Green Building & Design / Issue 63
Reimagining the Suburbs Toronto’s RDH Architects on designing interesting public spaces in suburban environments, being bold, and working with the environment around you
issue 63 V O L U M E 11 • W I N T E R 2 0 2 0
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Gateways to Nature Inside three new nature center projects in California, Minnesota, and Maine.
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A New Industrial Age Solar-powered manufacturing transforms a Pittsburgh neighborhood.
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Redesigning Reykjavik How an island country is approaching green building
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Hands-Free Bathroom Design Bradley Corp. makes handwashing and good hygiene easier than ever.
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Tools of the Trade How an NYSID program gave an aspiring designer the skills needed to bring sustainability home ON THE COVER Photo by Nic Lehoux
PHOTO BY R AGNAR TH. SIGURDSSON
content s
Projects
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How Does Geothermal Heating Work? How a Massachusetts project uses geothermal energy to its fullest
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In the Details Take a closer look at the new Bell Chair by Konstantin Grcic and Magis.
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7 Ways Natural Stone is Sustainable Polycor’s experts walk us through natural stone’s design flexibility, durability, maintenance, and more.
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How to Meet Code with Thin Brick Systems Old Mill Brick’s systems cut costs and make projects greener.
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An Expert’s Guide to Engineered Wood Framing Systems We talk to Lester Buildings about when and why to implement an engineered wood frame system.
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An Expert’s Guide to Ceramic Facade Systems Agrob Buchtal and Acme Brick partner to bring architects the latest in facades.
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An Expert’s Guide to Architectural Canopies Mapes Architectural Canopies transforms businesses with costeffective, aesthetically pleasing options.
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Ontario’s New Reading Nook RDH Architects designed a large library and park to bring people together in this Toronto suburb.
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Large-Scale Living Walls Ambius shares what you need to know before specifying a large green wall in your next project.
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A House That Belongs This East Austin house combines the comfort of a cabin with the urban feel of the Texas capital.
Commercial Glass Solutions Binswanger Glass on what commercial solutions to consider when it comes to safety
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Alive with Light LS1 House in Florida takes a passive design approach to Sarasota School design principles.
Practice 107
A Market Rate Approach to Affordable Housing Victor Body-Lawson works to empower and strengthen neighborhoods.
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The Beach at Expedia Group A Surfacedesign landscape architect shares what she learned designing outdoor workspace on a former landfill.
Personal Security in the Workplace Digilock looks at how design has evolved to provide safe electronic locking and storage solutions.
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Flame Retardant Fabrics The experts at GALE Pacific with everything you need to know about when and where these shade fabrics work best.
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Portable Room Dividers The vice president of Screenflex shares his expertise around improving offices with portable room dividers.
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Architect to Watch Retail Design Collaborative’s Sara Hickman on reinventing a popular plaza in downtown San Diego
PHOTOS BY TK TK
PHOTOS: RYAN GAMMA PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF POLYCOR, COURTESY OF MAGIS
Products
gb&d is sue 63
contributors Editor-in-Chief Christopher Howe Associate Publisher Laura Heidenreich Managing Editor Laura Rote Art Director Kristina Walton Zapata Account Executive Julie Veternick Account Manager Ciara Gomez Marketing Manager Sophia Conforti
ONLINE gbdmagazine.com gbdmagazine.com/digital-edition SUBSCRIPTIONS Online shop.gbdmagazine.com Email service@gbdmagazine.com gb&dPRO Online gbdmagazine.com/gbdpro Email info@gbdmagazine.com MAIL Green Building & Design 47 W Polk Street, Ste 100-285 Chicago, IL 60605
Editorial Interns Lark Breen Zoe Seipp Marketing Intern Hailey Hinton Contributors Hilary Daninhirsch Sara Freund Cap Green Michal Kapitulnik David Miller Margaret Poe Mike Thomas Matt Watson
Printed in the USA. © 2020 by Green Advocacy Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Green Building & Design (gb&d) is printed in the United States using only soy-based inks. Please recycle this magazine. 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.
SARA FREUND
(“A House That Belongs,” pg. 48 and “Alive with Light,” pg. 56) is a freelance writer and editor living in Chicago. She enjoys writing about housing, architecture, and the environment. Her work has appeared in Vox Media, Chicago magazine, the Chicago Sun-Times, and other local publications. In her spare time she takes care of way too many houseplants and is a dedicated year-round biker.
MATT WATSON
(“An Expert’s Guide to Engineered Wood Framing Systems,” pg. 26) is a Chicago-based writer who specializes in creating researchbased stories on topics related to architecture, urban planning, and sustainable design. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a degree in journalism, he has more than five years of experience working with publications and nonprofits, including the Chicago Tribune and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
CAP GREEN
(“Victor Body-Lawson on Affordable Housing,” pg. 107) is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. She researched spatial and societal constraints in 19th century French literary characters as a Tow Fellow in France and continues to write about the relationship between literature and the earth’s environment. She works full-time as the director of a nonprofit organization that provides charitable services internationally.
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The Sarasota School of Architecture, also known as Sarasota Modern, is a regional style of post-war modern architecture (1941–1966) that emerged on Florida’s Central West Coast in and around Sarasota, Florida. You’ll recognize Sarasota Modern for its open-plan structures, often with large planes of glass to facilitate natural illumination and ventilation. The Sarasota Architectural Foundation is working to increase awareness of the design school as well as preserve buildings in the region. Alive with Light, pg. 56 4
A preschool in Newport Beach, California is an added bonus
to arrive on a long stretch of Long Beach Boulevard in nearly 30 years. Designed by Studio One Eleven, which includes top architect Sara Hickman, the building will be the business process and information management software firm’s new headquarters. The project will emphasize natural daylight and biophilic design. Find out about other work Hickman has completed recently inside. Architect to Watch, pg. 116 2
5 Things We Learned Behind-thescenes tidbits and fun facts we discovered making this issue
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It’s no secret to most people that Iceland was formed by volcanoes, and almost anywhere you go you’ll see evidence. Just an hour by car from Reykjavik you’ll see the flat-topped mountain Esja. Esja’s formation dates back to the beginning of the last Ice Age, forming after magma from eruptions made layers of lava beneath a glacier. When the ice retreated, it ground much of it away and left the mountain to appear as it does today. Redesigning Reykjavik, pg. 82
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Bradley Corp. has been conducting hand-washing surveys for years, but the results of an August 2020 survey of high school students may surprise you. The latest survey revealed students are nervous about attending school amidst coronavirus (58% of students), confident it’s important to wash their hands to protect against coronavirus (94%), and wash their hands more than six times a day (55%). Nearly half worried they won’t have enough time to wash hands during school. Students also reported being the most germconscious in school restrooms, classrooms, and cafeterias. HandsFree Bathroom Design, pg. 98
PHOTO COURTESY OF RETAIL DESIGN COLLABORATIVE/STUDIO ONE ELEVEN
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Laserfiche is the first newconstruction office building
on the campus of an already impressive nature center. The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) Preschool, opened in 2019, was designed to deliver naturebased education and build on the successes of the 9,000-square-foot ENC that opened in 2008. Together these projects earned a 2020 AIA COTE Top Ten award—the industry’s highest award for sustainable design, as well as a Top Ten Plus designation, which denotes exemplary performance and postoccupancy lessons. Gateways to Nature, pg. 67
company index
directory WINTER 2020
Acme Brick,
Binswanger Glass,
EZ ACCESS,
pg. 30 brick.com 817.332.4101
pg. 122 binswangerglass.com 800.365.9922
pg. 38 ezaccess.com 800.258.8503
Agrob Buchtal,
Bradley Corp.,
GALE Pacific, Ltd.,
Old Mill Brick,
pg. 30 agrob-buchtal.com 239.823.9757
pg. 2, 98 bradleycorp.com 800-272.3539
pg. 126 galecommercial.com 800.560.4667
pg. 22, 66 oldmillbrick.com 801.542.7050
Ambius, pg. 120, 131 ambius.com 877.552.1865
Digilock,
Lester Building Systems, pg. 26
Polycor Inc.,
Armstrong Commercial Ceiling & Wall, pg. 132 armstrongceilings.com/ sustain877.276.7876
pg. 124 digilock.com 800.989.0201
lesterbuildings.com 800.826.4439
Ex-Cell Kaiser, LLC,
Mapes Canopies,
pg. 13 ex-cell.com 847.451.0451
pg. 34 mapescanopies.com 888.273.1132
New York School of Interior Design, pg. 102, 106
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nysid.edu 212.472.1500
pg. 18 polycor.com 418.692.4695
Screenflex Portable Partitions Inc., pg. 128 screenflex.com 800.553.0110
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products Word Light by Studio Word Designed by Studio Word in Seoul for Dims., this table lamp offers warm, bright light from a sculptural fixture 3D-printed into its notable form made of corn PLA—a plastic substitute made from fermented corn starch. The fixture is ready to use straight from the box, and its classical Greek-inspired shape emits textured light that suits any space or use with a built-in brightness adjuster. $175;
SITTING ON A DESK OR TABLE, THE WORD LIGHT IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL FOCAL PIECE THAT IS BOTH SCULPTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL.
Sitting with Sustainability A closer look at the details behind some of the newest, greenest modern furnishings we love BY LARK BREEN
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PHOTO COURTESY OF DIMS.
DIMSHOME.COM
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Flat Pack Table by Hoek Home In just 60 seconds Hoek Home’s easily assembled, streamlined tables and stools bring a new air of modernity and efficiency to a space. The line of furniture is manufactured with a patented flexible joint securing system and flat pack chassis storage design so each piece can be assembled by hand in a matter of seconds. Hoek furniture gives second life to 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE, which makes up the legs and undersides of the tables, and utilizes FSC-certified plywood to construct the top of the tables. Hoek Home’s Kickstarter launched in October 2020.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOEK HOME
HOEKHOME.COM
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Designed by Danish architect Eva Harlou for Mater, Earth Stool is a circular barstool made using a new waste-to-value technique that gives second life to industrial waste like plastics. A molded compound of insulin pens from Novo Nordisk, coffee bean shells from BKI coffee, and beer production waste from Carlsberg forms the seat of the stool. Mounted on steel frames, the seat becomes a piece of lasting, sleek Scandinavian design. The waste-to-value process allows for circular design thinking and beautiful solutions to the diametric opposition of creation and waste, just like Earth Stool. The stool hopes to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals of “Responsible Consumption and Production,” “Climate Action,” and “Partnership for the Goals.” £420.00 GBP;
MATERDESIGN.CO.UK
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF MATER USA
Earth Stool by Eva Harlou
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Lud’O Chair by Patricia Urquiola Inspired by the playful geometric forms of the late Italian designer Ludovico Magistretti, Patricia Urquiola designed the Lud’O Lounge Chair for Cappellini to embody the comfort of a down jacket. Released in June 2020, the chair has two main components—a supporting structure stripped to the essentials and a soft, easily removable “dress” upholstery that comes in color variations to suit any season or mood. The “dresses” are made of a recycled nylon sports upholstery and recycled PET material made entirely from recycled plastic and marine debris. The Lud’O chair has an air of whimsy as the “dress” perches on the chair structure. FROM $2,790;
PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA URQUIOLA
CAPPELLINI.COM
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Benchmark’s wellness furniture is designed and built with strong ties to nature and smart, sustainable product sourcing and manufacturing processes. The Sage collection’s Bench with table, designed by David Rockwell, is a beautiful example of the brand’s clean design and welcoming, soft forms that echo the restorative powers of nature. The bench is made from sustainable and non-toxic materials, from the sustainably sourced wood to the low-VOC finish and the upholstery, where coir, latex, and sheep’s wool make up the 100% non-toxic fillings. The bench, like Benchmark’s other products, is Red Listfree, so it meets the standards required for WELL-certified buildings. FROM £3,115;
BENCHMARKFURNITURE.COM
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BENCHMARK
Sage Bench + Table by David Rockwell
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Pukka by Yabu Pushelberg
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIGNE ROSET
With vibrant, amoebic forms Pukka seating offers comfortable seating for families and high-end hospitality alike. Yabu Pushelberg and Ligne Roset designed the allfoam Pukka with softness of form and material to create a cozy, tactile seating solution. While the design’s interesting shapes and vibrancy are made to stand the test of time, the actual materials that make Pukka also have an extra long life: Ligne Roset recycles 56% of its production waste and uses a complex ventilation system to burn wood scraps for heat in the winter. STARTS AT $795; LIGNE-ROSET.COM
PHOTOS BY TK TK
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How Does Geothermal Heating Work? Geothermal energy helped this Massachusetts school reach its Net Zero goal. BY LARK BREEN
I
In an impressive community complex that houses administrative offices, a
library, a public pool, and two schools, Arrowstreet, along wit h William Rawn Associates and the City of Cambridge, built Massachusetts’ first Net Zero Emissions school. The project, King Open/ Cambridge Street Upper Schools & Community Complex, is an integral part of the city’s Net Zero Plan, which aims to attain carbon net zero throughout the city in just 25 years. The school building uses 70% less energy than the average school in the US and 43% less energy than a typical Massachusetts school that meets the state’s energy code. “The project goal was to achieve Net Zero Emissions, which means that the building systems are all-electric and the building has an ultra-low Energy Use Intensity,” says Kate Bubriski, director of sustainability and building performance and an architect at Arrowstreet. Accordingly, the building combines several forms of clean energy and energy-reducing technologies, including a geothermal heating and cooling system. Bubriski says the Arrowstreet team chose geothermal wells for the school because “ground source heat pumps were the most efficient system and have reliable maintenance and durability.” Geothermal technology is proven, and sooner rather than later it also yields a substantial return on investment.
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WHY GEOTHERMAL? Geothermal energy is beneath earth’s surface and can’t be affected by surface conditions like weather. The technologies behind geothermal energy, particularly geothermal heating and cooling mechanisms, do not often break, reducing the cost of system maintenance.
de f ined design
WHEN’S THE PAYOFF? Geothermal wells typically pay off in 3 to 10 years depending on location, type of system, and how the technology is used. For this project, Bubriski says, “The technologies needed to design the building to net zero, including geothermal wells and photovoltaics, were less than a 1% increase in construction cost. The significant operational savings from the low energy building and onsite photovoltaics make the return on capital investment fairly immediate.”
At a Glance
What is geothermal energy? Geothermal energy is found in steam and hot water in the earth’s crust. It can be harnessed for heating, cooling, and clean electricity generation via wells that go deep into the ground to reach the geothermal heat and pump steam and/or hot water up to the surface, according to the US Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
How is it best used? Generating electricity from geothermal energy typically requires hotter water or steam, which is most accessible at tectonic plate boundaries where you find hot permeable hydrothermal reservoirs. This accounts for its popularity on the US’s West Coast, according to the Geothermal Energy Association. Geothermal heating and cooling technologies use heat exchanges in a closed loop and can be utilized just about anywhere, from Kenya to Iceland. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, geothermal energy answers more than 90% of the heating demand in Iceland. This closed-loop heating and cooling technology is in place at King Open/Cambridge Street Upper Schools (pictured at left), where 190 closed-loop geothermal wells 500 feet deep supply a heat transfer fluid to electric heat pumps. Heat exchangers at the pumps extract or release heat from the geothermal well loop depending on the season, and from the heat pumps hot and chilled water lines supply radiant heating and cooling panels throughout the building, including the air handling units that support the displacement ventilation system. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM RAWN ASSOCIATES
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100% RECYCLABLE The material cycle of the Bell Chair is nearly contained, as the Bell Chair is made from industrial waste and is 100% recyclable at the end of its promised long lifetime.
INNOVATIVE SHAPE
EFFICIENT DELIVERY CONCEPT In transit the chairs are vertically stacked onto reusable delivery pallets made of the same recycled material as the chairs and doubling as a retail display. This approach uses less packaging material and reduces the distribution footprint.
Shape Shifter The Bell Chair by Konstantin Grcic and Magis
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With just one piece of plastic, industrial design company Magis and Konstantin Grcic have taken all of the expectations for a chair and all of the environmental responsibility that comes with industrial production and made a piece of furniture that satisfies on nearly all counts. The Bell Chair—fashioned from excess polypropylene generated in Magis’ own furniture production as well as the local car industry—is at once sleek, appealing, efficient, and lasting. “Our aim was to develop a high-quality chair with the bare minimum of material. This target was important to us for ecological reasons, but also from a commercial point of view,” Grcic said in a press release. Plus, the Bell Chair’s ability to stack and its simplicity of form are easily translated into a streamlined transportation design that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is efficient. The chair is available in three colors: Sunrise, High Noon, and Midnight. —Lark Breen
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MAGIS
The durable eggshell shape of the chair means minimal material is used in production, making it nearly half the weight of the average plastic chair, not to mention design-savvy and comfortable.
in t he de t ails
Warm Rooms Nook by Armadillo
PHOTO COURTESY OF ARMADILLO
Australian brand Armadillo combines ethics
NATUREINSPIRED
MADE TO LAST
“We’ve always been drawn to natural materials because by their very nature they possess these subtle, unique variations and have a rich, sensory feel that make them a pleasure to live with through all seasons,” says Jodie Fried, Armadillo cofounder.
These rugs are designed to denounce throwaway culture. “We want each rug we design to be as practical as it is beautiful,” Fried says. “Jute is a strong and robust fiber that softens and develops a lived-in feel with use, while wool feels luxurious but is deceptively easy to maintain.”
