HOW CHAMPION MANUFAC TURING IS EMPOWERING PATIENTS WITH INNOVATIVE CHAIR DE SIGN
G R E E N B U I L D I N G M A RC H+A PR I L 2019
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UW’S NEW LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING, P. 102
Cleveland Clinic knows the healing power of aesthetics
INSIDE MODERN
H E A LT H C A R E DESIGN
Quality and design — now you can have both
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FLASH OF GENIUS
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In an industry where no two days are the same. Where tenants are your top priority—but so is your building … and your career. It’s about improving your bottom line. It’s about understanding the technology that will take your building from good to great. It’s about leading your team to the top. And it’s all up to you to make it happen. Now’s the time to fine-tune your expertise and burst into action. There are no limits to what you’ll learn—and all the new possibilities you’ll unleash.
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GREEN BUILDING & DESIGN
In This Issue March+April 2019 Volume 10, Issue 55
Putting on a Facade
An Australian building is transformed by Kosloff Architecture.
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Sky-High Sustainability Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia is taking green building to new heights.
Table of Contents Products
Projects
Practice
20 5 Benefits of Reinke Shakes’ Lifetime Shingles
64 Putting on a Facade
112 Ask the Expert
This manufacturer offers shingles that are versatile, durable, and faster to install.
28 Secure Storage Spaces BeastWire security cages and barrier guards are revolutionizing the industry.
Kosloff Architecture dressed up a university research building in a beautiful—and energy-saving— second skin.
76 Clean, Simple, and Efficient
In rural Indiana, the dream for a modern farmhouse comes to life through thoughtful collaboration.
32 How to Build the Perfect Public Space
UltraSite combines color, accessibility, and durability to make great spaces.
42 When to Use Natural Stone
Featherock explores how pumice can strengthen and enhance design for ground cover, fire pits, and more.
46 An Expert’s Guide to Metal Roofing
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The pros share their knowledge on why to spec metal roofs.
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Overtone Acoustics answers, “Why should I incorporate acoustical solutions into a project design from the beginning?”
115 Architect to Watch: Jim Nicolow, Lord Aeck Sargent
The director of sustainability at LAS schools us on three of his academic sector standouts.
Features 92 Designing Spaces That Heal Champion Manufacturing knows every detail counts, down to the furniture.
102 Safari
How travel companies in Tanzania push local outreach, ecological design, and conservation to give luxury a purpose.
Plus 11 News 13 Editors’ Picks 110 WSLA Insights 122 Event Previews
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Contributors
gb&d Green Building & Design gbdmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Christopher Howe
Dr. Christine Bruckner (“How do we implement design to enhance health and mental well-being?”) is the director of M Moser Associates and a 2018 WSLA recipient. As an architect, she brings her experience with urban integration, revitalization, and design excellence to guide the development of our built environment at all scales. The LEED AP and BEAM professional works with client and community stakeholders to encourage deep dive investigation, coordination, and sustainable best practice. PG. 110
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Laura Heidenreich
MANAGING EDITOR
Laura Rote
DIGITAL EDITOR
Stephen Gossett ART DIRECTOR
Kristina Walton Zapata ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Julie Veternick
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Briagenn Adams, Ciara Gomez, Christian Van Epps EDITORIAL INTERNS
Tess Fang, Ella Lee, Jessica Smith GRAPHIC DESIGNER INTERN
Kenzie Greene
Jane Gayduk (“How to Achieve the Ultimate Outdoor Entertaining Space”) is a writer and editor based in Brooklyn, New York, with bylines in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Interview Magazine, ARTNews, and Wired, among others. She is a graduate of New York University and currently works as the digital director of L’Officiel USA. PG. 38
CONTRIBUTORS
Christine Bruckner, Colleen DeHart, Jane Gayduk, Kate Griffith, Russ Klettke, Margaret Poe, Julia Stone, Mike Thomas, Sarah Treleaven, Matt Watson EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Anthony Brower, Gensler; Jason F. McLennan, International Living Future Institute MAIL
Green Building & Design 1765 N. Elston Ave., Suite 202 Chicago, IL 60642 Printed in the USA. © 2019 by Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations.
Matt Watson (“5 Benefits of Reinke Shake’s New Lifetime Shingles”) is a Chicago-based writer who specializes in architecture, urban planning, and sustainable design. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a degree in journalism, he has worked with numerous publications and nonprofits, including the Chicago Tribune and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. He previously lived and worked in San Francisco, where he crafted content for tech start-ups.
The Green Building & Design logo is a registered trademark of Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. Green Building & Design (gb&d) magazine is printed in the United States using only soy-based inks. Please recycle this magazine. The magazine is also available in digital formats at gbdmagazine.com/current-issue.
Green Building & Design is a certified B Corp. B Corp is to business what Fair Trade certification is to coffee or USDA Organic certification is to milk. B Corps are certified by the nonprofit BLab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.
PG. 20
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IMPACT – the Midwest’s green building industry event of the year is joining forces with the Green Schools Conference & Expo. GSCE x IMPACT 2019 will unite experts from diverse industries within the green building world for a unique opportunity of collaboration and networking.
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Editors’ Note Share your comments on this issue. Tweet us @gbd_mag
HOW CHAMPION MANUFAC TURING IS EMPOWERING PATIENTS WITH INNOVATIVE CHAIR DE SIGN
G R E E N B U I L D I N G M A RC H+A PR I L 2019
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UW’S NEW LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING, P. 102
Cleveland Clinic knows the healing power of aesthetics
INSIDE MODERN
H E A LT H C A R E DESIGN
ON THE COVER
The University of Washington Life Sciences Building, designed by Perkins+Will, embraces daylight in new ways. Photo by Kevin Scott
5 Things We Learned During the Making of This Issue When an art collector
can make a huge impact. Carter Millwork started as a two-person operation in 1996 but has grown to become one of the largest flexible moulding manufacturers in the country.
couldn’t find anything beautiful and adaptable to display her art pieces, she built her own. Little did she know it would be the impetus for °e Shelving.
FLEX TRIM,
PG. 24
PG. 16
ELEMENT DESIGNS,
A clever architect and artist collaboration helped a university in Australia save millions of dollars with a new facade. It not only cut down on energy, it saved them from having to relocate biology experiments that were years in the process. 18 INNOVATION WALK, PG. 64
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A team in Copenhagen is working on what they call the world’s most sustainable building project with a mission to address every one of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. UN17 VILLAGE, PG. 82
Acacia trees have a built-in chemical defense system. When in danger, say from a hungry giraffe, they can release ethylene. The chemical can travel up to 140 feet and “warn” other acacias. Within a few minutes the warned trees can increase their tannin levels, making them temporarily less tasty.
PHOTO: CHRIS HOWE
Two people
SAFARI, PG. 104
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Editors’ Picks News
Cork Studio
PHOTO AND RENDERING: COURTESY OF STUDIO BARK
Studio Bark, a London-based architectural firm that focuses on cost-conscious and environment-friendly building, has conducted a real-life experiment to see if the bark from a cork oak tree—commonly known as just “cork”—could be used as the structure for an entire building. Bark from cork oak trees replaces itself every nine years, so using cork to build is a sustainable practice. (Cork blocks are also produced using leftover pieces from wine cork production.) By conducting fire, water, and rot tests, Studio Bark proved that cork is safe and efficient enough that it could be used to construct a small building. About a year in, the building had withstood summer heat and cold-weather storms. studiobark.co.uk/projects/cork-studio
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Kudadoo Maldives Private Island
PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE: COURTESY OF MONROE BLOCKS, KUDADOO
A sky view of the Kudadoo Maldives Private Island showcases the resort’s huge photovoltaic solar-panel roof—regularly the first thing people see when flying to the island. The geography of the island and the strategic architecture of the resort, by Yuji Yamazaki Architecture, allow for solar energy to be used to its full potential, making the locale a strong leader when it comes to achieving This resort is carbon neutrality in small committed to island nations. The resort preservation. also aims to preserve the natural ecosystem of the island. By keeping native plants intact and placing guest accommodations on the sand lagoon away from vegetation, the natural landscape hasn’t been harmed. kudadoo.com
Monroe Blocks A two-block stretch in Detroit will be home to an ambitious project, one that will accommodate all three major spaces: home, work, and leisure. The development, dubbed Monroe Blocks, will add 1.4 million square feet of office, retail, residential, and open space and connect Detroit’s downtown districts, while also adding to the ongoing revitalization of the city. Once completed, Monroe Blocks will sit adjacent to Campus Martius Park—the center of the city’s Central Business District. By linking landscape design with urban planning, Monroe Blocks is expected to further Detroit’s rich architectural legacy. The first U.S. project designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, the project is targeting LEED certification and will feature Detroit’s first WELL-certified building: the development’s high-rise office tower. monroeblocksdetroit.com
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UP FRONT
Editors’ Picks Products
PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE: COURTESY OF CLARUS, STEELCASE, CAMA
CLARUS CANVASES Glass dry-erase boards by Clarus improve on the traditional whiteboard for two big reasons: customizability to fit different needs, plus sanitation. One option, Wall2Wall, offers floor-to-ceiling writing surfaces; the Glide option maximizes wall space with layered glassboards; and the glass View goes from idea canvas to high-definition projector surface after the lights go down. Clarus offers seven structural designs in total for their product. The glassboard comes in more than 150 colors or incorporates a printed design with Clarus ColorDrop print technology. In a health care setting, the boards can improve communication and help maintain a sterile environment. Unlike whiteboards, which are made of a porous material that creates a breeding ground for bacteria, the glassboards are built to last a lifetime without left-behind ink and chemicals, so it’s easy to move on to the next great idea. clarus.com
STEELCASE HEALTH The Embold seating and table collection, introduced by Steelcase Health at NeoCon 2018, is a leader when it comes to helping health care facilities create comfortable and welcoming waiting areas. The collection won Best of NeoCon Gold in the Healthcare Guest and Lounge Seating category thanks to an inviting look, expressive design, and strong durability. The collection offers a variety of furniture sizes in either wood or metal frames, and the company pays close attention to its materials. They rigorously assess the chemistry of potential materials, maintain an ongoing test of their supply chain, and get rid of any problematic finds. They also partner with programs that help extend a product’s life through reuse, recycling, refurbishing, and donation. steelcase.com
CAMAFLAGE When award-winning interior designer Rosalyn Cama and her team set out to replace the traditional patient-cubicle curtain, they considered two conflicting health care needs. While patients and their loved ones seek privacy, health care professionals favor transparency for safety and visibility. After studying contemporary and historical options, from louvers to shoji screens, Cama was most intrigued with the sturdy-yet-translucent properties of glass. Collaborating with Skyline Design, Cama designed CAMAflage glass to have the flexibility of fabric without the drawbacks of conventional curtains—which are often unsanitary, flimsy, and sound-porous. The CAMAflage line comes in three patterns, each inspired by natural landscapes that help create a calming environment to facilitate wellness. Patterns can be customized to meet needs, and Skyline offers a spectrum of transparency options, leaving the balance between privacy and visibility to buyers’ discretion. A glass gradient “dignity layer” can also be added to the top, middle, or bottom of any pattern. camainc.com/skyline-design-camaflage
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SMARTVUE NATURAL LIGHT SOLUTION Veritas’ SmartVue windows systems were designed in hopes of cultivating a more uplifting environment in cancer treatment centers for both patients and staff. With controlling radiation leakage the biggest priority in construction, many treatment centers are designed in an undesirable bunker fashion—an approach that has now been widely accepted within the industry. With SmartVue windows, centers can offer a view outside, flooding treatment rooms
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with natural lighting. When treatments begin and the lights dim, the SmartVue window frosts over and radiation shielding slides into place behind the glass. The shielding then retracts and the glass clears when treatment finishes and lights return. The SmartVue windows are offered as Full Bay, Partial Bay, or in a Light Well design, which creates a natural view for below-ground installations. veritas-medicalsolutions.com
SMARTFLOWER SOLAR SYSTEM Inspired by nature, SmartFlower improves on the conventional rooftop solar system with panels that mimic blooming flower petals. Each morning as the sun rises, the SmartFlower’s panels unfold, revealing the design of a flower in blossom. Throughout the day, the panels continue to follow the sun, moving automatically across two axes. While traditional rooftop systems only get optimum sunlight for a few hours, the SmartFlower continuously adjusts its angle, tracking the light to get the most out of the day—and creating up to 40% more energy production. The system is designed to adjust to more than the sun, too. Sensors monitor wind speeds, and the system folds itself into a secure position during bad weather. The system is even self-cleaning; when the “flower” opens, tiny brushes on the panel backs brush the next panel. That way, the system starts the day clean, free of dust, dirt, and even snow. The SmartFlower Plus also stores excess energy to be used later, and the system can be used to power electric vehicles. smartflowersolar.com
gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SMARTVUE (2), SMARTFLOWER SOLAR
U.S.-made SmartVue windows incorporate recycled materials, powder coatings are free of solvents, and much of the system itself is able to be recycled.
Directory AIA, 123 aia.org 800.242.3837
Laurel Custom Grating, 116 laurelcustomgrating.com 855.520.5178
BOMA, 1 bomaconference.org 202.326.6300
Layher Inc.,18 layherna.com 281.688.2860
Champion Manufacturing Inc., 92 championchair.com 800.998.5018
NeoCon, 5 neocon.com
National Oilwell Varco (NOV), 54 ameronpoles.com 800.552.6376
CxEnergy, 7 cxenergy.com 202.737.7775
Overtone Acoustics,112 overtoneacoustics.com 415.855.4950
Drexel Metals, 46 drexmet.com 888.321.9630
POLYWOOD, 38 polywoodoutdoor.com 855.935.5550
Element Designs, 24 element-designs.com 877.332.3396
Reinke Shakes, 20 reinkeshakes.com 402.768.7251
EZ-Access, 114 ezaccess.com 800.258.8503
SpaceGuard Products, 28 spaceguardproducts.com 812.523.3044
Featherock, Inc., 42 818.882.0300 featherock.com
UltraSite, 32 ultra-site.com 800.458.5872
Flex Trim, 16 flextrim.com 800.861.0734
Green Schools Conference & Expo, 9 greenschoolsconference.org 202.742.3790
Greensulate, 34 greensulate.com 646.468.999
Wilsonart, 124 wilsonart.com 800.433.3222
NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL ADDITION DESIGNED FOR HEALING
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING?
As northeast Ohio’s largest pediatric healthcare provider, Akron Children’s Hospital i Contact Laura Heidenreich at laura@gbdmagazine.com for one step ahead of ever-expanding healthcare demands. Envisioned nearly a decade more information about advertising in our print Hospital recently completed ane-newsletter, impressive seven-story addition to their William H. C magazine, tablet/mobile, web,and Building. The 230,000 sq. ft. addition serves multiple purposes—providing a conveni as well as custom media
environment for patients and staff while also consolidating outpatient programs int centralized facility.
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PRODUCTS
IN THE DETAILS
This polyurethane flexible moulding makes builders’ lives easier. BY LAURA ROTE
When you work with Flex Trim, you know you’ll get the look you want—and for less. Flex Trim—part of a super group of flexible moulding companies that includes Carter Millwork and Ultra-Flex Mould-
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ing—leads the industry with architectural flexible moulding that’s reliable, cost-effective, and easily customized, not to mention has a lifetime warranty. Need moulding for a multimillion dollar house or commercial project with beautiful curved walls or intricate ovals on the ceiling? No problem. Flex Trim’s customers know they can use wood for a wall’s straight portions and turn to the experts for the challenging curved sections. “Send us the wood and we can make a mold that will replicate the original profile exactly, including
the grain of the wood,” says Greg Carter, second-generation owner of Carter Millwork, now the parent company of Flex Trim. A two-person company in 1996, Carter Millwork quickly became the largest flexible moulding manufacturer in the U.S., with 50,000 profiles and counting. The company transforms everything from expensive homes to historic churches simply by pouring its polyurethane composite in the perfect molds, which pick up the original grains of the wood. “If someone sends us wood with oak grain, our pieces will also look like oak.” gb&d gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FLEX TRIM
Flex Trim
UP FRONT
Made to match.
Aesthetically pleasing.
