Featured Articles

U.S. Schools Push for Platinum

16 mins

School districts and architectural firms nationwide are pushing the envelope in green school design, seeking out new and efficient HVAC systems, lighting methods, water and irrigation tools, and other ways to make academic buildings lean and green.

Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, says that just building a green school is no longer enough, and that achieving LEED certification is increasingly becoming a hallmark of sustainable design to a building’s constituents, as well as to the greater community.

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A LEED Lockup

16 mins
Project Data
Facility Type: Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
Construction Budget: $92.5 million
Number of Beds: 512
Area (square feet): 190,553
Start Date: April 15, 2008
Completion Date: June 25, 2010
 
Project Team
Owner/Operator: US Army Corps of Engineers
Owner Representative: Michael Chirpich
Architectural Firm(s): HSMM/AECOM
General Contractor: J.E.

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Flexibility and Reuse Drive Modular Industry

10 mins

The modular construction industry has for many years practiced flexible design and reuse. In fact, many companies in the modular industry recycle entire buildings for different applications. One of the unique aspects of modular construction is that it is more readily designed for deconstruction. The fact that the building is assembled in modules means that it can be disassembled at the end of its useful life. In many cases, entire buildings are repurposed and reused for secondary needs at secondary locations.

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Rotating the Curriculum

8 mins
WASILLA, Alaska — It’s no secret that over the past decade the cost of heating fuel has increased dramatically — and nowhere has it been more of a challenge than in cash-strapped schools across the United States.
 
This cost increase has had some school districts to turning to “heat destratification” as a way of improving heating system efficiency while maintaining student comfort throughout the winter.

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