The new student center at the University of the District of Columbia was designed to create a sense of welcome to an urban campus that has long been seen as something of an afterthought. The four-year college has undertaken a major redesign to reposition itself in the dense, Van Ness neighborhood, and the student center’s entrance plaza certainly sets a stage for the upgrades that have taken place.Landscape architects with D.C.-based Lee and Assocs. took the lead on the plaza design—the student center was the work of CannonDesign, in collaboration with Marshall Moya Design. The entire project is one of only two student unions in the U.S. to earn leed Platinum.The university has t

Advances

Coatings & Finishes

Clearly Rugged Ceramic

Transparent ceramic products are often unseen, but always indispensable. This is the case of CeramTec’s Perlucor transparent ceramic glass coating, which has many uses in the built environment. Last month at Light + Building in Frankfurt, Germany CeramTec’s innovative coating material was introduced as part of the new Dasar Premium product series for lighting manufacturer SLV as a glass cover fitted with a transparent layer of Perlucor. It acts as the reinforcement of in-ground and at-grade landscape luminaires. The transparent ceramic is a functional addition to the design of SLV’s 316L-type stainless steel fixture; at the same time, it also lives up to the design’s

Case Study

Glass & Curtainwall

Perfect Harmony

Saint-Gobain’s latest innovation from its SageGlass division resulted in Harmony, an elegantly performing dynamic glass that was chosen as the preferred glazing of Switzerland’s new Millennium Center in Geneva. Unveiled at Glasstec last October, the solution enhances the visual and thermal comfort of occupants while maintaining views with a natural-looking, seamless connection to the outdoors.When transforming, Harmony delivers a gradual in-pane tint transition from fully clear to fully tinted. Everything, from conference rooms to concierge services, elevators and the Millennium Center glazing, will be connected to the Cloud and managed via smartphone apps, which are integrated i

Advances

Exterior Panels/Cladding

Compare and Contrast

Designers with R2L:Architects in Washington, D.C., paired two profiles of metal panels in a recent project to create a rooftop common area for an apartment project in the city’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. The prePATINA graphite-grey Flat Lock Tiles and Standing Seam Panels help define the space, with a geometry that’s complemented by other materials in the plan.

Case Study

Lighting & Controls

Silicon Valley Convention Center Gets Lit

When the San Jose McEnery Convention Center needed a new lighting system that could support the multi-use, high-production-value conventions their clients expect, they turned to high-tech lighting. The San Jose McEnery Convention Center now has one of the most advanced lighting systems in the country. “The previous sodium light fixtures were from the ’80s,” says Gabriel Nemeth, Director of Event Operations. “Advances in technology and changing client demands put us behind the times.” This was particularly true for tradeshows that demand multiple functions, with some sections being used for keynotes and others for booths. For guidance to a solution, Team San Jose

Case Study

Glass & Curtainwall

Glass is a Key Ingredient for McCormick

McCormick's new 350,000-square-foot headquarters shows mixing high-performance glass with sustainable design is a recipe for success. Looking to consolidate nearly 1,000 corporate employees, who were scattered across four nearby office buildings, McCormick & Company selected Hunt Valley, Maryland, as the location for its new global headquarters. The site offered several opportunities, which included creating a large corporate campus, placing the headquarters within close proximity of three of the company’s manufacturing facilities, and reusing an existing building.However, installing a modern glass façade on an older building posed a challenge. “Because the project was re

AP ProductWire

July 17, 2019 by AP Staff

Traditional Materials Made Fresh

Few materials are as iconic in American academic settings as classic red brick. Durable enough to last for decades and virtually maintenance-free, brick has long been a first choice for university planners, who often give brick a place of honor on their lists of design guidelines. That popularity remains today, but architects also are exploring new ways to keep this traditional material fresh. The Brick Industry Assn.’s Brick in Architecture awards have highlighted several projects over the last few years that illustrate the creative approaches architects have taken to make this ancient building material new again at a number of American universities. These designs all have the dual effect of relating the new facilities to surrounding campuses that might be a century or more old, while also making design statements intended to stay relevant for the decades—and students—yet to come. Below is a look back at a few Brick in Architecture Award winners and the materials that enabled their outcomes.

Advances

Plaster & Gypsum Board

Could this be the Most Sustainable Wallboard?

USG’s new Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Mold Tough Firecode X may be an industry first in lightweight and sustainable 5⁄8-in. Type X gypsum wallboard. Still moisture and mold-resistant, this wallboard was designed to meet the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products. The wallboard features up to 94.6% recycled content, is GreenGuard Gold certified and Living Building Challenge compliant. The wallboard still offers sound, strength, sag and impact resistance, and is UL classified as fire resistant, with surface-burning characteristics and non-combustibility. Compliant with ASTM C1396.

Case Study

Roofing Systems

EPDM Roofing System Provides Durability for Freemasons

The Freemason lodge in Indianapolis, known as Millersville Lodge No. 126, first convened in 1852 in the home of one of its members. The current temple—the building where the masonic lodge meets—was constructed in 1925. Over the years, the Freemason lodge has seen many construction improvements and restorations. While the lodge has tried to maintain as much of the original building materials as possible, some of the building elements have deteriorated over the years, not the least of which was the roofing system, which has been replaced more than once.By 2017, the lodge trustees began considering enhancements to their existing Carlisle SynTec Sure-Seal 60-mil EPDM roofing system w

Advances

Exterior Panels/Cladding

Metal Panels with Unique Sloped Depth, Diverse Applications

Intercept RZR is a high-performance rainscreen system that creates the option for sloped panel depth of up to 4” and integrates seamlessly with CENTRIA Intercept Entyre and Intercept LVLZ for dynamic aesthetics, including dramatic wall relief and plane changes.Available in both horizontal and vertical applications, Intercept RZR panels can be specified in zinc or aluminum substrates and are offered in depths of 1-3/8” to 4”. Panel lengths span up to 138” (aluminum) and 120” (zinc), and up to 48” (aluminum) and 32” (zinc) wide.Intercept RZR panels are available in a variety of colors, as well as CENTRIA’s wide array of high-performance, inn

Architectural Products

A Sense of Place

Read the Digital Edition

Jun ’19

Clearly Rugged Ceramic

Perfect Harmony

Compare and Contrast

Silicon Valley Convention Center Gets Lit

Glass is a Key Ingredient for McCormick

AP ProductWire

Traditional Materials Made Fresh

Could this be the Most Sustainable Wallboard?

EPDM Roofing System Provides Durability for Freemasons

Metal Panels with Unique Sloped Depth, Diverse Applications