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Breaking ground on groundbreaking communities
Break new ground with a geothermal community Geothermal communities are gaining popularity all around the country. In fact, several of these new communities are completely sold out and new homes are being snapped up well before construction ever begins. Geothermal is simply the most efficient way to heat and cool a home and economies of scale for all-geothermal communities make them more economical to install. Whether potential homeowners are tech savvy, environmentally conscious, or looking to save money, geothermal has something to offer. Let WaterFurnace be a resource to provide best-practices, help avoid mistakes others have made, and help your development become successful.
Learn more at waterfurnace.com/neighborhoods
WaterFurnace is a registered trademark of WaterFurnace International, Inc. Š2019 WaterFurnace International Inc.
In This Issue July+August 2019 Volume 10, Issue 57
A Clear Work of Art This Iowa headquarters fits in beautifully with the surrounding public green space.
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Making Great Buildings Greater
Table of Contents
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Products
Projects
Practice
12 6 Benefits of Central Vacuum Systems
44 A New Kind of Social Space
88 Ask the Expert: Laurel Custom Grating
BEAM helps homeowners breathe more easily—literally and figuratively.
16 Five Benefits of Aluminum All-Terrain Staircases Hewitt Docks, Lifts & Pontoon Legs transforms waterfronts.
The team behind Planar House in Brazil took “green building” to another level with a roof that looks more like a lawn.
Explore the quarry and the craft behind Materials Marketing’s limestone, travertine, and marble.
28 An Expert’s Guide to High-Performance Siding Nichiha shows off the benefits and dispels myths about fiber cement products and more.
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When is it best to use each type of steel grating option?
96 Ask the Expert: APV Engineered Coatings
Features 63 Bringing the Inside Out
“Why should I source PVDF coatings—and what exactly is PVDF?”
98 Ask the Expert: Mermet USA
Cellar Masters offers up the custom, modern storage solutions you want and need.
24 An Expert’s Guide to Natural Stone
Denver’s Improper City transforms a former HVAC warehouse to a multifaceted event space.
50 Where Built and Natural Environments Meet
20 How to Incorporate the Perfect Wine Cellar
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KBS is transforming buildings to make next-generation spaces people can’t wait to work in.
How can shade fabrics aesthetically transform a project?
102 Architect to Watch: Andrew Schuster, Ashley McGraw
This principal emphasizes community and sustainability across the Syracuse firm’s projects.
Companies are rethinking the open office and employees are breathing a breath of fresh air as more work moves outside.
80 Unlike Anything Else
Oceanside Glass & Tile is saving glass scraps to bring beautiful, sustainable design to life.
Plus 7 News 100 WSLA Insights
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Contributors
Green Building & Design gbdmagazine.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Christopher Howe ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Laura Heidenreich
MANAGING EDITOR
Laura Rote
DIGITAL EDITOR
Stephen Gossett ART DIRECTOR
Kristina Walton Zapata ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Sarah Treleaven (“How to Incorporate the Perfect Wine Cellar”) is a writer whose work has appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire, The Guardian, New York Magazine, Canadian Traveller, AFAR, and many other publications. She recently relocated from Toronto to Nova Scotia, where she resides with her boyfriend and a Chihuahua. PG. 20
Julie Veternick
ACCOUNT MANAGERS
Briagenn Adams, Ciara Gomez, Christian Van Epps EDITORIAL INTERNS
Ella Lee, Mina Kalkatechi GRAPHIC DESIGNER INTERNS
Emma Perdue, Logan Pilger CONTRIBUTORS
Christine Bruckner, Colleen DeHart, Kate Griffith, Mikenna Pierotti, Margaret Poe, Julia Stone, Mike Thomas, Sarah Treleaven, Matt Watson MAIL
Green Building & Design 1765 N. Elston Ave., Suite 202 Chicago, IL 60642
Mike Thomas is a Chicago-based writer whose work appears regularly in Chicago magazine. He also spent nearly 15 years at the Chicago Sun-Times and is the author of two books. He has written about a wide range of subjects—from movie stars and bestselling authors to famous musicians and business leaders. PG. 96
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. 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.
Colleen DeHart (“Bringing the Outside In”) is a freelance writer and social media manager in Chicago. Her writing career began with journaling and amateur children’s books and evolved to newspapers, print magazines, and digital content. When she isn’t focused on writing, Colleen can be found chasing her two kids, two dogs, and (on rare occasion) two cats around the backyard. PG. 63
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Editors’ Note Share your comments on this issue. Tweet us @gbd_mag
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The magazine for today’s leading green professional
HOW A FRANK GEHRY DESIGN TAKES FACEBOOK'S MENLO PARK HQ TO NEW HEIGHTS P. 63
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VIRTUAL DESIGN LIBRARY | GHOST MAPLE Y0694
JULU+AUGUST 2019 VOL.10, NO.57
Our Virtual Design Library is an ever-expanding boutique collection of laminates. With designs showcasing nature, folk art, patterns, and more, there’s endless possibilities for every unique space.
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ON THE COVER Frank Gehry’s design for Facebook’s Menlo Park headquarters gets employees outside and in the trees. Photo Courtesy of Facebook
5 Things We Learned During the Making of This Issue which houses employees from Kum & Go and other Krause businesses, has a new headquarters in Des Moines across from the John & Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The surrounding plaza is landscaped to serve as an extension of the sculpture park, where you’ll find work from Barry Flanagan, Yoshitomo Nara, and others. KRAUSE, PG. 32
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This month’s Architect to Watch, Andrew Schuster, worked abroad after graduation and before returning to his Syracuse hometown. His most notable stop? An Irish firm that built super-low energy, but still highly durable, buildings from almost entirely natural materials—even hay bales. ANDREW SCHUSTER, PG. 102
Oceanside Glass & Tile is one of few North American companies that does through-body color in its glass, as opposed to glass manufacturers who make translucent glass and simply paint the back. Oceanside’s color is baked into the formula—no matter what kind of glass piece it is. This allows not only for versatile design, but also consistent color. OCEANSIDE, PG. 80
In Denver, Granite Tower (pictured) is a 560,000-square-foot landmark property. The owner, KBS, is improving the property with an architectural pavilion and bicycle storage facility and converting the entire third floor into a new amenity floor for tenants. It’s part of what KBS does best— take great buildings and make them even better. KBS, PG. 74
BEAM Central Vacuum Systems are changing the way we clean, as they’re not only healthier; they’re also quieter. We also discovered there are no filters or screens to clean or replace with a BEAM Central Vacuum System. BEAM power units utilize an exclusive permanent self-cleaning filtration material from the makers of GORE-TEX fabric. BEAM,
RENDERING: STUDIO 216
The Krause Gateway Center,
PG. 12
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Editors’ Picks News
Offecct’s Soundsticks
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OFFECCT
When Swedish design company Offecct set out to design a commercial acoustics product, they wanted it to be a sustainable product like nothing the industry had seen before. They reached out to Italian/Hungarian industrial designer Andrea Ruggiero to find a way to transform waste material into a high performing commercial product. The result? Soundsticks. The colorful tubular room dividers are made entirely from leftover materials and can be arranged to create a fashionable, functional look while reducing ambient noise in public spaces or open offices. Soundsticks use fabric leftovers from Offecct and Flokk’s furniture production, contain a sound-absorbing material made of recycled textile and PET, and include recycled aluminum plates. They’re made completely without glue. offecct.com
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Coolest White Paint Dutch architecture firm UNStudio and Monopol Colors, a Swiss paint manufacturer, have teamed up to create a white paint that protects buildings by reflecting sunlight. The “coolest white paint” is said to have a high total solar reflectance, uses ultra-durable fluoropolymer technology, and has a higher abrasion resistance than polyester. Thanks to its easy-to-clean properties, it also repels dirt, so you can count on low maintenance costs and even remove most marks, including graffiti, quickly and easily. UNStudio estimates the coating has a lifespan of up to 30 years. coolestwhite.com
Green Buildings & Healthy Places
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PHOTOS, CLOCKWISE: COURTESY OF MONOPOL COLORS; COURTESY OF USGBC (2)
Research from a recent USGBC report shows people want to live in healthy places, but they don’t typically associate green buildings as part of the solution. “When asked which terms most strongly relate to the environment and being green, only 11% said green buildings,” according to a USGBC press release. The research suggests a gap between the size of the problem and how people address it on a regular basis. “When people think about emissions, they think about cars, power plants, and industries,” says USGBC CEO Mahesh Ramanujam. “They rarely think about buildings, leaving the green building community with a messaging mountain to climb. We are not reaching the broader population effectively enough to change their behavior or decisions on the scale necessary to combat climate-related risks.” The survey is one in a series of public research reports to be released through the Living Standard campaign, which was launched at the 2018 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Chicago. livingstandard.org
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Oceanix City
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BJARKE INGELS GROUP
Concerns around climate change aren’t going away anytime soon, and some designers—like Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)—are looking for ways to lessen the impact. Considering 90% of the world’s largest cities will be exposed to rising seas by 2050, BIG—alongside partners like the MIT Center for Ocean Engineering and many others—has proposed the world’s first sustainable “floating community.” It’s all part of UN-Habitat’s New Urban Agenda. This city on the sea, called Oceanix City, could house up to 10,000 residents and is designed to grow organically over time. oceanix.org
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Anis in Nice Méridia
BETTER SPACES START WITH
French architects Dimitri Roussel and Nicolas Laisné set new standards for eco-centric design with their recent office building at the heart of Nice Méridia—an ambitious urban neighborhood that centers around sustainable development by providing plenty of greenery, public spaces, and exemplary aesthetics. With a combination of outdoor staircases and large common areas, Anis provides ample opportunity for social interaction. The architects’ innovative strategy to move the circulation space to the facade opens the building’s interior, increases mobility by encouraging occupants to use stairs, and acts as a shading alternative to costly sun control systems. Sporadic greenery along the dynamic white terraces are a playful—and environmental— reinterpretation of the strict functionalism in modern office buildings.
BETTER MATERIALS
PHOTO: CYRILLE WEINER
The Sustain® portfolio offers the broadest selection of sustainable panels, grid, trims, and transitions in the industry. Each product meets the most stringent industry sustainability standards – including LEED® v4, WELL Building Standard™, FitWell®, and Living Building Challenge 3.0. And we commit to making it simple by providing transparency in our material disclosures with Declare labels, HPDs (Health Product Declarations), EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations), and UL GreenGuard Low Emissions Certification. See how easy it is to specify better spaces at armstrongceilings.com/sustain
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Directory
INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING? Contact Laura Heidenreich at laura@gbdmagazine.com for more information about advertising in our print magazine, online, and newsletter, as well as custom media.
APV Engineered Coatings, 96
Materials Marketing, 24
apvcoatings.com 800.772.3452
materials-marketing.com 210.731.8453
Armstrong Commercial Ceiling & Wall, 7
Mermet, 98 mermetusa.com 866.902.9647
armstrongceilings.com/sustain 877.276.7876
Cellar Masters, 20 cellarmastersinc.com 805.375.5040
Newforma, Inc., 92
EZ-ACCESS, 86
Nuera Air, 12
ezaccess.com 800.258.8503
beamvac.com 800.361.3965
GALE Pacific USA, Inc., 68
Nichiha, 28 nichiha.com 770.805.9466
newforma.com 877.875.8252
galecommercial.com 800.560.4667
GCP Applied Technologies, 94
gcpat.com 617.876.1400
Oceanside Glass & Tile, 80 ®
glasstile.com 760.603.3962
Hewitt Docks, Lifts & Pontoon Legs, 16
Overtone Acoustics, 84
hewittrad.com 800.544.2067
overtoneacoustics.com 415.855.4950
KBS, 74
Shaw Sports Turf, 90
kbs.com 949.417.6500
shawsportsturf.com 866.703.4004
Laurel Custom Grating, LLC, 88 laurelcustomgrating.com 855.520.5178
WaterFurnace International, 2
waterfurnace.com 260.478.5667
Wilsonart, 108
wilsonart.com 800.433.3222
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NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL ADDITIO july–august 2019 11 DESIGNED FOR HEALING
PRODUCTS
6 Benefits of Central Vacuum Systems BEAM is making cleaning easier and more efficient than ever with a system that’s inside your walls. The days of lugging heavy vacuums all around the house and maneuvering around cords are over thanks to central vacuum systems. BEAM built-in central vacuums are making people’s lives much easier—and healthier. BEAM started manufacturing built-in vacuum systems in 1957. The company focused solely on central vacuum systems and over the next 60 years emerged to become the undisputed technology and market leader in the central vacuum industry. The acquisition of BEAM in 2018 cemented Nuera Air as the global power in central vacuums. “Every day Nuera Air strives to be at the forefront to offer central vacuum solutions customized to your needs,” says Jodi Eke, global marketing manager for BEAM. Central vacuum systems are simple yet make a world of difference. They can be installed in a day, whether it’s a new build or retrofit. Eke can speak from experience—she had the BEAM Alliance system installed at her home about four years ago. “It was a really great experience,” she says. A BEAM system includes a power unit, typically installed in the garage or basement, and two-inch PVC tubing that’s installed throughout the home’s interior walls. The system’s designed to carry 100% of the contacted dirt, dust, and allergens away from the living area to the central power unit. Once installed and ready to vacuum, you simply insert a lightweight hose into one of the wall inlet valves. Most homes have one central vacuum inlet valve per floor. Enrico Dubach, president of Swiss Boy Vacuum of Utah, has been a BEAM Warranty Service Center for 30-plus years. “With other dealers and brands, the warranty service has been lacking. The customer satisfaction for BEAM has been maintained for a very long time, resulting in an amazing amount of brand loyalty.” Dubach himself is also an owner of a BEAM Alliance, so he knows the benefits. “We have three cats, and my wife vacuums constantly. The BEAM Alliance is super quiet and super powerful. It has a futuristic look, which lights up when I walk past it in the garage. The clear dirt bucket makes it easy to see when it’s full of cat hair and very convenient to empty.” But the benefits don’t stop there.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF BEAM
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Convenient
Clean Air
The size of the BEAM Central Vacuum System makes it accessible to anyone. “The average portable vacuum weighs 15 pounds,” Eke says. “But the BEAM hose and handle weigh only 7 pounds. This makes it easy to move from task to task, level to level, and floor to ceiling.” BEAM also does a lot of the work for you, as the permanent self-cleaning filter never needs to be replaced. By using cyclonic forces to separate larger dirt particles and allergens from vacuumed air, the permanent filter removes tiny particles at 98% efficiency at 0.3 microns. You won’t find any dust particles sticking to the BEAM self-cleaning filter surface like conventional filter media. The self-cleaning filter cleans itself every time the system is turned off, and the large capacity dirt bucket only needs to be emptied about twice a year.
