BD+C editors and our contributors posted hundreds of blogs in 2013. Here's a recap of the most popular topics. They include valuable lessons from one of the first BIM-related lawsuits and sage advice from AEC legend Arthur Gensler.
1. Lawsuit teaches valuable lesson on BIM and communication
While browsing through some magazines on a flight, I read a cautionary tale about one of the first BIM-related lawsuits. The crux of the issue centered on the lack of communication between the architect, MEP engineer, and contractor. By Sasha Reed Read the post.
2. Eight of history’s biggest design blunders
“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote rings true when one considers the many failures and resulting lessons learned in the history of architecture, engineering and design. By Cannon Design Read the post.
3. Arthur Gensler to architects: Don't give away your ideas
The founder of Gensler advises dozens of up-and-coming AEC professionals at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. By David Barista Read the post.
4. Are these the '10 buildings that changed America'? Not likely
The other day we posted an announcement about PBS's upcoming special, "10 Buildings That Changed America." I don't pretend to be an architectural historian, but does anyone else think there are some unusual choices here? By Robert Cassidy Read the post.
5. Brainstorming solutions to BIM implementation challenges – What hardware do you really need?
Even as more owners, agencies, and AEC firms are turning to BIM, it is impossible to ignore the fact that many of these organizations are still struggling with BIM implementation. By Sasha Reed Read the post.
6. Three new insulation materials could be powerful solutions on commercial retrofits
Three innovative insulation materials, including vacuum insulation panels and phase-change materials, could soon be used for commercial building retrofits in the U.S., as costs of these products fall and revamped local building codes allow their use. By Drew Ballensky Read the post.
7. Does billing by the hour still make sense?
What’s an idea really worth? That’s the question posed by The New York Times in a provocative article that explores whether the notion of billing time still makes economic sense. By Steven Burns Read the post.
8. BIM 2.0 and Google Glass: Science fiction or coming attractions for a job site near you?
Todd Wynne of Rogers-O’Brien Construction is one of only 8,000 people around the globe granted a pair of Google Glass for testing. Here's what he's been up to with the technology. By Sasha Reed Read the post.
9. Better ways to manage PDF drawing sets – A customer's wish comes true
Sometimes in order to solve a challenge, you simply need walk around the problem and look at it from different angles. By Sasha Reed Read the post.
10. Shuttered Pyramid arena in Memphis to be renovated for Bass Pro Shops
The vacant Pyramid arena in downtown Memphis will be transformed into a Bass Pro Shop. Instead of a 210-room hotel on three floors around The Pyramid's interior, Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris is considering building 60 to 80 "cabins" inside the building. By Drew Ballensky Read the post.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
AIA hires Worthen, Fitzgerald for sustainability, young architects initiatives
As part of an ongoing effort to bolster its education and outreach on sustainability, the American Institute of Architects has hired William J. Worthen, AIA, LEED AP, vice president of Simon & Associates (a green consulting firm) as Director and Resource Architect for Sustainability. The AIA has also hired Kevin A. Fitzgerald, AIA, a former associate with Robert AM Stern Architects, as a staff coordinator/team leader for several AIA committees devoted to young architects.
| Aug 11, 2010
Perkins+Will acquires Canadian firm Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners
Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners of Toronto, Ont., Canada, has been acquired by Perkins+Will, a global integrated design firm headquartered in Chicago. The merger marks Perkins+Will's 19th office in North America and its second in Canada.
| Aug 11, 2010
NBBJ and C.T. Hsu associates join forces for Florida healthcare market
NBBJ has entered into an exclusive alliance agreement with C.T. Hsu + Associates P.A. (CTHA) to provide world-class design/planning services for Florida's emerging healthcare and science facilities market. The alliance combines NBBJ's international reputation for the design and planning of healthcare and science & research facilities with CTHA's knowledge of community needs and established reputation for planning and design expertise in Central Florida.
| Aug 11, 2010
Minneapolis Public Housing authority, Honeywell launch energy retrofit program
Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell today announced a $33.6-million energy efficiency and facility renewal program that will help the housing authority improve its infrastructure, reduce its impact on the environment, and save more than $3.7 million in utility costs per year. Local contractors will also complete a majority of the work for the program, one of the largest of its kind for a public housing authority, helping boost the Twin Cities job market.
| Aug 11, 2010
Shepley Bulfinch announces merger of Merzproject
National architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Merzproject of Phoenix today announced their merger. The merger unites Shepley Bulfinch, one of the country’s leading design firms, and Merzproject.
| Aug 11, 2010
Skanska Promotes Richard Kennedy to COO for NY/NJ Metro Area
Skanska USA Building Inc., headquartered in Parsippany, N.J., has announced that Richard Kennedy was promoted to Chief Operating Officer from his previous role as Senior Vice President – General Counsel. Kennedy’s promotion marks the latest addition to Skanska’s national leadership team.
| Aug 11, 2010
The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community
David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.
| Aug 11, 2010
Brown Craig Turner opens senior living studio
Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.
| Aug 11, 2010
George H. Miller, FAIA, inaugurated as 2010 AIA President
George H. Miller, FAIA, partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners LLP, was inaugurated as the 86th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 4th.
