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The new Barclays Center will not only provide a home for the Brooklyn Nets but will offer the surrounding community a civic space and an architectural  icon.

Not since 1957, when the Dodgers left Brooklyn for Los Angeles, has this popular New York borough been so close to finally having a major league sports team to call its own. Despite significant public opposition, a faltering national economy, a Supreme Court case over eminent domain, and a Frank Gehry design deemed too expensive, the Barclays Center is well underway, with construction due to be completed in September 2012. Designed by SHoP Architects and the sport facility practice at Ellerbe Becket, this voluptuous mass with weathered steel skin will be the $4.9 billion home of the Brooklyn Nets NBA team.

What makes reclaimed wood so appealing? Its appeal is based on more than just the patina it has acquired during its years of use as a building material… the character associated with old wood started developing when it was still in the forest.

Wood utilized more than a century ago in the construction of old barns, factories, and warehouses throughout the United States is now one of the most highly desirable and sought-after raw materials in the flooring industry. Popular in both residential and commercial environments, vintage reclaimed wood flooring is appreciated by architects and designers for its history, quality, character, and environmental benefits.

When considering a florescent lighting system upgrade, many facilities managers are retrofitting by placing adapters in existing lighting fixtures. Lighting retrofit kits with adapters have advantages over more comprehensive lighting system component upgrades – they reuse existing lamp fixtures, provide new self-contained electronic lamp ballasts, and offer reduced installation, maintenance, and operating costs. We’ll take a look at the basic ideas involved in a T5 lighting retrofit project, including a return on investment (ROI) case study that calculates payback as less than five years.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS) determined that 66% of U.S. households have a dishwasher. It's not really any surprise that two-thirds of our homes have a dishwasher when you consider that today's Energy Star dishwashers will save you time, water, and utility costs. Depending on how often you use your dishwasher, you can expect an average life expectancy of nine years, according to the Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components, prepared in 2007 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Performing simple maintenance tasks will help your dishwasher last longer than expected and will also reduce the likelihood that your dishwasher will cause water damage to your home.

Use our handy pool maintenance checklist to get your swimming pool ready for summer.

What are some of the challenges – and pathways to success – when it comes to designing commercial architecture?

Stuart Silk Architects, based in Seattle, Washington, has more than 25 years of experience producing residential and commercial architecture. We spoke with John Adams, AIA, Principal of Stuart Silk Architects, to learn more about the latest challenges associated with commercial design. Although commercial design certainly has its nuances, his firm has successfully bridged residential and commercial design with a simple and unified insight: the client is always passionately and personally invested.

You can get the tools you need to complete almost any upcycling, repurposing, or refurbishing project at your local hardware store. Join Rachael, the host of {Re}habitat, as she shares her tips on assembling the simple tools you need to get started.

Your local hardware store has thousands of tools on display, but you only need a few basics in your toolbox. Rachael tells us what to look for when choosing tools, how to keep sustainability in mind, and repurposing tricks of the trade.

These eight tips on multi-tasking rooms will help you to maximize your small space.

Staff housing for the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, inspired by the colorful forms found in local art, is designed to be sustainable and also resistant to seismic forces.

Sorg Architects, an international architectural firm, has created sustainable staff housing for U.S. Embassy staff members stationed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Construction on the housing units will begin in March 2012 and is scheduled to be completed in January 2014.

Where an architect created harmony and balance, locals see discord and ostentation.

San Sebastian, in Spain’s Basque country, is one of those incredibly majestic places you can visit once and never forget. Unlike many of Spain’s Mediterranean towns that have been massively overdeveloped over the years, San Sebastian still offers breathtaking beaches and wide boulevards, perfect for that famed Spanish strolling. The city of San Sebastian has class, style, and, of course, spectacular views of the Bay of Biscay. It’s easy to see, then, why local residents are quite protective of any development proposals in their idyllic hometown.

A husband-and-wife design team in Denver use salvaged items and found materials to create intricate interiors that belie their humble origins. Randy Rushton and Sabin Aell discuss their craft, their belief in collaboration, and the way they "exploit fun."

We typically install flooring in our bathrooms that is best suited for wet areas, like ceramic tile, natural stone, or resilient (linoleum or vinyl) flooring. While these types of materials are durable and hold up better against water than a wood floor might, they are still susceptible to moisture damage. Performing routine, preventative, and material specific maintenance will keep your bathroom floor looking new for years to come.