HANDCRAFTED FROM NATURAL FIBERS
and aesthetics to revive the essential rug with a stylish design and transparent manufacturing process. Armadillo’s November 2020 collection, Nook, offers smaller rug designs in various shapes and styles that are hand-woven or knotted to give every corner of the home a luxurious touch. “We really wanted to show that refreshing the home doesn’t need to be overwhelming—introducing one small detail like an entrance mat, a hallway runner, or bedside rug can have a transformative effect on the mood of an interior and also on how you feel in your home,” says Sally Pottharst, Armadillo’s cofounder. Each rug comes with the International Living Future Institute’s Declare Label to give consumers confidence in the rug’s conscience. Plus, 10% of Nook’s profits go to the Armadillo Foundation, which supports health care, education, and environmental initiatives in underprivileged communities. —Lark Breen
The rugs in the Nook collection are made from jute, wool, and linen, and are dyed, spun, woven, washed, and finished carefully by hand, “a process that is as energy-efficient as you can get these days,” Fried says.
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The Empire State Building, the Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial. Polycor’s natural stone can be found on some of the most beautiful, iconic buildings in the world. But it’s not just historic buildings where you’ll find Polycor. The Canada-based company with quarries across North America and Europe has more than 1,200 employees worldwide and has brought beauty and sustainability to the award-winning projects of today, too. In 2020 alone multiple projects won Tucker Design Awards from the Natural Stone Institute using Polycor stones, including the new downtown Edmonton location of the Royal Alberta Museum in Canada. Designed by architecture firm DIALOG, this project used Polycor’s Indiana limestone in standard gray. We talked to the experts at Polycor about how projects like this and others are made more sustainable by using natural stone.
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7 Ways Natural Stone is Sustainable Polycor explores white granite, marble, and more.
PHOTO COURTESY OF POLYCOR
BY LAURA ROTE
PHOTO COURTESY OF POLYCOR
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1. NATURAL STONE OFFERS DESIGN FLEXIBILITY. “When people think about natural stone they think about old buildings, but natural stone can also meet the design needs of modern architecture and aesthetics,” says Jean-François Marquis, communications director at Polycor. You can see that in real life at both the Royal Alberta Museum and The Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris. The latter, designed by architects Valode & Pistre, uses Polycor’s Bethel White® granite, the whitest granite available on the market, according to Hugo Vega, Polycor’s vice president of commercial and institutional sales. “Natural stone is very versatile. It offers a wider range of sizes and formats and a multitude of styles that concrete and other cast products can’t,” Vega says. Quarried in Vermont, Bethel White granite was used to restore The Grande Arche, replacing Italian marble that couldn’t last even 30 years. Bethel White won’t rust or change color over time, and Vega points to Washington, DC’s Union Station as evidence. It’s thought to be the first large commercial project from that Vermont quarry, and it was built more than 100 years ago. “It’s still bright white,” Vega says. “That’s the best proof of durability.”
2. IT’S 100% NATURAL. Natural stone really is just that—natural. It’s readily available from the earth, and it doesn’t release VOCs. It requires zero chemicals or additives to prepare it for your next project; it’s quite literally ready to go. “Natural stone is the organic food of building materials,” Marquis says. Production for natural stone simply means extraction, cutting, and polishing. Compare that to other building materials, like concrete, which uses a combination of crushed stone and chemicals to manufacture products. Polycor focuses on sourcing the highest grades of stone so that, for instance, a black stone like Cambrian Black® granite, quarried in Quebec, doesn’t need dyes to achieve its rich color. It’s a true black throughout, even when honed or brushed. A manufacturer of a lesser grade stone might apply a black dye or resin to a stone’s surface. Then, if the treated surface of the stone is honed or brushed away, it appears gray.
3. IT HAS A LOWER EMBODIED CARBON FOOTPRINT. The less carbon you have in your materials the more sustainable your project, Vega says. “Stone has an extremely low embodied carbon footprint because it was formed by the planet itself,” he says. “It’s right under our feet.” A UK study referenced by the Natural Stone Institute also reports that embodied carbon in natural stone is less than building materials like steel, cement, timber, slate, and bricks. “When you compare it to aluminum, steel, or plastic it has an extremely low carbon footprint,” Vega says.
4. NATURAL STONE IS LOW MAINTENANCE. Most of the natural stone used in cladding material or even paving and hardscapes like the ones you see in public plazas don’t need any maintenance; you don’t even need to apply a sealant. Just pressure wash it from time to time and go on your way. “It doesn’t require any other form of protection,” Vega says.
5. IT’S ALSO HIGHLY DURABLE. Natural stone lasts longer than concrete, glass, or quartz. “Various limestones, marble, and granite have been made by nature millions of years ago and, when used in construction, will last as long as the
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[1]
This neoclassical private residence in Vancouver was built with Polycor’s SAINT CLAIR™ - Fleuri Marble from Oklahoma, fabricated and installed by Red Leaf Stone.
[2]
The Grande Arche de la Défense in Paris won the Pinnacle Award of Excellence for Commercial Exterior from the Natural Stone Institute. Designed by Valode & Pistre, this project uses Polycor’s Bethel White® granite, the whitest granite available on the market.
[3]
The Ritz Carlton in Chicago features some of the most iconic marble, Polycor’s Georgia Marble in Pearl Grey, both inside and out.
[4]
The Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton received a Tucker Design Award from the Natural Stone Institute in August 2020. Designed by architecture firm DIALOG, this project used Polycor’s Indiana limestone in standard gray.
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underlying structure lasts. Think about the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China; they’re still standing today. Nowadays when we see a stone face being repaired it’s never the stone itself that’s in question but more the structure behind it, whether they’re having to do the waterproofing or repair window surrounds,” Vega says. Natural stone is perfect for any project that needs to stand the test of time, whether it’s a high-traffic interior floor area like at an airport or a library or school. It’s also a lot more energy-efficient than steel or glass, and it won’t get damaged by de-icing in winter. Marquis says granite paving will essentially last forever, or until you want to change the look of a space.
6. POLYCOR’S STONE IS RESPONSIBLY SOURCED. Know where your stone is coming from. Many people don’t realize there are quarries right in their backyard, from Georgia to Vermont. Not only does that reduce emissions when you specify a product close to home, but you can also know precisely how the stone is extracted. Marquis says the industry has had an issue with child and slave labor overseas, and it’s vital to educate architects. “You have to understand where the stone is coming from,” he says. “Many years ago people started drinking organic Fair Trade coffee, and now it’s common for people to ask for such a product, but there’s an equivalent in the natural stone industry when it comes to where the product is coming from and the working conditions of the people who quarry the stone. When you buy local stone quarried in America or Canada it’s a Fair Trade product.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF POLYCOR
7. NATURAL STONE QUARRIES ARE EASILY RECLAIMABLE.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF POLYCOR
Because the natural stone industry doesn’t use chemicals in its processes, quarries don’t require soil remediation and are easy to reclaim. “It’s a hole that will be filled when the quarry reaches its end of life, and nature will take its place because it’s not polluted,” Vega says. Polycor’s excess stone is processed into gravel for roads, curbs, landscaping products, and even furniture. At the Tate, Georgia marble quarry (a zero excess process material quarry), even stone dust is recycled into aggregate for Vetrazzo recycled glass countertops. The natural stone extraction process has little excess material because the stone is close to the surface. That’s a lot different from mining, where large amounts of earth must be removed to extract a small amount of minerals, and the excess turns into contaminated waste. g
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Meet Code with Thin Brick Systems How Old Mill Brick’s systems cut costs and make projects greener. BY DAVID MILLER
Classic kiln-fired clay brick has long been an architectural staple, adorning some of the most beautiful buildings in the world, from picturesque historical structures to polished, contemporary office buildings. Yet in many cases its high costs and difficulty of later remodeling efforts render brick out of reach. Consequently, thin brick adhered veneers that ensure flexibility, lower costs, and smaller material footprints have increasingly gained traction in recent years. Thin brick specialist Old Mill Brick takes these benefits a step further by offering their patented Brickwebb and Panel+ engineered wall systems, which not only provide attractive thin brick finishes but integrate them into consolidated solutions that can help architects, designers, and building owners to meet code and cut costs while enjoying the peace of mind delivered by the Old Mill 15-year System Warranty, which means their project is as aesthetically pleasing as it is durable and sustainable. “Our products comply with numerous codes as well as being the easiest and most cost-effective way to get a job done anyway,” says John Striednig, vice president of commercial operations at Old Mill Brick. “If you have a high-performance option that costs less than the others and offers the additional benefit of sustainability, why would you use anything else?”
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how to
BEAUTIFYING BOSTON Old Mill Brick provided an exterior wall solution for this Residence Inn Marriott in Massachusetts.
PHOTOS BY TKOF TK PHOTO COURTESY OLD MILL BRICK
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MEET STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS
INSTALLATION IS EASY
Old Mill Brick’s Panel+ solution in particular not only provides the aesthetic appeal of thin brick at a low cost; it can also help to meet continuous insulation and air and water barrier requirements set forth in the International Energy Conservation Code and the International Building Code. Continuous insulation requirements necessitate that insulation is consistent across the entirety of a structure, lest thermal bridges—gaps in a building’s envelope caused by conductive surfaces such as wall studs and cladding—allow heat to flow in and out, lowering occupant comfort and raising energy bills. Similarly, air and water barrier requirements mandate weather barrier materials must not exceed a certain air or moisture permeability. Panel+, which allows thin brick flats to be easily mounted on an expanded polystyrene rigid foam substrate, meets and exceeds these requirements. The Panel+ system features R-values ranging from R-5 to R-20 along with fluid applied air and water barrier liquid and water channels on the back of the foam to allow drainage and ventilation that keeps the panels dry while ensuring peak thermal efficiency.
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AESTHETIC APPEAL
Note the architectural relief achieved through foam thickness variations like vertical reveals and corbelling. Multiple finishes like EIFS, cast stone, brick, and stone can all be incorporated using the Old Mill Panel+ System.
Whether you’re using Brickwebb or Panel+ for your project, ease of installation can be guaranteed. Brickwebb, which is a patented mesh-mounted system for mounting and aligning thin brick flats, can reduce overall installation time by two-thirds, Striednig says. He likens it to panels made for mounting glass mosaic tiles, which feature 144 one-inch square tiles attached to a single mesh backing. Rather than go through the labor of adhering each tile individually, you simply need to attach the panels. Brickwebb is similar, featuring 12 brick flats per Brickwebb mesh panel already spaced, coursed, and affixed in place. Similarly, Panel+, while ultimately a rigid foam insulation panel, features alignment tracks on its outer surface that allow thin brick flats to be perfectly spaced and leveled without any fear of irregularity occurring. This not only assures a perfectly applied veneer but also reduces the requisite labor expenditures. “Brick masons know how to stack a brick and get it aligned and coursed properly, but thin brick is a bit more like tile. When it comes to sticking it to a wall, getting all the lines straight and the spacing correct requires a different skill set,” Striednig says. “We’ve found that by creating these two systems, we’ve provided an assurance of perfect alignment and the ability to save labor at the same time.”
FACELIFT
The Panel+ System easily accommodates all adhered veneers, including brick, natural stone, manufactured stone, and other commonly adhered materials.
how to
SHRINK YOUR MATERIAL FOOTPRINT
Sustainability is another area where Old Mill Brick’s solutions shine. Striednig says that while thin brick flats are made of real kiln-fired clay brick, their overall material footprint is just one-fifth of typical full thickness brick units. That means the thin brick itself has a smaller footprint and less emissions are created by the extraction, manufacture, and transportation of surplus materials further down the supply chain. And because of thin brick’s reduced weight, buildings with lighter foundations can more easily accommodate it, allowing for further material reductions like the elimination of wall ties and support metals. Take, for example, an instance in which a 16-inch thick wall is reduced to 12 inches due to the use of thin brick. In this case less steel and concrete are needed to support it, and by moving the wall to the perimeter of the slab, the owner realizes the additional finished space inside their building. This makes thin brick ideal for retrofits and renovations, too. Without needing to alter a building’s foundation, the charm and elegance of brick detailing can be attained. “In the old way of doing things, after sheathing a wall up, it would go to a waterproofing contractor to apply the air and water barrier. Then another subcontractor would install the insulation, then finally the mason or exteriors contractor would install the finish. With us, everything can go to just one contractor, and that simplifies trade coordination and accelerates the job,” Striednig says. “You can look at labor hours, material footprints, or anything else you want, but whichever way you crunch the numbers, you find that you save.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF OLD MILL BRICK
HOME SWEET HOME
This highly efficient home uses the Old Mill Panel+ System. Whether you’re building new or remodeling, the Panel+ System is simple to include in your design.
Old Mill Brick’s Panel+ system features R-values ranging from R-5 to R-20.
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POST-FRAME
Building Dreams Inside the benefits of Lester Building Systems’ Engineered Wood Framing Systems BY MATT WATSON
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Engineered wood frame buildings have been around for decades, yet their popularity continues to gain momentum within the industry as builders and customers alike take note of their many benefits. The post-frame construction method provides an elevated level of flexibility, durability, and energy efficiency, making it ideal for customers looking for a customized solution, whether it be for personal or commercial use. “Every building starts with a dream in the customer’s mind,” says Paul Boor, vice president of product development at Lester Building Systems, a leading manufacturer of engineered wood frame
an ex per t ’s guide
FROM THE TOP
PHOTO COURTESY OF LESTER BUILDINGS
Engineered trusses and precision-made connection points are key to the durability of Lester Buildings’ systems.
systems. “We’re able to take that dream and turn it into reality.” Unlike traditional construction methods, post-frame construction puts the customer in charge. Lester Buildings is able to take specific inputs from a client—including local snow and wind load conditions, colors, materials, and geometric constraints—and create a drawing with cost estimates included. “They are able to get granular data and a visualization of their dream on their first visit,” Boor says. Many of Lester Buildings’ dealers act as general contractors while others can often recommend subcontractors as needed.
The Minnesota-based company manufactures its engineered systems at three US plants, selling both factory-direct and through a network of independent dealers across 35 states. Lester Buildings was founded in 1947 and began making wood-frame buildings in 1954 under the direction of Art Schwichtenberg. The company has since grown into one of the top three manufacturers of engineered wood-frame buildings in the country. “People refer to our buildings as pre-engineered, but we don’t pre-engineer anything,” Boor says. “We like to say it’s engineered on the fly. It’s a truly custom solution.”
30%
POST-FRAME BUILDINGS GO UP APPROXIMATELY 30% FASTER AND ARE LESS EXPENSIVE THAN TRADITIONAL CONSTRUCTION METHODS, ACCORDING TO THE EXPERTS AT LESTER BUILDINGS.
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Make It Your Own
EACH LESTER BUILDING IS CUSTOM, BASED ON CUSTOMERS’ NEEDS. PERUSE THEIR PROJECT LIBRARY FOR INSPIRATION AT LESTERBUILDINGS.COM.
Post-Frame Goes Up Fast Boor says engineered wood-frame systems are one of the fastest growing construction methods in the industry today. So what are the main benefits of a post-frame structure, and when should customers consider this option? “Any project of considerable size or complexity, and anything that’s not directly covered by a DID YOU prescriptive code like the ResiKNOW? dential Building Code, is a great candidate for engineered postAny interior or frame construction,” Boor says. exterior design element that That includes commercial, is found in a residential, and even light intraditional dustrial uses. There are a couple home can of reasons for this. For starters, be included in a Lester Lester Buildings guarantees the Buildings pole structural integrity and durabilbarn home. ity of its engineered systems— something the local contractor building onsite cannot. Postframe buildings also go up approximately 30% faster and are less expensive than traditional construction methods. Owners who want a quicker return on investment cite this as a key benefit.
Designs are Flexible Due to their durability and versatility, postframe buildings can be adopted for just about anything. “Our customers are extremely varied,” Boor says. Agricultural uses like farm buildings, equine stables, and livestock barns are in high demand given that post-frame systems provide open floor plans and taller ceilings. Hobby buildings like garages and workshops are also a sizable portion of their business.
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With the increased popularity of engineered post-frame buildings, Lester Buildings has worked with clients on everything from wedding venues and wineries to places of worship. “And because they can be heated and fitted with electricity and running water, they can be used for housing and retail as well,” Boor says. In fact, one of Lester Buildings’ fastest growing segments is post-frame homes.
These are Built to Last
Get the Look You Want There’s a common misconception that while post-frame buildings are durable and cost-effective, this comes at the expense of aesthetic design. Yet this couldn’t be further from the truth. “Since we customize everything, we can design almost anything you’d like,” Boor says. That includes custom entryways, dormers, porches, and other accessories. Lester is very proud to have designed and built many truly beautiful buildings.
