Jackson Hole, WY (PRWEB) February 24, 2014

Award-winning Jackson Hole architecture firm Ward + Blake Architects received special funding for its energy-efficient design of a new central administration facility for the Teton County School District in Jackson, Wyo. The Jackson Hole-based architects were recently named 2013 Firm of the Year by the six-state AIA Western Mountain Region, partly for their innovations in sustainable design. The new 8,600-square-foot Jackson Hole facility houses conference rooms, a large board room, and office space, and was able to save money for the school district while meeting stringent county sustainable construction standards. More images of the green design project are available here.

Coming in at two-thirds of the average construction costs for Jackson, we are really thrilled with the high-caliber, sustainable, and low-maintenance building we were able to design, says Ward + Blake Principal Tom Ward.

Ward + Blake Architects and the Teton County School District applied for Jackson Hole Energy Sustainability Project funding to help offset the cost of some of the Teton County School District Central Administration Offices innovative sustainability features, such as the natural gas furnace, intelligent building control system, and dimming sensors. In addition to high-tech sustainable design techniques, architects relied on more low-tech solutions such as daylighting to reduce energy loads and create an enjoyable work atmosphere. By placing window boxes around the copious windows, the design team minimized glare from the snow below and sky above while still flooding rooms with natural light. Similarly, architects included transom windows and an eight-foot roof overhang to effectively direct daylight to interior spaces.

So often we as architects tend to rush to the most cutting-edge design innovations to achieve energy consumption goals even though some of the most effective (not to mention foolproof) techniques are right in front of us, Ward says of the administration buildings combination of high-tech and low-tech green design features. Daylighting, thermal mass, and building orientation have been used by Jackson Hole Valley residents since the first homesteaders settled here.

The buildings light-filled interiors are clad with birch and complementing light wood finishes, making for an airy working environment. Architects selected a dark red color for the low-maintenance galvanized metal on the exterior to reduce cyclic maintenance costs while also lightening heating and cooling loads.

Ward + Blake Architects is known for drawing inspiration from the distinctive Western landscapes and historical and cultural contexts of its projects, as well as for innovative and sustainable use of materials and construction practices. A newly released monograph from ORO Editions, In the Shadows of the Tetons, showcases Ward + Blake Architects site-driven architecture across the American West.

Established in 1996, Ward + Blake Architects was built on a distinctive vision: to be provocative in thought, flexible in nature and disciplined in execution. The firm regularly earns recognition for architecture that is sensitive to its environment and successfully integrated with its surroundings. Ward + Blake creates buildings that are tactile, modern, bio-climatically responsible, honestly expressed, technologically sound and artfully crafted.

Company Information: Based out of Jackson, Wyo., Ward + Blake Architects was recently honored as 2013 Firm of the Year by the AIA Western Mountain Region. Additional awards include 2012 International Design Awards for Architect of the Year as well as first prizes for new residential building and new renovation; 2012 Gold Award for Best Custom Home by the Dream Home Awards; 2011 AIA Wyoming Firm of the Year; and both the 2011 Gold Award and a 2011 International Design Award for Best Conceptual Home Design. For additional information, visit Ward + Blake online at http://www.wardblakearchitects.com.

Media Contacts: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla(at)wordenpr(dot)com, 307.734.5335

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Sustainable Jackson Hole School District Office by Ward + Blake Architects Benefits from Low-tech Green Design Solutions

Porn ruined my sleep last night - and the night before. Not foodie-porn (everyone except Nigella knows you shouldnt eat past midnight), or your common old garden style porn. This was pure house porn coming at me hard and fast via email, Facebook, twitter and any other way it could via a mobile device.

Without setting out to, Id subscribed and followed and liked my way into an ever-encroaching online world full of seductive, sensory, gorgeous houses all asking me to click here to get to know them better; to take a little peek at their flexed muscles, soft curves and clean lines. Going online was like being trapped in the architectural equivalent of E-harmony or RSVP.

You know the feeling?

ArchitectureAU - just one of the sites you can use for inspiration.

Time for some speed dating, to cull the I like you but Im busy sites from the I must-have you, and to separate the consumer-friendly from the hard-core architectural porn. For those suffering the same, I asked a dozen award winning architects for quick tips on making online information work for you, and to nominate their preferred sites for those considering a renovation or new build.

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Architectural inspiration should always come principally from the site, sun, wind, client, intuition all of the fundaments at hand, according to many architects, rather than online.

Having said that, the more informed you are architecturally before beginning any design and construction process the better. The more youre able to identify what you like and dont like, the more successful the outcome. As Rohan Little says: Architecture is like music, there are a range of genres pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, classical. Sometimes a client has listened to pop all their life but through architecture blogs and sites realise that they are wishing to listen to a classical jazz fusion

Explore Australian-based and global online sites as widely as possible, along with more traditional forms of media.

