WASHER-DRYER saves SPACE in smaller units
The Whirlpool Smart All-In-One Care Washer and Dryer allows a single laundry load to be completely washed and dried in the same machine. The ventless unit can fit under kitchen counters or in closets, laundry rooms, and bathrooms. Comes with Amazon Alexa and Apple Watch compatibility. The Whirlpool mobile app can provide alert notifications to the tenant’s smartphone.
3. LOW-MAINTENANCE ROOFTOP DECK BEAUTIFIES WASHINGTON’S APOLLO APARTMENTS
Built on the site of the Apollo Theater in the District of Columbia, the Apollo Apartments complex has over 350 rentals, a Whole Foods, and a landscaped rooftop terrace. The project’s landscape designer, Landscape Architecture Bureau, specified Kebony modified wood for the terrace pergola for its low-maintenance properties and the natural silver patina it develops over time. Kebony wood was also used for the decking and benches throughout the project.
4. METAL ROOF AIDS SENIOR LIVING FACILITY’S THERMAL AND WIND RESISTANCE
The one-story roof of the three-story Ridge Senior Living facility in Salt Lake City dominates the view from most resident’s windows. The project team—AJC Architects, Sahara Construction, and Capitol Roofing—decided to use the MBCI SuperLok 16-inch metal panel roofing system on the first-story roof for its clean aesthetic design and thermal and wind resistance. The mechanically field-seamed, vertical leg standing seam roof system provides exceptional resistance to wind uplift and the option to add insulation to the existing roof.
5. NEW BATHROOM DESIGN SERIES PROVIDES A FRESH TAKE ON THE CLASSIC RECTANGULAR SHAPE
The new DuraSquare collection from Duravit features ceramics and a fresh take on furniture. The collection’s washbasin has walls that are only 3/16-inch thick thanks to its DuraCeram construction. Complementing the washbasins is the DuraSquare vanity. The console frame is height-adjustable and available in silver (chrome) or matte black. The furniture frame includes a glass shelf (available in six colors) and a towel rack. Bathtubs round out the collection and mimic the shape of the washbasins.
6. BUILT-IN MODULES CONCEAL COMPLETE KITCHENS
The YesterTec Stealth Kitchen System hides complete kitchens in built-in modules to create a minimalist look or maximize the efficiency of a small space. The modules look like built-in cabinetry and come in a variety of finish options. The stealth kitchens are suited for apartments, game rooms, and entertainment areas. The modules can be configured into an L-shape or galley kitchen, as a straight line, or with a peninsula. Units are 29 inches deep.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
BIM adoption tops 80% among the nation's largest AEC firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 survey
The nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction companies are on the BIM bandwagon in a big way, according to Building Design+Construction's premier Top 50 BIM Adopters ranking, published as part of the 2009 Giants 300 survey. Of the 320 AEC firms that participated in Giants survey, 83% report having at least one BIM seat license in house, half have more than 30 seats, and near...
| Aug 11, 2010
Thrown For a Loop in China
While the Bird's Nest and Water Cube captured all the TV coverage during the Beijing Olympics in August, the Rem Koolhaas-designed CCTV Headquarters in Beijing—known as the “Drunken Towers” or “Big Shorts,” for its unusual shape—is certain to steal the show when it opens next year.
| Aug 11, 2010
Tall ICF Walls: 9 Building Tips from the Experts
Insulating concrete forms have a long history of success in low-rise buildings, but now Building Teams are specifying ICFs for mid- and high-rise structures—more than 100 feet. ICF walls can be used for tall unsupported walls (for, say, movie theaters and big-box stores) and for multistory, load-bearing walls (for hotels, multifamily residential buildings, and student residence halls).
| Aug 11, 2010
Financial Wizardry Builds a Community
At 69 square miles, Vineland is New Jersey's largest city, at least in geographic area, and it has a rich history. It was established in 1861 as a planned community (well before there were such things) by the utopian Charles Landis. It was in Vineland that Dr. Thomas Welch found a way to preserve grape juice without fermenting it, creating a wine substitute for church use (the town was dry).
| Aug 11, 2010
World's tallest all-wood residential structure opens in London
At nine stories, the Stadthaus apartment complex in East London is the world’s tallest residential structure constructed entirely in timber and one of the tallest all-wood buildings on the planet. The tower’s structural system consists of cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels pieced together to form load-bearing walls and floors. Even the elevator and stair shafts are constructed of prefabricated CLT.
| Aug 11, 2010
Integrated Project Delivery builds a brave, new BIM world
Three-dimensional information, such as that provided by building information modeling, allows all members of the Building Team to visualize the many components of a project and how they work together. BIM and other 3D tools convey the idea and intent of the designer to the entire Building Team and lay the groundwork for integrated project delivery.
| Aug 11, 2010
Let There Be Daylight
The new public library in Champaign, Ill., is drawing 2,100 patrons a day, up from 1,600 in 2007. The 122,600-sf facility, which opened in January 2008, certainly benefits from amenities that the old 40,000-sf library didn't have—electronic check-in and check-out, new computers, an onsite coffeehouse.
| Aug 11, 2010
Great Solutions: Healthcare
11. Operating Room-Integrated MRI will Help Neurosurgeons Get it Right the First Time A major limitation of traditional brain cancer surgery is the lack of scanning capability in the operating room. Neurosurgeons do their best to visually identify and remove the cancerous tissue, but only an MRI scan will confirm if the operation was a complete success or not.
| Aug 11, 2010
29 Great Solutions
1. Riverwalk Transforms Chicago's Second Waterfront Chicago has long enjoyed a beautiful waterfront along Lake Michigan, but the Windy City's second waterfront along the Chicago River was often ignored and mostly neglected. Thanks to a $22 million rehab by local architect Carol Ross Barney and her associate John Fried, a 1.
| Aug 11, 2010
High-Performance Modular Classrooms Hit the Market
Over a five-day stretch last December, students at the Carroll School in Lincoln, Mass., witnessed the installation of a modular classroom building like no other. The new 950-sf structure, which will serve as the school's tutoring offices for the next few years, is loaded with sustainable features like sun-tunnel skylights, doubled-insulated low-e glazing, a cool roof, light shelves, bamboo tri...