For people living with airborne allergens, a BEAM Central Vacuum System provides quick relief, as the BEAM Alliance HE Allergen Filter separates allergens from the air. “The vast majority of our customers love the fact that they can have a home that has zero dust emissions recirculated into the air the way portable vacuums work,” Graham says. “No other portable can claim zero dust or odors since they all blow out dirty vacuum air. Some do have HEPA filtration, but this can be costly to replace or timeconsuming to wash and dry.”
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She highly recommends the innovative Vac-Pan. “A common misconception around central vacuums is that people don’t need them if they don’t have carpeting,” says Graham Stuart, owner of McHardy Vacuum and other BEAM stores in Ontario. “The truth is that you need a tremendous amount of suction and airflow. This is to effectively pick up the heavy sands and dirt that lead to premature wear and tear on hardwood floors. Not to mention getting the dirt that sticks in the grout lines on tile floors. We have many clients say they don’t have carpets so they only need a cordless or a cheaper vacuum. Only later do they realize that they don’t pick up as well as they’re supposed to, and the cordless models only last three to four years before having to replace them.”
BEAM’s quietness means vacuuming never disturbs the family or pets.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BEAM
The flexible lightweight hose and inlet system allow you to move from room to room without having to push a heavy upright vacuum or pull a canister vacuum, bumping into walls or furniture. All you need to do is work with the hose, which helps you get to those hard to reach places. And you can use it everywhere, from bare floors, carpet, and stairs to furniture and even your garage. “Most portable vacuum owners own multiple vacuums to do specific jobs,” Eke says. BEAM’s Global Product and Marketing Strategy Manager Kevin Elliott calls the central vacuum “a Swiss Army knife for cleaning.” These days Eke relies solely on BEAM, whether it’s to get bugs out of window wells or clean up cat hair. Eke also loves the gadgets, like the crevice tool that goes under her stove and refrigerator.
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Smart
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF BEAM
Tubing is installed throughout a home’s interior walls, attic, basement, and crawl spaces, connecting vacuum inlets to the power unit. Each strategically located inlet valve lets you vacuum approximately 700 to 800 square feet.
Sustainable
Quiet
BEAM’s sustainability is largely attributed to the system’s durability—you don’t need to go to a big-box store every few years and buy a new vacuum. “BEAM central vacuums are sustainable, as they last typically 25 to 30 years before needing replacement,” Eke says. The average portable vacuum lasts around eight years, according to Consumer Reports. The BEAM dealer network is also vast, so you can always find an expert if you need one; just visit beamvac.com/where-to-buy. “If you’re going to invest in a Dyson you could very well invest in a central vacuum system, and then you’ve only invested once,” Eke says. “And you’re enhancing your home.”
Perhaps one of the most unexpected benefits of the BEAM central vacuum system is its quietness. With the power unit installed away from the house interior, the noise you’d often associate with running a portable vacuum is reduced significantly. BEAM Alliance power units, for example, are available with a 68 dBA rating. That means you can vacuum even if someone is on the phone. “With a regular portable vacuum, pets often run and hide under the bed,” Eke says. “You don’t experience that with a central vacuum system.”
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The system’s simplicity is part of what makes it so innovative. BEAM Alliance’s exclusive “Press & Release” bucket allows you to simply press on any two points around the ring and pull down to empty the bucket. Snap the bucket back into place easily with one hand. “Older people or people with arthritis have no issues,” Eke says. “It’s such an easy way to empty your bucket, and you’re not emptying it on a regular basis.” BEAM also has clever communication. The vacuum communicates with the hose handle interface so you know how the system is performing while you clean. An Intelligent Smart Screen features a motion sensored backlit ring, system-on indicator, hose linked icon, empty bucket icon, and motor fault icon. An Advanced Smart Screen has all the same features as the Intelligent Smart Screen as well as performance bars, a motor speed indicator, clock, and buttons for easy navigation.
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Five Benefits of Aluminum AllTerrain Staircases Hewitt all-terrain stairway solutions are built to last in any environment. BY MATT WATSON
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Minnesota is famous as the land of 10,000 lakes, so it’s no surprise that North America’s leading manufacturer of boat docks and outdoor stairway solutions was founded in a small town just outside the Twin Cities. Established in 1971 when Larry Hewitt bought Bauer Welding Shop, Hewitt Docks, Lifts & Pontoon Legs is a family-owned business now on its second generation of management. “My father was a machinist by trade,” says COO Troy Hewitt. “The marine industry wasn’t his goal, but he was asked by a friend to build a dock with wheels and everything started to grow from there.” What began as a small operation has expanded into a 22-acre campus with nearly 400,000 square feet of facilities. Docks and boat lifts were the company’s bread and butter, but Hewitt soon realized the need for a more durable and versatile way for people to access their lakefront. “We wanted to have a stair system that was going to last forever,” says Chris Shay, Hewitt’s sales manager. Especially in an aquatic setting, traditional wood stairs will rot and require consistent maintenance, and steel quickly rusts, he says. Thus, the aluminum all-terrain staircase was born. With the help of an in-house engineering team, the stairs have evolved over time and taken on an array of new applications. > gb&d
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HEWITT DOCKS, LIFTS & PONTOON LEGS
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Environmentally Friendly As a company focused on outdoor recreation, Hewitt wanted to be sure its products were conscious of the environment they inhabit. That was one of the considerations in creating the all-terrain stairs from aluminum. For starters, aluminum is among the most eco-friendly metals found on Earth. It’s 100% recyclable and less energyintensive to form than steel. Yet the environmental benefits extend beyond the material itself. “It’s also about minimizing any disturbance to the natural environment throughout the life of the product, and that includes installation,” says Andrew Olsen, the company’s marketing specialist. Olsen explains that the stairs work around their natural setting, rather than displacing greenery and other natural features. Hewitt All-Terrain Staircases are the ideal solution for anyone looking to protect their overall project costs, for ease of installation and for durability. The sustainable solution combines strength and aesthetic appeal that truly is a step above the rest.
Hewitt’s all-terrain staircases make it easier to reach the top of any hillside and get to where you’re going.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HEWITT DOCKS, LIFTS & PONTOON LEGS
While aluminum isn’t as heavy as steel or wood, it’s just as durable and far easier to work with. Hewitt explains that creating extrusions in the aluminum—a process where the metal is pushed through a form mold to add shape and texture—increases its strength. “We can add strength in certain areas with extrusions, making the aluminum more robust yet still lightweight,” he says. Hewitt adds that aluminum doesn’t rust or rot, and the aluminum oxide that results from its natural aging process actually strengthens the material further. It truly is a no-maintenance solution. gbdmagazine.com
PRODUCTS
ThruFlow decking lets light and water flow through the stairs and allows vegetation to grow around the system.
Diverse Design Options With 13 color choices and an abundance of add-on features, Hewitt’s all-terrain stairs aren’t just functional— they’re designed to look good in any setting. “We add a two-tone powder coating in different colors, and the earthy tones blend perfectly with the natural surroundings,” Shay says. Hewitt also offers ThruFlow decking for the treads, which contains small slots that let light and water flow through and allow vegetation to grow around the system. The sleek, minimalist design is ideal for a contemporary look that works just as well at the lake as it does in a residential setting. “All of our stairs are customized to match the terrain and slope of the application, yet lead times are minimal. Solid-sided, nonadjustable options are also available, and stairs can be anywhere from threeto five-feet wide,” Shay says.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF HEWITT DOCKS, LIFTS & PONTOON LEGS
Simple Installation Compared to other outdoor stairway solutions, Hewitt’s all-terrain staircases are a breeze to install. “You could easily put them together yourself in a single sunny afternoon,” Shay says. In fact, nearly half of Hewitt’s customers install the stairs themselves. The company even created a series of instructional YouTube videos to complement the written assembly directions. Since aluminum is far lighter than other comparable materials, especially steel, Hewitt says the installation process is about one-third less labor intensive than other solutions. This means that customers who choose to have a contractor complete the installation will save a substantial amount of money. In most installations, there’s also no need for a permit, since the metal poles that hold the stairs in place simply need to be driven into the ground without the use of a concrete base.
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Versatile for All Terrains
Hewitt’s all-terrain staircases save time and money, as installation is simple enough to complete on your own if desired.
As the name implies, Hewitt’s all-terrain stairways are an ideal solution for any terrain or use case. “The most difficult thing people experience when looking for an outdoor stair solution is that the terrain itself is never going to be perfect. Concrete footings are going to be difficult to pour on a hillside, cement blocks will never stay in place, and it’s challenging to put stairs along any hillside,” Shay says. Because the stairs don’t require concrete foundations and are highly adjustable, it’s much easier to find the path of least resistance along a hill. And while the all-terrain stairs are commonly used in rural, lakeside settings, there’s a growing demand for urban applications as well. “If you have a living quarters above a garage, or a second story on an apartment building or commercial complex, the all-terrain stairs are a more flexible and costeffective solution than steel or wood stairs,” Shay says. july–august 2019
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HOW TO
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CELLAR MASTERS
Incorporate the Perfect Wine Cellar Making wine is an ancient art, but Cellar Masters is bringing storage solutions into the modern era. BY SARAH TRELEAVEN
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Cellar Masters builds custom wine cellars, rooms, and walls and ensures you have adequate climate control.
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Scott Berry doesn’t exactly have wine in his blood, but he may as well. His formative years are full of memories of his aunt and uncle’s Mendocino County vineyard—the passion, hard work, and shared fruits of their labor. And so five years ago, at age 50 and looking for a change from his work in IT, Berry turned back to the wine world and decided to buy Cellar Masters. “I have two passions—golf and wine,” he says. “And if you’ve ever seen me golf, you know I made the right choice.” Cellar Masters, founded in 1990 in Newbury Park, now has 24 full-time employees and does business all across California. The company designs, builds, and installs beautiful custom wine cellars, rooms, and walls. They even have their own cooling department to handle climate control—unusual in a world where most businesses do either cooling or racking. “We can do the whole thing turnkey, whatever the project needs,” Berry says. > july–august 2019
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF CELLAR MASTERS
The most dense and efficient way to store bottles is cork view, according to the experts at Cellar Masters.
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UP FRONT
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CELLAR MASTERS
An increasing number of Cellar Masters clients are looking to include elements like stainless steel, aluminum, or acrylic in custom-made hybrid racks.
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Wine Stored Right, By Design
Endless Fit and Finish Options
Maintenance Made Easy
When it comes to designing a system to store wine, Berry encourages his clients to consider three things to optimize quality. First, temperature; wine does not like fluctuations. Second, light; wine should not sit in direct sunlight because the UV rays break down the wine in the bottle. And third, vibration; wines shouldn’t be jostled, but instead allowed to settle so tannin molecules can polymerize and combine with other molecules—that magical process that softens a properly aged wine’s velvety feel on the palate. Another key element to establish upfront is the capacity goal—just how many bottles do you want to store? “Some people already have a fairly elaborate collection and they’re looking to store a couple thousand bottles,” Berry says. “That gives me an idea of what kind of space we need to be looking at and what kind of racking we might need.” A wine cellar used to conjure up images of a dark, musty basement. But over the last two decades, wine storage has become a key feature of many home designs. Berry says some of his clients— especially those not looking to store high-volume collections—are moving to highly aesthetic wine rooms, wine walls, or even wine closets on the main floor of houses—places where wine can be central to daily life.
Cellar Masters offers many build and finish options that apply to racking. The woods they typically work with at their onsite woodshop include walnut, alder, African Mahogany, and white oak, with walnut at the top end of the pricing spectrum and alder closer to the bottom. Berry finds more and more clients are interested in other elements, too, like stainless steel, aluminum, or acrylic, and his company now offers hybrid racks. More glass is also being used in contemporary systems. All racking systems support standard 750-milliliter Burgundy-style bottles, and modifications can be made to support magnums and other non-standard bottles. Virtually every system installed by Cellar Masters is now illuminated by LEDs, partly because of their low-voltage nature and partly because they don’t generate heat to compete with the cooling system. Clients also have three options for storing individual bottles. With cork view, the bottle sits perpendicular to the wall with the cork facing away from the wall. With label view, the bottle sits parallel to the wall with the label facing out. And with presentation view, the bottle sits perpendicular but at a bit of an angle— with the cork facing the wall. The most dense and efficient way to store bottles— ideal for those with big collections—is cork view.
Once the cellar has been installed, the only mechanical piece to maintain is the cooling unit. Cellar Masters offers maintenance contracts that allow for once or twice a year visits, essentially offering a checkup for the health of the system. “If the condenser gets clogged with debris, it’s not going to have an efficient heat exchange, which will shorten the lifespan of that unit,” Berry says. His business also partners with other industry experts— such as cellar curators—who can help clients manage their collection and ensure they’re drinking each wine at its peak. And that wine, Berry says, is ideally shared with friends. Cellar Masters helps clients create not just storage but social spaces where people can come together for an “all-encompassing sensory experience.” In his 40 years as first an observer and now a key player in the California wine industry, one of the biggest changes he’s seen is the increasing accessibility and sociability of wine culture. “When you drink wine, it’s not just the liquid in the bottle,” he says. “It’s something you share, and your experience of the wine is driven by all of the factors surrounding you—including the people you’re with.”
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An Expert’s Guide
to Natural Stone
By Mikenna Pierotti
Stone building is arguably the foundation of modern human civilization. From the creation of the first stone tools more than 2.5 million years ago to the first granite and marble mines, humans have always sought the warmth and strength of stone. Although structural building with stone has become rare, this durable, versatile, and ancient material is still playing a leading role—especially in sustainable design, says Tolga Altug, product and sourcing manager at Materials Marketing, America’s sole fully integrated manufacturer of hand-carved architectural and dimensional stone and tile. “When you select natural stone such as marble for your floors … there is a good chance the chosen material could be more than 200 million years old,” he says. “Some of the criteria that influences your decision may have been applied by ancient architects and builders dating back to the Bronze Age.” Materials Marketing is America’s oldest and largest stone manufacturer. Since 1965 the company has grown substantially, purchasing smaller factories and quarries and sourcing its stone from all over the world to ensure the highest quality—and most sustainable practices— from quarry to final product. This allows their team of designers to walk customers through the entire process, from material selection to AutoCAD renderings to delivery. Specializing in residential work primarily, the company is also experienced with commercial projects, the largest of which is a California shopping mall with more than 145,000 feet of stone.
