AEC Pros

The various blogs I follow send me newsletters, and one article regarding new smart bridge technology caught my attention last Friday. A “smart bridge” is probably better labeled as a talking bridge – one that communicates its status to those who are listening for follow-on interpretation. Baseline measurements of critical strain, deflection, and corrosive conditions can be established with the structure following project completion, then monitored throughout the bridge’s service life.

The residents and businesses of Columbus, Ohio have another chance to capitalize on an incredible opportunity. The Columbus Dispatch recently reported that NASCAR racer Jeff Gordon will team up with Arshot Investment Corp to propose plans for a racing facility at the existing vacant Cooper Stadium. Cooper Stadium has been vacant since the Columbus Clippers moved to their new home at Huntington Park at the end of the 2008 season. There is no doubt this project will provide the economic jump-start that this part of town needs.

Most buildings are content to be four walls, a floor, and a roof, existing only to provide shelter and warmth for their inhabitants. A few, though, endeavor to be tools, ready at a moment's notice to serve the changing needs of their constituency. The new Wyly Theater at the Performing Arts Center in Dallas, Texas is a facility that embraces this subservient role to the point that it was designed as a ‘theater machine.’ The facility, opened in October of 2009, was designed by Rem Koolhaas | OMA and Joshua Prince-Ramus | REX and provides a new home for the Dallas Theater Center. Literally an assemblage of moving parts capable of transforming seating arrangements and orientation, the Wyly Theater redefines the meaning of "flexible space."

Barbara McHatton speaks about her experiences avoiding what we are now calling the Greenwashing affect. We want to knowledgeably see past skewed claims to find those products that are legitimately green.

Confused about what makes a green building product “green”?

So am I.

With all of the labels out there touting “green” and “environmentally friendly” products, it’s no wonder we’re so mystified. If a product is manufactured using recycled materials, it’s considered green—if it saves energy, it’s considered green—if it is manufactured using non-toxic materials, it’s considered green.

As the world’s most populated nation, China does things on a massive scale. Apparently not lacking in construction dollars, China has undertaken what’s been labeled the modern world’s most expensive construction project ever: The South–North Water Transfer Project. China is mounting an effort to divert the Yangtze River, the world’s third longest river, from three locations in China’s southern provinces to industrial northern regions where water is becoming very scarce and where pollution and conflicts over water access are rampant. Various articles on the South–North Water Transfer Project estimate a potential cost of approximately $60 billion USD across its three component routes and project completion times that vary by several decades, up to 50 years.

Green-focused schools are popping up across the country, from New York City to California. The Green School in Brooklyn, who call themselves the sustainaBULLS, states the following goals for their green educational core values:

• Sustainable Self - Individuals in the school community are given the opportunity to develop their individual interests. Importance is placed on individual growth and physical and emotional health of all students.
• Sustainable Relationships - Meaningful relationships among students, parents, teachers, school administration and key members of the community are developed through advisory, community work, internships and peer education.
• Sustainable Community - All members of the school work to develop a learning community that promotes academic excellence, democratic decision making and individual responsibility.
• Sustainable Society - Students have the opportunity to explore careers that promote a healthy society through internships and apprenticeships.