Mortenson Construction completes Elk Wind Project in Iowa

Mortenson Construction has completed construction of the Elk Wind Project located in Greeley, Iowa. Owned by RPM Access, an independent developer, owner and operator of wind farms in the Midwest, the project will add 41 megawatts to the state's 3600-plus megawatts of wind energy currently online.

Mortenson was responsible for the design and construction of access roads, foundations, underground collection and a 69-kV substation.

"We were delighted to partner with RPM on our first project together," said Tim Maag, a vice president and general manager of Mortenson's Renewable Energy groups. "We share their commitment to expanding wind energy throughout the Midwest--and especially Iowa as one of the leading states in wind energy."

Mortenson will complete construction of five wind projects In Iowa this year. By the end of 2011, Mortenson will have built 17 wind projects in the state generating a total of 1894 megawatts of renewable power. BD+C

LPA Architects conducted a post-occupancy evaluation, or POE, of the eSTEM Academy, a new high school specializing in health/medical and design/engineering Career Technical Education, in Eastvale, Calif. The POE helped LPA, the Riverside County Office of Education, and the Corona-Norco Unified School District gain a better understanding of which design innovations—such as movable walls, flex furniture, collaborative spaces, indoor-outdoor activity areas, and a student union—enhanced the education program, and how well students and teachers used these innovations.

Interior designer Creative License International fashioned this community room for P83, a 250-unit rental community in Peoria, Ariz. 2021 Multifamily Amenities study

Multifamily Housing | Jul 7, 2021

Make sure to get your multifamily amenities mix right

One of the hardest decisions multifamily developers and their design teams have to make is what mix of amenities they’re going to put into each project. A lot of squiggly factors go into that decision: the type of community, the geographic market, local recreation preferences, climate/weather conditions, physical parameters, and of course the budget. The permutations are mind-boggling.

Industrial Facilities | Jul 2, 2021

A new approach to cold storage buildings

Cameron Trefry and Kate Lyle of Ware Malcomb talk about their firm's cold storage building prototype that is serving a market that is rapidly expanding across the supply chain.

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartments, Grimm + Parker, Building Design+Construction 2021 Exercise area

Multifamily Housing | Jun 30, 2021

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings

Grimm + Parker’s vision foresees buildings with rentable offices and refrigerated package storage.

Architects | Jun 30, 2021

Perkins Eastman joins forces with MEIS

MEIS’ work on stadiums and entertainment centers spans the globe with state-of-the-art designs in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Architects | Jun 25, 2021

AIA announces Small Project Award recipients

Now in its 18th year, the AIA Small Project Awards program recognizes small-project practitioners for the high quality of their work.

Work in existing buildings will prevail in 2021

Architects | Jun 24, 2021

Post-pandemic, architects need to advocate harder for project sustainability

An AIA-Oldcastle report looks closer at the coronavirus’s impact on design and construction

Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021

Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]

New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.