Eli, Author at Building and Construction

Specifying Ballistic-Resistant Fenestration for School Security and Active Shooter Mitigation

School districts across the United States are rethinking building design to address an urgent priority: protecting students and staff from active threats. While daylight, energy efficiency, and aesthetics remain important, educational facilities increasingly require building assemblies that can slow down an attacker and give occupants critical extra seconds to react. The fenestration systems that bring […]

Gilbane’s Welcome Home 2025: Blueprint for Transforming University Campus Student Housing

Content: Large-scale university campus transformation projects present unique challenges that distinguish them from conventional commercial construction. Coordinating demolition, new construction, and phased renovations on an active campus requires meticulous planning, stakeholder engagement, and construction management expertise. The $200 million Welcome Home 2025 initiative at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) in Ypsilanti, Michigan, led by Gilbane Building

Integrating Lighting into Specialty Ceilings: Strategies for Commercial Construction

Integrating lighting into modern ceiling systems has become one of the most challenging yet rewarding aspects of contemporary commercial construction. As architectural designs grow more ambitious, the relationship between smart luminaire technology and specialty ceiling products demands careful coordination from the earliest stages of project development. Lighting is no longer an afterthought to be fitted

MVRDV Radio Hotel and Tower: Glazed Brick Stacked Massing Strategy for Urban Hotel Construction in Washington Heights

Netherlands-based architecture firm MVRDV has delivered its first completed building in the United States with the Radio Hotel and Tower, a strikingly colorful hotel project in New York’s Washington Heights neighborhood. The building uses a stacked block massing strategy clad in eight colors of glazed brick that both celebrates and respects the surrounding urban fabric.

Willis Tower Base Renovation: Construction Strategies for Transforming Supertall Building Podiums

Willis Tower Base Renovation: Construction Strategies for Transforming Supertall Building Podiums When global investment firm Blackstone acquired the iconic Willis Tower in 2015, the building stood as a monument to 1970s engineering prowess but offered little connection to the surrounding city. The original red granite base functioned as a fortress wall, separating office tenants from

Specifying Low-Carbon Concrete for Sustainable Building Construction

The construction industry accounts for nearly 40 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, making it one of the most significant contributors to climate change. As building professionals seek ways to reduce environmental impact, specifying low-carbon concrete has emerged as one of the most effective strategies available. Concrete is the most widely used building material on

How CSI CONSTRUCT Show Sessions Advance Professional Development in Building Construction

The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) has long served as a cornerstone for professional development in the building industry. Through its annual CONSTRUCT show and the CSI Learning Library, the organization delivers continuing education that helps architects, specifiers, engineers, and contractors stay current with evolving standards and practices. The CONSTRUCT 2020 virtual show sessions, now available

Supporting Women in Green Building: Strategies for Building an Equitable Construction Workforce

Building professionals can support women in green building through flexible policies, mentorship programs, and inclusive workplace cultures. Learn actionable strategies from the USGBC survey findings.

How SOM Revitalized Chicago’s Beaux-Arts Cook County Hospital: Adaptive Reuse Strategies for Building Professionals

When Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) took on the challenge of revitalizing the 100-year-old Cook County Hospital in Chicago, they faced a question that resonates with building professionals everywhere: how do you preserve a historic landmark while giving it a viable new future? The Beaux-Arts building, completed in 1914 and vacant since 2002, had deteriorated

How the Cove by Heatherwick Studio Is Reshaping Resilient Waterfront Development in San Francisco

Heatherwick Studio Reveals the Cove: A New Model for Resilient Waterfront Development Heatherwick Studio has unveiled plans for the Cove, a two-buildi…