When RiverCenter for the Performing Arts held its grand opening last May, the building’s many features and Broadway style made for a celebration to remember. The 245,000-square-foot, $75 million performing arts center includes:Bill Heard Theatre, a 2,000-seat, multi-purpose hall.Legacy Hall, a 450-seat recital hall.A 150-seat experimental theater with movable seating and staging areas.More than 83,000 square feet of rehearsal and instruction space for Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music.Created with the architectural services of Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates LLP of New York City, RiverCenter has sparked new life into Columbus’ downtown, which now proudly boasts a beautiful venue to support musicians and performers.ASHRAE Publishes Energy Measurement GuidelineThe Atlanta-based American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)’s Guideline 14-2002, Measurement of Energy and Demand Savings describes how to reliably measure energy savings due to building energy management projects. A standardized set of energy and demand savings calculation procedures, the guidelines provide information on minimum acceptable levels of performance in determining energy and demand savings in commercial transactions. To order, contact ASHRAE at (800) 527-4723 or (www.ashrae.org).Green CleanersState and local government purchasers from across the country are working together to endorse a single national standard for environmentally friendly cleaning products. Noting a variety of human health and environmental concerns from traditional cleaning products (i.e. chemical ingredients that can cause cancer, reproductive disorders, respiratory ailments), state and local governments are hoping to use their purchasing power of more than $15 million in annual cleaning product purchases to protect the environment, janitorial staff, and building occupants while saving taxpayers money. This effort was organized by the Reading, PA-based Center for a New American Dream and funded, in part, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Switching from traditional cleaning products to biodegradable, low-toxicity, or otherwise less harmful products can drastically improve the environmental profile of routine cleaning activities without sacrificing cleaning effectiveness. Using green cleaners can also improve employee productivity and reduce costs by eliminating human health concerns.Published by INFORM, an independent research organization, Cleaning for Health: Products and Practices for a Safer Indoor Environment is a groundbreaking guide that details how the use of “greener cleaners” has resulted in fewer health complaints. The guide also details information about cleaning products that contain hazardous chemicals and provides instruction on new janitorial methods to prevent exposure to toxic cleaning chemicals. Printed copies can be obtained by calling INFORM at (212) 361-2400, extension 240.Park Place Vision is Becoming a RealityAs part of the more than 4 million square feet of commercial, residential, and retail space planned for Park Place in Irvine, CA, construction was completed on 3121 Michelson Drive, a 146,938-square-foot Class A office building in late November. The six-story, mid-rise facility features a cast-in-place, post-tensioned beam and concrete frame and contains floor plates averaging approximately 23,000 square feet. Boasting ceiling heights of nine feet, six inches, the facility offers many benefits including plug-and-play electrical and fiber-optic capabilities. Langdon Wilson’s Orange County office served as architect and the Newport Beach office of McCarthy Building Companies Inc. was responsible for general construction.Johnson Controls to Prevent Unauthorized Building EntryMilwaukee, WI-based Johnson Controls Security Solutions has formed a strategic alliance with Newton Security to offer a system to prevent unauthorized entry into secure areas. The system improves security by detecting “tailgating” (an unauthorized person entering a secure area by following an authorized cardholder) and “piggybacking” (authorized person gains access to a secure area and allows others to enter). Using Newton’s T-DAR® system, a stereo machine-vision camera will detect unauthorized entries. When a violation occurs, the system sounds an alarm, records the event, and transmits the recorded video in real-time to central security over a digital link or video.Metal Building Systems Info Now AvailableThe Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA), Cleveland, has recently published its latest edition of the Metal Building Systems Manual, the industry standard design manual for commercial building professionals. “The amount and scope of information in the new Metal Building Systems Manual is much greater than any previous edition,” says W. Lee Shoemaker, director of Research and Engineering for MBMA. Ordering information can be obtained by calling (216) 241-7333 or by visiting (www.mbma.com).New Window Cleaning GuidebookWashington, D.C.-based Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International introduces The Property Professional’s Guide to the ANSI/WCA I-14.1 Window Cleaning Safety Standard. Written specifically for building owners and property managers, the guide focuses on safety guidelines for the use of window cleaning access equipment, and contains information for manufacturers, designers, and installers of window equipment. The Standard also addresses rope descending systems, transportable and permanent suspended scaffolds, ladders, and man-lifts. To raise your level of safety regarding window cleaning and to ensure you understand the implications and obligations resulting from the approval of the I-14.1 Window Cleaning Safety Standard, contact BOMA at (800) 426-6292 or (www.boma.org/pubs/wcs.htm).Art Offers Inspiration and HealingThe new Cancer Center located within the Forsyth Memorial Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC, is a unique concept combining medical facilities with a holistic philosophy. The center unites medical, gynecological, and radiation oncology, and art plays a key role in its environment.In addition to art therapy at the center, the facility will exhibit visual art on a rotating basis. The center’s atrium features a grand piano and a visual centerpiece, an impressive glass sculpture by renowned artist Jon Kuhn. The sculpture entitled, “Hope and Healing,” represents the center’s mission. The art piece has seven overlapping ribbons of color symbolizing the fight against cancers. The artwork contains a 1,000 individual pieces of glass and took a year to complete.The Next Generation of Conference RoomsUnilever, Greenwich, CT, needed a new conference room to serve as the epicenter of decision-making regarding sales, marketing, and strategic brand planning initiatives. The firm’s facilities project manager and A/V technician called on the expertise of architects, The Phillips Group, furniture and robotics engineers, Show Motion, lighting experts, Hillman DiBernardo, and A/V integrator, HB Communications, to create