With the United States trying to pull itself out of a recession, something must be done to create more jobs. Some believe the green job market is the key to the future. And so, I have taken some well spread out snapshots examining the prospect of the green job market in this country.
After a three year renovation, the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library reopened in the Summer of 2009. The ambitious project created an architectural jewel on the campus of The Ohio State University. The results of the $109 million, 340,000 square foot renovation project include seating for 1,800 people, over 200 computers with wireless internet access, additional meeting and study rooms, an art gallery, and a new cafe. The library also now consolidates the University’s 250,000 volume rare book collection.
In most cases, property owners are required by regulation to maintain pond embankments and outfall works as related to structural integrity and dam safety. Proper maintenance also lessens the liability of pond and lake ownership by reducing the likelihood of failures that can impact downstream property. Owners or property managers may believe that proper maintenance is occurring only to later learn that they need expensive repairs. This situation illustrates that many contractors providing routine maintenance, such as landscapers, are not trained to properly identify issues that can be problematic or lead to increased cost of ownership.
Much focus is being given in the design and construction industry to making projects greener. As an architect myself, I feel an obligation to be conscious of the impact my work and the work of my peers has on the future of our environment. Architects, engineers, builders, and facility owners play a vital role in creating a greener future. Architecture 2030 estimates that in the US alone, buildings are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually and consume 76% of all electricity generated by power plants.
When downtown Columbus’ City Center Mall opened its doors in 1989, millions of people swarmed through them in the early weeks. Its collection of high-end department stores, boutiques, and casual restaurants kept it bustling for several years. Flash forward fifteen years, and it started to become a ghost town inside, one major retailer after another leaving many of its vast indoor spaces vacant.
Visible from the Cincinnati riverfront, Daniel Libeskind’s Ascent at Roebling's Bridge towers over the Covington, Ky. skyline. Completed in 2008, the concrete and glass curtain wall clad structure is 300’-0” tall and 310,000 square feet. Twenty-two stories (one lobby, a secure parking level, an amenities level, and 19 floors of luxury condominiums) of multifamily program are included in Libeskind's first U.S. high-rise.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Bing Thom’s much talked about and long-awaited Arena Stage renovation and expansion project in Washington, D.C. With slightly more than two years of construction completed, the $125 million, 200,000 square foot project is in the final stages and is due to open its doors on schedule for the inaugural 2010/11 theater season later this fall.
Look out, Pisa, there is a new building on the block! Capital Gate, located in Abu Dhabi, now holds the Guinness Record for the "Worlds Furthest Leaning Manmade Tower." Scheduled for completion in late 2010, this 35 story building with an incline of 18 degrees is the focal point of Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Company's (ADNEC) new mixed use development.
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is the new paradigm in design and construction. At its core, IPD means bringing all of the parties in a typical construction project—owner, architect, and builder—together as early as possible in a more robust partnership than is traditionally seen in construction. A true IPD partnership involves changing how the project team is configured, how contracts are written, how risk is shared, how decisions are made, and the tools that are used to communicate information. Today some projects are implementing IPD in its pure form, while others are making incremental steps towards it.
Ted Kokenos is a veteran construction cost estimator. He initiated a transition from pencil and paper cost estimating to computer-based while working for a construction company employing about 60 people. His experience might inspire some construction firms that have been thinking about making the leap to computer estimating to finally go for it!
In challenging economic times such as these, we need to find new ways to create revenue. With increasing focus on water conservation and efficient irrigation practices come new opportunities. Whether it is simply offering product upgrades to current customers through the bid, or marketing to past customers with aging irrigation systems, a wide variety of efficient product solutions exist in the market today. Many of the new products available today do not require much or any effort above and beyond traditional installation practices and offer your customers a reasonable timeframe for return on investment.
Located across the street from SANAA’s Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art is Frank Gehry’s Center for the Visual Arts. Completed in 1993 to house the University of Toledo Department of Art as well as the Toledo Museum of Art's Reference Library, the four story, L-shaped fortress like building is a prime example of postmodern Deconstructivism.
