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Transform your space with fully-automated movable walls by Modernfold. See how touchpad activation can achieve hands-free set up, industry-leading sound separation, and daylighting benefits. Watch as technology and design merge to elevate your flexible space solution.
Explore
Manchester in Lexington, KY, with wallpaper partying as hard as the guests. Page 22
illuminate // Kanawha County Public Library, Charleston, West Virginia
Hiding light sources in historic facades. by Jana Madsen
Form // Chengdu Museum of Natural History, Chengdu, China
Kristin Hawkins, Partner, Pelli Clarke + Partners, shares the background story behind this incredible new building in China. by Jana Madsen
Function // The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, Atlanta Class is in session. The Miller Hull Partnership unveils the lessons they’ve learned in achieving Living Building Challenge-certified status for several projects, including the Kendeda building. by Jana Madsen
HOSPITALITY
The hottest trend in hospitality right now is creating spaces imbued with so much local personality that guests never want to leave. See how design teams from Tahoe, to Portland and Lexington, KY, delivered real sense-of-place experiences. by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett
Architectural Products Magazine, Volume 22, Number 03
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Maribel Barba, aia, Project Architect, MG2, Seattle. Where’s Costco? See how this architect hid a big box megastore under a stunning green roof by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett
Some things you have to see to believe.
If you Google, “Wallcovering with monkeys drinking Smirnoff,” like I did the other day, you will find that the creative minds at Astek Home offer this imaginative wall decor in not one, but four intoxicating, or intoxicated, options—Bashed, Blackout, Colada, and Sangria. Bashed is showcased on this issue’s cover.
This quirky twist on a classic toile was applied in several places in The Manchester—billed as the first high-end hotel in Lexington, KY. It’s just one example of how teams are taking luxury hotel design to the next level to create a distinct ‘sense of place’ experience. We also explore how the design team at the newly formed ROAM Interior Design created The
“We did a lot of concealing of light so that, during the day, people might say there’s no lighting in this plaza at all, and then at night it comes to life.”
—Randy Burkett, Principal, RBLD, St. Louis, MO
Ritz-Carlton in Portland, OR, to transport guests into a stunning tree canopy. The Lodge at Edgewood in Lake Tahoe, designed by CCY Architects, brings the majestic Sierra Nevada landscape indoors. Prepare to take a trip, without packing a bag. Our “Sense of Place” article begins on page 22.
In “Hiding Lighting in Historic Facades,” Randy Burkett of Reed Burkett Lighting Design (RBLD) explains how they created exterior illumination for the neoclassical Kanawha Public Library with light sources that are nearly impossible to find. Prepare to be amazed on page 30.
This issue also showcases magic of another kind. The Miller Hull Partnership has overseen the design and development of several Living Building Challenge-certified projects and several more are currently in design or under construction. These projects perform so much better than conventionally designed buildings it seems implausible. For example, the LBC-certified Kaneda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design in
Atlanta, GA, is 80% more efficient than a comparable new, conventionally built, higher education project also situated in the Big Peach. It’s also net zero energy and net zero water without compromising aesthetics or comfort. Luckily, the magicians at Miller Hull are willing to tell us how they did it. “Lessons for Acing the Living Building Challenge” starts on page 58.
It’s tradeshow season. Architectural Products will be at both the AIA 2024 Conference in Washington, D.C. and NeoCon in Chicago. Looking forward to seeing all of the new products that will fuel the incredible projects of the future, meeting more of our wonderful readers, and, of course, seeing drunken monkeys and magic.
Happy reading.
—Jeanie Fitzgerald Pitts, Editor in ChiefEDITORIAL, DESIGN + PRODUCTION
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resources, events & letters
Architecture + Design Master Continuing Education Platform has AIA-approved courses, designated as either LU or LU/HSW content, cover a range of important topics. Here is a small sample of the courses currently available.
Decarbonization 101 (1 LU/HSW)
Exploring Design Trends for K-12 Applications (1 LU/HSW)
Flexible Offices: Key to Retaining Talent and Optimizing Space for a New Work Era (1 LU)
Lessons in Renovation and Adaptive Reuse (1 LU/HSW)
Telehealth to Metaverse: The Bold Future of Healthcare Design (1 LU/HSW) archdesignmaster.com
NEW BOOK
Challenge & Change: Miller Hull’s Living Building Practice
This book explores the arc of this extraordinary architecture firm’s sustainability story—from its 1970s origins as a pioneer in environmentalism to its 21st-century role as one of the most prominent designers of Living Buildings.
Spotlights of Miller Hull’s first Living Building Challenge-certified projects are included, giving readers a glimpse of key technical, strategic, biophilic, and creative details that emerged in the making of:
The Bullitt Center (Seattle, WA)
The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design and Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)
Miller Hull Seattle Studio Renovation (Seattle, WA)
Miller Hull San Diego Studio Renovation (San Diego, CA)
Loom House (Bainbridge Island, WA)
millerhull.com
AIA Expo
June 5-8
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. conferenceonarchitecture.com
NeoCon
June 10-12
THE MART Chicago neocon.com
BOMA International
Annual Conference & Expo
Conference: July 13-16
Expo: July 14-15
Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia Expo Produced by BOMA International and BUILDINGS.com bomaconvention.org
CERSAIE
International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings
Sept. 23-27
Bologna Exhibition Center, Bologna, Italy cersaie.it
HCD
Healthcare Design Expo & Conference Oct. 5-8
Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis hcdexpo.com
ASLA
American Society of Landscape Architects Expo Oct. 6-9
Walter E. Washington Convention Center Washington DC asla.org/conference.aspx
ASPE
American Society of Plumbing Engineers
2024 Convention & Expo Oct. 18-23
Greater Columbus Convention Center Columbus, Ohio aspe.org
The elegant design of Bradley’s exclusive collection of Euro style partitions flawlessly combines beauty and performance raising the standard in commercial washrooms. These three stunning options feature high-design materials, occupancy indicators, increased privacy, and seamless construction to provide an elevated look and welcoming spaces. Commercial Washrooms. Brought to Life.
For many years, perforated metal was an industrial product. Then, in the early 1990s, patterned usage of perforated metal began to appear. Today, perforated metal panels are regarded as high-impact design elements and advances in technology have made it possible to manufacture custom-patterned panels, enabling the material to be used in highly creative and inspirational ways.
One quality of perforated metal panels that is crucial to consider when specifying these design elements is its open area. The open area refers to the proportion of perforations to the solid metal sheet. A profile with a 30% open area describes a
The open area of a perforated metal panel determines not just how it looks but how it weathers, shades, ventilates, and performs.
solution where 30% of the sheet consists of punched holes, while the remaining 70% of the panel is the unperforated metal surface.
The amount of open area in a perforated metal panel has a direct influence on its functionality and aesthetic appeal. Not only does it determine the amount of light, air, and sound that can pass through a panel, but it can also have a significant impact on the panel system’s perceived image or pattern resolution, durability, and material strength. Careful consideration of the open area ensures a perforated panel system will align perfectly with a project’s specific requirements.
Here are a few examples. In applications such as parking garages and building facades, the open area directly affects the efficiency of airflow and ventilation, to better handle exhaust emissions, heating, and cooling. Perforated metal panels also are effective sound diffusers and acoustic managers. The open area in the panels allows sound waves to pass through the perforations, attenuating noise and creating a more comfortable and peaceful atmosphere. The type of metal also plays an important role here, as some metals are better than others when it comes to sound absorption.
Perforations can be square, rectangular, hexagonal,
and oval—but by far the most common perforation is a circular, or round, perforation. Each distinctive perforation profile requires specific calculations. The open area percentage of round holes with a straight arrangement varies from that of round holes in a diagonal orientation.
The design, fabrication, and manufacturing partner should assist with all the essential formulas, calculations, and other considerations to determine the correct open area for the project. This is especially true when the goal is to create a panel with a custom pattern that conveys a larger image.
ImageWall is a Zahner-patented perf generator for designing a one-of-a-kind perforated metal system. In the Imagewall Panel System, the open area ranges from 5% for the whitest regions of the design to 69% in the blackest regions of the image.
Zahner ImageWall is standardized around a maximum perforation size of 0.875-in. and minimum perforation size of 0.25-in., spaced on a square 1-in. grid. This provides a wide range
of possible open area values—from a minimum of roughly 5% (achieved with all 0.25-in. holes) to a maximum of 60% (all 0.875-in. holes). The values established between these two endpoints are a function of the image itself and the relative proportion of black-to-white values required to create an attractive image that also meets the specified open area requirements.
It is also important when considering the optimal open area to take into account how open areas can be concentrated to meet a specification. At Zahner, a number of techniques have been created to adjust the lightness and darkness of an image to selectively add black or white (more holes or fewer holes) within a specific region of an image to achieve the target open area percentage.
Perforated metal panels blend form and function in balanced, yet dramatic ways. With their wide range of utility in decorative screens, sunshades, privacy panels, and artistic installations, they add visual interest in any setting, including commercial, residential, institutional, and even urban landscapes.
Codes. Costs. Carbon advantages. There is so much about mass timber that many design professionals don’t know. Dive into the details here.
Steel and concrete have long reigned as titans of construction, but mass timber is gaining momentum thanks to the development and proliferation of engineered wood products. As of December 2023, the tally of U.S. multi-family, commercial, or institutional mass timber projects in progress or already built was 2,035; this number is according to WoodWorks, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit resource committed to helping developers, architects, engineers, and the construction trades bring wood buildings to fruition—and the number continues to rise.
Mass timber products are made from compressing together and bonding layers of wood with adhesives or mechanical fasteners. There’s an alphabet soup of options available, including CLT (cross-laminated timber), NLT (nail-laminated timber), GLT/glulam (gluelaminated timber), etc.
