1. Composite slate roofing
Davinci Roofscapes
Project: Saint John’s Cathedral, Denver. Problem: A new roof was needed to protect the historic structure from the rigors of the Rocky Mountain region’s severe weather. Solution: DaVinci Roofscapes single-width composite tiles were used to protect the 90-foot-tall church without compromising its aesthetics. The installer used 39 squares of Slate Gray, 55 in a canyon color, and 151 in the European blend. On the team: Horn Brothers Roofing.
2. Pentaglas Panels
Kingspan light + air
Project: Spoke apartment parking garage, Chicago. Problem: The parking garage was a concrete monstrosity that needed to find a balance between ventilating airborne contaminants and achieving a pleasing look. Solution: The garage was clad with 17,430 sf of “floating” Pentaglas cladding panels to improve the aesthetics and allow air to move into and around the garage while exhausting CO2. On the team: FitzGerald Associates Architects.
3. Illuminated Ceiling
Sefar Architecture
Project: Moynihan Train Station, New York. Problem: The architects wanted a ceiling system to illuminate an underground walkway. Solution: The SEFAR Architecture Lightframe ceiling system, a modular system. Two layers of IA-85-OP fabric were used with the system to allow for even light distribution. In addition to uniformly lighting the space, the modules have an NRC value of 0.90 to reduce noise in the terminal hallways. On the team: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.
4. Standing Railing
Trex Commercial Products
Project: Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles. Problem: The first standing supporter section in a U.S. stadium needed a custom railing to safely allow fans to watch the match from the unprecedented pitch of 34 degrees. Solution: A custom standing railing with integrated seating. The riser-mounted metal-railing frame angles back to create a comfortable lean rail for standing supporters. On the team: Gensler (architect), PCL Contracting (GC).
5. Digitally Printed glass
Viracon
Project: The Novak Center for Children’s Health at the University of Louisville’s Health Sciences Center. Problem: The university wanted the connection between the Novak Center and the Chestnut Street Garage to be an airy, naturally lit pedestrian bridge. Solution: The third-floor bridge used 138 rectangular pieces of Digital Distinctions glass by Viracon, each digitally printed with a custom block pattern. On the team: Messer Construction (CM), Koch Corp. of Louisville (installer).
6. Zinc Wall Panels
Dri-Design
Project: Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis. Problem: HGA needed a metal panel that was efficient in terms of raw material, size, panel span, framing, and manufacturing waste—without compromising design. Solution: Dri-Design VMZINC Wall Panels were chosen for their long life span. They don’t use tapes, sealants, or gaskets, which eliminates the streaking and staining associated with such products. They forgo a plastic core, making them noncombustible. On the team: HGA (architect), Progressive Building Systems (panel installation).
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2010
China's largest single-phase hospital planned for Shanghai
RTKL's Los Angles office is designing the Shanghai Changzheng New Pudong Hospital, which will be the largest new hospital built in China in a single phase.
| Sep 13, 2010
Data Centers Keeping Energy, Security in Check
Power consumption for data centers doubled from 2000 and 2006, and it is anticipated to double again by 2011, making these mission-critical facilities the nation's largest commercial user of electric power. With major technology companies investing heavily in new data centers, it's no wonder Building Teams see these mission-critical facilities as a golden opportunity, and why they are working hard to keep energy costs at data centers in check.
| Aug 11, 2010
Average annual pay increases at A/E/P firms continue to rise in 2010
Despite the economic challenges that many architecture, engineering, planning(A/E/P) & environmental consulting firms have faced in recent years, a large majority of firms continue to include pay increases for their staff in their annual budgets, according to a new report released by ZweigWhite. According to ZweigWhite's 2010 Policies, Procedures, and Benefits Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms, the average pay increase that A/E/P firms project that they will provide in 2010 has increased from 2009. ZweigWhite, March 2
| Aug 11, 2010
ASHRAE Receives NIST Grant to Study IAQ in Retail Stores
The American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has been awarded $1.5 million dollars in grant money from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct a three-year research project on ventilation and indoor air quality in retail stores.
| Aug 11, 2010
Georgia Tech requires LEED Gold for all new buildings and renovations
The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta is currently updating its facilities design standards to meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold as set by the U.S. Green Building Council. Energy Ace, Inc., an Atlanta-based sustainability consulting firm is assisting Georgia Tech in preparing the Standards upgrade.
| Aug 11, 2010
UC Merced researchers receive $568,000 grant to develop solar sensing, tracking system
Alberto Cerpa, an engineering professor at the University of California Merced, has received a $568,202 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a system that will measure and track the amount of sunlight that reaches ground level where photovoltaic panels and solar concentrators used in solar energy systems collect light and heat to turn into electricity.
| Aug 11, 2010
Mark McCracken named chair-elect of USGBC Board of Directors
Mark MacCracken, CEO of CALMAC, Inc., a producer of cold storage energy solutions, has been selected as Chair-elect of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors for the 2010 calendar year. The USGBC Board of Directors is responsible for articulating and upholding the vision, values and mission of USGBC. In 2009, MacCracken was elected to serve a second 3-year term as Director in the Energy Services Seat.
| Aug 11, 2010
Only four out of 337 cities added construction jobs in 2009
Construction employment grew in only four out of 337 metropolitan areas in 2009 as spending on construction projects dropped by $100 billion in December to a six-year low of $903 billion, according to a new analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of federal figures released recently.
| Aug 11, 2010
Zero Energy Buildings + Homes' Call for Editorial Contributions & Contributors
BD+C will publish its 8th Annual White Paper on Green Buildings, "Zero Energy Buildings + Homes," in November-and you can contribute to it. We're looking for highly qualified experts (or teams of experts) to write individual chapters (about 2,000-3,000 words). We've started the outline here, but we'd like your suggestions about additional chapters. What did we miss? Help us shape this important report.
| Aug 11, 2010
Blue ribbon panel unveils recommendations for NYC's green building codes
In response to City's request, the task force unveils more than 100 recommendations for greening NYC buildings, in most sophisticated analysis ever conducted by a municipality