1. Meet the new cubicle: Elegance meets privacy
Bobrick Washroom Equipment
Designed for high-end commercial restroom applications, including hotels and corporate offices, the Privada collection from Bobrick Washroom Equipment combines the elegance and privacy of traditional European restroom cubicles with the modern design stylings and functionality for today’s market. The partitions range from six to eight feet in height and sit on cylindrical pedestals, which offer a toe clearance of either four or nine inches (with slight adjustment for floor variance). Interlocking panels eliminate sightlines and form flush surfaces, while occupancy indicators enhance privacy. Self-closing doors provide a smooth, gradual closing speed (four seconds on standard doors and up to 10 seconds on ADA compartments). The panels are available in more than 35 standard colors and wood grains, in high-pressure laminate or wood veneer. Hardware: anodized aluminum or stainless steel. All fasteners on the panel surfaces and connection points are fully concealed.
2. Structural silicone adhesive is made for next-gen point-supported glass façades
DOWSIL
To meet the growing demand for point-fixed glass façades, DOWSIL (formerly Dow Corning) offers its next-generation bonding solution: Transparent Structural Silicone Adhesive (TSSA). The adhesive eliminates the potential for gas leakage and thermal bridging and is up to 10 times stronger than conventional structural glazing silicones, according to the company. No glass drilling or gaskets are required with this 1mm-thick structural silicone crystal-clear film. A safety indicator within the silicone film turns the adhesive white when the stress level exceeds the maximum design value and returns back to crystal clear when stress is removed.
3. Convert interior glass partitions intO DIGITAL DISPLAYS
Avery Dennison
Made for the retrofit market, Avery Dennison’s Vela places a thin translucent film over indoor glass panes, creating a fully “switchable” system for privacy, whiteboard applications, even interactive digital displays. The Vela Dynamic Display System can turn the Vela glass partition into a high-definition TV screen, offering no-glare rear projection with multi-channel control. The technology is based on the use of polymer dispersed liquid crystals controlled by an electrical current.
4. Stain-blocking primer is tailor-made for property rehabs
Sherwin-Williams
Extreme Block Primer/Sealer from Sherwin-Williams is a versatile indoor-outdoor oil-based primer that reduces the need for repaints by sealing off stubborn stains such as smoke, fire, and nicotine. Designed for building owners and facility managers that need to quickly restore spaces for use, such as apartment buildings. Can be top-coated with acrylic or alkyd products in as little as two hours. Adheres well to wood, drywall, masonry, and prepared metal.
5. Porcelain veneer collection inspired by natural landscape
Oldcastle Architectural
Designed for outdoor commercial spaces (floors and accent walls), Oldcastle’s Echelon Veneers by Mirage line of porcelain veneers offers a new collection: Quarziti. Five colors, each named after a natural landscape: Glacier, Mountains, Waterfall, River, and Mantle. The cladding panels are strong—resistant up to 2,200 lbs—and durable, with time-tested performance against freeze/thaw, stains, fire, mold, moss, dirt, and chemical agents, says the maker. Size: 4x18 inches in thicknesses from 0.30 to 0.60 inches.
6. Self-cleaning toilet reduces maintenance, cleaning
Kohler
Kohler’s new ContinuousClean option is a factory-installed system housed in the toilet tank that dispenses a consistent dosage of cleaner during each flush to keep the bowl clean. Owners simply place a cleaning tablet (the system works with any brand) in the designated compartment within the system and press an activation button to indicate a new tablet. Three settings allow owners to adjust the dispensing of the cleaning solution. The system is designed to extend the life of cleansing tablets to more than a year.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community center under way in NYC seeks LEED Platinum
A curving, 550-foot-long glass arcade dubbed the “Wall of Light” is the standout architectural and sustainable feature of the Battery Park City Community Center, a 60,000-sf complex located in a two-tower residential Lower Manhattan complex. Hanrahan Meyers Architects designed the glass arcade to act as a passive energy system, bringing natural light into all interior spaces.
| Oct 13, 2010
Community college plans new campus building
Construction is moving along on Hudson County Community College’s North Hudson Campus Center in Union City, N.J. The seven-story, 92,000-sf building will be the first higher education facility in the city.
| Oct 12, 2010
Holton Career and Resource Center, Durham, N.C.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. Early in the current decade, violence within the community of Northeast Central Durham, N.C., escalated to the point where school safety officers at Holton Junior High School feared for their own safety. The school eventually closed and the property sat vacant for five years.
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 12, 2010
Gartner Auditorium, Cleveland Museum of Art
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Silver Award. Gartner Auditorium was originally designed by Marcel Breuer and completed, in 1971, as part of his Education Wing at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Despite that lofty provenance, the Gartner was never a perfect music venue.
| Oct 12, 2010
Full Steam Ahead for Sustainable Power Plant
An innovative restoration turns a historic but inoperable coal-burning steam plant into a modern, energy-efficient marvel at Duke University.
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.