Building Team completes two additions at UCLA

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) completed Holly Ridge and Gardenia Way, the newest buildings in the De Neve Plaza housing complex, capable of housing 800 students.

The construction of Holly Ridge and Gardenia Way finished several months ahead of schedule, allowing students to migrate to the new residence halls from the formally occupied Dykstra Hall in February.

Holly Ridge, also known as Upper De Neve, will house 496 students and Gardenia Way, also known as Lower De Neve, will house 307 students. Dykstra Hall will now undergo renovations to turn the 400-room building into a 10-story structure by 2013.

Holly Ridge and Gardenia Way are two of the four new resident hall additions to the UCLA campus as part of the Northwest Campus Student Housing In-Fill Project.

Upon completion, the Northwest Campus Student Housing In-Fill Project will add 500,000-sf of residential space including a 750-seat dining room, 1,525 bed spaces for single undergraduate students, student meeting rooms, and multi-purpose rooms that can accommodate up to 450 students. In total, the project will increase campus housing capacity from approximately 10,500 undergraduate students to approximately 12,000 in either new or renovated resident halls by fall 2013.

Gafcon Inc. and partner Benchmark Contractors are construction managers for the Northwest Infill project working alongside general contractor PCL Construction Services, Inc.

PCL Construction’s introduction of BIM for construction to the UCLA campus along with Gafcon’s SharePoint360 document storage services helped streamline project information for all partners and contributed to the early completion of the project. Architects for the project were Pfeiffer Partners Architects, Inc. and KieranTimberlake. BD+C

The project team members include owner Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, New York; design architect and interior designer of the restaurant, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, New York; executive architect, FXFOWLE, New York; and architect and interior designer of the film center, Rockwell Group, New York; structural engineer Arup (AISC Member), New York; and general contractor Turner Construction Company (AISC Member), New York.

| Nov 9, 2011

Sika Sarnafil Roof Recycling Program recognized by Society of Plastics Engineers

Program leads the industry in recovering and recycling roofing membrane into new roofing products.

| Nov 9, 2011

American Standard Brands joins the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium

American Standard will collaborate with other organizations to build an industry-wide sustainability performance index.

| Nov 8, 2011

Transforming a landmark coastal resort

Originally built in 1973, the building had received several alterations over the years but the progressive deterioration caused by the harsh salt water environment had never been addressed.

| Nov 8, 2011

WEB EXCLUSIVE: Moisture-related failures in agglomerated floor tiles

Agglomerated tiles offer an appealing appearance similar to natural stone at a lower cost. To achieve successful installations, manufacturers should provide design data for moisture-related dimensional changes, specifiers should require in-situ moisture testing similar to those used for other flooring materials, and the industry should develop standards for fabrication and installation of agglomerated tiles.