“Like heavy solid sawn timber, large, solid engineered wood elements have inherent fire resistance,” says Bill Parsons, WoodWorks’ Chief Operating Officer, about the differences between mass timber and light-frame wood. “They also have inherent strength, which creates more options on the spectrum of wood products in the toolbox—including opportunities to use wood instead of steel or concrete in many applications.” When asked about their potential,
Freres Engineered Wood Mass Ply Panel (MPP) products are patented veneer-based, engineered wood products that provide superior performance characteristics for floors, roofs, and walls. MPP is being used in the new construction of the Redmond Senior and Community Center in Redmond, Washington. The project earned Sustainable Northwest and Opsis Architecture its first ever recognition by securing a point from the U.S. Green Building Council/LEED for building with wood that supports climateresilient forestry.
Freres Engineered Wood frereswood.com
Parsons says, “Thousands of buildings are built each year that are not using mass timber but could be under the code. Wood could be used in a lot more buildings than it is today.”
Building codes have raced to keep pace with the rapid acceleration of the mass timber industry. “Cross-laminated timber wasn’t in the code until 2015,” recalls Parsons. The 2021 IBC includes three new construction types which enable mass timber buildings to be built up to 18- (IVA), 12- (IV-B), or 9-stories (IV-C), where previous codes capped wood buildings at five or six stories.
“The ability to leave
wood structure
exposed has motivated a lot of the industry’s growth because people want to be in these buildings. They love these buildings.”
-Bill Parsons, Chief Operating Officer, WoodWorks, Washington, D.C.
PILLAR is a revolutionary connection system that enables mass timber structures to be built with a column-to-floor system with a distance between the columns of up to 12 x 24 ft. It allows the transfer of more than 700 kips of vertical force between the pillars. PILLAR is a versatile connector, also certified for joints between CLT panels and concrete or steel columns. Made of steel, it is designed for use with all types of mass timber, solid timber, glulam, veneer lumber, steel, and reinforced concrete columns.
Rotho Blaas USA Inc. rothoblaas.com
For developers looking to use timber in highrises, a mixture of steel or concrete and wood is often the answer. “A lot of taller buildings are hybrids,” says Parsons. The tallest U.S. mass timber building (Ascent in Milwaukee, WI) is 25 stories and was built with a special code allowance. It has 19 stories of mass timber over a six-story concrete podium.
“We see a mixing and matching of lateral systems,” shares Parsons. The same is true for materials. A multi-family building with lightframe walls may have CLT floor decks and a conventional steel and concrete building may have a CLT roof.
Extensive fire-resistance testing has proven that mass timber is capable of meeting code requirements. “Fire is the first misconception or question that people have,” acknowledges Parsons. “In a fire, large structural wood elements char and protect themselves, much like intumescent paint that gets put on steel for fire protection.” That protective layer of char enables the mass timber to retain its strength, slowing combustion and enabling more time for occupants to evacuate. Think Wood, another industry non-profit, reports that a 5-ply CLT panel wall lasted 3 hours and 6 minutes when subjected to temperatures in excess of 1,800°F— well over the 2-hour building code requirement.
Mass timber has an advantage when it comes to weight. “The nice thing is that it’s much lighter than steel or concrete,” says Parsons. According to Think Wood, it isn’t unusual for a mass timber
building to weigh 20% of a comparable concrete building. With their high strength-to-weight ratio, mass timber buildings also hold up well during earthquakes. “The mass is much lighter, so you have less lateral forces to deal with from a seismic perspective; it actually helps a lot,” explains Parsons. “Wood sheathing products, the plywood and OSB, are really good at dissipating that energy.”
Material prices for mass timber may be more costly per unit than steel or concrete, but there are still savings to be had. “It can be a very cost effective and value-added way of building a building,” says Parsons. “You can get the building up faster. The jobsite cycle time is really reduced because it’s a prefabricated element.” He estimates that construction time could be as much as 30% faster than with conventional construction. A lighter foundation and smaller workforce contribute to the savings.
Estimating these projects can be a hurdle though, as design and construction team
timber was used in the two-building expansion of Adidas’ North American headquarters in Portland, OR. The Gold Building is a hybrid building; its structural system is comprised of both pre-cast concrete columns and girders with glulam beams and CLT panels. Designed by LEVER Architecture, O+A, and GGN.
In collaboration with Washington State University (WSU) and Technical University Graz (TU Graz), Mercer Mass Timber created the CLT Rib Panel, a long-span mass timber floor solution designed for floors and ceilings. This innovative panel is the first in North America to address vibration in a 30-ft. span without concrete or structural composite action. Full-scale vibration tests validated its footfall response, closely aligning with industry theoretical models and proving the effectiveness of wood/wood composite action.
Mercer Mass Timber mercermasstimber.com
“Large format panels, columns, and beams can be exposed because they have inherent fire performance.”
-Bill Parsons, Chief Operating Officer, WoodWorks, Washington, D.C.
members may not have the knowledge needed to accurately predict project costs. “If you don’t have experience doing it, you’re going to add a lot of risk to the bid. It’s going to be really expensive on paper. This is where a lot of these projects die,” Parsons explains. WoodWorks offers training to contractors to help them better understand all the cost considerations. They also provide resources such as a mass timber cost and design optimization checklist for architects and engineers.
Concerns about deforestation often come up when the mass timber conversation starts. These are largely unfounded though. “The use of forest and the forest area in North America is very stable. More dense forest is actually a problem. A healthy demand for wood products
The use of mass timber products like glulam beams is gaining popularity in the construction industry. Vaagen Timbers’ highquality architectural glulam beams are not only sustainably sourced, but also unmatched in visual appeal. Vaagen Timbers offers all the fabrication and detailing necessary for their glulam beams to seamlessly integrate into any project. Whether it’s a residential, commercial, or institutional building, these beams can be customized to meet the specific requirements of the project, ensuring a perfect fit every time.
Vaagen Timbers vaagentimbers.com
Sterling streamlines the process for designing and installing mass timber systems with standardized, scalable CLT components. The TerraLam CLT panels come in nominal lengths up to 18-ft. and widths up to 8-ft. and are prefabricated to suit your project. The TerraLam structural product line provides a competitively priced mass timber panel that is compatible with a range of structural systems in floor, roof, and wall applications. We utilize 100% US-sourced Southern Pine, Spruce Pine Fir-South, and Eastern Hemlock lumber from sustainably managed forests.
Sterling Structural, TerraLam CLT sterlingstructural.com
beyond single-family homes gives landowners financial incentive for forest thinning and other landscape restoration efforts,” he explains. CLT and other engineered wood can be made with small, fast-growing trees that, when thinned, can reduce the risk of forest fires.
Regarding the sustainability of mass timber, one of the biggest benefits of building with wood is the impact it has on carbon. Wood products have low embodied carbon (i.e., fewer greenhouse gas emissions) when compared to other building materials. Trees also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it; this is referred to as biogenic carbon. For project teams undertaking a life-cycle assessment (LCA), WoodWorks offers information on when and how to incorporate biogenic carbon in an LCA or WBLCA tool; they even have a carbon calculator.
Mass timber buildings are also energy efficient to operate, thanks to wood’s low thermal conductivity.
A big reason for the interest in mass timber is its aesthetic and biophilic properties. “Mass timber really excels when the wood is exposed,” Parsons explains. As people return to the office post-pandemic, an appealing space with the warmth that wood provides is appreciated. “Employees want to go back to an inspiring office, which is why a lot of tech companies are seeking out differentiated spaces to draw employees and compete with each other. Mass timber is a piece of that,” he adds.
Lack of knowledge is probably the biggest hurdle with mass timber. “Steel and concrete are what people are used to and that became the norm and the basis of school curriculum. For most undergrad engineers, a materials course might have an afternoon on wood. That’s it,” shares Parsons. Think Wood and WoodWorks are working to bridge the gaps, providing free education and support to the AEC community, as well as resources for students and professors. WoodWorks also created an online platform—the WoodWorks Innovation Network—for AECs to showcase their experience and projects, as well as communicate with one another. “WoodWorks exists to provide free project support and help people learn what they didn’t learn in school about how to build with wood,” he adds.
While familiarity and knowledge may be slowly building, there are signs the movement has traction. “There’s not really a way to standardize something that’s so new,” notes Parsons, “but there are best practices and rules of thumb that will help flatten the learning curve.”
The consumer electronics industry is abuzz about the faster processing speeds on Apple’s newest MacBook Pro. But the news is even more exciting in AEC circles as BIM operations on the M3-powered computer are posting big performance gains.
As the first native BIM software solution for Mac, fully optimized for the platform, Graphisoft documented an impressive 150% increase in operating speed for Archicad 27 on this new 3-nanometer computing processor.
“Usually with tech upgrades, we see [Archicad operating] 15% or 20% faster. To have two times and even three times faster is huge. We’re seeing that not just in opening speed, but in section updates and rendering times as well,” explained Miles Smith, solutions manager, Graphisoft North America, in a recent Archicad and Mac webinar announcing the performance testing results.
The Graphisoft team documented Archicad’s operational speeds for three different-sized projects—a residence, a commercial project, and a stadium—on the new M3 Max MacBook Pro and compared it to the M1 Max, the M1, and the previous Intel-powered machine.
As an example, the 530.3 MB commercial project’s BIM model, with close to 20,000 3D elements, fully opened in 35 seconds, as compared to 55 seconds on the M1 Max and M1, and 60 seconds on the Intelpowered machine.
For the large stadium project, the results were even more dramatic. With 94,944 3D elements and a file size of 2.26 GB, the Archicad file took 590 seconds to open on the Intel computer, 395 seconds with the M1, 345 seconds on the M1 Max, and just 240 seconds with the M3 Max chip.
The testing revealed Archicad opening 2.5x faster, and more complex functions like section generation, documentation layout updates, and display were up to 3 times faster.