Lester Buildings’ newly patented Eclipse Roof System® is a great alternative to a standing seam roof. With unmatched curb appeal, The Eclipse Roof System combines the structural integrity of a through-fastened roof with the weathertight, sleek appearance of a standing seam metal roof at a lower cost. An attractive roof batten snaps over the ribs, concealing the panel fasteners and creating bold clean lines. “These are not cookie-cutter buildings,” Boor says. “We have nothing premade in our yard. We’re always encouraging customers to have it their way.” g
Concerned about the durability of engineered wood frame systems? “Durability is one of the strongest selling points” for post-frame buildings, Boor says. “The problem with non-engineered buildings is there’s probably a weak spot no one thought of. And you won’t CASE STUDY find out until it’s too late.” Engineered trusses and preThe White House Fruit cision-made connection points Farm in are key to the durability of Lester Ohio turned Buildings’ systems. The company to Lester performs all structural design inBuildings when they needed a house, where its engineers take bigger building inputs like average snow and wind for their in a given location to determine successful design loads for a specific project. business. Once those loads are known, a design to safely absorb those forces is created. And it backs all of that up with a lifetime structural warranty on its buildings. Boor adds that, after this summer’s derecho storm that ravaged parts of Iowa and Illinois, one of the company’s dealers called to say that many buildings were lost or damaged in the area, while Lester buildings were still standing.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF LESTER BUILDINGS
Post-Frame is Green Wood is by far the most sustainable building material, as it is fully renewable and has the lowest embodied energy compared to steel or concrete—which require far more energy to produce and transport. “Timber is also what we call a ‘carbon sink,’ because it captures carbon from the air and sequesters it,” Boor says. “I want to ask Jeff Bezos, ‘Why aren’t you building your [Amazon] warehouses out of wood? You could sequester so much carbon.’” And because Lester Buildings customizes its projects and performs all of the framing and sizing at its factories, far less material is wasted than a traditional structure built onsite. Boor sees net zero energy building codes as a particular area of opportunity for the company in the future. “Regulations on energy efficiency will continue to increase and post-frame buildings will be well positioned to meet those demands,” he says.
DESIGN DETAIL • USING A DOUBLE-PRESS SYSTEM, LESTER BUILDINGS MANUFACTURES THEIR TRUSSES PER ORDER. THE TRUSS SAW IS PROGRAMMED TO CUT THE BOARDS TO THE EXACT LENGTH NEEDED TO ENSURE ACCURACY AND REDUCE CONSTRUCTION TIME.
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CASE STUDY The tasteful color scheme adds to the beauty of the facade at New Children’s Hospital, designed by SARC Architects in Helsinki.
TERRA-COTTA AND MORE
Preservation Meets Modernization Exploring ceramic facade systems BY MATT WATSON
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Ceramic has been used as a building material and sculptural component for thousands of years. Often referred to as terra-cotta—Latin for “baked earth”—ceramic building facades of fired clay remain hugely popular across the globe. While probably best known as the cladding material of early 20th century architectural masterpieces like the Flatiron Building in New York City and Chicago’s Wrigley Building, ceramic facades are making a comeback in both new construction and historic renovations due to their versatile and durable qualities. “A facade is far more than the protective shell of a building. Its design not only charac-
PHOTO COURTESY OF ABL FINLAND OY / HELIFOTO OY
ts an ex per produc t ’s guide
terizes the building itself but also influences the urban environment,” says Lisa Burling, national sales manager at Agrob Buchtal, a leading manufacturer of ceramic facade systems. The Germany-based company began manufacturing ceramic tile in 1755 and has been perfecting its recipes of mixed clay, feldspar, fireclay, kaolin, and water ever since. With the resurgence in popularity of terra-cotta cladding Agrob Buchtal has been producing ceramic facades for more than 40 years in Schwarzenfeld, Bavaria. The “Made in Germany” label is consistently associated with a high level of quality and
craftsmanship, and Agrob Buchtal’s ceramic facade systems live up to that brand, exporting to six continents and dozens of countries worldwide. The firm recently began partnering with Acme Brick, a premier manufacturer of building materials based in Fort Worth, Texas, to distribute ceramic cladding to customers across the southern US. “We have an extensive portfolio of products and services for modern and future-oriented building and design,” Burling says. Customers searching for an aesthetically flexible and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional facade materials have an easy solution with ceramic cladding.
80% MORE THAN 80% OF THE RAW MATERIALS USED IN AGROB BUCHTAL’S PRODUCTS ARE SOURCED IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THEIR PRODUCTION SITES.
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Did You Know?
WHEN LIGHT FALLS ON AGROB BUCHTAL’S INNOVATIVE HYTECT TILES ACTIVE OXYGEN IS RELEASED, PROTECTING AGAINST BACTERIA AND MOLD. HYTECT TILES ALSO NEUTRALIZE POLLUTANTS IN THE AIR.
The typical customer for ceramic cladding wants a distinct and attractive facade that withstands both time and weather with little to no maintenance, according to Craig Dudley, sales manager for the Innovative Building Products division of Acme Brick. Burling adds that, for builders and architects looking for the complete package of aesthetics, economic efficiency, and sustainability, ceramic facade systems are perfect. As local governments raise the bar on design guidelines nationwide, terra-cotta meets or exceeds these regulations by offering a more refined and elegant CASE STUDY look than traditional facade materials. Ceramic facades are At 91 Leonard especially beneficial for historStreet in NYC, ic renovation projects. With developers used KeraTwin renovations surpassing new and KeraShape construction in many urban ceramic facade districts, Agrob Buchtal works systems to with city and county planners complement the 19th century to ensure its products align warehouses with historic guidelines. “We and lofts can custom-match color palof the ettes, surface finishes, and surrounding neighborhood. panel sizes for older renovations,” Burling says. “Even if it’s just replacing a single tile, you won’t notice a difference between the new tile and the existing facade.” Even without specific regulatory guidance many developers choose to harmonize new construction projects with the existing urban environment. At the recently completed 91 Leonard Street condominium tower in New York City, Agrob Buchtal’s KeraTwin and KeraShape ceramic facade systems were utilized by the developers to complement the 19th century warehouses and lofts of the surrounding neighborhood.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF AGROB BUCHTAL
Exceeding Regulations
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ON DISPLAY The KeraShape system balances old and new, as seen here at Duke University.
THE KERAION SYSTEM IS SEEN ON THE MUHAMMAD ALI CENTER IN LOUISVILLE.
PHOTO COURTESY OF DUKE PHOTOGRAPHY; DANIELE DOMENICALI; COURTESY OF KONINKLIJKE TICHELAAR MAKKUM; FRED CLEMENTS
How to Install Terra-Cotta Cladding Ceramic cladding can be installed directly onto the frame of a building or on top of the existing facade, making it ideal for both new construction and renovations. “You can install ceramic panels on practically any base, including ceilings,” Burling says. Agrob Buchtal’s Omega fastening system utilizes aluminum brackets and fasteners to secure the ceramic panels to the existing structure. Compression springs provide flexibility to the facade structure, preventing any movement or clatter of the panels while carrying the wind load off of the main structure. Joint profiles or spacers secure the panels in place and allow for easy removal. “Our panels are half the weight of our competitors, about seven to eight pounds per square foot, which means less stress on the building and an installation process that goes about 30% faster,” Burling says.
The Options are Endless— and Less Expensive Whether your main consideration is cost efficiency or excellency in design, ceramic facades offer a wide range of benefits to builders and operators. Because ceramic is more lightweight than competing materials, it’s quicker and less expensive to transport and install. And architects prefer working with
terra-cotta due to its flexibility and nearly unlimited design potential. “The diversity of color and texture options gives architects the freedom to focus on all sorts of complexities in design,” Burling says. From an operational perspective ceramic facades are non-flammable, resistant to chemicals, and impervious to environmental pressures. To further improve on these qualities, Agrob Buchtal developed the innovative Hytect surface coating that significantly reduces cleaning expenses by preventing the formation of algae and other microbes. “Once the surface gets wet, the water reacts with the Hytect coating and washes dirt and other particles right off of the facade,” Burling says.
GRONINGER MUSEUM IN THE NETHERLANDS USES THE KERAION SYSTEM AND CLAMP FASTENING IN ITS DESIGN.
Sustainable, Too? Unlike many of the most popular building materials used today—concrete and steel come to mind—terra-cotta stands out in terms of sustainable performance across all four phases of the material’s lifespan: manufacturing, construction, operation, and deconstruction. “Ceramic is harmless in terms of building biology,” Burling says. “It has practically an unlimited useful life and can be fully recycled.” Ceramic cladding, when installed on the old facade, acts as an additional shell for the building, providing added benefits in terms of energy efficiency. Plus the gap between the old and new facades provides space for layers of additional insulation. “Everyone wants to go green, and we’re happy to lead the industry in that direction,” Burling says. g WINTER 2020
KERATWIN IS ALSO SEEN ON THE VIRIDIAN, DESIGNED BY BRUNER/COTT & ASSOCIATES, IN BOSTON.
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CASE STUDY Super Lumideck provides longterm durability with Mapes aluminum, non-rusting finish and high-quality extruded materials, meeting all local code requirements for snow and wind loads at the Career Pathways Institute.
CANOPIES
Above & Beyond Mapes Architectural Canopies provides high-quality solutions. BY MIKE THOMAS
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Canopies have long been a classic exterior detail on various types of structures throughout the world, their origins stretching back hundreds if not thousands of years. Today’s significantly evolved and customized versions, known as architectural canopies, are commonly found on everything from schools and churches to retail stores and municipal offices. The best ones combine high-quality materials with sophisticated design proper-
an ex per t ’s guide
ties to perform a variety of key functions while also complementing a building’s aesthetic. Since its founding nearly seven decades ago, Lincoln, Nebraska–based Mapes Architectural Canopies has specialized in high-performance canopies made from extruded aluminum. Besides being design-friendly and long-lasting, the material is also incredibly strong and extremely cost-effective. Mark Mundorff, a 30-year industry veteran and the PHOTO COURTESY OF MAPES ARCHITECTURAL CANOPIES
company’s vice president of product design and promotion, is a leading expert in the field. With modern canopies, he says, form nearly always follows function. And the function, most often, is to shield people and equipment—whether it’s at main entrances or rear loading docks. “It keeps those pathways open for business use,” Mundorff says. “Canopies also make it much easier to distinguish where people should go as far as wayfinding.”
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THE NUMBER OF US STATES MAPES ARCHITECTURAL CANOPIES HAS SUPPLIED A CANOPY TO
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Here’s How
NO MATTER WHAT DESIGN OR SUSTAINABILITY FEATURES YOU’RE AFTER, MAPES ARCHITECTURAL CANOPIES OFFERS VALUABLE INSIGHTS ON WHICH CANOPIES WORK BEST WHERE AND WHY.
Cold Weather Canopies “Canopies are often required to take a certain snow load to protect whatever’s underneath them so they don’t collapse,” Mundorff says. “The further north you go, the more critical it is to have a canopy that is designed to take at least a minimum snow load, if not an unexpected load, from peculiar weather patterns.” For Mapes customers this means installing something from the company’s pre-engineered Lumishade or Super Lumideck lines KEY that feature solid aluminum HIGHLIGHTS decking that’s maintenance-free SuperShade is and—this is crucial—are engipre-engineered neered and designed as a system for most wall to meet the strictest building conditions and code requirements. A clean and helps protect from the sun smooth soffit underside also alwhile keeping lows for the mounting of LED design clean, lighting fixtures. “A lot depends like at Linwood on the climate and how critical Center School seen here. the protected activity is,” Mundorff says. “But as you push the expected environmental limits, your best bet is to go with the heavier duty canopies that are designed to handle high snow loads.”
Warm Weather Canopies “The further south you go the less weather is of critical importance,” Mundorff says, noting that canopies in most areas of the southern US need not be as impervious to the elements. Sun fades materials, he explains, but it doesn’t strain them like snow does, which makes warmer climates ideal locations for lighter-weight options like Mapes’ Supershade. A longer-lasting alternative to canvas,
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an ex per t ’s guide
DESIGN NOTES • ARCHITECTURAL CANOPY DESIGN ENHANCES BRANDING
• PROTECTED ENTRY WITH SECURE AND ATTRACTIVE LIGHT FIXTURE MOUNTS
• CUSTOM MATCHED WALMART BLUE COLOR PER SPECS
the SuperShade canopy is an open-deck louvered system that offers passive sun control that mitigates solar gain. Better to block sunlight outside a structure before it enters through windows or glass doors, warms the interior, and impacts the energy efficiency of cooling systems—not to mention the overall comfort level.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MAPES ARCHITECTURAL CANOPIES
How to Incorporate Branding While a canopy’s stylistic qualities are typically far less important than its functional ones, that isn’t the case when it comes to corporate branding, where street appeal plays a central role. Canopies are often the first feature prospective customers see, so they also need to accurately reflect a company’s design aesthetic. Mapes works with a number of well-known national chains, from retailers to restaurants, to create customized canopies that meet those requirements. “Certain colors are synonymous with certain brands,” says Kendall Frantz, director of national Account Development for Mapes ArKEY chitectural Canopies. “So it’s critical HIGHLIGHTS that the color be properly executed. More than other materials, alumiMapes num is uniquely positioned to take Lumishade on a custom-matched color. Howevcanopies were er, you must ensure you’re using a added to the first floor of high-quality, professionally applied the Catholic finish.” Mapes uses a 70% fluoropolyCharities mer finish that’s superior for color offices to retention. protect people from weather Although Mapes canopies have while being evolved considerably in terms of maaesthetically terials and manufacturing methods, pleasing. their durability has been a constant since day one. “As I travel around the country,” Frantz says, “I’m pleased by the number of our canopies I see from the ’50s and early ’60s that are still in place and have held their finish.” g WINTER 2020
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GLOBE PENDANT LIGHTS AND EMBEDDED LED LIGHTS REMIND PATRONS OF A NIGHTTIME SKY.
Ontario’s New Reading Nook A large library and park bring people together just outside of Toronto. WORDS BY HAILEY HINTON
PHOTOS BY TK NICTKLEHOUX
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RDH Architects designed the public library, garden, park, and splash pad in Brampton to create an experiential relationship to the project’s greenfield setting—complete with undulating, organic sectional topography. The triangular shaped building itself works with the area’s naturally occurring ravines.
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After years without one, a suburb in Ontario finally has an eco-friendly, eye-catching library. Designed by RDH Architects, Springdale Library and the adjacent Komagata Maru Park opened in Brampton, a suburb just west of Toronto, in summer 2019. The new library gives a diverse community free access to a wealth of information, program space, and technology, according to Tyler Sharp, principal and design director at RDH. The inspiration for the project came from the site and surrounding landscape, Sharp says. The library sits on a flat suburban plot of land, framed by a commercial plaza, a main road, and a feature found throughout the city—a naturally occurring ravine. Given the constraints of the project site, and being Sharp’s first time designing in the suburbs, his main question was: How do you respond to a simple suburban environment and create an interesting public space? The final result is an eye-catching, triangular-shaped building that is as much about the landscape as it is about community, and it is targeting LEED Gold. Preserving the ravine and its natural irrigation patterns, the WINTER 2020
library was built close to the street, which gave Sharp and team ample space to create Komagata Maru Park and a parking area behind the building. Beyond the location, the ravine’s flowing nature also inspired the organic, fluid architecture of the building and its surrounding green spaces, which allow the library to blend within its environment. The library also invites people in with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows. “It’s an approach of heightline, view, and perception that the public can see what’s happening inside the building, and it sort of draws them in,” Sharp says. The windows are covered with solar-responsive ceramic frit patterns that are fittingly made to look like pages in a book. These patterns expand and contract based on solar orientation, reduce glare, and minimize solar transmission into the building. “We were trying to deal with sustainability in a poetic architectural way, as well as being performative,” Sharp says. The project features a number of other green details, including daylight harvesting systems, geothermal heating and cooling,
commercial
The carefully proportioned colonnades and the calm reflecting pools at Springdale Library inspire a familiar sense of classical order
and encourage you to explore the building’s facades. The connections between the aluminum curtain wall, the floor-toceiling windows, and
the steel, tubular columns appear seamless and effortless, while the building’s shape was inspired by the site’s overall triangular geometry.
SITE PLAN
DRAWING COURTESY OF RDH ARCHITECTS
PROJECT: Springdale Library and Komagata Maru Park ARCHITECT: RDH Architects LOCATION: Brampton, Ontario Completion: Summer 2019 Size: 26,000 square feet Cost: $16,670,000 Structural Engineer: WSP Canada Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Jain Sustainability Consultants Civil Engineer: Valdor Engineering Landscape Architect: NAK Design Strategies Water Features Consultant: Resicom Specifications: DGS Consulting Services
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gray water use for toilet fixtures, and electric car charging stations. The team also tried to specify all locally available materials, from doors, lighting, and furniture to concrete and steel work. The library’s green roof—a mountainous, rounded hilltop as opposed to the building’s angular shape—can be seen from the sidewalk, architecturally giving the library height in an otherwise flat landscape. Sustainably speaking, the green roof also helps reduce the urban heat island effect and absorb rainwater. Inside, Sharp and team worked to create an environment of exploration. Like the exterior, much of the library’s interiors also draw inspiration from the surrounding scenery. An organic, calming color palette of greens and yellows is used throughout, while globular pendant lights and embedded LED lights create a planetary, starry sky above stacks of books and reading areas. In the children’s area, a moss-like carpet backs up to the outer reflecting pools, blurring the boundaries of inside and out. Sharp hopes the library’s dynamic design will inspire others to push the limits of what suburban architecture can look like. “We hope the unexpected design will make people stop and reconsider how one might build in the suburbs.” g
In the children’s area, a moss-inspired carpet backs up to the outer reflecting pools, blurring the boundaries of inside and out. The project is targeting a LEED Gold rating with its green roof, geothermal heating and cooling, and gray water systems.