With 50,000 variations of mouldings, five to 10 new mouldings each day, and unbeatable custom capability, you can match any moulding profile you desire. If you can’t find what you need in the catalog, just ask. It’s this ability that led the company to replicate intricate century-old mouldings for the Turkish Embassy in D.C. “Super intricate patterns, if you make them out of wood it’s ungodly difficult, but for us it’s just copying the original and pouring it into the mold.”
The molds pick up the original grain of the wood, so you can stain or paint it just like you would otherwise. It cuts like wood, too.
Stands the test of time. Because it’s made of a polyurethane composite, you get a strong, durable product. Enjoy the beauty of wood without the risks of rotting, swelling, or deteriorating. It’s ideal for indoors and out.
Inexpensive.
Get it fast. Radius wood millwork is difficult to make. The lead time for our product is significantly less.” Flex Trim’s standard production lead time is one week, depending on an order’s complexity.
Flexible. Fit these architectural mouldings to almost any radius to achieve beautiful curves. Rest easy as, unlike wood, you have some wiggle room. “Wood doesn’t bend, so if you’re a quarter-inch off, it’s not going to work, whereas our material will flex in and out.”
Flexible moulding is cheaper and quicker to produce than comparable radius wood moulding, costing generally 70% less than machined wood millwork.
PHOTO: gb&d STAFF
Flex Trim flextrim.com 800.861.0734
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PRODUCTS
IN THE DETAILS
Public Access Stairs Layher’s advanced scaffold systems offer more possibilities. BY COLLEEN DEHART
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When scaffolding manufacturer Layher set out to take on public access stair systems, they knew they had to take a broad approach. “For us, scaffold access and public access are two different solutions,” says Stefan Poetsch, chief operating officer at Layher. Rather than focusing solely on workers’ needs as they would have done with regular scaffolding, Layher thought about the public as a whole. “We had to design the public access solution for the regular person, child, and family,” Poetsch says. The company’s mission statement around “more possibilities” is exactly what they aimed for. “We wanted to allow solutions for all temporary structures,” Poetsch
says. All public systems are designed for use in public spaces as well as emergency situations. Unlike other scaffolding manufacturers, Layher focuses not just on the strength and quality of their steel, but also on how the individual stairs and systems are produced. Everything is made in Germany with strict controls to make sure materials perform at their best. “Especially with our public systems, we want to make sure to avoid floating that can cause unnecessary dizziness for people that walk on it or just make people feel unsafe,” Poetsch says. “Good design matters, which is why we wanted to follow a design that is easy to set up, user-friendly, and safe to use.” gb&d gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LAYHER
Layher’s scaffold systems are user-friendly and safe.
PRODUCTS
Safety Focused
Built to Last
Adaptable
Each tread is at a convenient height, and step covers over walking boards ensure no one gets stuck in stairs’ perforations. A continuous handrail further accommodates children and senior citizens. The systems contain no sharp corners or open edges, hence limiting the risk for pedestrian users.
Layher’s hot-dip galvanization process—the product is immersed until the right galvanization layer is achieved— ensures staircases resist corrosion. They are designed to hold up to extreme weather conditions, including low temperatures, humidity, sun, and saltwater.
Layher’s public access system seamlessly integrates with walkways, making it adaptable to any building condition. All parts are made to handle high pedestrian traffic and heavy loads.
Flexible Height The stairs can achieve safe heights of more than 50 feet, allowing them to be used in numerous applications.
Stairway towers like these have a high load-bearing capacity.
Reusable All new innovations are designed to fit older systems to increase the lifespan of the staircase. They are lightweight and can easily be taken down and transported to another site.
Enclosures
RENDERING: COURTESY OF LAYHER
Temporary enclosures are offered for access control and to block visibility or noise on a construction site, improving comfort and usability especially in a retail environment.
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PRODUCTS
B ENEFITS OF REINKE SHAKES’ NEW LIFETIME SHINGLES A Midwest manufacturer is changing the way coastal communities handle storms. BY M AT T WAT SON
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PRODUCTS
Reinke Shakes has been delivering high-quality roofing since 1926. The new Lifetime shingle hit the market in spring 2019.
HURRICANE SEASON IN THE U.S.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF E.T TECHTONICS
brings with it shocking images of flooded cities and roofs torn from the tops of buildings. As climate change intensifies the human impact of extreme weather events, scientists predict the destructive power of storms will only increase. Yet one company is aiming to mitigate its worst effects with a surprisingly simple innovation. Founded in 1976 as the metal shingle division of Reinke Manufacturing Co., Reinke Shakes is set to release its new Lifetime shingles in March. The company’s tagline, “Shingle for the last time,” is emblazoned on its main facility in Hebron, Nebraska and encapsulates the main selling point of the new and improved metal shingles— when fitted properly, they’ll never blow off. “There was a need in the marketplace for an updated shingle. We needed to adapt to the new environment or we weren’t going to continue,” says Bob Reinke, owner of Reinke Shakes. His assessment of the market led to an investment in a machine that could manufacture larger, stronger shingles. Available in both aluminum and copper, the Lifetime shingles have set new standards in roofing quality and offer an abundance of additional benefits to customers.
"
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF REINKE SHAKES
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PRODUCTS
1. More Durable Few roofing companies can make the bold guarantee that their shingles will remain in place even during a hurricane or tornado. Yet Reinke is proud to assert that claim with Lifetime shingles. “The wind uplift test had phenomenal results,” he says. “Based on that, we are guaranteeing the shingles will never blow off as long as the nails are in the sheeting.” The strength of the product’s design sets the Lifetime shingles apart from competitors, as the corrugated ridges in the metal add to its durability, Reinke says. The material is also 25% thicker than what’s required in hurricane zones. Customers can opt for 20-gauge aluminum or 16-ounce copper, both of which are UL 2218 Class IV Hail resistant. “We went above and beyond to make a better, stronger shingle,” he says.
This Nebraska residence incorporates Roman Gold shingles. People often seek this color to have the look of copper, without the patina.
Reinke says the new Lifetime shingles can be installed five times faster than the company’s original shingles. How did the company achieve this feat? A lot of it has to do with the size of the product. Instead of containing 150 shingles per roofing square, the new ones feature only 70 shingles per square. On top of that, the Lifetime shingles can be air-nailed with a nail gun—further speeding up the installation process. “Back in the day, hand nailing with a hammer was no big deal. But today, that’s old news,” Reinke says. Faster installation dramatically reduces labor costs, saving customers a substantial sum on installation.
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3. Environmentally Friendly Reinke Shakes uses 99% or more recycled aluminum in its shingles, which saves considerable energy during both the mining and manufacturing processes. It also reduces the need to extract additional raw materials from the earth. Should the shingles ever need to be replaced, the company recycles all drop off material. The Lifetime shingles also build on improvements in energy efficiency. The new material is less glossy than previous shingles, which increases solar reflection and helps cool buildings in warmer months.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF REINKE SHAKES
2. Faster Installation
PRODUCTS
4. Fire Resistant Standard metal roofing materials are already more fire resistant than traditional asphalt shingles. Yet the thicker material of the Lifetime shingles provides additional resiliency in the event of a fire. On top of that, the ridges in the shingle create small pockets of air space, ensuring that the heat from a fire is not directly transferred to the shingle. “You generally need to put some sort of fire-proofing underlayment under shingles,” Reinke says, “but we passed Class B fire testing with no underlayment because of the air cells.” With the underlayment, the shingles easily passed Class A.
Reinke Shakes shingles are also great for shedding snow.
5. Versatile
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF REINKE SHAKES
Though Reinke Shakes made its name specializing in shingling geodesic domes, the company has sold shingles in all 50 states and internationally for just about every kind of project imaginable. Considering its roots in the Midwest, the company has also provided roofing for countless agricultural buildings. Reinke Shakes shingles adorn residential homes, commercial buildings, and churches alike. Even Alabama’s tallest skyscraper, the RSA Battle House Tower in Mobile, is crowned with Reinke Shakes copper shingles. gb&d
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ELEMENT DESIGNS’
Superior Shelving Solutions These elegant options are adaptable, innovative, and easy to install. By Laura Rote
As spaces get smaller and offices get more open, better storage solutions are a must. Whether it’s for office, home, or a major university, Element Designs’ aluminum and glass shelving systems are lightweight, durable, and worth showing off. “Spaces are getting smaller, and open living and working concepts are much more popular,” says Beata Klecha, vice president of marketing at Element Designs. “Shelving is a necessary storage solution, and the aesthetics are becoming more important, along with flexibility.” Whether it’s a thin stainless steel finish frame around a glass etched shelf or an oil rubbed bronze finish with overlay detail, Klecha says details like these speak to the quality of an application. “The increased attention to detail is something we see a lot of in European interiors that’s making its way into the North American market.” Aluminum and glass have been popular in Europe for decades, but that trend only started to arrive in the U.S. more recently. “Element Designs was founded 15 years ago with the intention of bringing contemporary aluminum frame glass cabinet doors to the North American market,” Klecha says. From there, the company saw a demand for high-quality shelving, unveiling °eluma LED shelving in 2007. °eluma’s aluminum frame with LED lighting was the first of its kind and won several awards. Today Element Designs offers everything from adjustable shelving systems to floating cube options. “We partner with kitchen and closet cabinet manufacturers in the residential markets. We also work with the A&D community and developers on a wide variety of commercial projects. We fill the void with high-quality aluminum and glass components.” Read on for more of the benefits of Element Designs’ °e Shelving, °eluma LED shelves, °eCubed, and °eSquared (new in mid-2019). >
Element Designs has solved storage problems at major universities like NYU (right), Princeton, and Rutgers.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF ELEMENT DESIGNS
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“It’s a shelving system that wants to be seen,” says Beata Klecha, vice president of marketing at Element Designs.
Easy to Install
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Energy-Efficient In addition to offering LED options, Element Designs’ aluminum and glass are recyclable. “We strive to make sure all the materials we use in our manufacturing process are environmentally friendly,” Klecha says. That goes all the way down to water-based paint, chosen because it won’t emit VOCs. All byproducts are also recycled, going back to the raw material manufacturer for reuse.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ELEMENT DESIGNS
Element Designs’ systems are easy to install across the board. The °eluma LED shelves come fully assembled with plug and play components that work well in closets and home bar environments, so you can highlight what matters to you. “It’s an easy way to add a wow factor,” Klecha says. °eCubed, seen primarily in kitchens but also in offices, was also designed as an easy to install, open shelving solution. It also offers a much quicker installation time. “Rather than a cabinet shop having to build an open shelf, shelf by shelf system, this comes pre-assembled and ready to install,” Klecha says. Swapping out items on the shelf and need more room? °e Shelving is easily adjustable, so you can move shelves vertically in seconds if needed.
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face, unlike most illuminated cabinetry, where only the perimeter of a cabinet is lit. °eluma emits a soft, even glow throughout the system with LED inserts, and it won’t emit any heat or UV rays. “It’s safe to use with perishable items like wine and alcohol and food products,” she says. It’s very popular in the hospitality industry in restaurants and bars.
Element Designs’ products are virtually fail-proof when properly installed.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ELEMENT DESIGNS
Durable Aluminum and glass last longer than materials like wood or laminate. °e Shelving has extraordinary strength, as the load is distributed through the product’s back wall. It can also be installed on a variety of substrates, whether drywall or brick. “It’s been used at NYU, where the faculty loads their shelving with wall to wall, floor to ceiling books,” says Margaret Reynolds, product designer with
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21C Systems, who developed °e Shelving. “The product has never had a failure at point of installation. We feel very proud of it quite honestly; not every shelving product can say that.” While install is simple, it’s typically completed by a professional to guarantee best results.
Innovative When Reynolds, an art collector, struggled to find elegant shelving
that would allow her to easily swap out art pieces, she created her own. It was the impetus for °e Shelving. “We found there was a tremendous need for it in the institutional market,” she says. All of Element Designs’ solutions continue to be developed to meet specific needs. “We’re contacted because a particular issue exists,” Reynolds says. Products like the °eluma LED shelving were ahead of their time. The °eluma carries light through its entire sur-
Versatile Aluminum is not only lightweight and flexible—it pairs well with other materials. °eCubed is at home across design aesthetics, as the floating system offers a clean look that’s especially popular in residential kitchens. “You can use it with a variety of glass inserts or with wood shelving,” Klecha says. “It can be attached to a wall with the proper support, or it can be a standalone unit.” While standard sizes are of-
fered, °eCubed can be customized, too.
Color & Finishes If one of the many standard colors don’t suit you, Element Designs also offers custom color matching for their backpainted glass shelving options. The aluminum comes in several finishes, including anodized, powder coat and specialty coat metallic finishes. “We’re able to produce these shelving systems in beautiful gold, copper, or bronze finishes that speak to the warm metallic trends we’re seeing,” Klecha says. In early 2019, Element Designs launched new specialty coat finishes— brass, copper, modern bronze, and arctic silver. “The new finishes offer end users the ability to add rich, elegant finishes into their spaces to enhance residential and commercial interiors.” gb&d
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BeastWire can fully enclose storage racks to prevent theft and costly accidents.
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Secure Storage Spaces BeastWire security cages and barrier guards are revolutionizing the industry. By Mike Thomas
PHOTO: COURTESY OF FULHAM
Already a leading manufacturer of wire partitions and area guarding solutions for commercial, residential, and military applications, Indiana-based SpaceGuard Products recently upped its game even more with BeastWire Mesh Guarding. As the company’s Director of Business Development Ray Niemeyer explains, BeastWire was created by combining “the best features of different legacy product lines we had and integrating them into a universal product brand design with minimal parts that is easy to manufacture, easily delivered, and easily installed in a simple modular design.” BeastWire systems are employed as barrier guards for robotics, machinery, conveyors, and vertical lift enclosures. They’re ideal as security cages to protect valuable tools, inventory, files, or supplies. They’re even government-approved to hold controlled pharmaceuticals and other types of seized substances. Additional applications include server cages for networking equipment; secured enclosures and physical barriers for bonded warehouses and military installations; weapon vaults for firearms and ammunition; evidence cages and property rooms; temporary holding cells for correctional institutions and data centers; and apartment storage cages. So whether it’s a 3-by-3-foot storage locker or a 500-linear-square-foot DEA warehouse cage, BeastWire—backed by a rare 10-year warranty—is perfect for the job. These BeastWire benefits add up to constructing secure and adaptable storage spaces. > gb&d
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RIGHT: BeastWire Mesh Lockers convert otherwise shared or unused spaces into onsite storage amenities for tenants. BOTTOM RIGHT: BeastWire Mesh Partitions are a cost-effective and flexibly designed solution to control unauthorized access into a facility.
Strength BeastWire’s 10- or 6-gauge welded wire design gives it extraordinary strength and integrity, even under duress. If it needs to be cut—for example, to accommodate piping—the wiring remains intact. That’s also true if it’s pushed inward several inches by, say, an errant warehouse forklift. “We’ve never had one of our systems fail from a structural perspective,” Niemeyer says. Chain-link fencing, on the other hand, is far more prone to failure. Because it’s woven rather than welded, the pieces are under tension. When damaged or cut, those pieces begin to sag and unravel, making spaces far less secure. Not so with BeastWire. Furthermore, Niemeyer notes, BeastWire posts and panels are connected on the secured side of the system, which prevents would-be thieves from unbolting the attachment hardware.
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BeastWire’s modular design cuts installation time in half. “Because you’re attaching the panels to a post and stacking them vertically, you’re not having to roll out and stretch chain-link fence while crimping it, clamping it, and keeping it taut at the same time,” Niemeyer says.
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Flexibility
TOP: The BeastWire Mesh modular RailGuard system provides additional safety over traditional hand rail designs. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BEASTWIRE
BOTTOM: Prefabricated steel components allow BeastWire to secure virtually any space.
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Sustainability Locally sourced, BeastWire is made from recycled and virgin steel purchased in the U.S., primarily in the Ohio Valley—no more than 200 miles from SpaceGuard’s manufacturing facility. Its use in new construction or the rehab of older buildings can result in LEED credits or accreditation.
