The AIA New Jersey Committee on the Environment (AIA-NJ COTE) recently presented DMR Architects with the 2012 AIA-NJ COTE Top 10 Green Projects Merit Award for DMR’s work on John C. Bartlett, Jr. Hall at Ocean County College.
John C. Bartlett, Jr. Hall is a LEED Silver Certified Building located on the College’s main campus in Toms River, N.J. The academic building, completed in 2009, provides classrooms, computer labs, faculty offices, and meeting spaces for the College, which has a steady 7% annual increase in enrollment.
The modern academic space doubles as a teaching tool for the College’s more than 10,000 students, faculty and staff, and nearly 100 monthly visitors. Permanent educational signage throughout the building highlights sustainable aspects, which include car charging stations, rooftop solar modules, high efficiency windows, and recycled, locally manufactured materials. In addition, the College utilizes the building to host children’s camps that provide Ecological Environment and Arts courses. +
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California buildings: now even more efficient
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New Years resolutions for architects, urban planners, and real estate developers
Roger K. Lewis, an architect and a professor emeritus of architecture at the University of Maryland, writes in the Washington Post about New Years resolutions he proposes for anyone involved in influencing buildings and cities. Among his proposals: recycle and reuse aging or obsolete buildings instead of demolishing them; amend or eliminate out-of-date, obstructive, and overly complex zoning ordinances; and make all city and suburban streets safe for cyclists and pedestrians.
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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%.
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Luxury hotel planned for Palace of Versailles
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Grubb & Ellis predicts commercial real estate recovery
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Furniture Sustainability Standard - Approved by ANSI and Released for Distribution
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