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PHOTOS BY TK TK
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PHOTOS BY TK TK
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We hope the unexpected design will make people stop and reconsider how one might build in the suburbs.
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PHOTOS BY TK TK
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PHOTOS BY TK TK
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A House That Belongs This East Austin house is a modern, cabin-inspired stunner.
WORDS BY SAR A FREUND PHOTOS BY CHARLES DAVIS SMITH
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Matt Fajkus Architecture designed this Texas residence using knotted cedar and western red cedar for the exterior wood cladding. Western
Window Systems provided the sliding glass doors, while windows are from Milgard. Iron spot bricks come from Acme.
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The “Hewn House” design begins with a cabin’s simple form and materiality—a gable roof, a woodclad body, a prominent fireplace, and integrated indooroutdoor spaces. But this house isn’t just offering up a rustic look and feel; its scheme proposes a clean-lined, “hewned” form to best fit on its urban infill lot.
Hewn House is tucked beneath tall trees in the East Austin neighborhood—an increasingly diverse area where early 1900s bungalows meet modern condos and cocktail bars are steps away from barbecues.
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resident ial
Tucked in the East Austin neighborhood in Texas, MF Architecture’s Hewn House is a slice of serenity. From a distance it fits perfectly on its block, secluded beneath tall cedar elm trees. The client, originally from Maine, wanted a house that emanated coziness—similar to the feeling of being in a rustic cabin. “In colder climates a lot of houses respond by introducing more warmth—having wood makes things a bit softer and warmer,” says architect Matt Fajkus. By introducing raw materials like the cedar-clad exterior and rust red brick, the architects were able to design a cabin-inspired home even amidst Austin’s modern aesthetic. Fajkus, his partner Sarah Johnson, and the rest of the team at MF Architecture approach every project by analyzing the challenges and using those to enhance the design. Rather than manipulating the land to fit Hewn House, the architects sculpted this home to coexist within the site. The cleverly named project is a reference to this, as hewn means to chop or cut wood into another form.
Most of the homes in the East Austin neighborhood are modest, and many feature traditional gable-formed roofs. These elements, along with the site’s existing landscape and sloped elevation, ultimately influenced the design. “It was important in thinking about how we could create something similar to the houses around the area and still be authentic,” Fajkus says. “The specific slopes and angles to the roof form we ended up with allowed us to work with the beautiful trees on the site; we didn’t have to carve into the tree canopy.” Inside, the same geometry creates a lightfilled, expansive experience. The ground floor has an open layout kitchen, dining, and living space anchored by an earthy brick fireplace. While the house is fairly compact, the vaulted wood ceiling adds spaciousness. Fajkus says the simple material palette gives the house its cozy feel. “The concrete floors, the wood-lined ceiling, and the brick—each of those are natural, real materials. None of them are painted or stained or concealed. It feels like they are living things full of char-
MF Architecture used raw materials like the cedar-clad exterior and rust red brick to give the house a rustic, warm feel.
SECTION DRAWINGS
DRAWINGS COURTESY OF MATT FAJKUS ARCHITECTURE
PROJECT: Hewn House ARCHITECT: Matt Fajkus Architecture LOCATION: Austin, TX Completion: 2019 Size: 2,509 square feet Contractor: Capstone Custom Homes Structural Engineer: LOConsultants Sliding Glass Doors: Western Window Systems Windows: Milgard Iron Spot Bricks: Acme
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Natural light fills Hewn House. The ground floor has an open layout kitchen, dining, and living space all anchored by an earthy brick fireplace. While the house is fairly compact, the vaulted wood ceiling adds spaciousness and warmth while connecting back to the exterior knotted cedar tongue and groove.
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acter.” Sliding glass doors from Western Window Systems and windows from Milgard let in light and views of the surrounding trees. The homeowners were also interested in constructing an ADU, or Accessory Dwelling Unit—a common addition to houses in Austin. These increase density, making city living more affordable. And from a housing perspective it’s an inclusive, sustainable choice that benefits the community. These owners knew they wanted a unit to rent, and that raised a lot of questions about what to do in the backyard. The design solution took advantage of the yard’s sloped elevation, which required a retaining wall to create a flat area for both houses. The dropoff acted as a natural boundary. “It was a blend that the owner was happy with. Both houses could see the trees and yard space, but each only had access to a part of it. You have your own domain and level of privacy,” Fajkus says. When it comes to sustainability, MF Architecture isn’t just thinking about material choices and window placement. It matters to them whether a project is financially and socially responsible, too. “The way we approach sustainability is broad, and we want to make intelligent decisions from the start,” Fajkus says. “I would even argue that designing something more sensitive to the neighborhood context means it’s likely to live on longer. It’s easier for someone to tear a house down if they think it didn’t belong in the first place.” g
“The concrete floors, the woodlined ceiling, and the brick—each of those are natural, real materials. None of them are painted or stained or concealed. It feels like they are living things full of character,” says architect Matt Fajkus.
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Designing something more sensitive to the neighborhood context means it’s likely to live on longer.
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Alive with Light A modern Florida home in a historic neighborhood
WORDS BY SAR A FREUND PHOTOS BY RYAN GAMMA PHOTOGR APHY
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Hive Architects provided a holistic design, including interior and landscape design, for this Sarasota, Florida
house. Inside, Herman Miller chairs and Knoll furniture sit alongside Sub-Zero / Wolf appliances and a Miele dishwasher.
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The three pavilions’ volumes transition from a solid and grounded garage on the street side to a semi-opaque guest pavilion that
orients both to the street and private yard, and finally to a transparent main living volume that opens itself only to the private yard.
DRAWING COURTESY OF HIVE ARCHITECTS
SITE PLAN
MAP wanted to honor the site, prominently located at the neighborhood’s highest point, so they designed low seating from the church’s iconic rocks and incorporated the steeple’s bell into the front entrance. While rocky terrain makes The Bronx a difficult building location, that made the end result all the more special. “It’s
a challenging site, but now we’ve integrated these pieces and all of a sudden they’re at the heart of the project,” says Matt Scheer, director of communications at MAP. “It’s tied into that natural landscape of the community and provides this interesting, natural counterpoint to the building itself, which is very angular.”
The laid-back Lido Shores neighborhood in Sarasota, Florida is a haven for modern architecture. Back in the early ’50s, developer Philip Hiss hired local architect Paul Rudolph to create a collection of climate-sensitive homes, which also resulted in a new regional style of modernism: Sarasota School. A handful of Rudolph’s homes still exist in the area, including the very first construction in 1953—the Umbrella House. Just a few doors down from that historic home, Hive Architects recently completed the LS1 House. The homeowners were set on a design that followed the Sarasota School principles of sharp geometry, honest expression of materials, and environmental sensitivity. Many of these modern homes look as if they’re floating above the landscape. One of the client’s only requirements for the architects: Design this project as if it were your own. “They wanted us to not hold back and really get engaged with the vision. They trusted us, and in the end it was their perfect home. We have an inside joke with them: ‘If you ever sell the home, you have to give us a call first,’” says Joe Kelly, principal architect of Hive Architects. The idea behind the house was to create a series of three pavilions. The end result is an entirely open layout that is directly tied to the landscape and light. There aren’t any hallways; one space flows into the next, and a breezeway with garden views connects the main house to the guest wing. “Every space in the home is designed to pull you outside,” Kelly says. “So there’s this constant idea of bringing you outdoors that makes you feel connected to the site.” Part of that environmental harmony comes from the project’s basis in passive design. The large overhangs and trellises prevent intense heat in summer but still allow the sun to filter in when warmth is needed. These features are both essential and visually compelling—particularly the massive slatted wood shutters across the guest wing, which operate on a rotation. The brise-soleil over the entryway serves as a wayfinder to the back of the property and also introduces mesmerizing shadows.
PROJECT: LS1 House ARCHITECT: Hive Architects LOCATION: Sarasota, FL Completion: 2019 Size: 2,700 square feet Contractor: Empire Construction Structural Engineer: Snell Engineering Consultants Metal Fabrication: Modulo
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The roof almost floats from one side of the pavilion to the other and you get this feeling of being enveloped.
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Plus it’s a nod to a defining characteristic of the neighborhood’s historic Umbrella House. The perpetual outdoor experience is what makes LS1 House feel so generous and airy. The strong horizontal beams direct your gaze out over the pool and sun deck. Nearly every window has a view of tropical grasses and palm fronds. And, of course, there’s an abundance of natural light. “We don’t have walls that go all the way up to the ceiling, the rooms are separated by glass partitions,” says Gwen Leroy-Kelly, a principal architect at Hive Architects. “The roof almost floats from one side of the pavilion to the other and you get this feeling of being enveloped. With the moving walls there are no boundaries between inside and outside. It’s truly one space with no definition, and that’s what I like the most.” One challenge to this particular site was that it didn’t have the highly coveted view
of the Gulf of Mexico. A lot of homes in the neighborhood have this exposure out onto the waterfront, so it was something both architects wanted to address. “One of the big ideas of the project was to reconnect with water and make that an important aspect of the design,” Kelly says. They did this first by ensuring that no matter where you are in the home, you’d always have a sightline to the pool. Even from the entryway under the brise-soleil the water is visible, reflected back in the structure’s glass. On its own, the low-slung silhouette is stunning, but with the dramatic shadows and reflections created by the Florida sun it’s magical. “There’s a relationship between the building, the sun, and the seasons. Every time we visit the house it always looks different, like it’s alive, because of the light. It engages you with these little moments of beauty,” Kelly says. g
The dimension of the horizontal wood siding that is applied to the garage pavilion breaks the scale of the volume and minimizes its masslike appearance. Operable slatted shutters on the
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guest pavilion offer filtered views to and from the structure. They also regulate light and shade levels and can be adjusted according to the intensity of the sunlight at different times during the year.
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PHOTO PHOTOS BY ERIK BY RTK ANK TK
Gateways to
Nature TOP ARCHITECTS ON
H O W T H E Y B U I LT F O R T H E
E N V I R O N M E N T — L I T E R A L LY — W I T H T H E S E N E W N AT U R E C E N T E R P R OJ E CT S . BY LAURA ROTE
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I
t starts with a plot of land. You consider the slope of that land, the way the sun hits, the wind. You seek only the finest materials for your new building— sustainably harvested wood, recycled elements, maybe even decomposed granite. But ultimately what matters most is how it all fits together and whether people engage with your design at all.
“For me, designing for nature means thinking holistically about architecture—considering not just all of the design and engineering facets but also how architecture fits into a bigger picture to address issues of equity, accessibility, health and wellness, and climate,” says Glenn Waguespack, senior project designer at HGA. “How do we maximize positive impacts on people, and how do we think about the building’s future so its impact remains positive throughout its lifespan? We are at a critical juncture where we can choose to use new lenses by which we analyze and approach design.” Taking a holistic approach—including architecture, landscape, and interiors—has also been crucial at LPA Design Studios, where Design Director Rick D’Amato recently worked on The Environmental Nature Center and Preschool in Newport Beach, California. They set out to design a top educational space while conserving energy and water and supporting the Environmental Nature Center (ENC)’s mission of sustainability. It’s now recognized as the first LEED Platinum building in the region. “For me this was an environmental project and we had to get in there and support the concept. This was about learning; it wasn’t about, ‘Oh, well the architecture looks great on this,’ or ‘The landscape looks great on this.’ It’s how do we support the mission, and how does everything we do make that better?”
Leave No Trace
Fitting into the natural landscape was a key goal of Waguespack and the team at HGA when they designed Westwood Hills Nature Center—an oasis in the middle of St. Louis Park, Minnesota that quite literally connects people to nature. “The building is located as a gateway to the site, both physically—two trailheads begin and end there—and intellectually through its interpretive exhibits and expressive sustainability features. It sits on the threshold between two native landscape types: the prairie grassland and deciduous forest,” Waguespack says. Many in the city of 45,000 may not even realize the new nature center, completed in June 2020, is there. Waguespack says it’s a hidden gem literally surrounded by the city. The reclaimed landscape was a former golf course purchased in the middle of the last century for public recreation, then cultivated into a nature center with landscape types you’d find throughout Minnesota. The HGA design team made sure every element of Westwood Hills Nature Center, from the building’s shape to all of its materials, factored in sustainability. “The building is oriented in plan to take advantage of solar an-
Alaskan Yellow Cedar was used for the glue-laminated columns, beams, and structural wood deck at Westwood Hills Nature Center. “We chose AYC because it’s naturally moisture-, insect-,
and decay-resistant and doesn’t require a toxic pressure treatment that could compromise the indoor air quality if not encapsulated in a clear coat,” says HGA’s Glenn Waguespack.
gles and prevailing winds; its roof form opens the building up to views and maximizes daylight to reduce energy use,” Waguespack says. “From a systems standpoint, the biggest contributor to energy reduction is the geothermal wellfield, which uses the earth as a heat source for our radiant and forced air systems; heating loads are dominant in a cold climate like ours.” Lighting controls and a building automation system help the facility operator manage the building systems as efficiently as possible.
Managing Energy
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Zero energy was a major goal and the primary challenge of the Westwood Hills Nature Center project in Minnesota. “We established an energy budget for the project that everyone from lighting design to exhibit design needed to meet,” Waguespack says. “We updated an energy model at each phase and at key milestones to ensure the evolving design was heading in the right direction.” The team continues to work with the city to monitor monthly energy use Project: and production to make sure Westwood Hills they align with predictions. Nature Center In California the sinArchitect: gle-story wood frame ENC HGA has been operating net positive since 2008, generating Location: 60% more energy than it’s St. Louis Park, MN using. Its new preschool is Completion: predicted to be net positive, June 2020 too, generating 105% of the Size: 13,600 preschool’s power needs. No square feet natural gas is used in the building, and PV panels supCost: ply 100% of the ENC’s power. $12.5M D’Amato says the design (construction cost of the ENC Preschool takes $9.9M) full advantage of the coastal Construction climate. Ocean breezes pass Manager: through low-intake windows RJM Construction along the south while excess Zero Energy hot air rises up the sloped Consultant: ceiling and exhales out high Integral Group operable windows along the north. The steep-pitched roof accommodates a large photovoltaic array set at the best angle for southern sun exposure. “We researched historical climate data, which made it clear the site was ideally suited for a naturally ventilated building. PHOTO BY PETE SIEGER
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“We tuned the overhangs and windows so the custom-formed concrete feature walls will be in the sun in the Minnesota winter, capturing heat they’ll give off for thermal comfort,” Waguespack says of the Westwood Hills Nature Center project. “In summer our overhangs shade the corridor so the concrete absorbs heat from visitors and keeps them cooler. It’s a functional piece, but its textures reflect birch trees.” PHOTO BY PETE SIEGER
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RENDERINGS COURTESY OF LPA DESIGN STUDIOS
We were able to eliminate the need for mechanical ventilation with operable windows, large sliding glass doors, and efficient ceiling fans to enhance air movement. The buildings are oriented in courtyard clusters with deep roof overhangs, creating shaded outdoor areas that protect the building openings from direct solar heat gain.” On a historic 105-acre farm on the Saco River in Maine, Kaplan Thompson Architects is on a quest to build the most sustainable building in the Northeast. There, work has begun on The Ecology School, designed to achieve the Living Building Challenge 3.1 certification. A big part of the plan to achieve that designation is tied to energy, according to Caitlin Brooke, marketing manager at The Ecology School. The building will have more than 700 solar panels onsite to support the goal of producing 105% net positive energy. “These panels will produce 330,000 Kwh per year, which is equivalent to removing 49.5 cars from the road each year, 257,000 Project: pounds of coal burned, or Environmental 29,700,000 smartphones Nature Center charged,” Brooke says. Preschool The Ecology School is a Architect: LPA nonprofit ecology education center for students of Location: all ages to explore nature Newport Beach, through experiential proCA gramming. Plans for the new Completion: 9,000-square-foot dormitory 2019 and 7,000-square-foot dinSize: ing commons include using 10,380 square feet more than 200,000 board feet of local Maine wood. “At RivLandscape er Bend Farm, rising to the Architect: LPA Living Building Challenge Contractor: and asking for spaces to give Consolidated more than they take from the Contracting environment around them is Systems Inc a ‘live what you learn’ expeAwards: rience,” Brooke says. “You 2020 AIA COTE become a living example of Top Ten Award how all systems in our world are connected and how daily living can have a positive impact on our environmental health, not a drain.” The Ecology School campus will also have a non-combustion, all electric-powered kitchen, permaculture landscaping, a working agroecology farm, and other educational assets.
