Baylor University Facility Completed

Baylor University’s Information Technology Services group has a new home. The $13.2 million, 400,000-square-foot, multi-use design/build facility was recently constructed by McCarthy Building Cos. In addition to office space, the building also provides structured parking for 1,195 cars and a Starbucks and Chili’s as well. The project is located at University Parks Dr. and Dutton Ave. on Baylor’s campus. Carl Walker Inc. of Dallas provided architecture and engineering services for the project.Cool Metal Roofing OptionsAn amendment to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Energy Star® program for roof products will analyze Cool Metal Roofing’s ongoing contribution to energy efficiency. This amendment to Energy Star’s Program Requirements for Roof Products: Eligibility Criteria allows aged solar reflectance of roofing products to be tested for program qualification via exposure of test panels on weathering farms instead of using roofing assemblies on actual structures in selected urban areas.“This will truly benefit the consumer and the environment by providing broader selection and recognition of cool roofing products,” says Scott Kriner, Cool Metal Roofing Coalition chairman.Get complete information at (www.energystar.gov) or e-mail Rachel Schmeltz at ([email protected]).Shopping Center Study AvailableThe Chicago-based Institute of Real Estate Management’s (IREM’s) 2003 Income/Expense Analysis®: Shopping Centers shows that median income for opening shopping centers in 2002 (based on average actual occupancy) increased slightly from 2001 levels. In contrast, open center expenses in 2002 dipped slightly from the prior year.Conducted by IREM since 1991, this annual study analyzes the previous year’s operating data for 467 open shopping centers and enclosed malls throughout the United States. This benchmarking data is designed to provide real estate professionals and investors with current financial data for evaluating the performance of their properties and for preparing appraisals, budgets, loan requests, and sales proposals.To purchase a copy of 2003 Income/Expense Analysis®: Shopping Centers or any of IREM’s four other Income/Expense benchmarking studies, contact IREM’s customer service department at (800) 837-0706.Uptown District Residential Development Moves AheadSchematic design has been completed and construction is under way on Park & Robinson, an exciting new 33-unit, mixed-use urban residential development at 3744 Park Blvd., San Diego. The project will incorporate the historically significant Streamline Moderne façade of the existing commercial complex on the site. San Diego-based KMA Architecture & Engineering (KMA) is the architect for the $9 million project, which is owned by La Jolla Pacific Development Group.The building’s total area of approximately 100,000 square feet consists of ground-floor commercial and retail areas along Park Blvd., capped by four levels of residential units, and features six two-story row homes along Robinson Ave. The design is inspired by the existing historic building and by extensive research into Art Deco and Streamline Moderne precedents from the 1930s and 1940s. The new building mass is set back from the historic façade, stepping back in order to reduce bulk and create private terraces, and features the horizontal curved forms, strong vertical elements, and detailing of the Streamline Moderne style. Two levels of underground parking serve the residential units and the commercial/retail spaces.The building is located along the northern and eastern boundaries of the site, wrapping around the corner and forming a large protected interior courtyard opening towards the southwest. A generous open public plaza in front of the building at the corner of Park Blvd. and Robinson Ave. provides for an outdoor café and will serve as a neighborhood meeting place.Sick from Office Equipment?Atlanta-based Air Quality Sciences Inc. has released a complete report on IAQ issues related to office equipment. Titled In Black and White: The Office Equipment Industry’s Guide to Managing Product Emissions, the report deals with the difficult and increasingly publicized questions surrounding emissions from office machines and their impact on indoor environmental quality.Like many other manufactured products, office equipment out-gasses chemical compounds from product components. Additionally, many of these machines emit mixtures of chemical/particle pollutants while in operation. These emissions from office machines have been found to contribute to health problems, discomfort, and general dissatisfaction among building tenants.Available free of charge, pick up your copy of In Black and White and read summaries from emissions studies, industry trends, common pollutants and their sources, potential health risks, standards and guidelines, etc. Check out (www.aqs.com) for more information.Doin’ TimeMinneapolis-based KKE Architects and Minnesota’s Sherburne County have collaborated to design a state-of-the-art, 60,000-square-foot addition to Sherburne County’s current correctional center.To accommodate more inmates and correctional services, two special housing units will be added, along with a secure elevator connecting to the justice center. KKE is also expanding the in-take area and adding Minnesota’s first video visiting capabilities. New construction will also provide several new functional spaces, including a medical suite, administration offices, maintenance storage, and a 120-cell jail.Making use of “borrowed light design,” strategically-placed window walls illuminate the structure without relying on expensive security windows in each individual cell.Underneath the jail, an updated law enforcement training hub will provide a fitness center, a firing range, a classroom, a mock cell, and room for full combat education.The project also includes an integrated computer-based security system incorporating all secure doors, cameras, intercoms, phones, and utilities, which are monitored 24/7 by jail staff members.U.S. Census Bureau HQ Project AwardedWhitestone, NY-based Skanska USA Building Inc. and Dallas-based HKS Inc. have been selected by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) as the design-builder to complete the design and construction of the new U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters at Suitland Federal Center in Suitland, MD. The new project will consolidate 6,000 employees from five separate locations to the new facility in Suitland. This project is the largest GSA construction procurement this year and is multi-phased. The new headquarters includes 1.5 million square feet of office space and two parking structures containing more than 3,000 spaces. The GSA is utilizing design-build with bridging as the method of delivery. This method involves the preparation of a concept design followed by a separate solicitation to select an architect/contractor team to prepare the final design and build the project.The GSA estimates total construction costs for the new headquarters to be $288 million and is starting the first phase of the project this fall.Siemens Named Education LeaderBuffalo Grove, IL-based Siemens Building Technologies Inc. (SBT) was recently named Experiential Education Corporate Leader of the Year by the National Society of Experiential Education (NSEE), Springfield, VA, for its “Building Education™” initiative. The award was presented October 17 at NSEE’s annual conference in Minneapolis.The NSEE award – the fifth that “Building Education” has earned for Siemens in the last few months – recognizes a corporation that has demonstrated outstanding support of experiential education through its programs and with a clear commitment on the part of top management.Started in 1998, “Building Education” is an array of services for colleges and high schools, consisting of paid internships, career planning, scholarships and research support, simulated workplace experiences, and classroom training for students, as well as professional development in corporate training and awareness for faculty and staff. According to Dr. Troy Behrens, director of academic relations for SBT, Siemens’ experiential education programs run throughout North America, with about six under way at any give time. Schools are selected to receive the programs based on need, and the programming often is provided as a value-added service to education customers that use other Siemens products and services.Fire & Human BehaviorAny life-safety design should consider human behavior, whether prepared to meet prescriptive- or performance-based codes. That’s why the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) has released its newest guide identifying and reviewing the key factors and considerations that impact response and behavior of building occupants while evacuating for a fire.The guide presents information relevant to predicting human behavior in fire-related situations, including:Occupant characteristics.Response to cues such as fire alarms.Decision-making skills.Methods for predicting evacuation times.To purchase your copy of the SFPE Guide, visit (www.sfpe.org).