Gilbane honored for sustainability efforts in Indianapolis

Mayor Greg Ballard honored Gilbane Building Company and four other local organizations and businesses recently for their efforts in advancing sustainability in the city. The winners were announced at the 2012 Sustainability Awards luncheon hosted by living green expert Sara Snow at the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott.

The Major General Emmett J. Bean Federal Center, submitted by the General Services Administration (GSA), Shiel Sexton Company Inc., and Gilbane Building Company, was the winner in the Energy category. The Bean Federal Center was funded as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by setting sustainability goals for Federal agencies, as outlined in President Obama’s Executive Order 13423. The high performance roof, which incorporates 6,152 solar panels, a PV lab, and solar hot water collectors, will help reduce energy costs for the 1.6 million-square-foot building by about $500,000 per year.

The Indianapolis Sustainability Awards are presented annually by the City's Office of Sustainability, the McKinney Green Initiatives Fund and the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. BD+C

The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.

Rainscreen system installed at the west building envelope expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Energy performance starts at the building envelope

Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Turning Balconies Outside In

Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.

| Dec 10, 2011

BIM tools to make your project easier to manage

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.