AcoustiBuilt Seamless Acoustical Ceiling System & Calla® Panels in Black → University of Maryland - Yahentamitsi Dining Hall, College Park, MD → Ayers Saint Gross, Baltimore, MD
The AcoustiBuilt® Seamless Acoustical Ceiling System combines the smooth, monolithic look of drywall with superior acoustical performance and sustainability attributes. The pre-engineered design allows easy fi xture integration to enhance IEQ in a broad range of spaces. Get inspired at armstrongceilings.com/acoustibuilt
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HANOVER® PERMEABLE PAVERS
Hanover’s Permeable Paving Units allow for stormwater drainage and manage excessive runoff. Minimal openings provide a comfortable walking surface while allowing for water percolation. These pedestrian-friendly ADA compliant paving units are available in Hanover’s full range of over 3,800 granite-like custom colors, as well as several sizes and textures.
PAC-CLAD Tite-Loc Plus roofing panels in a Zinc finish top the two former foundry structures, while the walls feature the texture of M-36 exposed fastener wall panels to complete the urban chic design.
Trends Lines // Modularity in Design & Construction, Healthcare Off-site prefabrication is taking off. Learn why and what it takes to be successful at it. by Jana Madsen
Form // Mayo Clinic’s Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Building, Rochester, MN
The HDR-designed, double-facade at Mayo Clinic’s latest research facility wraps the building in an innovation worthy of the incredible activity taking place inside. by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett
Function // 60 London Wall
EPR Architects strips this 1980s office building back to the studs and reinvents a highly sustainable, sought-after property in its place by Barbara Hortwitz-Bennett
Makes a Strong Point
Explore the intent and inspiration at the heart of the HQ in Santa Clara, CA, designed by Gensler.
by Jana Madsen
Architectural Products Magazine, Volume 23, Number 03 Architectural Products USPS Permit 22941, ISSN 1557-4830 print is published
Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec, by
POSTMASTER:
address changes to:
Products, PO Box 3257, Northbrook, IL 60065-3257.
Elliot Glassman, aia, ncarb, leed ap bd+c, cphd, CannonDesign
See the road taken by Elliot Glassman to integrate the exploration of building performance more fully into the design process. by Barbara Horwitz-Bennett
From Prediction to Practice—Outdoor Office Spaces & Modular Construction
Not everything that is proposed as a design trend comes to fruition, but when it does, what is realized can be even more wonderful than anyone imagined.
I’m not exactly sure when companies began trying to bring the outdoors into the office in a real and intentional way. It was 2002 when the article “Daylighting and Human Performance,” written by Lisa Heschong, partner in Heschong Mahone Group, was published in the ASHRAE Journal. In it, she succinctly describes how it became normal to design buildings devoid of daylight.
“Fifty years ago, practically all schools and workplaces used daylight as the primary illumination source. With the advent of inexpensive electricity and widespread use of fluorescent lighting in the 1950s and 1960s, states began to abandon
“For phase two, Voyager, we asked a new question, ‘how do you get people to work in nature all day?’”
requirements for minimum daylight illumination in their building codes. As energy costs soared, starting with the energy crises of the 1970s, the glazed areas of buildings came to be regarded by many as an energy liability, seen as increasing heating and cooling loads. … The net result has been a dramatic reduction in the amount of daylight available in our schools and workplaces during the past half-century.”
The article describes the studies conducted by Heschong and concludes with this statement, “If the link between increased daylight and improved human performance holds true with additional studies, it strongly suggests that we should act to reverse our current building trends that are reducing the presence of daylight in the workplace.” Reverse they certainly have.
Today projects are pushing boundaries to immerse indoor environment in the feeling of the outdoors or expand the office into the outside, offering employees more types of space to perform their best work. Extraordinary examples realizing these intentions are the buildings—Endeavor and Voyager—on the NVIDIA corporate campus in Santa Clara, CA. Designed by Gensler, these buildings
feature incredible architectural elements that take this workspace to the next level in many ways. Take a tour on page 36.
Modular construction is another item that often appears on Design Trends to Watch lists. There’s a large potential upside to prefabricating building components off-site and then assembling them on-site and advancements in design technology and modular product solutions are making this tweak to the design process easier to execute. In this issue, project managers at HDR and Boldt share their insights and lessons learned as they used modular construction on an ambitious healthcare project. Start learning how to make modular construction work on page 26.
One of the most interesting talking points, when it comes to trends, is how they can be implemented with success. Whether you’re interested in creating offices that feature outdoor elements, incorporating modular construction into a project, revamping an existing footprint via adaptive reuse, or meeting the acoustic needs of a space, we have something for you in this issue.
Happy reading.
—Jeanie Fitzgerald Pitts, Editor in Chief
EDITORIAL , DESIGN + PRODUCTION
Jeanette Fitzgerald Pitts Ed tor in Chief jfitzgerald@endeavorb2b.com
Robert Nieminen Chief Content Director rnieminen@endeavorb2b.com
Contri b uting Ed itor s
Barbara Horwitz-Bennett
Jana Madsen
Janelle Penny
Jeff Pitts
Heather Ronaldson
Katy Tomasulo
Lauren Lenkowski Art Director llenkowski@endeavorb2b.com
Greg Araujo Senior Production Operations Manager garaujo@endeavorb2b.com
Jennifer George Ad Service Manager jgeorge@endeavorb2b.com
CIRCULATION MANAGEMENT
Emily Martin Senior Audience Deve opment Manager emartin@endeavorb2b.com
ADVERTISING SALES
Chris Perrino VP/Market Leader –404-502-1933 Buildings & Construction cperrino@endeavorb2b.com
Tim Shea Brand Director/East 708-860-5684 tshea@endeavorb2b com
Ellyn Fishman West 949-239-6030 efishman@endeavorb2b com
Paul Hagen Midwest 319-360-1306 phagen@endeavorb2b.com
Tim Kedzuch West/Southwest/Canada 630-728-9204 tkedzuch@endeavorb2b.com
ENDEAVOR BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC
Chris Ferrell CEO
Patrick Rains COO
Paul Andrews CRO
Jacquie Niemiec CDO
Tracy Kane CALO
Amanda Landsaw CMO
Mike Christian EVP—Building, Energy + Water Group
EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS
For editoria submissions, email Jeanette Fitzgerald Pitts: jfitzgerald@endeavorb2b.com
For subscriptions, visit: arch-products.com/subscribe For artic e reprints, emai : reprints@endeavorb2b.com
PrivaSEE is an all-glass operable wall that provides flexible space management and acoustical control.
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events resources
CONTINUING EDUCATION PLATFORM
AIA Expo
Boston, June 4–7
Expo: June 5–6 conferenceonarchitecture.com
NeoCon June 9-11
THE MART Chicago neocon.com
Architecture + Design Master Continuing Education Platform has AIA-approved courses, designated as either LU or LU/HSW, that 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 On-Demand AIA-Accredited Webinar
An Introduction to Dynamic Glass: What it is, how it works, and why it’s important
BOMA International Annual Conference & Expo June 28-July 1
Boston Convention & Exposition Center Boston, MAExpo Produced by BOMA International and BUILDINGS.com bomaconvention.org
SEPTEMBER 2025
CERSAIE
International Exhibition of Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings
Sept. 22-26
Bologna, Italy cersaie.it
ASPE
American Society of Plumbing Engineers
2025 Tech Symposium Sept. 24-28
Orlando, Florida aspe.org
Glass connects us to the outside world but with a cost: glare and heat can compromise both comfort and sustainability. Dynamic Glass seeks to help designers eliminate this compromise. In recent years, growing market adoption and technology advancements have resulted in Dynamic Glass moving from niche to mainstream. After this presentation, attendees will understand how this technology works, how it impacts building performance and the people in them, and learn about specific applications where it is most often employed.
1.0 LU archdesignmaster.com
OCTOBER 2025
ASLA
ASLA 2025 Conference on Landscape Architecture Oct. 10-13
New Orleans asla.org/conference.aspx
MetalCon Oct. 21-23
Las Vegas Convention Center metalcon.com
HCD
Healthcare Design Expo & Conference Oct. 25-28
Kansas City Convention Center Kansas City, Mo. hcdexpo.com
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The elegant design of Bradley’s exclusive collection of Euro style partitions flawlessly combines beauty and performance raising the standard in commercial washrooms. Two new series options, Skyline and Highrise, feature high-design materials, occupancy indicators, increased privacy, and seamless construction to provide an elevated look and welcoming spaces. Commercial Washrooms. Brought to Life.
The Award-Winning New Forms of Light
Introducing the Innovation Award Winners from Lightfair 2025.
Light exists in any number of forms—and they are all getting better. This has never been more clear than the lighting solutions selected as Innovation Award winners this year at Lightfair. Modular pipe-like lights, available in any imaginable configuration, tape lights with perfect color control, high performance monopoints, unmatched drive-over luminaires, and lighting tiles that bring daylight deeper into the floorplate.
“Messe Frankfurt is proud to be a new partner in bringing LightFair into its 35th year,” said Mark Roush, fies, m. arch, lc, “Together with IES and IALD, we are combining expertise and energy to reimagine LightFair with a renewed focus on innovation.”
A PIPELIGHT AS A PUZZLE PIECE
The Lightfair 2025 Indoor Decorative category winner, Pipeline 1 (176 degree Lens) Suspension Rotatable Modular System, offers sleek tubes of diffused LED light and series of connectors, allowing you to easily piece together the fixture of your dreams. Run Pipeline 1 Suspension Light and Track Channels along an exposed ceiling, turn corners or climb walls with L, T, X, Y and Flexible Connectors, all in an easy-to-install, plug and play package.
PureEdge, Pipeline Suspension Rotatable Modular System pureedgelighting.com
STRIP LIGHT WITH NO DOWNSIDE
This Lightfair 2025 award-winning light strip offers perfect color control, ultra-uniform brightness, ultra-long lengths (up to 50 meters), and is field-cuttable with a large bending degree and easy installation.
Leadmy, Shenzhen LEADMY’s Diode on Board (DOB) Light Strip leadmy.com
MONOPOINT MADE SPECIAL
The LUCY monopoint redefines high performance, compact lighting with a precision-engineered 45mm (1.75-in.) diameter and 95mm (3.75-in.) length.
Delivering over 1200 lumens at 15W, LUCY surpasses industry standards for output and efficiency, achieving exceptional delivered lumen output and center beam candlepower (CBCP) across multiple beam angles while maintaining a small, sleek, thermally optimized design.
QTL Lighting, Lucy Monopoint Light qtl.lighting
DESIGNED TO DRIVE OVER
Winner of Lightfair 2025’s Most Innovative Product Award, FortaCast Drive-Over Lighting helps specifiers overcome the high cost and limitations of drive-over lines of light. Engineered with patented polymer concrete, FortaCast fixtures do not include a secondary housing or complex and costly installation. Structural selfsupporting fixtures can be installed with the ease of installing pavers in a continuous straight or curved line.
Winner of two category awards—Commercial Indoor and Technical Innovation—the SkyView Tile is a groundbreaking luminiare that delivers the light your body naturally craves. A one-for-one replacement of traditional LED luminaires, the SkyView Tile provides the targeted M-EDI of 250 lux on the vertical plane of the eye, as recommended by both the WELL building standard and RP-46-23 from the IES. “Since we installed SkyView Tiles, our office feels completely different. Everyone’s more energized and focused—it’s like working under a perfect blue sky every day,” said Aidan Jamison, Partner, Billings Jackson Design, New York, Chicago, London.