Material Selection
Material selection plays a major part in reaching sustainability certifications across projects. At Westwood Hills Nature Center the design team chose Sustainable Forestry Ini-
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The ENC Preschool was designed for maximum flexibility, with large classrooms and movable furniture. Large sliding glass doors allow for classes to extend to the outdoors when needed, effectively doubling the room sizes.
tiative (SFI)–certified wood to construct the building’s structure as well as frame all interior walls. Bird-friendly glass is used in a couple of ways, including in the exhibit area, where large areas of glass from head height down to the floor appear to be clear but are actually coated with a UV-reflective coating birds can see so they won’t fly into the glass. “We did a lot of research—bird friendly glass and testing is an evolving arena—and worked closely with Pella windows to customize the glass for bird safety,” Waguespack says. At The Ecology School, Kaplan Thompson Architect Jesse Thompson says the team was able to bring in an incredible suite of local, sustainable, low-embodied energy materials everyone was proud of, including Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)–certified wood. Thompson says the team is also proud of the school’s planned fossil fuel–free, all-electric commercial kitchen. “Combustion is banned in all Living Building Challenge projects, but it’s what most kitchens run on. It was eye-opening to understand just how much energy goes into cooking and cleanup for up to 600 meals served per day. The energy use of the dishwasher alone uses as much energy as the entire school dormitory for up to 140 kids. Seeing a scratch-cooking kitchen like this be 100% solar powered is a huge victory,” she says. LPA also used timber FSC-certified wood as the primary building material in the ENC Preschool, using timber as the primary structural and framing system for cost and life-cycle reasons. That attention to only the best and most natural materials extended beyond structural choices, though, as the preschool’s playground uses boulders, logs, and tree stumps to provide opportunities for kids to explore, and paths throughout the site are made of natural, permeable materials like decomposed granite and bark mulch. Composite siding on the building’s exterior is made of wood and plastic scraps, saving them from the landfill. Fly ash was used in concrete caissons to reduce the carbon footprint and material cost. A light-colored roof and brick paving, used in the parking lots, reduces the heat island effect. The use of carbon neutral and climate positive materials like the CLT roof and timber frame construction result in positive outcomes in the life-cycle analysis of the new building.
Engaging with Nature
Across projects these architects emphasize that the mission of spaces like these is to get people out and excited about the environment—again, without disturbing what’s there. WINTER 2020
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At The Ecology School in Maine, the buildings were placed to work with the natural landscape, “not to bulldoze our way to ideal placements,” Brooke says. The dormitory is nestled along a naturally occurring window, right up against the forest, making for a peaceful setting surrounded by trees. The Dining Commons is perched atop a high point in the topography, adjacent to the farmhouse, with beautiful glulam beams from Nordic Structures. The view from the Dining Commons looks out over the farm fields and Saco River below. In California, it’s all about providing a handsProject: on experience. “The preThe Ecology school is designed so kids School at River get dirty,” D’Amato says. Bend Farm “They want the students to get up out of the classLead Architect: room environment and get Kaplan Thompson out in nature and learn.” Architects The ENC Preschool’s Location: Saco, ME classrooms open to a cenAnticipated tral courtyard that then Completion: connects to the nature December 2020 learning center. The nature learning center is diCost: vided up into three zones $14.1 million based on the national (includes land parks of California—Seacquisition and quoia, Joshua Tree, and design costs) Yosemite. Size: “Every area is designed 16,000 square feet as a learning environment. Collaborating In one clearing there are Architects: little tree stumps where Briburn, Scott the kids can sit and it beSimon Architects comes an outdoor classLandscape room. There’s an awesome Architect: trike path around the Richardson & entire outdoor play area, Associates and along this trike park there are makeshift muContractor: sical instruments. They Zachau don’t look like musical inConstruction struments, but there are Solar: nature elements you can ReVision Energy actually play and they’ll Timber: create music,” D’Amato Hancock Lumber, says. “There are also areas Nordic Structures for kids to climb over and into and get into the mud and roll down hills—and it’s all very intentional. It looks very organic, but it’s all intended to be used and played with. It’s all about understanding how these outdoor environments can teach.” g
The Ecology School’s 105acre property is under conservation easement with Maine Farmland Trust. Briburn designed the dormitory and Scott Simons Architects designed the dining
PHOTOS AND RENDERING COURTESY OF KAPLAN THOMPSON ARCHITECTS
commons, the latter of which draws inspiration from the property’s 1794 farmhouse. The FSC wall panels and trusses came from Hancock Lumber, a local white pine company that
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harvests from their own timber land and manufactures their own wood products. Architect Jesse Thompson says the team was able to bring in an incredible suite of low-embodied energy materials.
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A New Industrial PHOTO COURTESY OF TEN X TEN
Age 76
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I N S P I R E D B Y T H E PA S T, P I T T S B U R G H FORGES A NEW FUTURE. BY MARGARET POE
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I
N 1883 JONES & LAUGHLIN S T E E L C O M PA N Y built its first plants along the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh. The resulting factories, massive in scale and occupying acre upon acre, employed the thousands of workers who turned Pittsburgh into Steel City. More than 130 years later advanced manufacturers operate on that same land. Carnegie Mellon University researchers pursue the latest in advanced robotics technology at a site that once paved the city’s industrial heyday. From precision welding robots that improve steel workers’ safety to a robotic spraying system to disinfect warehouses exposed to COVID-19, innovation forges ahead on this historic site. While the smokestacks are gone, the spirit of industry pushes on. The former J&L property is now known as Hazelwood Green, a 178-acre site in southeast Pittsburgh. After flourishing in the early 20th century, decades of decline culminated in the last steel plant ceasing operations in 1997. Today the land is owned by a partnership of several prominent Pittsburgh foundations, with remediation work and specific projects owned by the Regional Industrial Development Corporation, or RIDC. It’s a unique blend of old and new Pittsburgh, says City Councilman Corey O’Connor, and one with a strikingly forward-looking vision. “It’s a whole neighborhood we’re building around clean, green energy,” says O’Connor, whose district includes Hazelwood Green, which is the largest mixed-use development in the city. Riverfront access is one critical aspect of the new development. Despite its proximity, the Monongahela River has long been out of reach for neighborhood residents. A 1.3-mile stretch of the riverfront will be revitalized as part of the development, complete with industrial artifacts reflecting the site’s history, from a pump house to coal loaders and catwalks. In addition to trails and public space, the massive development will feature office, retail, and residential buildings with a mix of densities. At the very southernmost end, Uber operates a test track for its autonomous vehicles.
REPURPOSING THE MILLS The advanced manufacturing researchers work on this historic site thanks to Mill 19, one of the marquee projects within the development. While most of the original buildings were torn down as part of substantial remediation to the brownfield, the three former rolling steel mills that now make up Mill 19 were preserved. The steel superstructure remained for good reason, according to Dan Vercruysse, senior associate at project architect MSR Design. Not only do the original site buildings connect new tenants to Pittsburgh history, they also have the attributes that today’s manufacturers are looking for, like high bays. The trick, however, was finding a way to meet the project’s intensive sustainability goals in such an enormous space. That’s where the big idea came in, Vercruysse says: They would create new buildings within the mills’ original bones. The corrugated metal walls were removed, the concrete slab broken into three grades of filler to be used in the landscape, and a 21st-century mill was built from the ground up. MSR, a Minneapolis-based firm with experience transforming industrial structures into sustainable and modern spaces, led the overhaul at Mill 19. The firm won accolades for its transformation of what was once the largest flour mill in the world into the Mill City Museum along the Minneapolis riverfront. The first three-story building at Mill 19 opened in September 2019, and the second and third are in development. ENERGY FOR THE FUTURE When you arrive at Mill 19 you see how the site blends old and new. As you approach you pass a PV array and cross a platform where the old rail line cut through. Every aspect of the site is designed with long-term sustainability in mind, PROJECT: achieving LEED Gold certificaMILL 19 AT HAZELtion and near net-zero energy WOOD GREEN usage. With nearly 5,000 silicon ARCHITECT: panels, the solar installation is MSR DESIGN the largest in Pittsburgh history—and the largest sloped-roof LOCATION: installation in the country. PITTSBURGH, PA RIDC placed a high value on sustainability, says Don Smith, SIZE: president of RIDC. “Given the fu265,000 SQUARE FEET ture-looking orientation of our target tenants, it was even more COMPLETION: important for us to incorporate ONGOING the latest advances in renewable energy, water efficiency, and enENGINEER: ergy efficiency,” he says. BALA Smith says Mill 19 is the poster child for Pittsburgh’s fuLANDSCAPE ture. “It reflects the industrial ARCHITECTS: heritage and work ethic of our TEN X TEN, D.I.R.T. region and its role in the indusSTUDIO trial age,” he says. “Yet its buildings and, more importantly, the tenants it is designed to accomWINTER 2020
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AN INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE, TRANSFORMED From the beginning the development of Mill 19 wasn’t focused exclusively on the buildings. The site itself is a welcoming public space. As you walk alongside the building, the path you’re on rises and falls with the land, offering a vista of the native plants and grasses populating the site. “It’s a nice public space on private land,” says Jeryl Aman, architect and associate at MSR. Among the site’s public amenities is the South Porch, a gathering place with a stage for performances in a post-COVID future. On the porch, seating made from recycled steel beams and salvaged concrete showcases the project’s industrial character. The landscape design, led by Minneapolis-based TEN x TEN and D.I.R.T. Studio, a Virginia-based practice focused on urban regeneration, tackled multiple goals with gusto. For one, it had to manage the stormwater that came rushing down the hill. The team designed a rooftop collection system that gathers rainwater and channels it
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Hazelwood Green claims Pittsburgh’s largest solar installation and is the largest sloped-roof installation in the US, according to RIDC. The old steel mill site is now home to researchers working in advanced robotics.
PHOTO AND RENDERINGS COURTESY OF TEN X TEN
modate, represent the emerging innovation industries that account for the bulk of our region’s current growth, as well as the brightest prospects for defining Pittsburgh’s future economic success.”
into a cistern, along with a stormwater filtration garden that marries form and function along the west side of the mill. The landscape also evokes the site’s industrial past. Maura Rockcastle, principal of TEN x TEN, and her team transformed existing steel into outdoor benches and other furniture, and they subtly evoked the century-old site’s character in every element. “Let’s use as much of this magic as possible,” Rockcastle says of their mindset from day one. That led them to uncover alternatives to traditional building materials and landscape features, too. The original concrete slab, for example, became fill for retaining walls and other features throughout the landscape, preventing the team from bringing in quarried materials like limestone or granite. “We loved the aesthetic and history and story of the site,” Rockcastle says. “We were committed to making a new design that didn’t erase that.” It raised some eyebrows with the TSA when they flew to Pittsburgh with a pound of clay, she laughs, but that clay proved essential to document the rugged texture of the site. After taking textural imprints across Mill 19, capturing the gritty aesthetic of the massive bolts and hardware, her team turned them into casts they used in furniture and other elements across the landscape. The plantings themselves were inspired by what the TEN x TEN team found when they first arrived. Inside the mill, moss and ferns had taken over the shadowy spaces. Outside, poplars, catalpas, and sumacs grew wild, the seeds having flown in on a breeze or deposited by animals. The team evoked this wind-blown spirit with all the plantings, Rockcastle says. They didn’t want trees that were perfectly symmetrical—they wanted them a little bit on the wild side. “To have a site like this with such an incredible economic and social history of what Pittsburgh is, to come across it after it was vacant for so long, it was a dream for a landscape architect to work on a project like this, at this scale,” she says. For the city, Mill 19 is just the beginning. As the work on phases B and C continues, which will transform two more segments of the original mill into multi-use space, and other aspects of Hazelwood Green come to fruition, the project represents the potential for green building, sustainable landscapes, and the jobs of the future. To think that the manufacturers of the 21st century work on top of an old steel mill site—it forces O’Connor to pause and reflect. “It’s really unique and something to be proud of,” he says. “We’re leading the way when it comes to robotics and manufacturing, to help not only Pittsburgh and western Pennsylvania but the entire country to be part of that revolution.” g
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How city officials and architects are considering the impact of design on the island country
Redesigning Reykjavik By Zoe Seipp
A
country smaller than Ohio and less populous than Cleveland sits atop the world—both geographically and as one of the globe’s leading sustainable countries. Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, is situated at the southwestern corner of the island country in the North Atlantic sea. With a population of less than 125,000, it’s an increasingly international tourist destination thanks to its many volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs. Like its Nordic neighbors, it’s also a leading example of how to design for the fight against climate change, especially when you have a coastline that’s at risk. Fjola Kristjánsdóttir, CEO of the Green Building Council Iceland, says that while in recent years Iceland has done a lot of good in terms of producing sustainable energy, it’s time to look beyond that. She wants the country to focus more on sustainable transportation and green buildings, too. Two years ago Green Building Council Iceland lobbied the government to include the building sector in its Climate Action Plan, and Kristjánsdóttir says the council is currently focused on green financing—working to encourage banks to invest in the building sector. Kristjánsdóttir says Reykjavik is also working hard to create a more economic, social, and environmentally sustainable city and achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. It’s all part of the Reykjavik Municipal Plan.
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Building for the Future Algaennovation, an international tech startup developing new technologies for producing microalgae, gets all of its water and electricity from a geothermal power plant in Iceland.
How We Got Here But how is Reykjavik one of the greenest cities in the first place? The city ranked among the top cities in the world for its environment in the 2019 Global Destination Sustainability Index, a global sustainability benchmarking and improvement program for business tourism and events. More than 99% of electricity production and almost 80% of total energy production in Iceland comes from hydropower and geothermal power, according to the Reykjavik Convention Bureau. Stand almost anywhere in the country and you can see its many mountains and glaciers. But what you can’t see, at least not really, is the geothermal energy churning below the rugged fjord-lined landscape (more on geothermal energy on pg. 14). One way to get close to that energy, and many tourists do, is with a quick trip to the Blue Lagoon—a 20-minute drive from the airport. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa heated by the runoff of a neighboring geothermal energy plant, where people come from across the world to bathe under Mount Thorbjörn. Geothermal energy is produced in abundance due to Iceland’s unique geography— sitting on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. There are at least 200 volcanoes in Iceland, according to the National Energy Authority of Iceland. Geothermal energy now accounts for 25% of all energy in the country and is often used in tandem with hydroelectric energy as an alternative to fossil fuels.
Well-known Icelandic firm Basalt completed The Retreat at Blue Lagoon in 2018, designing the hotel and spa to fit within the existing natural landscape. Basalt has been focused on green building since its inception in 2009 and has also been part of Green Building Council Iceland and Nordic Built for more than 10 years. Most recently they’ve been active in the city of Reykjavik’s green building plans. Since 2017 Basalt has been at work on a project called FABRIC, an eight-story building complex that’s deeply rooted in the city’s shift toward co-living and co-working. The design was recognized as the top project in the 2019 C40 Reinventing Cities competition—a call for urban projects to drive carbon-neutral and resilient urban regeneration in cities across the globe. On the outskirts of downtown and a short walk to the water, the 15,000-square-meter FABRIC will soon be home to both shared and private co-living spaces, co-working offices, urban farming, retail, a bike shed, and more. The project is also on the direct route of the new city bus line. Like many successful projects in Iceland, geothermal energy is at the core of FABRIC’s sustainable success. But the design takes that advantage—access to geothermal—and pushes the envelope even further. “The goal is to make this project a beacon, a new way of building,” says Hrólfur Karl Cela, partner at Basalt Architects, adding that the design is built around the geothermal resources onsite. “We want all the piping on the building to be visible and easily readable so users start to understand the processes and resources behind our infrastructure. If you talk to small children about where water comes from, they say the tap. Well, no, not really.” FABRIC is uniquely situated atop a former geothermal drilling zone and, because of recent advances in drilling technology, the zone no longer needs to be preserved for direct drilling. Geothermal energy can still be produced from this plot while it’s developed aboveground, Cela says. But geothermal energy is just one aspect of this building’s sustainable development; the design team also chose to build with cross-laminated timber, known for its design flexibility and low environmental impact. And design elements like the “Green Ribbon,” a long green space that extends beWINTER 2020
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tween floors and rooms, functions as both a channel for geothermal ductwork as well as a green space for farming and gardening. “It’s a really active hub—not only the building itself but also how it channels the city through it,” says Basalt Partner Marcos Zotes of FABRIC’s connected living, working, gardening, and retail spaces. “It should promote a healthier way of living. The aim is to have services that reflect this—medical offices, psychology offices, et cetera.”
Basalt Architects designed FABRIC, an ongoing project in Reykjavik that uses lowcarbon construction materials. FABRIC incentivizes alternative and communal ways of living and working— mixing housing, office space, public space, service, and retail.
The city of Reykjavik says a big part of making sure the city is both healthy and happy goes back to making sure everyone has a place to live. “Social sustainability will not be easily reached, but Reykjavik’s policies of providing affordable housing in every city district, diverse housing solutions for all social groups in all neighborhoods, and continued provision of essential public services for everybody are ways to tackle that issue,” says Ólöf Örvarsdóttir, head of Reykjavik’s environmental planning department. The Municipal Plan of 2014 demanded that at least 25% of city housing units built be affordable. Reykjavik has exceeded that goal, as about 35% of all development has been allocated to affordable housing since 2015. “When talking about affordable housing we shouldn’t think so much about cutting costs because it will be worth it if people will get a better life in those houses,” Kristjánsdóttir says. “We should look to Denmark, Germany, and Norway when we think about affordable houses.” In Denmark, for example, “eco villages” offer an alternative way of living as a community while working to save the planet. Denmark leads the world with the highest number of eco villages per capita as of 2018, according to Eco Villages of Europe’s website.
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RENDERINGS AND DRAWING COURTESY OF BASALT. RIGHT, PHOTO BY RAGNAR TH. SIGURDSSON
Redefining Affordable Housing
“We have quite good access to green areas and the sea, though we have a very scattered city, and we need to change that.”
