Most Popular from All Topics

Sustainable design is here to stay – an economic stronghold fully ready for BIM integration.

Imagine that all of New York City’s rooftops are covered with photovoltaic panels. They could provide enough electricity to meet around 14% of the city’s needs, according to calculations by Tria Case, one of the City College of New York's directors. Comprised of students from The City College of New York’s (CCNY) Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture and Grove School of Engineering, Team New York, who are competing for the first time this year in the Solar Decathlon, asserts that NYC’s roofscape is vastly underutilized, not only for its potential in collecting solar energy but also for its potential to provide prime living and outdoor space for its citizens. Their design for the Solar Roof Pod could prove a versatile and sustainable solution.

Maintaining your sprinkler system will conserve water and save money. This article will show you how to use an irrigation system to more efficiently water your lawn, garden, or landscaping.

Similar to any other product installed in your home, an automatic sprinkler system needs to be properly maintained. An automatic sprinkler system that is not properly maintained will waste water and be a detriment to the upkeep of your lawn and landscaping. Protecting your investments with regularly scheduled maintenance will ensure that your automatic sprinkler system operates efficiently throughout the year.

The Aqua Tower in Chicago brings the fresh perspective of a young architect, Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, to bear upon century-old skyscraper design challenges.

The Aqua Tower, looming over 1.9 million square feet, is an 82-story mixed-use high-rise complex that includes 55,000 square feet with a hotel, apartments, condominiums, offices, and parking. This aesthetically pleasing Chicago skyscraper is the tallest building designed by a woman-owned architectural firm and the first skyscraper from Jeanne Gang, principal and founder of Studio Gang Architects (SGA), which is based in Chicago.

Oddity can be found lurking among the old buildings, narrow streets, and seemingly endless construction of Madrid. Whether you're walking through the busy plazas or just strolling along quiet sidewalks, you’ll most likely find the unexpected. That’s exactly the case with the Museo ABC, which is located in the heart of Madrid but which is hardly part of the tourist traps.

Since the release of Autodesk’s 2012 product suites in April, Buildipedia’s BIM series (see Contractors Look to BIM to Streamline Construction and BIM: Bridging the Gap Between AEC and O&M) has been highlighting changes and upgrades to the software systems. Each year, Autodesk's line of products forges into new territory, and one of its most recent areas of development has been 3D modeling for infrastructure. Applying the same principles currently used in BIM on the scale of individual buildings, BIM for infrastructure expands that 3D vision outward, taking it to a new level – literally.

Frank Gehry's second architectural venture into New York City is also his tallest building yet. Spiraling 76 stories and enveloping 1.1 million square feet, Beekman Tower dominates the nearby Woolworth building in downtown Manhattan. Under construction since 2006, the newest addition to the city's distinct skyline is expected to open early next year, and it proves that Gehry's signature, sculptural vocabulary translates successfully into skyscraper form.

With a long list of benefits, compressed earth blocks make an ideal natural building material.

Approximately one-quarter of the world’s population live in homes made of earth, mostly in the developing world. It makes sense, after all. The dirt’s either cheap or free and the homes have plenty of benefits, including:

The New Museum is not exactly new anymore. Upon its completion in 2007, the blocky, mesh-clad structure generated some controversy: a rainbow-hued "Hell Yes!" affixed to its facade rebelliously declared its arrival on the Bowery, the main street of the eponymous neighborhood in lower Manhattan. SANAA's eye-catching design for the the 33-year old New Museum oscillates between the Bowery's infamous past and its inevitably gentrified future.

The use of epoxy coatings and epoxy-coated structural liners can save both time and money over traditional pipe repair methods.

Damaged or deteriorating pipe systems can be expensive to replace, particularly those that are located in hard-to-reach locations or inaccessible without selective demolition. Fortunately, common pipe systems can be rehabilitated from within, using cured-in-place epoxy coatings or epoxy-coated structural liners. These in situ pipe repair techniques can offer cost savings of up to 60% and time savings of up to 30% when compared to traditional pipe repair methods. We’ve partnered with Nu Flow to highlight several different in situ pipe repair techniques available to facility managers and building owners.

Exterior prehung doors allow you to replace your existing exterior door and frame with a single unit that includes a door, glazing, frame, threshold, weatherstripping, exterior trim, and predrilled holes for a lockset. According to CostHelper.com and depending on size, style, type, and material, a new exterior prehung door could cost anywhere from $75 to $5,000. Once you have ordered and received your new exterior prehung door, you can begin removal and installation.

Many buildings are literally going green. The addition of a vertical garden, whether interior or exterior, has many benefits.

The benefits of gardening are numerous, but gardening also requires land – something that many commercial and urban settings lack. However, vertical gardening is a fairly simple way to enjoy the aesthetics of plants within a limited space. Vertical gardens grow upward alongside building exteriors and interior walls, creating captivating scenery where it would otherwise be impossible.