“The first time I opened Archicad on the M3, I launched Archicad and opened a file. Usually, I look at my phone as there’s a slight pause to my day as Archicad opens,” explained Jared Banks, AIA, principal, Shoegnome Architects, Seattle, during the recent webinar. With the M3, that pause wasn’t there. “It was so noticeably faster,” he stated.
With this additional time and power granted by Archicad on the MacBook Pro, Banks is taking
Archicad now opens 2.5x faster. Section generation and documentation layout updates run 3x faster.
advantage of the opportunity to add more complexity and detail in his BIM models. The technology is essentially giving architects the opportunity to bring more context and contextual analysis to their designs.
Graphisoft and Apple’s Long-standing Relationship
To better appreciate the jump in Archicad operations, Graphisoft and Apple’s long-standing partnership offers some helpful context.
Graphisoft Founder and Chairman Gabor Bojar originally met Apple’s Steve Jobs in 1984 at a tech
conference in Hanover, Germany, when he approached Jobs with the idea of matching digital 3D geometry with 2D graphics.
Jobs saw much potential in Graphisoft’s emerging BIM technology and provided key funding and access to Apple’s extensive distribution network. This was key as the young Hungarian company was struggling to grow behind the Iron Curtain, which was only lifted in 1989.
Over the years, Graphisoft was always granted privileged access to Mac alpha and beta products. And when Apple launched the MacBook Pro this past fall, its first commercial ad featured Archicad renderings to help showcase the technology’s enhanced capabilities.
With similar philosophies revolving around adapting technology to optimize the user experience, it’s no surprise that Graphisoft’s team of programmers got Archicad’s BIMx up and running on the new Apple Vision Pro in just two working days.
The hottest trend in hospitality right now is creating spaces imbued with so much local personality, guests don’t want to leave. by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett
Designed as a modern interpretation of the Grand Lodges of the American West with an elevated level of luxury, the Lodge at Edgewood is nestled on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. “The exterior of the Lodge is inspired by Tahoe basin and its Sierra Nevada environment,” says Rich Carr, aia, partner, CCY Architects, Aspen, Colorado. “The wood siding tone and textures reflect the Jeffery pine forest that the lodge is immersed in. The strong stone piers are created of locally sourced Sierra Nevada granite echoing the surrounding mountain and outcroppings, and the glazing lifts up to capture the verticality of the surrounding trees and landscape.”
Majestic 38-ft.-tall floor-to-ceiling windows present gorgeous views of the paved terrace, lawn, pine trees, golf course, majestic Lake Tahoe and the mountains beyond from the main lobby. Called the Great Room, the spacious area is decorated by a tall hearth made from locally sourced stone, a fireplace, area rugs, large wooden beams, spread-out clusters of seating, hanging geometric pendants and white deer head sculptures. A glass-railed staircase next to a two-story Portuguese limestone wall, carved on-site to resemble the area’s forested terrain, leads up to a library and guestrooms. The family-owned property offers 127 rooms and 22 suites.
THE GLAZING LIFTS UP TO CAPTURE THE VERTICALITY OF THE SURROUNDING TREES AND LANDSCAPE,
A lake loop heat pump system cools the 170,000-sq.-ft. hotel with no fossil fuels and virtually no power.
The Lodge at Edgewood snagged the No. 1 spot on Travel & Leisure’s Readers’ Favorites in the Continental U.S. in 2018 with a jaw-dropping score of 95.78. One reviewer wrote, “I could spend the entire day there if it wasn’t for the plethora of activities that await outside.” Essentially, the epitome of a ‘sense of place’ success.
In addition to the combination of natural beauty and luxury amenities, the LEED Silver project is also characterized by a high level of sustainable design and environmental consciousness. For starters, trees removed from the site during construction were cut into slices for wall art and small logs which are displayed in guestrooms to complement the fireplaces. As another example, an old boating dock was removed from the lake and its moss-covered wood was incorporated into a living screen element for the reception area.
But even more challenging was meeting the strict environmental regulations which the Lake Tahoe Basin is known for. Even before gaining entitlement to build the Lodge, the owner, Edgewood Companies, had to reach an agreement with the regional preservation and permitting agency regarding water quality improvements.
For the existing golf course, the landscape architect Design Workshop designed changes for the stream courses and shapes, and improved holding ponds, landscaping and grading.
The team also got creative with the cooling design by tapping into an existing system connected to the nearby South Lake casino district which was pumping its domestic water from the Lake.
The Lodge at Edgewood in Tahoe features high-end accommodations with great views of a golf course, greenery, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The Great Room lobby features majestic 38-ft.-tall floor-to-ceiling windows, a fireplace, hanging geometric pendants and white deer head sculptures.
As explained in an International Interior Design Association Northern California chapter awards competition entry submitted by the design team spearheaded by interior designer HBA, for which they won an Honor Award, Interface Engineering proposed that a heat exchanger be installed on the existing pipe to transfer the heat from the building’s cooling water to the Lodge’s domestic supply. “While this raises the city water temperature by only a small amount, it can cool the entire building without need for a cooling tower or condensers, thus avoiding nearly all the energy use of a normal AC system as well a substantial equipment cost,” HBA explained.
It turned out that the current water intake did not offer sufficient cold water to feed the system, plus the local utility was concerned that lowering the lake levels ran the risk of pollution or contamination to the intake end of their pipe. To compensate, the owner agreed to extend the pipe farther out into the lake to ensure colder, purer water. With this innovative lake loop heat pump system, the 170,000-sq.-ft building is cooled with no fossil fuels and virtually no power.
In addition, the project incorporates extensive improvements to storm water holding, treatment and discharge. “The system prevents 500,000 lbs. of sediment per year from entering Lake Tahoe via enhanced wetlands and deepened filtration settling ponds. These measures resulted in the regulatory agencies agreeing that the project is an environmental enhancement to one of the nation’s most carefully managed ecosystems,” states Carr.
LOCALLY SOURCED AND INSPIRED SURFACES AND FURNISHINGS DECORATE THE LODGE’S SPACIOUS LOBBY.
This stone veneer is comprised of roughly broken granite from Amacker Stone Quarry in Markleeville Calif., and installed by Lake Tahoebased Kemper Masonry. Kemper Masonry kempermasonry.com
The Ritz-Carlton, Portland, Oregon
As the first Ritz-Carlton branded property in the Pacific Northwest and the first 5-star luxury hotel in Portland, Oregon, a highly adept team of hospitality designers did not hold back in creating an immersive, sense-of-place experience for guests and locals alike. The design embraces the forests, mountains, rivers and waterfalls of Portland and beyond. The experience begins as patrons approach the 35-story crystalline glass façade grounded by a white columnar base, inspired by the columnar basalt found within the region.
Stepping into the double-height lobby, the long-hanging green plants and branch-like, crystal chandeliers replicate Oregon’s tree canopy. “The design celebrates the verticality, depth and grandeur of the forest hall and the light playing through the trees. Undulating vertical elements disappear into glowing coves above to create the sensation of traversing through a towering forest,” explains Mary Alice Palmer, global creative director & founding principal at the newly formed ROAM Interior Design, formerly HKS Interiors, in Dallas.
UNDULATING VERTICAL ELEMENTS DISAPPEAR INTO GLOWING COVES ABOVE TO CREATE THE SENSATION OF TRAVERSING THROUGH A TOWERING FOREST.
Also referred to as Forest Hall, the lobby incorporates maps depicting Lewis & Clark’s journey and rustic logs bound with copper, a nod to the historic 1845 coin toss that led to the naming of the city. The ground floor also features a unique, Hobbit-like lobby bar replete with hanging green foliage, plants and an actual tree trunk.
“The lobby bar is a dark, mystical destination enveloped in rich colors with shafts of crystalline light, like moonlight through the canopy, creating an experience of peering through the forest,” she describes.
In the middle of the lobby is a floating Grand Stair. The irregular stepping form of the wooden stairs replicate the mossy basalt falls near Mt. Hood and the textured bubble glass railing references the area’s waterfalls. Climbing the carefully crafted staircase creates a feeling of ascending the mountains beyond the treetops.
In the middle of the RitzCarlton Portland lobby is a floating Grand Stair. The irregular stepping form of the wooden stairs replicates the mossy basalt falls near Mt. Hood and the textured bubble glass railing references the area’s waterfalls. Climbing the carefully crafted staircase creates a feeling of ascending the mountains beyond the treetops.
The theme continues on the 20th floor at the hotel’s signature Bellpine restaurant, designed to reflect the Oregon coastline with its wood-accented interiors referencing the hull of a ship and a gently curving interior wall representing the tides of the sea. Stack rock formations and the flora and fauna of tidepools further inform the design.
One floor below is the Hidden Mountain Lake infinity-edge pool with double-height, floor-toceiling windows, 180-degree views and a mirrored ceiling. “Reflections add to the ethereal experience capturing both water and sky to expand the view,” explains Palmer.
The Ritz-Carlton Portland was named “One of the Best New Hotels in 2024” by Esquire magazine. “Gazing at Mount Hood while sipping a martini or spotting Mount Rainier from an infinity pool is definitely a vibe.”
In signature Ritz-Carlton 5-star luxury, the 251 guestrooms don’t disappoint. The design features plush drapery, elegant nightstands, soft carpeting, a unique headboard wall panel, dramatic lighting, and modern interpretations of historic travel trunks.
The entry closet is finished in wood and stitched leather, and sits on top of champagne copper metal legs. Its interior is lined in signature Ritz-Carlton Blue Lacquer.
The wall paneling in the bedrooms were designed in various sizes and textures, creating an asymmetrical rhythm referencing the towering trees deep in the Oregon forest. Mirrored panel insets represent light filtering through the tree canopy. The central panel by the headboard is a watercolor-inspired interpretation of the surrounding mountains.
WALLCOVERING
Philip Jeffries’ Concrete Washi in a Rolling Stones’ color is made from abaca pulp, hand combed to create a handcrafted wallcovering with a distinctive dimensional design. Philip Jeffries philipjeffries.com
LIKE WOOD FEATURE
The 20th floor restaurant is designed to reflect the Oregon coastline with woodaccented interiors referencing the hull of a ship and a gently curving interior wall representing the tides of the sea.