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Using What You Have Reykjavik’s Municipal Plan also calls for 90% of residential units to be made from existing structures. The idea is that the most sustainable option is to work with what’s already there. “We have to think of materials as a very valuable thing. Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, we haven’t done anything to maintain that building so tear it down,’” Kristjánsdóttir says, but that simply shouldn’t be the way. She says the city is also calling for designers to create buildings that are more flexible. For example, while there may be a surge in elementary age children and a need for a school right now, in 20 years there may be a larger population of elderly folks and a need for nursing homes. The Municipal Plan also aims to curb building beyond city limits, insisting that the closer together that infrastructure is built the more green spaces can be preserved. “We have quite good access to green areas and the sea, though we have a very scattered city, and we need to change that,” Kristjánsdóttir says. Örvarsdóttir agrees, saying the plan aims to “make the city structure more compact, with more dense and mixed neighborhoods, which supports sustainable travel modes. Priority is given to densification close to public transportation and employment centers.”
The Blue Lagoon is an otherworldly spa heated by a geothermal energy plant, and it’s many tourists’ first stop in Iceland. Basalt Architects, a leader in green building in Iceland, completed The Retreat at Blue Lagoon in 2018.
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PHOTO BY RAGNAR TH. SIGURDSSON
Getting Where You Need to Be Transportation is also a top concern in the city’s municipal plan. Moving people into taller, denser structures aims to reduce personal car usage, as people will be closer to work, shopping, and dining. The city hopes to reduce carbon emissions by reducing car trips, and a new transportation system called the Borgarlína, or City Line, is under way, Örvarsdóttir says. “It’s very important that the city authorities guide the way with policy-making, provision, and investment in the right services and infrastructure and serve as a role model for private firms and the inhabitants of the city—because in the end it’s the daily activity and consumption that counts in dealing with the climate change.” The city is also encouraging more walking and biking, and Örvarsdóttir says bike lanes have increased by 67% in the last few years, and the number of bikers nearly doubled. The city wants to celebrate not just the designers and architects who are helping to make Reykjavik even greener but also the city’s residents themselves. Kristjánsdóttir says more people were walking and biking during the peak of COVID-19, and she hopes residents will keep that momentum going. “We need to put our people who are using environmental transportation on the red carpet, not somewhere in the background.” g WINTER 2020
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DESIGNED BY ROGERS PARTNERS ARCHITECTS+URBAN DESIGNERS, THE HENDERSON-HOPKINS SCHOOL OPENED IN BALTIMORE IN 2014.
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W When Baltimore’s Henderson-Hopkins School opened in 2014, administrators knew they were on to something, but no one could have predicted just how quickly some of their methods—including online learning and smaller, flexible work groups—would become a consideration for schools all over the globe. With Covid-19 cases surging across North America in early 2020, schools everywhere began to close. Most continue to be affected—some offering 100% remote learning, some a mix of e-learning and in-person studies, some schooling in parks on sunny days, and many schooling in masks. Annette Campbell Anderson, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Safe and Healthy Schools, says it’s a topic future school leaders are talking about every day as they contemplate what it means to be an educational leader in the age of Covid-19. What, they wonder, really makes a building safe for students to learn in?
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Anderson says comprehensive criteria needs to come from public health officials and be consistent across schools, but that unfortunately has not been the case in 2020, as educators and parents alike grapple with inconsistent messaging and protocols across the US. While some schools practice 3 feet of social distancing, others follow the standard rule of 6; still other educators give students “mask breaks.” “You have to have some tacit agreement about what safety looks like,” Anderson says. The Elmer A. Henderson: A Johns Hopkins Partnership School and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Early Childhood Center, together called Henderson-Hopkins School, is the first new Baltimore public school built in more than 20 years. The project was the cornerstone of a redevelopment plan for an East Baltimore neighborhood, integrating innovative educational facilities with community resources, according to Vincent Lee, associate partner at ROGERS PARTNERS Architects+Urban Designers, the firm who designed the school. The school serves children from 6 weeks old through 8th grade as well as acts as a family resource center with everything from housing services to health access. “It’s a way to connect some of the services in the community through the trust of the school building,” Anderson says. Some design strategies used in the school could be helpful in thinking about future school design, Lee says. The school is built around a cluster of structures, inspired by East Baltimore’s row houses, stoops, and social civic spaces. Lee calls the campus a microcosm of the city, as students are grouped by age in small-scale houses bisected by main streets and side streets. Lee has been an architect for 25 years, and ROGERS PARTNERS specializes in school design, particularly of schools with unique learning models. Lee says some of the design strategies used at Henderson-Hopkins, which has won multiple AIA awards, may help in reopening schools post-COVID, including having flexible spaces and smaller clusters of students in outdoor learning areas. Each small building at Henderson-Hopkins has two grades, and each also has an exterior classroom for students to learn in. “Having space that is set up from day one as an exterior learning space—I think that’s something we’re going to see more of,” Lee says. Large doors open between buildings and a large commons room with a high ceiling and HVLS fan also connects students while keeping air flowing. In addition to the school houses, Henderson-Hopkins has a gym, auditorium, and library that are for students as well as the public. It’s truly a community space, unlike so many other school buildings, Lee says.
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“When most schools say they are open to the public they mean after 4 o’clock.” Flexibility in teaching style will continue to be important post-COVID, Lee thinks, and many can learn from Henderson-Hopkins. “The model they set up did not rely on one mode or pedagogy of teaching. There are conventional classrooms, small classrooms, flexible spaces, and common spaces, and the idea is to find the mode and methodology each student works the best in,” he says. Lee says the administration was already working to incorporate more online learning within the school before the pandemic. He likes to tell the story of talking with the dean in charge when the school opened. “He told me every educator has their 15 minutes of material they’re the best on, and that the rest of the time they’re emulating someone else’s best 15 minutes. He wanted to set things up so students could do video learning and get the best 15 minutes from the source, which I think is a positive take on online learning people may not be taking advantage of.” As for the early design and build of Henderson-Hopkins, the team used an insulated precast concrete panel system that ROGERS PARTNERS customized and modified. That allowed them to get the school up fast. Lee says 97% of the occupied spaces get plentiful natural light, meeting the daylighting requirements of LEED with 275 windows and 40 skylights. “A graciousness of space and light was really important,” he says. Anderson, who is also one of founders of the eSchool+ Initiative, a cross-disciplinary collaboration tracking state reopening guidance in an effort to ensure equity in the pandemic response, ponders how schools will be built post-COVID. “We know we have to have space for social distancing, but we’ve also spent the last 30 years talking about constructivist perspective in education; we’ve asked children to sit at tables, not desks, and we’ve had community meetings focused around having space together on floors. Now because of COVID-19 we’ve asked everyone to go back and sit at a desk all day and not necessarily have interaction with a larger group of peers.” Students’ overall physical health is another huge factor, she says. How can we be sure they’re breathing fresh air? What about washing their hands? The design needs to make it easy. As schools reopen, she says she and colleagues are already considering the impact on architecture, from air circulation to more portable handwashing solutions. Many older buildings have outdated ventilation systems and a lack of sinks, for instance. “Some of these older buildings did not
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Having space that is set up from day one as an exterior learning space—I think that’s something we’re going to see more of.
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take into account the need for students to wash their hands several times a day so they don’t have sinks in classrooms,” Anderson says. “How do you deal with disruption to instruction, having kids jump up all day to wash their hands down the hall? These are design questions I think we will have to tackle sooner than later.” Similarly, older schools, many buildings being 100-plus years old, have outdated technology. “How can those buildings incorporate ventilation systems that do better jobs of filtering? How can we create spaces that really honor social distancing? How can we incorporate more of the capacity to handwash?” Anderson asks. “Those are things we now have to go back to and think about with school design. I do think it’s going to have a big impact on how we think about how we design our schools.” g
EACH SMALL BUILDING AT HENDERSONHOPKINS HAS TWO GRADES, AND EACH ALSO HAS AN EXTERIOR CLASSROOM FOR STUDENTS TO LEARN IN.
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Hands-Free
Design How Bradley is eliminating touchpoints and making it easier than ever to wash your hands
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Bathroom TOUCHLESS BATHROOM TECHNOLOGY AND CONSIDERED TR AFFIC FLOW ARE TOP OF MIND NOW FOR DESIGNERS.
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We all know public bathrooms could be a nightmare long before COVID.
And we can all recall times when we were appalled to see someone walk out of a stall and straight into the world—no soap, no water, no handwashing at all. Commercial plumbing equipment manufacturer Bradley Corp. has been studying handwashing habits and trends as part of their research to deliver top solutions in public restrooms, from their Express® lavatory systems to their hand sanitizer dispensers.
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BRADLEY’S EXPRESS LAVATORY SYSTEMS LIKE THE NEW EXPRESS GLX SERIES AND EXPRESS TLX SERIES HAVE A TERREON SOLID SURFACE FOR SUPERIOR DURABILITY. PICTURED HERE IS BRADLEY’S EXPRESS-ELX SERIES.
These days Bradley is conducting even more studies, focusing in part on high school students’ handwashing behaviors as well as surveying American adults to find out how coronavirus is affecting their handwashing behavior. The company has been conducting handwashing studies for more than 10 years. In August 2020 Bradley conducted a survey of 1,000 high school students and found that 50% of the students considered their schools’ restrooms to be fair or poor. Nearly 60% reported being nervous about attending school amidst coronavirus, and nearly half said they were worried they wouldn’t have enough time to wash their hands during the school day. Bradley is trying to make it easier than ever for people to wash and dry hands properly and maintain good hygiene. It goes back to the company’s mission, which began 100 years ago. “We’ve been all about touch-free for years,” says Will Haas, senior product manager at Bradley. “It goes back to our innovations and sensor technology many decades ago.” Bradley was founded on the hands-free concept, dating back to their first product in 1921—a foot activated water fountain. “The whole concept of touch-free metered water and saving water, that’s not something we started because other companies were starting to go green or because of COVID; we’ve been doing this a very long time,” Haas says. In the last decade Bradley has continued to innovate with all-in-one sink systems. Their Express Lavatory Systems, including new Express GLX Series and Express TLX Series, made of Terreon® Solid Surface, offer a streamlined trough design that’s touchless and easy to clean. Bradley’s smart WashBar® is also touchless and houses soap, water, and dryer all in one sleek unit, eliminating the mess of suds, paper towels, and water that often ends up all over the floor. Haas says products like WashBar change the dynamic of the commercial restroom, and with its LED lights and engaging user icons, kids even get excited to wash their hands. It’s much more interesting than that little faucet at their house, he laughs. Bradley’s Touchless Verge™ Soap and Faucet Sets also feature patented dual sensor technology and low flow options. Haas says architects love the many styles available, including the Crestt model, with its high arc design and environmentally friendly finishes. Matching soap and faucet designs integrate seamlessly with Bradley lavatories or any handwashing fixture. Haas says those dual sensors are vital as they make the faucets even more efficient in power use, rather than some touchless faucets that have trouble registering users. The dual sensors maximize battery life. “More than 76% of people we’ve surveyed say they’ve had an unpleasant public bathroom experience, and the numbers are growing every year,” says Jon Dommisse, director of global strategy and corporate development
Bradley is a big supplier of high-end, easy-to-use, sustainable solutions in schools in part because they’re also affordable and durable. Dommisse says Bradley focuses on the overall life cycle cost over the life of a product, considering schools often don’t have many maintenance people or immense budgets; they need products that are built to last. “They really look to Bradley to have products that are durable, very reliable, easy to clean, and easy to repair from a parts standpoint.” The team at Bradley has spent a lot of time talking with architects, engineers, interior designers, and building owners, and Dommisse says all seem to agree: There is no clear indication for what future public bathrooms will look like. Experimentation is widespread, from floor plans to products. “9/11 changed travel on planes, and I think COVID will forever change public bathroom design,” he says. “There will be some permanent, significant changes. I don’t think people are going to feel comfortable touching multiple things in a public bathroom again.” Haas agrees. “The design trend overall in restrooms is going to work to eliminate every single touchpoint possible. That’s top of mind for designers.” g
PUTTING SINKS AT APPROPRIATE HEIGHTS, HAVING DEEPER SINKS THAT ARE EASY TO CLEAN, AND ENSURING SENSORS ARE RELIABLE ALL ENCOURAGE HANDWASHING.
PHOTO, THIS PAGE AND PREVIOUS: COURTESY OF BRADLEY CORP.
at Bradley, referring back to their many surveys. That can’t be good for business, and Dommisse says it’s not. Nearly 60% of those surveyed say they’re unlikely to return to a place of business if they’ve had a bad bathroom experience there. Over the years people have started to demand nicer bathrooms in general, and that in turn has impacted hygiene, Haas says. “In the past it was just ‘throw a sink in a space and hope people wash their hands.’ Now encouraging handwashing is very important.” He says things like putting sinks at appropriate heights, having deeper sinks that are easy to clean, and ensuring sensors are reliable are of utmost concern. Bradley does more than make great sinks, though. They offer virtually everything that touches your washroom experience. “We can help with the holistic design of the washroom, and we can talk about traffic flow,” Dommisse says. He says schools are unique as they have peak times—in between classes— when the bathrooms experience high usage and other times when they go virtually unused. “There can be a lot of congestion, so a lot of our products are designed and calibrated for expediting the traffic flow through a public bathroom.”
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How this NYSID program gave an aspiring interior designer the skills she needed to bring sustainability home by Sophia Conforti
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FRANCESCA M AY E R MARTINELLI WAS DESTINED TO BE A PA R T O F THE BUILDING I N D U S T R Y. Born in Peru, both of her parents are engineers. Her mom was even on a construction site when she was pregnant with Mayer Martinelli and started getting contractions. But unlike her engineer parents, when Mayer Martinelli graduated high school, she decided to pursue a career in interior design. She went to Converse College in South Carolina, and it was there that she first learned of sustainable design. “One of my teachers was all about sustainability. I actually had never heard that word before I went into college. It’s something that’s still very new here in Peru,” she says. “But the way in which she showed us what sustainability was felt very natural. Sustainable solutions—yes, some of them are technological, but some
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WHEN SHE graduated in 2012 Mayer Martinelli moved back to Peru, wanting an opportunity to help her home country become more sustainable. She started working at a LEED consulting firm, working with clients like Coca-Cola before landing a job with the sustainable construction firm SUMAC. Then in 2016, the Peru Green Building Council (GBC) called—twice—asking for Mayer Martinelli to step in as CEO. “When they first called in February I said no,” she says. “I felt like I had more to give on LEED projects.” But when the president called her personally in October about leading the organization, advocating for sustainability both with private companies and the government, she said yes. She’s now been in the role for four years, out of school even longer, and she says she still finds her education at NYSID useful, to the point where she has gone back to look up her old class notes. “My job today is something that really relates a lot to my years at NYSID, because we were able to see professionals from different backgrounds,” she says. “Now I work with a lot of HVAC com-
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FRANCESCA MAYER MARTINELLI
are derived from really basic and obvious ideals, like solar panels. It’s something that’s available, it’s there, it’s obvious—it’s just logical. For me sustainability just makes sense.” When Mayer Martinelli graduated at 21, her mom suggested she pursue a master’s degree. Still curious about sustainable design, she applied for the one-year Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments program at the New York School of Interior Design (NYSID). “I remember when I got the acceptance letter; I didn’t even think twice,” she says. “I started making all of my arrangements and moved to New York.” The rest, as far as Mayer Martinelli is concerned, is history. “My year at NYSID was the best year,” she says. “I feel like I learned more that year than I did during my whole college and high school career.” Although the program has “interior” in the title, the curriculum covers all aspects of sustainable design, from HVAC to textiles, with faculty not only familiar with the industry but working in it today. “It was really important for me to have teachers who were professionals working in the field at that time,” Mayer Martinelli says. “They were not retired, or people who did a couple of buildings 30 years ago, but they were accredited professionals who left class to go back to their offices and work on projects we would maybe see in a couple of weeks being built or designed in New York City.” The coursework was also hands-on, both inside and outside of the classroom. The graduate campus is LEED Platinum–certified, so students are able to learn about sustainability in a sustainable environment. “It was really cool for me to learn about sustainability firsthand from exactly where I was sitting,” Mayer Martinelli says. And because faculty members are active in the industry, students are often given firsthand looks into some of the top firms in the industry. “We had a professor from Designtex, and she took us to the NYC headquarters,” Mayer Martinelli says. “For us to be able to go to the spaces and see the interior design didn’t only mean you could design spaces, but that you can be a LEED consultant or work with fabrics or work at an architecture firm or in codes—having a variety of teachers gave me this idea that I could do anything.”
panies, so I’m even thankful for the ASHRAE class I had that I didn’t love when I was in school. With some of my larger clients—Samsung, LG, and other super large HVAC companies—I have the knowledge to have conversations with them about it. I feel like I know a little bit more about certain parts of the business than some of my peers do.” BEYOND THE education itself, the curriculum has given Mayer Martinelli the foundation to make real sustainable change. Working with the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Sanitation, the Peru GBC is launching new regulations for all public sector buildings that will require all new construction to go green starting next year.
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“New buildings are going to have to be sustainable, and we are going to have to change the way they are designed,” Mayer Martinelli says. “Projects here in Peru used to not be energy-efficient, but now there are going to be specific requirements for all public buildings to lower energy consumption, for example, including having to incorporate water treatment plants, green roofs, green materials, water-efficient fixtures, and more. It’s going to be a game-changer.”
ARCHITECT FRANCESCA MAYER MARTINELLI IS HELPING TO BUILD LEED-CERTIFIED PROJECTS ACROSS PERU AND SAYS SHE OFTEN FINDS HERSELF TURNING BACK TO WHAT SHE LEARNED AT NEW YORK SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DESIGN (NYSID).