the space. Equipped with Sony’s high-performance projector and high-resolution plasma monitors, the conference room, known as the Enterprise Room (pictured below), beautifully combines elegance with technology. Microphones for the audio and teleconferencing are concealed in the stunning glass and cherry wood table. The stainless steel framed projector screen has the illusion of floating from the wall. A light-filled product display wall draws visitors’ eyes to the company’s brands.Unilever is currently considering adapting this successful design in other locales. “It is extremely satisfying to know that the environment we created here with this room has given others the motivation to raise the bar,” says Cecilia Cordova-Kling, facilities project manager, Unilever, Greenwich, CT.World’s First Green Residential High-RiseAlbanese Development Corp. has dubbed the world’s first green residential high-rise “The Solaire.” The $120 million project’s vertical construction has been completed and features:On-site filtering and recycling of waste water to supply flush water for toilets.Collection of rain water for irrigation of the roof gardens.A high-efficiency air filtration system and fresh air supply to each apartment, including humidification during winter months.A natural gas-fired absorption HVAC system.Digital programmable thermostats.Dimmable/motion-detector controlled lighting.Low-E glazing.High-efficiency insulation.Use of EnergyStar® appliancesThe 27-story building hopes to set standards that could revolutionize building design and strengthen New York City’s future. Set for completion in early 2003, the building is located at 20 River Terrace in New York City’s Battery Park City.Time is Running Out!
The Master of Professional Study (MPS) in Real Estate at Cornell University, one of the most comprehensive graduate degrees in the nation that also boasts a 100-percent job placement rate, is encouraging prospective students to apply by offering several tuition-based scholarships of various amounts. Each year, 20 elite students benefit from a customized curriculum designed by the most successful industry professionals, all of whom are Cornell alumni. Robert Toll, CEO of Toll Brothers, Robert Tishman, chairman of Tishman Speyer Properties, Ann Evans Estabrook, owner of Elberon Development Co. and past national chair of NAIOP, and Howard Milstein, managing partner of Milstein Properties, are just a few of the Cornell alumni who founded, endowed, and developed the MPS, and who donate their time, as well as their money, by lecturing at seminars. Applications for the class of 2003 are accepted through January 15. For more information, visit (http://realestate.cornell.edu) or phone (607) 255-7110.Smith Travel Research Gets New HeadquartersHendersonville, TN – Looking for a base of operations that reflects the hospitality industry that Smith Travel Research (STR) serves, Nashville, TN-based Earl Swensson Associates Inc. designed a lodge-style facility for the company’s headquarters. At 26,000 square feet, the new facility resembles a resort-styled Tennessee lodge that improved communication between departments and accelerated workflow. “Since we occupied the building, we have found that our work flows well from point to point and that our entire operational system is more efficient than before,” says Randy Smith, founder and owner of STR. The new facility separates five departments with “cabin” elements that are clustered along a central spine and two large identical open offices – each 3,500 square feet in space – are designed to contain tasking pods. Natural light is abundant and stone, slate, and wood materials further the lodge design theme. “We thought the building looked nice on paper, but the built project is absolutely beautiful,” says Smith.‘Natural’ Flooring
When you think about color in a room, you may focus on the walls, window treatments, or furniture. What really pulls that palette of color together, however, is the natural hue of real wood flooring.There is a common misconception that wood floors come in two species (and, therefore, two colors): oak (brown) and maple (creamy white). According to the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), Ellisville, MO, these species are, of course, some of the most popular in wood flooring, but not the end-all of color options.“The natural color of wood species ranges from white to black, yellow to brown, and even red to purple,” says David Williams, president, NWFA. “The color options available in domestic and exotic wood flooring easily coordinate with any type of room design.”To have a clear picture of these species in different room settings, visit the NWFA’s Design-a-Room feature at (www.nwfaonline.com).FAQs on Steel ConduitBuildings professionals interested in information about steel conduit can now log onto a new website established by the Conduit Section of the Steel Tube Institute of North America (STI), Mentor, OH, at (www.steelconduit.org).The website includes information about the applications, benefits, and protection offered by steel conduit. It also includes a FAQ site. The site covers broad subjects, such as applicable standards and National Electrical Code® articles, as well as specific details on metric equivalents, coefficients of expansion, and fire ratings.Visitors to the site can download the GEMI (Grounding and ElectroMagnetic Interference) analysis software program, and the “Guidelines to Installing Steel Conduit and Tubing.”Research Building at Emory Achieves First LEED™ Certification in Southeast United States
The Whitehead Biomedical Research Building at Emory University in Atlanta is among the nation’s most environmentally responsible facilities, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The 325,000-square-foot, eight-story building earned a Silver certification in the LEED™ (USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system.Designed by the Atlanta office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK), the $82.7 million facility opened in November 2001 and is the first building in the southeast United States to achieve LEED certification. “LEED makes good business sense,” says Robert Hascall, senior associate vice president for facilities management at Emory. “The initial cost of greener building is recovered through lower operating costs throughout its life-cycle, particularly in the area of energy savings.”Among the green design elements:Most lab and office spaces are positioned with windows to the outside. Each lab module has its own controls for lighting, HVAC, and piping.The energy recovery system includes four enthalpy wheels, which use air exhausted from the facility to preheat outside air in the winter and to precool outside air in the summer.A stormwater harvesting system captures water, which is filtered and reused for on-site irrigation.Air-conditioning condensate is piped from air-handling units and chilled water coils back into nearby cooling towers for use as make-up water.Building materials are low-VOC emitting, have a high recycled content, and are from renewable local sources.