The Manchester bears the title of the first highend hotel in Lexington, Kentucky—the horse and bourbon capital of the world. Located on the site of the historic Ashland Distillery, the city’s first registered bourbon producer back in 1865, the design celebrates the historic distillery industry and equestrian pursuits inside and out.
The imprecise brickwork on the masonry façade mimics the historic brick bourbon rickhouses used for storage and distilling.
“TWO BRICK COLORS WERE USED ON THE EXTERIOR. THE FACADES FEATURE MULTIPLE PANELS OF INTRICATE BRICK PATTERNING.”
-EOP ARCHITECTS
“Sweeping glazed brick arches carry throughout the interiors and are balanced with handmade tile, fluted glass, barrel vault plaster ceilings, modern leather treatments and woven tapestry throughout the hotel’s public spaces,” explains Jenny Bukovec founder, Jenny Bukovec Design & Creative, New York.
At the Granddam restaurant, the designers embraced an equestrian aesthetic with rich walnut walls referencing the stables; custom woven leather seating is inspired by horse saddles; and handmade sage green cement tiles are a nod to the historic rickhouse slate roofs used to prevent fires.
GRANDDAM DEFINED
The term “Granddam” is the name of a matriarchal racehorse, well past her prime, but living the dream.
EQUESTRIAN
COLOR PALETTE
The walnut, saddle, and sage each represent an important element that makes Lexington, KY, so distinct.
Raye Antique Black Hammered Copper Double-Slipper Pedestal Tub can be paired with a wall-mount or floor-mount tub filler. Hand-made and hand-polished, the patina is applied using a French hot process so the color is ingrained in the copper.
Signature Hardware signaturehardware.com
Available in a variety of colors, oak wood flooring from Porcelanosa is FSC certified and comes with a 30-year warranty.
Pictured here are Treville chocolate colored wood floor tiles.
Porcelanosa, Treville porcelanosa.com
The rooftop bar and lounge, called the Lost Palm, is designed with art deco interiors in a 1960s South Florida style as a nod to Lexington’s equestrian sister city in the tropics. Wicker furniture, patterned seating cushions and geometric tiles complete the look.
In discovering that artisans in Morocco were handcrafting products with the aesthetic and style Bukovec was seeking for the Manchester’s historic southern design, she handpicked a number of Moroccan items for the hotel including casegoods, common area seating, lounge chair throw pillows, throw blankets and leather pads on the guestroom desks.
THE LOOK OF THIS TROPICAL, PINEAPPLESCENTED ROOFTOP PARADISE WAS INSPIRED BY 1960S SOUTH FLORIDA, LEXINGTON’S SOUTHERN SISTER.
Drunk Monkeys make sure the walls are always ready for a good time. This quirky wallpaper is available in four intoxicated designs: Bashed (shown here), Blackout, Colada, and Sangria.
Astek Home, Drunk Monkey Wallpaper astekhome.com
Reed Burkett Lighting Design (RBLD) carefully placed exterior lighting at Kanawha County Public Library so people could appreciate the neoclassical façade at night.
by Jana Madsen, contributing writerThe structure that now houses the Kanawha County Public Library has stood for a long time, but it’s never looked this good at night.
This historic building was designed by James Knox Taylor, the first supervising architect of the U.S. Department of Treasury. It was built in 1911 and operated as both a post office and courthouse before becoming a public library in 1966. Its limestone façade is a textbook lesson in neoclassical architecture with its Ionic colonnade, open arches, set-back entrance, medallions, dentil detail, and inscribed frieze. Fronted by a forecourt on Capitol Street, the Kanawha County Public Library occupies a full city block and is a strong anchoring presence for the neighborhood.
Under the design direction of Charleston, WV-based Silling Architects and Cleveland, OH-based HBM Architects, the Kanawha County Public Library undertook a $32 million “Reimagine Your Library” project. Construction broke ground in 2020 and wrapped in 2022. The downtown library’s transformation included renovations to the historic building, preservation of the exterior, a 20,000-sq. ft. addition, improved greenspace, and strategic lighting design.
St. Louis, MO-based Reed Burkett Lighting Design, Inc. (RBLD) was brought in during the design development phase to create and execute an exterior lighting masterplan. They were responsible for illuminating the two sides of the historic building that remained visible (an addition wraps the other
SURFACE-MOUNTED
A compact, exterior-rated LED luminaire, RISE F170 Single delivers up to 4,350 lumens. This powerful luminaire is ideal for spot, accent, landscape, façade, and floodlight applications with an extensive selection of fieldinterchangeable lenses. Installed in a bronze finish at the base of columns and perimeter pilasters, RISE F170 provides flicker-free dimming down to 5% input power and aiming adjustment of 180° tilt and 360° pan with MACRO lock design.
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Beulux’s Florence specification-grade LED tape light has an intelligent design and high-quality components. Osram LEDs, 3-ounce double layer copper conductors, goldplated solder pads and constant current ICs guarantee uniform light levels even with longer run lengths up to 55 feet. LM-80 lumen depreciation is greater than 60,000 hours. Discharge and reverse polarization protection provided.
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two façades) and the landscaped space in front of the building at the corner of Capitol and Quarrier Streets. “Up until recently, it was a fairly dim building that kind of fell into darkness,” says Randy Burkett, Principal, RBLD.
Silling Architects facilitated a meeting with library leadership. “We were able to determine from the ownership what their aspirations were,” says Burkett. “Sometimes we can be once or twice removed from the real client, the end user. Silling got us into those meetings so that we didn’t have to hear
RBLD’s lighting design softened the overall hulking stone mass of the building and highlighted its most significant features. “It’s a strong building with a lot of stone and big columns, but we lit it in a way that made it approachable,” says Burkett. Careful attention was paid to reinforce the building’s cadence of repetition and symmetry. “The moon can
only do so much, so we tried to consider how the building’s architecture should be celebrated in the evenings. The first thing you should see is not a bright façade,” explains Burkett. A delicate balance of brightness and shadow emphasized the dimension and relief of the façade elements.
To light the row of columns along the entrance, RBLD installed two solid state LED lighting fixtures hugging each column plinth. “At the base of the columns, we positioned a pair of sources slightly forward and tangential to the column surfaces so they could illuminate the outside-facing surfaces. As you’re approaching it, it almost gives the sense of a fully round column,” Burkett says. The perimeter pilasters on the Quarrier Street façade have been treated with precise accent lighting as well.
Inset panels on the upper story of the library are lit with linear LED grazing optics, while the short pilasters flanking them have been left visually quiet. “The inset panels are illuminated softly, and the [pilasters] just get a bit of overflow light. That’s an inverted design technique,” says Burkett. Architrave inscriptions below the panels are lighted with concealed LED strips.
“Our principal commission was to do exterior building façade lighting, what we sometimes call revelation lighting, and make the [Kanawha County Public Library] part of the community at night.”
-Randy Burkett, Principal, RBLD, St. Louis, MO
TROV L50 Exterior Cove is a low-profile exterior cove luminaire, ideal for lighting outdoor coves and accenting architectural details. Both 4-foot and 8-ft. options were used to light the inset upper windows at the Kanawha County Public Library. This weather-proof luminaire features a GORE Vent that protects the internal system from moisture build-up, prolonging the lifetime of the fixture. Now available in higher efficacy (up to 29%) and output (up to 41%).
Ecosense ecosenselighting.com
CYLINDRICAL LUMINAIRE
The Syrios 6-in. high-performing exterior surface mounted cylindrical luminaire features a unique integral adjustable lamp module designed with a tilting mechanism allowing forward and back light adjustability. The ±30º directional module allows you to aim the light beam in the desired direction, without disturbing the luminaire mounting. This unique function is ideal to precisely highlight building features such as overhang canopies, accentuate wall textures, or push light away from the building to light a pathway.
Luminis luminis.com
“We’ve
always been good stewards in how we light buildings; we don’t want to waste a lot of light into the sky and have a lot of light trespass. Fortunately, with the advent of LED light sources, it’s much easier to control light spill and to manage light beams because they’re so precise and directional.”
A big priority for the lighting design was, whenever possible, to conceal light sources. Lighting for the medallions that bookend the colonnade are an example of this; they are illuminated from a light source concealed in planters close to the building. “Nobody who goes to these kinds of buildings and sees them lighted really thinks about what the light source is. They just want to see the building,” says Burkett.
With the goal of unobstructed sightlines on the plaza, no vertical lighting elements (i.e., poles and bollards) were used in the forecourt. Light from small aperture LED luminaires peek over the top of the building’s cornice and blanket the greenspace in a soft dusting of light. “Unless you’re looking for them, you don’t see them. They’re smaller than a bird sitting up,” explains Burkett. Additionally, linear sources were mounted underneath stone walls and benches, single LEDs were recessed into handrails, and uplighting has turned specimen trees into inverted chandeliers.
When fixtures could not be hidden, an effort was made to match them to the building’s design aesthetic. Bronze fixtures lighting the columns match other bronze finishes on the building.
Visibility wasn’t the only concern when it came to fixtures. “I think the biggest challenge when you deal with a historic building is you have to do things
carefully; you can’t just start drilling holes wherever you want to,” explains Burkett.
When mounting luminaires, RBLD avoided penetrating upward-facing horizontal surfaces, to reduce the chances that moisture could enter the stone and eventually lead to cracking. RBLD used some high modulus adhesives, but mostly relied on
outside expertise to ensure the installation would not compromise the integrity of the limestone exterior. “We’re not really experts on those things. The stonemasons are. They will say, ‘If you want to do that, you really ought to move it over here so you won’t have to cross any seams or butt joints, which might be a problem later on,’” recalls Burkett. “It’s important to work closely with the contracting teams and the architect because then you’re going to have a much better chance of having a long-range solution.” Being unobtrusive—both visually and
mechanically—was essential to the success of the lighting design.