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prac t ice
Natural light conserves energy.
Rendering by Sujin Park ’18
We’re thinking about that. Did you know that a stone floor can help keep you warm in the winter and cool
Classes are in the evening and on weekends, with studios on Saturdays
in the summer? Or that cork is a great thermal and acoustic insulator? In New York School of Interior Design’s one-year Master of Professional Studies in Sustainable Interior Environments program, that’s what you’ll think about. By completing the MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments program, you’ll have taken an important step toward acquiring the knowledge needed to sit for LEED AP and WELL AP—two highly sought-after accreditations.
Design the spaces where life is lived. NYSID.EDU
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Enroll full-time, part-time, or study online with live classes via video conferencing
practice
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BODY LAWSON ARCHITECTS DESIGNED HOME STREET RESIDENCES FOR SENIORS IN THE BRONX.
Victor Body-Lawson on Affordable Housing Empowering neighborhoods in need BY CAP GREEN PHOTOS BY ERIK R ANK
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in conver sat ion
For example, we did a project in Mount Vernon where the idea was to provide workforce housing. It’s for teachers, nurses, police officers, and city workers. In certain areas in New York City affordable housing is built for the formerly homeless, elderly, veterans, people with special needs, and low-income families. We also do mixed-use projects. What I mean by mixed-use is the developer might not want to do 100% affordable. It could be 60/40 or 80/20, where you have 60% of apartments at market rate and 40% affordable. We’re currently working on a project on 124th Street in Harlem that’s 169 units. It’s part of a larger complex where the entire development will have about 400 units, but one building—the one we’re responsible for—will be 100% affordable and the other will be a market rate rental and condo building.
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How do affordable housing designs compare to market rate designs? We try to design our projects to feel, look, and perform like market rate projects. We do stone countertops and stainless steel appliances. We try to reach LEED Gold standards so the building is just as good as any other building. In terms of materials, we want to make buildings feel like something you’d find in a market rate priced house. They are defensible spaces (residential environments whose layouts allow people to feel safe and secure), so when people actually get into this building they feel like they own it. They become part of it and make sure the buildings are taken care of as well as if they were their own homes and they weren’t just paying rent to live there. Are there key features you include when designing affordable housing? Community spaces are part of the program for most affordable housing projects. You would normally try to create a community space like a recreation room so residents can meet there. They could have birthday parties or tenant meetings, so that’s something we like to provide. Sometimes we do mixed-use buildings where there may be a church or a grocery store on the ground floor. That starts to attract the larger community into the building. By making a mixed-use building you’re tying it to the community at large. Those are things we tend to do because it doesn’t isolate the building as a separate entity; it inserts it into the community.
ictor Body-Lawson has a passion for designing buildings that give back to the communities around them. As the principal architect and founder of Body Lawson Associates, he creates affordable housing projects in neighborhoods like Hunts Point and Harlem that keep the diverse culture of New York City thriving. His projects reduce gentrification by providing residences for local people and encouraging autonomy, educational growth, and healthy living. In addition to providing modern homes that support people’s personal and economic growth, his thoughtful designs increase the community’s curb appeal. We talked to Body-Lawson about defining affordable housing, his firm’s recent work, and the changing needs of communities. Let’s start by asking the simple but perhaps often misunderstood question: What is affordable housing? Affordable housing is typically defined by the AMI, or average mean income, and it varies depending on area. Essentially, in New York City affordable housing is encouraged by the city to provide housing for people so they are not completely displaced.
How can community spaces adapt to meet residents’ needs?
VICTOR BODYLAWSON WORKS TOWARD EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT IN CITIES AS PART OF BODY LAWSON ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS AND PLANNERS.
Now with COVID-19 we’re starting to look at the public spaces within our affordable housing projects. Is it possible that instead of being a recreational room—which cannot be used at this time because it’s a closed indoor space—we could use that as an isolation center for residents who may be sick? Then we’d look at installing a better ventilation system—maybe getting HEPA filters in those spaces and making them much more robust for things like isolation for a short-term stay. We’re also looking at the possibility of subdividing the recreational spaces with movable partitions so residents can do Zoom calls. We’re laser-focused on some of the community spaces in affordable housing projects, and the objective is to figure out ways to make them better, make them more empowering for people who live there, and adapt to needs as they change. How do these projects affect communities in large cities? If you look at cities you realize the value of real estate has been growing constantly. As that happens you see a lot of gentrification. You also see people who don’t have the resources to live in that environment—the teachers, nurses, police officers. Without affordable WINTER 2020
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housing or without the cities, states, and federal government lending a hand to create affordable housing for newly graduated students, it would be almost impossible to live in large cities like New York City. A lot of cities recognize that and have been building affordable housing to accommodate the workforce to create a more diverse environment. Tell us about Home Street Residences in the Bronx. It’s a 63-unit building specifically for seniors. It’s completed and essentially occupied now, and the benefits that the residents are getting from living there are something that really makes me happy. Whenever I go there I find that most of the residents are happy. It’s a mixeduse building with apartments on the second to eighth floors, and the ground floor has a large open space that is being occupied by a group that trains students as part of a gaming community called DreamYard. It’s really a building that has seniors on the upper levels and young people on the lower level and occasionally they come together—at least they used to before the pandemic. The connection between the two benefits both demographics. From a psychological standpoint the mix is good. The building is now a resource for learning. What was the site like before? There was a church on the site that unfortunately became dilapidated after members left and they didn’t have anyone taking care of it. It was boarded up, had a fence around it, and—for lack of a better word—it was an eyesore. One of the things they initially talked about was to try to re-create the church. I don’t think they were able to get enough interest to get members to come back so they decided to pull out of the deal. That’s how DreamYards came to take the space. When we decided to move forward with the project we felt the building had to be demolished, but we wanted to keep as much as we possibly could. We took one of the cornerstones of the site and embedded it in one of the sitting areas in the rear yard. We also took church pews, restored them, and put those in the lobby. There was some wainscoting from the church. We took that, restored it, and made it part of the community room. We also took the Manhattan Schist of stone—the idea of that was what inspired the color of the building. We wanted to create a sense that this building that was formally there was now here but with a new design. And now it would be friendly because it has windows and eyes on the street. How did you see the building fitting into its community aesthetically overall? The building site was also something we took into consideration. It’s bounded by three streets so we wanted the building to look as if it was a church in a piazza, but a modern one. I considered the space in front of it as if it was a piazza, even though it is traversed with cars, and the building itself like a church even though it’s an apartment building. When you see it, you see something that’s somewhat dominant. It’s not like a typical New York City building you look at obliquely on the street. There’s a frontal relationship from Home Street to the building, which was there when the church was there as well. What are the accommodations like? It’s an apartment building that is 100% affordable, and 30% of units are geared toward formerly home-
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less people. There is an onsite management company that helps to support them. They are typically one-bedroom or studio apartments, and there is a two-bedroom apartment for an onsite super. There’s a nice, open space in the back. There are a couple of roof terraces, a landscaped roof terrace, and an associated gym that’s next to the roof terrace. That’s something we are very proud of. There’s a recreational room on the ground level that’s opened to the rear courtyard for residents to use. It’s also in what we call a transit zone. There’s a subway right next to it, which gives you access to the rest of the city and region. There are post offices, grocery stores, and a park that’s a 10-minute walk. It’s a walkable environment that’s really centrally located. What’s the art like in the common spaces? Is it true there are a few Victor Body-Lawson originals? One thing I’ve always enjoyed is painting. It gave me great joy to create paintings for each of the floors of Home Street. The paintings became wayfinding art on each floor. Each painting is different so when you get out of the elevator you get a sense of ‘This is my floor.’”
We have a social obligation: How do we empower people? How do we move them from point A to point B? We want our buildings to be delightful experiences for whoever interacts with them.
in conver sat ion
What else is your firm working on? We’re currently working on a large project called The Peninsula with WXY Studios. We’re quite passionate about that because of the effect the project will have on the community. It’s creating a lot of jobs for people—in construction, in security, in all various aspects. It’s going to be a game changer in Hunts Point. We designed The Peninsula to be a mixeduse complex on almost five acres with five buildings being built in phases. The second to 14th floors are residential, and they surround an open space that’s connected to the rest of the community. The base of the building has public spaces like a grocery store and school. It’s got an urban health center where people from the community and from the development can actually go. It’s got a venue for possibly recording videos. It’s got a bank. It’s got a brewery and a dance studio. It’s a project that will change a lot of lives. It will make the community a much more powerful neighborhood. The site used to be a relatively notorious detention center, Spofford Youth Detention Facility, and when we started the project we interviewed the neighborhood and they categorically wanted us to demolish the building and the memory of the detention center. Essentially we are replacing it with a much more environmentally friendly, socially friendly, and economically friendly complex that will benefit the people who live there.
RENDERINGS COURTESY OF BODY LAWSON ASSOCIATES
How does work like this and at Home Street reflect your mission? We have a social obligation: How do we empower people? How do we move them from point A to point B? We want our buildings to be delightful experiences for whoever interacts with them. I think that’s our mission—to give as much as possible to people so they feel empowered and like part of the community, that they are part of the city. The city needs that level of diversification, to show it’s not only a city for high network people; it’s a city for everyone— for middle-class people, for people who don’t have resources, for people who are formerly homeless, for people who may have mental health issues. The richness of the city comes from its diversification. We feel like when you give people more, they become stronger at the end. When they live in that building, it acts as the vessel that moves them from one stage to the other. You want them to be psychologically balanced. You want them to be economically strengthened so that by the time they move to their next stage they have benefitted from living in that building. It’s not just a place for living, where you just rest your head, it’s a place that acts as a partner in empowering the person through their life. g
BODY LAWSON ASSOCIATES IS WORKING WITH WXY STUDIO ON THE PENINSULA, A MIXEDUSE COMPLEX SET TO TRANSFORM HUNTS POINT.
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Michal Kapitulnik on Designing Landscapes to Last Surfacedesign emphasized sustainability in this public waterfront park.
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he Beach at Expedia Group is a recently constructed celebration of the Seattle coast’s rugged informality at the edge of Elliott Bay on Puget Sound, just north of downtown Seattle. More than a quarter-mile of waterfront inspired by the native coastal landscape, The Beach connects Elliott Bay Trail and carves out spaces for people to gather by the bay. Before this project was completed the site’s shared bicycle and pedestrian path had a blind turn that was often submerged during storm events, making cycling or walking along the path dangerous. This new portion of the Elliott Bay Trail separates and expands
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both a bike and pedestrian path. The paths through The Beach are raised to account for rising seas and flood events. Experientially the path system meanders through a native coastal dune and meadow landscape punctuated by accent trees, culminating in a moment of pause and reflection at The Beach. The braided paths curve gently through the center of the dunes, immersing visitors and bicycle commuters in the amplified coastal landscape. Bioretention areas are seamlessly integrated into the topography and planting approach, treating runoff from the paths in compliance with the project’s Salmon-Safe certification while creating habitat opportunities. At the park’s southern boundary, the landscape swells to create a terraced overlook that celebrates the site’s vantage point, providing unbelievable views of Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, and the Seattle skyline.
Reclaiming Materials Material reclamation and adaptive reuse were core principals of the design process for both The Beach and the adjacent 40-acre Expedia Global Headquarters campus. The existing site (previously the home of Amgen’s Seattle Campus, and before that a series of pier shed buildings) had a series of formal landscape spaces that featured stone paving and monolith features. The stone onsite was stockpiled and reimagined for the new campus, including informal stone groupings nestled into the dune planting on the Beach. Inspired by the driftwood that washes onto the shores of Washington beaches, knotty spruce “boom sticks” from a decommissioned log mill in Port Angeles were brought to the site and nestled into the planting and gravel dunes. The reclaimed stone boulders and driftwood break up the planting while also functioning as informal seating and play areas. A subtle gradient of beach pebbles and river rocks meander around the planted dunes, recalling Ruby Beach in Washington’s Olympic National Park and the estuaries of the state’s far western reaches. Using Native Plants Within The Beach, the planting approach is designed to emulate the character of Puget Sound by using four native grasses (Carex pansa, Carex vulpinoidea, Deschampsia cespitosa, and Elymus mollis) accented by native perennial plants in soft hues. The perennials include beach strawberry, gumweed, seashore lupine, and wild buckwheat. Along the public waterfront paths, a vibrant coastal-meadow palette creates a seasonally varied horticultural experience as visitors move through the site. This planting is a mix of seven native meadow grasses (Agrostis exarata, Bromis carinatus, Danthonia californica, Deschampsia cespitosa, Elymus glaucus, Hordeum brachyantherum, and Koelaria macrantha), with pink, purple, and yellow native perennial accents that flower throughout the year. These tonal palettes are arranged in bands, creating a series of rhythmic thresholds for visitors as they move along the waterfront. Due to its location along Elliott Bay, special attention was paid to plants that provide wildlife habitat. Perennials like fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium), flax (Linum perenne), and goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) attract insects that are eaten by salmon. A mix of native and adapted trees species weave between the paths and were selected for their hardiness, shade, habitat, and seasonal interest, from Oregon ash and Oregon white oak to lodgepole pine. A drift of black birch pulls visitors to the top of the terraces and frames views of the active shipping and maritime uses of the adjacent pier, as well as open views out to the water. Managing the Soil Soil management was a critical component of the design of Expedia’s campus and The Beach. A comprehensive assessment of the mostly paved, substantially disturbed existing site was conducted at project onset. While most of the existing soil’s healthy qualities had been lost, some vestiges of microbiological life were discovered, and this
drawing board
PHOTOS BY MARION BRENNER
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soil was stockpiled for future use. A comprehensive soil program was developed to build and restore conditions consistent with native soils in the area to support the new vegetation with reduced needs for irrigation, fertilization, and frequent management. To achieve this soil profiles were designed to rebuild natural conditions, including soil horizons similar to those found in the local natural environment. Taking this approach, the soil profiles were constructed that both reproduce natural function with minimal inputs and also meet site-use demands. This approach established sustainable and resilient soils and planting communities that will continue to grow into natural balance with the Seattle environment. The harvested site soil that had tested positively for ecological benefits and longterm landscape health was used to inoculate the compost and base loam soil used PROJEC T to build the eight cusThe Beach at tom blends that corExpedia Group related with the site’s distinct planting comLOC ATION munities. Soil testing Seattle, WA and monitoring after installation informed COMPLETION formulation of com2019 post tea blends used to seasonally inoculate the soil and plants, SIZE 2.6 acres stimulating biological activity and resilience without the use L ANDSC APE of chemical fertilizers ARCHITEC T or other inputs. Surfacedesign
Waterfront Stewardship The Beach invites GLY Construction users to pause at the edge of Elliott L ANDSC APE Bay. Celebrating the CONTR AC TOR land-water threshold, Teufel Landscape reclaimed materials and vibrant native CONSULTANT plantings highlight 2 F Environmental the sculpted topogDesign raphy of the dunes. The gravel gradient creates a subtle patterning that shimmers in the light as the waves of the Sound ripple in the distance. Sinuous bike and pedestrian paths are coupled with the open gravel swaths within the beach where visitors can discover their own routes. Curved stepped terraces allow for groups or individuals to gather at multiple elevations and take in views of the larger regional landscape. In its essence The Beach at Expedia Group is a place to celebrate and reinforce sense of place while defining a new landscape approach centered on stewardship. g GENER AL CONTR AC TOR
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SITE PLAN Expedia Group commissioned Surfacedesign to improve public enjoyment of its headquarters’ 2.6 waterfront acres. The project redesigned pedestrian and bicycle paths to improve safety and upgrade the existing Elliott Bay Trail.
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Meet the Architect
Michal Kapitulnik is a partner of Surfacedesign, the 2017 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award Winner for Landscape Architecture. Specializing in public-waterfront project design and management, she enjoys incorporating salvaged elements that contribute to built environments’ sustainability and narrative. Kapitulnik has been a presenter at Greenbuild and a lecturer and guest critic at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, The Academy of Art University, and her alma mater, UC Berkeley.
GRAVEL DUNES AND A TERRACED AMPHITHEATER AESTHETICALLY MITIGATE STORM EVENTS, AND BIORETENTION MEADOWS NATURALLY FILTER RUNOFF.
RENDERING COURTESY OF SURFACEDESIGN
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Sara Hickman on Eco-Friendly Architecture
chitect; he was in insurance and IT. Building was something he just taught himself.” Together Hickman and her father loved to pore over floorplans. On family vacations, they’d all drive around to look at houses and marvel at the architecture. Hickman studied architecture at the Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston before heading west to California. Although sustainability had always been an underlying factor in her life—something “built into who she is,” she says—it wasn’t until Hickman was studying for the LEED exam that she felt the pull to make a change in the green movement. But not long after graduation, whispers of the recession began. “So instead of sending out a bunch of resumes, I got involved,” she says. Hickman started volunteering at USGBC-LA, Sustainable Works, and other local nonprofit sustainability groups, where she worked on a variety of projects, from creating graphics to teaching residents about sustainability. She also started attending trainings and conferences on her own dime to fully immerse herself in the sustainability world. “It was like getting a master’s degree,” she says. But it paid off. Through her newfound connections, a friend put Hickman in touch with the owner of Leading Edge, where she worked as the sustainability manager, consulting on more than 20 millions square feet of LEED-certified space.