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PHOTO: MIKE CREWS PHOTOGRAPHY
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What are the Most Popular Stone Types? Limestone, travertine, and marble are three of Materials Marketing’s most popular types of natural stone. Each carries with it a unique story that can be applied to modern design. And, each has its own character that stems from its history and geography. Limestone formed millions of years ago under warm, shallow seas or lakes.
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The three variants of limestone have been used to build some of history’s most beautiful structures—including the Great Sphinx, the Parthenon, and the Lincoln Memorial. And, you’ll see marble and travertine in iconic buildings like the Taj Mahal and the Colosseum. Today natural stone still finds its way into every type of building, whether commercial or residential, high-end or inexpensive. Window and door frames, terraces and paving, interior and exterior wall cladding, kitchen worktops, washbasins, fireplaces—stone is an option for nearly any project. All you have to do is match the requirements of your space to the material’s characteristics. “These materials differ greatly in terms of their technical characteristics such as water absorption, compression strength, heat storage capacity, or frost resistance,” Altug says. “Depending on whether the material is milled, cut, pointed, broached, sanded, or polished, a new look and aesthetic is created.” The look of a stone reveals little about its qualities. Materials Marketing’s limestone, for example, comes in speckled mochas, cool beiges, and warm greiges. Marbles vary from icy pale shot through with gray to chocolate browns to something akin to the surface of the moon. Travertine can have a mottled appearance, with notes of blue and slate appearing in pockets throughout a neutral base color. It’s mostly made of accumulated marine debris and minerals from shells, But each stone has uses for which it’s most suited. “Limestone is a very bones, and coral. This makes limestone highly malleable, yet strong and machinable, workable material,” says versatile. Robert Copeland, director of operaTravertine, a type of limestone, tions at AJ Brauer Stone, a limestone forms from the evaporation manufacturer in Texas owned of mineralized water, often in by Materials Marketing since This Chicago project 2012. That makes it perfect caves. All types of limestone included Cream can include small particles of for carving and shaping everyLimestone with minerals that change the look thing from window and door rosette hand-carved and feel, like quartz, feldspar, surrounds to fireplaces to extepanels and a custom, clay minerals, and pyrite. rior cladding. hand-carved bay Marble is limestone that Travertine, with its soft, window detail. has been subjected to extreme natural appearance, is a good heat and pressure, often in choice for f looring, patios, volcanic regions. But that and gardens as well as tub makes it even more durable surrounds and vanity tops. with a unique aesthetic. “Marble is Marble, with its durability and shine, composed very strongly with more crysoften finds its way into building extals, which gives it a particular shine,” teriors, flooring, stair coverings, or Altug says. countertops. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: MIKE CREWS PHOTOGRAPHY
How is Each Stone Best Used?
PRODUCTS
Where Does the Stone Come From? The process starts at the mines. Altug says about 85 to 90% of natural stone mines are open pit. It’s more economical. With total control of how earth is removed and replaced, reclamation can be an ongoing and tightly controlled process.
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF MATERIALS MARKETING
Copeland says limestone mining has many layers. “We quarry 12 ledges or sections of stone, and each section changes as you go down.” From these ledges, AJ Brauer sells everything from dimensional cut stone to thin stone veneers to retaining wall blocks. “It’s like a hog. You try to use absolutely everything.” From quarries all over the world, the stone is transported to manufacturers for refining. Depending on its use, it might be squared, cut, carved, flattened, honed, polished, or treated with epoxy resin and then offered for sale. After a customer makes a selection or settles on a custom design, the Materials Marketing design staff helps pack and ship the finished products.
NATURAL STONE CHARACTERISTICS TRAVERTINE
MARBLE
LIMESTONE
CANTERA
Metamorphic stone
Metamorphic stone
Sedimentary stone
Volcanic stone
Similar density to marble but different cavity structure
High density composition
Softer density and medium porosity
Soft density and high porosity
contain any major pollutants.” And it ing are cooled by water,” Copeland says. lasts for generations. That water carries a slurry of limestone The process of turning raw stone dust and cuttings that are then settled into finished work is tightly out, pressed into patties or controlled at Materials Marcakes, and reused in the recketing’s quarries. “We try to lamation process. Then the Materials Marketing’s Cream cleaned water is used again utilize all the waste we can for Limestone is tooled different products,” Copeland for cooling. for a project and says. Land reclamation begins With modern blades, techthen hand-finished. immediately, with topsoil and niques, and computer-aided overburden saved for backfilldesign, there’s almost nothing ing later. Once a portion of stone can’t do these days. And the site is spent, topsoil and Materials Marketing plans to planted native grasses do their work, be at the forefront in this new era. “In returning the landscape to rangeland. the past few years, this building materiWhether the stone is being finished al experienced a renaissance, not least and polished by expert hands for a cusbecause of its ecological properties,”
How is Natural Stone Sustainable? Building with natural stone is sustainable, too, Altug says. “Extraction requires only a small energy expenditure. It can be easily disposed of and recycled since natural stone does not gb&d
tom piece or turned out quickly with high-tech tools, every step emphasizes reusing and recycling. Water is one area where reclamation is both smart and economical. “The diamonds we use in cutting the stone and all the tool-
Altug says. “The special feature of natural stone is its versatility, which makes every surface—be it a facade, roof, or f loor—unique and offers architects and builders countless design options.” gb&d july–august 2019
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This residential project includes Nichiha’s horizontal vintage wood cedar.
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An Expert’s Guide to High-
Performance Siding By Julia Stone
The high-performance siding market is changing, as architects are in search of affordable, beautiful solutions for projects everywhere. Increasingly, top architects are discovering that there really is an option for less costly, high design exteriors that isn’t wood, stucco, or vinyl; that option is fiber cement composite. “Architects are struggling to find products that work with their budget,” says Tim Seims, market segment manager at Nichiha. It’s part of why Nichiha, a leading sustainable exterior and interior facades company, is meeting with municipalities and homeowners associations (HOAs) to educate them about the high design siding and cladding options that are available across budgets, and how exterior design impacts neighborhoods. Part of that education includes dispelling old myths. It’s been said that fiber cement products all look the same, but that’s simply not the case. Seims says the myth can be traced back to the widespread use of thin commodity fiber cement products in multifamily buildings. Experts like Rick Mohler, an architect and associate professor at University of Washington, have attributed the uniform look of mixed-use, multi-family buildings to the overuse of neutral, fiber-cement siding, according to Curbed Seattle. Thin fiber cement siding products have been popular because of their low cost and durability—but they don’t offer much in the way of design flexibility. Many cities, like Portland and Minneapolis, have limited the use of thin fiber cement products to 10% of the exterior of the building in an effort to reduce building uniformity. “The entire pipeline of projects utilizing thin commodity fiber cement products looks the same,” Seims says. But thin fiber cement is not Nichiha’s value proposition. The Japanese company developed its Architectural Wall Panel offering, a shiplap-edge cement board panel system with rainscreen clip attachment, in 1973 to address the coastal high winds, freeze/thaw, and seismic concerns of the island nation. When the cladding system launched into the market, Nichiha immediately saw huge growth—today, nearly one in two buildings in Japan features Nichiha’s products. Since entering the U.S. market in the late ’90s, the company has continued to expand its fiber cement product offerings. “Our Architectural Wall Panel essentially has stayed the same over the years, but we are constantly making new profiles, textures, and sheens,” Seims says. gb&d
PHOTO: COURTESY OF NICHIHA
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gistics. This often results in concessions to the point where the design intent is lost. By using different finishes and textures from Nichiha’s panel systems, the architects were able to achieve the contrast they wanted. “They didn’t have to use multiple cladding suppliers and tradespeople,” Seims says. “Instead they could use one trade, one manufacturer, one warranty, and one installer for four different looks on the same project.”
Why Spec Fiber Cement? DESIGN FLEXIBILITY The traditional raw, architectural concrete look is just the beginning when it comes to design options for cement board panels. Cement composite can be made in many textures and finishes, ranging from reclaimed wood or limestone to brick and mortarless stone. Recently Nichiha launched
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Thick cement composite products are resistant to warping, termites, rot, impact, and fire. “One installer calls our architectural cladding system a ‘wall straightener’ because it makes walls appear straighter, even if the framing isn’t,” Seims says. Thin fiber cement doesn’t have the same mass or rigidity as thick products so it follows the contour of the surface it’s applied to and “waviness” in the wall is often the result. Fiber cement is a high alkaline material, which means insects like termites can’t digest it well. Both thin and thick fiber cement products resist rot, too, even when exposed to heavy rain and seawater. As far as durability in extreme elements, almost every fiber cement manufacturer has Miami-Dade hurricane testing approval in Florida, including Nichiha. Nichiha offers its Ultimate Clip II system for these high wind conditions. Fiber cement as a category is accepted by many HOAs, but many architects and homeowners don’t use it because of their misconception influenced by the thinner commodity products. Some homebuilders even opt to use wood siding products in high-risk a high gloss panel with a mirror sheen finish. There’s also Illuminations, the wildfire areas like California and have customizable wall panel series to use a sprinkler system on the with a smooth finish that comes home’s interior. The aesthetics Nichiha’s in virtually any color. and performance issues could Illuminations Architects often use multiple be avoided with thicker, firecustom color panels, industrial products on the same project to resistant cladding systems like block panels, and achieve exterior design contrast cement composite panels that vintage wood or context. Cortona at Forest meet Wildlands Urban Inter“cedar” panels Park in St. Louis, designed by face (WUI) and NFPA 285 ignitransform these St. Humphreys & Partners Artion-resistant cladding material Louis lofts. chitects, is a modern apartstandards. ment complex that required multiple aesthetics: pixelated custom color scheme with the warmth of wood, panels with joint reHOW IT’S MADE veals, and large-format split-face quarry stone. Normally a design strategy like Fiber cement can be manufacthis is a huge pain point for owners tured with a dry process to create and contractors because of budget, thick panels or a wet process for thin schedule, scope creep and gap, and locement products. The dry process algbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ADBE
HIGH DURABILITY
PRODUCTS
lows for more aesthetic definition and design options because the dry mix is pressed instead of rolled. It’s impossible to achieve this design flexibility with a wet process. Nichiha’s dry process allows them to achieve twice the thickness of a commodity fiber cement product while keeping the cement composite panel relatively lightweight and workable. The wet manufacturing process creates multiple layers of fiber cement, while the dry process creates just one layer. “The dry process is more fitting for cold climates because the natural elements can pull layers apart,” Seims says. Cladding systems made with a dry process are a better fit for harsh climates. Nichiha first forayed into wet manufacturing when they entered the U.S. market. “We felt like we needed the different tiers of offerings in the U.S., which is why we also offer the thin fiber cement products in the Southeastern U.S.,” Seims says. “Historically, since 1973, we had only been manufacturing the dry process material. That’s our flagship.”
ILLUSTRATION: COURTESY OF NICHIHA
IT’S SUSTAINABLE “Fiber cement is composed of high recycled content, at least the way we make it,” Seims says. Nichiha’s wet manufacturing process uses a slurry of cement, sand, wood fibers, and fly ash, a post-industrial waste product that would otherwise end up in landfills. Their thick fiber cement composite products can also be reused. Homeowners can remove the wall panels and repurpose them in a new house. The longevity of fiber cement helps improve a building’s sustainability, too. Though suited for entry-level budgets, even thinner fiber cement lasts a long time. The paint cycle is very long, especially for thicker Architectural Wall Panels. “What that means is we’re not using those resources and raw materials to paint the panels every three to five years,” Seims says. “The cycle is about triple that, or even more in some cases.” Nichiha is also involved in sustainable, modular housing efforts. The company partnered with the team at Module Housing to supply the exterior cladding for the Module Living Lab, a single family infill project in Pittsburgh fabricated mostly offsite. Installers from Dixie Exteriors completed an entire building envelope gb&d
with Nichiha’s Architectural Wall Panels in two days. This modular, adaptable, and expandable home model is challenging conventional building practices with scalable and healthy design. “The Nichiha panels are one of the features that really elevates our home to an object that people seem to really like,” says Dave Bamford, vice president of design and construction at Module Housing. “Simple, thoughtful forms made with high-quality materials and attention to detail. Nichiha fits right in.”
COMPONENTIZED SYSTEM SOLUTIONS A simple and efficient clip installation process is another benefit. Nichiha’s clip installation system for Architectural Wall Panels features hidden fastening for a clean, high-end look. Construction workers first in-
one inch of exterior continuous foam insulation without additional framing. To address accessibility, Nichiha offers two-week lead times for most of its fiber cement products with no minimum order. The company’s highly popular Illuminations custom color panels have a 10- to 12-week lead time due to the additional sampling and coating process.
BUILT-IN RAINSCREEN The clip installation system gives the Architectural Wall Panels a standoff from the wall assembly and a weatherresistant barrier. This air cavity acts as a rainscreen, offering effective drainage and increased air movement compared to other closed joint systems. In those conventional rainscreen systems there is only vertical air movement, but Nichiha’s clip system allows both the
THE COMPLETE SOLUTION
THE ULTIMATE CLIP creates a hidden fastening system that all but eliminates face fastening. Installation is quick and easy and never requires specialty subcontractors.
NICHIHA ARCHITECTURAL WALL PANELS are lightweight, easy to handle, and are available in a diverse offering of textural finishes.
NICHIHA’S JOINT TAB ATTACHMENT is designed to support panel lateral stability, helping vertical joints stay closed tightly. The tab fits in place easily and is fastened to the Ultimate Clip with provided screw.
DRAINED AND BACK VENTILATED RAINSCREEN design allows water to escape and air to circulate, reducing the risk of mold and water damage inside the building. THE ULTIMATE STARTER TRACK pulls double-duty. It ensures a fast, level installation, and its patented drainage channel directs water out and away from the base of the wall.
