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

Lighting & Controls

Double Duty

Providing the ambient lighting of a sconce, along with the directional illumination of a bedside reading lamp, the ABAC is like two fixtures in one. Created by French designer Jean-Phillippe Nuel especially for hospitality applications, it features a fixed backlight, along with a separate, easily adjustable reading light. It’s available in finish combinations of white and chrome (shown here) and black and brass.

Case Study

Green Roofs

No Chicago H2O Blues

Very near Lake Michigan in Chicago, Northwestern Medical Center faced several challenges in bringing a new campus building to life. Designed by Perkins+Will, the project involves a phased construction where a 14-story base building is presently under construction; a 20-story tower addition is planned for construction in five to 10 years. Since the project is built-out to all property lines there are no at-grade landscape areas, which presented a particular challenge given the city’s Dept. of Stormwater Management permit requirement that the project account the total building mass and footprint. Translation: 10,000 cubic ft. of stormwater detention was required. Further, city code requi

Advances

Plumbing Fixtures

The Skyline

As reflected in its name, the new Skyline faucet from Franz Viegener is refined and elegant. With its 5.75-in. spout and a choice of eight different finishes, the faucet comes in widespread, single handle and wall configurations, with a choice of flow rates: 2.2 gallons per minute, 2 gpm, 1.5 gpm or 1.2 gpm.

Case Study

Windows/Skylights

Replica Windows Steer Pier Renovation

As the urban cores of Silicon Valley’s technology hub cities become denser, start-ups and established high-tech developers alike have made it a habit to resurrect historically significant buildings, and add richness and a sense of place to the surrounding community.Along with several other tenants, Uber Advanced Technologies Group occupies San Francisco’s historic Pier 70, Buildings 115 and 116. According to Berkeley-based Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, the buildings were all in urgent need of repair. The design team developed a building-within-a-building concept that preserved the historic perimeter brick walls, reduced the cost of temporary shoring and retained the open volu

Case Study

Plumbing Fixtures

WashBar Scores a Perfect Game with Bowling Venue Clientele

Oxford Lanes Bowling Center in Oxford, Ohio offers a contemporary family setting for enjoying one of America’s most popular participatory sports. Owner Andrew Nieman researched several hand washing and drying fixtures before updating the men’s and women’s restrooms at Oxford Lanes Bowling Center, a twelve lane bowling alley. His goal was to find a solution that would eliminate a dreaded problem for bowlers: wet restroom floors. “Wet floors are a major annoyance because when the soles of bowling shoes get wet, they don’t function properly on the bowling lane; not to mention the safety hazards of slipping and falling on wet restroom floors." “We set out

AP ProductWire

August 15, 2019 by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett

Passively Cool

As the fastest growing end-use in buildings, energy allotted for cooling has doubled since 2000, according to the International Energy Agency. Concurrently, codes and green building rating programs are pushing buildings to pare down their HVAC loads. As a result, architects are paying much more attention to non-mechanical design strategies for accomplishing just that. So how? There are a number of strategies, many of them passive solutions: optimized building orientation; shading; cool and green roofs; natural ventilation—and even landscape design—can help bring cooling loads down. While cost savings and enhanced sustainability are the most transparent payoffs, these strategies are also boosting thermal comfort. “As peak loads are reduced, the mechanical systems will operate with less variability, leading to the presence of reduced or eliminated drafts within spaces since variable-air-volume (VAV) air distribution equipment will experience a tighter range of airflow as they operate from a minimum to a maximum amount throughout the year,” explains Scott M. Davis, P.E., LEED AP, BD+C, vice president and director of mechanical engineering, Bala Consulting Engineers, King of Prussia, Pa. “This will result in more efficient distribution systems and more comfortable spaces.” Below you’ll find a few examples of solutions that can help manage cooling loads in your next project.

Advances

Surfaces/Finishes

Cabana Culture

During last year’s Milan Design Week, Corian created what it has dubbed the Corian Cabana, an experiential path, which combines Corian with a variety of decorative patterns, lighting effects and music. The “Corian Cabana Club” different rooms in this Corian “village” form a bazaar of design applications of Corian fabrications. Shown here is the ornate walls letting light into the Mystery Tunnel.

Case Study

Glass Walls/Partitions

Perpetual Movement

San Francisco-based Axelrod Design/Axelrod Architects designed the interiors for the Basix office headquarters in Tel Aviv. The design team translated these company values into a flexible, dynamic office design, which incorporates a major element—three-dimensional striped glass—in order to transform a narrow, medium-sized office space into an open, subtle and expansive one. The office has been divided by fixed and moving glass partitions to provide for the perpetual movement and changing combinations of today’s flexible office spaces.

Advances

Glass & Curtainwall

Keeping Schools Safe with Attack-Resistant Glazing

In the school market, glass safety and security are important topics for the entire community. In addition to meeting security needs, schools also need to provide the necessary daylighting options and energy performance for occupant comfort.CHILDGARD security glazing is attack resistant glass designed to withstand extensive physical attack in a forced entry scenario, ultimately resisting entry until law enforcement or additional help arrive. CHILDGARD products are tested to ASTM F1233-08 security glazing standards and comply with standard safety glazing codes for all interior and exterior applications and can be paired with the best Low-E glass available to ensure the best combination o

Architectural Products

A Sense of Place

Read the Digital Edition

Jul/Aug ’19

Double Duty

No Chicago H2O Blues

The Skyline

Replica Windows Steer Pier Renovation

WashBar Scores a Perfect Game with Bowling Venue Clientele

AP ProductWire

Passively Cool

Cabana Culture

Perpetual Movement

Keeping Schools Safe with Attack-Resistant Glazing