ASHRAE and the United Nations Environment Programme have renewed their joint global effort to help reduce the amount of pollutants released into the atmosphere by buildings. One big goal of the so-called third biennial work plan is the sustainable phase-out of ozone- depleting substances in refrigerant and air conditioning systems, says the Atlanta-based ASHRAE, formerly known as the American Society of Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.Another aim of the joint effort, created under a global cooperation agreement signed in 2007, is to create an international advisory team to assist developing countries in their efforts to institute and/or update relevant codes
Seismic engineering innovators often hit resistance to change, but Steven Tipping knows this. For years, he has been seeking ways to build better mousetraps—in earthquake zones.
Anyone who questions the value of art should take a look at the Charles Pankow Foundation. Under the stewardship of Richard M. Kunnath, the nation's only privately funded group devoted to building innovation has sponsored $8 million worth of applied research since 2006.
The Three Musketeers of data-center transformation—Skanska's Jakob Carnemark and Inertech's Earl Keisling and Gerald McDonnell—put their reputations on the line when selling telecommunications company TELUS the first installation of Skanska's smart, ultra-green modular data center.
SHoP Construction Services Barclays Center Facade Construction Video Barclays Center Arena Time-Lapse Video SHoP Architects' Jonathan L. Mallie is described as one of a crop of new-age design professionals facilitating a transition to technology
Thanks to his movable feat on high, Uni-Systems' Mark Silvera is a behind-the-scenes linchpin of City Creek, Salt Lake City's 23-acre urban redevelopment. SILVERAMost eye-catching in the mini-village is a 470-ft-long bi-parting skylight that, from below, "disappears" from sight.
Photo by Bruce Damonte In plant, workers connected most two-sided assemblies using wrong bolts. Related Links: Reshaping of Barclays Center Made Possible by Collaboration, Digital Tools Arena Subcontractor's 'Untimely' Default Delays Enclosure Concern for public safety at Brooklyn's Barclays Center—after the discovery that mostly under-strength bolts were used in the facade's prefabricated facade assemblies—was allayed soon after the error's discovery last August, says the curtain wall inspector. Even so, this week, the arena's curtain-wall fabricator is finishing up a fix that replaced 1,768 of the 23,351 bolts."There is a tremendous amount of redundancy," says Israel Berger, CEO of the New
Nadine M. Post for ENR One New York Plaza was in the flood zone in Lower Manhattan. Nadine M. Post for ENR Related Links: Brookfield Office Properties While New York City's 100-person Building Resiliency Task Force—convened in the wake of Superstorm Sandy—begins reviewing codes to recommend ways to make low-lying buildings more flood-resistant, building owners are reassessing their own storm protocols. At least one, Brookfield Office Properties, already has begun rebuilding the three flooded basements of its 50-story One New York Plaza.The office tower sits near the southern tip of Manhattan. On Oct. 29, a 3-ft-high storm surge flooded three
Related Links: U.S. Green Building Council International Code Council Though sustainability, modular construction and team collaboration dominated the news in the buildings sector in 2012, green building seems to be the topic most talked about. Every few weeks, it seems, green-building promoters issue guidance, model codes and digital tools to advance sustainable design and construction. Some say that green-regulation compliance is burying project teams in paperwork. Even worse, in a buyer’s market, owners keep dreaming up ways to put their design and construction teams at risk if the buildings do not meet energy targets. Though there has been some progress