VintageWood™ | Redwood Architectural Wall Panels
stall a starter track. Then they insert vertical and transverse movement of the bottom edge of the first panel into air. This means more air movement the track and attach a clip to the top over a wider area, which greatly improves indoor air quality of the panel. That clip holds the bottom of the next panel and overall building envelope Seims says and so forth, up to the soffit performance. engineers want or parapet until the exterior is Traditional installation sysaccuracy, resources, tems, like wooden rainscreen covered. “The pattern is starter and proven battens or grids, can lead to track, panel, clip, panel, clip, performance from a cladding. trapped moisture and mildew up the wall. That’s why we call it a one-path system,” Seims growth. This increase in mildew says. This one-path attachment and air fungi negatively impacts system requires much less laIAQ for families and other building occupants. That’s why the bor, time, and cost than a traditional clip installation system is a healthier facade using a third-party grid or batten system. It can even be installed over alternative for cleaner air. gb&d july–august 2019
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360-Degree Views The design team wanted to be sure stunning views were available throughout the space, not just on the green roof. “When you’re inside, because of the design, because of the overhangs, your eye [feels compelled to] look far away in the distance,” says Giorgio Bianchi of Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Employees at the LEED Silver– targeting facility have 360-degree views of the Des Moines skyline, and the office layout itself was similarly designed to avoid sequestering. The team went with an open plan on each level to better encourage interaction and collaboration among staff.
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A Clear Work of Art With its glass-driven emphasis on transparency, this Iowa headquarters is in perfect harmony with its sculpture garden neighbor. B Y ST E P H E N G O S S E T T
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The Setting RPBW made certain that the building’s profile and landscaping complemented its iconic neighbor to the south, the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The onus on transparency and blurring of indoor and outdoor spaces—glass exteriors give way to large balconies that surround each floor—creates a direct visual connection between the two. Gary Hume’s “Back of Snowman (Black)” and “(White)” and Jaume Plensa’s much-loved, stainless steel “Nomade” are both visible from this perspective.
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The Krause Gateway Center, spearheaded by one of the leading architecture firms in the world, stands directly across the street from Des Moines’ premier public art attraction—and is itself a contemporary-leaning, high-design contribution to the built environment. The Renzo Piano Building Workshop-designed center—which houses employees from all the businesses under the Krause umbrella, including Kum & Go, Solar Transport, and the Des Moines Menace soccer team—cuts a striking figure across from the famed Pappajohn Sculpture Park thanks to its distinctive design elements—most notably its surrounding public green space, dramatic cantilevered roofs, and massive lobby windows. But those eye-grabbing features are more than aesthetic triumphs; they’re also nifty sustainability assets. Glass is sometimes notoriously inefficient in terms of thermal control, but the large overhanging roofs directly address that concern. Their strategic positioning helps control temperatures in both hot and cold seasons. “The sun in summer is almost vertical, so it produces a lot of shadows,” notes Giorgio Bianchi, a partner at RPBW, who led the project design team. “We were able to reduce the impact of the direct sun inside.” In winter, however, the sun is lower and has far less impact. “Not zero, but much less,” Bianchi says. gb&d
The overhangs went a long way toward reducing the Solar Heat Gain Coefficient requirements for the center’s towering lobby glass panels. The team used neutral, low-emissivity coating for the glass, which has a high-performing U-factor, according to Anthony Kantzas, a facade consultant with Front Inc who collaborated on the project. Due to the lobby windows’ massive size—at 29 feet, they are said to be the second tallest insulated glass units in North America, trailing only the Apple Store in Brooklyn—occupants feel a connection to the surrounding natural landscape even from indoors. RPBW, which collaborated on the project with OPN Architects, fashioned additional outdoor design elements. Employees can gather on a large green roof outfitted with native grass, and there’s the site itself: 75% is public gathering space, with bocce and chess areas, dotted with more than 100 trees. “The building becomes in some ways a civic building,” Bianchi says. There’s also an in-the-works public cafe and an art gallery visible from the exterior that opens to the public for special events. “It’s not the kind of headquarters where they make a castle, and in order to enter you need to open 25 doors,” Bianchi says.
Project: Krause Gateway Center Location: Des Moines Completion: November 2018 Size: 163,307 square feet Architects: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, OPN Architects Structural Engineer: Robert Silman Associates Mechanical Engineer: Baker Electrical Engineer: Wolin Sustainability & Lighting: Arup Contractor: Ryan Companies Landscape Architect: Confluence
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Key Plan
CLIENT
Kum & Go, L.C. 6400 Westown Parkway West Des Moines, IA 502669857 United States T:+1 (515) 547-6009
Number
Description
Date
FIRE PROTECTION AND CODE CONSULTANTS
FP&C 3770 Broadway Kansas City; MO 64111 United States T: +1 (816) 931-3377
PARKING CONSULTANT
Walker 1660 Highway 100 Suite 424 Minneapolis, MN 55416 United States T: +1 (952) 595-9116
ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Atelier Ten 45 East 20th Street New York, NY 10003 United States T:+1 (212) 254-4500
MEP ENGINEERING
Morrisey Engineering 4940 North 118th Street Omaha, NE 68164 United States T:+1 (402) 491-4144
MEP ENGINEERING
Baker Group 4224 Hubbel Avenue Des Moines, IA 50317-4508 United States T:+1 (515) 262-4000
MEP ENGINEERING
Wolin Electrical 1720 Fuller Road West Des Moines, IA 50265 United States T:+1 (515) 243-0908
Level Roof 86' - 10"
LIGHTING
ARUP Lighting 77 Water Street New York, NY 10005 United States T:+1 (212) 896-3215
Level 6 75' - 10"
STRUCTURE
Silman 32 Old Slip 10th Floor New York, NY 10005 United States T:+1 (212) 620-7970
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Level 5 59' - 8"
Confluence 1300 Walnut Street #200 Des Moines, IA 50309 United States T: +1 (515) 288-4875
CONTRACTOR
Front Level 4 43' - 8"
20 Jay Street #920 Brooklyn, NY 11201
United States T: +1 (212) 242-2220
CONTRACTOR
Ryan Companies 14001 University Clive, IA 50325
Avenue Suite 300
United States T: +1 (515) 309-8535
Level 3 28' - 4"
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT
OPN Architects 100 Court Avenue Suite 100 Des Moines, IA 50309 United States T: +1 (515) 309-0722
ARCHITECT
Level 2 13' - 0"
RPBW RENZO PIANO BUILDING WORKSHOP 34, Rue des Archives 75004 Paris - France Tel: +33 1 44 61 4900 Fax: +33 1 42 78 0198 rpbw@rpbw.com
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North elevation
PROJECT
DSM_Kum & Go Headquarters
AUTHOR
Renzo Piano Building Workshop TITLE
North Elevation
DATE
June 24th, 2015
SCALE
FORMAT
1/8" = 1'-0"
E
SHEET NUMBER
A905
© Copyright 2012 RPBW, All Rights Reserved
North Elevation
Scale 1/16’’ = 1’-0’’
Drawing: DSM_4002
ARCH D
MAY 1st, 2015 RPBW
DRAWING: COURTESY OF RPBW
Kum & Go Headquarters, Des Moines, IA
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Glass Spacers Along with the solar radiationmuffling overhangs and the thick glass with low-e coating, the choice of glass spacer was key in terms of thermal control. RPBW used ROLLTECH’s CHROMATECH, which promises up to 40% reduced heat loss at a pane’s edges. “Improvements on the edge spacer performance is still something as glazing consultants we are always pushing to improve, not only thermally but structurally,” Kantzas says. Spacers that can withstand high seal stress are ever more paramount as architects push for larger glass, he notes.
Conference Room
Among the notable features of the six-story center is a large-scale, multifunctional conference room that can hold several hundred people. As with the exterior, there’s an emphasis again on glass when it comes to indoor partitions. Other employee amenities at KGC include a fitness center and a game room. Tucked out of sight are two stories of underground parking—which allowed the design team to forgo surface lots and in turn maximize publicly accessible space.
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A Sustainable Boat Center Sets Sail The multi-use Wagner Education Center, designed by the crew at Olson Kundig, celebrates the craft of wood shipbuilding. BY ST E P H E N G O S S E T T
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Simple Details Olson Kundig aimed to let the building’s materials
retain as much untouched simplicity as possible. The structural concrete slab provides the flooring, covered sporadically at work stations by simple, easily replaceable unfinished plywood. The steel frame of the building was also left exposed. Here, the exterior screen panels are up, but the glass doors behind them remain closed, allowing a flood of natural light and easy temperature control at the same time.
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another notable design feature: The center is passively cooled—no air conditioning. The center stands oriented along an east-west axis near the lake, minimizing the low sun in the summer and maximizing sunlight in the winter, “a scarce resource in Seattle,” says Vikram Sami, Olson Kundig’s director of building performance. Also contributing to the passive design is the building’s 46.5-kW solar panel system, which is expected to provide more than 30% of the center’s EUI. HOBO sensors also help along the process by collecting and monitoring light and energy usage data. “We also periodically survey building users to assess their comfort … which allows us to experiment with different methods of operation,” Sami says. The new center also boasts a gallery/ exhibition space, and its youth classroom converts to work and event space. That flexibility translates to a smaller footprint. “The first step in reduction is to decrease demand,” Sami says. The education center is part of a broader, multimillion-dollar upgrade of the Center for Wooden Boats, a Seattle staple that has been nurturing the area’s love of elemental seafaring since the 1960s. “At their core, boats represent the harnessing of natural forces using only the power of human hand,” Kundig says. “The new building highlights this power, using architecture as a tool to teach visitors the tenets of sailing and the beautifully complex craft of wooden boats.”
Window Screens Wagner’s
biggest design showstopper is perhaps its large, raisable window screens. Olson Kundig wanted to allow for plenty of natural light, but too much direct, bright light can be counterproductive to the shipbuilding process. A simple lowering allows for easy shading. The modularity had a logistical boon, too. “We heard recently that the boatwrights will adjust the shades to help slow or speed dry time, depending on how conditions are affecting their construction and restoration projects,” Kundig says.
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PHOTO, THIS PAGE AND PREVIOUS SPREAD: MIKEL AMIAS / OLSON KUNDIG
The most successful commercial and educational buildings not only facilitate the work being done inside, they reflect it, too. See the Center for Wooden Boats’ newest addition, the Wagner Education Center, located alongside Lake Union in Seattle. The design of the LEED Gold–targeting center— part “maritime museum,” part direct-access classroom dedicated to wood shipbuilding and restoration—takes inspiration not only from the region’s classic boat-building shops, but from the painstaking craft of shipwrights themselves. Consider the large-scale, wood-clad exterior panels. They can be raised and lowered to open or close the space and control daylighting. Tom Kundig, principal architect and owner of Olson Kundig, which designed the space, compares the flexibility of design— and the simplicity of the counterweight pulley system that controls the screens—to a classic wooden ship. “Just like a boat is designed to respond to ever-changing conditions, the building’s facade can transform and respond to the elements.” There’s also the aesthetics of the building. The pitched roofline and wood siding reflect the look of classic Pacific Northwest boat sheds, as does the easy-to-spot, hand-painted signage. “It really is a boathouse in the truest sense,” Kundig says of the design’s intentional unfussiness. “It’s about the boats, not about the house.” The shade system, which cuts down solar heat gain in the warmer months, feeds into
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Section view looking southeast with exterior covered porch
DRAWINGS: COURTESY OF OLSON KUNDIG
Section view looking southeast
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Cedar The design team left the exterior cedar wood untreated, allowing it to take on a weathered patina over time. “It’s also been detailed to breathe, allowing for expansion and contraction throughout the year,” Kundig says. He cites ease of construction, accessibility, and a low carbon footprint as selling points for wood. As for the interior wood, the only finishing is a water-based sealer. “Using simple, straightforward, economic wood materials allows for ease of maintenance,” he says.
Location: Seattle Size: 10,620 square feet Architect: Olson Kundig Civil Engineer: KPFF Structural Engineer: KPFF Mechanical Engineer: WSP Electrical Engineer: Stantec Contractor: Schuchart
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PHOTO, CLOCKWISE: NIC LEHOUX; MIKEL AMIAS / OLSON KUNDIG
Project: Wagner Education Center at the Center for Wooden Boats
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Reclaimed Wood Beyond its passive cooling system, the center incorporates plenty of sustainable fine details, ones that simultaneously boost design. Reclaimed wood is a major motif: Stair treads feature wood salvaged from the historic Wawona schooner, a lumber vessel that first set sail in 1897, and the stairs’ rail caps are made of wood reclaimed from the deck of a minesweeper recovered from Lake Union Drydock, according to Sami. (The stairs themselves are made of low-carbon steel.) Other rescued and repurposed “maritime materials” made their way into the building’s bollards.
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An Open Plan While high real estate
costs in RiNo would prompt many buyers to maximize their square footage by building up, Improper City ownership wanted to keep things open with a xeriscape-style patio space, where food trucks and visitors could gather. “Most developers would have tried to build five stories and capture every inch they could,” says Becky Stone of OZ Architecture. “I think that’s the most sustainable thing they did.”
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A New Kind of Social Space A former HVAC warehouse in Denver finds new life as an event space, coworking spot, and food truck park—all rolled into one. B Y ST E P H E N G O S S E T T
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Lighting Design The site had attractive ceiling trusses
intact, but OZ Architecture added skylights since the former warehouse was short on daylight. Much of the lighting design was propelled by the needs of the bouldering gym clientele next door. “It was important at the gym for the light to be diffuse from above and not shining in bright,” Stone says. “We handled the whole building in a similar way, even though it was sort of driven by what the climbers would want in terms of lighting.”