BIOS Lighting, SkyView Tile skyviewlight.com
DIMINUTIVE
DOWNLIGHT
The Lightfair 2025 downlight category winner is the one-inch round recessed downlight that offers 6901280 delivered lumens in standard white, warm dim, and tunable white options. This product also won the 2024 IES Progress Report and is Red List Approved.
LEDRAbrands, NU Pro One Inch Downlight alphabetlighting.com
Sound Vision
Achieving perfect aesthetical and acoustical harmony in any space.
By Kenneth W. Good, Jr., Acoustic Specialist, Armstrong World Industries
Designing for acoustics requires architects and designers to see with their ears, while acousticians must hear with their eyes. When these things happen, the resulting spaces deliver on every level, from design intent to functionality and speech privacy.
Admittedly, the acts of “seeing with your ears,” and “hearing with your eyes” take some practice. But today, incredible options exist in ceiling and wall technologies that provide designers, architects, and acousticians with that critical bridge between sight and sound. In this article, we’ll walk through the building blocks of perfecting acoustics for sound and sight—of getting the acoustics right in any space without compromising aesthetics or limiting the imagination.
Talking the Talk Of Acoustics Performance
As both a science and an art, acoustics has the potential to be highly complex. Making that complexity more manageable starts with understanding how sound might behave in a space. In essence, sound has four options:
It can bounce around—"echoing” off hard surfaces until it dissipates.
It can pass through a sound-absorbing ceiling or wall panel, which reduces the sound but still allows some to pass through to a space such as the ceiling plenum.
It can pass directly through an outlet, such as an open door or window.
Or it can undergo a combination of any or all the above.
Consider two adjacent classrooms with all doors and windows shut. When the students in Classroom A start laughing, there are several possible scenarios. The first, highly unlikely, is that Classroom A’s ceilings are made of a solid material—such as metal, gypsum board, or wood—so the sound energy of the laughter stays within the room, bouncing around and creating a distracting reverberation for several seconds until it dissipates.
In scenario two, the sound energy is absorbed through the Classroom A ceiling and enters the plenum where, because there is no barrier, it travels through the plenum above the adjacent Classroom B. Classroom B students are disrupted by the laughter of their neighboring classmates.
Acoustics is defined as “a science that deals with the production, control, transmission, and effects of sound.”
well as a look
VISUAL MOVEMENT, CLEAR COMMUNICATION
An Acoustibuilt Seamless Acoustical Ceiling System achieves exceptional noise reduction and speech intelligibility as
imparting movement and progress at Children’s Hospital in Memphis, TN.
Acoustics
In scenario three, the sound energy of the laughter is absorbed through the Classroom A ceiling and a barrier exists in the plenum. The sound energy will remain and dissipate within the plenum of Classroom A, never, or very minimally, disturbing Classroom B.
In our fourth scenario Classroom A’s ceiling panels absorb and block sound. Because the blocking function prevents much of the sound energy from enter-
ing the plenum, Classroom B remains undisturbed by the laughter. While the results of scenarios three and four are virtually the same, achieving them through ceiling panel technology offers several cost, convenience, and functionality advantages compared to creating a barrier in the plenum.
This example touches on all key considerations when determining an acoustical solution for a space. These standard measurements of acoustical
performance can be used to help specify requirements in a space:
NRC (noise reduction coefficient) is a standard laboratory measurement of how well a ceiling panel—or other material—absorbs sound, helping to reduce reverberation. It helps determine how well sound will be controlled within an architectural space.
CAC (ceiling attenuation class) is a standard laboratory measurement of a ceiling system’s ability to block sound between two enclosed rooms. To reach optimal sound blocking in a space, the CAC should match the wall STC.
STC (sound transmission class) is a standard laboratory measurement of the sound reduction of a wall or floor ceiling assembly. Like CAC, STC addresses sound blocking between two enclosed spaces.
NIC (noise isolation class) is a field measurement of the total sound attenuation (i.e., reduction) between two enclosed spaces. It considers the ceiling, walls, and other sound paths between two rooms.
RT (reverberation time) measures, in seconds, how long it takes reflected sound to become inaudible in a space. RT should be less than one second in most spaces intended for speech communication, and closer to 0.5 seconds where speech intelligibility is critical, such as classrooms, conference rooms, healthcare settings, and private offices.
Speech Privacy Index (PI)1 is a metric (ASTM E1130) used to indicate the degree of distraction from speech in an open-plan space.
Speech Privacy Class (SPC) 1 is a metric according to ASTM E2638 used to indicate the degree of speech privacy between enclosed rooms.
Discussions about creating the right acoustics in a space give a good deal of consideration to ceilings and walls. This is because the significant surface area of ceilings and walls can be leveraged to further enhance acoustics through sound absorption and blocking. At the same time, this surface area in ceilings gives sound energy easy and ample access to the plenum, where it can travel to adjacent space. So, it becomes critical that ceiling panels can block sound. Ceilings frequently take even higher priority because acoustical ceiling panels are typically made of a light, porous material, making them convenient to install for new construction or making updates as a space’s acoustical needs change.
Defining Acoustical Requirements
The acoustical strategy for any space must start with determining what that space requires. These requirements can range from a hospital demanding absolute patient privacy to a new night spot counting on sound to energize the space and encourage lively interactions. For this article, we lean heavily into quieter rooms and defining speech privacy levels. Such requirements have increased in priority over the past several years as more and more studies show connections between appropriate acoustics
Acoustics
and employee satisfaction and productivity, healing in a healthcare setting, and the overall well-being of people occupying a space, to name a few.
In general, speech privacy references how well an overheard conversation can be understood by an unintended listener. The concept of speech privacy is further broken down into four categories3:
A study by the Center for the Built Environment at University of California Berkeley found more than 50% of cubicle occupants and 30% of those in private offices say acoustics interfere with their ability to get their job done.2
Confidential Speech Privacy
This is the expectation for enclosed rooms.
SPC of 60 to 70
A nearby conversation may be partially overheard but there is little-to-no ability for unintended listeners to understand it. It does not cause distraction for nearby individuals.
A minimum CAC of 35 is recommended to achieve confidential speech privacy along with the appropriate background noise level.
Normal/Non-Intrusive Speech Privacy
This is the expectation for well-designed open-plan cubical offices with focused work needs.
PI rating of 80-95%
A nearby conversation may be partially overheard, and some words or phrases may be understood.
The loudness of the speech is not such that it distracts nearby individuals.
Poor/Marginal Speech Privacy
This is the expectation for open-plan workstations with collaboration needs.
PI rating of 60-80%
Most nearby conversations can be overheard and are likely understood.
The loudness and intelligibility of speech can be distracting.
No Speech Privacy
This represents a highly distracting space.
PI rating 60% and below
All conversations can be clearly heard and understood.
The loudness and full intelligibility of speech can be a constant distracting.
Non-intrusive speech privacy is the most common design goal for most open-plan office environments. Although the recommended NRC depends on the size and use of the room, in general, ceiling panels should offer an NRC of 0.70 or higher. While common
for open office environments, non-intrusive speech privacy is not an adequate design goal in enclosed environments such as medical facilities, law firms, financial service organizations, or human resource departments, where confidential speech privacy levels are required.
Lastly, when defining acoustical requirements, it’s important to consider the expectations of the occupants. A closed door, for example, typically implies high levels of privacy—so ceilings and walls should support that same degree of acoustical performance. Cubicle occupants, however, typically have more relaxed expectations and look for noise reduction and semi-privacy.
Achieving the Acoustical Requirements
Where speech privacy, at any level, is required the goal is to achieve a balanced acoustical design. The approach to this is as easy as A, B, C:
Absorb sound with the use of highperformance acoustical ceiling and wall systems. These panels will lower RT—eliminating the distraction of “echoes”—and prevent sound from traveling to adjacent spaces Block sound transmission between spaces with a combination of highperformance ceilings and partition wall(s).
Cover the remaining sound with a soundmasking system. Recent studies indicate that biophilic sound—such as birdsong, water, or wind—can provide highly effective masking4
EATING LUNCH IN THE CLOUDS
Acoustibuilt Seamless Acoustical Ceiling Clouds offer strong acoustical performance and distinguish largegroup seating areas in the cafeteria at Saratoga Spring High School in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Good (NRC 0.60-0.65 and CAC 35+)—Spaces where less sound absorption is required but sound blocking is needed to maintain privacy between adjacent areas, such as enclosed rooms.
Something totally unique—“You’ve never experienced car shopping like this before.”
Defining the statement for a space will naturally dictate aesthetic choices for ceilings and walls. However, it will also influence how acoustical requirements are achieved and perhaps alter initial requirements. For example, while many offices and conference rooms in a corporate building will require confidential speech privacy, the lobby—tasked with making the first impression on high-tech clients— will need to make a statement that is bold and conveys moving toward the future. A space that is too “buttoned up,” clean, and quiet will not support this statement.
Harmonizing Sight and Sound
There are a tremendous number of acoustical options for continuous ceilings, exposed structure applications, and walls—meaning that bridge between sight and sound can stretch as far as the imagination will go. Whether a space needs to be clinical and private, high-energy and interactive, or anywhere in between, solutions for achieving highperformance acoustics are available in a growing number of design choices.
The key to speech privacy is making sure all three elements play a part in the acoustics of a space and that the design achieves the right balance for that space’s intended function and the well-being of its occupants. An extreme example of non-balanced acoustical design is an anechoic room or chamber. An anechoic space is completely silent—there are no sound reflections or echoes. While, at first thought this may seem incredibly peaceful and conducive to work, too much quiet can be distressing and counterproductive to creativity and other important workplace dynamics. In fact, according to a recent article by Smithsonian Magazine, in an anechoic chamber, “without the hum of everyday life, people have trouble orienting and even standing.”5
In addition to the A, B, Cs, the good-better-best approach can help zero in on the level of acoustical performance—based on the function of a space— needed from a space’s ceiling and wall panels. Armstrong Total Acoustic ceilings, for example, can provide a combination of sound absorption and sound blocking in one ceiling panel. Choosing the ceiling panels to get the acoustics right for a given space can be aided by following these good, better, or best guidelines:
Better (NRC 0.70-0.75 and CAC 35+)—
Spaces where strong sound absorption and sound blocking are needed for all-around acoustical performance, such as hightraffic spaces or multipurpose spaces. An example is a medical waiting area.
Best (NRC 0.80+ and CAC 35+)—Where maximum sound absorption and sound blocking are needed to for maximum sound quality within the room and privacy between rooms. A conference room is a good example.
Making the Right Statement.
Perhaps before any other question to a client, architects/designers and acousticians need to ask, “What’s your statement for this space?” This statement provides the foundation for the aesthetics, the acoustics, and how the two harmonize. It can speak to any or all the following:
A client’s brand—innovative, traditional, bold-and-edgy, philanthropic
A corporate mission—sustainability driven, giving back, creating healthier communities
People utilizing the space—we care about your comfort, we support your productivity, we want learning to be fun.
REFERENCES
1 The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Relationship Between the Privacy Index and Privacy Class. https://pubs.aip.org/asa/jasa/article/145/5/EL435/671411/Relationship-between-the-privacy-index-and-the
2 Center for the Built Environment at the University of California Berkeley
3 Armstrong World Industries, Attaining Speech Privacy with Acoustical Ceiling Panels.
4 National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, A Review of Benefits of Nature Experiences: More than Meets the Eye.
