The world's tallest twisting tower and the rise of augmented reality technology in construction were among the 10 most popular articles posted on Building Design+Construction's website, BDCnetwork.com, in 2013. Here's a roundup of the top articles from the past 12 months. Happy New Year from the BD+C editorial team!
1. 2013 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. Read the article.
2. 8 trends shaping today’s senior housing
The ranks of those age 65 and older are swelling by the thousands every day. Is there an opportunity for your firm in the seniors housing market? Read the article.
3. World's tallest twisting tower added to Dubai skyline [slideshow]
The 75-story residential building, designed by SOM, features a dramatically rising helix shape for a distinctive addition to the city’s skyline. Read the article.
4. Meet BD+C's 40 Under 40 class of 2013
Forty individuals who have distinguished themselves by their career achievements, service to their professions and communities, and active participation in charitable work. Read the article.
5. 13 structural steel buildings that dazzle
We profile the 13 structural steel building projects have earned national recognition in the 2013 Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel awards program (IDEAS2). Read the article.
6. 7 hip high-rise developments on the drawing board
Here's a collection of recently profiled high-rise projects in the works around the world. They include Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill's whimsical Dancing Dragons tower in Seoul and a 1,312-foot-tall finance and trade center under construction in Nanning, China. Read the article.
7. 5 innovations in high-rise building design
KONE's carbon-fiber hoisting technology is among the breakthroughs named 2013 Innovation Award winners by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Read the article.
8. Augmented reality goes mainstream: 12 applications for design and construction firms
Thanks to inexpensive mobile devices and increasingly advanced software apps, Building Teams are finally able to bring their BIM models to life on the job site. Read the article.
9. In an era of mixed signals, architects embrace cautious optimism
Are architecture firms finally pulling out of the doldrums? The answer is a tentative yes, according to AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker. Read the article.
10. World's first 'invisible' tower planned in South Korea
Called Tower Infinity, the 1,476-foot structure planned just outside the city, near Incheon International Airport, will feature a cloaking façade made of LED projectors and optical cameras that will capture and display the landscape surrounding the building, thus making it appear transparent. Read the article.
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Arizona outpatient cancer center to light a ‘lantern of hope’
Construction of the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, Ariz., is under way. Located on the Banner Gateway Medical Center campus near Phoenix, the three-story, 131,000-sf outpatient facility will house radiation oncology, outpatient imaging, multi-specialty clinics, infusion therapy, and various support services. Cannon Design incorporated a signature architectural feature called the “lantern of hope” for the $90 million facility.
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Cladding Do’s and Don’ts
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| Dec 17, 2010
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How to Win More University Projects
University architects representing four prominent institutions of higher learning tell how your firm can get the inside track on major projects.
| Dec 13, 2010
Energy efficiency No. 1 priority for commercial office tenants
Green building initiatives are a key influencer when tenants decide to sign a commercial real estate lease, according to a survey by GE Capital Real Estate. The survey, which was conducted over the past year and included more than 2,220 office tenants in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, Spain, and Japan, shows that energy efficiency remains the No. 1 priority in most countries. Also ranking near the top: waste reduction programs and indoor air.
| Dec 7, 2010
Are green building RFPs more important than contracts?
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| Dec 7, 2010
Blue is the future of green design
Blue design creates places that are not just neutral, but actually add back to the world and is the future of sustainable design and architecture, according to an interview with Paul Eagle, managing director of Perkins+Will, New York; and Janice Barnes, principal at the firm and global discipline leader for planning and strategies.
| Dec 7, 2010
Green building thrives in shaky economy
Green building’s momentum hasn’t been stopped by the economic recession and will keep speeding through the recovery, while at the same time building owners are looking to go green more for economic reasons than environmental ones. Green building has grown 50% in the past two years; total construction starts have shrunk 26% over the same time period, according to “Green Outlook 2011” report. The green-building sector is expected to nearly triple by 2015, representing as much as $145 billion in new construction activity.