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OZ ARCHITECTURE
Like Denver itself, Improper City is a work-hard, play-hard kind of spot—one that includes coworking space but also a 36-tap bar, coffee shop, and food truck patio while also sharing a roof with a climbing gym. Located in River North, aka RiNo—a former industrial hub that has transformed into a thriving arts district, craft brewing mecca, and landing pad for quirky, high-rise–averse companies—the project is classic adaptive reuse, as the former HVAC warehouse transformed to fit the neighborhood’s new reality with some much-needed social space. “It provides open space and a gathering space,” says Becky Stone, of OZ Architecture, which designed Improper City and its headquarters. “It’s a pretty dense area that has been redeveloping, but there’s not a lot of spaces where people can gather. There weren’t a lot of park spaces where all these [industrial sites] were built. So just to have a place where people can go sit and have a coffee or hear music has been pretty wildly successful.” Like most post-industrial conversions, the project was rich with as-is character, notably in the well-kept concrete floors, but also required some interventions: The roof had to be redone to meet energy requirements, and structural X-bracing was installed to meet shear and racking requirements. Perhaps the most unusual intervention was zoning-related. Improper City’s interior bar/coworking area is separated from
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Full of Life The large green wall in
the building’s lobby further connects building residents to nature. “We’re really conscious when we make these buildings that they are great places to live,” Forgan says. “Adding that type of softness and vegetation inside the building gave it a uniquely welcoming feeling.” The wall is made up of nearly 8,000 plants, he says, and is one of the largest green walls in Hawaii, if not the country.
The Bar A quote above the
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OZ ARCHITECTURE
bar references travel writer Rose Kingsley, who once wrote of a then-nascent Denver, “It was as if the angels were carrying a city to a proper place and accidentally dropped it here.” (Improper City derived its name from the quote also.) Also on display is the project’s unique approach to wood cladding and use of subway-style tiles for the bar wall finish—key design features from the outset.
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Stadium-style Seating This seating is slightly recessed from the open space, providing an optimal spot for the coworking crowd to work privately or hold small meetings. (There’s no fee to use the space for remote working.) Beyond the bar is a mezzanine, which helps separate uses if needed. On a recent May weekend, for instance, Improper City held a silent auction upstairs and a silent disco downstairs, says Lexie Roberts, Improper City’s event manager. “I also hosted my son’s first birthday party in the mezzanine with about 30 friends and their kids, so it can be very versatile,” adds co-owner Hank Grant.
CEILING MOUNTED FIXTURES
NOOKS
PAINTED CEILING
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OZ ARCHITECTURE
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CORD CEILING ELEMENT
REFLECTED CEILING PLANS
Reflected ceiling plan
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RAYBACK RINO ID PRESENTATION 09-07-2017 | DENVER, COLORADO
its food truck patio by a public alleyway. “They essentially had to privatize the alley in order to have a liquor license that would cross that public right of way,” Stone says, adding that it took nearly a year for the city to come around to the idea. But ultimately, when OZ put its plan to the Denver Board of Adjustments, the body approved it unanimously. They also had to work around some outdated zoning regulations related to food trucks. The project is not drastically dissimilar from the owners’ Rayback Collective, a food truck park-meets-music venue in Boulder. Though with Improper City under the same structure as its bouldering gym neighbor, Movement Climbing + Fitness, the space allows for unique collaboration possibilities. “If you wanted to have an event in the climbing area and be served by Improper, you can make it kind of freeflow,” Stone says. “It’s pretty flexible.” And the nightly transition from working space to leisure destination goes smoothly, too, especially now that the patio has opened. “We have a lot of people working on their laptops outside on our picnic tables in the afternoon, which just lends to having a beer, which leads to texting your friends,” says Lexie Roberts, Improper City’s event manager. The overall result has been a multi-use success, hosting everything from blockchain promotional events and live music to knitting group meetups and seasonal beer releases. PG. 15
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Where Built and Natural Environments Meet This São Paulo house seamlessly and sustainably blends into its surroundings. BY ELLA LEE
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Grass Roof A lot of planning
has to happen in advance to successfully execute a grass roof like this one. Specific species of grass and qualities of soil lead to the best results. For Reis, the choice was SkyGarden soil, a more “technical” version of soil created in Japan that degrades more slowly than regular soil. “Upkeep is not a big issue,” Reis says. “We needed to assure the structure and levels were properly designed to allow the water to get out of the roof and allow for the extra weight … You just need to keep [the grass] short.”
Looking down at Studio MK27’s Planar House from above, you can hardly tell where nature stops and the home begins. The house blends perfectly into the landscape—and that’s exactly how the architects wanted it. “It’s always better to be connected to the outside space,” says Lair Reis, co-architect of the project alongside Marcio Kogan. The São Paulo house was created out of a desire to merge inside and out. “We realized there is a slope in the lot that made it possible to make it seamless and also give more privacy to the owners of the house,” Reis says. The house is basically two wooden boxes—one that wraps around common areas and one that wraps around the bedrooms, Reis says. The common areas were created inside glass boxes that could be opened to the outside and easily converted into terraces. “These rooms can turn themselves into an extension of those terraces. You can entirely open the glass and the doors, concealing them inside of pockets hidden by the wooden walls and creating these integrations.” But the desire to integrate design with
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nature goes further than looks; sustainability is of utmost importance in all of this architecture firm’s projects, too. They use as many natural materials as they can in every home they build. “The choices of materials have to do with nature to make the house natural, cozy, and simple,” Reis says. In this home, the team used exposed concrete, wood, and natural and ceramic breeds. All of Studio MK27’s Brazilian projects follow a sustainable rating system by the Green Building Council of Brazil. Certifications like these ensure the projects reduce waste, conserve energy and water, and, ultimately, mitigate global climate change while encouraging green economy growth, according to their website. “This is something we planned from the beginning, and every engineer and contractor involved in this project considered the sustainable aspect of it from the very beginning,” Reis says. “I’m very proud we got a gold medal.” gbdmagazine.com
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East elevation
West elevation
Ground floor
Brick Wall The idea for a wall was suggested by architect Marcio Kogan. Because some areas like the gym and TV room are connected to the outdoors, the architects felt strongly about the need for privacy. The wall’s design provides seclusion while also allowing light and greenery to seep through. “We designed it in a very natural way,” Reis says. “It adds a nice element to make this transition from the very straight and steep, precise architecture to the organic garden.”
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Concrete Slab The roof’s concrete
base was one of the biggest challenges for architects on this project. “We needed to be careful,” Reis says. “But the problems we were creating were to work best with the ideas we had. I always have this feeling that we are creating problems to lead to solutions.” The house’s plan is 7,000 square meters, and given its horizontal nature, the roof spans most of the distance.
Project: Planar House Location: Porto Feliz, São Paulo, Brazil Completion: 2018 Site Area: 7,000 square meters Built Area: 1,000 square meters Architect & Interiors: Studio MK27 Landscape Architect: Maria João d’Orey Structure Engineer: Afaconsult Contractor: Fairbanks & Pilnik Sustainability Consultant: CTE Stone: Bellas Artes Wood Panels and Doors: Plancus Aluminium Frames: Tecnosystem Woodwork: Marvelar Lighting: Lumini
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Inspired by Nature How one design team added bold features to natural elements to create these empty nesters’ dream home. BY ELLA LEE P H OTO S B Y S K Y P H OTO G R A P H Y L A
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When a couple looking to downsize reached out to Ami Harari, president of LA Build Corp, they knew what they wanted: lots of warm, inviting space to entertain. Harari looked to nature. “We used a lot of wood—a lot more than we usually use in a modern home,” he says. “Wood always adds this really warm feeling.” You can see it all over the house—from the deck, floors, and walls to the facade. The clients wanted more than just visual warmth, though, considering their location in the often 75 and sunny Los Angeles. They wanted to be able to enjoy the sun from outside their home as well as in. “We tried to get the outside yard to be within the same level as the house, so when you open the door, it’s all part of the same space,” Harari says. The open layout allows the couple and their guests to be inside or out without feeling far from each other. Of course, open layouts can create a privacy issue, but LA Build Corp had the perfect solution. “You live in the middle of the city
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in Los Angeles, you want privacy,” Harari says. “If you don’t feel comfortable walking naked around your house, you have a privacy issue.” To solve the problem, many windows throughout the house were placed low, allowing light in without inviting the looks of passersby. The biggest challenge, though, was not unique to this house, as Harari says every project struggles at times to manage client expectations. “The construction is easy,” he says. “The challenge is to understand the fears. Some will fear the job will be more expensive than they budgeted, and some will fear it won’t look how they wanted. Everyone has different fears, so it’s to identify those fears at the beginning and line up the expectations.” These clients’ fears were never realized. Just a few weeks after the home was complete, Harari received a call from the new homeowners expressing their excitement. “They’ve had two parties in their house already, and we’re always invited,” he says. “We take a lot of pride in it.” gbdmagazine.com
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First floor
Second floor
Kitchen Of all the home’s flashy features, Harari’s favorite is the kitchen—particularly the beautiful Leicht cabinets. Leicht specializes in space management, he says, and when you open them, the engineering behind the work is evident. In addition to their functionality, Harari loves the way they look. “All the cabinets look like they’re made of concrete,” he says. “But they’re not. It’s just the finish. It’s very unique and very expensive.”
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Bathroom “The Kilkea bath
experience starts with using two fingers to glide a 400-pound live edge slab door to the left. It just gets better from there,” says Jae Omar, principal designer for Jae Omar Design, the home’s interior designer. The master bath stimulates all your senses, she says, and combines bold, natural elements in a way that results in a surprising serenity. “Like ethereal raindrops, the blown glass light spheres cascade down walls of textured marble. The effect somehow is both stimulating and calming.”
Deck The deck was
intentionally designed to leave plenty of space for entertaining. By placing the pool alongside the house, Harari says the backyard space more than doubled. The backyard also has a outdoor shower, BBQ area, bar, firepit, and outdoor projector.
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Project: Kilkea Location: Los Angeles Completion: 2018 Size: 3,900 square feet Builder & General Contractor: LA Build Corp Interior Design: Jae Omar Design Architectural Drawings: Eran Gispan, N.E. Designs
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COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK AND GALE PACIFIC ARE GIVING PEOPLE MORE WAYS TO STAY OUTDOORS. BY COLLEEN DEHART gb&d
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THE TOWN SQUARE INCORPORATES A REDWOOD TREE FOREST.
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FACEBOOK’S MENLO PARK HQ IS SENDING EMPLOYEES OUTSIDE
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
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THE BOWL CONNECTS BUILDING 20 WITH 21 IN WHAT IS CONSIDERED A BOTANICAL GARDEN OF SORTS. THE ROOF OF BUILDING 20 FEATURES 400 TREES AND A HALFMILE WALKING LOOP.
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of the best work of their careers,” says Kyle Gerstenschlager, a spokesperson for the social media giant. “They have the incredible opportunity to build community for the 2.7 billion people around the world who use our platform and products. We help them achieve our mission by providing functional office spaces and caring for our people.”
SUSTAINABLE & FUNCTIONAL The new building, called MPK 21, was designed by architect Frank Gehry and completed in less than 18 months. The highly sustainable structure, built to achieve LEED Platinum status, features a 3.6-acre rooftop garden with more than 200 trees and a halfmile path so employees can take walks to gbdmagazine.com
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M A G I N E WO R K I N G A M O N G R E D -
wood trees, sitting in the breeze with the sun overhead, the soothing sounds of birds and life around you. Imagine holding office meetings and brainstorming sessions immersed in greenery. If you work at Facebook’s Menlo Park, California headquarters, you don’t have to imagine it. You can just do it. Completed in late 2018, the new additions to the Menlo Park headquarters involved bringing the outdoors into the office space and vice versa. Employees can bring their work outdoors to The Bowl, an amphitheater-style courtyard, or hold a lunch meeting in the Town Square, a sheltered green space filled with 40-foot-tall redwood trees. “At Facebook, we want people to do some
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Project: Facebook Menlo Park HQ Location: Menlo Park, California Size: 525,236 square feet Architect: Gehry Partners Landscape Architect: CMG Landscape Architecture Structural Engineering: Forell/Elsesser Engineers
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF FACEBOOK
Contractor: Level 10 Construction
unwind. “Twenty-one is this natural evolution of how we operate and how we behave and how we move inside our buildings,” says John Tenanes, vice president of global facilities and real estate, in a video released by Facebook. “We created a building that is very sustainable and very functional, almost like it was designed from the inside out.” Including elements of the outdoors was a priority when designing MPK 21, Gerstenschlager says. “The Bowl is a very popular space at Facebook,” he says. “You can find people there throughout the day coming together as a community.” The Bowl connects Building 20, also designed by Gehry, with 21 in what Tenanes describes as a botanical garden of sorts. To further the headquarters’ natural feel, rooflines of Building 21 were updated to allow more daylight to flood into the gb&d
space. More green space was added at the office level to make nature even more accessible to employees, and fritted windows went in to protect birds. A reclaimed water system, designed to save an estimated 17 million gallons annually, was installed. And a 1.4-megawatt photovoltaic solar panel system on the roof and carports now supplies solar power to the structure. CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY When designing the headquarters, which sits on a former unoccupied industrial site, Facebook was careful to not forget who they are as a company—creators of community. “We want to make sure we are giving back in ways that are important to our neighbors,” says Janelle Gale, vice president of human resources, in a video released by Facebook. A pedestrian and bike bridge over the
Bayfront Expressway, connecting the neighborhood and the Facebook campus alike to trails and parks along the San Francisco Bay, is expected to be completed in 2019. A two-acre public park and community event space are also under construction, further connecting Facebook to the local community. “I feel like we are not turning our back on the neighborhood,” Gehry says in the video. “It feels like (the headquarters) belongs here.” july–august 2019
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GALE PACIFIC OFFERS SOLUTIONS FOR ANY SHADE NEEDS, LIKE AT THIS GEORGIA PROJECT WITH SUPERIOR RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS.
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HOW THE RIGHT SHADE FABRICS TRANSFORM OUTDOOR SPACES
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUPERIOR RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS
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just some of the “side effects” of exposure to the outdoors. After years of research proving these benefits change people’s moods and even increase productivity in the workplace, companies are finally taking notice and starting to take as many elements of the indoor office environment outside as possible. “In an increasingly technical world, where people are stuck in front of a computer from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., people want to get outside. People like to be outside,” says Brent Derbecker, national brand manager for shade and shelter at Superior Recreational Products.