The Master of Professional Study (MPS) in Real Estate at Cornell University, one of the most comprehensive graduate degrees in the nation that also boasts a 100-percent job placement rate, is encouraging prospective students to apply by offering several tuition-based scholarships of various amounts. Each year, 20 elite students benefit from a customized curriculum designed by the most successful industry professionals, all of whom are Cornell alumni. Robert Toll, CEO of Toll Brothers, Robert Tishman, chairman of Tishman Speyer Properties, Ann Evans Estabrook, owner of Elberon Development Co. and past national chair of NAIOP, and Howard Milstein, managing partner of Milstein Properties, are just a few of the Cornell alumni who founded, endowed, and developed the MPS, and who donate their time, as well as their money, by lecturing at seminars. Applications for the class of 2003 are accepted through January 15. For more information, visit (http://realestate.cornell.edu) or phone (607) 255-7110.Smith Travel Research Gets New HeadquartersHendersonville, TN – Looking for a base of operations that reflects the hospitality industry that Smith Travel Research (STR) serves, Nashville, TN-based Earl Swensson Associates Inc. designed a lodge-style facility for the company’s headquarters. At 26,000 square feet, the new facility resembles a resort-styled Tennessee lodge that improved communication between departments and accelerated workflow. “Since we occupied the building, we have found that our work flows well from point to point and that our entire operational system is more efficient than before,” says Randy Smith, founder and owner of STR. The new facility separates five departments with “cabin” elements that are clustered along a central spine and two large identical open offices – each 3,500 square feet in space – are designed to contain tasking pods. Natural light is abundant and stone, slate, and wood materials further the lodge design theme. “We thought the building looked nice on paper, but the built project is absolutely beautiful,” says Smith.‘Natural’ Flooring
When you think about color in a room, you may focus on the walls, window treatments, or furniture. What really pulls that palette of color together, however, is the natural hue of real wood flooring.There is a common misconception that wood floors come in two species (and, therefore, two colors): oak (brown) and maple (creamy white). According to the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), Ellisville, MO, these species are, of course, some of the most popular in wood flooring, but not the end-all of color options.“The natural color of wood species ranges from white to black, yellow to brown, and even red to purple,” says David Williams, president, NWFA. “The color options available in domestic and exotic wood flooring easily coordinate with any type of room design.”To have a clear picture of these species in different room settings, visit the NWFA’s Design-a-Room feature at (www.nwfaonline.com).FAQs on Steel ConduitBuildings professionals interested in information about steel conduit can now log onto a new website established by the Conduit Section of the Steel Tube Institute of North America (STI), Mentor, OH, at (www.steelconduit.org).The website includes information about the applications, benefits, and protection offered by steel conduit. It also includes a FAQ site. The site covers broad subjects, such as applicable standards and National Electrical Code® articles, as well as specific details on metric equivalents, coefficients of expansion, and fire ratings.Visitors to the site can download the GEMI (Grounding and ElectroMagnetic Interference) analysis software program, and the “Guidelines to Installing Steel Conduit and Tubing.”Research Building at Emory Achieves First LEED™ Certification in Southeast United States
The Whitehead Biomedical Research Building at Emory University in Atlanta is among the nation’s most environmentally responsible facilities, according to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The 325,000-square-foot, eight-story building earned a Silver certification in the LEED™ (USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system.Designed by the Atlanta office of Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK), the $82.7 million facility opened in November 2001 and is the first building in the southeast United States to achieve LEED certification. “LEED makes good business sense,” says Robert Hascall, senior associate vice president for facilities management at Emory. “The initial cost of greener building is recovered through lower operating costs throughout its life-cycle, particularly in the area of energy savings.”Among the green design elements:Most lab and office spaces are positioned with windows to the outside. Each lab module has its own controls for lighting, HVAC, and piping.The energy recovery system includes four enthalpy wheels, which use air exhausted from the facility to preheat outside air in the winter and to precool outside air in the summer.A stormwater harvesting system captures water, which is filtered and reused for on-site irrigation.Air-conditioning condensate is piped from air-handling units and chilled water coils back into nearby cooling towers for use as make-up water.Building materials are low-VOC emitting, have a high recycled content, and are from renewable local sources.
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