Resiliency

UC Davis West Village Neighborhood
Case Study
Solar & Renewable Power

Live/Work Lifestyle

UC Davis West Village, the nation’s largest planned zero net energy community, continues to work toward its goal of producing 100 percent of the energy it uses.A 2015 report released by UC Davis and the West Village Community Partnership LLC said the community is 82 percent of its way toward reaching zero net energy, or ZNE. The analysis covers the time period between September 2013 and August 2014. “The neighborhood is close to where we want it to be, but we still are not at the finish line,” said Sid England, assistant vice chancellor of the UC Davis Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability. “I think we’re on track to get to 100 percent in t

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Edison Eastlake Apartments, Phoenix, Az.
Case Study
Multifamily

Beating the Heat

On top of that, the neighborhood has lower vehicle ownership than other areas of Phoenix, so residents rely on walking, biking or taking public transportation and are out in the heat for extended durations.As part of the plan to incorporate 1,161 units of mixed-income housing (including a one-for-one replacement of existing public housing units) Mithun developed new housing prototypes that maximize shade and ventilation and incorporate cool building materials to mitigate extreme heat. Now in the first phase of implementation (an affordable apartment building), the project’s housing design strategies include courtyard housing to maximize shade, single-loaded apartments with open breezew

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Johnson Controls Asia-Pacific Headquarters, Shanghai, China
Case Study
Office

Monsoon Proof

Gensler recently completed the Johnson Controls Asia-Pacific Headquarters in Shanghai, China. Building in a mega-city that is vulnerable to rising sea levels, intense tropical cyclones with high-wind speeds and an extremely wet Asian monsoon season required the design to incorporate passive, redundant and low-maintenance building envelope solutions. Careful attention was paid to the detailing of façade border conditions where different systems meet. Façade laboratory and on-site testing was performed as a means of understanding the building enclosure’s ability to withstand extreme weather events.The building has two emergency generators, but in the event of a power failure the building

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Louisiana Children’s Museum, New Orleans, La.
Case Study
Water Management

Retaining Water

Following Hurricane Katrina, the Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) adapted its mission to respond to the changing needs of its recovering community. By integrating indoor and outdoor interactive experiences in a park setting, LCM presents a unique model for children’s museums.The museum’s new home, designed by Mithun, is distributed into two linked buildings that are carefully sited to protect a significant grove of live oaks, part of a World Heritage Site. The design builds resilience into the lagoon edge with native plantings that will absorb rain and flood water and creates open space that reinforces environmental education. The choreography of the visitor experience con

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Advances
Louvers & Vents

Impact Ready

The 5-in. eme5626md vertical stationary louver meets Miami-Dade hurricane requirements for critical/essential facilities and safe rooms. It has been tested for wind speeds up to 110 mph and Missile Level E impacts. The louver also is available in round and triangular configurations for greater design flexibility. 

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Advances
Roofing Systems

Get Fleeced

EPDM roofing systems can be specified with a 55-mil fleece layer adhered as a backing for long-term protection against high winds, hail and punctures. These FleeceBack membranes are also well-suited for roof gardens and solar applications and can be installed with Flexible FAST adhesive, which reinforces the fleece for increased protection.

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Austin Hall, Sam Houston University, Huntsville, Texas.
Advances
Roofing Systems

Metal Makeover

The stainless-steel roof topping historic Austin Hall on the campus of Sam Houston University in Huntsville, Texas, was only 10 years old when it began to fail, due to a seaming plan not appropriate to its low-slope design. So, though it was less than a decade old, it was recently replaced with a more appropriately engineered standing seam copper roof. The 238T and 138T symmetrical standing seam panels enable watertight performance because there is now interruption of sealant in the seam at clip locations.

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EME420DDE 4-in. deep louvers
Advances
Louvers & Vents

They can Handle a Hurricane

The new EME420DDE 4-in. deep louvers—along with the 5-in. deep EME420DDE model—are designed to meet 55-mph impact tests, for applications in hurricane-prone regions. They have also earned Enhanced Protection ratings, qualifying them for use in such “essential facilities” as hospitals, jails, fire and police stations, and other buildings designated as emergency shelters.

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Northwestern Medical Center, Chicago, Ill.
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

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Advances
Doors/Entry Systems

Battened Hatch

The revolutionary FloodBreak automatic flood barrier is changing how flood mitigation projects are designed. FloodBreak will protect virtually any vulnerable opening, 24/7, without the need for human intervention or power. Permanently installed and nearly invisible, the flood barriers sit beneath entrances, roadways and other openings ready to deploy and prevent flood damage.

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