BeastWire’s modular construction makes it simple to relocate or repurpose systems within a facility or off-site. And BeastWire cages are a snap to shrink or expand if needed (that means no cutting or buying new fencing). Niemeyer refers to a BeastWire installation for an Indianapolis freight expeditor and carrier with a bonded warehouse as an example. The company provides a staging area for product that comes in by air until that product can be delivered to a final destination. In order to meet insurance requirements and maintain customer confidence, the company has above-average security requirements. In light of that, Niemeyer’s crew was enlisted to install a ceilinged, keycard protected BeastWire driver cage at the back loading dock door to prevent non-company drivers from entering the building without employee approval. After the initial cage was installed, the company decided to expand it. By incorporating existing parts with some new panels and posts, the BeastWire team quickly reconfigured the cage to hold more truck drivers waiting to be loaded or unloaded. Similarly modifying a chain-link fence, Niemeyer says, would have involved considerably more labor—and, consequently, greater cost. Closing devices and door locks, too, are a breeze to swap out. By Niemeyer’s estimate, switching from a padlock hasp to a mortised key lock using a door panel’s existing opening pattern takes only 20 minutes or so. Non-BeastWire systems would require the purchase of a new door. And due to its open design, BeastWire takes advantage of ambient light, local HVAC systems for warming and cooling, and existing overhead sprinkler systems for fire suppression. gb&d
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How to Build the Perfect Public Space By Sarah Treleaven
We spend so much time getting our private spaces just the way we want them, but we also benefit from the thoughtful design of shared public spaces. UltraSite offers the attention to detail we crave with premium site furnishings, park amenities, and other durable outdoor offerings designed to create spaces where people love to be. Their U.S.-based manufacturing facility boasts more than 150,000 square feet. From raw materials to the finished product, UltraSite guarantees stability, flexibility, customization, and a commitment to quality control. UltraSite truly offers a one-stop shop for everything from site amenities, shade, and shelter to dog parks and outdoor fitness equipment.
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UltraSite has everything you need to create people-centric places.
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Build a Community Rainbow
Access Premium Options
Make Your Space Accessible
Quality That’s Built to Last
UltraSite offers ornamental curves, an array of colors, textured mattes, and more.
Options include this sleek cantilever design for a modern look.
UltraSite has singleand double-sided ADA accessible options.
Get this bench with elliptical arms in powder coated steel or recycled plastic.
Public spaces need to have comfortable places to sit, but there are other important ways to draw a community together. So many small details go into good design, from designing pathways with rest areas to incorporating shade canopies near playgrounds to harmonizing with a space’s unique look and feel. One of the best ways to enhance the appeal of a public space—to create a distinct and recognizable personality or vibe—is by using the right color. In addition to ornamental curves, geometric patterns, and textured mattes, UltraSite offers up 16 colors, from silver to orange. For clients looking to create a rainbow or match a signature color, UltraSite offers custom colors to perfectly complement any vision. In one recent example, UltraSite created recycled plastic benches to match one Virginia city’s signature blue. “With so many coating options, you are no longer limited to just a handful of colors,” says Mike Moll, general manager and vice president of UltraSite.
While some companies offer high-end architectural furnishings at a steep price tag and others offer affordable, utilitarian options, UltraSite offers a Premium Collection that sits in the perfect sweet spot. Backed by a five-year warranty, UltraSite’s premium collections were designed to bring complementary aesthetics to any space—whether you’re going with the classic Charleston or the modern Pasadena. With 16 collections to choose from, UltraSite’s products are the perfect match for parks, universities, hospitals, resorts, multi-family housing complexes, and businesses. “The product design team works closely with the customer from the initial concept to all applications and can alter designs to meet the customers’ needs and expectations,” Moll says. “By using their expansive knowledge of products in the industry, they incorporate multiple raw materials such as recycled plastics and thermoplastic coatings to leverage each of the products strengths to meet the objective of the client.”
For a public space to be truly successful, it has to be accessible to everyone. Thanks to UltraSite’s enhanced customization capabilities, they can meet accessibility codes across the country when it comes to benches, grills, and even outdoor fitness equipment. “Our goal is to make everyone as comfortable as possible with our products,” says Stephanie Devine, UltraSite’s vice president of marketing and brand strategy. “It’s important to provide spaces where people can come together, enjoy the outdoors, relax, and take a pause from busy lifestyles. With that in mind, it’s important to consider all ages and abilities when planning your space, and be sure to remember both accessible routes and amenities so that comfort is intuitive.”
Public spaces offer more than just a pleasant place to gather with neighbors or sit and watch the world go by. They’re also fundamental institutions that contribute to the making of memories. So it’s key to build these special places to last for many years to come. UltraSite’s furniture has thermoplastic coating that provides superior adhesion, is resistant to cutting and vandalism, has no runs or drips, is mold and mildew resistant, includes UV stable formulation, and can easily be repaired in the field. Also, most of UltraSite’s hardware is stainless steel to ensure products always look their best—and that also means rust-free. With more than 18 years of experience, UltraSite knows how to handle any customization request to ensure design teams get what they need. gb&d
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Why to Consider Installing a Green Roof 34
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Greensulate is transforming barren spaces with thriving ecosystems up on the roof. By Russ Klettke
Urban environments have their challenges—energy consumption and air pollution among them—but things are looking up. Rooftop vegetation addresses these problems and then some. All green roofs provide energy-saving insulation, ambient air purification, heat-island mitigation, and stormwater capture benefits that result from having growing media and plants on top of a building’s roof membrane. In the case of urban farms, they can also add new streams of revenue and community engagement opportunities. Important to building owners and occupants alike, green roofs provide relaxation and recreational space. When a garden is merely a stair climb or elevator ride away, it’s more likely that workers or residents will take in a dose of nature during the course of a busy day. Innovations from product manufacturers and designers continue to raise the bar, with improved membranes and the right cultivars. New York Citybased Greensulate’s expert team of green roof professionals are doing just that as they advise, design, install, and maintain beautiful projects all over the U.S. Adrian Wilton, CEO of Greensulate, has been in the industry for more than a decade. In 2011 Wilton founded Living Restoration, a Brooklyn-based urban agriculture company that aims to utilize urban space efficiently for food production. In 2016 Living Restoration began collaborating with Greensulate, taking their expertise to the next level. “Our team is forecasting green roof design that takes into consideration advancing technologies and innovative roof gb&d
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development, from how to receive drone deliveries to scalable food production, which we anticipate will greatly affect how we interact as a population with our rooftops,” Wilton says. The Greensulate team knows clients want beautiful spaces, replacing what was once home to a building’s HVAC chillers and barren stretches of tar and gravel with inspiring gardens, hardscape amenities, and even sometimes implementing solar panels to reduce energy costs and increase efficiency. Several U.S. cities now incentivize green roofs with tax credits or abatements, grant programs, low-interest loans, and fee reductions, though each municipality varies. For example, Denver’s Green Roof Initiative, which passed with 54% approval in 2018, requires green roofs or cool roofs for most new buildings that are 25,000 square feet or larger. In general, building rental and resale values increase if they have a green roof. Building owners who get the most benefit from green roofs are long-term owners—residential owners, hospitals, municipalities, and educational institutions—due to the cost benefits that accrue over time. Since Greensulate’s fruition in 2007, they’ve engaged with local municipalities that have rolled out initiatives to meet their highest priority sustainability goals. “This often greenlit the installation of green roofs because of their traditional benefits, like improving wellness, ROI through reducing energy costs, and increasing property value,” Wilton says. “The possibilities go far beyond that, though, when you integrate creative programming with your green roof design. We help our clients explore potential new revenue streams, business models, and engagement opportunities up on the roof.” These are just some of the additional reasons to consider green roofing.
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Stormwater capture Whether the roof is extensive—covering a broad area with mats of sedum that require only about three inches of growth medium—or intensive (deeper soil, bigger plants), a green roof captures 70 to 90% of precipitation. This benefits urban environments where stormwater causes flooding and, where there are combined wastewater-stormwater sewage systems, bacterial outflows to rivers, lakes, and sometimes into houses in low-lying areas. Consider: Money back. Check to see if your city is like Washington, D.C., where the RiverSmart Rewards program allows up to a 55% reduction in water utility stormwater fees.
The experts at Greensulate help transform urban environments with rooftop gardens and more.
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Amenities for larger buildings
Healthier patients
A generation ago, employers and condo associations learned building occupants wanted gyms and convenience stores on premises. Today, adding outdoor spaces in urban environments—with gardens, seating areas, and even room for games and movie projectors—can just as easily be added to roofs. Consider: What are occupant interests? A bocce court? Meditative spaces? Assembly areas? What about access points, views, and plant privacy screens?
Hospital systems with multimillion-dollar capital budgets are looking at neighboring and parking garage roofs, seen from patient rooms, as a way to reduce hospital stays and employee turnover. Consider: Hospital patients who look at gardens and plants experience more favorable clinical outcomes.
Commercial farming ABOVE: St. Hilda’s House Convent includes two green roofs. LEFT: High-rise buildings like this one in East Village are increasingly implementing green roofs for tenants.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF GREENSULATE LLC
In climates ranging from the boroughs of New York to the rooftops of urban California and Boston, photosynthesis can occur from natural light as well as programmed, energyefficient lighting. A bonus of customized LED lighting systems is that plants can grow up to 2.5 times faster with 99% less water usage in outdoor fields. Consider: Valuable crops, including legal marijuana, are far less vulnerable to theft on roofs than in fields.
Increase value of single-family homes Greensulate has projects all over the U.S. and is currently exploring the Denver market, where voters overwhelmingly supported the recent Green Roof Initiative. Consider: Add to property value, providing amenities not found elsewhere on the market.
Insulation One of the biggest returns on investment comes from increasing the R-value of insulation. But the same green roof will reduce thermal heat capture outside (via daily dew and evapotranspiration) and reduce indoor noise from nearby airports, too. gb&d
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HOW TO
Achieve the Ultimate Outdoor Entertaining Space The experts at POLYWOOD offer a guide to perfect, people-centric spaces. By Jane Gayduk
It’s becoming more and more clear that sustainability is the way of the future in modern furniture design. But outdoor furnishings giant POLYWOOD has been setting that course since 1990, after the environmental movement of the 1980s spurred Americans to look more closely at everyday waste and the over-abundance of plastic in landfills and recycling centers. Instead of using wood and particle boards as base materials, POLYWOOD uses recycled plastic lumber. Lindsay Schleis, POLYWOOD’s vice president of business development, says approximately 400,000 old milk jugs per day, along with other plastics, go through a proprietary cleaning and sorting process at the POLYWOOD factory before being condensed into pellets, then run through an extruder that transforms these pellets into lumber, which in turn is crafted into a stylish backyard chair or a chic, round firepit. Controlling the manufacturing process from start to finish allows the company to control quality as well as the factory’s ecological footprint. “Now you’re seeing consumers want sustainable products because people care about the earth and they care about the longevity of the earth,” says interior designer Shayla Copas. But consumers also want their furniture to look amazing, be comfortable, last a long time, and serve as a conduit for entertaining. Luckily, with POLYWOOD, those stipulations are not mutually exclusive. Here’s how you can create what is sure to be your optimal outdoor space. >
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The Classic Adirondack Collection has everything you need.
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STEP 1 “My recommended first step is for people to sit down and think about what they’re going to use their outdoor space for,” Copas says. “But when you go into looking at use, you need to look at function.” And don’t forget to think about who will be utilizing the outdoor space—toddlers, Yorkshire Terriers, teenagers?—and how.
STEP 2 Next, according to Copas, comes the selection of products. Have a pool in your backyard? The needs for that space will probably include outdoor chaise lounges, like POLYWOOD’s Nautical Chaise with Arms, and umbrellas for shade. Expecting to barbeque quite a bit? Seat the family around a Farmhouse Dining table for an early spring dinner. Copas cautions against selecting cushioned furniture with white fabric if you have pets or young children. Instead, she suggests shades of gray or taupe.
STEP 3 To create the most comfortable, jovial space, “outdoor furniture is everything and the design and the layout really determine conversation,” Copas says. She recommends sectionals, as well as firepits, like POLYWOOD’s Round Fire Pit table where guests can cozy up as temperatures drop, and places where you can put food, “because people love to gather around drinks and food.”
“You do want an outdoor space that functions in every season, but what I do is I change up the accessories,” says Copas. To make the furnishings amenable to any accessories, Copas suggests using neutral colors for the foundational pieces. For example, Adirondack chairs in sand or teak can be enhanced with bright orange pillows in the summer but also with deep crimson shades during the holiday season.
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STEP 5 Depending on your location, changing seasons can also mean changing weather patterns. Using well-fitted covers when pollen is heavy will help preserve the integrity of outdoor furnishings and keep critters away. POLYWOOD pieces require less maintenance according to Copas, since they’re made from recycled lumber, “which can rinse off very easily”—they have a higher threshold for wear and can withstand more extreme weather.
STEP 6 To keep pillows and cushions looking new year-round, Copas advises her clients to buy storage bins. This way, textiles are easily accessible when guests come over, and just as easily stored away when the party ends.
STEP 7 Purchasing durable, eco-friendly furniture from the get-go, however, is of equal importance. It’s good for the environment and for longevity. “The key to sustainability, in addition to responsibly-sourced material, is furniture that lasts,” Schleis says.
What is the POLYWOOD Professional Designer Program?
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF POLYWOOD
The POLYWOOD Professional Designer Program gives designers complete access to a custom assortment of built-to-order POLYWOOD products. Get instant quotes and 3-to-10 day lead times with your personalized account. Learn more at polywoodoutdoor.com/ professional-designerprogram.
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When to Use Natural Stone
Featherock’s lightweight pumice is perfect for water features.
A closer look at how pumice can strengthen and enhance design.
By Colleen DeHart
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF FEATHEROCK
When a client contacted landscape and waterfall designer Matthew Giampietro wanting their home covered in boulders, Giampietro knew exactly where to turn—Featherock. The company, named after the lightweight pumice they mine in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, refers to its namesake product as the “Treasure of the High Sierra.” Giampietro owns Waterfalls Fountains and Gardens, Inc. in Fort Lauderdale and has always been drawn to the beautiful and porous pumice stone. “It looks like it has always been there,” he says. “Anywhere we put the stone, seeds from plants collect in the pores of the rock and plants start growing out of its cracks and crevices. It’s really neat.” gb&d
The family-owned Featherock has been responsibly mining the pumice—a result of volcanoes 40,000 years ago—since the 1940s. Pumice is so lightweight it floats, forming when lava and water mixes together and cools quickly, trapping air bubbles that transform into a frothy glass. “It is interesting that it is glass rather than a proper stone. That makes it really unique among rocks,” says Elizabeth Anderson, third-generation owner/ president of Featherock. “Its enduring life, low maintenance, and durability make it an excellent choice for any project.” Anderson’s grandfather worked closely with engineers to determine some of the best ways to utilize the stone. > march–april 2019
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Pumice can withstand temperatures up to 2,300 degrees, making it ideal for firepits.
FOR GROUND COVER Screened into gravel, Featherock’s porous qualities and shades of gray color make it a top choice for ground cover. George MacBeth, owner of Foliage Design Systems of Northern New Jersey and Tri State frequently uses it in place of mulch or moss. “I like the color and consistency of it. It comes in all different shapes and sizes,” he says. The stone’s light weight also makes it easier to transport, saving time and money.
FOR FIREPITS Featherock’s manipulative qualities make it easy to take a large boulder and hollow it out for a firepit. The stone can retain heat and withstand temperatures up to 2,300 degrees. Smaller stones or gravel can also be used for a more modern look or larger stones for a rustic feel. The light to dark charcoal color options help provide a neutral look.
AS PLANTERS
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Using minimal tools, anyone can turn a Featherock boulder into a planter, Anderson says. “Simply bore a hole out of it, stick a plant in it, and it becomes a nice statement piece.” The stone is not affected by the seasons, withstanding both freezing and hot temperatures. It naturally breathes due to its porous surface. “You don’t have the root rot you have with other planters.”
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FOR VENEER Featherock is also a great choice for modern wall coverings. It’s easy to cut onsite, and the stones fit securely to meet your artistic needs. No need for high-end water jet cutting saws—it can be cut with simple industry tools. Create different looks by sanding down the rock or using mortar in between. “There is a great freedom of design aspect you don’t get with other forms of natural stone,” Anderson says.