5 Smithsonian Magazine, “In the Earth’s Quietest Room, You Can Hear Yourself Blink.”
6 Armstrong World Industries
In addition to traditional white mineral fiber ceiling panels being used exclusively in a space, wood, wood-look finish, and metal ceilings can be paired with an acoustical infill to reach a space’s “good, better, or best” performance needs. Acoustical performance of these latter ceiling panels will be determined by the product, perforations—which allow sound energy to pass through the panel and be absorbed by the infill—type of infill, and the installation method.
Many teams have been gravitating toward metal ceiling products which, in addition to traditional square and rectangular panels, now include standout options such as blades, mesh, and open cells that offer a more opened look; 3D options and cloud configurations that add dimension; unique shapes for visual interest; a wealth of color and finish options (including natural wood looks); and more.
Acoustical wall panels complement acoustical ceilings by dampening the portion of sound that travels horizontally. These panels usually consist of a 3/4-in. to 1-in. thick mineral fiber or fiberglass substrate. Depending upon the substrate and installation method, they can absorb 50% to 90% of the sound striking them, reducing noise not only within a space but also between spaces.6 When using a ceiling with a high CAC (35+), walls with a minimum STC rating of 40 should be specified. Like ceiling panels, acoustical wall panels span the gamut of visuals in terms of finishes, colors, shapes, and more.
By approaching acoustics as an art and a science, you can get the acoustics right for any space without sacrificing aesthetics or putting limits on creativity.
SOUND-CONTROL AT THE CENTER
Lyra PB Wood Look ceiling panels provide the natural beauty of wood while absorbing 95 percent of the noise in the rotunda of the Minneapolis American Indian Center (MAIC).
Acoustics
TRENDS
Tile for Today and Tomorrow
Explore the tile trends of 2025, and the exciting new products, that will translate into the tile surfaces in the projects of tomorrow.
Tile embodies incredible versatility that can push it to imitate classic materials, offer bold new colors and patterns, or offer a basic neutral palette that is drenched in texture. In addition to aesthetic, innovations in tile allow this medium to be larger and thinner than ever before.
“The 2025 tile trends highlight ceramic tile’s limitless potential across residential, commercial and hospitality spaces, emphasizing its unmatched versatility, exceptional durability and superior hygiene advantages,” said Alena Capra, owner of Alena Capra Designs and Certified Master Kitchen and Bath Designer.
ULTRA-THIN, LARGE-FORMAT, PORCELAIN SLAB
The first and only 2mm ultra-thin large porcelain slab enables applications beyond traditional, bulkier surface applications. Its remarkable flexibility allows for flat and curved applications, from wall, cabinetry, appliance and furniture cladding, and despite its paper-thin profile, twO delivers durability and performance. One standout from the collection is Flora Luce (pictured above), a distinctive slab featuring a carefully curated palette of intricate patterns of shadowed botanical silhouettes.
Laminam, twO Ultra-Thin, Large-Format, Porcelain Slab laminam.com
LARGE-FORMAT PORCELAIN TILE
This classic marble has been reinvented in a new version with a perfected appearance that faithfully imitates the veins of this well-known marble. A distinguished and vibrant design that brings character to the space and dresses it uniformly through the extension of its veins and its neoclassical style. Available in a wide range of finishes and thicknesses, the material is able to adapt to any environment and application, making it an ideal material for all types of projects. There is no limitation for large format porcelain tile; going beyond the traditional format, it allows for the execution of avant-garde ideas.
Geometric shapes have become the trend in ceramic tiles. In this context, Cosmos offers versatility, elegance, and exclusivity. This new collection features three different volumes: a base and two volumes with different geometric shapes, allowing for unique combinations. Black, Silver, White, and Copper are the shades of the collection, which are expanded with the Deco finishes, which highlight these pieces as decorative elements.
Larger slabs, ultra-thin slabs, and tile that delivers serious texture and shape are all examples of the latest exciting innovations in this surface material.
CHARMING BLEND OF TONES & GLAZES
The artisanal charm of handcrafted ceramics is gaining popularity, with companies incorporating subtle ridges and 3D textures to create both a visual and tactile experience. The Orion collection blends tradition and modernity in an exclusive design. Star Cotto & Cross Bali shown here. Its tiles, featuring warm tones and vibrant glazes, create sophisticated and inviting spaces. Perfect for floors and walls, they add personality and distinction to any architectural or decorative setting. Ideal for interiors with a unique style.
This product pays tribute to travertine, a cornerstone material in architectural history, cherished for its elegance, intricate textures and lasting resistance. Available in two distinctive aesthetics, Cross Cut and Vein Cut, this porcelain pavers-based reinterpretation of travertine is offered in multiple sizes.
Crayon wall tile features irregular and marked reliefs emulating the authenticity of nature. It defies conventional standards, taking texture to a new level of expression. It’s a stunning example of the many emerging ceramic collections incorporating organic colors and textures as accents to curate a tranquil and natural atmosphere. Crayon tiles are offered in soft browns, greens and blues to seamlessly blend with today’s biophilic styles.
Sand-inspired tile colors stem from the color wheel’s warmer and lighter side of the brown spectrum, extending from off-white and cream to golden beige, tawny, fulvous and tan. BIT ground porcelain stoneware bricks convey a sense of tradition and novelty, drenched in texture.
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FREEPOWER CHARGING FOR COUNTERTOPS
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By Chris Kann Product Manager – Specialty Products and Sustainability
Chris.Kann@CarlisleCCM.com
Carlisle Construction Materials
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IN DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION
Off-site prefabrication is catching on. Learn why and what it takes to be successful at it.
By Jana Madsen, contributing writer
Faster, cheaper, and safer: every client wants their project to be these three things. While this trifecta may seem impossible to achieve, there is a way. Modular off-site prefabrication is the answer. “Within the last five years, it’s really taken off,” says A. José Belardo, Senior Project Manager, HDR, Chicago. HDR is collaborating with general contractor The Boldt Company on a decade-long project to deliver numerous outpatient centers for a major nonprofit health care system. They are meeting the client’s demands with modular construction.
HDR, Boldt, engineering consultant IMEG, as well as a variety of subcontractors, formed a collaborative design and construction team with the intent to deliver single-story medical office buildings, each with more than 40 patient exam rooms, as well as procedure and imaging spaces. “What's driving it is the client. They have a program where they have set a 40% target for modular/prefab,” Belardo explains. Using integrated project delivery and Lean Six Sigma, the team created a repeatable, scalable architectural design.
MOVING MODULES
Once delivered to the project site, a relatively small number of field personnel are needed to move the modules into the building for installation. Workers move modules into place before connecting them to each other as well as the building’s systems and superstructure.
Completed prefabricated room modules are shrinkwrapped and loaded onto a flatbed truck for transportation from the fabrication facility to the project site.
Prefabrication enables a project to increase its speed to market, cost savings, and quality control without compromising on the look, feel, or functionality of the space, even patient rooms.
The Modular Rooms
“Boldt has been doing the slide-in pods, wall panels, but then also full volumetric, for the last five or six years,” shares Alex Smart, Senior Project Manager, Boldt, Chicago. The company constructs the modules in a manufacturing setting.
“It is deep collaboration with not only the builder, but also the trade partners and
subcontractors, which isn’t the normal or traditional method of delivering a project.”
-A. José Belardo, Senior Project Manager, HDR, Chicago
The prefabricated pods are built with finished drywall, paint, wall protection, casework, plumbing fixtures, electrical, data, and in some cases hard-lid ceilings and light fixtures, before being delivered to the project. The floor is left out, so a depressed slab isn’t necessary. The backside of walls is left open, making it easy for inspectors to shift batt insulation and see the in-wall rough-ins, as well as witness plumbing, electrical, and data connections made onsite.
Heavy-gauge structural studs are used. “The [modular] room is engineered with the crane picking points factored in; that's part of the reason we have to go with the heavy gauge studs. It's an incredibly rigid box so when we move them onto the site, the drywall very rarely cracks and we don’t have to do any patching,” Smart adds. An overhead crane lifts and loads the modular pods onto the flatbed truck that will transport them to the jobsite.
When delivered, a crane unloads the pods and pushes them into place. Drywall to enclose the backside of the wall is added after inspections are complete and flooring is installed. “When you walk into one of these outpatient clinics, you won’t be able to tell the difference between a modular or a stickbuilt room,” says Belardo.
STRUCTURAL STUDS
Structural studs provide prefabricated building modules with extra rigidity, ensuring they can be lifted with a crane and transported to the build site without needing too much drywall repair. Cold-formed C-studs from ClarkDietrich are made in a variety of flange widths. Punchouts at regular intervals allow for rapid installation of pipes, electrical conduit, and wall bridging. They’re also available with a variety of protective coatings that meet the CP60 coating protection level requirements of AISI S240.
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BATT INSULATION
Thermafiber SAFB (Sound Attenuation Fire Blankets) interior wall insulation conserves energy, controls sound, and provides fire protection. It contains a minimum of 70% recycled content and is noncombustible, inorganic, and mold resistant. This mineral wool insulation was designed for use in many UL fire-rated wall and floor-ceiling assemblies in both steel-stud and wood-stud construction. SAFB is also available in a formaldehyde-free formulation to help achieve green building standards.
Once installation is complete and finishes and furnishings are in place, the completed rooms are virtually indistinguishable from those constructed with traditional on-site methods.
WALL PROTECTION
Inpro’s G2 BioBlend is a PVC-free solution that pairs sustainability with strength. Made from a durable blend of PETG and bio-based content, it’s designed to perform in high-impact areas without compromising environmental goals. Available in a wide range of color options, it brings design flexibility to wall panels, rigid sheet, door and corner protection, and more. GREENGUARD Certified, Cradle-to-Cradle Bronze Certified, and recyclable through Inpro’s take-back program—it’s sustainability without sacrifice.
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Modular Construction Advantages
It’s not surprising prefabrication was chosen for these projects. Done right, the benefits far outweigh the additional cost of the structural studs, crane, and transportation.
Benefit No. 1: Speed to Market.
There are tremendous efficiencies gained from designing and constructing a building this way. “We could have a clinic of 24-48 exam rooms, and the design is ready for manufacturing. We're working closely together with the fabricator/contractor,
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bouncing ideas off each other during design, making sure that it makes sense from a constructability standpoint,” says Belardo. “We can save a lot of time in a collaborative environment.” During design, the team determines what rooms can be standardized. The more uniform, the better. Every decision is scrutinized right down to the placement of outlets.
“We developed a standardized kit of parts and a robust BIM execution plan. Everybody participates in design models from the architect to the engineer to trade partners and knows to what level of detail
they’re expected to design and coordinate. The Revit model and Project Execution Plan is key to this workflow,” Belardo says.
BIM is critical for the construction document phase and the creation of shared fabrication shop drawings. “Then we essentially do a group page turn with the design team, just to have it be even more efficient,” adds Smart.
Having a standardized design enables faster construction of the modular rooms. “That repeatable
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workflow is really where you get efficiencies in the manufacturing-type setting,” he adds. The prefabricated rooms are built as stick-built construction and the building shell is erected at the jobsite. The result is several weeks of schedule improvement, ensuring the building is operational faster than conventional design and construction.
Benefit No. 2: Cost Savings.
