1. low-voc roofing system
IKO
Project: Northside General Hospital, North Sydney, Nova Scotia. Problem: The client required an odorless, VOC-free, solvent-free, nonflammable, and rugged roof system to withstand the area’s harsh winters. Solution: A low-VOC, odorless, and nonflammable IKO Cold Gold 2 Ply Membrane Roofing System was selected for the membrane recover project. The facility’s old BUR system was still performing well, so the roofing consultant recovered the existing dry insulation. The hospital was able to remain operational during the reroofing process. On the team: TRIFOS Design Consultants (architect), PMC Roofing (roofing contractor).
2. Metal plate system at cornell
Metalwerks
Project: Cornell University Upson Hall, Ithaca, N.Y. Problem: The owner needed to update the facility to thermally efficient, 21st-century standards. Solution: Metalwerks provided 29,000 sf of ornamental metal enclosures for the window surrounds and Arcwall aluminum plate panel rainscreen for soffits, fascia, and coping. The rainscreen system can be flat, curved, or formed into custom 3D profiles. It can be installed horizontally and vertically. The plate afforded the designers control over the façade geometry, while also accommodating a high-performing wall system. On the team: Perkins+Will (architect) and Thornton Thomasetti (façade and structural engineering, LEED management, energy modeling).
3. Composite cladding
Alucobond
Project: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 134 Headquarters, Chicago. Problem: Renovate an old elementary school building into a contemporary HQ. Solution: 24,000 sf of 4mm Alucobond PLUS aluminum composite material was used as the building’s “wrapper” to achieve a clean, modern finish. Alucobond PLUS consists of two sheets of 0.020-inch aluminum thermobonded to a proprietary fire-resistant core. It is manufactured in a standard 4mm thickness. On the team: Wight & Company (architect, GC), Architectural Panel Systems (cladding installation).
4. metal panels FOR EVENT SPACE
CEntria
Project: New England Conservatory Student Life Performance Center, Boston. Problem: Create an innovative aesthetic with nods to the institution’s history. Solution: Versawall lightweight insulated metal panels in Pewter, EcoScreen Cascade perforated screenwall, and Formavue windows were combined to create a unique identity for the new campus center. EcoScreen contributed to the formation of a 40-foot-tall metal screen to act as a curtain that allows for glimpses of the performance spaces. The Versawall IMPs clad the building where it faces an inner alley while providing protection against the elements. On the team: Ann Beha Architects, Gensler (architects), AECOM Tishman (GC), Sunrise Erectors (installer).
5. Perforated imaging wall panels on garage
Dri-Design
Project: Mills Fleet Farm Parking Garage, Minneapolis, Minn. Problem: The project team wanted to enliven the streetscape without compromising airflow to the garage. Solution: 4,418 sf of Dri-Design’s 0.080-inch painted aluminum panels depicting a natural woods scene were installed, to enliven the streetscape while also providing needed inflow. The perforations are varied in size, location, and density to create areas of light, dark, and different tones in between, thus creating the displayed image. The panels do not require wind clips, which simplified the installation. On the team: Innovative Building Concepts (installation).
6. Perimeter fire containment sstem safeguards tower
Owens Corning
Project: Salesforce Tower, San Francisco. Problem: The 61-floor structure demanded a perimeter fire containment system that could meet rigorous building codes, address the unique geometry of the structure, and help achieve targeted LEED Platinum certification. Solution: Thermafiber Insolutions reviewed drawings and provided engineering judgments to support performance goals. A Thermafiber Impasse perimeter fire containment assembly used Thermafiber FireSpan 90, Thermafiber Impasse Hangers, and Thermafiber Safing to achieve floor-to-floor fire separation. The system meets stringent building code fire requirements, with a minimum 70% recycled content. Photo: Jason O’Rear.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
ULI: 'Old Normal' will not be a part of the housing recovery
As the U.S. economy recovers, emerging trends in demographics and consumer behavior will become major drivers of new housing opportunities, resulting in a residential market vastly different from the one that existed prior to the recession, according to Housing in America: The Next Decade, a new research paper authored by John K. McIlwain, senior resident fellow, Urban Land Institute/J. Ronald Terwilliger Chair for Housing.
| Aug 11, 2010
Billings increase less than a point in December, still in negative territory
The American Institute of Architects reported the December Architecture Billings Index rating was 43.4, up slightly from 42.8 in November. The score indicates a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said the inability to get financing is still the main roadblock to recovery.
| Aug 11, 2010
FMI: 2009 was the bottom for residential, non-residential construction still in freefall
While 2009 was likely the bottom in terms of percentage decline, 2010 will be the bottom in terms of dollar volume for non-residential construction, according to market analysts at consulting firm FMI. Residential construction is expected to begin recovering in 2010. The economy may show some signs of improving, but it is just the beginning of the downfall for nonresidential construction.
| Aug 11, 2010
SFI releases new sustainable forestry standard
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative has released a new standard. SFI 2010-2014 addresses climate change and bioenergy; strengthen unique SFI fiber sourcing requirements, which broaden the practice of sustainable forestry; complements SFI activities aimed at avoiding controversial or illegal offshore fiber sources, and embraces Lacey Act amendments to prevent illegal logging; and expands requirements for logger training and support for trained loggers and certified logger programs.
| Aug 11, 2010
Another steep decline in nonresidential construction activity projected for 2010
Despite signs that the overall U.S. economy is beginning to improve, nonresidential construction spending is expected to decrease by 13.4% in 2010 with a marginal increase of 1.8% in 2011 in inflation adjusted terms, according the American Institute of Architects' Consensus Construction Forecast. Commercial and industrial projects will continue to see the most significant decrease in activity. Thanks, in part, to federal stimulus spending, institutional building categories will fare better over the new year. BD+C, January 6
| Aug 11, 2010
WattStopper contributes freezer case occupancy sensor to DOE study
WattStopper has participated in a ground-breaking demonstration of solid-state lighting (SSL) technology combined with occupancy sensors in grocery store freezer cases. The project was supported under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting GATEWAY Technology Demonstration Program. WattStopper contributed FS-705 Wide Angle PIR occupancy sensors to the project.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction spending hits six-year low as employment declines in 324 of 337 cities
Construction employment declined in 324 out of 337 metropolitan areas over the past year as spending on construction projects dropped by over $137 billion in November to a 6-year low of $900 billion, according to a new analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of federal figures released recently.
| Aug 11, 2010
New data shows low construction prices may soon be coming to an end
New federal data released recently shows sharp increases in the prices of key construction materials like diesel, copper and brass mill shapes likely foreshadow future increases in construction costs, the Associated General Contractors of America said. The new November producer price index (PPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provide the strongest indication yet that construction prices are heading up, the association noted.
| Aug 11, 2010
Underwriters Laboratories, ICC Evaluation Service announce dual evaluation and certification program for building products
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the leading product safety testing organization, and ICC Evaluation Service, Inc (ICC-ES), the United States' leader in evaluating building products for compliance with code, today announced a partnership that will provide the building materials industry with a Dual Evaluation and Certification Program for building products.
| Aug 11, 2010
The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community
David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.
