University of Michigan’s Central Campus residence hall, as seen looking west from Hill Street. Rendering © RAMSA

The University of Michigan addresses a decades-long student housing shortage with a new housing-dining facility

The University of Michigan has faced a decades-long shortage of on-campus student housing. In a couple of years, the situation should significantly improve with the addition of a new residential community on Central Campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. The University of Michigan has engaged American Campus Communities in a public-private partnership to lead the development of the environmentally sustainable living-learning student community.

MFPRO+ New Projects

Shipping containers converted into attractive, affordable multifamily housing in L.A.

In the Watts neighborhood in Los Angeles, a new affordable multifamily housing project using shipping containers resulted in 24 micro-units for formerly unhoused residents. The containers were acquired from a nearby port and converted into housing units at a factory.

Adaptive Reuse

Empty mall to be converted to UCLA Research Park

UCLA recently acquired a former mall that it will convert into the UCLA Research Park that will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, as well as programs across other disciplines. The 700,000-sf property, formerly the Westside Pavilion shopping mall, is two miles from the university’s main Westwood campus. Google, which previously leased part of the property, helped enable and support UCLA’s acquisition.

Geothermal Technology

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.

Engineers

Engineering goes hand-in-hand with design, putting a practical lens on the architect’s vision and finding the best way to make it happen. Without a talented engineer, the project will never reach completion, and certainly will not reach the standards of functionality and sustainability that the architect and client are seeking.

The free tool provides real-time data visualization for each state. Here is the

Apr 29, 2014

USGBC launches real-time green building data dashboard

The online data visualization resource highlights green building data for each state and Washington, D.C.

The Hive-Inn was designed as an entry in the 2014 Radical Innovation Awards comp

Apr 28, 2014

Welcome to the Hive: OVA designs wild shipping container hotel for competition

Hong Kong-based OVA envisions a shipping-container hotel, where rooms could be removed at will and designed by advertisers.

Smart Buildings | Apr 28, 2014

Cities Alive: Arup report examines latest trends in urban green spaces

From vertical farming to glowing trees (yes, glowing trees), Arup engineers imagine the future of green infrastructure in cities across the world.

David Barista | Apr 25, 2014

How the 'digital natives' will transform your Building Team

The newest generation to enter the workforce is like no other that has come before it. This cohort is the first to grow up with the Internet, mobile technologies, and an “always connected” lifestyle.

Bob Zabcik | Apr 25, 2014

A radiant barrier FAQ: Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask

There are many examples of materials developed for the space program making their way into everyday life and radiant barriers are just that. SPONSORED CONTENT

Apr 24, 2014

Unbuilt and Famous: LEGO releases box set of Bjarke Ingels' LEGO museum

LEGO Architecture has created a box set that customers can use to build replicas of the LEGO Museum, which is not yet built in real life. The museum, designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group, will commemorate the history of LEGO.