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The article reports that the AMCA International has released the technical paper, titled "External shading devices in commercial building-the impact on energy use, peak demand and glare control," developed in collaboration with John Carmody and Kerry Haglund of the Center for Sustainable Building Research at the University of Minnesota. The paper explains the benefits of sunshade devices and their impact on energy use, peak demand and glare conditions in commercial office buildings.

Though Tishman Speyer won't divulge the final cost of the building, or the facade - "We had a budget, and we were within it using this procurement process", Cowasjee maintains - Ramus says the high-end, bespoke product his team produced was only slightly more expensive than a commodity facade: "This is a spec office building; they weren't going to do a facade that was 30 percent more expensive than a conventional system. PROJECTS "WE TEND to innovate on our facades", Joshua Ramus of REX says about his New York-based firm's portfolio, which now includes a 450,000-square-foot office building in Washington, D.C. It helped that, until recently, REX shared a studio with facade consultant Front, a collaborator on nearly every major project the architecture firm has undertaken. Instead, REX and Front, with associate architect Kendall/ Heaton, did a full analysis of the glass panel, then asked several international companies to give an estimate to produce the glass. [Extracted from the article]

Perhaps no other American city's identity is so entwined with the profession of architecture as buildings of Chicago, Illinois. On April 4, the Art Institute unveiled a hypothetical skyline for the Windy City, one recorded in pixels and on paper rather than in concrete, glass, or steel. Chicago architect Dan Wheeler, of the firm Wheeler Kearns, drew from the Institute's collection of more than 130,000 architectural objects to showcase some 90 drawings, renderings, and models of never-built projects dating from 1880 to the present. The show reveals Chicago's long history as fertile ground for design ingenuity at all scales. The theoretical work Expanding Skyscraper by Reginald Malcomson, a tower to which cantilevered floor plates could be added over time, is an intriguing attempt to weigh the fluctuating demands of the city against the immutable nature of completed buildings.

Reports the remodeling of an old warehouse into an office building by architect Marmol Radziner and associates in Santa Monica, California. Influences of the architectural design; Removal of the upper floor to reveal laminated structures; Formation of translucent polycarbonate-lined conference and project rooms; Use of natural materials in the projects.

Just about everyone not living in a cave knows at this point that the quickest way to boost productivity, cut costs or clean up the environment is to give a project a good dose of technology. A new report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology pegs the cost of this irony at $15.8 billion a year for design, construction and maintenance of large commercial, institutional and industrial buildings, facilities and plants. The interoperability problems are caused by the highly fragmented nature of the industry, continued use of paper-based practices, a lack of standardization and inconsistent technology adoptions among firms. Because two-thirds of these costs are borne by the owners and operators of these plants during ongoing operations and maintenance, the logical solution will come from that side of the project equation.

The article focuses on retrofit to a VRF system for a corporate Office building using design-bid-build project delivery. Topics inlcude the HVAC system selection and design intent are based on the process has outlined in ASHRAE Handbook 2020, the finalized system selection shall be decentralized HVAC systems and terminal fan coil units, and heating systems consist of six variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat recovery systems integrated with six VRF heat recovery air conditioning systems.

The article describes the architectural design of the headquarters of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune Media paper in Sarasota, Florida. The building was designed by Arquitectonica and Turner. To facilitate the hurried communication between editors, reporters, and other employees, newspapers like to occupy offices with large floor plates. But such spaces often result in banal and sprawling office blocks. The headquarter demonstrates that large-floor offices can have great visual appeal.

This article informs that architectures demand a great deal from the building envelope--the skin that shelters people from the outside world. Fortunately, three recent national efforts to improve the performance of building envelopes are laudable steps toward remedying the current situation. These include the publication of the Building Envelope Design Guide, a comprehensive resource for the design and construction of institutional and office buildings; the Exterior Enclosure Technical Requirements for the Commissioning Process, which outlines a step-by-step process to ensure that a new envelope will function as intended.

This article focuses architectural technology. Whether low or high frequency, manmade or natural, noise is the bane of modern living. Even people hermetically sealed in office buildings suffer from disruptive noises created from within, humming light fixtures and air handlers, distracting conversations, and ringing phones. Cubicle dwellers ward off aural assaults by wearing earplugs or expensive, high-tech headphones. Their adaptability, while admirable, only highlights a problem that studies show undermines productivity. INSET: A-weighted Sound Level.

The article focuses on environmental aspects of wiring in buildings. Architects generally, do not pay attention to this aspect of building. The term wire refers to an individual strand of material that conducts electrical current, whereas cable refers to two or more wires twisted together. Virtually all wire and cable used in buildings is wrapped in plastic insulation, and most of these components are made by bundling multiple insulated wires together, sheathing them in an additional outer jacket. In general terms, power cables in commercial buildings must be either sheathed in metal armor or protected within metal conduit. INSETS: The Fluorine Debate;Greener Wiring: A Checklist for Action.

Discusses the design of TBWA/Chiat/Day Offices in Los Angeles, California. Evolution from the virtual office concept; Interventions on the outside elevations; Interior renovations; Use of urban analogy for space organization; Customization of workstations; Flexibility as a key design criterion. INSET: Interview, by James S. Russell..

This article reports on a partnership between the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry (AWCI) and the Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) Industry Members Association (EIMA). The board of directors of the EIFS association developed an outline for desired association management services to support its future initiatives. The association will move its headquarters to the office building of AWCI in Falls Church, Virginia.