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GALE PACIFIC’S COMMERCIAL DUALSHADE 350 COMES IN 12 CORE COLOR COMBINATIONS WITH 24 MORE CUSTOM OPTIONS.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GALE PACIFIC
NCREASED HAPPINESS, ENERGY, FOCUS, CREATIVI T Y —these are
Companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple have already made strides in creating outdoor spaces for their employees—and the demand is growing. “We are seeing a lot more advances in design as architects are working to figure out ways to move offices outside,” says Gretchen Fix, vice president of marketing for outdoor fabric manufacturer GALE Pacific. But, moving the inside out comes with its own set of challenges—including protection from the elements while maintaining comfort. In the past, metal awnings or trees have been primary choices for shade cover, but modern designers are looking for more unique options. “They want the opportunity to get creative with different shapes and colors. They want to create really cool aesthetics and have fun,” Fix says. That’s where GALE Pacific comes in. The manufacturer specializes in designing high-performance fabrics for shade structures that not only assist in comfort and safety, but also create memorable spaces. “If you’re outside you need to be protected from the sun in a comfortable environment.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUPERIOR RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS
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SUPERIOR RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS WORKED WITH GALE PACIFIC TO PROTECT AND ENHANCE THE USSSA SPACE COAST COMPLEX. gb&d
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It can be as simple as making sure you don’t get a sunburn to serving the long-lasting purpose of protecting the equipment below the shade structure,” says Derbecker, who frequently works with GALE Pacific to meet customer demands. COMFORTABLE AND SAFE An industry leader in advanced knitted and polymer fabrics, GALE Pacific developed the world’s first shade cloth knitting technology in the 1970s for agriculture and horticulture applications. The company later expanded to include more everyday solutions with the invention of higher UV block shade fabrics. Today all of the company’s fabrics provide optimal UV protection. Of course, when designing an outdoor
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office space, it’s important to consider when the space will be used. “You need to consider the place of the sun at the time of day the structure will be used and orientate it in a way that will provide the most shade when users need it most,” Fix says. The size of the space is also critical as, the larger the space, the heavier the fabric should be for optimal stability. The material of the shade structure can also have a big impact. “A lot of times it’s warmer under a shade structure; that’s not the case with our fabrics,” Fix says. Even in high-temperature environments, comfort
is easy to achieve with GALE Pacific products. The fabric’s knitted design allows air to flow through, reducing temperatures by as much as 35%. DIVERSE DESIGNS Fabric shade structures give designers more creative freedom for their outdoor spaces. Shade sails can be arranged in countless formations for an artistic and aesthetically pleasing approach. A variety of color options gives designers the chance to further brighten up the outdoors or create a calming oasis. “We see a lot of people wanting gbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF SUPERIOR RECREATIONAL PRODUCTS
GALE PACIFIC’S KNITTED FABRIC DESIGN REDUCES TEMPERATURES BY AS MUCH AS 35%.
FEATURES
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GALE PACIFIC
“ WE ARE SEEING A LOT MORE ADVANCES IN DESIGN AS ARCHITECTS ARE WORKING TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO MOVE OFFICES OUTSIDE.” to use their company colors, school colors, and sports team colors,” Fix says. GALE Pacific’s original knitted shade fabric Commercial 95 comes in 21 colors; Commercial Heavy 430 comes in 16 colors, and the newly launched Commercial Dualshade 350 comes in 12 core color combinations with an additional 24 made-to-order options. Launched in June, the Commercial Dualshade 350 “gives a little twist to the tension structure,” Fix says. The patent-pending knitting pattern uses two color yarns, giving the appearance of one color on one side and a complementary color on the other that, when put into a tension structure, creates a shimmery effect. The unique knitting process creates a stronger, more dimensionally stable fabric with an iridescent look. “This was really our way to inject innovation and do something nobody else can do. This is a really cool option for building owners who are looking to provide a unique space for workers. It truly sets us apart from the competition.” Derbecker says GALE Pacific’s vast array of color options has also been helpful for clients on a budget. “The cool thing is you can use a very simple design but choose a fabric color, like ivory, to complement gb&d
a frame color, like bronze, to create a very clean, classy look on an inexpensive structure.” ATTENTION TO DETAIL GALE Pacific has its hands in the fabric manufacturing process from beginning to end. R&D works with suppliers to determine the chemical makeup needed to achieve different performance and color requirements to make the yarns used to knit the fabric. All fabrics are free of lead and phthalates and meet California’s Proposition 65 standards. “We’re involved in all the raw materials that go into making our yarns and fabrics and have a heightened sense of quality, formation, and end inspection,” Fix says. “Protecting people sits at the core of what we do, and we take the correct measures to protect those that both produce and purchase our products.” The company has safety teams in all of its offices and plants to further ensure operations are performed in the best way possible. All products are Greenguard and Oeko-Tex Standard 100–certified and are 100% recyclable. The company is currently working to improve fire retardant formulations, too. “Our whole goal and founda-
GRETCHEN FIX, GALE PACIFIC
tion as a company is centered around safety and sustainabity, and that means making a product that helps to create a safe and sustainable environment to gather outdoors,” she says. The company stands by its quality products. All fabrics have a UV degradation warranty, ranging from 10 to 15 years depending on the fabric, though often the products last even longer. gb&d july–august 2018 2019
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The historic Meier & Frank Building in downtown Portland is a standout example of what KBS does best.
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KBS is transforming buildings to make next-generation spaces people can’t wait to work and play in.
Making Great Buildings Better PHOTO: HALL + MERRICK
By Laura Rote
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ommercial tenants
demand a lot. And they should, considering competition for the best employees is steep. Today’s top companies have shown they are willing to invest in buildings where they feel wanted—and that goes beyond standard office amenities. “Tenants are signing longer leases,” says Charles At 500 West Madison J. Schreiber, CEO of tenants include Expedia, KBS , which serves Industrious, Accenture, nearly 3,000 tenants Amazon Go, and nationwide—primariOppenheimer & Co, to ly investing in well-loname just a few. The cated multi-tenant Chicago property is the office properties in perfect example of a KBS success, as it’s connected strong employment to public transit and has g r ow t h m a r ke t s . plentiful dining options Having formed KBS and diverse programming in 1992, Schreiber that tenants love. knows what tenants demand. The real shift, he says, started in 2012, a few years after the capital crisis, when tenants began to reconsider location. “The tenants who were expanding or relocating were very sensitive about having locations that would attract and retain employees,” Schreiber says. “They also began moving from Class B to Class A buildings, and once they got in those buildings they realized that not only was it great as a presentation of their company to clients; it was great for their employees.”
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Location is Key. KBS is often drawn
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF KBS
to properties close to universities and public transportation. “There’s a huge importance on attracting and retaining talent,” says Clint Copulos, senior vice president and asset manager for KBS. “If you go back and look at how real estate decisions were made 10 years ago, it was all about where the CEO or executives lived. Fast-forward to today and it’s all about where our employees live and what is the experience our employees want.” When it comes to being well located, Copulos says KBS considers things like access to walkable restaurants and bars, hotels, and nearby public transit combined with cost of living. “On the West Coast, Portland has been a huge winner lately because San Francisco, LA, Seattle—their cost of living is very high.” When companies announce they plan to open a Portland office when their current location is in, say, Silicon Valley, it’s not hard to fill those positions with people who want to > gbdmagazine.com
FEATURES
PHOTO: HALL + MERRICK
Making History in Portland, Oregon The 15-story Meier & Frank Building (circa 1909) in downtown Portland shows how KBS takes an iconic property to the next level. In 2017 KBS bought and transformed the first five floors for high-end offices, retail, and an entire floor of amenities in what was a former Macy’s department store. The terra-cotta building was already an icon; now it’s a highly sought-after commercial property with tenants ranging from higher education to clothing and soft goods. “We just opened the building in June of last year and we’re close to being
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100% leased,” Copulos said in May. KBS also took advantage of having a large floorplate. “Tech companies and companies looking for a more open floor plan are attracted to these larger floor plates,” Copulos says. “We knew the character, location, and amenity package we’d be able to deliver within the building, coupled with the retail amenities, would be attractive.” KBS brought their vision to life and then some. They gutted the basement—with 14-foot ceilings, you wouldn’t know it’s a basement—and
made a lounge, conference center, storage for 200 bikes, a fitness center, and locker rooms. “In Portland a lot of people bike to work no matter what the weather is like. It rains a lot so we created heated lockers. You can roll into the building with your bike on a rainy day, put your clothes up in these lockers, and when you return at the end of the day your clothes and shoes are dry,” Copulos says. The building also has a coffee shop, and the upper floors are home to the exclusive Nines Hotel, Portland’s only five-star hotel.
KBS worked with Bora Architects to transform the Meier & Frank building in Portland. Currently Oregon State University, Japanese retailer Muji, financial tech firm Finastra, and more call the building home.
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< relocate. “Millennials want to be there for the quality of life and the cost of living,” Copulos says. “Austin’s the same way, Raleigh’s the same way.”
Giving Them What They Want.
KBS has a spec suite program that benefits everyone—it’s so good potential tenants sometimes take a spec suite as-is. “We really do a lot of the thoughtful work up-front to design a space that ultimately is for the tenant, but also benefits the landlord,” says Dan Park, senior vice president and asset manager. KBS worked with GREC Architects on the spec suite program, including larger spec suites—anywhere from 8,000 to 20,000 square feet. While prospective tenants may be used to “vanilla” spec suites, KBS offers exciting finishes, colors, and accents. Some spec suites even have barn door partitions, and open kitchens may have kegerators.
“Millennials want to be there for the quality of life and the cost of living.”
Programming, Programming, Programming. But it’s not just what’s
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PHOTO, ABOVE: MILLER + MILLER ARCHITECTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY; BELOW: HALL + MERRICK
in a building that makes it desirable; it’s also what’s happening there. In Portland, just as it does everywhere, KBS keeps the Meier & Frank Building fully programmed, all the way down to spin classes and Whiskey Wednesdays. “Anyone can spend $5 million to amenitize a building. They can look at what we’re doing and copy it, but it’s the programming, the ecosystem, the multiple venues for people to cross-pollinate and collaborate—whether it’s within their own company or with other companies—that’s the differentiator and what creates the experience,” Copulos says. Park says events happen at least once a week at 500 West Madison—and they aren’t just ice cream socials. Events range from margarita happy hours to executive coaching workshops to Puppies and Pinot with an animal shelter. KBS knows what tenants want because it spends a lot of time asking them. “If they are thinking about leaving the building, that’s the tenant I want to talk to,” Schreiber says. “I’m going to ask, ‘Why do you think there is a better opportunity in a different building? That information is priceless.” At the end of the day, KBS looks for buildings that allow tenants to do their best work. “The design, the efficiency, the amenities, when we’re looking at buying well-located properties we’re going to put capital improvements into those properties to elevate the opportunity for tenants to be successful in those locations,” Schreiber says. gbdmagazine.com
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF KBS
Endless Amenities in Chicago In downtown Chicago, on top of Ogilvie Transportation Center, 115,000 people a day travel through 500 West Madison to and from work or appointments. The 40-story, 1.5 million-square-foot, LEED Gold– certified property is KBS’s largest asset. The property itself may have been built in the late ’80s, but KBS
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keeps the building on the cutting edge with energy and lighting upgrades, new HVAC controls, and more, according to Park. The commute to the building is easy; it’s connected to the train station, for starters, plus KBS was instrumental in getting the city’s bike share program, Divvy, onsite.
Inside you’ll find 70,000 square feet of retail, a two-level fitness center with basketball court, conference facilities, and 20-plus restaurants. The most popular amenity at the property is a 4,000-square-foot tenant lounge with air hockey, shuffleboard, private wine lockers, and a kitchen.
When you work at 500 West Madison in Chicago, you never have to leave the building if you don’t want to. The property connects to trains at the Ogilvie Transporation Center, and amenities like restaurants, a basketball court, a salon, and more are all onsite.
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Oceanside Glass & Tile fuses art with application, innovation, and sustainability to take any project to the next level.
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PHOTO: TKTK
By Kate Griffith
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ceanside Glass & Tile started revolutionizing the art tile industry in 1992— when three artists and one entrepreneur decided to fuse art glass and sustainability to create a beautiful, functional product.
Since the founders first got together in Oceanside, California, the business has grown up and grown big, moving to a bigger headquarters, expanding product offerings, and taking on new glass competencies with business mergers all while building a reputation as the top art glass tile company in North America. “I had never used glass tile before and was scared of it, but a customer wanted something no one else had,” says Jeromey Naugle, owner and president of Arizona-based pool contractor Premier Paradise. “Once I learned about Oceanside and saw how the process works, I was hooked. A key benefit is that they’re using recycled glass and putting out a quality product.”
SUSTAINABILITY
Since its founding, Oceanside has prioritized the incorporation of recycled post-consumer glass in its product as well as the reuse of all scraps from its manufacturing process. Today Oceanside
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recycles more than 2 million pounds of post-consumer glass bottles each year. An Oceanside glass tile could consist of anywhere from 30 to 98% recycled content. “Sustainability is one of the things I’m most proud of about this company. It’s the norm for us,” says Oceanside President Vincent Moiso. Beyond glass recycling, the company also reuses and recycles the water used in its manufacturing, its firing furnaces run on natural gas, and management works hard to ensure employee health. “We deal with pretty harsh chemicals, and it’s important to us that our health and environment is safe,” Moiso says. “Baghouse filters keep our internal environment healthy. If you come to visit our plant, you wouldn’t even know we’re working with these chemicals.”