ON GREEN ROOFS Featherock is also a natural insulator. Whether looking for drainage, insulation, or simply decoration, Featherock accomplishes all, making it an ideal choice for green roofs. Its light weight gives designers the freedom to add more of the stone for a unique feel, while its porous qualities allow for proper drainage and filtration of stormwater.
PHOTOS: MATTHEW GIAMPIETRO; COURTESY OF FEATHEROCK
Featherock is easy to cut with simple industry tools, so you can achieve the look you want.
AS WATER FEATURES Water features can also be created from large Featherock boulders. Moss and other plant life can grow directly on the surface, and the pumice can be easily drilled into if you want to add a water (or fire) element. “It is Mother Nature at its best. You can incorporate all the elements of the earth. It’s very versatile,” Anderson says. The stone can also be used in fish tanks, as it allows beneficial algae to grow.
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An Expert’s Guide Metal Roofing By Laura Rote
The pros at Drexel Metals share their extensive knowledge on why to spec metal roofs—and what to expect.
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Metal roofs may last 40 to 60 years or even longer, as they never decompose.
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The demand for metal roofing is, well, through the roof. “Our business has grown double digits every year for the last eight years,” says Ken McLauchlan, director of sales for Drexel Metals, a Carlisle company and the industry’s leading provider of engineered metal roofing systems, equipment, and custom fabrication services. Metal roofing has been on the rise in commercial and industrial applications of the roofing market for the last few years, according to Transparency Market Research. Through 2021, value demand for the already billiondollar industry is expected to advance 2% annually, according to a 2017 study by Freedonia Group. march–april 2019
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test during Hurricane Harvey in 2017. “We had a whole subdivision where we were replacing roofs because debris from other types of roof systems had blown into ours and damaged them, but they did not blow off.”
LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE You can expect a metal roof to last at least two to three times longer than a regular roof. Generally speaking, metal roofs may last 40 to 60 years or even longer, whereas roofs made of asphalt last for about 20 years, according to an NAHB study. While the upfront cost may be more, you’ll save in the long run, as you won’t be replacing your roof three, four, or even five times. McLauchlan recalls one job in which he went out to speak to a couple about replacing their roof after decades
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of high performance. “I didn’t see anything wrong so I said, ‘What’s the problem?’ The wife said, ‘I don’t like the color. I want it to be blue,’” he laughs. “That’s a good problem. And that one was a little over 40 years old in Colorado.” Because asphalt roofs are made of oil impregnated paper or fiberglass, they begin to deteriorate as soon as exposed to the elements, but metal roofs never decompose. In general, roofing materials like wood shingle, shake, and tile all experience varying degrees of weather-related problems that lead to breakdown. Wood shingle and shake roofs often need replacement before 20 years, while concrete tile roofs can crack and warp in the freeze/thaw cycle of more northern climates.
DURABILITY & SAFETY “Unfortunately we’ve had several opportunities lately to see what hurricanes will do,” McLauchlan says. Drexel Metals’ roofs passed the
SNOW RETENTION Metal roofing sheds snow fast, protecting the roof’s structural integrity. It can also eliminate ice damming at the eaves, so water can’t back up and collect under the roof then leak into the building. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DREXEL METALS
Why spec metal roofing?
Drexel Metals roofs have been proven to endure wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour. Of course, it’s important to note that not only a strong roof can Drexel Metals roofing lasts up to save a building. “I three times longer don’t want to say than asphalt roofs. metal is the only solution to make it last a hurricane. You have to have a good building, too,” McLauchlan says. In addition to high winds and hurricanes, metal roofing stands up to heavy snow, hailstorms, and even wildfires. Drexel Metals’ roofs also require little to no maintenance and come with a 20-year weathertight warranty. A Gold Standard paint warranty was also added in 2012 and covers the total Drexel Metals system, from the roof deck up, as well as both materials and replacement labor if the installed Drexel Metals painted product ever were to fail. Drexel Metals is one of few manufacturers who provides both factory and field fabrication of its products. Field fabrication produces a product that’s as good or better than one manufactured in the plant. When panel lengths are larger than 50 feet, you increase your chance of damage during shipping and rooftop staging. Site fabrication eliminates that risk and prevents excess waste, and Drexel can make panels up to 200 feet long onsite. All panels can be cut to exact field conditions and don’t require extensive crating. Site fabrication also allows for precise sizing of rake panels, ensuring a watertight condition. Perhaps most importantly, though, site fabrication eliminates end laps—the number one cause of metal roof leaks.
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Drexel also uses premium Kynar 500 energy loss during winter. A variety of and Hylar 5000 (PVDF) paint systems so finishes also add up to energy savings, metal panels are coil-coated and ovenas reflective pigments reduce cooling cured. “With Kynar paints, it becomes costs. The Metal Roofing Alliance says a snow shedding system,” McLauchlan even a basic, unpainted metal roof says. Plus, it keeps the roof reflects more solar radiation lightweight. It’s the only than an asphalt roof, which You can easily finish application method typically absorbs and holds add attachments to that can be warrantied heat. As for structures in Drexel’s roofs to further against color fade for 30 warmer places, pre-painted protect your building, years or more. or granular coated metal whether it’s from a roofing systems not only Ac c e s s o r i e s f u r t h e r rooftop avalanche or ref lect solar energy but protect your roof and extreme winds. cool the building by rebuilding. S-5! ColorGard snow retention metal emitting most of what solar attachment solutions are radiation is absorbed. A easy to install on Drexel highly reflective and highly roofs and warranted for the roof’s emissive painted or granular-coated life. Unlike other snow guards that metal roof can re-emit up to 90% of absorbed solar radiation, according yellow and fail over time, ColorGard is to the alliance. The Passive House strong enough to prevent the dreaded rooftop avalanche while maintaining Institute gives metal roofing a thumbs the roof’s color. ColorGard is designed up due to both its solar reflectance and engineered on a site-specific basis, and thermal emittance, making it so your house or building gets exactly what it needs. Installation is easy, and you don’t have to penetrate the surface. ColorGard is mechanically attached with S-5! Clamps, which have roundpoint setscrews that grip the seam securely without damaging the panel’s protective finishes. The clamps are precision-machined from aircraft quality, high tensile aluminum—not cast or plastic. All related hardware is non-ferrous stainless steel for lasting performance. “The big issue in our industry is making sure the attachment doesn’t void the warranty,” McLauchlan says. “The engineering is a huge part—the attachment and how it’s done so it’s not sacrificial to the roof is key.” If needed, you can also easily implement accessories like the S-5! WindClamp to increase roof system wind uplift performance. The WindClamp can double wind resistance by preventing multiple modes of failure.
ideal for net-zero energy houses. Drexel’s roofs can also help you achieve LEED points. “Metal roofing can play an important contributing part in achieving requirements for LEED credits,” McLauchlan says, citing points like reflectivity, building reuse, construction waste, material reuse, recycled content, on-site renewable energy, and rain harvesting. For painted products, customers are eligible for a $500 tax credit for making their house energy-efficient. Attaching solar to a Drexel metal roof is also easy with the S-5-PV Kit Solar Attachment. Adding solar just makes good sense, as a standing seam metal roof has a life expectancy similar to that of PV modules. A 30-year power source on a 40-year roof, along with S-5’s zero-penetration technology, creates the most sustainable roof system available combined with alternative power generation.
ENERGY
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DREXEL METALS
EFFICIENCY Metal is among the most energyefficient roofing materials out there and can save you up to 40% in air conditioning costs while providing significant insulation in colder months, according to the Metal Roofing Alliance. Drexel Metals roofing helps to reduce trapped heat in the summer and prevents gb&d
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colors, you can peruse 11 low-gloss options for metal roofing on residential homes. If that’s not enough, Drexel and Sherwin-Williams will work with you to come up with a custom solution.
FINISHES Finishes are also where metal roofs shine. Imagine you want your roof to have a “rusty” appearance, for example. While other raw materials may give the appearance of rust, you’ll also have the side effects of runoff and staining. But Drexel Metals can duplicate that look without the drawbacks. Drexel Metals paint finishes include: Fluropon Finish: standard paint colors produced by SherwinWilliams with a minimum of 70% PVDF (Kynar 500 and Hylar 5000) base resin with ceramic pigments. All colors are formulated to ensure consistent appearance and quality. The Fluropon system is applied over Sherwin-Williams polyester primer in a minimum thickness of 0.2-mil and can be applied to Galvalume HD galvanized or aluminum substrates. All topcoats are a minimum of 0.8mil of the Fluropon color choice. The reverse side is primer and a washcoat of 0.5-mil total dry film thickness.
COLOR A plethora of colors is a key reason architects increasingly turn to Drexel Metals, whether they’re designing a school that demands an orange roof or matching metal panels for a house to a homeowner’s beloved car. “From a contractor’s side, when
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I was roofing and doing high-end residential homes, I didn’t realize how big of a contributing factor color was,” McLauchlan says. “I’ve done custom colors—something Drexel Metals is very capable of doing—to match everything from colors of rocks to the color of a granddaughter’s eyes. If you can provide something for us to match, for a very DESIGN Choose from 28 nominal amount we can get standard colors, 6 FLEXIBILITY that color on a chip for you premium colors, 11 to approve.” You can even low gloss colors, or customize. print a picture if you want— Beyond color, metal roofing allows for utlike wood grain on a historic barn, for example. most design flexibility. Sherwin-Williams is a McLauchlan says he often hears from architects that major Drexel Metals partner, metal roofs allow them to add charand they guarantee your color and coatings alongside Drexel. “It’s never acter to their projects long-term. They been the customer’s responsibility,” say the amount of support they get in McLauchlan says. designing these buildings is tremenIn addition to choosing from 28 dous, too. “One of the architects in Asstandard colors and six premium pen said to me, ‘I have to spec 27,000 gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DREXEL METALS
Why do architects love metal roofs?
DrexlumeTM: m i l l - f i n i s h e d Galvalume (carbon steel sheet coated with aluminum-zinc alloy by a continuous hot-dip process) with a two-sided, clear acrylic finish that simultaneously aids roll forming without using lubricants and eliminates handprints or stains from handling and storage. The acrylic finish dissolves naturally over time, and when left as is, allows for natural, even weathering.
PRODUCTS
items. I want to have an expert to help fasteners and a floating clip system me so when I have a problem, I know reduce the effect of thermal stresses there’s somebody standing there with on the panels, helping to maintain me.’ They see the benefit a beautifully smoot h, and how we can use metal uniform appearance despite to design specifically to the temperature fluctuations. Not every roof has the It can be installed over needs of the project and same needs. Drexel Metals offers more steel decking with PolyIso still have the artistic flair than a dozen diverse or plywood decking and architects love.” profiles. Drexel Metals MetShield You can do a lot with metal roofs in part because underlayment. they’re lightweight. On average a metal roof is DMC 150SL roof system: 50% lighter than an asphalt shingle Great for both commercial and roof and 75% lighter than concrete residential projects, this system’s tile, fiber cement shakes, and slate. 1-1/2” Snap Lock profile and DMC “Asphalt products are typically eight 150SL Clip create a continuous to 10 times heavier per square foot.” interlocking system that installs That said, metal roofs can still hold quickly, reducing labor costs. The concealed fastener and clip serious weight and stand up to the test application also allow thermal in a blizzard or even hurricane. Load expansion and contraction spans and engineering reports and movement to help keep the test certifications can be verified by registered engineers. From contemporary design to historic reproduction, Drexel Metals has a full line of tooling to produce shapes to precise specifications. An ample selection of prefabricated dentils, finals, and corners also provide easy installation for enhanced visual appeal.
beautiful finish straight and true. Install it over plywood decking and Drexel Metals MetShield® underlayment. DMC 100NS roof system: This profile is perfect for any residence considering its sleek appearance and attractive shadow lines. You won’t need metal roof clips with this profile either, as the concealed 1” self-locking Snap Lock system creates a powerfully protective seal. It’s easy to install, durable, and can be installed over plywood decking and Drexel Metals MetShield underlayment.
You can also explore more than a dozen diverse profiles to meet any need at drexmet.com/our-products/ products-profiles.
DIVERSE PROFILES
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DREXEL METALS
Drexel Metals focuses on architectural and structural panel systems. While most people may look at a metal roof and think, “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” that couldn’t be further from the truth, as a metal roof in Florida has different needs than one in Iowa, for instance. More traditional roof systems use a mechanical system with a tool to close the seam, while more modern roof profiles use a snap seam that eliminates the extra step. Traditionally, roof systems were more mechanical, but the increased demand has also meant evolving to find ways to make the process more contractor-friendly and panels easier to assemble.
28 standard colors, 6 premium colors, and 11 low gloss colors; custom colors available
á
DMC 150SS roof system: This profile is ideal for commercial, residential, and even historical applications as it lends striking dimension to any design. The versatile 1-1/2” mechanically seamed panel can be curved to a wide range of radiuses and applications—from barrel roofs to conical shapes. Concealed
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Why do contractors love metal roofs?
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“It’s their ability to differentiate into metal exclusively,” he says. He themselves,” McLauchlan says. attributes that in part to the inherent “Everybody else walks in and puts on expertise required in metal roofing coupled with not having shingles from their truck.” to fight for the lowest bid. But Drexel Metals is selling a “Metal roofing is more of a solution rather than a future problem—they offer roofing craft,” he says. More and more that’s built to last. For more than 30 years, commercial contractors are incorporating metal Drexel Metals has been Contractors love metal roofs for the first time. providing not only the roofs because they can get highest-quality fabricated panels on demand and don’t metal roofing systems, but have to worry about every last detail. McLauchlan also industry-leading support. has been in the industry “Drexel Metals’ model has for nearly 30 years, both on the really been based on technical support contractor’s and manufacturer’s side, for the contractor,” McLauchlan says, and says the growth spans residential adding that contractors, like himself, and commercial, including many are “really good at roofing but horrible at the rest of it.” That’s where Drexel’s commercial contractors seeking metal roofing for the first time. “There’s a experts come in—offering unbeatable lot of people who have left traditional support on everything from technical roofing, like asphalt, and moved questions to sustainability points. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DREXEL METALS
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PRODUCTS
The Growth and Evolution of Drexel Metals Since 1985, Drexel Metals has provided a full range of superior-quality engineered metal roofing systems, equipment, and custom fabrication services for commercial, governmental, industrial, historical, and architectural customers all over the world. Headquartered in Louisville, the company operates multiple sales, fabrication, and distribution locations in addition to its extended family of Regional Manufacturers (DMARM) network of authorized fabricators and certified contractors who further market Drexel Metals’ proven-brand products—all fully backed and site certified by Drexel Metals’ industry-leading warranty programs.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DREXEL METALS
Drexel Metals is part of Carlisle Construction Carlisle (CCM). Construction Materials LLC (CCM) is a diversified manufacturer and supplier of premium building products and related technologies for the commercial and residential construction markets. Carlisle has been a recognized leader in the roofing industry for nearly half a century, offering highperformance, single-ply roofing solutions that include EPDM, TPO, PVC, metal roofing, and roof garden systems. Carlisle also offers a full line of polyiso and expanded polystyrene insulation as well as a host of steep slope underlayments, duct sealants, adhesives, and hardware. In addition to roofing, Carlisle services the waterproofing, framing, and general construction industries. Every Carlisle company offers sustainable, ecofriendly products that help reduce a building’s gb&d
carbon footprint and often minimize its energy consumption and costs. CCM is a $2+ billion division of Carlisle Companies (NYSE:CSL). It employs more than 2,400 people and operates 26 plants in North America and five in Europe. Drexel Metals itself is committed to eco-friendly packaging, freight consolidation, local manufacturing, and minimal waste and is an ENERGY STAR partner. The company uses recycled materials for many roofing components, which are 100% recyclable at the end of their life. The recycled content of the steel in a metal roof is about 56% from production to installation to reuse—far exceeding that of asphalt. In fact, 20 billion pounds of asphalt shingles go into U.S. landfills every year, according to the National Association of Homebuilders Research Center. Energy conservation is inherent in product design and application at Drexel, including ventilation systems that reduce trapped heat in the summer and help prevent energy loss during cold winter months. Drexel Metals also utilizes reflective pigments to reduce cooling costs and offer photovoltaic roof systems that capture usable solar and heat energy.