The library’s evening hours make safety a priority. The lighting plan highlights ramps, stairs, and seating, providing a comfortable space to traverse on your way into the library or simply sit and enjoy after the sun sets. “It’s just a nice place to be at night,” says Burkett. Aside from strategic placement of
The Beulux YT02 small surface mounted extrusion was mounted under bench edges at the Kanawha County Public Library. Made using quality anodized aluminum, it offers great heat dissipation capabilities. The YT02 is best suited for a low-medium output tape light range. The YT line is known for its size and versatility in applications.
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Lumenrail Lumenpod 28 is a handrail point source luminaire designed for pathway, stair, and ramp illumination. Its 316 stainless steel face provides a flush-profile architectural solution for new or retrofit projects, including egress compliance opportunities. This luminaire has 2.2 system watts at 500mA and 121 lumens. This no-profile architectural solution also provides a tamperresistant installation; removal is only possible with a unique installation tool.
Wagner Architectural Systems wagnercompanies.com
fixtures, calibration was critical to the comfort of the outdoor space. “Dimming was used for finetuning the appearance,” he explains. “It would be easy to put in all these accent lights and uplights and stand back and say, ‘Oh, that looks good, but those medallions are way too bright.’ What would you do then if you can’t dim them?”
There’s no need for filters. Lighting controls make it easy to adjust the output of the LED fixtures and lock in these percentages as presets. “It’s all preprogrammed electronically. You basically close the cabinet and that’s the way it works every night,” he says. The building owner determines the timing for when most of the lighting turns off for the night. During special events and holidays, the presets can be overridden to keep lights on for a longer duration and the added security it provides.
Burkett credits the advancements and capabilities of LEDs for making designs like these possible. “You can create long lines of light, use low wattages, and miniaturized sources. Some on this project were no bigger than a lipstick tube. You precisely manipulate light emitted by small diodes using spread lenses, softening lenses, and even block light at critical angles. These are things we weren’t able to do previously without difficulty,” he notes.
These advancements enabled RBLD to craft a lighting design tailored to the stunning architectural elements of the Kanawha County Public Library. The curving columns, the detailed medallions, the depth and dimension of the design are only enhanced by the addition of light and shadow. Just as intriguing as the appearance of the building at night, the new-age equipment that makes it all possible was artfully hidden on the historic structure, leaving passersby to enjoy an almost magic effect of light without visible lighting.
A reinvention of Rochester’s downtown core as a vibrant pedestrian environment.
COMPANY: Landscape Forms Studio 431
PROJECT: Heart of the City
LOCATION: Rochester, MN
DESIGN TEAM: Destination Medical Center, City of Rochester, Coen+Partners, RSP Architects, HR&A Advisors, KimleyHorn & Associates, Latent Design, El Dorado (Hesse McGraw), Ann Hamilton, Gwen Westerman, Eric Anderson, Iñigo Manglano-Ovall, Kraus Anderson, Carl Bolander & Sons, Windsor Companies, Hunt Electric Corporation, Precision Hardscape, Global Specialty Contractors, Landscape Forms, Merit Contracting, New Line
Mechanical
PRODUCT SPECS:
Custom Rolling Platform & Stage Seating
www.landscapeforms.com
PHOTO CREDIT:
Corey Gaffer © Gaffer Photography & © Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto
CHALLENGE:
The Heart of the City project in Rochester, MN is true to its name, reinventing the city’s downtown core as a vibrant pedestrian environment. Phase one of the project, centering around renovation of the Peace Plaza, presented the challenge of exercising elegant balance in design.
The plaza connects the Mayo Clinic with two surrounding city blocks full of hotels, shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Its new ambiance needed to be a bridge, serving equally as an uplifting atmosphere for the renowned medical clinic and as a dynamic public space that energizes Rochester’s downtown culture. A community planning exercise kicked off Heart of the City, bringing together firms like Coen+Partners and RSP Architects with public and private stakeholders to arrive at a design masterplan that best represented the needs of all. The group identified twelve core design goals, and a celebration of public art became a guiding method to elevate all the unique aspects of this multifaceted space.
SOLUTION:
Welcoming groups to gather and adapting the plaza for a range of community events, Landscape Forms’ Studio 431 custom division engineered and manufactured an innovative modular platform and seating solution that can completely transform the character of the Peace Plaza. Consisting of twelve largescale wood and steel platforms, the custom rolling elements fully embrace the community’s desire for dynamic programming while enabling the space to remain uncluttered and celebratory of its permanent art installations and interactive water feature.
In Shane Coen’s eyes, Studio 431’s solution was an overwhelming success, elevating both the aesthetic and functional aspects of Peace Plaza. “These are large benches that you can push and pull and transform,” says the landscape architect and CEO + Founder of Coen+Partners. “You can put them together as a stage, you can turn them into dining tables, you could keep them as sculptural benches, and it all can move across the water throughout the whole plaza.”
Importantly to Coen, the rolling platform solution not only addresses the specific needs of the Heart of the City project, but also serves as inspiration for future public projects. “I think it’s a great model of how to see a stage not as a stagnant element,” he describes. “It’s a great model for flexibility and a great model for a new way to see these types of open public spaces.”
Legacy of Craft & Unequaled Custom Approach
Studio 431 is a design-focused business that works as a thought partner with world-class designers to create high-visibility, custom branded environments.
Ford Experience Center | Dearborn, MI
Studio 431 Elements: Precast Retaining Walls with Integrated Seating and Lighting
Design Partners: Zaremba & Company, Ghafari Associates, Illuminart
Landscape Forms | A Modern Craft Manufacturer
New lines, new assembly methods, new configurations, and new patterns give architects and designers the stylish pieces, systems, and solutions supersuited to the now.
These innovative products can help design teams solve the common problems and project goals they find themselves tasked with addressing today. Comfort, sustainability, and
Modern. Fresh. Newfangled. Cutting edge. State-of-the-art.
human-centric concerns are key. The products profiled here offer opportunities to improve acoustics, lean into biophilic design, and heighten energy efficiency in a variety of ways.
Building upon the popularity of its Mayland seating collection, Encore has added a wood frame option to its selection of contemporary, durable chairs. Ideal for a range of applications, including corporate offices, healthcare facilities, educational institutions and hospitality venues, the design features fluid curves, layered components and tapered back and arms. The designers paid particular attention to the sculpting of the cushions and seam locations for the product.
Encore Mayland encoreseating.com
Thanks to its integrated locking system, Threespine has raised the bar for sustainable, easy to assemble and disassemble furniture systems. Requiring no tools, pieces are locked into place, making furniture assembly up to two times faster. The technology supports ever-changing workplace requirements and promotes circular design with the ability to reuse and recycle the different components.
Välinge Threespine
With its angle legs and wheels, Teknion’s Kupp Flip Top Tables are easily configured and efficiently stored with a small footprint. The stylish tables offer versatile linking capabilities for easy creation of collaborative work areas. Available in different colors and dimensions, optional accessories include a power/data cut-out and a bag hook.
Offering textural, patterned glass in six new patterns, 3form introduces the Etched Glass Collection. New biophilia-inspired patterns include flower blooms, ferns and palms with other patterns featuring bold, offset curves and lines, and threedimensional, geometric designs. The collection adds to 3form’s 26 existing glass etch patterns. Utilizing its unique micro-sandblasting etching process, finishes are produced with a high level of precision and resolution.
3form
Etched Glass Collection 3form.com
Teknion Kupp Flip Top Tables teknion.com
The Uplifted wallcovering collection explores the interaction between form, color, and dimension. Tomma Bloom’s signature use of bold patterns, geometric structures, and energetic color is elevated by Astek’s haptic printing technique, creating dimensions you can see and feel. Specific elements are raised at varying levels of depth to transform a flat print into a three-dimensional wallcovering. Printed in an intentional color palette of pink, green, teal, blue, and lavender. The resulting collection offers a playful yet sophisticated solution for any interior.
Uplifted 3-Dimensional Wallcovering Collection astek.com
Moon, a globe-shaped acoustic lamp designed by Thomas Berstrand, provides high-quality directed light paired with exceptional sound absorption. The shape and generous scale allow it to effectively absorb a wide frequency of ambient noise. The product is recyclable and contains recycled content. It is Red List compliant and comes with an Environmental Product Declaration. Available in four colorways with or without lighting.
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Astek
It might look familiar, but it will change the way you craft with wood. Introducing Wilsonart Woodgrains , the material that does everything wood veneer can’t. Unmatched durability. Unlimited options. Looks so real, it’s unreal.
The smarter way to do wood
A Finalist of the 2023 Best of BDNY award in the architectural materials category, Brick & Brush, shown here in Posy, is a curated tile mural collection. It combines beautiful canvas paintings with handmade Moroccan zellige tile to offer a stunning piece of artwork that can be a focus in an architectural space.
Swift UV units disinfect phones and feature space for advertising media, creating a new stream of revenue for facilities. A new, larger unit now includes 4G connectivity, building upon the earlier Swift UV model that relied on Wi-Fi to deliver advertising content. The new model also has an 18-in. screen (compared to the previous 10 inches). Optional widgets can be customized by the client. The units offer free, rapid 15-second phone disinfection in public spaces and are compatible with any standard smartphone and case. Clients can manage advertisements within a content management system or have iCleanse secure third-party ads.
iCleanse Swift UV icleanse.com
Space Nano, the latest device to join the Airthings for Business portfolio, monitors spaces for humidity, temperature, pressure and lux, both indoors and outdoors. The device also has a virtual Mold Risk Indicator and offers expanded opportunities to monitor hard-to-reach and less accessible spaces within buildings. Available in a two-pack, Space Nano has a battery life expectation of up to 20 years on two AA batteries. It works with the Space Hub to connect seamlessly with a cloud-based dashboard and APIs for remote, live monitoring and updates. Space Nano is built with IP64-grade design and provides live data every five minutes, with a 2.5-minute interval option.
