GEOMETRIC PANELS COME WITH ONLINE DESIGN TOOL
Smith & Fong’s line of bamboo wall panels now includes Fractal, a customizable geometric pattern based on the isosceles triangle. Designers can use the maker’s online design tool, Fractool, to create unique wall patterns. Comes with a blueprint of how to assemble and install the panels. Fractal panels (24x24x34 inches) are fabricated using Plyboo RealCore bamboo. Available with FSC 100%-certified bamboo and in natural, amber, fog, mist, greige, and noir.
SPACE-SAVING BIKE PARKING SYSTEM
The Dero Decker two-tiered bike parking system has been made easier to install and operate. The top trays are 40 pounds lighter than legacy models and offer smooth, quiet movement when raising and lowering the trays. Installation requires 60% less drilling into the floor. A bolting footplate guide eliminates the need to measure the position of the lower trays during installation. Front-wheel safety locking lever and tray dampers enhance safety when lowering the upper trays. Accommodates u-locks for added security. Fat-bike tray available.
STACKED STONE LOOK GIVES DESIGNERS LOTS OF OPTIONS
The Stacked Stone collection from Eldorado Stone provides the classic aesthetic and precision of hand-laid dry-stack stone with the installation and maintenance benefits of a panel system. Project teams can create authentic-looking stacked stone walls and column fascias. The stones measure four inches high and range in length from eight inches to 20 inches, and in depths from 0.625 inches to two inches. Available in more than a dozen profiles, including Chapel Hill, Nantucket, and Santa Fe.
COMPACT FREESTANDING TUB CAN SQUEEZE INTO TIGHT SPACES
Measuring just 56x29 inches, the Vetralla tub from Victoria+Albert is designed for contemporary bathrooms where space is at a premium. The tub is made from V+A’s Quarrycast mix of volcanic limestone and resins that creates a high-gloss, bright-white luster. Available in white, matte white, gloss black, light grey, matte black, anthracite, and stone grey.
VERSATILE PREP SINK WILL simply BOWL YOU OVER
Lenova’s Permaclean Apron Front Ledge Prep Sink has an engineered platform ledge that allows the unit to turn into a food prep center, complete with an optional stainless steel colander, roll-up grid drainer, and bamboo cutting board. Available in single- or double-bowl configuration. A low divider in the double-bowl layout accommodates big pots with long handles. Seamless drain system, removable splashguards, and strainer baskets included.
GLASS WALLS MAXIMIZE VIEWS AT N.J. LUXURY APARTMENT TOWER
To open up views from their new seven-story, 80-unit luxury rental apartment tower in Hackensack, N.J., property owner/GC Petrone Building Corp. and designer Virgona & Virgona Architects installed 883 energy-efficient windows and doors at The Vue to create floor-to-ceiling glass walls. The aluminum window walls use Crystal Window & Door Systems’ two- and three-lite sliders, fixed windows, swing terrace doors, and sliding patio doors. The window wall can span openings up to 212 inches in width and 96 inches in height.
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Perkins Eastman's report on senior housing signals a changing market
Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to announce that the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative recently completed the “Design for Aging Review 10 Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing” study for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The results of the comprehensive study reflect the changing demands and emerging concepts that are re-shaping today’s senior living industry.
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Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
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Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
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Upscale apartments offer residents a twist on modern history
The Goodwynn at Town: Brookhaven, a 433,300-sf residential and retail building in DeKalb County, Ga., combines a historic look with modern amenities. Atlanta-based project architect Niles Bolton Associates used contemporary materials in historic patterns and colors on the exterior, while concealing a six-level parking structure on the interior.
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Worship center design offers warm and welcoming atmosphere
The Worship Place Studio of local firm Ziegler Cooper Architects designed a new 46,000-sf church complex for the Pare de Sufrir parish in Houston.
| Jan 19, 2011
Baltimore mixed-use development combines working, living, and shopping
The Shoppes at McHenry Row, a $117 million mixed-use complex developed by 28 Walker Associates for downtown Baltimore, will include 65,000 sf of office space, 250 apartments, and two parking garages. The 48,000 sf of main street retail space currently is 65% occupied, with space for small shops and a restaurant remaining.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
| Jan 4, 2011
An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value
One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.
