July 12, 2012

Watch: Assembling a Home at Warp Speed

This time-lapse video shows the assembly of KTLH 1.5, designed by KieranTimberlake in partnership with California-based developer LivingHomes. The home is comprised of four off-site fabricated modules, assembled in 3.5 hours on a narrow site in Santa Monica. It features two bedrooms, two baths, and a LEED Platinum-level environmental program.

June 22, 2012

Frontier Physics Lab Achieves LEED Gold

This image shows the building mass split into two parallel bars, a key decision that helped the building achieve LEED Gold.
© Peter Aaron/OTTO

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.

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June 01, 2012

Examining Ecological Context for Architecture

The Energy Efficient Buildings Hub sits within the Philadelphia Navy Yard, to the north of the Heinz Wildlife Refuge and the Philadelphia airport on the Delaware River.

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.

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April 23, 2012

Apartments Named for Greenhouse Effect Scientist Achieve LEED Platinum

The Keeling Apartments are cooled naturally with ocean breezes, overhangs, and screens for sun control.
© Tim Griffith

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.

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February 24, 2012

AIA Charlotte Applauds Center City Building

© Peter Aaron/OTTO

AIA Charlotte Awarded UNC Charlotte's new Center City Building a Merit Award, calling the building a “vibrant addition to Charlotte's central business district [that] establishes a lively urban presence within First Ward.”  
 
Designed in partnership with Gantt Huberman Architects of Charlotte, the project was praised for fostering interdepartmental interaction, engaging the public, and showcasing the university's innovative work.

January 11, 2012

Waterfront Plans Awarded by AIA

The American Institute of Architects announced this week that the Master Plan for the Central Delaware has received national acclaim with a 2012 Institute Honor Award for Regional & Urban Design.

This master plan transforms six miles of the Delaware River waterfront in Center City Philadelphia, based on the Civic Vision that was prepared through an extensive public-engagement planning process. The goal of the plan is to provide a practical implementation strategy for the phasing and funding of public-realm enhancements to the waterfront, including the locations of parks, a variety of waterfront trails, and connections to existing upland neighborhoods. Specific zoning recommendations to shape private development as well as design guidelines for the public spaces are integral components of this project.

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