Audrey Lane Brick & Brush Tile Collection audreylane.com
Joining forces with the Swiss solar roofing company SunStyle, CertainTeed offers a new rooftop BIPV option to complement its existing Solstice line of products. Combining structural roofing materials with solar modules, SunStyle delivers performance and sleek aesthetics. Installed edge-to-edge in an overlapping diamond dragon-scale configuration, the solar roofing modules are engineered for weatherproofing and resilience.
CertainTeed, SunStyle
Solstice
certainteed.com
ASSA ABLOY
PED4000/PED5000 Series Exit Devices assaabloy.com
A striking new line of luminaires from Eureka Lighting features bold shapes and colors. The new Joli, Elke and Marro pendants are inspired by the Color Field painting movement of the 1950s and come in 30 decorative colors in multiple sizes. Each pendant features eight acoustic felt panels that radiate from a central globe diffuser. Suitable applications include lobbies, transition spaces, open work areas, conference rooms, school common areas, libraries and reception areas.
Eureka Lighting Joli, Elke and Marro pendants eurekalighting.com
ASSA ABLOY has released the PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices by Corbin Russwin. These exit devices feature the high strength, security and durability needed to meet the needs of modern buildings. They’re built to resist abusive conditions and have sloped, flush surfaces to eliminate catch points and minimize damage from cart impacts. Reinforced mounting brackets ensure the end caps never fall off from excessive contact. The five pound pressure latch release option on all rim and concealed vertical rod models complies with California building codes.
VALUTA Planters offer a simple modular solution to incorporate biophilia into any space. Designed around the VALUTA waste receptacle platform, the planters seamlessly coordinate by sharing common dimensions that allow for a variety of layout configurations. Use them in tandem with the waste receptacles or as standalone pieces to bring a touch of nature indoors. Choose from four powder-coated finishes and four sizes. Made in the U.S.
Magnuson Group
Greentech Environmental introduces a new lineup of high-efficiency True Mechanical MERV 13A filters. Greentech Filters+ incorporates ODOGard technology, which eliminates odor at the molecular level within the filter. The filters will work to catch up to 90% of airborne particles while eliminating odors and are engineered to meet the demands of both modern and older HVAC systems. They are compliant with the requirements of several states to use MERV 13 filters in government buildings, including California’s Title 24.
Greentech Environmental True Mechanical MERV 13A greentechenv.com
In the ever-evolving landscape of HVAC technology, these two products offer innovative solutions to today’s common issues.
KOVA Comfort is an AI-powered HVAC system that seamlessly integrates into building projects to create healthier, more comfortable environments based on a variety of inputs. It leverages behavioral, environmental and unit-specific occupancy inputs to learn, personalize and optimize comfort and energy usage in each environment. While traditional HVAC systems are prone to inefficient downtime and excessive energy use, KOVA Comfort significantly minimizes the energy needed to meet heating or cooling loads by combining existing energy efficiency capacities with AI and a variable-speed compressor and fan. Ideal for multifamily, student housing and hospitality applications.
KOVA KOVA Comfort kovaproducts.com
Solutions for buildings. Designed for people.
How do you design a unique facade that also provides comfort to the interior? The Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta chose our Twisted Sunshades to add the illusion of movement while providing protection from the sun. Learn more about the wide range of solutions we offer, inside and out, at c-sgroup.com.
When the Chengdu City Construction Investment and Management Group (CDCI) initiated an international design competition for a new natural history museum in Chengdu, China, they only invited one American architecture firm to participate: Pelli Clarke & Partners. The practice that is known for its long history of transformative architecture teamed up with the local China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute (CSWADI), to create the award-winning design.
Pelli Clarke & Partners was notified they had won the project almost immediately after the competition closed in March 2018. By August of that year, they were well into the design development phase. All the typical project phases were overlapping and concurrent, including the start of construction. “The design and build process in China is very different from what it is in the United States. Everything is done much faster in China,” notes Kristin Hawkins, Partner, Pelli Clarke & Partners. The 540,000-sq. ft. Chengdu Museum of Natural History opened to the public in November 2022.
The geography of Chengdu, with its vast plain and the Longmen and Qionglai Mountains (formed by colliding tectonic plates), served as inspiration for the new natural history museum and its six unique rock forms.
The project location offered many options for design inspiration. “There were some obvious metaphors we could have used, such as the city’s logo of the golden sun bird, or the giant panda—80% of all giant pandas live in Sichuan province,” recalls Hawkins. Pelli Clarke & Partners took a different approach. “We were drawn to the natural environment and unique geography of the place—the western snowcovered mountains that form the Sichuan Basin and the Chengdu Plain. Given that the building is a museum of natural history, it made sense to us to translate those connections into the architectural expression,” she explains.
The exterior shape of the building, its features, and landscaping embody the local elements of Shu Mountains, Shu Road, and Shu Water (Shu refers to the ancient kingdom that is now known as Sichuan
Province). “The building massing was inspired by the Sichuan mountain forms created by the shifting of ancient tectonic plates of the Chengdu region. The building volume reflects the rock breaking apart and shifting with the horizontal and vertical forces,” shares Hawkins.
The building’s six discrete forms are comprised of white granite panels, some of which are perforated with circle and oval shapes. “The stone surface is punctuated with organic perforations, devised to resemble the mountaintop snow, a reference to the mountains of the region,” says Hawkins. The shapes were made with precision drilling and a water jet process, after the panel was backed by an aluminum plate to protect the integrity of the stone. Three different panel designs were created and rotated to give the appearance of a non-repeating pattern.
“A folded double-layer rainscreen wall with more than 70 folded surfaces and over 6,000 outer curtain wall supports was designed to evoke the craggy texture of the mountains,” she explains. “The double wall incorporates an LED backlighting system which, when lit, creates the impression of a twinkling starry nighttime sky,” adds Hawkins. A 700mm cavity between the double rainscreen façade houses the custom lighting as well as a maintenance catwalk.
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With a nod to the surrounding geography and respect for the environment, the project carefully considered both. In addition to the Dongfeng Canal on the site’s eastern edge, the landscaping includes streams and reflecting pools along with four themed gardens (Wetland Garden, Bamboo Garden, Water Lily Garden, and a Seasonal Plant Garden). “A rainwater harvesting system collects and reuses rainwater for non-potable demands of irrigation, toilet flushing and cleaning, minimizing water use and sewage discharge. Low-consumption fixtures are installed in all restrooms,” says Hawkins.
The use of 8,700 tons of locally sourced steel was also a sustainable decision. “The use of
steel over concrete creates a smaller carbon footprint because steel production produces less embodied carbon,” she adds. Highperformance, low-E glass and a minimized window-to-wall ratio also reduce HVAC demand and carbon emissions.
Abundant natural light from the expansive glass roofs cut down on the need for artificial lighting systems. “Energy-efficient technologies and equipment, such as intelligent LED lighting control systems, a high-performance envelope with energy-efficient glass and walls, and integrated insulation technology also reduce energy consumption,” explains Hawkins.
Locally sourced from the Hubei Province, white gold granite panels make up the surface of the Chengdu Museum of Natural History’s rock forms. Choosing to use local stone from the Huanggang Shengli Stone Company not only made sense given the national museum’s celebration of geography, but also proved sustainable by reducing material transportation requirements.
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Expanses of glass fill the gaps between the building’s sculpted rock forms. “These in-between spaces are visual and physical connections between the exhibits, and likewise to the city, street, landscape, and the canal,” notes Hawkins. The building’s main entrance is also situated at a cleave in the rock forms and begins an expansive glass atrium. Dinosaurs suspended from the exposed structural steel to wow museum visitors and draw the eye upward to the immense glass roof.
The Dino Box, a long-folded glass space attached to the building exterior transitions people between the second and third floors. “The inspiration for the Dino Box was the region’s distinctive mountain paths— the Shu Roads—a system of wood plank roads supported from the sides of the Sichuan’s mountain cliffs,” explains Hawkins.
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Class is in session. The Miller Hull Partnership talks challenges, lessons learned, and offers a little LBCcertified inspiration with the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, Atlanta.
by Jana Madsen, contributing writerWith a $30 million commitment from The Kendeda Fund, the Georgia Institute of Technology, already known for its long history of environmental stewardship, wanted a model for sustainable design on its Atlanta campus and to prove regenerative buildings are possible even in the hot, humid climate of the Southeast. The Miller Hull Partnership and Lord Aeck Sargent Planning and Design, Inc. were selected as architects for the Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design, which opened its doors in 2020 and received Living Building Challenge certification in 2021.
The building has approximately 47,000 square feet of
programmable space in the form of classrooms, labs, a makerspace, offices, and auditorium. Its 4,300-sq.ft. vegetated roof is home to a honeybee apiary, blueberry orchard, and pollinator garden.
According to Georgia Tech, the Kendeda Building is 80% more efficient than a comparable new, conventionally built higher education Atlanta building. One of the most notable building features, its 15,860-sq. ft. canopy, creates a two-story front porch that shades the westfacing building, reducing cooling demands significantly. A tight building envelope, with numerous operable windows facilitates both breezes and natural light. More
than 60 ceiling fans also circulate air, adding to the comfort of the building. Instead of a conventional HVAC system, the Kendeda Building uses a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS). It preconditions and delivers clean outside air, dehumidifying it in the summer and heating it in the winter.
A total of 917 solar panels (330kW) mounted to the canopy generate 440,000 kWh annually. It’s a two-part energy strategy. “First, we want to make the project as efficient as we can. Then the second step is to make that power out of something that’s renewable; that’s where the solar panels come in,” notes Hellstern. The
SOLAR AND SHADING
A total of 917 solar panels (330kW) mounted to the canopy generate 440,000 kWh annually.
