Building & Design News

July 18th, 2006 - Volume 1 Issue 6

Imagine better buildings built faster, with far less complications and with virtually no cost extras or overruns. Imagine architects and builders occupying the same table to review a rendering so detailed that nothing is left to chance. "Building Information Modeling" is meant to make this happen. Some BIM solutions, such as Autodesk® Revit® Building, take the process one step further, supporting green architecture and sustainable design. The company's white paper explains BIM and its role in future design.

On Friday, July 14, the GlobalSpec Great Moments in Engineering Award was presented to the Jason Jr. engineering team (1986) in honor of the 20th anniversary of their first video survey of R.M.S. Titanic.

This small engineering team from the Deep Submergence Laboratory of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution — whose behind-the-scenes technical accomplishments resulted in the design and prototyping of a tethered robotic "video vehicle" 12,000+ feet deep in the North Atlantic — helped open doors to undersea discovery, commerce, innovation, and a new understanding of the ocean's ecosystem through remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

Jason Jr. Principal Engineer Christopher J. von Alt accepted the award on the team's behalf at a ceremony held at the New England Aquarium in Boston. James Luyten, executive vice president and director of research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, was on hand to recognize the team for their remarkable accomplishment. Read the full story.

The Real Dirt on Dust is an 80 page publication with generous illustrations that reviews the history, theory, and application of all types of dust collection equipment. Understand the history and development of dust collection technology, culminating in a detailed discussion of current technologies.

With an in-house color 3D printer from Contex, you can:
• Create high-definition, physical models in hours instead of days. In-house.
• Improve communication with clients.
• Easily reproduce complex geometry.
Learn more — Complimentary 3D Printing for Architecture Starter Kit.

Eliminate excess cabling and save money by building your own patch cords with Cables To Go's Network Cable Kits. Stranded Cat5E cable ensures optimal performance at an economical price. TigerDirect.com was established to serve the needs of computer users, and today they are one of the industry's top computer and computer-product retailers.

They are as sturdy as they are energy efficient. Thermal mass walls consist primarily of concrete with added layers of Styrofoam and polystyrene. Sturdy assembly, utilizing a unique fiber composite connector drilled every 16 inches on center, makes them one of the most durable wall systems available on today's construction market. Thermal Mass walls boast an R-value of 11.33 which translates into considerable heating and energy savings especially during the winter and summer months. What's even better, these walls are so dense they serve as an effective sound barrier to outside noise.

They are asphalt's worst enemies: aging, oxidation, volatility. As traffic increases, the demands on an asphalt road surface increases proportionately. While one very expensive and impractical option is to continually tear up and pave new roadways, another more cost effective solution is to reutilize the existing roadbeds. Rejuvenative products such as Styraflex ERA bring dead asphalt back to life by remoisturizing and forming a "chip seal." The result is not a brand new roadway but a fully utilizable asphalt base that once more stands up to heavy traffic.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it caused New Orleans, it only makes sense that a new series of "Hurricane Impact" resistant glass sliding door systems are hitting the specialty building products market. One firm in particular, Fleetwood Doors and Windows, has introduced the Norwood 3070HI glass slider system which meets the stringent Dade County Florida building code requirements for "large missile impact."

Couldn't make the International Builder's Show this year? Don't worry. Better Homes & Gardens is happy to bring the show to you. From touch-free faucets, to interior operable window walls, to microwave ovens that double as a television (Yes, it's true!), here are some of today's top design/architectural and building ideas delivered to your computer screen in video format.

Now available exclusively from THOMPSON. Properly radiused blunt tip air terminals combined with threaded, high strength, UV safe, nylon personnel protectors afford maximum safety from any possible impalement hazard with no compromise in performance. Other products offered having large metal disks or knobs do not meet optimum air terminal performance diameters specified in NFPA 780.

At the heart of an E/One Sewer is the Grinder Pump, developed by Environment One. These units accept household sanitary waste, grind it into a fine slurry, and pressurize it to permit transport through small-diameter pipes. There are currently over 500,000 end-users of Environment One Grinder Pumps worldwide.