Clients have always known that architects can save them money by designing space that can be constructed economically. Now, a new generation of building owners and facility managers is catching on to the fact that employing architects to do programming may help them save even more. Programming can help owners analyze the way they do business, how much space they need, how it will be organized and what the cost implications of different alternatives will be. An important step in programming is data gathering, through interviews with the client, users and other stakeholders. INSET: Basic Steps for Successful Programming.

The article reports on the availability of Proposed Standard 189.2 for second public review. The Proposed Standard, which is the Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will provide minimum requirements for the design of high-performance new commercial buildings and major project renovation. It also provides indoor water savings of 35 percent for an office building and 26 percent for a multifamily building.

The article focuses on Carrier Commercial Services' use of variable-speed drive technology for small heating and cooling air-handling units in the Longworth House of Representatives office building, a US capitol building in Washington, D.C. A presentation of the company's Comfort-Plus Drive fan coil VSD was made.

The article reports that the Chemco Manufacturing Co. Inc. has relocated its Chicagoland headquarters and production operation in the U. S. The relocation site is bigger, suited to service the evolving needs of its industrial finishing customers. Chemco will continue to ship orders within 24 hours while diversifying its product offering.

The article focuses on humidification strategies for data centers and network rooms in the U.S. It explains how humidity affects equipment and why humidity control is required. It presents quantitative design guidelines for existing and new computing installations and explains the hidden costs associated with over-humidification. Related issues are discussed including humidity measurement.

This article features the Council House 2 (CH2) building in Melbourne, Victoria. The building, which was opened in August 2006, is aimed at exemplifying the best of high-performance, sustainable design as a model to other Australian cities. The 10-story, 135,000-square-feet city office building occupies a dense block adjacent to an existing city building in the center of Melbourne. It incorporates a number of radical strategies, like sewer mining for nonpotable water and the use of phase-changing materials.

The article discusses how students at La Cité in Ontario, Canada protected by a multilayer security system that has been upgraded to give them further protection and situational awareness. It mentions the campus' 15 parking lot emergency towers from Aiphone, with IX Series 2 intercom stations enable a distressed student to have a two-way conversation with campus officers.

Features the restoration of the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center in New York City. Impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on the garden; Construction firms involved in the restoration process; Selection process for the stones used in the stairs.

Explores the use of Ostrich Gray Indian slate as the stone material for the exterior and interior of a corporate building in Moorpark, California. Adherence of the stone to the poured-in-place concrete; Architectural design; Uniformity in color of the slate.

Discusses the correlation between an impressive office building and a successful service contracting business. Presenting the company as a quality-conscious service provider; Customers' evaluation of the quality of a company's service by the image they see; Positive impact of improving a workplace's appearance on the attitude of employees. INSET: Make a Better Impression..

Reports on the renovation of the Green Building Council office in Washington D.C. Initiation of a sustainable renovation of the council's office; Materials used in the renovation; Total floor area of the office; Interior designers; Commissioning authority.

The article focuses on forensics, which refers to tragic collapses in terms of design and construction and is associated with litigation. Most architects and engineers prefer to use the term root cause investigation to describe their work of finding the root cause and solutions for the problems that plague buildings. Examples of such collapses are the 1981 walkway failure at the Kansas City Hyatt Regency and the 2003 collapse of a Midtown Manhattan office building.

The article discusses the role of building automation systems (BAS) in monitoring optimal facilities including energy, water, and other resources in high-performance buildings. Topics discussed include need to accurately model, benchmark, and monitor the building performance for healthy and productive work spaces; views of professor, James Freihaut of Pennsylvania State University on the same; and significance of automation system in reducing the pitfalls of manual operation.

The article presents a case study on the construction of New York Times Building in Manhattan, New York City. It has a 1.5 million square feet of premium Class-A office space and 21,000 square feet (sq. ft.) of retail on the ground floor with 700 feet of street frontage on a 79,000-sq. ft. parcel. It was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop in cooperation with FXFOWLE Architects.

The article presents an interview with Scott Muldavin, executive director of the Green Building Finance Consortium. When asked about the future of investment in green buildings, Muldavin said their sustainable attributes can make a difference to lenders. Muldavin added that investment programs for the buildings are focused on the residential side of the industry. According to him, occupation of 75 percent of office buildings in the U.S. in 1999 by owners is a good news for green buildings.

Reports that the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has been recognized by the Alliance to Save Energy for its exemplary illustration of and commitment to energy efficient policy and practice in the U.S. Development of the guide "Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings".

Reports on the investment of Redico Management to make the American Center in Southfield, Michigan into an energy efficient office building. Reduction of the operating costs with the upgrade of the heating and ventilating systems; Improvement of tenant comfort.

The article announces the opening of an office by Elcometer, a provider of surface coating test and measurement products, in Houston, Texas, as of June 2014.

Presents developments related to industries in the U.S. Inauguration of the new headquarter and distribution center of Jomar International in Warren, Michigan; Appointment of Roger Barnes as vice president of marketing and technology of Spirax Sarco Inc.; Growth of the manufacturing economic activity in January 2005 for the 20th consecutive month according to the monthly survey of the Institute for Supply Management.

Reports that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded its Energy Star label for building to the Norfolk, Virginia office of Trane.