The efficiencies gained during design and construction translate into dollars saved. Collaborating with HDR on these recent health care
clinic projects, Boldt reports impressive cost savings of anywhere from 8% to 20%. “Our contract structure is an integrated form of agreement where there’s a shared savings distribution with the owner,” explains Smart. “If the design team, as well as the contractor and our trade partners, all save money on the project, it gets distributed.”
Benefit No. 3: Quality Control.
Building in a controlled environment has numerous advantages. “There’s a benefit to being able to focus on the product and not the process,” notes Smart.
“It comes down to three things: schedule enhancement, standardization, and improved quality. If the client has a program based on those three items, that's when it can really take off and be successful, but it all depends on the building typology and what can be scalable and repeatable.”
“[Constructing the modules] is happening in a controlled, safe production/manufacturing-type of environment.” Avoidable change orders on the health care clinic projects came in at 0.43% versus a target of 1.6%, according to Boldt.
Worker safety and satisfaction are also factors. “Safety is the number one goal set by the owner and sites that optimize modular/prefab achieve that— they are safer and cleaner with fewer workers vying for space. The level of quality is also higher,” adds Belardo.
— A. José Belardo, Senior Project Manager, HDR, Chicago
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These modular, prefabricated patient rooms offer several constructabilty benefits and allow the design to implement new features, such as the dual entry points at either end of the pod.
INTERIOR PAINT
“A predictable, repeatable workflow leads to efficiencies.”
-Alex Smart, Senior Project Manager, The Boldt Company, Chicago
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Buildings built with prefabricated rooms don’t have a prefabricated feel.
The Practicality of Modular Construction
Not every project is a fit for this design and construction methodology. “Most of the time it makes sense when you have rooms that are very similar in size and design, where you can have that repeatable workflow,” says Smart. Consider transportation requirements too. “Our rooms are typically 10 and a half or 11-ft. wide. We still qualify as a wide load, but it's not completely oversized where you’re going to have logistic challenges with the trucking,” he adds. Toilet rooms; building support rooms like electrical/mechanical data closets; as well as treatment, exam, and procedure rooms are ideal for prefabrication. If full rooms don’t make sense, interior walls/partitions can be built off-site and shipped to the project.
Modular rooms can be craned, lifted, and slid into multi-story buildings, but Smart says one- to twostories are where you can really maximize the amount of prefabrication. (For some of the clinics HDR and Boldt collaborated on, that number reached as much as 45% of a project.) Buildings must have a large enough vestibule or storefront to bring the pods in and overhead clearances should be upwards of 11 ft. to enable safe installation.
Words of Advice
It’s critical to be successful with modular design and construction that you talk prefabrication early. “You don’t want to delay modular/prefab discussions until design development or the construction documents phase, as it is often too late to consider the possibilities,” warns Belardo. “You might lose the opportunity for identifying where adjustments could have been made for scalable and repeatable components.”
Make sure you get buy-in early so there’s less redesign and rework—that includes all the usual design and construction team members, but also authorities having jurisdiction. “They also must be engaged early on in this process,” he adds. They may be unfamiliar with the process and as Belardo notes, “not amenable to visiting a site that’s outside their jurisdiction” to inspect the modular rooms under construction.
“Ultimately, you need to have the right team in place in order to do this. That’s what I’ve learned over the years. The biggest driver to success is having the right people in the room,” concludes Smart.
Projects with prefabricated rooms can still create unique aesthetics that will appeal to their customers and differentiate their design
By Jana Madsen, ng writer
The inspiration for NVIDIA’s triangular architecture was equal parts collaboration, innovation, and nature.
TWO BUILDINGS, ONE CAMPUS
NVIDIA’s headquarters in Santa Clara, California, is comprised of two main buildings: Endeavor and Voyager. Endeavor, the older building, was completed in 2018, while Voyager opened in February 2022.
NVIDIA Headquarters
Endeavor and Voyager
Location: Santa Clara, Calif.
Architect: Gensler
Photography: Jason O’Rear Photography
GEOMETRIC
The large geometric roofs on Voyager and Endeavor give the campus its iconic look. Comprised of equilateral triangles, their nodes (or points) vary in elevation 30 ft., resulting in an undulating look.
In the 1.5-acre area between Endeavor and Voyager, a large metal tree provides shade to the people and plants beneath. The trellis supports 390 KW of solar panels.
When NVIDIA issued a design competition forphase one of its new corporate campus, the company was mainly known for making graphics cards; since then, it has grown to become a world leader in AI technology. The vision of co-founder and CEO JenHsun “Jensen” Huang not only accelerated the company’s success but also championed the development of some of the most iconic architecture in Silicon Valley today.
The design contest issued a challenge to create a corporate headquarters where NVIDIA’s people—its greatest asset—could be inspired to collaborate and innovate to do their best work. Gensler was awarded the project in 2012 and began working with Huang on Endeavor, the first of two buildings at 2788 San Tomas Expressway in Santa Clara, CA. “He had a vision for his company, and he saw the direct correlation between physical space and how that could help support and enhance the work they do,” says Hao Ko, Principal and Global Director of Design, Gensler, San Francisco.
For Huang, this wasn’t just a building; as one of the company’s three founders, NVIDIA’s new headquarters would be like a second home. The design was personal. “During Endeavor, Jensen was in every design meeting. That’s a lot more than what we’re used to,” says Eugene Lee, Project Director, Gensler, San Francisco. The collaboration proved invaluable. “We visualized and communicated through the design what he had in his mind that he couldn’t explain. He inspired us. The process was incredible,” he recalls.
SOLAR TRELLIS
The spacing of solar panels on the trellis provides dappled sunlight to shade people and plants, adding to the comfort of the backyard.
It’s
CUSTOM MILLWORK
Mission Bell provided the woodwork for Nvidia’s “treehouse” bird’s nests, including all seating, arbors, tables, and terraces. Working with IPE wood, which is known for its density and movement, requires extreme precision. All components were milled in-house, with much of the work hand-cut and carved to preserve design integrity, with miters carefully cut using a circular saw. The project’s success was made possible through close communication and integration between Engineering, Custom Woodworking, and Installation teams, resulting in a striking and technically demanding architectural feature.
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Overall Design
The 1.25-million-sq.-ft. campus is situated in Santa Clara Valley. Construction on the 500,000-sq.-ft. Endeavor was completed in 2018. The zoning’s height restrictions influenced the final design, which includes two stories and multiple mezzanines. Before construction was complete, conceptual design for phase two (a second building) was already underway. “By the time Voyager got started in 2017, the growth of nvidia was almost a vertical spike,” notes Ko. Opened in 2022, Voyager consists of three stories plus a mezzanine level and is 50% larger than Endeavor at 750,000-sq.-ft.
Endeavor and Voyager have both achieved LEED v4 NC Gold certification.
The two buildings comprise offices, meeting and amenity spaces, and 90,000sq.- ft. of data labs total. Both buildings contain vaulted spaces and canopy roofs. Stairs are prevalent. “Jensen said elevators are the definition of waiting. They are a tech company, and their slogan is ‘speed of light.’ It's the culture. Even in their old space when elevators were front and center, people did not take the elevators. Everybody took the stairs,” explains Ko. “We just wanted to magnify that as part of their culture.”
The triangle features prominently in the design of both buildings and has been described by Huang as the fundamental building block of computer graphics. “For nvidia, the graphics-to-human company, triangles are the basic primitive that defines all geometries in digital space. That allowed Jensen the ability to have an instantly recognizable building without having to place the words nvidia on the building,” explains Ko.
easy to take your work outside or simply enjoy nature in the elevated treehouse that sits between Endeavor and Voyager. An elevated walkway links it to the rest of the campus and backyard.
Exterior Design
“To enhance the arrival experience, we wanted to design a large, transparent entry facade to blur the boundary between outdoor and indoor,” says Lee. The perimeter of Endeavor and Voyager both have large spans of glass curtain wall. “The extensive facade, featuring sloped, double-paned glass panels to mitigate heat and glare, required meticulous design-assist, testing, and mockup processes to ensure performance and alignment with the building’s aesthetic,” explains Daisy Pereira, Senior Vice President, Devcon Construction Inc., Milpitas, CA.
Long spans of structural steel facilitate open spaces within the buildings, which contain independent structures under the expansive roof canopy. “The exposed steel beams, coated with intumescent paint for fireproofing, maintain the aesthetic appeal while concealing drainage pipes and electrical conduit. The steel framework’s long spans eliminated the need for intermediate support and ensured flexible interior spaces,” adds Pereira.
The triangular (both in shape and composition) roofs give Endeavor and Voyager their iconic look. “The roof features an undulating structural framework of triangular steel panels,” explains Pereira. “This structural system, composed of structural steel with concrete-grouted steel drums at column-to-beam connections, spans the building’s large footprint, creating vaulted open office spaces and intimate work areas.”
“3D BIM coordination was a key factor in the overall design and coordination between MEP/FS and structural systems. Designing the project in 3D alleviated costly and time-consuming clashes between trades in this complex structure. Virtual reality was also utilized to give virtual tours of the finished space throughout design and construction to stakeholders of the project.”
Voyager’s roof design is distinct and the roof elevation varies by as much as 30 ft. from its highest to lowest points. “It undulates downwards towards the west façade to minimize the harsh evening sunlight during the summer, while it rises up towards the north and entry side to adopt the interior program,” Lee explains. This unique shape isn’t just for aesthetics; it also reduces interior sound reverberation.
The roof is punctuated with triangular skylights that infuse the interiors with natural light. Devcon Construction and Gensler collaborated to strategically position skylights using daylight simulations from NVIDIA’s Iray software.
SKYLIGHTS
More than 500 triangular Super Sky skylights are installed at Nvidia’s two Santa Clara buildings. Consisting of aluminum framing and 1 5/16-inch insulated/ laminated glass, these perfectly complement the rooftop design. Innovative skylight design capabilities, engineering expertise, state-of-the-art fabrication equipment, breakthrough CAD/CAM systems, and specialized skylight installation crews, enables Super Sky to excel in the most complex daylighting projects.
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ROOFING MEMBRANE
Sika’s Décor Roof System offers the look of a standing seam metal roof but with the watertight protection of a single-ply PVC membrane with hot-air welded seams. The Décor system uses the proven Sarnafil G410 feltback membrane adhered for a smooth finish. The Décor Profile extruded PVC rib is then hot-air welded to the membrane to finish the look and to permanently secure the ribs to the membrane instead of using glue or tapes. Décor comes in seven standard colors and an almost unlimited amount of custom colors.
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—Daisy Pereira, Senior Vice President, Devcon Construction, Milpitas, CA
GLAZING
NVIDIA’s campus contains more than 107,639 square feet of Interpane insulated glass. The high-end solar control glass combines a low total energy transmittance, excellent thermal insulation, and the highest possible transparency. The ipasol product range lets in an above-average amount of natural light while at the same time ensuring an unusually low solar energy transmittance (solar factor). It allows architects and developers to integrate future-orientated energy concepts into their buildings without sacrificing transparency and aesthetics.
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An Ideal Work Environment
The interior environment has been optimized for occupant comfort. Access to daylight was critical; not only does it cut energy use compared to artificial light by an estimated 40%, but it also improves productivity and employee health and well-being. With a large footprint and low window-to-wall ratio, the skylights were essential.
Dispersing the light in Endeavor was simple. Voyager was more of a challenge.
