During construction of Florida Polytechnic University's $60-million Innovation Science and Technology Building—which more closely resembles a flying saucer than a citadel of learning—the flappable wings ruled.
Enlarge Related Links: NIBS Off-Site Construction Council New Horizons Foundation OSCC Survey for Off-Site Implementation Guide Researchers trying to get a handle on trends and benefits of off-site construction say studies are limited by a lack of consensus about what really qualifies as prefabrication. That aside, 93% of 312 responders to a recent online survey indicate they have used, "to some degree," off-site fabricated components, with precast concrete the most frequently used. Of the responders, 83% say they will use off-site construction to the same degree or more in the next year."We need to draw the line to make the
The American Institute of Steel Construction continues to drill deep into the steel sector's supply chain to improve both e-commerce and steel deliveries to fabricators.
The architect for the world's most sustainable speculative office building—Seattle's 52,000-sq-ft Bullitt Center—says the most challenging aspect of the design was staying within budget while still meeting the Living Building Challenge's rigorous certification requirements.
After nearly two years of operation to prove its worthiness, the 52,000-sq-ft Bullitt Center in Seattle—the first speculative office building to attempt full certification under the rigorous Living Building Challenge sustainability program—has been named a "living building."
Photo Courtesy Michael Graves Architecture & Design Populism Portland building (top) started postmodernism. Swan Hotel graces Walt Disney World. Photo Courtesy Michael Graves Architecture & Design Related Links: Michael Graves Architecture & Design Michael Graves, who more than 35 years ago kicked off the postmodern movement in architecture with his then-controversial design for the Portland Public Service Building, died of natural causes on March 12. He was 80.In 2001, when Graves won the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal, he talked about "populist architecture" and his aim to delight the soul through buildings—from windows to washrooms."The livable city is the
Related Links: Leslie E. Robertson Associates Diller Scofidio + Renfro Sciame Construction Gensler Find the load paths. That could have been structural engineer Daniel A. Sesil's mantra while seeking support for the daring southern portion of Columbia University Medical Center's 15-story Medical and Graduate Education Building in Upper Manhattan.Though it encloses only about 100,000 sq ft, the $77-million base building, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, has a split personality. The northern section is conventional. In dramatic contrast, the southern side is brazenly asymmetrical. DS+R describes the mind-bending form as a glass-enclosed "cascade" of interconnected study and social spaces that
Related Links: Pritzker Architecture Prize Biography of Frei Otto Architect Frei Otto, a pioneer in lightweight tensile structures, died on March 9 at age 89, soon after he learned he had won the prestigious 2015 Pritzker Architecture Prize.Otto, born in Siegmar, Germany, on May 31, 1925, was an "architect, visionary, utopian, ecologist, pioneer of lightweight materials, protector of natural resources and a generous collaborator with architects, engineers, biologists, among others," says the Pritzker Architecture Prize, in a release. Otto is the 40th laureate of the honor, sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation.OTTOIn engineering circles, Otto was best known for his innovative
Related Links: Best of the Best 2014 Builders Solve Calatrava's Florida Polytechnic Puzzle Soaring Polytechnic Project Lets Builders Stand Tall During construction of Florida Polytechnic University's $60-million Innovation Science and Technology Building—which more closely resembles a flying saucer than a citadel of learning—the flappable wings ruled. Santiago Calatrava, the designer of the iconic building and its sun-tracking shading system, challenged the building team to remain unflappable while wrestling with the 300,000-sq-ft job's operable rooftop louvers and other complex features, all the time maintaining quality, schedule and budget.The two-story elliptical-in-plan building is the signature architectural element of the new 171-acre campus
