All gardens encounter bugs, and some cause enough damage to warrant control measures. Pesticides, however, come with their own risks. Integrated Pest Management is an eco-friendly approach to controlling garden pests.
It’s easy to get Spanish blood boiling here in Madrid. Just mention the M-30 to a local, especially one living by the Manzanares River in the Arganzuela district south of the city. Their hostile reaction would be due to the fact that this part of town has been under major construction for what seems like an eternity. Once complete, Madrid’s M-30 urban renewal project will include improved roadways, pedestrian pathways, and West 8's Puentes Cascaras, which were inaugurated in September 2010.
In this second addition of “ROI-Driven Products," we take a look at insulation, which is a big part of a building’s envelope. When insulation is installed correctly, it provides the necessary R-value to meet the thermal demands of the region and the comfort demands of the building’s occupants. With energy prices on the rise, building envelopes have come under more and more scrutiny. Homeowners and business owners alike are now seeing the need to improve the building envelope and increase its overall efficiency.
According to a 2002 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, the total U.S. land area is 1.983 billion acres, excluding Hawaii and Alaska – 107.3 million acres of which is developed, a 24% increase in 10 years. Further, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that development has significantly increased since that time. The term “building green” may seem to exclude any but new builds from sustainable design and ecologically sound practices, but this is actually not the case. When Randy Brown Architects designed the interior office space for US Data Corporation, they demonstrated how refurbishing an existing building is a viable alternative to new construction.
Bathroom vanities are comprised of a base or furniture cabinet, a countertop mounted to the top of the cabinet, a sink, a faucet, and a drain stop assembly located at the bottom of the sink which allows water to drain or be collected. Maintaining each component can be overwhelming, given that there are several different styles, manufacturers, and types of materials used. However, there are only a few components that require regular inspection and/or maintenance to ensure proper function.
The party wall presents a challenge when constructing hotel rooms. What goes into the wall assembly matters when the job calls for controlling sound transmission.
French pharmacological company Biotrial taps Francis Cauffman to design its U.S. headquarters in New Jersey's University Heights Science Park, a collaboration among academic, public, and private entities to drive economic and community development in this Newark neighborhood.
Technological innovation always shakes up an industry, and the surveying industry is no exception. All throughout surveying, machine guidance systems are gaining acceptance. The increased adoption of this technology by the industry is renewing the importance of surveyors. Machine guidance systems require skilled workers to calibrate and operate, and surveyors are in the best position to do this job. In order to capitalize on the opportunity, surveyors will need to learn to use machine guidance and promote their new skill.
“Assessing the conditions of the nation’s public schools remains a difficult process,” says the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in their 2009 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. The problem leading to this "D" grade seems to be funding. However, part of the problem is that we don’t know how much of a problem we have.
STV Group renovates a 1907 transportation hub in Hoboken, New Jersey, and puts ferry service back in place after an almost 45-year hiatus.
For a century, railroads dominated trade and travel in the United States. Train station architecture developed along with the rail industry itself, and in the early 1900s, every major city was building an ornate hub to call its own. Perhaps the most iconic – and one of the most short-lived – stations was New York City’s Pennsylvania Station. Built in 1910, much of the original Beaux Arts structure, which covered almost 7 acres, was demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden and the rest of Penn Plaza. The demolition of the above-ground elements of NYC's Penn Station galvanized preservationists to save many historic stations.
Welcome to the On Site channel’s Construction Administration Column. Join us as we continue a conversation regarding contracts and weather delays.
In David Todd’s last Construction Administration Column, he recommended an alternative to standard language regarding weather delays. David’s suggestion spurred some discussion of the topic, so here are his further thoughts.
The word “disability” isn’t mentioned much by designers and other professionals who employ the principles of universal design; at the heart of this design concept is a more positive message. Universal design refers to the idea that environments and products should be usable by everyone. Ronald L. Mace coined the term and founded The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University in 1989, using a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Since that time the center has continued to research and develop design approaches that will make the built environment more accessible to everyone.
