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Rochester, Minn., plans extensive geothermal network

The city of Rochester, Minn., home of the famed Mayo Clinic, is going big on geothermal networks. The city is constructing Thermal Energy Networks (TENs) that consist of ambient pipe loops connecting multiple buildings and delivering thermal heating and cooling energy via water-source heat pumps.




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Architects

Every building starts with a concept and a design. Architects are involved at every stage of the process, even after a design has been finalized, helping other building team members through the snares and missteps in the construction process. Building Design+Construction delivers news, trends, and research to the nation's largest architectural design firms. 

May 24, 2013

James Turrell's art installation turns Guggenheim Museum into 'skyspace'

James Turrell, an artist whose projects are more properly defined as "light sculptures," will have a major installation at the Guggenheim Museum this summer, turning Frank Lloyd Wright's famed serpentine atrium into a show of shifting colors and textures. The site-specific project, Aten Reign, will run from June 21 to September 25.

May 24, 2013

First look: Revised plan for Amazon's Seattle HQ and 'biodome'

NBBJ has released renderings of a revised plan for Amazon's new three-block headquarters in Seattle. The proposal would replace a previously approved six-story office building with a three-unit "biodome."

David Barista | May 23, 2013

$5,000 in prizes to be awarded at BD+C's U40 Leadership Summit

Do you have the next big idea for improving the performance of buildings and the built environment…
May 23, 2013

Supertall 'Sky City' will house 4,400 families in Changsha, China

Broad Sustainable Building has completed a long and arduous approval process, and is starting excavation and construction on Sky City in June, 2013. The proposed "world's tallest building" will be a mixed-use project that could accommodate life and work needs of up to 30,000 people.

May 23, 2013

Are design-build contracts killing small architecture firms?

Are federal design-build contract laws unfair to small firms? AIA thinks so, citing an interesting fact: an architecture firm spends a median of $260,000 to compete for a design-build project.

Sasha Reed | May 23, 2013

Is the 'bring your own device' discussion stumping your IT group?

A new twist to the communication challenge most companies and IT departments face is the “bring your own device,” or BYOD, conundrum. I call it a conundrum because it is stumping many IT professionals.

May 23, 2013

Portland State University’s School of Architecture launches Center for Public Interest Design

Portland State University’s School of Architecture is proud to announce the launch of its new Center for Public Interest Design, a research center that aims to investigate and utilize the power of design to make social, economic and environmental change in disadvantaged communities worldwide. The Center is the first of its kind in the nation.

May 22, 2013

Return of retail? Rent growth seen in recovering markets

Like digging a ditch with a spoon, retail demand driven by population growth has eaten away at the supply of available store space in the markets that have been slowest to recover from the downturn. Vacancy rates are reaching a point that will give at least some landlords in every market the clout to demand slightly higher rents.

May 22, 2013

New ASTM standard enhances hollow structural sections

ASTM A1085 is a big step forward in simplifying HSS design and usage, thereby making it a more desirable option for HSS.

May 22, 2013

Architecture billings take a step back in April, ending growth streak

For the first time in 10 months, the AIA's Architecture Billings Index slipped into negative territory, falling to 48.6 in April, down from 51.9 the previous month. This is the ABI's lowest mark since July 2012.

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