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Metal roofing is more of a craft.”
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An Expert’s Guide Light Poles By Kate Griffith
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Steel poles are commonly used in street lighting. Every batch of NOV’s Ameron poles are galvanized and meet rigorous quality standards.
STEEL POLES
High-grade & Americanmade The company’s steel pole product lines typically support street lights, signal lights, traffic camera mountings, and signs. Manufactured from high-grade, Americanmade steel to meet national highway design and construction standards, NOV’s steel designs are weather resistant and quick to install. Transportation projects coming from municipal and state departments of transportation supported the expansion of the NOV steel fabrication facility in Tulsa, allowing the company to meet specifications for transportation projects nationwide. “Based on our engineering capabilities and our focus on being solution-oriented, we are able to accommodate the specifications our customers have,” Konte says. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF NOV
Connecting people to services and lighting the way, lighting infrastructure poles have a heavy workload but are rarely afforded a second glance. At best they might be drafted into a second job of advertising a Friday night gig for a local band or a desperate call to help find Fido. But the design, engineering, and functionality of these stalwart workers deserves more consideration, says Kim Konte of National Oillwell Varco (NOV), a leading manufacturer of Ameron™ street lighting and traffic control products for more than 75 years. “So many things go into the manufacturing of our poles: from the material, the fabrication process, the finishes—it’s not purely about aesthetics,” she says. “The engineering that goes into creating a pole must not only meet the design needs of the customer, but it must also be safe and properly fit the application.” NOV’s Ameron poles are found anywhere you find people: local streets and state highways, shopping centers, pedestrian pathways, industrial sites, and municipal complexes. To meet the needs of each of those spaces and their climates, NOV’s pole products are custom engineered and manufactured by a team with a deep knowledge of best practices and a drive for continued excellence and improvement. “We’re a diverse team,” Konte says. “We have a broad range of skill sets, backgrounds, and knowledge that gives us an edge to be more robust.”
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CONCRETE POLES NOV has the largest small cell offering in the market.
Beautiful, durable, & resilient
SMALL CELL POLES
RENDERING AND PHOTO: COURTESY OF NOV
Wireless options With people, municipalities, utilities, commercial districts, and transportation programs increasingly connecting to data through smart applications, NOV’s latest offerings are built to meet 21st-century needs. “Our most innovative product line is our new small cell line,” says Michael Mize, director of operations at NOV, who joined the company in 2005. “The innovative designs and product versatility to adapt to different designs of telecommunication equipment make this product attractive. We strive to meet the needs of this rapidly developing market.” With the largest small cell offering in the market, NOV is poised well to serve this market as it grows. Fifth-generation, or 5G, is the next big thing in broadband rollout, enabling rapid speeds to support an array of IoT applications, according to a report from the Brookings Institute. Part of this rollout requires the installation of 5G-capable small cells— smaller equipment, but more of it placed in closer ranges. According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, communities gb&d
will need anywhere from 10 to 100 times the amount of existing wireless poles. Industry strategy consultancy firm Accenture Strategy estimates the total number of cell sites in the U.S. will need to double within the next few years to keep 5G rollout successful. NOV’s Ameron small cell poles allow customers to build out telecommunications networks within the architectural plans and aesthetic of their current standards. A municipal customer, for example, might have a standard decorative look for street lighting. When the customer is ready to build out its telecommunications network to increase speeds, it’s able to do so using the same poles with the same look, same level of durability, and increased ability to tie heavy tech equipment and applications to pole loads. “We’re leaders in the small cell space, and no one else can really match our capabilities,” Mize says. “Combining our decades of engineering experience with our robust technology offerings is allowing us to build a product that’s far ahead of what our competitors can offer.”
Where steel offers a minimalist workhorse often useful for traffic control needs, NOV’s Ameron concrete poles offer more decorative solutions, particularly for industry and walkable street lighting, while maintaining or even increasing high standards of durability and performance. “Concrete poles are great for a wide range of applications and areas with weather-related issues—bridges, surveillance, flag poles, and pathway lighting,” Konte says. If improperly treated or damaged during install, steel can be exposed to rust and corrosion, but concrete resists salt and other climate-related damage. During manufacturing, high-tensile steel is pre-stressed in a process that increases the strength, resiliency, and longevity of the poles. The poles are centrifugally cast using high-strength concrete to yield a denser concrete that’s stronger and able to bear heavier loads of equipment. The concrete encapsulates and protects the steel, also helping to reduce the freeze-thaw wear and tear of cold weather climates.
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From delivery to unloading and installation, NOV provides a true turnkey solution with their field support services.
MANUFACTURING EFFICIENCIES
Modular means more possibility NOV has developed a strong reputation in the industry due to an extensive product line that ensures manufacturing efficiency as well as its ability to customize to customer needs. “We work together with our customers as a true partner to find solutions within our product family to fit their needs,” Konte says. One of the best ways NOV marries efficiency with customer needs is through modularity of design. Engineers consider and develop ways to support multiple uses on a single structure to accommodate everchanging technology and location-specif ic requirements. “This minimizes the time needed for the design cycle and alleviates the need to develop oneoff, single-application
structures,” says lead engineer Kurt Blackbern. In basing designs off current equipment and current code requirements, competitors have limited their clients’ abilities for future upgrades. IoT, edge computing, and 5G technology are changing much faster than structural components that usually dictate a municipality’s decision to change out its infrastructure. “By designing things that are more modular, we facilitate future technology upgrades without doing a structural change out,” Blackbern says. “By creating one particular aesthetic look and creating as much functionality for a customer as possible, we allow customers to take that design and use it with various configurations for any site’s criteria. They’re not forced into one little box.”
DURABILITY
Built to last
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF NOV
Using high-grade materials manufactured to meet national guidelines ensures a high-quality product to start. NOV’s Ameron steel poles are typically finished with a dip in molten zinc, a galvanization processes that coats the steel and prevents corrosion. Concrete is a more naturally durable material, and NOV’s pre-stressing process increases both the strength and resiliency of the poles. Optional concrete pole coatings can also offer graffiti resistance, while other sealers protect decorative finishes and structural integrity. gbdmagazine.com
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AFTERMARKET
NOV’s Ameron concrete poles are prestressed with high tensile steel that’s stretched before concrete is cast, then released to maintain concrete compression during normal service conditions.
SERVICES
“In efforts to strengthen our relationships with our customers, we are expanding our aftermarket services nationally,” Konte says. “By using these services, our customers will have the ability to focus on their core business, while NOV provides a turnkey solution for their lighting needs.” These services, which include delivery, storage, manpower to help unload, installation services, and post-installation inspections, cost less than similar services from third parties and come with the added bonus of insured warranty compliance. gb&d
Did You Know?
FORWARD-THINKING CONSULTATION
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NOV
Prepping poles for the future NOV’s design process is one part problem solving customer-specific needs, one part research into ongoing industr y trends, and one part customer education. “From an engineering standpoint, we need to make sure we include the functionality specified at any given moment and keep an eye to what could be added on in the near future,” Blackbern says. “With ever developing technologies, you have new tech constantly being deployed. We make sure our end-users understand the market is changing, and it’s best to be prepared now rather than having to do multiple structural change-outs.” An easy example is the municipal holiday banner: A city or town orders poles designed with only lighting in mind and later wants to gb&d
put up seasonal decorations. “They hadn’t thought about this upfront, and those kinds of things can cause issues,” Blackbern says. It’s something his teams run into again and again. Festive banners on Main Street aside, cities conducting beautification projects to replace aging infrastructure often give little thought to future trends. Their focus is on replacing a single-purpose lighting structure with another single-purpose lighting structure. “What we often find is that a oneto-one replacement causes future problems,” Blackbern says. “Following a single-use design replacement are industry needs with new requirements.” In the past, that problematic change came with the deployment of LED street lighting technology, which required less in the way
of heavy equipment. The lighter and brighter tech also affected the structural soundness of lighting poles, which were designed to certain wind and load configurations. The new sizes and weights of the lighting equipment dictated updates to the structure of the pole itself. “In our current space, a lot of build-ups are based on old 4G technology,” Blackbern says. “But we’re going to see a lot of new requirements for 5G coming out for these structures, and we’re pre-empting that.” Telecomm’s major carriers are already working with equipment manufacturers like Philips and Nokia to test new technologies. “We’re working with municipals to help them understand what’s coming, so that, as they’re doing their replacements, they can be ready for carriers to come in,” Blackbern says.
All of NOV’s poles meet American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards. AASHTO and organizations like the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) found that increased nighttime visibility from roadway lighting reduces nighttime vehicle crashes by as much as 60%. Studies also show appropriate street lighting can make people feel safer in their neighborhoods. The task for lighting designers—whether for walkable areas or major highways—is the selection and specification of quality products and equipment. The FHWA asserts the use of high-quality products is critical to the operating life of any roadway lighting system, noting durability, aesthetics, and maintenance. The lighting industry also has pole spacing layout standards, like one-sided lighting, opposite lighting, and staggered lighting. Calculations for exact layout include factors like pole height, luminaries, and wattage. These calculations, plus expert know-how, help in decisions about appropriate lighting. In a mid-sized downtown area, for example, a lamp-post structure mounted at a height of 20 feet or lower can provide lighting at a more people-friendly scale to promote walkability and improve aesthetics. For freeway ramps and intersections, high-mast styles work better.
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Sky-High Sustainability The much-anticipated Comcast Technology Center in Philadelphia is among the country’s tallest buildings, but it also takes green building to new heights.
BY ST E P H E N G O S S E T T
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Elevated Design One of the most unique design elements in Comcast Technology Center is how the elevator is situated. The elevator core is split into two and positioned away from the center of the structure, where it might typically be placed. The unique layout organically opens up the lobby and encourages more interaction between the general public and the tower. A pedestrian route, which cuts through the space, further encourages those who don’t work, dine, or lodge in the space to nonetheless pass through.
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One way to grasp the immensity of the Comcast Technology Center, now towering in the Philadelphia skyline just west of its also-massive sister tower, Comcast Center, is to simply review the numbers: 60 floors; 1,121 feet tall; a budget of $1.5 billion; and under construction for more than three years. It now provides workspace to more than 4,000 Comcast employees, will be the site of a Four Seasons Hotel that will stretch across a dozen floors among the upper levels, and will welcome a new restaurant by acclaimed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The most illustrative detail in terms of the tower’s sheer scope: It’s now among the 10 tallest buildings in the country; no American building outside of Chicago and New York City towers so high. But the most extraordinary aspects of the building, from a green perspective, lie in the details. Biophilic design, incorporation of recycled materials, plenty of natural light, an innovative chilled beam system, exterior window louvers, and solar shades all work together to make the tower a sustainability success—and the tower, which was designed by leading green firm Foster + Partners and awarded LEED Platinum, had to embody sustainability. The Philadelphia Planning Code only affords developers maximum density and floor area ratios after a commitment has been made to the highest LEED targets. “The project could not have been developed in the form and size it is without this bonus,” says John S. Gattuso, senior vice
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president and regional director of Liberty Property Trust, which developed the property. “Unlike many projects that aspire to achieve a LEED Platinum rating, the developer and design team had to be absolutely certain the project would obtain this level of certification.” Comcast has occupied its neighboring tower, Comcast Center—another massive, LEED-certified affair that, at 974 feet, rises nearly as high as its new sibling—since 2008, so it had been through a relatively similar building experience before, which means they had also put forth a sense of good architectural stewardship in the past. “Across Comcast NBCUniversal, we are focused on sustainable innovation, which extends to the buildings where we work,” says Karen Dougherty Buchholz, senior vice president of administration for Comcast. “This commitment is evident across our Comcast Center Campus, and the Comcast Technology Center is the latest example of how we are inspiring environmental responsibility.” Energy and water conservation along with waste reduction was “top of mind from the outset,” she says. It’s a structure that has already added new shape and dimension to Philadelphia’s architectural legacy. And with the architects’ ability to deliver on the city’s onus on sustainability, it will likely loom large over tall-scale commercial urban architecture for some time to come. gbdmagazine.com
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Weather-Responsive
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF COMCAST
Windows are decked out with daylight harvesting sensors that automatically adjust light and shading based on how illuminated a space is at a given moment, and loft areas throughout the tower also allow natural light to flood into the floor plates. Perhaps the most impressive way the tower holistically integrates the city’s climate comes via the chilled beam setup, which adjusts air temperature by passing hot and cold water through ceiling pipes. The system “allows for a more sustainable means to heat and cool the building by reducing the energy loads and creates a better working environment,” Hale says.
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Green on the Ground Much of the Comcast Center’s innovation is found well below its towering mast. A ground-level winter garden draws the existing landscape of the plaza into the building, “creating a year-round evergreen public space for the city,” says Russell Hales, an architect and senior partner with Foster + Partners. “This shared civic resource allows people to experience greenery in the midst of an intensely urban environment,” he adds. The landscape gives way to a beautiful, biophilic public lobby, or “urban room,” as Hales calls it, noting its plaza, retail, and social aspects. Indoor trees, recycled end-grain wood floors, and slatted timber through which daylight pours complement one another to form what may be the jewel of the property.
Project: Comcast Technology Center Location: Philadelphia Completion: 2018 Size: 1.8 million square feet Lead Architect: Foster + Partners Collaborating Architect: Kendall/Heaton Associates Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti Contractor: L.F. Driscoll Project Team: Grant Brooker, Nigel Dancey, Dan Sibert, James Barnes, Russell Hales, Adam Davis, Annamaria Anderloni, Dominik Hauser, William Gordon
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF COMCAST
Down with TOD The tower also encourages residents to make energyefficient transportation choices. The plaza connects to public transit with a new, climate-controlled underground connection. Its proximity to rail transportation and a de-emphasis on parking (the site has only 54 parking spaces despite an estimated daily population of 4,000-plus) qualifies the tower as transit-oriented development. Developers took pains to gather feedback from neighborhood residents and guaranteed traffic to the new skyscraper wouldn’t result in parking spilling over into their community. They were sure to collaborate with residents on how such a large-scale project might “most successfully be integrated into the city’s pedestrian scaled street grid,” Gattuso says.
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Putting on a Facade In collaboration with artist Callum Morton, Kosloff Architecture dressed up a university research building in a beautiful—and energy- and cost-saving—second skin. BY J E S S I CA S M I T H P H OTO S B Y D E R E K S WA LW E L L
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PROJECTS
Facade Construction
Keeping with efforts to work around a bustling university environment, the 18 Innovation Walk team conceived a construction sequence and installation methodology that would allow them to keep the entire original brick facade and windows in place while the new exterior was built over it. After the new exterior was finished, the original windows and walls were demolished from the inside, leaving the upgraded, highperforming wall behind.
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In the late 1950s and 1960s, the Monash University Clayton campus in Clayton, Australia, near Melbourne, expanded rapidly through the construction of primarily modernist architecture. For half a century, an eight-story brick-clad building, originally designed in 1969 by modernist pioneers Stephenson & Turner, has stood at 18 Innovation Walk. Today, that building is nearly unrecognizable. A new facade gives the appearance of a curtain draped over custom-colored glazed brick—left exposed where the facade lifts at the pedestrian level to reveal just a glimpse. Glass-reinforced concrete shells with differentiating depths give the building its form and shading, creating a dynamic appearance of a wall that constricts and expands in motion. A steel, trumpet-like funnel welcomes guests at the building’s entrance—nearly 30 feet wide, 20 feet tall, and fading from warm orange to bright yellow. Originally a response to a deteriorating brick exterior, the re-skinning process of 18 Innovation Walk evolved as the entire building saw substantial upgrades in services infrastructure and improvements in environmental performance, while also supporting a strategy for public art integration. The project was a collaborative effort between Kosloff Architecture, artist Callum Morton, and the Monash Art Projects, with landscape design by Rush Wright Associates. “What is unique about the design of this building is that, from an essentially utilitarian and pragmatic brief requirement of replacing
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an existing failing facade evolved such a unique and beautiful outcome,” says Julian Kosloff, cofounder, along with Stephanie Bullock, of Kosloff Architecture. Not only was the team tasked with designing a skin that the building’s existing structure could support, they also removed and constructed an exterior without displacing any occupants—all classrooms, offices, and laboratories remained in use. Kosloff says this was incredibly challenging, though critical for a biology building that houses experiments that are years in progress. Adding to an already ambitious undertaking, the team chose to prioritize updating the building’s environmental performance and, in particular, address the building’s problematic eastwest orientation. Through a process of intensive modeling, a shading system was designed as part of the the new facade, which reduces solar gain to the building by 30%. Kosloff says the design process of such a complex collaborative effort involved a constant exchange between artist and architect—working together to upgrade an existing structure to support both current and future research and teaching needs. “The design of this building supports our belief that the practice of architecture needs to be fundamentally driven by our responsibility to the environment and that adaptive reuse, rather than to discard, is at the forefront of this approach,” Kosloff says.
