Ideal Choice Homes is both a product and a process by which homes may be mass produced through a managed supply chain in India. This project leverages established knowledge of precast concrete to satisfy a market for “pukka” (permanent) construction. Ideal Choice Homes appears solid to sight and touch, similar to other permanent houses in India. But it is a clear departure from traditional Indian construction in that it is engineered for off-site manufacture, delivery, and on-site assembly. 
 
As the concept for Ideal Choice Homes developed, it became clear that housing components needed to be lightweight enough to ensure that they could be lifted by laborers while still meeting the cultural preference for construction that looks and feels solid and achieving performance goals. It was necessary to determine how materials readily available on a manufacturing scale in India could reduce the weight of precast components. Aggregates like expanded clay and perlite are widely available, so we conducted a series of casting studies to evaluate and identify best practices in working with them.

Partners Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake have announced their purchase of the Henry F. Ortlieb Company Bottling House in Philadelphia's dynamic Northern Liberties neighborhood. KieranTimberlake will renovate the Bottling House beginning in 2013, and relocate their current studio in the Art Museum neighborhood to the new space at the corner of North American and Poplar Streets by early 2014. 
 
Built in 1948, the two-story, approximately 60,000-square foot building is part of the campus of buildings developed by the Ortlieb Company beginning in 1869 through the 1940s, during its reign as one of the most important brewers in Philadelphia.

In a ceremony this week, the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects awarded the Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion its highest honor: a Gold Medal for Design Excellence.

Mark Lamster of Design Observer recommends a visit to the newly opened Putman Pavilion at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Thanks to the integrated efforts of Rice University's Facilities, Engineering and Planning Department, the design team, and construction contractor Gilbane Building Company, the Brockman Hall for Physics has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.  
 
A Gold rating is an extraordinary achievement for a physics lab because of the energy needed to conduct experiments within a highly controlled environment. The 110,000 gross square-foot building requires sophisticated systems to keep noise, vibration, humidity, and particulates from interfering with experiments. Combined with Houston's high humidity and significant solar radiation, the project faced a daunting path to environmental performance.

The Society for College and University Planning and the AIA Committee on Architecture for Education recognized Brockman Hall for Physics at Rice University with an award in Excellence in Architecture for a New Building.  
 

During our design process for the Energy Efficient Buildings Hub in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, we have been investigating the impact that the nearby wildlife habitat at Heinz Wildlife Refuge might have on facade design, building orientation, and day lighting, as well as the potential for bird strikes.  
 
We found that the refuge is not close enough to the EEB Hub project site to have immediate implications regarding bird strikes and other avian issues, but its ongoing experience with environmental management for the purpose of conservation and habitat/species protection is a useful resource for techniques and design principles. The presence of the refuge proves that it is possible to create high quality habitat for birds and other species of interest in this busy corridor on the Delaware River. It further indicates that landscape design and management is an essential tool for controlling nuisance species such as Canadian Geese and supporting beneficial communities such as migratory songbirds and local threatened species. Furthermore, current landscape design practices in the Navy Yard, such as turf grass and paved parking lots, contribute negatively to human/avian conflict on the site. The EEB Hub's location on a migratory path means that bird strikes are a serious concern, and that measures for controlling them should be considered as part of building design.

The Charles David Keeling Apartments at UC San Diego have been awarded LEED-NC (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for New Construction) Platinum certification from the United States Green Building Council, making the building the first LEED Platinum student housing in the University of California system. It is also the first new building at UC San Diego to receive a Platinum rating—the highest LEED certification level that can be achieved.

In a ceremony yesterday evening at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, PA, museum officials dedicated the Edgar N. Putman Event Pavilion, an elegant, all-glass structure extending into the north side of the Museum's Patricia D. Pfundt Sculpture Garden.