A Water Celebration

A new scalable climate adoption system, Climate Tile, equips side-walks with capabilities that not only treat water, but celebrate water as a valuable resource.Climate Tile is a new scalable climate adoption system for future cities. It couples traditionally separate functions. It transforms future sidewalks to collect and manage water, while contributing to the growth of urban nature and improved microclimates. It equips sidewalks with a set of additional capabilities that treat water in a technical manner, and conserve water as a valuable resource.The system can catch and redirect the additional projected 30% rainwater due to increased precipitation from climate change. It prevents ov

Advances

Doors/Entry Systems

Elliptical Door Swing

Featuring an innovative new elliptical door swing that increases usable floor space as the door is drawn inward when swinging open, C.R. Laurence introduces Clear Space. The unique design incorporates a top door guide that automatically folds away from the opening and stacks parallel to the sidewall to provide unobstructed entry. The upshot is door outswing projection is reduced by approximately 45% for a typical 36-in. wide opening.

Case Study

Flooring

Hospital Addresses Safety and Aesthetic Concerns

Rockville Hospital boasts a strong behavioral health unit that provides support and specialized, sophisticated services for many areas of mental health, including addictions, anxiety, depression and other counseling. As part of its renovation, Rockville Hospital was looking for flooring that would provide safety and aesthetics for patients and visitors alike. Jeff Lawton, Moser Pilon Nelson Architects, worked with Rockville hospital to select flooring, and ultimately chose Altro Wood, Altro Aquarius and Altro Whiterock products for use throughout the unit. The project had originally called for other alternatives, but Jeff Lawton, a fan of Altro products, thought they might be better sui

Advances

Wall Coverings

Greater Impact Resistance

VersaGuard performs in high-traffic corridors and public spaces, shielding walls from wear and the impact of rolling traffic such as desk chairs, carts and gurneys. The wall protection is highly resistant to soiling and tough stains. When cleaning is needed, stringent agents such as bleach or rubbing alcohol can be used. It includes 30% recycled content and is NSF 342 certified. It has a long lifecycle even in extreme applications and maintains a clean, attractive appearance for many years.

Case Study

Exterior Panels/Cladding

Articulation Curbs NYC "Dirt Factor"

433 Broadway walks a fine line between historic form and modern function, visually blending in to Manhattan’s historic SOHO district. Owned by Cubico, it is the first building entirely devoted to shared workspace constructed from the ground up. With this came a host of design challenges to allow varied companies to coexist—and thrive—within the same workspace. “Because it is being used by any number of different people, we wanted it to be as general and anonymous as possible,” says Nelson Vega, Associate Principal, AIA, RKTB Architects. RKTB also set out to avoid enclosed spaces that would block daylight from getting deep into each floor, with a lot of interior

Case Study

Glass & Curtainwall

Mixed-Use Mastered in Downtown Montreal

50-story residential tower features more than 434,000 square feet of high-performance, Low-E coated glass L’Avenue is a mixed-use, high-rise building located in the heart of downtown Montreal. The 50-story residential tower houses 304 apartment units, commercial office space currently occupied by ‘WeWork’, retail space, a café at grade, and a ‘Provigo’ grocery store.Designed by Toronto-based firm, IBI Group, L’Avenue is the pinnacle of luxury living. Residential amenities are located on the 9th floor, which is also the first tower floor, and they were designed to offer a resort-like experience for inhabitants. The building is located advantageously, r

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

Lighting & Controls

Open Up

HO4 Open Aperture luminaires offer a sculptural approach to linear lighting that can be configured for direct, uplight/downlight, pendant, recessed and surface-mount applications. The high-efficiency fixtures feature a polymer reflector and a unique optical design that adds just enough brightness variation to help define the rectilinear form.

Case Study

Flooring

Flooring Install Remedy for Neuro Intensive Care Unit

UW Health’s University Hospital in Madison, Wis., sought to reduce noise and improve the patient and staff experience in its newly renovated, 18-bed Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (Neuro ICU). Installing an ergonomic healthcare flooring product provided the solution. Located on the fourth floor of University Hospital, the 13,000-sq.-ft. Neuro ICU was previously a rehab unit for orthopedics. That population moved to the newly built UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital. Administrators decided more high-acuity intensive care beds were needed, and as a result, the new Neuro ICU was created. The Neuro ICU project marks the first year of a multi-year renovation to add ICU rooms. According to

Advances

Windows/Skylights

Seamless System Integration for Success

Formavue windows feature aluminum framing that incorporates a complete thermal break and integral head and sill joinery that marries seamlessly with CENTRIA Formawall panels. This integrated design eliminates the need for time-consuming window/wall interface detailing and ensures ultimate weathertightness, maximum thermal performance, and reduced opportunity for window condensation.

Architectural Products

A Water Celebration

Read the Digital Edition

Jul/Aug ’19

Elliptical Door Swing

Hospital Addresses Safety and Aesthetic Concerns

Greater Impact Resistance

Articulation Curbs NYC "Dirt Factor"

Mixed-Use Mastered in Downtown Montreal

AP ProductWire

Passively Cool

Open Up

Flooring Install Remedy for Neuro Intensive Care Unit

Seamless System Integration for Success