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HOK / Vanderweil's retrofit of a government building takes the notion of incorporating nature into design to a whole new level. The facade uses algae-housing tubes to serve multiple functions, including using algae as a fuel source.

When building green, it’s easiest to start from scratch, but the blank slate is an ideal rather than a reality: our stock of existing buildings necessitates energy-efficiency retrofits.

Welcome to the On Site channel’s Construction Administration Column. Here, David A. Todd gives his recommendation on the Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee (EJCDC) General Conditions clause for weather.

In my last column, I dealt with an issue concerning delays for weather. The answer I gave had to do with the weather provisions in the 2002 edition of the EJCDC General Conditions. Those provisions are:

The bathroom is one area of the home that is extremely vulnerable to water damage. Showers, tubs, toilets, and vanities provide hundreds of gallons of water on demand every day. In addition, evaporating water and steam from baths and showers significantly increase indoor humidity. Properly designed bathrooms should incorporate substrate materials under surface finishes that effectively manage water and moisture to prevent structural problems and resist mold growth.

Assembling a basic toolbox is the first step in any DIY project. Learn what basic tools you must have and some simple maintenance tips.

Two projects — zHome in Issaquah, Washington, in the Seattle area, and DPR Construction Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona — recently earned Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB) certification from the International Living Future Institute (ILFI).

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.

What kind of electrical receptacle should you install in the kitchen or bath? The answer is a GFCI outlet, or a ground fault circuit interrupt outlet. A GFCI (or GFI) outlet should be installed in any place where electricity might come in contact with water; such as a kitchen, a bathroom, a laundry room, garage, or exterior space. Basically, a GFCI outlet will sense when electricity is going to pass through a person’s body and it will shut off before the shock is delivered. Installing this type of outlet is only slightly more complex than installing a standard three-pronged receptacle. Join the At Home channel’s host, Jeff Wilson, for a tutorial on how to install a GFCI electrical outlet.

Those accustomed to architect Frank Gehry's signature swooping titanium forms might feel that the New World Symphony concert hall hits a low note; Walt Disney Concert Hall it is not. Instead, its boxy form and white stucco exterior reflect the traditional Art Deco architecture of Miami Beach. Located at Washington Avenue and 17th Street, just blocks from both the bustle of Lincoln Road and the beach, the $160 million building measures 100,641 sq. ft. and faces a new 2.5-acre urban park, situated on the site of a former parking lot. Looks can be deceptive; this stucco box contains a few surprises.

Refinishing your wood deck every few years is necessary maintenance. Learn when and how.

When is it time to refinish your wood deck? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. Use the “splash test” to see if your wood deck needs attention. Take a glass of water and splash it on the most heavily traveled areas. If the water beads up and sits on top of the wood, then refinishing is not required. If the water soaks in and darkens the wood, then it’s time to get on that deck maintenance before any serious damage is done. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he demonstrates how to refinish a wood deck.

When you consider the lifespan of most fixtures and appliances around the home, toilets rank near the top. According to the Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components which was prepared in 2007 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), "Toilets have an unlimited lifespan, but the components inside the toilet tank do require some maintenance."

Looking at a photograph of the waterfall that provides a launching point for the Combs Point Residence he designed for a lakefront in New York, Peter Bohlin says, “There’s nowhere else quite like it in the world.”

Ask anyone who has ever fallen in love with a piece of land and they will say that it is, in fact, a place unlike any other in the world. And Bohlin, Principal in Charge at Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, designs with that distinctiveness in mind. Bohlin says, “Our work is always noted for thinking and feeling how a place is. It is intellectual and well reasoned but also takes into account that we are emotional beings.“

The building industry is moving inevitably away from 2D paper drawings and toward 3D virtual modeling. When a new technology offers people a better way of doing something, they will eventually use it, even if it means overcoming old habits and facing a sometimes steep learning curve. The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has increased dramatically over the past few years, not just in architecture firms, but industry-wide. Construction firms that were early adopters of BIM now have the hard data to justify their choice: projects are taking less time and costing less money, and demonstrated mastery of state-of-the-art technology is winning these firms more jobs.