Panel Design The diverse
three-dimensionality of the white panels that create the building’s new skin come together to create a fluid, wave-like design—a nod to artist Callum Morton’s sculpture work. Each panel is made of glass fiber-reinforced concrete and molded as a shell, around a half-inch thick. The panels are hollow, and new mechanical and hydraulic equipment are hidden inside in an effort to future-proof the building, by upgrading its services infrastructure.
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Project: 18 Innovation Walk Location: Clayton, Australia Completion: 2017 Architect: Kosloff Architecture Engineer: Rush Wright Associates Landscape Architect: Rush Wright Associates Artists: Callum Morton, Monash Art Projects Facade Manufacturer: Fabmetal Paintwork: Stylerod Panels
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Building Insulation
Because of the eastwest orientation of the existing structure, much of the building’s facade is exposed to direct sunlight. The extended design team, including services engineers and environmental consultants, collaborated intensively to develop a fully integrated solution to this challenge. The original, single-glazed windows were replaced with highperformance double-glazed windows in conjunction with a new highly insulated facade with integrated shading. The new facade is fully shaded between 10:30am and 2pm during the summer months— avoiding peak midday sun. The external wall’s R-rating (in which a higher R-value means greater insulation effectiveness) has improved from 0.5R to 3.5R as a result. Overall, the new design led to a 24% improvement in thermal performance.
Money Saved By choosing to upgrade the existing building and
replace the deteriorating facade, the university saved a significant amount of money compared to the price of constructing a new structure. Since 18 Innovation Walk functions as the university’s biology department, the plants and animals that it houses in research laboratories would have needed to be relocated. Because many of these projects have been ongoing for years, the potential cost of lost research data was high. By simply avoiding disrupting experiments, the university estimates they saved close to $2 million.
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Saving Space in the Southwest When a Scottsdale creative agency needed more space, an award-winning architect had the perfect response. BY ST E P H E N G O S S E T T P H OTO S B Y JA S O N R O E H N E R
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Corten Metal Aside from glass, the main material in the new Fervor studio is steel. Here, DeBartolo and his go-to contractors, the architecturesympathetic contractors at Construction Zone, employed steel in a deliberately structural fashion, using it as the glazing window wall. The third key material is corten metal, which wraps around the revamped upper level. The metal looks great as it naturally weathers, which is no problem in the Arizona sun. But there’s another benefit: no paint necessary. Unlike many builders in the state, DeBartolo prefers to use as little paint as possible, he says, especially for exteriors.
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Stairs The original stairs
leading from level one stretched up at a long, 45-degree angle, an uncharacteristically “too clever” design. Usually the problem is too little thought, DeBartolo says. A rebuilt, resituated slot staircase maximizes the upper-level floor plan, a boon that prompted Fervor employees to move from the first floor to an upstairs open office. Wood louvers along the stairs connect the upper and lower floors for a sense of continuity. The addition of large windows means not only plenty of natural light, but also excellent views of Scottsdale.
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When Fervor Creative first reached out about revamping its offices in Scottsdale, Arizona, hoping to maximize space, the graphic design and branding agency imagined it would be a small remodeling project. The modest two-story space had served the team decently, if not flawlessly, as the firm’s profile grew along with its client list, which now includes the likes of NASA and Arizona State University. But as the team walked through with Jack DeBartolo III, who founded the acclaimed DeBartolo Architects along with his father in Phoenix in 1996, it became clear that the building was rather awkward—“geometrically tortured,” as DeBartolo describes it—and a more comprehensive response was necessary. “Response” is a key word. DeBartolo, whose firm has landed several AIA awards for its strongly preservationist-informed buildings, says “respond” is the word his firm uses most regularly, as they take pains to carefully research a given site and contemplate its unique nexus of “place, people, and purpose.” It’s an impulse that informs their strongly purpose-driven work and matured in the early-to-mid years of the firm, when it built a school and orphanage in Ethiopia and brought graduate students there to consider how important it is that architecture truly satisfies people’s needs. “Within that context, our whole purpose is to take on projects where we can make a really unique difference and bring a transformative quality through architecture,” DeBartolo says. The Fervor project was at once transformative and preservationist. DeBartolo expanded the origgb&d
inal usable square footage from roughly 3,000 to 4,500 square feet, most notably by revamping the upper level, where “the geometry didn’t take full advantage of the footprint of the building,” according to DeBartolo. At the same time, the firm preserved the existing masonry block and some of the original masonry walls, along with two bathrooms. Everything else was gutted and replanned. “The exterior volume was a rather simple rectangle, but with numerous angular lines, other architects had overcomplicated what could have been a relatively simple, small building.” The result changed the way work gets done at Fervor. The agency had tried to integrate game rooms, lounges, and other more social areas in the building before, but there was a problem: Employees rarely used the spaces. Now, brainstorming areas are full, breakout spaces are active, and secondary rooms function as great places to meet clients—vital for a company like Fervor, which eschews the traditional account management structure in favor of full design focus, according to Don Newlen, a principal member of the firm. The new office opened in July 2018, roughly coinciding with Fervor’s 20th anniversary, and it fits the agency’s work ethos: welcoming, detailed, and not heavily self-branded. It wasn’t trying to make a statement, Newlen says. Instead, the design—which was built from a deeply collaborative process—paradoxically does make something of a statement: one that prizes sustainability and functionalism. march–april 2019
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Acoustics Fervor transitioned to an open office
environment, so it was important to manage the noise levels of suddenly having a dozen-plus employees working in a single space. DeBartolo created an entirely acoustical ceiling by exposing the building’s thermal insulation with duct liner below it. “It created a quiet interior that’s acoustically warm but highly functional and modern,” he says. “Acoustics are important to us and don’t generally get a lot of press when discussing office design.”
Project: Fervor Creative Location: Scottsdale Completion: 2018 Size: 4,500 square feet Architect & Engineer: DeBartolo Architects Contractor: The Construction Zone Project Team: Jack DeBartolo III, Jeff Kershaw
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Lighting An innovative skylight
floods the upper floor with daylight. Builders installed a series of skylights between roof joints, combining three standardsized skylights to create one uniform opening large “enough to be a lantern for the level,” DeBartolo says. The maneuver was accomplished on a modest budget and—thanks to its positioning above the stairs—add to the staircase’s new life as a necessary, natural element of separation for the office. The lights are positioned so employees get side light for most of the day and don’t have to contend with harsh screen glare.
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Clean, Simple, and Efficient
In rural Indiana, the dream for a modern farmhouse comes to life when a builder, architect, and homeowners collaborate. BY L AU R A R OT E P H OTO S B Y K E L S E Y J O H N STO N
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Modern Rustic The
Nixon Road project is 1,900 square feet above grade, plus a 960-square-foot full unfinished basement. The house includes 2.5 bathrooms and a detached, two-car garage with a workshop area. Efficient features are plentiful, from the rolling solar shade on south-facing window to zero VOC paint. The modern farmhouse features insulated construction above and beyond standard code requirements, with highperformance, dual pane windows and an advanced HVAC system.
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Metal Roof Having a standing seam metal roof was a must. “We loved the durability and look of metal, so we budgeted to make sure we could incorporate it in our build,” homeowner Kelsey Johnston writes in her blog, My Simply Simple, where she recounts lessons learned from building the custom home. Pricing on metal roofing runs the gamut, but with a little luck and a lot of research, you can find affordable metal roofing companies.
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When property owners Kelsey and Tyler Johnston set out to build their new modern farmhouse in rural Indiana, they knew they wanted an energy-efficient house with a simple, clean design that didn’t waste space. They turned to Cedar Street Builders to do the job. Cedar Street Builders Owner Dan Porzel is no stranger to building “green.” He built the first certified passive house in Indiana about three years ago and now lives there with his wife and three children. Porzel worked for a commercial general contractor in Chicago for 15 years, at a time when LEED was quickly gaining steam. “One of my favorite aspects of the green movement was always the energy efficiency side of it, because it saves the owner money in operating costs and has an actual impact on lowering carbon emissions,” he says. When he decided to start Cedar Street Builders in the Indianapolis area, he wanted to highlight sustainable construction. He did a lot of research, took the PHIUS Builders Training Class, and became a PHIUS Certified Builder. “I liked the challenge, and I believe in the product.” The biggest challenge of the Johnston project, also called the Nixon Road project, was to build a well designed house on a budget while not sacrificing quality and energy efficiency. “The architect, David Rausch, did a nice job of keeping the design simple while providing a unique home gb&d
that is very pleasing to look at and live in,” he says. “The house is a simple two-story rectangle, which helps make it cost-effective and energy friendly. Solar orientation maximized south-facing widows and minimized them on the west. We kept materials to durable basics, while spending a little extra on the durable metal roof and wood accents.” Building to passive house standards wasn’t easy, though. There was a learning curve for some. “We did a lot of things contractors in the area were not used to, but we stuck with it and were lucky to find some good subs that were also up for the challenge,” Porzel says. It was Cedar Street Studios’ first project with David Rausch Studio, though the builder and architect are collaborating again now. Porzel says he’s perhaps most proud of keeping the project on budget while pulling off the architect’s beautiful design. “They put a lot in our hands when they hand those drawings over to us, and we had a good, collaborative relationship throughout the project that made it easy to bounce questions off of each other along the way.” The Johnstons were also very involved throughout the project, from planning to interior design to bringing their dream house to life. march–april 2019
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Engineered Flooring Engineered hardwood flooring was incorporated throughout the house. “Not as expensive as real hardwood, yet extremely durable. Plus, unlike hardwood, you can use engineered flooring subsurface, meaning we can use it in our basement when we finish it one day,” Kelsey Johnston writes in her blog. “Our floors even have a thick top layer, meaning we can refinish them down the road if needed.”
Project: Nixon Road Location: Indiana Completion: June 2017 Architect: David Rausch Studio Builder: Cedar Street Builders Interior Design: Kelsey Johnston
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Biodiversity The sprawling Ørestad development area sits atop former wetlands, so it’s imperative that any new construction supports the area’s natural biodiversity. The UN17’s expansive green areas will foster the same natural flora and fauna native to the area, and Lendager Group has pledged to introduce up to 350% more natural components into its design in comparison to nearby residential and commercial sites. Balconies with outdoor kitchens and garden areas look to promote a sense of city-nature harmony as well. The aim is to address the UN Sustainable Development Goal that urges “sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.”
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Village Green Called the world’s most sustainable building project, this Copenhagen project will meet all of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
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It follows that one of the most wildly ambitious residential building projects in development is slated to rise in, well, one of the most wildly ambitious developing areas in Europe. As the project’s name suggests, the UN17 Village—which will cover 35,000 square meters and include 400 new homes—will be the first building development to specifically look to meet each of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into its planning, construction, and maintenance. The village, which is being designed by Copenhagen-based Lendager Group, will take root in Denmark’s Ørestad region, a massive, formerly unused swath of island land that, over a 25-year period of fits and starts, has slowly been transformed into a genuine city district. The village will be built from upcycled concrete, wood, and window glass; incorporate geothermal heating, rooftop gardens on each unit, a greenhouse, and rainwater collection systems; and boast 3,000 square meters of shared public space. Added all up, the result will be, according to Lendager, no less than “the world’s most sustainable building project.” But “ambitious” only partially describes the project. “Holistic” might be a better way to understand it. The 17 goals, outlined and adopted by the UN in 2015, make no bones about the sheer scale of their altruistic aim. They include No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, and Reduced Inequality—tough goals for a global policymaking body, much less an architect. But Anders Lendager and his namesake firm—which notably won the competition to build UN17 over some major architectural heavyweights, including Henning Larsen—have plans that seem as practical as their
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targets are lofty. For instance, in tackling the No Poverty goal, Lendager aims to create 100 unskilled jobs for marginalized people, with employment during construction, materials-building, and—after completion—within various occupational sites in the village. “Architecture cannot lift people out of poverty, but the built environment can affect the impact of poverty on people’s life,” Lendager says. The project will have 37 housing typologies, the variety of which is intended to foster a sense of inclusion and diversity. Lendager says the firm will pressure clients to welcome more women to the table during development and especially during construction phases—pushes to comply with SDG #5, to “achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” “To support a movement toward gender equality, the design of buildings, the construction phase, the settlements and urban areas must be inclusive to all citizens regardless of gender,” he says. When the grand social and sustainability objectives that underpin UN17 actually manifest as a real-life village, they’ll do so in an Ørestad region that has at once become a hub for architectural innovation—some of it downright dazzlingly postmodern—ensconced in natural beauty and a magnet for controversy in Copenhagen about how best to ethically develop such environmental splendor. Given Lendager’s approach and assurances—not to mention a demonstrable history of large-scale upcycling—the firm appears well-positioned to thread such an ambitious needle.
Project: UN17 Village Location: Copenhagen Expected Completion: 2023 Size: 377,000 square feet Architect: Lendager Group Engineers: MOE and Arup Project Team: Jacob Blak, Sophie Daugaard Andersen, Majken Lynge Gribskjold, Kristian, Knorr Jensen, Stephanie Levassor, Agata Marzec, Nicholas Ransome, Daniel Veenboer
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South section
Geothermal Heat A vertical drilling rig—some 200 meters deep—will provide the bedrock for UN17’s energy-mitigating geothermal heating and cooling and help tackle SDG #7, which calls for Affordable and Clean Energy. Solar panels will also help capture energy. One cluster of buildings within the village will generate more energy than necessary for its immediate requirements, but that energy will be strategically distributed throughout the complex. “Focusing on universal access to energy, increased energy efficiency, and the increased use of renewable energy is crucial to create resilience to environmental issues like climate change,” Lendager says.
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Village plan
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Innovative Waterworks In addressing the UN’s call for Clean Water And Sanitation (SDG #6), runoff rainwater will be treated and re-circulated through the complex, including the village’s laundry facilities, which will also use wastewater in restrooms. Water used in swimming areas within UN17 will have been locally cleaned through onsite biosystems and reused, and water for cleaning and cooking will be heated and cooled using the village’s geothermic process.
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Sustainable and Hyperlocal Food
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Greenhouses and rooftop gardens in UN17 will grow organic food that will be directly supplied to a restaurant onsite. (The goal is to grow enough to serve 30,000 meals each year.) Any leftovers from the restaurant will be allocated to the needy free of charge. The fact that meals will be locally grown will also cut the cost and emissions generated by traditional food transportation, all while helping Lendager Group tackle the Zero Hunger SDG.
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THE HEALING POWER OF AESTHETICS
Cleveland Clinic takes a holistic approach to design for patients’ wellbeing.
