Apple Marina Bay Sands: Engineering the Floating Glass Dome Retail Store in Singapore When Apple unveiled its Marina Bay Sands store in Singapore, the project marked a departure from conventional retail construction. The store appears as a sphere floating on the waters of Marina Bay, and it represents a convergence of ambitious structural engineering, advanced […]
Understanding Net-Zero Carbon Certification for Large Venues The construction industry is increasingly focused on reducing carbon emissions, and large sports venues represent some of the most challenging building typologies for achieving sustainability goals. Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, formerly KeyArena, is targeting the world’s first net-zero carbon certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).
Designing Sustainable Infill Housing: How The Hollyhock Sets a New Standard for Urban Townhouse Developments Infill housing has become a critical strategy for addressing urban density challenges while preserving the character of established neighborhoods. The recent completion of The Hollyhock residential complex in Phoenix, Arizona, designed by Studio Ma, demonstrates how sophisticated design and sustainability
Building professionals often focus on sound transmission class (STC) ratings, noise reduction coefficients (NRC), and partition assembly specifications when designing for acoustics. These metrics are valuable, but they address only the physical behavior of sound, not how occupants actually perceive a space. An environment that measures well on paper can still feel uncomfortable or noisy
The GSA Classical Design Mandate: Background and Industry Response In August 2020, the American Institute of Architects publicly condemned a mandate by the U.S. General Services Administration requiring that a federal district courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, be designed in a classical architectural style. The GSA action represented a project-by-project application of a broader effort
The Pyramid Form in Civic Architecture When Snøhetta’s design for the Far Rockaway Public Library broke ground in 2018, it introduced an unusual form to the New York City civic landscape: a pyramid-shaped building clad in glass. The project replaces a 1962 facility and doubles the available space for the community while establishing a bold
Understanding Hydronic Radiant System Fundamentals
How Radiant Heating and Cooling Works
Hydronic radiant systems operate on a principle fundamentally different from conventional forced-air HVAC. Instead of conditioning air and distributing it thro…
Los Angeles International Airport is undertaking one of the most ambitious aviation infrastructure modernization programs in the United States. As part of this multi-billion-dollar initiative, the construction of a new 450,000-square-foot concourse at the site of the former Terminal 3 satellite represents a landmark project in airport construction. This concourse, featuring 12 new gates with
Professional builders and construction specifiers can extract valuable insights from the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) design for the Oakland Athletics ballpark at Howard Terminal. This project exemplifies how stadium design is evolving to address urban infill constraints while delivering a publicly integrated sports venue. Unlike traditional isolated ballparks surrounded by parking lots, the Howard Terminal
Delegating Design to Contractors: Managing Deferred and Assigned Design in Construction Contracts Modern construction projects increasingly shift responsibility for design solutions from design professionals to contractors through deferred design, delegated design, and design-assist processes. While these approaches reduce upfront professional fees and accelerate the document production phase, they also introduce significant risk when communication between