The most popular commercial cordless power tools have two things in common: ruggedness and maximum productivity. They also share something else: they are powered by batteries. With the introduction of the Lithium-Ion (LI) battery pack, tradesman will finally have at their disposal a power tool that wields more power for a longer period of time. What's more, these battery packs are smaller than the more common NiMH or nicad batteries and therefore more lightweight. They cost a little more, but in time, LI promises to become the industry standard.

Smaller sized contractors often carry equipment, tools, personnel and — heck, their entire business office in the back of their dump truck. Those who haul compact excavators for digging small foundations or drainage trenches will also find themselves towing a trailer. Such contractors might be required to travel to a different job site on a daily basis, which is the equivalent of preparing for a small war day in and day out. How do they do it right? By paying attention to good trailering practices, small contractors can move effectively and safely from job-to-job and still make their fair profit.

The countertop is quickly becoming one of the most important features of the kitchen. What only a few years ago might be cheaply fabricated out of plywood and plastic laminate is now being replaced with natural materials that not only resist heat and staining, but look as beautiful as they are durable. The most popular choices are quartz and natural stone, yet some designers are specifying concrete. With cutting and fabrication equipment becoming more and more sophisticated, customization of countertops is priority one.

If you think the design and manufacture of custom cabinetry is difficult, try adding curved doors to your list of featured products. Quebec's Saint-Georges Doors did exactly that back in the late 1990s. To see their three-dimensional dream come true, they were forced to purchase new CNC fabricating machinery. But the fabricating difficulties did not stop there. A new "work flow" had to be invented with wood workers learning and conquering new challenges from sanding to cutting on angles. In the end however, Saint-George has become a model for many cabinet manufacturers around the world . . . or, for those who wish to construct curved doors, that is.

Easy to use, thanks to one-handed 'point-and-shoot' operation and intuitive on-screen guidance, the Ti20 Thermal Imager does not require specialist training to obtain accurate measurements. Just point at the target, focus the instrument, and it automatically adjusts the temperature range to show a crisp image. The Fluke Ti20 comes as a complete package.

This 1155 handle has a low profile contemporary look and offers security with convenience. It is the latest in a range of handles which offer many features including padlocking, master keying, easily changeable key cylinders. Established in 1983, EMKA's global business focus is to design, manufacture, and distribute engineered closing systems, hardware, gasketing, and accessories.

DiceEngineering.com offers thousands of quality engineering jobs at top technology and engineering companies. Find jobs in your area of expertise. Search now.

Credentials, commitment, achievement . . . these are but three of the many reasons why today's builder/construction manager should consider becoming a certified DBIA or Designated Design-Build Professional. It's no longer enough to call oneself a design-builder. The willingness to invest in professional certification ensures that one's knowledge of the construction and design industries meets or even goes beyond current industry standards.

It's probably the last thing a painter thinks about in the morning before heading off to work, but according to Debbie Horst of the North Carolina based StanRay's Painter's Apparel, it's of the utmost importance that painting contractors "wear the correct apparel." The smart contractor stays in business not only because of his or her work ethic, but also because the paint crews appear and act like professionals. Adds Horst, "By wearing the appropriate apparel, the contractor shows that he values a neat appearance, which will carry over into the quality of his work."

On the college campus, "security" concerns of college students and their families are becoming more prevalent. As this survey suggests, "Keeping Up with Security Demands" requires the installation of emergency telephones, updated exterior lighting, exterior and interior cameras, and security gates. When combined with an Emergency Operation Center or EOC, such safety measures promise to ensure the highest level of safety for students and faculty alike.

Call it architectural regionalism or call it a designer trend, but architects residing in New Zealand and Australia have been conjuring up new homes that not only exist in their natural environment, but work with it. Whether the location is a forest or a sandy bluff along the coast, many of these contemporary homes are built exclusively of natural materials. The themes are "Green" and feature natural ventilation, rainwater collection systems, and windows treated to store heat in the cold months and to repel it during the hot season. ArchitectureWeek samples some Designer Homes down under.

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