Category: Featured Article
Featured Articles on PRISM
Considering building performance during conceptual design
“Specifying the right materials can be challenging but it is crucial for several reasons. Building materials have a great impact on both capital and operational costs, as well as overall energy and thermal performance. Early-stage analysis tools greatly support the specification process by allowing architects to test and compare material variables for different building elements with incredible speed. By providing insights into the impact of material properties such as glass U-values, roof R-values, insulation and construction type, early-stage analysis tools empower designers to specify the right materials,” states Sumele Aruofor, RIBA Associate, Strategic Manager of Architecture & Sustainability at Trimble, SketchUp, in her article “Considering building performance during conceptual design.”
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Protecting documentary heritage with a state-of-the-art preservation facility
The Library and Archives Canada (LAC)’s new preservation facility in Gatineau, Quebec brought a challenge that felt both patriotic and historically important — preserving the documentary heritage of Canada. The ultra-modern facility will be the first net zero carbon building dedicated to the preservation of archives in the Americas, and it will also be the first Government of Canada building to meet the requirements of the Greening Government Strategy. Stantec is providing professional services to PCL Construction—as part of a public-private-partnership team named Plenary Properties Gatineau, and in collaboration with B+H Architects—on this state-of-the-art project.
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Using biophilic design to create spaces that support health and wellness
Stantec recently sponsored a research project to identify the impact biophilic design has on holistic wellbeing with Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, directly measuring physiological, emotional, and cognitive wellness. Our study results show that by leveraging these patterns of biophilia we can create a positive impact on people’s wellbeing. In total there are fourteen patterns broken out in three main categories that focus on nature in the space, nature of the space, and natural analogues. Many are easy to implement if programmed early into the design process and offer the ability to create truly immersive experiences.
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Transformation and reinvention: White Elephant Palm Beach
Elkus Manfredi Architects’ transformation of a historic hotel into White Elephant Palm Beach debuts a fresh, contemporary design voice to Palm Beach while preserving the best of the hotel’s classic Mediterranean Revival architecture.
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Architectural zinc façade and wall cladding systems offer sustainable advantage
Zinc has a long and well-developed history as a building material. For more than 200 years it has been used to clad and roof buildings in Europe. During the last several decades, it has gained popularity on North American buildings for its sustainability, resiliency, recyclability and versatility. The benefits of architectural zinc products support criteria for several state and federal green building initiatives, and programs including BREEAM® certification, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, the Green Globes system and the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® rating system.
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Making education safer
Darrell Smith, executive director of the International Window Film Association, discusses how window films may cost-effectively address safety and health concerns that keep school leaders up at night. Window films from the International Window Film Association (IWFA) member manufacturers are rated for their performance by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) as are replacement windows. The IWFA is the largest nonprofit organization in the world with a mission of promoting the use of and educating the market about window films.
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Designing dynamic building enclosures with wind-driven kinetic façade systems
Wind-driven facade systems add dynamic movement to building enclosures and wall systems. Responding to air currents, the flapper-panel design creates the look of rolling waves across the wall. These systems are suitable for both small- and large-scale projects. Popular applications include transit and parking facilities, cultural institutions, entertainment venues, and artistic installations.
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5 strategies for creating safer, healthier hotel experiences
From retail-infused brands to Airbnb, the hospitality industry has seen its share of disruptors over the last several decades. These disruptors have been relatively gradual and allowed time for the savvy hotel brands to anticipate and react to change. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, arrived suddenly resulting in the abrupt shutdown of the entire industry. Brands and hotel owners were left scrambling to figure out how to react and strategize their next moves. Some hotels are taking a wait-and-see approach while others are implementing measures so that they can open as anticipated.
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Antimicrobial coatings enhance surface protection
This must-read comprehensive article authored by Tammy Schroeder, LEED Green Associate, Linetec’s marketing manager, describes the development of antimicrobial compounds and their use in product finishes and coatings; how they are tested to prove effectiveness at protecting the paint or coating; and the advantages these coatings provide to owners and operators of public buildings, and the people who use, work and live in them.
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Repurposing dark anchor spaces into healthcare facilities
Brad Earl, Managing Principal, NELSON Worldwide, discusses repurposing anchor spaces into healthcare facilities in his article on PRISM. “In today’s difficult and urgent healthcare climate, that’s been shaped by a global pandemic, health systems and community hospitals are tapping into the communities they serve to offer as many outpatient services as possible. With a healthcare system that has been increasingly overwhelmed, the abundance of outpatient centers provides a solution to improve quality of care, as well as provide relief to centers that have registered more patients than they can handle. As a result, healthcare service offerings close to residential clusters, demographic epicenters—places where community members work and shop, drive by, and congregate—have created a new patient mantra that is centered around convenience, expedition, and enhanced patient care.”
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How to design sustainable public infrastructure in 2020 and beyond
“To begin, I believe we must start with and fully embrace the fact that the design process is not linear. It is circular. Good design must allow for questioning previous decisions and acknowledge that perhaps other ideas and methods can and should be incorporated. A circular design process enables exponential change and advancement. We must not start with just “thinking” about green building materials. The challenge really is: How do we question everything so that the design truly manifests into a sustainable project?” explains author Luis Vidal, President & Founding Partner of luis vidal + architects.
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Healthcare design post COVID-19
“Healthcare design post COVID-19” by Catherine Gow, Principal, Health Facilities Planning and Jennifer Kenson, Principal, Interior Design at Francis Cauffman Architects (FCA). “Healthcare planning will be re-thought to make spaces safe for both staff and patients alike. There are many strategies that could be utilized to make safer healthcare spaces. The strategies should parallel the CDC’s original recommendations of distancing, washing hands, avoiding contact. Distancing and separation within healthcare facilities, re-thinking patient, staff and supply flow. Specifications of materials and surfaces that can either be easily cleaned or are anti-microbial should be considered. Leveraging technology should also be studied as a tool to design a safer facility. New facilities should consider surge design in their planning.”
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