1. Integrated sink system
Sloan
Project: Planet Fitness, Palmdale, Calif. Problem: Members of previous Planet Fitness locations complained of excess water on countertops and floors, which led to safety hazards. Solution: Sloan installed the AER-DEC sink system that features a sink basin, faucet, soap dispenser, and hand dryer all within an arm’s reach. The touch-free, integrated system eliminated the trips between sinks and hand dryers that caused the excess water on countertops and floors.
2. Insulated metal panels
Mcelroy metal
Project: CubeSmart, Cranston, R.I. Problem: Self-storage facilities are often mundane buildings. CubeSmart wanted to buck the trend. Solution: The two buildings that make up the storage facility were clad in a staggered arrangement of 29,000 sf of Ash Gray panels and 10,000 sf of CubeSmart Red panels. On the team: Lacuna Design (architect), Ubane Construction (GC), and EKM Construction (IMP installer).
3. Aluminum Composite Panels
3A Composites USA
Project: South Texas College Technology Campus expansion, McAllen, Texas. Problem: The new university building needed a colorful, durable product to use as a decorative theme for the college while retaining an industrial look. Solution: 15,200 sf of 4mm Alucobond aluminum composite material in custom colors was juxtaposed with cream-colored brick and brown split-face block wainscot on the building’s façade. Also used: 6,200 sf of custom STC Green; 2,700 sf of custom STC Violet; and 6,300 sf of Silver Metallic. On the team: EGV Architects (architect) and E-Con Group (GC).
4. High-efficiency windows
Linetec and winco windows
Project: Vida, San Francisco. Problem: A mixed-use building wanted a neutral, energy-efficient contrast for its colorful façade, which reflects the color and texture of the neighborhood’s Latin-influenced murals and crafts. Solution: Winco Windows’ 1450 Series 4-inch unitized window wall and 3325 Series 3.25-inch zero sightline vents, finished by Linetec in Snow White color. The finish improves thermal performance while maintaining the long-term durability of the fenestration. On the team: DLR Group, Kwan Henmi (architects), Build Group (GC), Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems (glazing contractor).
5. Energy-efficient roof system
Firestone Building Products
Project: Bridgestone Tower, Nashville, Tenn. Problem: To achieve LEED Gold certification, the project team needed an energy-efficient roof system. Solution: Firestone Building Products’ UltraPly TPO and ISO 95+ were used for the project. UltraPly TPO added LEED points to the design, operation, and maintenance of the building. Its white reflective surface exceeds the EPA’s Energy Star requirements. ISO 95+ offers the highest R-value ratings per inch compared to other insulation materials, says the maker.
6. Metal Panel Exterior
Centria
Project: Richland County Decker Center, Columbia, S.C. Problem: The building needed to be visually unified and eliminate any semblance of its former purpose as a strip mall. Solution: Formawall panels in an Off White color with a smooth finish were contrasted with Formawall panels in Chromium Gray across the main building façade. Versawall embossed insulated metal panels in Silver and metallic Sundance AM coating were used around the rear of the building. On the team: Boudreaux (architect), H.G. Reynolds (GC), SECO Architectural Systems (metal panel installer).
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
America's Greenest Hospital
Hospitals are energy gluttons. With 24/7/365 operating schedules and stringent requirements for air quality in ORs and other clinical areas, an acute-care hospital will gobble up about twice the energy per square foot of, say, a commercial office building. It is an achievement worth noting, therefore, when a major hospital achieves LEED Platinum status, especially when that hospital attains 14 ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Concrete Solutions
About five or six years ago, officials at the University of California at Berkeley came to the conclusion that they needed to build a proper home for the university's collection of 900,000 rare Chinese, Japanese, and Korean books and materials. East Asian studies is an important curriculum at Berkeley, with more than 70 scholars teaching some 200 courses devoted to the topic, and Berkeley's pro...
| Aug 11, 2010
Piano's 'Flying Carpet'
Italian architect Renzo Piano refers to his $294 million, 264,000-sf Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago as a “temple of light.” That's all well and good, but how did Piano and the engineers from London-based Arup create an almost entirely naturally lit interior while still protecting the priceless works of art in the Institute's third-floor galleries from dangerous ultravio...
| Aug 11, 2010
Precast All the Way
For years, precast concrete has been viewed as a mass-produced product with no personality or visual appeal—the vanilla of building materials. Thanks to recent technological innovations in precast molds and thin veneers, however, that image is changing. As precast—concrete building components that are poured and molded offsite—continues to develop a vibrant personality all it...
| Aug 11, 2010
Bronze Award: John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Ill.
To complete the $55 million renovation of the historic John G. Shedd Aquarium in the allotted 17-month schedule, the Building Team had to move fast to renovate and update exhibit and back-of-house maintenance spaces, expand the visitor group holding area, upgrade the mechanical systems, and construct a single-story steel structure on top of the existing oceanarium to accommodate staff office sp...
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA Course: Building with concrete – Design and construction techniques
Concrete maintains a special reputation for strength, durability, flexibility, and sustainability. These associations and a host of other factors have made it one of the most widely used building materials globally in just one century. Take this free AIA/CES course from Building Design+Construction and earn 1.0 AIA learning unit.
| Aug 11, 2010
Great Solutions: Green Building
27. Next-Generation Green Roofs Sprout up in New York New York is not particularly known for its green roofs, but two recent projects may put the Big Apple on the map. In spring 2010, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts will debut one of the nation's first fully walkable green roofs. Located across from the Juilliard School in Lincoln Center's North Plaza, Illumination Lawn will consist ...
| Aug 11, 2010
Pioneer Courthouse: Shaking up the court
In the days when three-quarters of America was a wild, lawless no-man's land, Pioneer Courthouse in Portland, Ore., stood out as a symbol of justice and national unity. The oldest surviving federal structure in the Pacific Northwest and the second-oldest courthouse west of the Mississippi, Pioneer Courthouse was designed in 1875 by Alfred Mullett, the Supervising Architect of the Treasury.
| Aug 11, 2010
Gold Award: Eisenhower Theater, Washington, D.C.
The Eisenhower Theater in the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., opened in 1971. By the turn of the century, after three-plus decades of heavy use, the 1,142-seat box-within-a-box playhouse on the Potomac was starting to show its age. Poor lighting and tired, worn finishes created a gloomy atmosphere.
| Aug 11, 2010
Giants 300 University Report
University construction spending is 13% higher than a year ago—mostly for residence halls and infrastructure on public campuses—and is expected to slip less than 5% over the next two years. However, the value of starts dropped about 10% in recent months and will not return to the 2007–08 peak for about two years.