COLOR
Oceanside is one of the few North American companies that manufactures its glass with through-body color. The manufacturgbdmagazine.com
PHOTO: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASS & TILE
Oceanside’s annealing process gives its glass tiles the ability to withstand extreme temperature changes.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASS & TILE
An Oceanside glass tile could consist of anywhere from 30 to 98% recycled content.
er bakes color directly into its glass using such a vast geographic expanse, Oceanside a variety of chemical mixes instead of must also make sure its glass can stand up to relying on colored paint or back adhesives major differences in climates and weather. to add hues to a colorless glass tile. The technique offers consistent color and a HOW IT’S MADE reflective quality that rates high with deIn Buffalo, New York, a glass water feature signers and architects. “You can’t duplicate would freeze. Under an Arizona sun, poolthat look,” Moiso says. side glass tiles might reach upwards of 200 When renovators at Hearst Castle , degrees. Moments later, a splash of water the former home of media tycoon William could cool the tile to 60 or 70 degrees in Randolph Hearst and current National seconds. “Most products can’t go into that Historic Landmark on the Central Cali- environment because they can’t handle fornia Coast, needed to match an existing that kind of ambient temperature change,” Moiso says. “But our glass vibrant blue, they turned to can.” Oceanside. In 1995 Oceanside was chosen for the difficult Oceanside’s annealing task of providing glass to restore process gives its glass tiles the the indoor Roman Pool, where ability to withstand extreme Oceanside is water shimmers and reflects temperature changes. The one of the few off thousands of 1-inch glass glass pieces are pulled slowly North American tiles. When light hits the wathrough a lehr, a giant furcompanies that ter just right, the pool appears nace with multiple chambers manufactures its to glow from the bottom up. that decrease in temperature. glass with throughThe Hearst Castle contract As the glass moves through body color. was the first of Oceanside’s the lehr, it’s slowly cooled, many commercial projects, removing internal stresses and the challenge lit a fire for created as glass is fired, cast, innovation within the company. “At the and cooled. Depending on the thickness of a time, we were able to make a through-body piece, the annealing process can take two to cobalt colored tile that matched the exist- four hours to complete. By the end, Oceansing Roman Pool, but we were only doing ide has a glass tile product with a strength it in larger pieces,” Moiso says. “When we upwards of 2,500 pounds per square inch won the contract, we had to invent a way to and an easy pass in a freeze/thaw test. make a rustic edge, 1-inch mosaic to match Naugle says it’s this deep knowledge of the original Italian glass as well as a way glassmaking and product manufacturing to sheet the mosaic.” Oceanside’s still-ac- that keeps him coming back as a customtive Tessera Collection and its sustainably er. “Because they sell what they’re manuminded paper mounting method were born. facturing, they offer all the product supToday you’ll find Oceanside glass all over port and documentation you want from the continent. The tiles fully line restaurant a supplier,” he says. “It’s easy to use them walls and water features in New York and lux- when customer service is always there. ury pools at Cabo San Lucas resorts. Across They’re really looking out for you.” gb&d gb&d
Oceanside recycles more than 2 million pounds of post-consumer glass bottles each year.
Oceanside has a glass tile product with a strength upwards of 2,500 pounds per square inch.
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Brad Turpin CEO, Overtone Acoustics
Read more from Overtone Acoustics in the September+October issue of gb&d, when Turpin explores how the right acoustic design can take your business to the next level.
Ask the Expert How does sound impact productivity in the workplace?
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As a business leader, there’s nothing worse than the old refrain: I can’t hear myself think. In today’s workplace, employees are forced to multi-task and stay motivated to meet ever-faster deadlines, but that’s hard to do when you’re trying to block out unwanted noise. Excessive sound leads to more than just hearing loss. It can also cause mental stress and raise your blood pressure, accord-
ing to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sick and stressed workers can’t do their best work—and that, of course, hurts the bottom line. The problem is clear. But what does it take to achieve the right workplace acoustics? Start by looking at the materials in your space. If the office is made up of hard, reflective surfaces like glass, metal, wood, or concrete, you can expect a lot of reverberation. That’s
where treatments come in. Whether it’s panels on the wall or ceiling, adding these fixtures can absorb the unwanted noise and help employees concentrate. By minimizing this reverberation, you can increase the intelligibility of speech. This allows for both better conversation and reduced fatigue. The key is to understand your noise environment—ideally before you create your space. Milwaukee Tool encountered this reality after completing a multi-million-dollar addition to its headquarters. The glass offices and exposed steelbeam ceilings looked great, but employees quickly realized that sound reverberated off all the hard surfaces, making it hard to hear people talking on conference
room speakerphones or communicating across the room. Luckily they were able to work with Overtone to add acoustic wall panels printed with custom artwork, brand logos, and graphics, which absorb the sound while remaining unobtrusive. Another bonus is that the company can swap out the high-resolution images on the acoustical artwork with new ones on a regular basis, allowing them to constantly keep the designs fresh. As workplaces move toward open-plan offices, the need for smart acoustical solutions will only grow. That’s why now is the time for employers to focus on sound— for the sake of happier, healthier employees. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OVERTONE ACOUSTICS
Brad Turpin knows something about being productive. In less than six years he took his startup business from his garage to a 75,000-square-foot production facility. And in doing so, he’s helped revolutionize the way recording studios, businesses, and workplaces of all kinds think about sound. In other words, he knows better than anyone that you can’t be productive if the sounds around you are distracting. Turpin started Overtone Acoustics out of a desire to bring professional-quality acoustical control to the masses. Through custom-made panels and treatments, the firm helps designers and business owners reduce reverberation and echo that impair productivity. Here, Turpin explains how unwanted noise can negatively affect work environments.
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Milwaukee Tool turned to Overtone Acoustics for acoustic panels printed with custom artwork.
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Don Everard CEO, EZ-ACCESS
The story of how Don Everard and his family got involved with creating accessibility-focused solutions to help building owners meet federal disability laws is one of happenstance, intuition, and empathy. Everard’s mother and sister founded Homecare Products Inc. in 1984 to sell inflatable bathing items for disabled individuals. The more the family was involved with creating products to make lives easier, the more they realized access was an issue, and the more they saw a solution in aluminum. With Everard’s marketing experience, his father’s expertise in manufacturing, and the mother-daughter duo’s business intuition, the EZ-ACCESS aluminum ramp was born. Everard explains why aluminum ramps check all the boxes for meeting ADA.
Why aluminum ramps?
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created in 1990 to ensure inclusion and access for people with disabilities in all facets of public life in the U.S. In part, the law requires public and commercial spaces be accessible to all. The civil rights law, and associated state and
municipal building codes, could fill a library. But meeting the legal requirements doesn’t have to be so complicated. What we love most about aluminum for ADA ramp solutions is that it’s both recyclable and reusable while meeting clients’ structural and maintenance needs. Approxi-
terial doesn’t rot, rust, or otherwise deteriorate over time like wood and steel. One of the first commercial ramps EZ-ACCESS installed, in South Florida, is still in use today. Even the most cared for and well-maintained wood ramps typically only have a lifespan of six to eight years, depending on the area. But no matter the climate— humid, dry, salty, cold, hot, snowy, or icy—aluminum holds up. It’s the solution for all environments; its maintenance is just being kept clean and clear of debris.
Read more in the September+October issue of gb&d, when Everard examines the real value of ADAcompliant ramps.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF EZ-ACCESS
Ask the Expert
mately 34% of the extruded aluminum products we receive from our aluminum supplier are produced with recycled secondary aluminum—either post-consumer or production scrap—which requires significantly less energy to produce than the primary metal. Aluminum ramps are also quick to install and reusable. Wood, concrete, and steel have their uses, but it’s difficult to impossible to install, uninstall, and reuse ramps made of these materials from project to project. Contractors especially have loved the rentable nature of EZ-ACCESS ramps. Aluminum’s reuse is made possible in part by its long-lasting nature. The ma-
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In order for this city-owned portable office building to offer safe, code-compliant access, the existing wood ramp was removed and EZACCESS’s aluminum ramp system was installed.
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Bill Adams Sales Team Lead, LCG
Ask the Expert When is it best to use each type of steel grating option?
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LCG can manufacture heavy-duty grating in virtually any material as long as it can be sourced from a mill, processor, or warehouse. The most common material for our heavy-duty grating is conventional carbon steel, since carbon steel grades are versatile, durable, and economical.
Carbon steel can be used in most industrial applications, like loading docks, mezzanine flooring, sidewalks, and ramps. Carbon steel grating is available in three finishes: mill finish, painted black, or galvanized. If you go with the painted option, we use a water-based paint as required by Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation and the EPA. Carbon steel grating can be smooth or serrated for increased slip resistance. Stainless steel is another option for heavy-duty grating. Like carbon steel, stainless steel grating can be either serrated or smooth, but it’s only available in a mill finish. Because of its high strength and resistance to corrosion, stainless steel grating is best suited for harsh chemical environments. Stainless steel is incredibly durable and doesn’t rust. On the other hand, galvanized carbon steel would break down in the presence of hazardous chemicals. We also offer manganese steel grating in a mill finish. This special steel alloy is ideal for blast applications due to its high impact
strength and abrasion resistance. All of the steel LCG uses is recycled steel made from scrap. It is obtained, melted, and manufactured in the U.S. Larger pieces of scrap are saved for future projects, and the rest is scrapped for recycling back to the mills where it’s melted and then resold. Finally, we also fabricate A588 steel grating, or “weathering steel” it may be called, as it eliminates the need for painting because it forms a rust-like appearance after exposure to weather. This can be used in a variety of applications, including bridges.
Read more from LCG in the September+October issue, when Adams looks at how heavyduty steel grating is manufactured.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF LAUREL CUSTOM GRATING
Selecting the right materials for heavy-duty grating is important. Whether your project is in a high-traffic area or involves hazardous materials, heavy-duty steel grating can be customized to meet your standards. Laurel Custom Grating (LCG), a leading manufacturer of steel grating, manufactures heavy-duty steel grating in carbon steel, stainless steel, and special steel alloys like manganese steel. Bill Adams, sales team lead at LCG, recently shared some advice for when to use each type of steel.
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This grating has a galvanized finish to prevent rusting, plus wide spacing to allow for objects to pass through and not clog up the grate.
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Philipe Aldahir Director of Turf Research and Innovation, Shaw Sports Turf
Ask the Expert What makes turf the best performing solution for my field?
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There are three major components to consider when designing any sports field. Number one, it needs to be safe; number two, playable; and number three, aesthetically pleasing. There are many ways that we can achieve that with Shaw Sports Turf systems. On the safety side, there are a variety of metrics we track. We have one patent-pending
playability assessment that tests the metrics of the field and determines how safe and playable it is. It takes into consideration impact tests, which are a metric related to concussion, falls, and tackles. Performance parameters, such as traction, are also considered in that test. We look at a variety of metrics beyond those two things, like stability of the surface,
the force reduction of the surface, and the sponginess and squishiness of the surface. We don’t want players’ bodies to react in a different way than they would on a very good natural grass field. We want to make a surface that won’t get in the way of playing the game. On baseball fields, for example, we look at the ball’s trajectory to make sure those bounces and hops are true and playable. For each system we develop, there is a minimum of seven to eight metrics for performance and safety, but it can go up to 10 to 13 metrics depending on what we want to test. We’ve also participated in athlete
testing and kinesiology studies with major universities to understand and measure how athletes react to the surface. This helps us design surfaces that foster athletic performance. From a design standpoint, turf’s capabilities are very broad. Shaw Sports Turf can accommodate any sport and any team colors. In addition to safety, playability, and aesthetics, artificial turf is an environmentally friendly solution for a project. In terms of water conservation, its benefits can be substantial, and we also offer natural infills made from rapidly renewable resources like coconuts. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SHAW SPORTS TURF
Philipe Aldahir didn’t start out as a synthetic turf expert. In fact, for most of his early career, his expertise was in natural grass, which is often thought of as the opposing team in the sports field industry. But what Aldahir has learned as the director of research and innovation at Shaw Sports Turf is that natural grass isn’t always the best pick for a high-performing sports field. Here, he explains why turf stands out.
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Shaw Sports Turf designs surfaces for the optimal athletic performance.
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Aaron Kivett, Technical Manager for Strategic Partnerships, Newforma
With dozens of people and companies involved in any given project, from designers to engineers to contractors, risk and data leakage may seem inevitable. After all, people make mistakes. But by focusing on streamlined project information management, one software company has found a way to reduce risk without escalating burden. Aaron Kivett, a solutions consultant at Newforma, discusses the ways you can keep your information secure and your liability well-managed through by utilizing project information software that maintains and preserves complete project audit trails. With automated information backup, you can be sure you’ll have answers to your questions if your company is pulled into a conflict.
How can I reduce project risks?
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Before diving into the specific tasks responding to risk management, it’s important to remember the best way to reduce risk is to improve workflows and access to information. By providing normalized, repeatable processes, you’re reducing your company’s risk. Staff should have
an easy way to file emails and create complete records of decisions made on a project. Newforma has found a way to do that almost automatically—by indexing project-related emails and relating them back to project files and previous correspondence. When one of our clients—a global design, architecture, and engineering
create new issues. Companies don’t have control over personal Dropbox accounts, so there’s no way to audit what’s being shared—and no record of upload. OneDrive, Google Drive—there’s so many platforms it’s almost hard to keep track of them all. Newforma addresses this problem by developing a uniform, transferable way to share files on all projects with no additional cost to our customers’ partners. We do this to provide data-share auditing capability. When documents are downloaded, we keep that log and create an audit trail that our clients can refer to when there is an issue.
Read more from Newforma in the September+October issue, when Kivett explores streamlining administrative tasks.
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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF NEWFORMA
Ask the Expert
firm—was facing legal issues over the color of an expensive light fixture on one of its projects, Newforma’s audit trail was able to help the company prove they had checked all the approval boxes as required. They could prove, because of how Newforma automatically logs and documents processes, they had sent the right specifications to the contractor, and the liability was no longer theirs to deal with. Addressing data leakage is also important. This issue has evolved: Ten years ago massive email attachments were the big tech issue—if files were too big, companies would put them on FTP sites, but FTP sites aren’t secure, and they’re slow. Now people use programs like Dropbox that eliminate the problem of large files but
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NEWFORMA’S NIX CHANGE LOG
Automatically track and audit actions and file transfers using Newforma’s auditing capabilities.
Newforma lets you track the order of every last detail of projects, including this one at a five-star hotel in Australia.
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Susan Dalton, Vice President of loT and Smart Technology, GCP Applied Technologies
Ask the Expert How is GCP changing the way concrete is managed in transit?
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Concrete may not be seen as “sexy,” but it’s quite literally the foundation of most of our infrastructure, and thus a critical aspect of any construction project. And while other industries were evolving around us, the process of delivering concrete to a job site has remained relatively unchanged for years.
At GCP Applied Technologies, we were very aware that the process was full of flaws and ripe for disruption. We have field technicians and service representatives around the world who work directly with our customers, and we kept hearing from them that there was a need in the industry to improve the quality of product while reducing material waste.