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DESIGNING MAJOR MEDICAL CENTERS AND MANUFACTURERS
SPACES IN HEALTH CARE FUSE ARCHITECTURE
THAT AND DESIGN TO CREATE HEALING SPACES
HEAL BY COLLEEN DEHART
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feeling of well-being given off by caregivers,” Connell says. “The aura given off by the people who are caring for you is incredibly important to your well-being. Patients want to feel like they are in good hands, that their caregivers are working as a team. There is certainly a correlation between how caregivers feel and how they do their jobs.” Designers of the clinic’s facilities recognize the connection between healthy buildings and physical health. To date, 13 of Cleveland Clinic’s buildings have been LEED certified and others are in the works. The clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine Suite was one of the first medical offices to receive the WELL certification, setting a new standard for future clinic buildings. The WELL Building Standard is awarded based on a building’s performance— measuring air, water, light quality, healthy foods, and fitness options for occupants, among other things.
more than medicine. That’s why designers at the Cleveland Clinic take a holistic approach to creating spaces— emphasizing everything from medical function and caregiver well-being to the overarching patient experience. The 377,000-square-foot Taussig Cancer Institute, completed in late 2016 as part of the clinic’s master plan and currently pursuing LEED, is a prime example of the clinic’s approach to aesthetics. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow natural light to flood into treatment rooms while patients get a view of the green Health care is something that goes courtyard outside. High ceilings and through life with you. It works with you. skylights illuminate lower levels, and airy open corridors make travel from It needs to be designed to have an easy one area to another smooth. An open interface, whether emotional or physical. lobby with clean lines, simple furniture, white and wooden-clad walls, and The aesthetic needs to work with the striking geometric art greets patients. functional part very closely.” “Nothing is physically daunting about coming into the space,” says Chris ConCHRIS CONNELL, CHIEF DESIGN OFFICER nell, chief design officer at the clinic’s CLEVELAND CLINIC’S CENTER FOR DESIGN Center for Design. “It doesn’t have to be extravagant architecture. These are very basic architecture principles that are very near and dear to our hearts but have a big impact.” Spaces at the new Cleveland Clinic Connell notes that while health care building are designed to facilitate a pos- environments should feel serene, they itive experience, and plentiful studies should still feel like places to receive have proven that elements like natural care. “Everyone wants to make buildlight can lift patients’ spirits. “When you ings feel like hotels these days,” he says. go into a dark space, your thoughts are “I don’t necessarily agree with that. They solely on the problem you are there to need to take out some of the anxiety for address,” Connell says. Here, rooms that patients but should also feel like places can’t have windows due to their func- where they receive the very best treattionality are well-lit with ambient light- ment. They need to be clean, proficient, ing to make the space more relaxing. organized.” That said, the cancer cenBeautiful environments also improve ter also offers massage, reflexology, art, the health and happiness of caregivers, and music therapies for patients. which funnels down to patients. “Part But health care spaces have to be of the cure is about the attitude and functional, and they need to be easy to
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PHOTOS: ROBERT BENSON PHOTOGRAPHY
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navigate. “You mustn’t get in the way of technical requirements and what is needed for caregivers to do the very best job,” Connell says. “Each space needs to be as simple, calm, and timeless as possible.” That means not getting lost in a design spiral where you end up with more in a room than you need. “It can be detrimental to doing a good job. It gets confusing and messy.” Most big health care systems have new and old buildings and a variety of challenges. Designers have to ensure each space can operate and function as intended— not just look pretty. “Not every faciliPrivate rooms and long ty building corridors are needs to be flooded with an iconic natural light piece of arat the Taussig chitecture,” Cancer Center. Connell says. “Sometimes there are p l a c e s fo r special pieces in the jigsaw puzzle, but the pieces in between are the bits that make it all work and they are all important in different ways. You need to pick out the pieces that are almost like the catalysts of the puzzle while giving equal care to all the pieces.” Connell, who previously worked externally as a designer on Cleveland Clinic buildings, was appointed to the new position of chief design officer in 2017. The position was created to help ensure consistency in design and experience across the clinic’s 10 hospitals, 150 regional outpatient centers, and global locations. “We want someone to be able to walk into a Cleveland Clinic anywhere in the world and know they are going to get a certain level of care,” he says. “Aesthetics and design are a big part of that experience.” Most recently, Connell and his team have been working on the Health Education Campus, scheduled to open in summer 2019. The campus will include a 27,000-square-foot atrium designed to maximize natural light from a specially engineered roof, floor-to-ceiling windows, and shared learning spaces to encourage interaction across disciplines.
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EMPOWERING PATIENTS WITH CLEVER DESIGN EVERY DETAIL COUNTS, DOWN TO THE FURNITURE. IT’S OBVIOUS THAT THE EQUIP-
ment in a medical facility is meant to help patients, but have you ever stopped to think about the furniture? For specialty infusion chair maker Champion Manufacturing Inc., creating chairs that empower patients and facilitate healing is not just a priority—it’s who they are. Champion’s commitment to helping patients succeed in treatment is what has made the company an industry leader for nearly 30 years. “A patient’s state of emotion plays a large part in the treatment process,” says Lauri Waidner, marketing manager for Champion. “If patients have a comfortable and empowering place to receive treatment while they recline, rest, heal, and recover, then we’ve done our job.” For patients going t hrough life-changing treatments—infusions take anywhere from one to eight hours each time—their world is only as large as their fingertips can reach. It’s this truth that motivates Champion to do one thing and do it right. “We want to see a chemo patient ring the bell for their last treatment and move forward with their life,” Waidner says. “We
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want to see a patient who is dialyzing get that kidney transplant and move forward. It is all about the patient succeeding. It’s why we wake up every morning and choose to build medical recliners that can make a difference when it matters most.” But how do they do it? Champion takes a dual approach. The company works with patients and caregivers alike to provide seating options that help the caregiver provide the best treatment possible while also helping to alleviate any stress and anxiety for the patient.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Champion’s chairs help to give patients back that feeling of being in control. Patients can adjust recliners with the push of a button, turn on massage or heat functions, and access entertainment with little movement. “It’s the little things that help them make decisions for themselves while in treatment,” Waidner says. At Smilow Cancer Hospital in Connecticut, where you’ll find approximately 80 of Champion’s Ascent
II Power chairs, patients say the mechanical-powered recliners are essential to their healing, says Tracy Carafeno, director of patient services. “They can change the position for comfort by themselves where before they had to have staff assistance to recline.” That bit of independence is crucial to the emotional well-being of patients, says Carolyn Truini, operations coordinator for Smilow. “The chairs have improved patient experience and staff safety.” Champion Manufacturing does its research, and it shows. That includes spending a lot of time in medical facilities, observing and surveying staff and patients. “If there is something more we can do, we try to engineer it into the product so they won’t have to worry about it again,” Waidner says. Champion was among the first in the industry—after learning of a need from a customer—to add swing-away arms to ensure chairs fit through small doorways in an emergency, for example. The chairs are also engineered to have an open design—so any fluid spills (bodily or otherwise) go away from the patient and onto the floor. This assists
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St. Louis Children’s Specialty Care Center, designed by Cannon Design.
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ASCENT AT A GLANCE
Manual and powered recline styles Recline with the push of a button Wide arms that also swing away Removable seat for easy cleanup Twin-wheel casters for ease of movement Retractable foot tray Heat, massage, and other custom capabilities See more at championchair.com/ ascent-power
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the provider in detecting potential problems while improving cleanup and infection control. All of Champion’s seat cushions are removable, further helping with cleanup. “Safety is not negotiable. These chairs can’t just look pretty,” Waidner says. “Aesthetics aren’t the only concern. It has to function first and foremost to meet the needs of clinical staff and patients.” The chairs’ central caster lock system enables nurses to quickly lock or release breaks, and a wall-hugger mechanism increases effective floor space in facilities. The chairs also include table options so patients can have a variety of entertainment within reach. And design teams can choose from various seat back options depending on the project.
VALUE ACROSS THE BOARD
“Caregivers demand recliners that have true clinical functionality,” Waidner says. “Patients seek the recliners that will provide them with the most comfort and empowerment options during treatment.” The happier and more comfortable patients are, the better the survey scores of a facility, too. As a medical device manufacturer, Champion designs and manufactures under a quality management system using standards and specifications in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations (Title 21) and ISO 13485:2016 Medical Device Standard. “We’re taking the extra steps to ensure our products are made for the demands of the health care environment and the safety re-
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quirements they have,” Waidner says. Champion products were designed with a long life in mind. They are built with a steel frame and modular design, allowing for durability and easy repair and parts replacement when needed. “If there’s a tear in the vinyl, you only need to replace that part, not the entire chair,” Waidner says. Champion has determined the useful life of its chairs to be eight years. At the end of life, the chairs are 98% recyclable by weight.
EDUCATING THE INDUSTRY
But Champion’s work doesn’t stop with the development of a great product. The company is also passionate about educating the industry on designing health care spaces that are both func-
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tional and patient-centric. “Champion truly understands the clinical needs of the most demanding medical applications,” Waidner says. “Providing a product that serves the medical industry is a serious task requiring testing, thoughtful design, and months—if not years—of evaluation.” The company recently became an AIA educational program provider and plans to become an education provider for the Interior Design Education Council. “We want to help people see there are holes in the system where they may have previously used a product that is not built for health care,” Waidner says. “It’s about having open communication with the people who have the important task of specifying products for the health care environment.” gb&d
OPPOSITE: This treatment area at DaVita Dialysis Clinic in Tennessee, designed by Acquilano Leslie Inc., includes Champion’s classic chairs. BELOW: The UMASS Marlborough Hospital Cancer Center, designed by S/L/A/M Collaborative.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ACQUILANO LESLIE INC.; JOHN GIAMMATTEO. PRODUCT PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHAMPION MANUFACTURING, INC.
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TYPOLOGY
The south facade of the University of Washington Life Sciences Building faces a major pedestrian and bike path so commuters can see the building’s largescale greenhouse. It also connects the site to surrounding areas in a way that’s sustainable.
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TYPOLOGY
BUILDING UP HEALTH From a biologyfocused educational facility to a traumatic brain injury recovery center to an innovative halfway housemeets-palliative care space, three West Coast facilities illustrate how smart design can genuinely heal.
BY STEPHEN GOSSETT
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TYPOLOGY
BLACKBURN BUILDING
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people who access the downtown facility will soon be able to continue their existing services—getting clean from drugs, continuing rehabilitation programs—much closer to where they are. Levels one and two of the center, slated to open in July 2019, will be public, providing space for group therapy and recovery sessions like Alcoholics or Narcotics Anonymous. Lower levels will have space for yoga and acupuncture, plus exam rooms where people can check in and receive urgent care if necessary, according to Mariah Kiersey, project leader and a principal architect at Ankrom Moisan, which designed the center. The third floor will offer short-term respite care. “That space is particularly useful for a patient who’s been discharged from the hospital but is still in need of a place to recuper-
P R OJ E CT LOCATION Portland, OR COMPLETION 2019 SIZE 112,218 square feet ARCHITECT Ankrom Moisan Architects ENGINEERS Miller Consulting Engineers, HHPR, Shapiro Didway, Glumac CONTRACTOR Walsh Construction
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RENDERING: COURTESY OF ANKROM MOISAN ARCHITECTURE
Truly thoughtful architecture is capable of facilitating health—and can even directly contribute to saving lives. Consider Central City Concern’s (CCC) Blackburn Building in Portland, Oregon, for example. It will serve the city’s homeless and drug-recovering population. The six-story development is set to combine affordable housing (temporary and long-term), therapy spaces, public gathering areas, fitness rooms, and medical exam rooms to serve Portland’s most vulnerable. The CCC operates roughly 20 properties, including a clinic in downtown Portland. Ahead of the new Blackburn project, the nonprofit ran a heat-map study to determine where the people who access the downtown clinic actually stay. That research led the organization to situate the new facility in the Hazelwood neighborhood, so
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Blackburn will have many sustainable features when it’s completed, including solar panels and solar shades to cut down on energy usage.
RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF ANKROM MOISAN ARCHITECTURE
ate further,” Kiersey says. Upper floors will include 10 palliative care rooms, 80 transitional single rooms (“where people can go to get off drugs or get on the drugs they need”) for longer-term residents, and studios designed for those who need a short-term stay at the facility. Truth be told, though medical care is a crucial component, “facility” somehow rings too clinical. From the gabled roof and aversion to long dark corridors to noise-controlling acoustic separation and a focus on natural light, the sense of homeyness is very much by design. The bright, inviting front plaza is designed to welcome homeless Portlanders rather than push people along as increasingly common spikes-andstuds architecture does. “We’ve remained very cognizant that this is a pathway for mental and physical support,” Kiersey says. There is one usual health care facility suspect, however, that you shouldn’t expect to see: space-devouring surface lots. The Blackburn Building is close to bus and light-rail service and qualifies for transit-oriented-development designation. TriMet, the Portland area mass transit agency, will also be updating a nearby stop as Blackburn is under construction. But it’s the less traditional design elements that captivate most. Take the bathrooms. Since so much of the homeless population that CCC serves is grappling with drug addiction, they knew they had to design a better bathroom—one that doesn’t double as a magnet for users, a place to get high. Once a restroom guest flips the occupancy lock, a timer begins to silently tick off. If a significant amount of time passes, a light that’s visible from a nearby staffed desk illuminates, notifying the help. “They can then check on the occupant to make sure there’s no emergency. We’re trying to literally save lives,” Kiersey says. gb&d
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A few hundred miles south of Portland, a recent addition to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center similarly prioritizes the potential for eco-friendly building design within the life-saving business. The SCVMC’s Sobrato Pavilion, which opened last winter, treats victims of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury—and it does so by giving doctors and patients access to groundbreaking treatment advancements. Along with state-of-the-art rehabilitation systems, the facility also boasts a large-scale aquatic therapy pool. The pavilion, which was designed
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by Stantec and opened in 2018, is able to provide such first-rate resources while still maintaining energy efficiency. In fact, the pavilion has been certified LEED Gold with 41 points and has measured 42% energy savings over the state’s baseline. Patient rooms here are exclusively single-occupancy, with 168 such rooms—a key example of how the building’s design works hand-in-hand with promoting health and recovery. The rooms were designed to provide as much patient privacy and dignity as possible: Each space has an out-
An emphasis on natural lighting helps make the Sobrato Pavilion one of the least energy- and water-consumptive. facilities of its kind. It also reflects a conscious decision to provide a sense of welcome through design. PHOTO: DAVID WAKELY
SANTA CLARA VALLEY MEDICAL CENTER
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PHOTOS: DAVID WAKELY
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side view and ample natural daylight, and they provide patients with as much direct control over their environment as possible, especially in terms of light and shade. While the cost of building single-occupancy rooms is higher than shared spaces, those costs are offset over time, according to Alan Codd, a Stantec project coordinator who contributed during the design phase as the team developed the pavilion’s sustainability features. It’s a claim borne out by a 2015 Journal of Critical Care study, which found that SRO-style rooms save hospitals money by limiting potential for infection to spread. Another feature worthy of highlight is the new lobby link, a beautiful, two-story lit atrium full of greenery (“basically a conservatory space,” Codd says) that connects the pavilion to an existing building on-campus. “It’s a place where patients, if they’re able to on their own, and general visitors can gather and contemplate. It’s elements like that that go above and beyond garden variety clinical care,” Codd says. Blending the facility smoothly into the landscaping was also a paramount concern, with a notable illustration being the pavilion’s extensive green roofing. gb&d
The project could also be seen as emblematic of the political will that exists in California, at both the legislative level and the ballot box, to tackle climate change. Governor Jerry Brown signed into law in 2018 a pledge to make the state carbon-neutral by 2045, and as pointed out by Jude Chakraborty, an associate at Stantec who helped ensure the project’s LEED certification, every facility, old and new, will need to assess its energy usage vis-àvis that criteria. “Health care is being very stringent [about energy consumption] on new constructions,” Chakraborty says. “And as architects at Stantec, our advice helps guide those decisions. We’re getting them to where they should be, and things are looking good.” On a more local level, the pavilion was funded by a ballot measure in which voters elected to maintain an existing one-eighth-cent sales tax, which also helps fund law enforcement, affordable housing, and other services in Santa Clara. Despite a long process—from idea to funding to fruition the project took nearly 10 years—the pavilion gathered the support it needed and now can provide top-flight support to those in need.