“For a two-story building, it's easy. You just have to punch holes in the upper floor and that drives light down. For a three-story building like Voyager, it became a lot harder because you have floors that you can't just punch a hole through. Those floorplates are then terraced in a way that allows you to get a maximum number of people access to daylight,” Ko explains.
The vast spaces also had to be carefully designed to ensure optimum acoustics.
“Essentially, you have 3,000-4,000 people in one room,” says Ko. Material selection was critical. “During design, the team implemented products and design elements to manage sound and mitigate echoing,” adds Pereira. A microperforated metal roof deck was filled with acoustic insulation to absorb noise. Greenery also helped. “The plants also allow a natural kind of acoustical buffer because they help absorb sound,” Ko adds.
The large canopy roof seems to float above independent structures beneath it, including Endeavor’s heart (pictured on the right).
ROOF DECK
EPIC Metals is the architectural choice for exposed structural roof/floor deck ceiling systems and architectural/sun screens. Founded in 1968, EPIC Metals’ products contribute to LEED certification and address uncluttered long spans up to 58 ft., interior acoustic control, and light reflectivity. Specialty hangers, access panels, and deep cells accommodate various utility systems (including sprinkler pipes, electrical, lighting). Applications of these systems used in conjunction with exposed structural framing systems are unlimited.
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“[The triangle is] the one shape that fit on the site in order to get the large floor plate that we were looking for. It also supported the idea of connecting people. If you think about a square, you always talk about sides of a square versus a triangle where you think about convergence of points. Naturally people will collide with each other.”
- Hao Ko, Principal and Global Director of Design, Gensler, San Francisco
Plants allow a natural kind of acoustical buffer because they help absorb sound.
INTUMESCENT COATING ON EXPOSED STEEL BEAMS
Designed for Collaboration
“Before we started designing phase one (Endeavor) in 2012, we asked ourselves the question, ‘How do you get 2,500 people to collaborate?’” recalls Lee. The architectural design created opportunities for spontaneous interactions in the hope that they would spark innovation. “I think engineers, probably just like architects, are born introverts. Jensen wanted to make sure we get people away from their desks,” adds Ko.
Endeavor’s heart, located in the building’s center, is a place where people meet, work, interact, and socialize. “The heart is a way to concentrate pantries, bathrooms, and all the shared meeting rooms—things that force people to come together,” adds Ko. “We created shortcuts across the floorplate that forced you through the heart, so we’re kind of engineering the collisions of people to happen.” Additionally, staircases with large landings serve as impromptu gathering spaces. Endeavor’s large bleacher-style stair treads provide yet another informal meeting space.
Design decisions were informed by the research of MIT and Tom Allen, who studied how collaboration happens. The “Allen Curve” is the notion that physical proximity influences the rate of interaction. The greater the physical distance, the less collaboration occurs. “His research showed that if you and I were on the same floorplate, we'd have a 95 percent chance on any given day to see or run into each other. And if we were on separate floors that weren't well connected by floorplates, that percentage dropped to 5 percent. And if we were in separate buildings, it would be negligible; we may as well be on separate planets,” explains Ko. This informed the design of Voyager and the outdoor space connecting the two buildings.
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The Mountain & Backyard
“For phase two, Voyager, we asked a new question, ‘how do you get people to work in nature all day?’ The first principle was to create an outdoor office that connects Voyager with Endeavor, promotes different ways of working, and establishes nature as an extension of the workplace,” explains Lee. This fouracre backyard can accommodate up to 1,300 occupants. “We live in a perfect climate here in California. [Jensen] spends half his time outside in his backyard, around a fire pit or an outdoor dining table. He was always observing, why don't we work this way?” notes Ko. With a variety of outdoor work environments from intimate to larger scale, NVIDIA’s backyard with more than 64,000 plantings and 400 trees is an idyllic setting for communing with coworkers and nature.
Elevated circular treehouses with custom woodwork provide informal outdoor rooms for lunch, socialization, or meetings. A trellis shaped like a simplified tree supports 390 KW of solar panels estimated to generate 50,000 W. “With PV panels on the outdoor trellis, it creates energy while protecting people from the sun. This trellis, along with the building canopy works as a shading device,” explains Lee. Bridges connect the spaces and paths meander intuitively making navigation simple and relaxing.
PHASE TWO: VOYAGER
Voyager’s mountain contains a meandering stair, three stories of living walls, and access to upper mezzanines, which is the perfect spot for a bird’s eye perspective over the base camp lobby, reception, and eating area.
Biophilic design continues inside Voyager. “Similar to Endeavor’s heart, we created a central space we call ‘the mountain’ in Voyager. It is filled with moments of discovery and activated by various programs designed for people,” says Lee. “It serves as a gathering place that brings people together.” A staircase winds up the mountain to a mezzanine level. The walls of the mountain and surrounding area support numerous lush plantings. “Voyager boasts some of the largest green/ living walls in Silicon Valley. Close coordination between all teams enabled these living walls and systems that support them (plumbing, drainage, waterproofing, structural, lighting, etc.) to get installed within schedule and meet the lofty expectations that come with a project of this stature,” adds Pereira. The work of Habitat Horticulture, the walls each contain 11 species of plants carefully selected to thrive in this environment.
“This was certainly not a project where Eugene and I showed up day one with a sketch of the building and said, ‘Here it is.’ It was very much a process of discovery and truly understanding the soul of what NVIDIA is.”
- Hao Ko, Principal and Global Director of Design, Gensler, San Francisco
A lobby (known as base camp) sits on one side of the mountain and offers direct access to the backyard. A large café and meeting spaces are also available for employees. The backside of the mountain becomes a terraced space that can be used for large company gatherings as well as informal small-group interactions. “Auditoriums get used two or three times a year; it becomes wasted space. What we did for the backside of the mountain is we created these terraces, almost as how you would design stadium seating. The terraces of the mountain become a sitting area,” notes Lee.
The Evolution Continues
While design and construction are long-since complete, the campus’ evolution isn’t. “This large workplace is built for flexibility. If you see photos of Endeavor, which has now been open almost eight years, and you compare them to today, it’s already very different,” notes Ko. “Through Voyager, they realized that bringing more warmth through wood and a lot more of the local materials, made it feel of the place. They’ve come back to the first building and already started to retrofit.”
Some of those changes include a warmer material palette and living walls. “These buildings are really not a fixed thing for them. It’s a framework or a chassis for them to continuously adapt and evolve,” concludes Ko.
ACOUSTIC MATERIAL
Fellert Even Better is a seamless acoustic system with acoustic plaster and a glass wool core, offering high sound absorption (NRC up to 0.90) and versatile installation options. It's suitable for new buildings as well as renovations of culturally significant structures. The most commonly used Silk variant is designed to mimic painted drywall. Fellert Even Better forms the basis of the next generation system, Straight Up, enhancing quality, versatility, sustainability, and circularity.
Styjl (distributed by Fellert North America) styjl.com
With the addition of oversized stair treads, a simple staircase oriented toward Endeavor’s dining area provides an opportunity for informal interactions and smallgroup gatherings.
NVIDIA’s backyard is a 4-acre park with droughtresistant plants where workers can work, socialize, and dine. Irrigation for more than 60,000 plants uses reclaimed water.
Eugene Lee, Senior Associate and Technical Director, Gensler, San Francisco.
Hao Ko, faia, leed ap, Regional Design Principal and Global Director of Design, Gensler, San Francisco.
PHASE TWO
Introducing our exclusive Elite Reveal markerboard. You won’t believe your eyes. And ASI offers the most comprehensive selection of high-end Visual Display Products on the market. Visit asi-visualdisplayproducts.com to explore the standard for basis of design in markerboards.
New & Noteworthy Materials
It's an exciting time to talk about surfaces and the materials we place on them. There have never been more eco-friendly or bio-based solutions available and these “friendlier” materials are beautiful, enabling architects and designers to create healthy, sustainable interiors that look as good as the carbon-rich, VOC-heavy spaces that preceded them.
These new products also offer solutions to some of the common issues architects face. Bathroom partitions that deliver the level of privacy everyone wants, free of sightlines and large under-door gaps, for example.
MULTI-MATERIAL PANELS
Available in a wide range of materials, architects can select different Cambio panels and combine them together into a modular architectural wall or ceiling panel system. Each panel attaches with an industrial-strength magnet, which secures it in place while also enabling owners to periodically swap out panels to keep a space fresh. Essentially providing an artistic palate for architects, the panels are also circular through the company’s Re-Cambio program.
Cambio Wall System Panels cambio.design
ARTISTIC ACOUSTICS
Blending organic beauty with architectural form, Momentum’s expanded acoustics Pindrop collection offers dynamic, yet serene, soundscapes. Chesil presents a small-scale texture inspired by pebbles and rocks; Geofusion (shown here) draws inspiration from Art Deco arches and features elongated, rounded shapes and bold colors; and Suna takes its cues from Zen Gardens with rippling designs that mirror the gentle raking of sand.
Momentum Textures & Wallcovering
Pindrop
momentumtexturesandwalls.com
Explore some of the new surfaces helping to develop the character of a space with color, acoustic control, extravagant texture and eco-friendly materials.
POETRY NET COLLECTION
The new Poetry Net collection draws inspiration from interior decoration projects in diverse and multifaceted contexts. It marks the evolution of the broader Poetry House concept, developed by ABK in collaboration with Paola Navone OTTO Studio. Poetry Net derives from exclusive wall finishes, designed in collaboration with canvas and fresco restoration experts to create visually striking walls. Fabric fibres, ranging from hemp to cotton with their distinctive light or dense weaves, are blended with pictorial materials to produce unexpected effects of elegant beauty and diversity. The term “net” aptly reflects the concept of a weave capable of capturing and enclosing other elements, such as color pigments, within its structure.
ABK and Paola Navone OTTO Studio Poetry Net Collection abk.it
SINTERED SLABS
This new premium line from Anatolia combines cutting-edge technology with the beauty of natural stone and the sophistication of contemporary design. With 60
tunning colors and an array of surface finishes, Aeterna Sintered Slabs meet the f any project—whether for countertops, facades, intricate details, r floors
classic terrazzo style. An eco-friendly resin is combined with reclaimed wood chips from the woodworking industry that would otherwise be discarded, creating unique panels with no repeat patterns. The FSC-certified product is available with a fiber cement backing or an 18mm ply backing, allowing for versatile applications that include floor and wall tiles. Panels can be coated in either natural oil or polyurethane lacquer. Choose from a brushed/textured option or a smooth, sanded surface.
HAVWOODS TreeAzzo havwoods.com
BIO-BASED AND FIRE RESISTANT
Uniquely combining a high percentage of organic components with outstanding fire resistance, Batyline [Stam]Skin Feel is an innovative composite fabric from Serge Ferrari. The indoor/outdoor upholstery collection is available in chairs and beanbags. USDA Certified Biobased, the material is made from 47% bio-based content with organic cotton base cloth and recycled content derived from foodwaste.
Serge Ferrari Group Batyline [Stam]Skin Feel sergeferrari.com
CELEBRATING A CLASSIC
Commercializing the famous lounge chair designed by Danish designer and architect Poul Kjærholm in 1954, Fritz Hansen has released the PK23 chair. Featuring molded plywood with a double shell seat and crafted metal detailing, the chair is designed with a linear contour and presents as a floating structure on a simple frame. The beauty and comfort of the plywood shell is left exposed, not hidden behind upholstery or foam. The informal, low-slung, lounge chair celebrates Kjærholm’s architectural legacy. Fritz Hansen is offering the chair in oak and walnut veneer with stainless steel legs, and black ash with stainless steel or black PC legs.