Reviving downtown San Diego’s Horton Plaza BY SOPHIA CONFORTI
EDUCATION IN AC TION
rowing up on a three-acre plot of land in Massachusetts, Sara Hickman has always felt connected to nature. But it was her love of math, art, LEGOs, and Lincoln Logs that really brought out the builder in her. Over time architecture became something Hickman and her family bonded over, particularly with her dad. “My father was very much a Renaissance man,” she says. “Both of the houses I grew up in he built from scratch. He wasn’t an ar-
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SARA HICKMAN IS THE SUSTAINABILITY DIRECTOR AT RETAIL DESIGN COLLABORATIVE AND STUDIO ONE ELEVEN, WHERE SHE DRIVES SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRACTICES.
DESIGNING GREEN As such the project, slated to be completed in summer 2022, will feature numerous sustainable elements. For one, a 2.5 megawatt solar array will stretch across the campus rooftops to achieve Net Zero Carbon for the new offices, which will be fully electric. The project also needed a new central plant, tied in with San Diego’s first onsite blackwater system, which will reduce potable water demand by 50%. Hickman in particular is overseeing the LEED, WELL, and WiredScore—another point-based system focused on Internet connectivity and resilience—certifications of the project, which is targeting Platinum across all three certifications. Although there are a lot of components to each of these credentials, including specs for healthy materials, lighting, and acoustics, among the most relevant today is how the project is prioritizing indoor air quality.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RETAIL DESIGN COLLABORATIVE/STUDIO ONE ELEVEN
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Today Hickman is the sustainability director at Retail Design Collaborative (RDC) and Studio One Eleven, where she has driven the firms’ sustainable design practices, educating staff and clients and advocating for environmentally friendly architecture to the outside world for the past three years. A board member of USGBC-LA, she practices what she preaches, biking or walking to work each day. One of Hickman’s most recent successes is the Horton Plaza project in downtown San Diego. Built in the 1980s, the plaza was originally a mall—one so well-known people would come from out of state to shop there. A collaboration with design firm RIOS, the 10-block, nearly 1 million-square-foot project will now be reinvented as a tech hub, complete with retail, restaurants, public park space, and theaters. “Horton is a dream come true,” Hickman says. “This is rare, but it was easy right from the start because ownership started asking very early who our audience is, and they tried to understand their wants and needs. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple—they all have very aggressive carbon emissions reductions toward net zero, so they knew we needed LEED Platinum; health and wellness factors, meaning WELL; and carbon neutrality as much as possible.”
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I love promoting active circulation. Just the nature of the project itself—it has a canyon that runs through the entire project with stairs going up and down, so it really promotes active circulation and wellness.”
Project: Horton Plaza Location: San Diego Anticipated Completion: Summer 2022
“I’ve always wanted my WELL projects to incorporate air quality monitoring, and I’ve myself tested three or four different standalone systems to see how they compare to one another in our office, which is LEED Platinum and WELL Gold,” Hickman says. Her system of choice: Aircuity, an air quality monitor system often used in the medical field that spears out to individual spaces from one main hub, which means flexibility for both tenants and building owners. For the Horton Plaza project, because the team doesn’t know who will be working in the space, that flexibility is key. “Some of those floor spaces are pretty big, and we don’t know how they are going to be broken out,” Hickman says. “The tenants can choose whether they want to hook into that existing Aircuity system. If they want to have their space measured for air quality, they can; it’s up to the tenant whether they want to install it or not. “The other piece I love about this project is promoting active circulation,” Hickman says. “Just the nature of the project itself—it has a canyon that runs through the entire project with stairs going up and down, so it really promotes active circulation and wellness.” And in the end, that kind of wellness, along with the project’s other sustainability initiatives, is exactly what Hickman has built her career around, stemming from those early projects with Lincoln Logs. “Most of us are seeking meaning in our lives, a sense of purpose and value,” Hickman says. “The sustainable design movement opened that door wide open for me.” g
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Size: 1 million square feet Design Architect: RIOS Executive Architect: Retail Design Collaborative Environmental Analysis: Atelier Ten MEP Engineer: Integral Group Blackwater Consultant: NSU Structural Engineer: Miyamoto International Contractor: Turner Interior Designer: RIOS Landscape Designer: RIOS
arc hi tec t t o wat ch
HICKMAN CALLS HORTON PLAZA A DREAM PROJECT. THE PLAZA IS BEING REINVENTED AS A TECH HUB WITH RETAIL, DINING, AND MORE.
RENDERINGS COURTESY OF STOCKDALE CAPITAL PARTNERS
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Ambius has designed large-scale living wall projects for everyone from Opryland and the Apple Store to Royal Caribbean Cruises. Their global team of experts creates custom packages with the best plant designs for your space, including renderings, and will then source the best plants to make that happen, from philodendron and pothos to ferns and spider plants. Ambius transforms spaces by designing and developing plans for walls with texture, color, and depth, taking into consideration any space’s specific needs. We talked to Matt Hills about what to expect when you specify a large-scale living green wall.
Why Specify a Large-Scale Living Wall? BY MATT HILLS, VERTICAL GARDEN AND GREEN WALL EXPERT
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By now most people understand the health benefits of adding living walls to projects, but what I’m seeing more is interest in large-scale green
walls for their visual appeal. When you see a green wall you’re immediately drawn to it. It’s alive, it’s interesting, and it fulfills our biophilic needs.
with the team. We Plants make places want to ensure that nicer to hang out when the plants in, and they also arrive you’re ready help clean the air. for them. Ambius installed We installed the more than 3,000 Opryland project in square feet of largetwo to three mobiscale living walls in lizations, 2018 at the and it took SoundAMBIUS INSTALLED a month Waves 3,338 SQUARE or so to waterpark FEET OF LIVING WALLS AT THE complete. at Gaylord SOUNDWAVES On big Opryland WATERPARK projects Resort & AT GAYLORD Convention OPRYLAND RESORT I work & CONVENTION with six Center. CENTER IN to eight The team NASHVILLE IN people. We behind the FALL 2018. develop new water and design park with large projects like indoor/outdoor Opryland, and waterslides wanted when it’s time to living walls to help install, I send my break up the space, foreman or conadd privacy, and struction manager also act as works (or both) to manage of art. We designed the project onsite. and built many Then we bring double-sided green in Ambius’ local walls you can see installers, who work from any direction. all over, to install When you’re and maintain the incorporating a project. large-scale green We also recently wall, you want to started offering CEU build in proper lead courses, educating time—six months around best pracfor big projects—to tices for green wall work through the design and condesign as a team. struction, as well as At Ambius we work plant selection and with the architect from the beginning; maintenance. These also explain how we review a requireliving green walls ments sheet with contribute to certieverything we need fications like WELL for lighting, plumband LEED. g ing, and electrical
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMBIUS
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FOR INTERIOR WALLS AMBIUS OFTEN USES TRAY-BASED GREEN WALL SYSTEMS, WHICH ALLOW PLANTS TO STAY IN THEIR NURSERY PODS, SITTING IN TRAYS AT AN ANGLE, ATTACHED TO THE WALL. YOU CAN HAVE THOUSANDS OF SMALL PLANTS ATTACHED TO A WALL, BUT YOU CAN’T TELL THEY’RE INDIVIDUAL PLANTS. THE TRAY SYSTEM ALLOWS THEM TO KEEP GETTING WATER, AND PLANTS CAN BE REMOVED EASILY IF NEEDED.
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When meeting customer needs, safety, quality, and sustainability are all top of mind for Binswanger Glass. On every project, large or small, these principles drive the decision-making process. No one element overrides the rest. In fact, as Ken Hallam sees it, they all work together. That’s why he keeps all of these factors in mind as he works with commercial customers. Here he dives into some of the most exciting developments in the glass industry to improve safety and performance. Because from resisting hurricane-strength winds to blocking gunfire, glass has a major role to play in improving building safety.
What Glass Solutions Improve Safety? BY KEN HALLAM, REGIONAL CONTRACT MANAGER
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In the glass industry so many safety features are built in. You don’t see them, but they’re there. One great example of this occurs in spandrel glass, or
the glass on the outside of a building that covers the space between floors. This horizontal band of glass conceals the floor edge slab, HVAC ducts, wiring,
insulation, and more. The challenge is that this area isn’t air conditioned or heated like the spaces above and below it. It’s a tough environment, in other words, and that puts strain on the glass, which may lead to the glass fracturing or even falling off a building—a major problem. To prevent this glass is tempered, or heat-strengthened. This process strengthens the glass to improve its resistance to extreme heat or cold. If the glass does break, it breaks into small pieces rather than large, dangerous shards. It’s the same process used in auto glass to mitigate risks in accidents. Manufacturers have also developed techniques to strengthen glass for other uses. After Hurricane Andrew caused billions of
dollars in damage in 1992, building codes changed drastically. Back then, high winds shattered windows and water rushed in, causing extensive damage to homes and buildings. Authorities began to require laminated glass in these areas to prevent such outcomes. Laminated glass features a plastic or vinyl inner layer that holds the glass in place in case of breakage. Furthermore, using silicone or different types of gaskets seals the gap between the window and the frame, helping hold the broken glass in place. These techniques are also used to create bullet-resistant glass, which contains a polyvinyl inner layer surrounded by multiple layers of glass. All of these innovations lead to higher quality, longer lasting, safer glass in our spaces. g
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BINSWANGER GLASS
BINSWANGER GLASS INSTALLED THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM FEATURING GUARDIAN SUNGUARD SNR 43 IN THE ALLSCRIPTS OFFICE TOWER IN RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA.
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While electronic lock designer and manufacturer Digilock initially catered to the health and fitness industry when it began offering keyless electronic locks in 1992, the company has expanded its market to deliver innovative security solutions to an assortment of other segments ranging from health care to retail. Recently Richard Shaffer, who has more than nine years of experience guiding architecture and interior design professionals on the use of electronic lock technology, took the time to walk us through the design and security concerns that face building managers looking to tap the value of electronic locking and storage solutions.
How Does Design Impact Personal Security? RICHARD SHAFFER, SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
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From health care to retail, electronic locking solutions have transformed how personal security is ensured. Take health care, where carts with sensi-
tive materials like medical supplies, pharmaceuticals, and digital tablets storing personal information zip up and down hospital corridors. With
keyless electronic locks, items can be secured while digital credentials like a key code, RFID tag, or Mobile ID can be given to staff for quick access when needed. With an integrated access control system, specific personnel can be given access to one area and excluded from another. In the past each department may have been managed separately, but digital locks employ a single footprint, reducing complexity and saving everyone time. In retail the potential for efficiencies and even new revenue streams abound. The last thing managers want is for their cashier to have a purse or bag beside them at the register. For that reason they’ve long provided storage lockers to use during shifts. But with old-fashioned mechanical locks, each worker would be assigned their own locker with a dial combination or key. With three shifts of 30 employ-
ees each, 90 lockers would be required. If turnover occurs, managers might be shut out. With a digital solution, these issues are a thing of the past. By using shared access credentials, employees working different shifts can use the same locker, saving floor space. In addition, through products like Digilock’s PackageHold, free shipping can be offered on e-commerce purchases if customers agree to in-store pickup at a Smart Locker they’ve been granted access to. If lockers are strategically placed in the back of a store, shoppers are liable to make additional purchases as they traverse a location. Retail can also elevate curbside delivery programs with an automated pickup program for customers. While health care and retail offer particularly strong examples, there is no industry that has gone untouched by the electronic lock revolution. g
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIGILOCK
DIGILOCK’S ELECTRONIC LOCKING SOLUTIONS INCLUDE PACKAGEHOLD, SO CUSTOMERS CAN EASILY PICK UP PURCHASES MADE ONLINE WITH A QR CODE.
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Australia-based GALE Pacific’s new knitted flame retardant shade fabrics focus on architectural applications primarily for creating outdoor shade structures that are both designoriented and offer protection from the sun. Commercial NinetyFive 340 FR, Commercial Heavy 430 FR, and Commercial DualShade 350 FR represent a sum total of about 50 colors—the widest range of flame retardant knitted fabrics globally. Not only do the products exceed stringent fire standards, they also address safety, durability, and UV protection. Andrew Nasarczyk explains what characteristics distinguish its new line of knitted commercial shades.
How Do Flame Retardant Fabrics Work? ANDREW NASARCZYK, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
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Unlike other companies that achieve flame retardant properties by donning a surface treatment, our flame retardant additive runs all
the way through the fiber. I’ll use the analogy of carrot versus onion. If you cut a carrot, it’s orange inside. If you cut an onion, it’s white. With the onion approach,
the additive is only around the surface of a fiber. We know surface additives will disappear over time or be diminished by rain or UV exposure. We take the carrot approach. When we produce fiber, the flame retardant additive spins through an extrusion die head and goes all the way through the fiber, effectively locking in the additive. Our shade fabrics are expected to last for at least 10 years outdoors. The flame retardant properties, UV stabilizers, and other additives we use to maintain the performance and vibrant colors allow us to achieve that. We’re selective about the pigments we incorporate, as they impact colorfastness, and our fabric colors maintain good color stability over time. Australia is the only country that mandates minimum requirements for shade fabric performance. We adapt
our products to be compliant to that standard, and we use that as our basis for performance characteristics globally. The current standard calls for a minimum of 80% UV block for human protection application; we design the majority of our range to have a 90+% UV block. Shade fabrics must have inherent strength and dimensional stability. You’re talking about some structures with large spans that have to be able to withstand wind and rain loads so the material doesn’t fail. Part of our DNA is in the raw materials we use and the way we construct fabric. Being able to have the strength and dimensional stability needed along with flame retardant performance will become increasingly important, and knowing how to evaluate fabrics appropriately will be important to the architects and designers specifying them. g
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SHADE INDUSTRIES
GALE PACIFIC’S NEW KNITTED FLAME RETARDANT SHADE FABRICS ARE EXPECTED TO LAST 10 YEARS OUTDOORS.
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ROOMS AND SPACES OF VARIOUS SHAPES AND SIZES ARE EASILY CREATED USING SCREENFLEX PRODUCTS.
How Do Portable Room Dividers Improve Offices? RICH MAAS, VICE PRESIDENT
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Since 1989 Screenflex has been offering innovative portable room dividers to help businesses and organizations make the most of their spaces. The popular standard room divider is a lightweight accordion-style room divider designed with a strong steel frame, sound-absorbing core, and self-leveling casters for ease of mobility. Roll your portable partition into position, lock the self-leveling end casters, and enjoy your newly created private space. These solutions can be used as freestanding room partitions, temporary walls, sound barriers, portable art displays, and more. We recently talked with Screenflex’s Rich Maas about how these solutions can truly make for better corporate spaces.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF SCREENFLEX
EXPLORE YOUR PORTABLE ROOM DIVIDER OPTIONS AT SCREENFLEX.COM.
With Screenflex portable room dividers, you can reconfigure any space in minutes. In the workplace, our solutions help teams quickly and efficiently make training rooms, set up private interview spaces, or even prepare for blood drives. We’ve seen all of these scenarios and more. This flexibility in design is more important now than ever, as many workplaces seek solutions for social distancing, too. Our solutions are easy to operate and store with a compact storage feature. They are built to last, with unmatched stability
tions are endless. Choose from thanks to self-leveling casters, 38 colors and multiple heights locking corner casters, and and lengths, add windows, or full-length hinges connecting go with clear. You can each panel to the even add a logo. adjacent panels. Our You can also convert durable steel end any Screenflex panel frame adds to their Read more about into a dry erase panel sturdiness. When portable room with bright white you need to transdividers from Screenflex in issue material that can be form a big space into 64 of gb&d. written on and wiped many smaller spaces clean again and again. or simply close off a In many offices, just wide open area, you like schools, teams use can easily roll in and our portable room dividers not lock in place our lightweight only to maximize their space, dividers. Aesthetically speaking, the op- but also to tack up important WINTER 2020
work and collaborate using dividers that combine writable surfaces with tackable fabric panels. Two layers of sound-absorbing fiberglass insulation cover the core on both sides for added sound absorption. For offices looking for a more permanently located divider, our WALLmount is a great solution. If you’re certain it’s time to split up the space, the WALLmount divider attaches to a wall at one end and opens into the room in any direction with ease. The panels fold flat against the wall when stored. g GBDMAGA ZINE.COM
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at a glance
Svart Design
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In northern Norway at the base of Svartisen glacier, Snøhetta has designed Svart—the world’s first energy positive hotel. Svart intends to reduce yearly energy consumption by 85% compared to other Norwegian hotels and plans to operate using only its own electricity and waste management systems within five years of opening. The hotel’s ring shape and careful WINTER 2020
designation of indoor spaces is determined by the location’s drastic seasonal solar changes, maximizing the efficacy of the solar panels on the roof. Terraces yield shade in the summer and ample thermal insolation in the winter, while geothermal wells provide additional heating. The design employs materials with incredibly low embodied energy, made and transported using
energy-efficient technologies. In homage to the dark blue ice of its neighboring glacier, the hotel will be called Svart, Norwegian for “black.” Structural support poles resemble the rorbu, a Norwegian fishermen’s house, and anchor the hotel over the fjord, amplifying the design’s relationship to its setting. Snøhetta unveiled the design in 2018, and the project is ongoing. —Lark Breen RENDERING BY SNØHET TA