Modular metal panel offers sloped depth for a variety of applications
Intercept RZR, an addition to Centria’s Intercept modular metal panel system, is a high-performance rainscreen system that creates the option for sloped panel depth of up to four inches. The product is available in both horizontal and vertical applications and can be specified in zinc or aluminum substrates. It is offered in depths of 13/8 to four inches with panel lengths that span up to 138 inches (aluminum), 120 inches (zinc), 48 inches (aluminum), and 32 inches (zinc). Available in a variety of colors and finish options, the Intercept modular metal panel system makes use of a unique fabrication process for variations in size and shape. Custom designs can also be created based on project requirements.
Hydraulic glass-clad doors open a Seattle tavern to the outside
Sam’s Tavern in Seattle opened in early 2017 as part of a newly constructed 12-story office building. The restaurant and bar used two glass-clad hydraulic doors from Schweiss Doors to open the restaurant up to an outside patio with additional seating for 20 patrons. The custom-made doors measure 11 feet, 8¾ inches wide by 9 feet tall and include electric photo eye sensors. The hydraulic pumps that run the Schweiss cylinders are mounted inside the building near the doors. Originally, the pump motors were to be mounted on the ceiling, but there wasn’t enough room. The doors have an industrial aesthetic and also provide a protective canopy to outside diners when opened. The doors can be run independently of each other and stop safely at any level.
Motorized screens add a layer of protection for 40 outdoors diners
Eating outdoors always sounds like a good idea, but bright and hot sunlight, wind, or blown rain can make it less appealing. At Princi Italia, a restaurant in West Plano, Texas, these common peccadilloes associated with eating outside are dealt with via a motorized Era Mat system from Nice Group USA, which powers shades along the perimeter of the restaurant’s patio. Seven motor-driven shades capture the air warmed by outdoor heaters on colder days while still providing views of the outdoors thanks to incorporated windows. On more pleasant days, the screens can be raised out of the way. A remote control opens and closes the windows.
Condensing boiler is built for outdoor installation
The Crest Condensing Boiler line from Lochinvar is expanding with models built for the outdoors. The Outdoor Crest boiler can withstand strong winds, downpours, and UV exposure while remaining highly efficient on both space and energy. The compact units offer space savings for large public and commercial facilities like school systems, universities, and libraries. All outdoor Crest models come standard with the CON•X•US remote connectivity platform that allows commercial facility managers and building owners to monitor and adjust equipment controls from a mobile app. Additionally, the Smart Touch control system is built in each outdoor model and features an eight-inch touchscreen and multi-color interface. As many as eight Crest boilers can be cascaded together. Models range from 750,000 to two million btu/hr.
Acoustic mesh panels control acoustics without compromising design
GKD Metal Fabrics’ Acoustic Mesh Panels are interior aluminum-based panels designed to improve poor workplace and commercial acoustic environments. The panels incorporate a sag-free, one-inch-thick honeycomb support plate, layered with an intermediate blanket of fiber-free acoustic fleece to dampen noise. Lights, downlights, and sprinklers can be easily integrated within the Acoustic Mesh Panels. The panels can also be removed and refitted quickly for maintenance purposes.
LEED Gold texas library incorporates curtain wall, storefront systems
The Seguin (Texas) Public Library recently tore down its old library and replaced it with one three times larger. The LEED Gold building used Tubelite’s curtain wall and storefront frames to bring natural views and light into the library that sits along the banks of Walnut Creek. Bulverde Glass, the project’s glazing contractor, used 16,300 sf of Tubelite’s 400 Series Curtainwall and T1400 I/O storefront, plus four Wide Stile doors and frames. With the help of Tubelite’s curtain wall with high-performance glass, a quiet room extends into the branches of a pecan tree to provide visitors with the feeling of sitting in a transparent tree house. Tubelite was selected for its value, aesthetic flexibility, and reliable structural performance. The library earned LEED Gold certification earlier this year.
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ULI: 'Old Normal' will not be a part of the housing recovery
As the U.S. economy recovers, emerging trends in demographics and consumer behavior will become major drivers of new housing opportunities, resulting in a residential market vastly different from the one that existed prior to the recession, according to Housing in America: The Next Decade, a new research paper authored by John K. McIlwain, senior resident fellow, Urban Land Institute/J. Ronald Terwilliger Chair for Housing.
| Aug 11, 2010
Billings increase less than a point in December, still in negative territory
The American Institute of Architects reported the December Architecture Billings Index rating was 43.4, up slightly from 42.8 in November. The score indicates a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said the inability to get financing is still the main roadblock to recovery.
| Aug 11, 2010
SFI releases new sustainable forestry standard
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative has released a new standard. SFI 2010-2014 addresses climate change and bioenergy; strengthen unique SFI fiber sourcing requirements, which broaden the practice of sustainable forestry; complements SFI activities aimed at avoiding controversial or illegal offshore fiber sources, and embraces Lacey Act amendments to prevent illegal logging; and expands requirements for logger training and support for trained loggers and certified logger programs.
| Aug 11, 2010
FMI: 2009 was the bottom for residential, non-residential construction still in freefall
While 2009 was likely the bottom in terms of percentage decline, 2010 will be the bottom in terms of dollar volume for non-residential construction, according to market analysts at consulting firm FMI. Residential construction is expected to begin recovering in 2010. The economy may show some signs of improving, but it is just the beginning of the downfall for nonresidential construction.
| Aug 11, 2010
Another steep decline in nonresidential construction activity projected for 2010
Despite signs that the overall U.S. economy is beginning to improve, nonresidential construction spending is expected to decrease by 13.4% in 2010 with a marginal increase of 1.8% in 2011 in inflation adjusted terms, according the American Institute of Architects' Consensus Construction Forecast. Commercial and industrial projects will continue to see the most significant decrease in activity. Thanks, in part, to federal stimulus spending, institutional building categories will fare better over the new year. BD+C, January 6
| Aug 11, 2010
WattStopper contributes freezer case occupancy sensor to DOE study
WattStopper has participated in a ground-breaking demonstration of solid-state lighting (SSL) technology combined with occupancy sensors in grocery store freezer cases. The project was supported under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solid-State Lighting GATEWAY Technology Demonstration Program. WattStopper contributed FS-705 Wide Angle PIR occupancy sensors to the project.
| Aug 11, 2010
Construction spending hits six-year low as employment declines in 324 of 337 cities
Construction employment declined in 324 out of 337 metropolitan areas over the past year as spending on construction projects dropped by over $137 billion in November to a 6-year low of $900 billion, according to a new analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of federal figures released recently.
| Aug 11, 2010
New data shows low construction prices may soon be coming to an end
New federal data released recently shows sharp increases in the prices of key construction materials like diesel, copper and brass mill shapes likely foreshadow future increases in construction costs, the Associated General Contractors of America said. The new November producer price index (PPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics provide the strongest indication yet that construction prices are heading up, the association noted.
| Aug 11, 2010
Underwriters Laboratories, ICC Evaluation Service announce dual evaluation and certification program for building products
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the leading product safety testing organization, and ICC Evaluation Service, Inc (ICC-ES), the United States' leader in evaluating building products for compliance with code, today announced a partnership that will provide the building materials industry with a Dual Evaluation and Certification Program for building products.
| Aug 11, 2010
The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community
David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.