Fritz Hansen PK23 fritzhansen.com
VEGAN UPHOLSTERY
A highly sustainable fabric made from natural content and recycled materials, Ultrafabrics’ Volar Bio is a durable upholstery material with a matte texture and semi-lustrous base, available in a range of natural tones. Derived from a 66% mix of recycled, rapidly renewable and biobased materials, the product includes recycled polyester, 100% FSC/PEFC certified rayon and an innovative Susterra propanediol biobased resin. The pure, petroleum-free resin is a raw material made from regeneratively farmed U.S. dent corn, officially rendering the Volar Bio product “vegan”.
WOVENFABRICALTERNATIVE
Ultrafabrics Volar Bio ultrafabricsinc.com
Combining a woven fabric appearance with enhanced cleanability and durability, Carnegie’s upholstery prints are a PVC-free, finish-free and PFAS-free sustainable option. Its latest collection, Embellish Print and Botanic Print, combines silicone hybrid-coated upholstery with digital printing technology. Embellish (shown here) features simple geometric shapes with classical stitching techniques and Botanic Print is inspired by flowers growing in vine-like form.
Carnegie Fabrics
Embellish Print and Botanic Print carnegiefabrics.com
SWISS-INSPIRED SWITCHES
The Linear Electricity Collection features toggle switches, dimmers, outlets and USB charging ports— all in solid metal wall plates and detail kits. A new cross knurl design pairs well with Buster + Punch’s Linear cabinet hardware collection and draws inspiration from classic 1960s amplifiers and the world of Swiss watches. The switches, dimmers and outlets feature a solid metal back plate, modular construction, and B+P’s signature Torx screws.
Buster + Punch
Linear Electricity Collection busterandpunch.com
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF PARK AVENUE
Inspired by a New York City aesthetic, Nemo Tile + Stone’s Park Avenue Collection reinterprets the City’s classic checkered design with a more serene and sophisticated palette. The porcelain tiles appear as natural stone with textures mimicking a sedimentary layered effect. The curated selection of porcelain tiles come in six colors, five field tile sizes, two wall tile options, two mosaics and a contemporary checkered pattern.
Nemo Tile + Stone Park Avenue Collection nemotile.com
FLUSH FINISH DOORS
Phenolic Maximum Privacy Partitions are offered up to 120-in. high and mounted one inch above the finished floor, providing the maximum in privacy and comfort for users. Floor-mounted overhead braced partitions are offered up to 96-in. high as a standard. Self-closing doors meet the pilasters in a flush finish with routed, overlapping closures for added privacy. Sleek black anodized hardware and pedestals offer a modern and appealing design and a black anodized occupancy indicator signals when the stall is in use.
ASI Group Phenolic Maximum Privacy Partitions asi-globalpartitions.com
MAKING ART IN HEMP AND BAMBOO
Embracing natural materials, sustainably-minded 3form introduces Knotted Hemp and Woven Bamboo interlayers to its Varia Artisan Collection, along with three etched glass interpretations of woven bamboo and hemp patterns. The partitions are ideal for projects seeking products with artisanal craftsmanship. The panels feature handwoven, organic material which add dimension and durability to interiors. The Knotted Hemp collection showcases the artistic work of spinners, knotters, dyers and weavers from Nepal and the Woven Bamboo is sourced from rapidly renewable bamboo groves in Indonesia.
3form Varia Artisan Collection 3form.com
IN CONTROL
The multi-functional, IP-based access control technology DoorBird can be programmed in a wide range of applications including back and side doors, garages, storage and packing rooms and elevators. The compact unit can easily be mounted on the door frame. Access is controlled via fingerprint or a multi-frequency RFID reader. An intelligent locking mechanism temporarily locks the system after multiple unauthorized attempts.
INTRODUCING BOB
Made entirely from waste materials generated during the production of wine bottle corks, the Modus Bob cork stool is not only highly sustainable, it’s a playful and fun addition to the furniture in a space. With a curved base and concave seat, the “eye” holes make it easy to move. The carbon positive product is easily recycled at the end of life.
Studio TK Modus Bob studiotk.com
ACOUSTIC SPEC TOOL
With help from the Luxxbox Acoustic Analyzer, architects can more accurately dial in the right product to optimize the acoustic performance needs of a space. Bridging the gap between technical acoustics and actual product specification, the tool calculates reverberation times for various room types and outputs the number of acoustic fixtures needed for superior sound control. Users simply input room dimensions, acoustic materials and intended room functions to access personalized information on a room’s current acoustic profile.
Luxxbox
Acoustic Analyzer
luxxbox.com
DoorBird doorbird.com
TUCKED AWAY
Still considered a freestanding tub, but positioned with one side against the wall to offer space savings, the Lisse from Americh joins the company’s skirted bathtub collection. The faucet is wall mounted while the rest of the soaker features soft curves. The sleek silhouette and gentle curves provide head and neck support.
CUSTOM MINIMAL DESIGN
Elevate your restroom experience with the Highrise Series Euro Partitions from Bradley. These modern, minimal partitions are meticulously crafted to your room’s precise measurements and feature mortise locks and slow-close hinges for ease of use and durability. With a maximum height of 9 feet and optional LED occupancy indicators, restroom users are provided with a comfortable private space. Made from Phenolic LT material, the partitions have a frameless construction with options for concealed hinges and a variety of standard and custom colors.
Bradley Corp.
Highrise Series Euro Partition bradleycorp.com
DECKED OUT
Extending its high quality waterproofing technology to decks, Siplast introduces Terapro PUR. The coating applies like paint to decks, parking areas and balconies, and is available in four different systems and a suite of nine products. The product line is made of polyurethane or a combination of polyurethane and polyuria, which are liquid, synthetic polymers that form a protective barrier when applied to surfaces. Ideal for high-trafficked areas, the barrier protects against corrosion, weather and abrasion.
Siplast Terapro PUR siplast.com
200 Park
2025 Award Winner San Jose, Calif. photo: Jason O’Rear
HDR’s inspired design for the Mayo Clinic’s latest research facility features a double-façade design with a dynamic metal scrim pulled away from the glass curtain wall.
By Barbara Horwitz-Bennett, contributing writer
Metal Wrapper Marvel
Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen
Anna-Maria and Kellen Building, Mayo Clinic Facility, Rochester, Minn.
F i l l i lhfilii
For its latest t traansslation o al research facility in Rocheste t r r, Minn., the e Mayo Clinic wa w nted an edgy, exciting façadde design gn Tyypi p ca c lly, desiggners love these types of opportunities, only in this case, e the 11-stoory building had to fit on a poostage-stamp p s site with little variation to the floor l plates on each level.
What was the design solution? The architects decided to sculpt a metal scrim epidermis pulled away from the curtainwall to a create double-layered facade revealing “oculi” windows for the AnnaMaria and Stephen Kellen Building.
“This is a remarkable piece of architecture created by a very involved, collaborrative and d iterative process, s ” sttates s Greg g Ramseth, an associate principal in HDR’s Minneapolis office.
The dynamic aluminum scrim wraps the more than 175,000-sq. ft. biomedical research space and decorates the interior with dappled light, creating an inspired setting for the researchers focusing on advanced treatments and finding cures.
The process of designing the metal façade with its different openings and varying opacity was extremely collaborative. The architects worked through a number of iterations with the engineers, subcontractors and fabricators to ensure that the metal mesh was constructible and met the required performance targets, structural support needs, and desired aesthetics.
For example, the ice and snow in the building’s northern climate had to be accounted for, and wind tunnel testing had to be performed. In addition to the oculi’s irregular edges, each of the two façade surfaces are separately influenced by wind, which creates a pressure differential, which was something the design had to accommodate.
The design of the metal façade itself is based on the three shields in the Mayo Clinic logo: the research shield, education shield, and clinical care shield. According to HDR Design Principal Scott Elofson, the team used a computer script to morph the three shields into an interlocking pattern to produce the mesh design. The designers then worked with the model to design more opacity for the more private areas and less density combined with oculus openings for the more collaborative areas.
In addition to the combination of privacy and transparency, the perforated panels, coupled with interior shades, protect the building against solar gain and glare.
“We developed a series of mock ups to test the lighting of the oculus, how the materials come together, and the vision and spandrel conditions,” relates Ramseth.
WINDOW WASHERS
Due to the Mayo Clinic Kellen Building’s highly unique double façade design, the ongoing maintenance involved in keeping the curtain wall had to be worked out during the design process.
Consequently, the design team had several charrettes exploring various options including lifts, catwalks and swing stages. In the end, the architects designed an accessible box between the glass and the scrim every 10 ft. This way the window washers could drop down through the hatches to clean the windows.
Curtainwall
The MGU-8 unitized curtain wall system from MG McGrath combines the cost control of standard glass systems with precision and time-effective assembly of unitized systems. Tested for a wide range of applications, the system can be structural silicone glazing (SSG) but glazed or captured.
MG McGrath MGU-8 mgmcgrath.com
“The façade creates visual connectivity from the inside-out and the outside-in, with an interior awash in natural light that offers plentiful views and an exterior inspired by the innovative research happening within.”
Metal Fabrication
Covering three sides of the building, a total of 77,000-sq. ft. of unitized aluminum scrim panels were manufactured by MG McGrath. To fully realize HDR’s design intent, MG McGrath brought in specialty computational designers to create fabrication layouts. Once the design was finalized, a large laser bed continuously ran for a number of months to produce all the panels which were laser cut as flat pieces.
“The continuity of the shapes between panels is so crisp, it’s amazing,” says Elofson. “All the pieces were bar coded so that they could keep them organized and then they were erected on site.”
On the south elevation, floors three to 10, are covered in 11,250-sq. ft. of Vitrabond 4mm FR core aluminum composite material (ACM), manufactured by MG McGrath. Another 3,000-sq. ft. of the ACM were installed near the ground floor on the building’s west side. The penthouse is clad with 6,500-sq. ft. of flush-seam metal.
Metal continues to the interior with 3,000-sq. ft. installed on the ground-floor lobby ceiling and 3,500-sq. ft. of exterior soffit cladding located by the facade oculus cut-outs. For both locations, HDR specified Pure + FreeForm’s custom-formed
aluminum planks with a walnut painted woodgrain finish.
While a spacious lobby is not typical for a research facility where space is at a premium, the Mayo Clinic’s leadership really wanted the building to anchor the research community, so HDR designed a two-story daylit space with seating and a pre-cast terrazzo and wood veneer staircase leading up to the second floor.
MG McGrath also fabricated the glass facade system, which is MGU-8 unitized glass curtain wall in a 4-sided SSG configuration. The contractor installed several medium-stile, insulated glass doors with hardware for the entrances.
Wood Grain Walls
HDR specified Pure + FreeForm for the canopy, soffit and walls in a custom woodgrain finish for the Mayo Clinic’s Kellen Building. Pure + FreeForm works closely with architects to customize the color, pattern, scale, gloss and texture of its panels for a given application. For this project, the woodgrain enhances the building’s exterior and blends into the interior.
Pure + FreeForm purefreeform.com
Unitized Aluminum Scrim Panels
The Vitrabond FR (fireresistant) core aluminum composite material (ACM) panel system features a fire-resistant core between two aluminum or natural metal sheets (like zinc, copper, or stainless steel), providing excellent surface flatness and a strengthto-weight ratio. The panels are designed to be easily curved, folded, or shaped for various applications.
