Greenbuild 2012 Report: Hospitality

Hotels are expected to spend $5 billion on improvements this year, 33% more than in 2011, says Bjorn Hanson, a dean at NYU’s Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management. Most of that windfall will go into new bedding and flat-screen TVs, but a lot will go toward room renovations, lobby upgrades, additions, and new construction, including sustainably conceived projects.

For the Sheraton New York, Stantec oversaw a $153 million renovation that addressed energy waste and guest discomfort (due primarily to an wayward HVAC system) in the 53-story hotel. All 1,754 guestrooms were completely renovated with new systems that returned comfort control to guests. New central plant systems and 15 miles of hydronic piping were installed, cutting energy consumption by 14%.

A different approach to sustainability was taken by design firm Stonehill & Taylor for the recently completed $25 million renovation of the 533-room Hyatt Regency Minneapolis. Here, the emphasis was on the use of local materials and services whenever possible. Stone from a nearby quarry was used for bathroom countertops. Guestrooms feature works by local artists. About 80% of the furniture, fixtures, and equipment were produced in the U.S. and Canada. +

Glass is heat-treated for two reasons: the first is to increase its strength to resist external stresses such as wind and snow loads, or thermal loads caused by the sun’s energy. The second is to temper glass so that it meets safety glazing requirements defined by applicable codes or federal standards.

| Feb 27, 2014

Metal Construction Association introduces two Environmental Product Declarations

Two Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), one for Metal Composite Material Panels and one for Roll Formed Steel Panels for Roofs and Walls, are now available free of charge from the Metal Construction Association (MCA) on its website.

| Feb 27, 2014

Bluebeam Software launches Revu 12 for better field-ready document management and project collaboration

The latest version of the company’s flagship solution better enables users in document-intensive industries to digitally collaborate on project documents and more easily connect the office to the field.

PocketCake's VRSCA (for Virtual Reality Simulation Converter Assembly) is three

| Feb 27, 2014

PocketCake lunches CPU designed for virtual reality simulations

The company's Virtual Reality Simulation Converter Assembly is three times more powerful than the average high-performance computer and allows for up to eight people to experience a virtual reality simulation at the same time.

Photos courtesy Blackney Hayes Architects

| Feb 26, 2014

Adaptive reuse project brings school into historic paper mill

The project features nontraditional classrooms for collaborative learning, an arts and music wing, and a technologically sophisticated global resource center.

| Feb 26, 2014

Use this app to streamline safety inspections

Using the iAuditor app, one of our Skanska teams developed electronic reports that make safety inspections more efficient, and that make it easier to address any issues emerging from them.