6 must reads for the AEC industry today: September 10, 2020

1. Performance Hall at the Taipei Music Center opens in the Nangang District (BD+C)
"The structure is designed for both indoor and outdoor performances by seating 6,000 people inside while also accommodating several hundred people outside in the public plaza. The building’s expansive geometric volumes are meant to mirror the terrain of the nearby mountains, tying the building to its environment."

2. Prefab: Construction’s secret weapon against COVID-19 (McCarthy Companies)
"When thoughtfully considered, implementing offsite production can bring more certainty across all areas of the project as well as other improvements compared to traditional construction, especially when considering impacts on safety, quality, schedule, cost and speed."

3. Corporate pledges accelerate net-zero building movement (BD+C)
"The World Green Building Council (WGBC) has gained notable adherents to its Advancing Net Zero buildings initiative. This project aims to have every building produce net-zero carbon emissions by 2050."

4. Property investors tap mobile home parks for COVID-era returns (Bloomberg via National Real Estate Investor)
"More than $800 million in mobile parks traded in the second quarter of 2020, a significant uptick from last year."

5. Is childcare the next big move for real estate owners? (Connected Real Estate Magazine)
"One of the most significant impacts of COVID-19 has been the loss of childcare services for working parents. With coronavirus cases increasing in more than half of states in August, school districts around the country are planning for partial in-person or full-time remote learning this fall. At the same time, many daycares have closed or operating at a limited capacity — and demand for childcare has grown to the point where new childcare programs are opening and filling immediately."

6.Take a look at Burger King’s new ‘touchless’ restaurant designs with solar panels and outdoor seating (CNBC)
"Burger King plans new restaurants that feature a totally “touchless” customer experience, inspired by pandemic precautions."

The Architectural Billings Index measures the general sentiment of U.S. architecture firms about the health of the construction market by measuring 1) design billings and 2) design contracts. Any score above 50 means that, among the architecture firms surveyed, more firms than not reported seeing increases in design work vs. the previous month.