MG McGrath
Vitrabond 4mm FR core aluminum composite material (ACM) mgmcgrath.com
Photos courtesy of HDR
Precast Terrazzo
Terroxy is a resinous epoxy flooring product, available in metallic, decorative quartz or mosaic vinyl flakes. The flooring can be thin set, self-leveling troweled or urethane concrete slurry. For the Mayo Clinic’s Kellen Building, HDR specified the material for the lobby’s grand staircase.
Terrazzo & Marble Supply Companies tmsupply.com
A two-story atrium lobby features a terrazzo and wood veneer staircase, an aluminum planked ceiling in a wood-grain finish and polished concrete flooring.
Photos courtesy of HDR
AVOID COMMON FLOOR PREP CHALLENGES
Contaminated slabs can lead to installation failures if bond-breakers aren’t properly dealt with. Maxxon® Commercial Profile and Isolate protect your flooring systems by removing or isolating abatement chemicals and oils, while providing a moisture vapor barrier.
The time-saving, dust-free innovation for cleaning and profiling concrete without shotblasting or grinding — making it ideal for environments like hospitals, grocery stores and others that can’t tolerate dust.
Block destructive abatement chemicals, embedded contaminants and moisture — meet manufacturer requirements and protect the finished floor.
Radiant Heat Trench
Designed to install in line with a finished floor, compact 4-in. radiant heat trenches from Jaga are an energy-efficient, cost-effective way to deliver perimeter heating and cooling. The trenches work well with underfloor air distribution (UFAD) designs, more effectively conditioning spaces. The trenches can be closed with a variety of grille options, wood finishes and designer styles.
Jaga 4-in. radiant heat trenches jaga-usa.com
Chill Out
Designed to maximize cooling and heating capacity per unit of primary airflow, the Linear Active Chilled Beam from Price induces room air through its heat exchanger, mixes it with supply air and then delivers the combined airstreams into the occupied zone through slots along the length of the beam. The system’s versatility supports varied installation configurations, and can be integrated into suspended and drywall ceilings.
Price Linear Active Chilled Beam priceindustries.com
Risk-Based Zoning
Research facilities are traditionally designed with very robust MEP systems to theoretically allow all types of research to take place anywhere in the building. With risk-based zoning, Wet Zones, for example, where chemicals are used, are limited to specific areas of the building.
For the Kellen building, HDR set up the building perimeter as office space. As one moves further into the core, the air exchange levels and HVAC infrastructure increases with what Ramseth calls a progressive mechanical approach that saves on operating costs. In fact, the building’s Energy Use Intensity is approximately 30% less than a typical research facility, but it doesn’t dramatically limit the research conducted here. 95% of all Mayo Clinic research activities can be performed in the building.
In addition to the risk-based zoning method, the team made some strategic decisions with the mechanical design. For instance, for the equipment
corridors containing lots of research freezers, and the associated noise and heat build-up, a conventional approach is delivering lots of cold air, more than what’s required, into the space. A more efficient solution for managing the freezers’ rejected heat is chilled beams.
Better still, a perimeter radiant system recessed into the floor more directly that delivers the heating without requiring a large volume of air. Successfully integrating this technology into the Kellen Building, the Mayo Clinic has added this radiant trench strategy into their design standards.
Reflecting on this highly unique and collaborative project, Ramseth remarks, “It’s the project of a lifetime. It was really amazing and a joy to work on.
In setting up the office spaces on the perimeter and the research areas in the core, HDR employed a risked-based zoning methodology for the HVAC design. This targeted decrease in HVAC infrastructure reduced the Energy Use Intensity of the building by approximately 30%.
Acoustic Baffles
Part of Acoufelt’s Essential Collection, sound absorbing Linear baffles are made from polyester felt. Available in single and multi-color arrangements, the material is made with a minimum of 55% recycled content and is 100% recyclable. The baffles measure 3/8 inches and offer an NRC rating of 0.35. Baffles comes in a wide variety of shapes and sizes including reveal, groove, fan, step, curve, truss, stack, beam and billow.
Acoufelt Essential Collection acoufelt.com
Made in the Shade Mechoshade’s Mecho/5 shade system is engineered to deliver a high quality, smooth and reliable lift experience, and comes with a 25-year warranty. Easy to raise and lower, the system is built with an overrunning clutch, selflubricating components and a larger diameter sprocket for maintenance-free operation. Larger shades and multi-banded shade systems preserve design intent by reducing the number of pull chains and light gaps, thereby creating a superior design aesthetic. Mecho Mecho/5 shade system mechoshade.com
London Wall’s Adaptive Reuse Story
Stripped back to the studs, a dated office building is rebuilt into a highly sustainable, sought-after office property.
By Barbara Horwitz-Bennett, contributing writer
Adding another success story to its growing portfolio of unique adaptive reuse projects, London-based EPR Architects led a team of designers, engineers and specialists to turn a stale 1980s office building into a high class BREEAM Outstanding-certified office property.
Retaining the original steel structure, the team peeled 60 London Wall all the way down to its bones, reinforced the steel, designed a new reconstituted stone façade, and added four new floors with stepped-back roof terraces.
“Exposing the steel structure highlights the unique central lattice truss girders and steel columns,
elegantly blending the old with the new,” explains Jason Balls, group board director, EPR Architects, London. “By collaborating closely with structural engineer Heyne Tillett Steel, we were able to reanalyze the building’s framework in conjunction with the centrally located core, allowing us to justify adding four additional stories with minimal local stiffening.”
The strategy succeeded in retaining 8,600 tons of carbon from the structural frame and posting an embodied carbon measurement of 193 kgCO2e/m² That’s 40% lower than a typical new office. Wherever possible, the designers reused the
existing structure. This included the frame, basement and foundations.
The structural engineer analyzed the original columns and beams to ensure they could support the added loads from the new levels. Only 60 columns, about 10% of the steel members, required strengthening. For the existing piles, comprehensive geotechnical investigations and analysis proved that they were robust enough to bear the increased mass.
To build in the most flexibility for tenant divisions, the decision was made to remove the four existing cores and re-core the building. The newly created
60 London Wall’s building envelope optimizes energy performance, while providing daylight and views, with non-visible fritted glass that reduces solar gain.
floorplates have been set up to accommodate small, medium, and large companies.
“A striking glazed atrium now serves as the central focal point within the building, enhancing sightlines and maximizing natural light, while two pre-existing atria were infilled to increase the usable floor area,” says Balls.
Inside the atrium, EPR Architects custom-designed glass elevators with soffits finished in a striking pillar-box red powder coating and glass, enhanced by floating LED lights.
Stripping the structural frame back to the first structural bay enabled the team to fully re-clad the building. Replacing the post-modern design’s heavy cladding and small windows with reconstituted
stone, double-glazed units, and fins. More cost effective and versatile than stone, the reconstituted product is made from a mixture of crushed limestone, washed sand, cement and additives.
To optimize the material performance and span capabilities to best balance passive solar shading and daylighting, EPR collaborated extensively with the façade contractor Gartner. A series of workshops and mock-ups helped inform the final design.
“The new upper stories feature curvilinear forms that step back from the established eaves line along London Wall, creating inviting sky garden terraces. The terraces seamlessly connect to the adjacent Finsbury Circus, enhancing the relationship between architecture and nature,” explains Balls.
Solar Protection & Light
Well suited for facades and large windows, SunGuard SuperNeutral SN 70/35’s neutral blue glass enhances daylighting with solar protection and thermal insulation. For 60 London Wall, the architects specified Warm Gray frit 20% and 30% stripes with Guardian Float ExtraClear on one of the lites. The glazing offers shading coefficients of 0.32 and 0.29 respectively.
Guardian Glass, SunGuard SuperNeutral SN 70/35’s guardianglass.com
Recessed & Synchronized
Neatly tucked into the Perimeos ceiling recess, the SyncroShades self-aligning roller blind system features a manual chain-operated blind which only breaks in pre-defined positions. An innovative counterbalanced system supports one-touch operation. The ceilingrecessed system saves on time and labor, eliminating the need for plasterboard, studs, sanding and painting.
Décor Systems, SyncroShades decorsystems.co.uk
Need a Lift?
Manufactured by Traditional Lift Products using low-iron laminated glass, the glass elevators in 60 London Wall’s atrium seamlessly blend functionality and a dynamic visual statement.
Traditional Lift Products tradlifts.co.uk
The property offers ground-floor reception, office, and retail space. Upper floors provide additional office space arranged over large, flexible floorplates, centered around an atrium.
Energy-Efficient Design
In addition to the high-performance glazing and exterior louvers, the design team carefully detailed the enclosure and specified high-efficiency HVAC systems, and low-energy lighting systems with daylight controls and occupancy sensors. The MEP engineers at Mecserve also integrated an intelligent Building Management System linked to a converged data network and incorporated photovoltaic panels on top of the plant room on the building’s top floor.
Through the early design process, Balls recalls that a number of changes were made to the original brief driven by the developing London office market. Some of these challenges included ensuring flexibility with the location of the risers to serve a variety of tenant splits and finding sufficient space for Cat A and Cat B MEP services within the deep beams of the structural design.
“These dynamic brief changes often challenged the MEP services, sustainability strategy, and the design team. Through all these changes and obstacles, the engineers took it in stride with the main aim of delivering the right scheme,” he relates.
The refined, industrial aesthetic was selected to appeal to both established organizations as well as next-gen occupiers with a creative edge.
Utrecht Armchair
Originally designed in 1935 by Dutch architect and designer Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for the Metz & Co. department store in Amsterdam, the iconic Utrecht armchair features armrests bent at 90 degrees to form front legs. The seat tilts up with its back resting directly on the floor.
Cassina cassina.com
Three Seater
Described as a time capsule of style, the threeseat Luke Sofa’s layered composition takes its cues from fashionable scarves of yesteryear. The arms are half rounded and the seat and back curvature are gracefully designed.
Munna munnadesign.com
Skylight photo courtesy of Gareth Gardner, atrium photo courtesy of MAWD
Photos courtesy of MAWD
Light Sculpture
According to MAWD, the project's interior designer, the interior palette relates to the bronze and stone contrast of the facade.
Interiors
Offering 328,500 sq. ft. of premium office space on a 1/3-acre corner site, the reception and atrium areas were furnished to promote professional and interpersonal engagement and interaction. The common and amenity areas function as flexible work spaces and can be used for pop-up occasions and events.
“We wanted to create an arrival experience with flexible work and amenity space for the office floors above that blended elements of residential, hospitality and workspace design,” explains James White, co-founder of the London-based interiors firm MAWD. “The refined, industrial aesthetic reflects the target audience: sophisticated, established organisations as well as next-gen tech and financial occupiers.”
Fantastic Finish
Architectural grade powder coating from Bradleys Metal Finishes delivers a durable, long-lasting finish. The epoxy polyester provides good resistance against discoloration and chemical resistance, and provides good adhesion. For 60 London Wall, a Tudor Bronze finish was selected.
Bradleys Metal Finishes bradleysmetalfinishes.com
Create a sculpture from geometric shapes. White glass spheres soften the lines of the intersecting rectangles. In additional to illuminating the surrounding space, the light fixtures cast reflections of light onto the metal.