The Kendeda Building’s canopy shades the building to reduce cooling demand, generates electricity via solar panels, collects rainwater, and is also a defining architectural feature.
Project: The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design
Design Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP
Collaborating Architect & Prime Architect: Lord Aeck Sargent
Builder: Skanska USA
Landscape: Andropogon
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Engineering: PAE
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing: Newcomb & Boyd
Greywater Systems: Biohabitats
Civil Engineering: Long Engineering
Structural Engineering: Uzun & Case
Commissioning: Epsten Group
Photography: © Gregg Willett Photo
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Kendeda Building currently produces 200% more electricity per year than it consumes; the excess is fed back into the campus grid.
The Kendeda Building also limits demand for water with efficient fixtures, landscaping, and irrigation systems. Restroom plumbing is not even connected to the sewer system, but instead uses biodegradable foam flush toilets and waterless urinals. Bioliquids and biosolids are treated in the building’s composting toilet system, the largest of its kind in the state of Georgia. Gutters affixed to the building’s solar panels collect rainwater that is stored in a 50,000-gallon
basement cistern. This water is used on demand by potable fixtures. The project virtually eliminates stormwater runoff with bioswales, pervious pavers, and permeable concrete. Stormwater and greywater are both treated onsite. “We send that out into the garden to be naturally cleaned and filtered,” says Hellstern. Georgia Tech reports that the water collected and infiltrated into the ground is roughly 15 times what the building needs to operate.
In addition to being net positive energy and water, the project boasts reduced embodied carbon construction. This was achieved by recycling 99% of
Miller Hull Partnership Talks Living Building Challenge
The Miller Hull Partnership has completed a total of six (including its two offices) Living Building Challengecertified projects. The firm’s Living Building design portfolio is documented in the 2023 book Challenge & Change: Miller Hull’s Living Building Practice by Mary Adam Thomas. Chris Hellstern and Margaret Sprug shared some of the challenges and lessons learned from their regenerative building projects.
The Living Building Challenge—a philosophy and certification program from the International Living Future Institute—is gaining in popularity. The program focuses on designing, building, and operating regenerative buildings that give back more than they take from the environment. “Think about buildings that act like more of a living system, that can collect all of the energy that they need from the sun, all of the water that they need from rain, just like a flower,” explains Chris Hellstern, Associate, Living Building Challenge Services Director, The Miller Hull Partnership, Seattle.
construction waste, purchasing a one-time carbon offset, utilizing lower carbon building materials including FSC-certified timber, and using salvaged building materials. An example of this is the ceiling, which is made from 25,000 linear feet of salvaged 2 × 4s from film industry sets. Scrap wood from this project was then used for the three-tiered seat stairs in the building’s atrium. “Efforts were made to go with products and materials that have lower carbon content,” adds Hellstern. The Kendeda Building was the first in the state of Georgia to use mass timber. It was also the first Living Building in the state and 28th in the world.
Miller Hull Partnership Insights Continued
Living Building Challenge certification doesn’t simply measure what goes into a building, but how every system works interconnectedly to perform in harmony with the environment. These buildings are net positive energy and water, use materials primarily free from Red List chemicals, and are often constructed with recycled and salvaged materials, generating less waste during the build.
Living Building Challenge certification is organized into seven performance categories, also known as Petals: place, water, energy, health + happiness, materials, equity, and beauty. Each Petal is divided into Imperatives (20 total). Only after a building demonstrates compliance with the Imperatives through actual (not modeled or anticipated) performance is certification possible. “With many other rating systems, you can put forth some documentation and promise your building will be [sustainable]. But Living Building Challenge requires you go through a year-long period of performance of the building being occupied to really prove they work,” he expands.
Seattle-based Miller Hull has built a practice on the principles of sustainability. Their design philosophy has grown from building within the local economy and passive solar design to LEED buildings, coinciding with a rising environmental design movement. “We were looking for what’s next,” says Margaret Sprug, Principal, The Miller Hull Partnership, Seattle. “Our evolution tied together with the Living Building Challenge, and we were totally ready to embrace it.
Operable windows and 60+ ceiling fans maintain comfortable airflow throughout this Atlanta-based building.
While it’s not to say regenerative buildings aren’t beautiful, the aesthetics are a result of following natural principles. “Like a flower, each component of a building has to serve a purpose that contributes to an ecosystem that is in balance,” explains Sprug. She urged designers whose architectural education may have encouraged bold forms and iconic style to approach living buildings without a lot of ego. “Our frame of mind has to be very humble when we come into a project. We can’t have a lot of hubris about how awesome this thing is going to look because we wanted
The Keneda Building at Georgia Tech used American Hydrotech’s Garden Roof and Ultimate Assembly to help achieve Living Building Challenge 3.1 Certification. By using transparent materials that show where a product comes from, what it is made of, and where it goes at the end of its life, Hydrotech’s Assemblies help meet the high standards. The Garden Roof Assembly and Ultimate Assembly consist of waterproofing/roofing membrane, insulation, architectural pavers, green roof components, growing media, and even the vegetation for extensive applications. American Hydrotech hydrotechusa.com
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Miller Hull Partnership Insights
Continued
to have a big architectural statement,” she explains. The priority must remain on striking a balance between the building and the natural processes it’s part of. “That’s a very different way of thinking about a project and moving it forward,” she adds.
Both Hellstern and Sprug stress the importance of making sure that all team members are clear on the goals for building performance; understanding and buy-in is critical to project success. “Our greatest asset is when our clients provide this directive and rigor for meeting Living Building Challenge,” says Hellstern. With everyone aligned, communicate openly and collaborate often as a group. “What’s best is to have all the team there, including stakeholders, contractors, subcontractors, folks who are going to use the building, and maintain the building. If they’re all present at all the meetings, it’s much more effective,” he adds.
Because of the way systems in a living building tie together and multi-task, changes have a ripple effect. “As we solve one issue in civil engineering, it may affect mechanical engineering, the way the building looks, how it’s operated, and what a tenant gets out of it,” Hellstern cautions. Forego segregated meetings with individual project members; it’s best to get everyone around the table. “Engagement with an expert team is really important,” he shares.
In each of the six certified projects Miller Hull embarked on, they encountered the same thing. “Because this design approach is new to many clients, we often hear, ‘Hey, what about…?’ or ‘Have you tried X, Y, or Z?’ If we found a solution that was better and more cost effective, we would have definitely proceeded in that way,” says Sprug. Miller Hull welcomes the suggestions and has come to realize that proving out alternatives is just part of the process. “We go through a lot of side explorations that many times don’t pencil out, but we learn a lot in the process and give the client the assurance that we are making the right decisions,” she adds.
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The Kendeda Building was the first in the state of Georgia to use mass timber.
The wood ceilings are made from salvaged 2 × 4s, no longer needed by the Atlanta film industry. Other wood was sourced locally to reduce transportation impacts and supplied by sustainable tree farms.
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Operable windows and large aluminum-framed folding glass doors provide a connection to the outdoors; ample daylight; and when opened, natural ventilation. These strategies increase comfort and reduce energy consumption.
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OneDek TPO OneDek RD1Depending on the project location, regenerative building design may be more progressive than building codes. “Authorities having jurisdiction and codes aren’t quite ready for living buildings yet. This is just something we have to work through in almost every location,” says Hellstern. “We have to get together with code officials early on and work through what it means to be a regenerative building.” Make time for those conversations and recognize you’re laying the foundation for future projects.
“Some of what Living Building Challenge demands of us is our shift in thinking about the industry, how we build buildings traditionally, what we think of them in terms of performance, and what we expect out of them.”
-Chris HellsternMiller Hull is proudly championing living buildings to push the industry forward. One small example of this is with product and material selection. “Product reps come into our office every day trying to get us to use their products and we always ask them where they are with the Red List,” says Sprug. “Even though the construction industry has been changing rapidly, moving towards full transparency by disclosing the ingredients that make up building products, there are still some product categories that include toxic chemicals that we still use because no better alternative exists, yet. But if you don’t ask for the data, the industry won’t change.”
Bringing these projects into the built environment is not simply adding building stock, it’s setting an example. The Kendeda Building for Innovative Sustainable Design is used for non-departmental education to enable every undergraduate student to have at least one class there. Energy and water systems are on full display. Keeping them exposed isn’t just a design aesthetic, it’s the opportunity for students and visitors to see the workings of sustainable building systems up close. Exposure to these buildings for students and the community propagates the idea of what is possible for the future.
For more than 50 years in the United States, Clivus Multrum has been developing its technology for a wide range of applications. Using aerobic composting principles, the Clivus system turns both feces and urine into useful fertilizer end-products. A highnutrient liquid is the primary end-product of the process. A tiny fraction of water and soap (3-6 oz. per flush) creates a foam blanket that carries toilet ‘waste’ into the compost tank below, where a variety of organisms break down urine and feces.
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The building is itself a teacher, with exposed and labeled piping so students can see the inner working of building systems to better understand how a regenerative building performs.
The Kendeda Building was the first Living Building in the state of Georgia and the 28th in the world.
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Entry Forms Due: June 14
Portfolios Due: July 26
Entry Forms Due June 14. Portfolios Due July 26.
• Discounts for multiple projects and multiple pages.
• Open to projects completed since January 1, 2019.
• Entry categories for pre-K through higher-education. New construction, renovation, and work in progress.
• Featured in the fall 2024 Architectural Portfolio issue, full-screen galleries on SchoolDesigns, and our e-newsletter.
• Larger circulation, including expanded reach to school boards and industry event partners.
• National recognition for you, your project, and the school or university.
• Free print-ready PDF for multiple entries and multi-page projects. Contact Heather Buzzard at hbuzzard@endeavorb2b.com or visit SchoolDesigns.com to enter today.
Presented by
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This article will review the influence of the WELL Building Standard on the design and specification of commercial interior spaces.
