Education

As the premier presenter of performing arts state- wide, the University of Iowa’s Hancher has been dubbed “the largest classroom on campus.” With sweeping horizontal forms that echo the nearby Iowa River, the building’s design draws from its natural surroundings. Forms cantilever at the south end of the building to create ribbon overhangs for the lobby and second-level terrace’s floor-to-ceiling glass walls, offering shaded sunlight during the day and views of the campus and river. “The shape of the building was very much influenced by the site and the river. We felt it needed to be a panoramic building with the main focus addressing the university at larg

Case Study

Solar Control/Sun Shading

Shading Systems Complete University's Residence Halls

The project team at Texas’ Tarleton State University needed a material that fit with the existing design blueprint and fulfilled solar shading requirements. Exterior coiled wire fabric panels were chosen to enhance comfort for building occupants. The growing academic institution demanded additional residence halls, which came in the form of two new, modern on-campus buildings—Traditions Halls—designed to be both a “living and learning” home for more than 500 students. Social spaces with floor-to-ceiling windows are a key feature of each building, acting as “lantern-like elements” along the bisecting pedestrian route, Rudder Way.

Case Study

Solar Control/Sun Shading

Sun Shades Help Define CTC’s Building Envelope

The Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center (CTC) is creating a world of opportunity for teenagers in Arlington, Texas. Offering 36 different trade certifications and 18 career pathways, the CTC gives local high school juniors and seniors a chance to tackle their career or college path before they graduate high school. From a precision manufacturing shop where students learn how to cut metal for gears and machine parts to a kitchen for culinary arts, the 169,800-sq.-ft. facility serves as many as 2000 students every day who split time between CTC and their home high school. The building was built with flexible infrastructure so the classrooms can be transformed as new trades emerge, and equipme

Case Study

Glass & Curtainwall

The Net Zero Plus Electrical Training Institute

Many equate net-zero buildings with significant solar power arrays. While renewables are a key component to any net zero energy project, there is a lot more to it than just PV. If anyone ought to know, it’s Brett Moss, training director for the L.A. County IBEW/NECA Electrical Training Institute. A 2016 complete retrofit, the school, prior to the deep-energy technology additions, already had nearly ¾ MW worth of PV on site, but that year, emerged from its cocoon, so to speak, to become the Net Zero Plus ETI, a 142,000 sq. ft., net-positive facility which generates nearly a megawatt’s worth of power, while only consuming about 740,000 kWh. While that’s a lot of renewa

Case Study

Storage Solutions

Lenox Lockers Upgrade Pepperdine's Locker Rooms

Pepperdine University’s men’s and women’s water sports locker rooms, and a general use locker room, were furnished with old and tired metal lockers. According to Dave Heetland, project manager for Pepperdine’s Facilities, Management and Planning department, the facility's lockers were in need of replacement because of their high usage and had simply come to the end of their life cycle.Heetland’s goals were to update the locker rooms, add some design “pizzazz,” and use quality products that could withstand the harsh wet and humid conditions of these high-traffic locker areas. Attracting students was another goal because the campus h

Case Study

Water Management

A Formula for Stormwater Retention and Reuse

Some reputations die hard. Granted, Pittsburgh’s legacy as a sooty, steel-making city a century ago was well-earned, but it’s also a thing of the past. In its place is a widespread commitment to environmental stewardship that is slowly but surely earning The ‘Burgh’ a new and better standing in the public eye. The latest example of this new era is the Frick Environmental Center, the first municipally owned, fee-free public building in the U.S. to earn Living Building certification, a rigorous protocol by the International Living Future Institute.“The international recognition of the Frick Environmental Center is the perfect reflection of the deeply rooted c

Case Study

Windows/Skylights

University Skylight 'Enlightens' Students

The decades old skylights on the roof of Sibley Hall had frosted over and faded with time, greatly reducing the amount of natural daylight coming into the building. The exterior steel frame of the building was in extremely poor condition and leaked. And, after many years of housing the weight of the Fine Arts Library, the top of the building had begun to spread apart and the exterior walls were cracking.

Case Study

Exterior Panels/Cladding

Forward-Thinking Design at VCU

The Institute for Contemporary Art (ICA) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) will bring the most contemporary art exhibits in the world to the VCU campus and the city of Richmond. Located in the striking new Markel Center and designed by renowned architect Steven Holl, the ICA offers 41,000 sq. ft. of flexible space including an inviting 33-ft. high central forum. It features a dynamic slate of changing exhibitions, performances, files and interdisciplinary programs. In keeping with VCU’s master sustainability plan, the ICA incorporates state-of-the-art technologies and environmentally conscious design elements and makes use of numerous natural resources.

Case Study

Glass & Curtainwall

An Ode to the University

Tulane’s Freeman School of Business set out to unify two halls into one complex by adding a 45,000-sq.-ft., four-story addition and renovating 40,000 sq. ft. of classrooms and lecture halls. Inspired by Tulane’s mascot, the Wave, and several 100-year-old oak trees lining the street, a scalloped curtainwall was designed as the heart of the project. Given the historical significance of the trees and weather-related conditions that are an ongoing threat to New Orleans, it was critical to preserve the trees and provide protection against extreme weather while achieving LEED Gold criteria.The YUW 750 XT unitized curtainwall was selected to meet these goals. One of the highest performi

Case Study

Glass & Curtainwall

The Outdoor Connection

Guardian SunGuard glass products balance high performance with light transmittance and the right aesthetic at state-of-the-art Owego Elementary School. Architect Highland Associates were charged with replacing a structure destroyed by Tropical Storm Lee with a high-performing envelope that meets LEED Silver certification.“The spaces have a sense of relaxed vitality that comes only with a strong connection to the outdoors,” explains David Degnon, senior associate, Highland Assoc. “This would not be possible without the strategic use of specialized glass products such as Guardian SunGuard glass. With glass making up such a large part of the façade, the color and appearance ha

Case Study

Exterior Panels/Cladding

A System for Continued Education

Studies show a high correlation between daylighting and increased comfort and productivity, making Kalwall an ideal solution for school renovations. This 1958 concrete framed building, located in Southall, Middlesex, was failing due to decay and ingress of water, and needed structural stabilization. DSP Architecture was appointed to repair and encapsulate the frame, resulting in a stunning transformation into a very modern teaching block befitting its outstanding Ofsted rating and complementing the other new school buildings. “The client specifically requested Kalwall for this project after seeing how well it worked on our previous project for the adjoining 6th form building,

Case Study

Exterior Panels/Cladding

University Student Housing Gets Needed Facelift

Rowan University needed housing for its expanding student body, and quickly. The once modest New Jersey state teachers’ college suddenly had 18,000 students, including its graduate program, and had now gained university status. The collaboration led to the construction of a six-story residential building, which would anchor several planned surrounding structures. Between 2014 and 2018, seven buildings comprising more than 450,000 sq. ft. and 1500 wall panels were constructed in three phases.