VeniceM, Mondrian venicem.com
Recessed Downlight
Delivering a CRI of 90 at 3000K, Laser Blade lighting fixtures from iGuzzini were specified in three different types for lobby and amenity spaces. Recessed downlights include iGuzzini Super Comfort and Reflex.
iGuzzini, Laser Blade iguzzini.com
Linear LED
Ideal for shelving, cabinets, ceilings and furniture, the linear Proteus B can be paired with a 12-degree lens for focused installations or a clear 120-degree diffuser for maximum lumen output. With a wide range of color temperatures of between 2200K and 4000K, and options for 80 and 90 CRI, the dimmable LED is available in four power options.
Kemps, Proteus B kempsarchitecturallighting.com
Photo courtesy of Gareth Gardner
Winning a prestigious BALI UK National Landscape Architecture award, the green roofs are planted with native and ornamental biophilia, reflecting the landscape of the adjacent Finsbury Circus and connecting to the project’s ecologically focused and biodiverse roof designs.
The elaborate roof terraces wrap around three sides of each floor and contain a total of 20,000 square feet of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants.
“Low-growing foliage envelops seating niches, creating inviting green spaces, while larger shrubs and trees frame glimpses of the skyline beneath their canopies,” says Balls. “These green roofs and planted terraces also play a vital role in purifying the air and sequestering carbon.
The rooftop design also incorporates a sustainable urban drainage systems and “blue” roof elements.
The Raaft terrace system features snaking benches with graduating seat back heights and curved CorTen steel planters create a beautiful curvature around the building.
Photos courtesy of Max Brooks
Green Roof
Future-Ready Elementary Features Folding Glass Walls
Glass walls deliver flexibility, transparency, and good acoustics.
When Frisco Independent School District (Frisco ISD) asked Stantec to design their new Minett Elementary School, they wanted to provide students and instructors with a learning environment that would support future-ready education.
According to Stantec, the desire for a co-teaching model drove the design of grade level pods that could support a variety of instructional models and promote interactive, collaborative learning. Organized into two houses, the pods connect directly to the central learning commons and adjacent media spaces. Transparency throughout places learning on display and allows for passive supervision. Spatial diversity, foldable glass walls, and intentional furniture design in the variety of space sizes and types enable flexibility and adaptability.
For the foldable glass walls, Stantec selected the NW Acoustical 645 from NanaWall. This thermally broken system delivers acoustical performance up to STC 45. The ultraslim panel frame measures 1.75in. (45mm) and floor supported panels were capable of heights up to 11-ft. 6-in. (3500mm).
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Nana Wall
NW Acoustical 645 nanawall.com
Minett Elementary School
Frisco Independent School District
Location: Frisco, Texas
Design Team: Stantec
FIT MORE INTO LESS.
Today’s multi-family residential construction design calls for maximum ceiling height with minimal floor-to-floor depth, enabling developers to fit more into multi-story buildings.
To address those demands, Vulcraft-Verco has re-engineered its Dovetail Floor Deck to provide more strength, fire resistance and acoustical performance with as little as 5 ½ inches of deck depth, giving you the design flexibility to create a project that is both economical and practical.
Exceed Tough U-Value Building Codes and Create Translucent Facades
Architects looking for ways to heighten access to daylight, while delivering an efficient building envelope need to explore new channel glass.
As building codes nationwide evolve toward stricter energy standards, the importance of one standard is rising above the rest: U-value. This key measure of thermal performance is reshaping the way architects and builders approach façade systems— and Bendheim’s channel glass is setting a new benchmark.
Many of the latest building codes are now demanding glazing systems to achieve U-values as low as U-0.32, including framing. Meeting these benchmarks requires a holistic systems approach— and that’s where Bendheim excels. Bendheim channel glass systems can achieve a remarkable center-of-glass U-value of U-0.12, offering architects and builders the ability to provide an ultra-efficient building envelope.
Massachusetts, for example, is now home to some of the most stringent energy codes in the country, requiring full glazing systems to perform at U-0.25 or better. It’s a trend that’s quickly spreading nationwide, as cities and states push for lower carbon footprints and smarter thermal design.
“Unlike traditional glazing systems, our channel glass system’s design only requires support at the head and sill,” said Director of Sales for Bendheim Wall Systems, Peter Stattler. “That minimalist framing reduces thermal bridging, lowers U-values and streamlines the path to code compliance.”
The result? A high-performance façade that checks every box—energy efficient, cost-effective and architecturally refined. Lightweight and easy to install, the Bendheim channel glass system delivers large-scale, light-filled walls with minimal visual
"Light is an animating element in the building with the expanses of channel glass acting as modern shoji screens."
— Steven Holl
interruption and maximum thermal control. Bendheim channel glass panels are lightweight, easy to install and provide larger, uninterrupted glass walls that bring in natural light while maintaining optimal insulation.
The Visual Arts Center at Franklin & Marshall College, designed by Steven Holl Architects, features U-0.12 Bendheim channel glass. According to the architect, “Curved translucent glass walls are formed by a double-layer U-plank structural glass system filled with translucent insulation for high thermal performance and 19% light transmission, ideal for studio light.”
Visual Arts Center at Franklin & Marshall College
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Design Team: Steven Holl Architects
System for Ventilated Facades (Single-Glazed) bendheim.com
Photo Courtesy of Paul Warchol
Award-Winning Lighting Design at Oceanside Library
MDA Designgroup delivers a welcoming, memorable experience with flexibility to meet evolving programming needs.
“We believe the lighting design of a space can make or break a project’s success,” says Elisabeth Martin, Principal at MDA Designgroup, who designed the lighting scheme for a wide variety of program spaces throughout the building. “Libraries depend on quality of light distribution to showcase their resources, enhance what we call ‘people space,’ and support
MDA reimagined the library through a lens of sustainability, biophilia, and universal design.
staff work needs,” she says. By partnering with USAI Lighting, the firm was able to meet a three-part set of goals for the project: (1) create a design that was beautiful, functional, and memorable in a cost-conscious way, (2) meet sustainability goals for efficient energy use, and (3) integrate lighting that supported user comfort, wellness and biophilic design.
Each zone in a library brings specific needs and unique challenges. In areas with large numbers of bookshelves for browsing, the light must be even,
with sufficient power to illuminate the spines of the books. In pathways, a more general ambient quality is appropriate. Wanting to avoid the pitfalls of typical, often too-utilitarian lighting, the MDA team layered in USAI’s compact and elegant recessed downlights, at times integrated into the wood ceilings, to balance and quietly complement other, more whimsical accent lighting. “Whether sculptural or minimal, the fixtures forge a dynamic partnership and provide excellent ambient lighting that supports use,” adds Martin.
Throughout the library, USAI lighting solutions were used to achieve both aesthetic and functional goals. “Our products provide high performance, energy efficiency, dimming compatibility, and minimal architectural profiles with visual comfort, while balancing artificial and natural light throughout the space,” says Bonnie Littman, CEO of USAI Lighting.
The welcome desk, where USAI’s BeveLED 2.2 4.5” lights are paired with a dynamic loop fixture to quietly fill in the areas between the curvy accent light to avoid dead zones.
In the Main Spine, or primary traffic circulation area, USAI’s slender profile lights–including the BeveLED 2.2 Basic 4.5”— accommodated a complex ceiling structure, adding ambient light in a space that features comfortable armchairs in relaxed seating arrangements.
In areas flanking the Spine (and elsewhere), Micro Multi-Cell 1.25” fixtures fitting perfectly between wood slats work in tandem with linear pendants to provide ample yet pleasant illumination.
For the theater, the goal was not to over-light. “You’re not reading books,” says Martin. “But you need to get in and out safely before a program starts and after it ends.” USAI’s LittleOnes Micro 1.25” square fixtures with black millwork trim were placed into the large wood panels to provide a softer
All photos:
Robert Lowell Photography
glow between linear fixtures wrapping the space at regular intervals. Towards the back of the space, the company’s BeveLED 2.2 Basic 4.5” with black millwork trim provided additional illumination at the entry/exit point.
To support biophilic design goals throughout, MDA Designgroup incorporated clean, overall light to complement abundant natural illumination from the large windows and brought the feeling of daylight deep into spaces too remote to benefit from it.
The fixtures also offer high energy efficiency, dimming capability, have minimal architectural profiles and high CRI values. “The color and temperature options enhanced the interior design choices and brought out the best of our biophilic design-inspired materials palette of finishes,” she says.
The lighting design was instrumental in the striking outcome of the final project, which received a Lighting Design Award from the American Institute of Architects—Long Island Chapter. Martin notes that the mix of USAI products and fixtures from other manufacturers “resulted in a cohesive design feature that supported both the design goals and goals of the client.”
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Fully Integrating Building Performance into the Design Process
Taking sustainability to the next level, CannonDesign’s Building Performance Group leverages tools like parametric simulations and modeling to proactively innovate the most sustainable design solutions for projects.
With a passion for the technical side of sustainability, Elliot Glassman, aia, ncarb, leed ap bd+c, cphd, was thrilled to discover CannonDesign’s Building Performance Group.
“What is unique about CannonDesign is there are so many people around the firm who want to really push sustainability and building performance, and are open to exploring new workflows and tools to get there,” states Glassman.
For example, the firm’s energy design standard is considering pathways to decarbonization for every project it works on.
Glassman’s Journey
After studying in architecture school and working in the industry for a few years, Glassman’s growing interest in quantifying the impacts of design decisions on energy and daylight performance led him to pursue a master’s degree in sustainable design at Harvard.
“The emphasis of the program was on the use of simulation, not as a reactive evaluation of a fully developed design resolution, but as an integral part of a proactive, iterative design process that drives decision making,” he explains.
He then moved on to a New York consultancy heading up their computational design practice and
started teaching part time in a few colleges as an assistant professor. Then he noticed the great investments CannonDesign was making in their design technology resources.
“I knew there would be great support for leveraging computational design in the way I had always envisioned to push innovative, high-performance buildings. And I also knew that the firm had several in-house engineering disciplines that could push the technical rigor of that work to a higher level,” he recalls.
He came on board as a new group leader and worked on leveraging his team as interdisciplinary design partners across CannonDesign’s portfolio of projects, providing building science expertise to help produce unique design solutions.
Taking it on the Road
To provide technical training and establish relationships with as many of CannonDesign’s architects, engineers and designers as possible, Glassman is currently in the middle of a Building Performance/Energy Design roadshow tour.
Glassman and his team travel to many of the firm’s 18 offices, presenting performance design capabilities and brainstorming ways to work together.
For example, the group has developed a standard building performance framework to support energy design that incorporates renewable energy, embodied impacts, thermal comfort, daylight and water. This serves as a roadmap for using performance modeling as part of the design process.
For each roadshow, “we have a general presentation of the framework, explaining how we can leverage it to collaborate and inform design decisions with building performance. Afterward, we have breakout sessions which are conversations with various stakeholders so we can also hear the needs in their specific market or discipline, discuss how to leverage technology to better collaborate, and find ways of integrating more closely with our engineering expertise,” he relates.
When asked about ways his team is integrating AI into its practice, he explains that his group captures structured data from every parametric run and then feeds this information into a machine learning application to better make predictions about performance metrics like energy use.
“This will enable us to explore a wider design space of possibilities in less time during early design phases,” he says.
Elliot Glassman, aia, ncarb, leed ap bd+c, CPHD, Building Performance Leader, CannonDesign.
Photos courtesy of CannonDesign
— Barbara Horwitz-Bennett, contributing writer
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