Sometimes concrete is delivered to a job site and the concrete is out of spec for the customer’s use. When this happens, the load is rejected, and it is extremely expensive to find a home for that rejected product. Other times, the concrete is poured but then fails a strength test, and the cost of replacement is borne by the ready-mix producer. Aside from the monetary costs, wasting concrete is incredibly unsustainable from an environmental perspective. These pain points led GCP to develop the VERIFI® in-transit concrete management system. The way the system works is, we install a series of internet-connected
sensors on our customers’ trucks. The sensors collect real-time data to monitor, measure, and manage the concrete properties while the concrete is in transit. The data is transmitted from on-board computers that communicate with the cloud every 15 seconds, making the data accessible to our customers’ phones, tablets and laptops. Our system can modify the concrete in-transit by, for example, adding water or chemical admixture so the slump meets specifications upon arrival. For customers, this has meant fewer rejected loads, a substantial reduction in wasted materials, and a quicker turnaround for delivery drivers. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF GCP APPLIED TECHNOLOGIES
Whenever an innovative technology is introduced into a mature industry, there’s bound to be skepticism among the establishment on its feasibility. That was the experience of Susan Dalton, vice president of IoT and smart technology at GCP Applied Technologies, when the company introduced internet-connected sensors as part of its in-transit concrete management system. The goal was to shave precious time from the concrete delivery process while reducing the amount of product wasted on-site. Today, nearly six years after GCP Applied Technologies implemented its VERIFI® in-transit concrete management system, Dalton says the technology has turned skeptics into true believers.
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GCP can modify concrete even as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in transit, so fewer loads are rejected upon arrival.
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Lon Bauer, Product Development Manager, APV Engineered Coatings
Ask the Expert Why should I source PVDF coatings—and what exactly is PVDF?
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Polyvinylidene fluoride, or PVDF, has been around for 50plus years. The extremely durable thermoplastic polymer, similar to Teflon, is offered in a variety of grades, and the NeverFade line of coatings contains several types manufactured by Arkema under the renowned brand name Kynar. Kynar Aquatec, Arkema’s water-based PVDF emulsion, is an important component
in the two main topcoat formulations of APV’s water-based NeverFade coatings for metals and porous substrates like stucco, EFIS, masonry, concrete, vinyl, and wood. Besides having the same outstanding weatherability and durability characteristics of coatings with Arkema’s original factory-applied grade, Kynar 500, its versatility is unparalleled. And thanks to uncommonly low VOCs, NeverFade can easily
be field-applied in states with even the harshest environmental regulations. When it comes to formulating PVDF coatings, the key to consistent high performance is years of testing. Before APV coats surfaces in the field with a primer and compatible NeverFade topcoat, we always test adhesion. First, to the underlying substrate and even prior to this, extensive intercoat adhesion and compatibility testing have been conducted on the topcoat to the primer. Other durability tests follow—several ASTM tests for abrasion, hardness, and impact resistance, another for mold and mildew growth, and yet another that involves 10,000 hours of UV light exposure and humidity to spot color change, gloss retention, and chalking. For metal applica-
tions, hours of salt spray testing are conducted to identify blistering and corrosion formation. We even work with a third-party lab that provides actionable data culled from our extensive outdoor exposure testing, during which we expose coated panels in all climates. One Florida home was blasted with sand and debris during the hurricanes in 2017 and 2018, seven and eight years after NeverFade was installed. Even after nine years of south Florida weather, its facade looks as good as new. Whether it’s being put through its paces in a controlled lab setting or exposed to a real-world scenario, one thing is clear: APV’s NeverFade really works, and its incorporation of Kynar PVDF is a big reason why. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF APV ENGINEERED COATINGS
NeverFade® coatings from APV Engineered Coatings come in two main topcoat formulations that incorporate Kynar Aquatec®—the high-performance PVDF polymer engineered by Arkema. Compared to urethanes and acrylics, Kynar® PVDF is in a class by itself. Outstanding characteristics include extreme resistance—to ultraviolet light, radiation, abrasion, high thermal exposure, and a wide range of aggressive chemicals—as well as easy application with industry-standard spray equipment, and adhesion to many different surfaces, among other benefits. But what exactly is PVDF, and what role does APV’s rigorous research and development process play in making it a successful component of NeverFade? The company’s product development manager, Lon Bauer, explains.
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NeverFade can easily be fieldapplied in states with even harsh environmental regulations.
Read more from APV in the September+October issue of gb&d, when the experts tackle application.
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Colin Blackford, Director of Strategy & Innovation, Mermet USA
Ask the Expert How can shade fabrics aesthetically transform a project?
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Architects put a lot of thought into every detail of a project, including the windows. Yet that attention to detail sometimes falls off when it comes to the shades covering those windows. And that’s an issue, because the color, design, and mechanics of the shades all have a major impact on the final aesthetic.
First, consider color. The architect may have selected the perfect hue of reflective blue glazing, but if you select a white or light fabric for your shades, the glazing may end up looking greenish due to the iron content found in clear glass. That’s fine if that’s your desired effect, but if not, well, it’s less than ideal. It’s
also important to consider how the shade will appear in relation to the spandrel glass, which is the glass between floors on a large building with a full-glass facade. That portion of glass is typically back-painted with silicone or ceramic frit so you can’t see through it. Will your shades complement or clash? These considerations all relate to how the building looks from the outside. I call them out here since they too often get short shrift. The impact on the room’s aesthetic from the inside? The interior designer has
typically thought about that at length. So be sure to contemplate both elements of the completed design when selecting shades. Clearly, the shades you choose have a huge effect on the final appearance of a building. Putting in careful thought at the outset will help you select the shade that best complements the space—both inside and outside.
Check out the September+October issue of gb&d, when Blackford explores thermal performance.
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PHOTOS: KRIS DECKER & FIREWATER PHOTOGRAPHY
Anyone who’s ever passed a building with shades at every height knows how off-kilter it looks. A haphazard shade solution can bring down the overall appearance—not to mention thermal performance—of even the most thoughtfully designed structures. And yet all too often, that’s the case. Colin Blackford knows this well. Today the former architect helps guide customers who are seeking shade-control fabrics from Mermet. He’s a vehement proponent of the whole team—architects, interior designers, and others—working together from the outset, as he knows communication is vital. Blackford recently walked us through why and how aesthetics matter.
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Natural light takes center stage in the Oklahoma City Ballet rehearsal space, as Hunter Douglas Architectural’s RB500 automated shades with Mermet’s E Screen 1% in white fabric filter light. At the large scale arched window, 10 high performance shades line the bottom while another 10 shades are angled along the top. These smart automated shades use sun sensor technology to lift and retract with the sun’s movement. When fully opened, the upper angled shades lower while the bottom half of the shade lift to meet in the middle, evoking a sun disappearing into the horizon.
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Christine Bruckner Director, M Moser Associates The M Moser office in Hong Kong blends indoor and outdoor with optimized natural light.
M Moser assisted Saatchi & Saatchi with acoustic separation and full transparency that encourages collaboration and community while allowing people places to go for privacy.
Ask the Expert How can acoustic zoning foster serenity and community?
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Interior architecture, whether commercial or private, must accommodate the needs of all users within a space and take considerate care of their well-being. Following my last column (“How Do Lighting Details Improve Life in Commercial Spaces?” May/June 2019), acoustic criteria is another important factor in creating environments that
enable people to live and work at their best. The sonic success of activity-based and open-plan workplace layouts, multi-purpose community areas, innovative education spaces, and our own multi-purpose residences relies on a careful process of acoustic zoning. Design adjacencies and details simultaneously support a full spectrum of sound—from
quiet, meditative library areas to collaborative hubs buzzing with brainstorming. It’s essential to address a diverse range of acoustic needs for a successful working, learning, or living environment. Sound-absorbing materials, air gap technologies, best practice wall construction, and laminated/insulated glass enclosure solutions are just some examples of how design can reduce noise to protect people from distraction and mental stress. As architects we enhance the efficiency of all activities that take place within a space through a variety of design solutions. Workplaces and residential homes share a common need for a balance of communal and private areas where sound transmission is carefully con-
sidered to instill a sense of safety and comfort while enabling connectivity and proximity. However, such acoustic mapping solutions are only fully effective when combined with educating people about how to use the spaces. Empowering people to own their experiences within a given environment can enable seamless transition between sound and silence, creating control of productivity and happiness. Details of sound in interior architecture have the power to influence our mental well-being, both at work and at home. Considering the average American spends more than 90% of their life indoors, according to the EPA, designing spaces for sound has never been more critical. gbdmagazine.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF M MOSER ASSOCIATES
As director of M Moser Associates, Christine Bruckner brings her experience with urban integration, revitalization, and design excellence to guide the development of our built environment at all scales. The 2018 WSLA recipient is an architect actively supporting best practice, sustainability, and wellness in design. Here, she looks at how creating subtle, uplifting experiences for people within a space improve health and well-being as well as productivity.
PUNCH PRACTICE LIST
Elegant design provides acoustic privacy and artistic definition with details like double-glazing, absorptive material integration, spatial and integral layering, and more at the Hyatt Shangai office designed and delivered by M Moser Associates.
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Architects to Watch Andrew Schuster, Ashley McGraw
Ever since his days as a Cornell undergrad, ANDREW SCHUSTER — now a principal architect at ASHLEY MCGRAW (AM) and leader of the firm’s civic, community, and housing focus—knew sustainability would drive his practice. As part of a capstone project, he helped build a net-zero home that was displayed on the National Mall along with other colleges’ entries. “That was a formative experience … When you’re doing something that has such a huge material and energy input on the world, using good practices to reduce that impact—and make that impact more thoughtful—is kind of a no-brainer,” Schuster says. After briefly working abroad post-college, he found his way back to his Syracuse hometown, where, at AM, he’s helping steer the firm from predominantly educational architecture to an all-encompassing focus. Here are four notable projects that illustrate that breadth of vision.
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PHOTO: COURTESY OF ASHLEY MCGRAW
The hometown-hero principal at the Syracuse firm spotlights four sustainable standouts.
PHOTOS: JOHN GRIEBSCH PHOTOGRAPHY. PLANS: COURTESY OF ASHLEY MCGRAW
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MENS'
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Onondaga Nation Fire Station This near-net-zero, ground-up fire station, built for the local Onondaga Nation’s volunteer fire department, is literally filled to the roof with sustainable features—cellulose insulation, solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, floods of natural light, and almost no plastics—all of which perfectly dovetail with the tribe’s own core-deep belief in environmental stewardship. (Chiefs think seven generations forward when making decisions.) It also doubles as a community center for the nation, and, with weeklong generator capabilities, can even be used as temporary hospital shelter in the event of emergency. And its neighborhood-friendly, pitched-roof style looks great, too. “There’s really no trade-off between beauty and sustainable practices,” Schuster says.
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Project Details WASH
Location: Nedrow, New York Completed: June 2015 Size: 12,000 square feet MEP Engineer: IPD Engineering Structural Engineer: St. Germain & Aupperle Consulting Engineers General Contractor: Onondaga Nation Landscape Architect: Environmental Design & Research
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Sustainable Energy Fund Office Building frames, conventional wall and roof sysThis future headquarters for the Sustainable Energy Fund, a Lehigh County tems, no geothermal wells.” But thanks to nonprofit that advocates for sustainable features like a photovoltaic roof, optimal project funding, will look pretty much solar orientation, and energy-efficient like any garden-variety, single-story suburbuilding systems, the building will run ban office building—which is precisely the energy-positive, producing 30% more energy than it uses, according to Schuster. point. The goal is a net-zero office design A partnership with TN Ward Company, that can be built within the local range of the building will also serve as an example standard Class A office construction costs to state regulators in the push to better and also be replicated on a broader scale. expand “how building owners can be com“We used no exotic building systems,” Schuster says. “There are pre-engineered pensated for energy generation.”
Project Details Location: Schnecksville, Pennsylvania Completed: Anticipated late 2019 Size: 15,000 square feet MEP Engineer: AKF Group/ In Posse Structural/Civil Engineer: Barry Isett & Associates Contractor: TN Ward Company
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RENDERINGS: ASHLEY MCGRAW
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Project Details Location: Binghamton, New York Completed: January 2016 Size: 129,000 square feet MEP/Structural Engineer: Buro Happold Civil Engineer: Hulbert Engineering and Land Surveying Energy Modeling: Pathfinder Engineers Contractor: Hulbert Engineering and Land Surveying Landscape Architect: Appel Osborne Landscape Architecture
PHOTOS: JOHN GRIEBSCH PHOTOGRAPHY; SEAN FALCONER / CNY DRONE WORKS. PLANS: COURTESY OF ASHLEY MCGRAW
MacArthur Elementary School The old cliche about crisis synonymizing with opportunity rings true with this innovative LEED Platinum project. After MacArthur was destroyed by Hurricane Irene, Ashley McGraw raised the rebuilt building above the floodplain and added play areas underneath, so the building would remain protected from flooding and kids can still play even if it rains. Lighting controls, geothermal heat pumps, and radiant concrete floors help the school hit a super-low 10 Energy Use Intensity, and the bluestone or naturally rot-resistant black locust wood that clads the exterior is all local to the area. The design was the product of months of listening sessions and workshops with community members—and the kids themselves. There’s even a voice-controlled animated interface, dubbed Arthur, that allows the children to inquire about that day’s energy usage. “It’s one of the coolest schools I’ve ever been in—and we do a lot of schools,” Schuster says.
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Koffman Southern Tier Incubator This workspace brings together a series of wet and dry labs, high-bay facilities, and research spaces where high-tech startups can find the resources they need to launch. Schuster makes special note of the layout design—the circulation spaces intersect so as to maximize tenant interaction—and two standout sustainability details: an “aspirated wall” along the south base with metal panels that harness
the heat of the sunlight and dramatically decrease reliance on mechanical systems, and fibrous insulation instead of foam. That alternative provides quality vapor and moisture buffering at a much lower carbon footprint. “Foam also has a lot of persistent organic pollutants and bioaccumulative toxins that are bad for the people who work on these things as well as the long-term environment,” adds Schuster.
Location: Binghamton, New York Completed: May 2017 Size: 35,000 square feet Consulting Engineer: Jacobs Consultancy MEP Engineer: Pathfinder Engineers Structural Engineer: Ravi Engineering Landscape and Civil Engineer: M.J. Engineering General Contractor: Fahs Construction Group
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PHOTOS: DAVID LAMB PHOTOGRAPHY. PLANS: COURTESY OF ASHLEY MCGRAW
Project Details
2019
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