1.25
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this article, you should be able to:
1 Describe how the WELL Building Standard has helped designers and owners understand how interior environments can support the health and well-being of occupants.
2 Discuss the founding principles, framework, concepts, and award system of the WELL Building Standard version 2.
3 Explain how the hand dryer product category can help a project earn WELL certification.
4 Compare the purpose of circadian lighting with that of tunable lighting.
5 Discuss ways in which furniture can promote human health and activity in the workplace.
6 Understand the interdisciplinary relationship between standards and product manufacturers or suppliers to achieve healthier spaces.
Since the turn of this century, the architecture, engineering, construction, and owner/operations (AECO) sector has paid increasingly more attention to its tremendous impact on the natural environment and on the people who inhabit the spaces it creates. Previously, a few forerunners, many spurred by the Energy Crisis of the 1970s, were sounding the alarm. Though the industry-wide shift to evidence- and science-backed strategies for architectural design and products—which includes buildings as a whole as well as everything that goes inside and outside them—started slowly, the pace has picked up due to greater awareness of climate change and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, humans spend approximately 90% of their lives indoors . Several green building standards, such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC)
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and the International Living Future Institute’s (ILFI’s) Living Building Challenge, provide guidance on sustainable building design, construction, and performance. That is important, says William Gagnon, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Excel Dryer, headquartered in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. But the profession also needs “to focus inside the buildings to make sure their environment is healthy and sustainable,” he continues. “It’s really about living in the building and who’s going to be in it.”
Enter the WELL Building Standard, launched in 2014 by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), a public benefit corporation based in New York. The performance-based certification program is third-party certified by the Green Building Certification Inc., which also certifies the LEED program. The WELL Building Standard does have some overlap with LEED and other
certification programs, but its objective is distinct. “Fundamentally, WELL is about improving human health and well-being in a holistic and multifaceted way,” says IWBI chief product officer Jessica Cooper. “We look at physical, mental, and social well-being. The idea is that we’re setting up places, spaces, and organizational practices that enable people to be their best selves, do their best work, and thrive.”
T his article will review the influence of the WELL Building Standard on the design and specification of commercial interior spaces with a closer look at its impact on three product categories: hand dryers, lighting, and furniture.
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Excel Dryer, the global leader in touchless hand hygiene solutions, recently unveiled a state-of-the-art office expansion and renovation project. Guided by the WELL Building Standard, this initiative was designed to merge beauty, health, wellness, and sustainability into our workplace.
In this issue learn about the Excel Dryer office project and how our products can contribute to your next WELL project.
SCAN HERE TO LEARN ABOUT POINTS YOU CAN EARN USING EXCEL
The design team at Stantec explores the connection between state-of-the-art learning environments and academic success.
Starting off the 2023-24 school year, Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) in Maryland opened six new public schools. PGCPS is the first jurisdiction in the nation to use a Public Private Partnership design, build, finance, and maintenance model to bundle the construction and maintenance of a group of public schools. The new PGCPS are known as the Blueprint Schools.
As architect-of-record, Stantec designed all six schools and specified Rockfon acoustic stone wool ceiling systems to support the health, safety, wellbeing, comfort, productivity, and success of students and staff. Each school features approximately 100,000 to 170,000 sq. ft. of Rockfon’s ceiling panels installed in Rockfon Chicago Metallic suspension systems.
Between all six schools, the ceiling contractors installed: 395,000 sq. ft. of Rockfon Education Standard 2-ft. × 2-ft. and 2-ft. × 4-ft. panels with a square lay-in edge in Chicago Metallic 15/16-in. suspension systems, 32,600 sq. feet of Rockfon Tropic 2-ft. × 2-ft. and 2-ft. × 4-ft. panels with a square
tegular narrow edge in Chicago Metallic 9/16-in. suspension systems, and 10,000 sq. ft. of Rockfon Koral 2-ft. × 2-ft. panels with square lay-in edge in Chicago Metallic 15/16-in. suspension systems.
“As the partnership’s architect, we’re designing innovative learning environments that reflect the needs of the diverse student population from urban, suburban, and rural communities in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. With flexible spaces more adaptable to modern pedagogy, the design offers innovative learning environments through small and large group instruction and peer-to-peer engagement. The story isn’t just about the savings and innovative designs—it’s about delivering engaging educational spaces for the future leaders of their community,” explained Stantec.
To create an effective learning environment for PGCPS’ students, the Rockfon acoustic stone wool ceiling panels present a smooth, modern aesthetic and help balance the schools’ needs for openness
and transparency with safety, health, and sustainability.
Rockfon’s ceiling systems support the Blueprint Schools’ requirements and LEED criteria, including indoor air quality, acoustic comfort, visual comfort, daylighting and more. All of Rockfon’s acoustic stone wool ceiling panels offer Class A fire protection and the stone wool material naturally resists moisture, mold, and mildew. It also gives no sustenance to microorganisms.
Rockfon’s stone wool ceiling panels support indoor air quality. The panels have all earned UL Environment GREENGUARD Gold certification for low emissions in offices and schools. In addition to being recognized by LEED, low-emitting products with material ingredient documentation are also recognized by the WELL Building Standard, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, and other leading programs that emphasize sustainability and wellness.
In a learning environment, communication and understanding between students, teachers, and staff is key for academic success. Rockfon’s soundabsorbing ceiling panels optimize acoustics with high Noise Reduction Coefficients (NRC), which reduce noise levels and reverberation times. In the areas where acoustics are most crucial, Rockfon’s ceiling panels deliver up to 0.85 NRC.
Because most children spend the majority of their year inside school buildings, the design team focused extra attention to indoor air quality.
Contributing to the visual comfort inside PGCPS’ school, the white surface of Rockfon Education Standard, Rockfon Tropic, and Rockfon Koral ceiling panels have a high light reflectance that maximizes daylight to illuminate the schools’ interiors evenly and efficiently. This diffused lighting helps reduce glare on screens and monitors, making it easier for students to see and be more comfortable when concentrating on their schoolwork.
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The new 39,000-sq. ft. Wray Ward headquarters near Charlotte, N.C. is filled with daylight with the help of three VMS Longlights that were designed into the building envelope. The largest, a 15-module Longlight, bathes the two-story stadium seating area used for company-wide gatherings and announcements in natural light.
See more courses at
Color Theory Helps Explain Our Relationship to Nature and Wellbeing
This CEU explores people’s interactions, effects and perceptions of color and its impact on wellbeing.
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Decarbonization 101
Exploring the opportunities to achieve operational decarbonization and reduce embodied carbon with design.
Credits: 1 LU/HSW
Exploring Design Trends for K-12 Applications
This course addresses student behaviors, improving the learning environment, and enhancing the sustainability of educational buildings.
Credits: 1 LU/HSW
Flooring + The Well Building Standard Version 2
Exploring the various ways that flooring can contribute toward a project earning WELL v2 certification.
Credits: 1 LU/HSW
Young professional Maribel Barba aia, shares the story of a unique city-enhancing big box project in Mexico City.
As a young project architect with MG2’s Seattle office, Puerto Rican native Maribel Barba aia, was very involved with large retail projects for brandname clients including Target, Kohl’s and Costco Wholesale. So when an opportunity came up with a unique, highly sustainable and community-focused Costco project in the Santa Fe neighborhood of Mexico City, Barba had all the credentials to help lead the design.
“Seeing
the positive impact of our work on the community— how it improves daily lives or solves a specific problem— is profoundly fulfilling.”
Located in a prime location inside the 70-acre public park Parque La Mexicana, MG2 was asked to conceive of a design in the spirit of an agreement with the city’s parks commission which had allocated 30% of the green space for commercial development in exchange for companies covering the park’s operating costs.
What emerged was truly remarkable. The 0.5-million-sq.-ft. Costco warehouse, parking garage and loading dock is largely concealed under what has to be the largest green roof ever to cover a retail building. But wait, there’s more. The green roof houses 10 native plants and 15 insect hotels, a public soccer field, two basketball/volleyball courts, a padel court and a children’s skate park—all connected by walking, running and biking paths.
“If you are standing in Parque La Mexicana, you would never realize there is a Costco right underneath the park extension,” says Barba.
“This might be one of the craziest projects I’ve ever seen,” stated Cherise Lakeside, senior spec writer, RDH Building Science, in a recent Arcat Detailed podcast interview with Barba. For example, the green roof had to be waterproofed and support the additional building load and seismic requirements. And the project had to meet the city’s strict environmental regulations on issues like water consumption and preserving trees around the perimeter.
As part of the solution, greywater is reused to flush toilets and urinals and a water catchment system collects and stores stormwater which is then pumped back into recreational lakes and fountains throughout the park.
In addition, tall berms covered in native plants, trees, and grasses work to camouflage the warehouse exteriors and green facade screens with native crawling vegetation are planted at its base and cascade down from the roof above to further obscure the warehouse and parking structure. While incredibly challenging, the project was deeply rewarding.
“I went back to Costco Santa Fe after the entire project was completed and saw the community actively using the soccer fields and skate park, and admiring the green roof. That filled me with an immense sense of accomplishment, knowing that
WHERE’S COSTCO?
There’s a Costco hidden underneath this
in
our efforts created a space that enriches lives and fosters a strong community spirit,” Barba reflects.
Recipient of a 2022 Autodesk 40 Under 40 Champion of Construction award, one of Barba’s MG2 mentors, Principal Matthew Goelzer, aia, leed ap, said, “she is a technology champion and works effectively in a collaborative environment while advocating for integrated design. Maribel functions closely with the entire team—including owners, consultants and contractors—to maximize project results.”
Embracing the opportunity to effect change, Barba notes that architects are in a unique position to lend their technical knowledge and creative skills to foster community development, enhancing not just physical spaces but also the social experience.
Maribel Barba, AIA, project architect with MG2’s Seattle office.
All images courtesy of MG2
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