October 2019

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
Structural Wood

Stabilizes Wood Structures

The MPBZ moment post base is the first product to receive an icc-es code listing for moment resistance. Also the first off-the-shelf product to provide the same for wood columns or posts, it is now code listed under icc-es esr-3050 for its 4 × 4 and 6 × 6 sizes. It is also code listed for uplift, download and lateral resistance. 

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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
Restrooms

Barrel Vanity

In introducing the Starck 1 Barrel Vanity, Duravit celebrates its long-term relationship with renowned designer Philippe Starck. With its minimalist style, the bucket design opens into a modern below-the-sink vanity, available in a range of finishes and colors. 

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Advances
Lighting & Controls

A-Light

The new WGD9 Wall Grazer is designed to be installed 3-in. into the ceiling to provide a wash of light along the wall without shadows or hot spots. Precision optics create a narrow 7-degree beam to enhance surface textures from ceiling to floor. Length can be specified in 1-ft. increments, and three color-temperature packages are available.

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Advances
Lighting & Controls

Slim Profile

The After 8 pendant features an ultra-streamlined profile fashioned from milled aluminum that’s only 0.1875-in. wide. It’s available in the ring form shown above, with direct/indirect light distribution, along with a linear version. Both feature power delivered over the suspension cable and multiple finish options. 

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Wichita High School, Wichita, Kansas
Advances
Exterior Panels/Cladding

Bullish on Education

Replacing a 1950s predecessor, the new Wichita High School Southeast in Wichita, Kansas, is its district’s first new comprehensive high school since the 1970s. Designed by the hometown firm of Schaefer Johnson Cox Fry, the new facility makes an immediate visual impact, thanks to the combination of Envelope 2000 RS metal composite material panels and tinted glass curtainwall. Highlighting the school colors of black and gold—and, with a supersized mural of the school’s gold-toned buffalo mascot, the panels’ easy installation also helped speed the aggressive two-year construction schedule. 

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