P R OJ E CT LOCATION Fruitdale, CA COMPLETION 2018 SIZE 546,000 square feet ARCHITECT Stantec ENGINEERS Rutherford & Chekene, Sandis, Arup, Teecom CONTRACTOR Turner
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UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING
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cies. Students at the university study the plant life, of course, but the facility also opens its doors to the general public and hosts K-12 visits. It’s positioned next to the largest commuter trail in Seattle, and the site “further promotes sustainability with a water reclamation system that directs surplus water from the building to irrigate the plants,” according to Devin Kleiner, the project architect and a senior associate at Perkins+Will. It encourages you to walk around, too. The architects designed the suspended open stair with the specific intention to “lure people up the six flights” and take in views of nature and the campus. The stairs
P R OJ E CT LOCATION Seattle COMPLETION 2018 SIZE 207,000 square feet ARCHITECT Perkins+Will
PHOTO: KEVIN SCOTT
Of course, a building need not be tailored toward saving lives in order to promote wellness and healthy habits. The recently opened University of Washington Life Sciences Building, in Seattle, encourages physical movement, embraces natural daylight in an innovative way, and reactivates visitors’ appreciation of the natural world. The 207,000-square-foot project incorporates natural ventilation cooling, chilled heating and cooling beams, and solar roofs, but the most noteworthy feature might be the building’s anchor: a 20,000 square-foot greenhouse that gathers together 9,000-plus plants across 3,400 spe-
ENGINEERS Coughlin Porter Lundeen, Affiliated Engineers CONTRACTOR Skanska USA
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Instead of the usual ding sound, the elevator makes birdsong sounds that correspond with the height at which a particular bird would actually nest. Lights are positioned to glow through the slabs, “recreating the experience of the sun shining between the silhouettes of backlit trees,” Kleiner says.
PHOTOS: KEVIN SCOTT
were made visible from outside in order to draw visitors’ attention and encourage their use. But if you must take the elevator, your ride will at least be transportive in more than just the up or down sense. The core was enveloped in custom-milled wood slabs, culled from nine 200-foot Douglas firs, that taper as they rise, mimicking the natural bloom of the trees—which were donated by UW biology professor Scott Freeman and his wife, Susan Leopold Freeman, who happens to be the granddaughter of iconic conservationist Aldo Leopold. The elevator sports two more irresistible design novelties. Instead of the usual ding sound, the elevator makes birdsong sounds that correspond with the height at which a particular bird would actually nest, and lights are positioned to glow through the slabs, “recreating the experience of the sun shining between the silhouettes of backlit trees,” Kleiner says. The wood design brought about some unexpected interactions as well. “One of the surprising wellness benefits of the elevator core design is that people seem unable to resist touching the wood. This … raised a thought-provoking hypothesis that in today’s urban society, we are disconnected from nature and therefore crave making physical contact with it,” Kleiner says. gb&d gb&d
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Christine Bruckner Director, M Moser Associates
Tree-table designs enable occupants to gather in sun-lit areas, experiencing the shade of the tree in a more casual and productive environment.
Ask the Expert How do we implement design to enhance health and mental well-being?
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Design has a powerful ability to impact human health and mental well-being both tangibly and intangibly, extending beyond quantitative concepts such as ergonomics, air quality, and light, to address what enables people to feel their best within a space. This ranges from selecting healthy, sustainable materials to empowering and reducing stress
by giving people the flexibility and versatility to adjust spaces to meet ever-changing needs. Mental well-being is predominately affected by comfort within a given space and can be impacted by factors like acoustics, glare, and other “distractions.” As designers, we are presented with the opportunity to improve people’s lives, balancing both the qualita-
tive and quantitative to address the essence and impact of a space. From simple solutions like green walls on wheels, moveable and writeable partitions, or multi-purpose zones that can transform based on the varying needs of occupants, we can make many design choices to address mental well-being through space. Creating areas that encourage energetic, physical activity without distracting those who require quiet focus can be key to addressing the needs of a broad range of individuals, roles, and tasks. Built-in spaces for wellness and reflection can interweave with the culture of an organization, helping occupants to recognize the importance of breaks and other activities like focused preparation, de-stressing, or nursing. By removing environmental pressures, we create places
that help people concentrate, wind down, and recover. Supporting this rejuvenation and renewal with healthy food and natural materials within welcoming, obligation-free spaces that consider adjacencies, colors, and proportions can help to mitigate stress and burnout. Ever striving to further empower people through human-centric design, our offices across the globe act as holistic “living labs” where we test how a space can truly support health and mental well-being. Through light, air, movement, and privacy to sustainability initiatives that encourage planetary stewardship, there are many ways to enhance human experience. Integrating wellness-focused design from the very beginning is vital to ensuring the spaces we create are places that satisfy physical and mental needs. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF M MOSER ASSOCOIATES
Christine Bruckner is a 2018 WSLA recipient. She works with client and community stakeholders to encourage deep dive investigation, coordination, and sustainable best practice. She is also an early adapter of the International WELL Building Institute and leads M Moser’s global WELL integrative design solution initiatives.
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Versatile zones can transition from open collaboration to quiet focus booths to dynamic yoga classes during breaks.
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Brad Turpin CEO, Overtone Acoustics
Overtone Acoustics incorporated custom acoustical panels that mimic steel beams at Milwaukee Tool.
Why should I incorporate acoustical solutions into a project design from the beginning?
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First and foremost, considering sound from the outset will save you time and money, along with preventing headaches. Architecture, interior design, and finishes usually command the most focus on a project, and yet sound is a fourth dimension that’s essential to consider. All too often, architects and interior designers create an environment only to discover the acoustics need to be improved.
That was the case when Milwaukee Tool completed a multimillion-dollar addition to its headquarters in late 2017. The building’s interior design featured exposed steel beams and open spaces for employee collaboration. It looked great, but there was one problem. After the first meetings in any of the dozens of new conference rooms, employees realized sound was ricocheting off the hard surface and affecting speech
intelligibility, making it difficult to clearly hear coworkers. The solution? Custom acoustical ceiling panels that mimic the steel beams. Overtone crafted these ceiling baffles to refine the sound environment in the conference rooms, along with a custom wall system in which acoustical panels were covered with company images and logos. This vastly improved the overall acoustics in these spaces. As a result, the company plans to consider acoustics from the start of any future expansion plans. Clearly, planning ahead can prevent costly rework as you try to implement a sound
solution after the design is complete. It’s also a way for architects and designers to differentiate themselves from the competition. Thanks to the user-friendly sound measurement tools and innovative products on the market today, precise management is increasingly accessible. When acoustics are done right, they truly differentiate a space, and they show that the designer grasps the importance of sound and cares about the people who will inhabit the space.
Read more from Overtone Acoustics in the May+June issue of gb&d, when Turpin tackles aesthetics.
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RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF OVERTONE ACOUSTICS
Ask the Expert
How do you develop a passion for sound? For Brad Turpin, it started with a love of music and gained steam when he took his spare bedroom down to the studs in order to create a full-fledged recording studio in his house. Through that process, he realized the products he needed to create professional-quality sound weren’t readily available on the market. Thus, Overtone Acoustics was born. Since Turpin founded the company in 2011, it has grown into an industry-leading creator of acoustical solutions for any environment, from office to home to studio Here, Turpin explains why acoustical treatments can’t be an afterthought.
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Don Everard CEO, EZ-ACCESS
Read more in the May+June issue of gb&d, when Everard explores what ramps work best where.
Ask the Expert What is the ADA and why should I care?
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The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability—including physical and mental medical conditions—in all areas of public life. This significant law covers a lot of ground and encompasses five sections, one being public accommodations, which imposes accessibility requirements
on public built environments. People have a right to life, they have a right to enjoy it, and they have a right to access it. It’s the responsibility of a business to ensure ADA-compliant access for individuals of all abilities. It covers all facets of a building, but the ADA is not a building code. It’s a set of guidelines, and many states
and local municipalities will craft and adopt their own codes using the ADA as a foundation. For example, in many states, ramps must be 48 inches wide. But in some states, 48 inches of space is required between handrails, requiring a larger platform than the ADA’s standard. This illustrates why it’s important to not only pay attention to the guidelines the ADA has in place, but also dig into established local codes. Many solutions miss the mark. Often we see long runs of ramping installed with only a platform at the top. To meet ADA standards, you need a resting platform after every 30 feet of ramping. Some designers
also leave these platforms too small and don’t give adequate turn space for wheelchairs and other mobility devices. As you walk up a ramp, you should think, “What is the ADA trying to accomplish?” The answer is ease of access, and if someone can’t get through a door or get on a ramp, it’s not accommodating. The ADA does allow variances for older buildings built before the ADA was established, but every public or commercial space must comply with the ADA and code requirements specific to their location. EZ-ACCESS offers solutions to make accessibility available to businesses. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EZ-ACCESS
EZ-ACCESS pioneered the growth of the ramp industry through the marketing and manufacturing of portable aluminum wheelchair ramps years before building accessibility became part of a comprehensive national law. The company is a division of Homecare Products Inc., founded in 1984 by a mother and daughter to sell inflatable bathing items for disabled individuals. Three years later, brother and CEO Don Everard came on to help this family business expand into accessibility. “Once we got involved with disabled markets, we realized access was an issue,” Everard says. “We made our first portable ramp and realized the difference we could make in people’s lives by providing access to life beyond barriers.” In 1990, the U.S. federal government signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law, forever changing building design. Everard explains just what the ADA does, and why everyone from the renovator to the new builder should care.
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This custom multistory stair system at The Museum of Flight in Seattle allows visitors to access and see inside the plane on display.
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Bill Adams Sales Team Lead, LCG
Steel grating won’t fold under pressure. In fact, it can support even the heaviest vehicular and aircraft loads. On top of its durability, steel grating can be implemented in a number of ways, from pedestrian walkways to trenches and drainage grates. Since its founding in 1983, Laurel Custom Grating (LCG) has become a leading heavy-duty steel grating manufacturer. A member of the National Association of Architectural Metal Manufacturers, the company’s mission is to create high-quality products and provide superior service. Bill Adams, sales team lead at LCG, shares why you should consider using heavy-duty steel grating in your next design.
Ask the Expert Why and where should designers implement heavyduty steel grating?
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Heavy-duty steel grating is a versatile and economical product. Steel is not only easy to weld into custom designs and 100% recyclable, but it’s also excellent in tension and compression when you compare it to other construction materials like concrete or wood. Steel grating can safely support heavy traffic vehicles and equipment while
also meeting drainage and airflow needs in a range of industrial projects. Steel grating can allow for efficient storm drainage or simplify ventilation. Our customers at LCG use heavy-duty grating in many ways, including for trenches, loading docks, mezzanine flooring, vault covers, sidewalks, ramps, and material screens. Another
example is using steel grating for wash racks for concrete trucks or dump trucks. As the trucks drive through a washing system, wash racks allow the dirt, rocks, and debris to fall into a trench underneath the grating. Our customers have also used steel grating on grain farms, where grain passes through the grates before being loaded onto trucks. Heelsafe grating is often used in vaults like the ones you see beneath sidewalks. In this type of application, precasters create a concrete vault with
steel grating on top for ventilation. The grating also makes the surface safe for pedestrians to walk on and for cars to drive on. We have even provided steel grating for an airplane hangar. The project team installed grating in the shape of an airplane for maintenance. Steel grating can also be used in bridgework instead of concrete as a more economical option.
Read more from LCG in the May+June issue of gb&d, when Adams looks at custom capabilities.
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PUNCH PRACTICE LIST
The top grate is a 38W4 (1-1/2”X3/8”) grate, with a smooth top and mill finish. The bottom grate is a 38W4 (1-1/2”X3/8”) grate, with a serrated top and galvanized finish.
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Architects to Watch Jim Nicolow, Lord Aeck Sargent
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The director of sustainability at LAS schools us on three of his academic sector standouts. BY STEPHEN GOSSETT
JIM NICOLOW
was into sustainable architecture before it was cool. When the now-LEED Fellow joined LORD AECK SARGENT (LAS), one of the leading green firms in the country, back in 1997, the term “sustainable architecture” barely even existed. It was “ecological design” if it was referenced at all, Nicolow recollects. Since then, the man his colleagues once dubbed Mr. Green Jeans has graduated to the rank of director of sustainability at LAS and become an in-demand speaker and writer about energy-efficient building. His work spans the typological spectrum, but in speaking with Nicolow, he conveys a clear fondness for his many education-based projects.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF LORD AECK SARGENT
Jim Nicolow is an Atlanta-based architect, AIA Fellow, and the director of sustainability at Lord Aeck Sargent. He’s helped secure LEED certification for more than 70 projects.
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Myron Boon Hall It’s easy to see why Nicolow’s sustainable approach dovetailed well at Warren Wilson College, a small school near Asheville, North Carolina, where educators instill a strong environmental ethic among students. (Undergrads grow much of the food served on campus, and the college boasts wide-ranging, student-run recycling and composting programs.) There, Nicolow helped spearhead a LEED-targeting, twostory classroom building (15,000 square feet) that emphasizes natural light—and the valley’s breathtaking views—and stands solar ready. The college is now procuring bids to install panels on the building, which was finished last year. Project Details Location: Asheville area Completion: June 2018 Size: 15,000 square feet MEP: McKnight Smith Ward Griffin Engineers Civil Engineer: Davis Civil Solutions Structural Engineer: Stewart Engineering
PHOTOS: TZU CHEN PHOTOGRAPHY; RENDERINGS: COURTESY OF LORD AECK SARGENT
Contractor: H&M Constructors
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Project Details Location: Decatur, GA Completion: 2014 Size: 52,000 square feet MEP: Andrews, Hammock & Powell Civil Engineer: Eberly & Associates Structural Engineer: Uzun + Case, LLC AV: Waveguide Consulting Contractor: Holder Construction Co.
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DRAWINGS: COURTESY OF LORD AECK SARGENT; PHOTOS: JONATHAN HILLYER
Campbell Hall Renovation A similarly green mindset thrives at Agnes Scott College, where Nicolow helped oversee the renovation of a 1951 science building—which had been left vacant for 10 years—into a progressive live-learn space that houses 96 students and also includes classrooms. The LEED Gold–certified space utilizes a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling, and Nicolow and his team were able to preserve the building’s more historic design elements. The hall— which was one of the college’s first new projects after pledging to go carbon-neutral by 2037—measured just 15.7 kBtu per square foot per year in 2018, a phenomenal energy reading for a higher education facility, Nicolow says.
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Batts Pavilion But Nicolow’s most captivating project—it’s the first we’ve encountered that utilized bovine-powered transportation during construction—might be the Batts Pavilion at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum at Kalamazoo College. The net-zero, off-grid pavilion/learning center was built atop a former landscape waste dump that was swarming with invasive species. Pine, used as support columns for the structure, was hauled by oxen from a nearby—but inaccessible by vehicle—area. And if you’re a visitor who wants water, you have to work for it. “A biologist who advised on the project wanted people to understand the energy involved in using water,” Nicolow says. The solution? Install a hand pump. There’s also a composting toilet and solar energy systems—all of which, despite the pavilion’s modest 1,600 square feet, adds up to “one of the most fully sustainable projects I’ve done,” Nicolow says. PHOTOS: JONATHAN HILLYER; DRAWINGS: COURTESY OF LORD AECK SARGENT
Project Details Location: Kalamazoo Completion: 2016 Size: 1,600 square feet MEP: Peter Basso Associates Structural Engineer: Nehil-Sivak, PC Civil Engineer: Hurley & Stewart Contractor: AVB Construction LLC Landscape Architect: Johnson Hill Land Ethics Studio
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Event Preview Spring 2019 By Tess Fang
DETAILS
GLOBALCON When March 20 & 21 Presented by the Association of Energy Engineers Where Boston (AEE), this year’s GLOBALCON celebrates 30 years of improvWeb globalconevent.com ing energy management. AEE training seminars offer attendees credits toward recertification as well as the chance to learn all the latest across the field of energy management. Seminars include “Fundamentals of Measurement and Verification (CMVP prep)” and “Industrial Energy Strategies for Reducing Costs and Optimizing Systems Performance (CIEP prep),” among many others.
DETAILS
LIVING FUTURE UNCONFERENCE 2019 When April 30–May 3 The 13th annual Living Future unConference will bring Where Seattle together more than 1,100 attendees from all over the world Web unconference.living-future.org for a global conversation around everything green living. Attendees will collaborate to address some of the world’s most alarming problems. Living Future unConference encourages all voices to participate in the conversation around regenerative design. This year’s festivities include talks from Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org; Mary Robinson, the former president of Ireland and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change; and Mustafa Santiago Ali, senior vice president of climate, environmental justice, and community revitalization at Hip Hop Caucus.
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PHOTO: JOLIE GOODSON
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Register today for the architecture & design event of the year! Image: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
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AIA Conference on Architecture 2019 June 6-8, Las Vegas conferenceonarchitecture.com
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