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Addicted to online house porn?

Construction to transform an old retail space into the new Meadowridge Library on Madisons west side will start March 5.

Scherrer Construction Company will start breaking down walls at the former Ace Hardware space Wednesday, March 5 at 10 a.m., according to a release.

The Greentree, Orchard Ridge, Meadowood and Prairie Hills neighborhoods needed an improved hub of community engagement and activity with a scope broader than the existing library, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin said in the release. We appreciate the partnership of the foundation in making this goal a reality.

The project will feature three new spaces including 2,000 additional square feet of library space with special areas designated for computers, teens and children, an expanded Meadowood Neighborhood Center and 3,000 square feet of shared space featuring a 110-person meeting room and community kitchen, according to the release. The kitchen space will host after-school snack programs, nutrition workshops and neighborhood suppers.

The library portion of the $2.3 million project will cost $1.7 million, with construction expected to be complete by December, officials said.

The Meadowridge Library is already well loved, and I am certain that our patrons will be thrilled with this bigger and better new library, Meadowridge Library Supervisor Alice Oakey said. This entire project has been a wonderful collaboration between the library, the city and the community, and will benefit all of us.

The Madison Public Library Foundation will host a construction kickoff event to celebrate the beginning of the project and to raise donations for the project, organizers said.

Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Meadowridge Library at the kickoff event, according to the release. To encourage donations, the Friends are offering a dollar-for-dollar match up to $10,000.

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Construction on library, community center set to start

Hong Kong remains the worlds most expensive city for global retailers, outpacing New York, Paris and London.

LOS ANGELES-Hong Kong remains the worlds most expensive city for global retailers, outpacing places like New York, Paris and London, where prime rents also continue to reach record-breaking levels, according to new research from global property advisor CBRE Group, Inc.

CBREs quarterly ranking of 97 prime retail locations/markets across the globe shows that competition in the worlds leading cities is getting even stronger. This demand is being fueled by high-end retailers willing to pay record rents for the most coveted shops, while development levels are at historic lows resulting in a shortage of prime retail space.

Hong Kong (US $4,334 per sq. ft. per annum) is the worlds most expensive location for prime retail rents by a substantial margin, followed by New York (US $3,300 per sq. ft. per annum), Paris (US $1,452 per sq. ft. per annum) and London (US $1,356 per sq. ft. per annum).

There has been a lot of discussion about the strength of luxury retailers versus those that serve the mid-market, says Raymond Toto, global chair of of Research, CBRE. CBREs research provides further evidence that prime retail rents are strong in most markets and rose further in key global markets like New York, London and Tokyo.

In many locations, prime retail rents have been buoyed by a shortage of available space in prime market areas and fervent demand from luxury brands. This lack of prime space has pushed some retailers toward secondary assets and markets. With construction levels at or near their troughs in many locations, this trend will likely continue in 2014.

Retailer demand in Hong Kong is focused on prime locations rather than secondary streets. The most sought-after prime streets are Russell Street inCauseway Bay, Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, and Queens Road Central in Central. These locations which all recorded very tight vacancy continue to attract both global and local retailers.

New Yorks Fifth Avenue continued its ascent into record territory during Q4 2013, with the luxury thoroughfares average asking rent rising 4.8% quarter-over-quarter to an all-time high of US $3,300 per sq. ft. per annum. For a 5,000-sq.-ft. space, that would translate to US $16.5 million per year in rent. Other prime luxury streets in the northeast US also saw strong growth, including Newbury Street in Boston (up 6.7% quarter-over-quarter) and Walnut Street in Philadelphia (up 5.8% quarter-over-quarter) reporting the largest increases.

The retail market in France was characterized by heavy polarization, with substantial demand focused on prime space, especially in and around Paris. Significant interest from international retailers for the limited amount of available prime locations in Paris has resulted in steady rent growth over the past two years, with Paris average prime asking rent up 80% since Q1 2012. Sustained demand from international retailers will continue to support high street rents in 2014.

Strong demand for prime retail locations in London has pushed rents to record levels. The luxury sector is a huge driver of exponential rental and key money growth. The limited availability of space compared to demand for prime streets has led to increased demand for space in secondary locations in central London. However, the U.K. market is heavily polarized with poorer secondary shopping centers and high streets suffering increasing levels of vacant space and falling rents.

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Hong Kong Still the Priciest Retail Market

STORRS Buoyed by their successes so far, the developers of the Storrs Center at the University of Connecticut will begin construction this summer on the next major phase of the $120 million project, adding 200 apartments, a daycare center and more storefront space.

And marketing will begin this spring on the last phase of townhomes and condominiums, with construction possible next year.

"We're running to the finish now," Howard Kaufman, managing member of the Tuxedo Park, N.Y.-based LeylandAlliance, the project's master developer, said Monday. "We're going to finish this."

Similar plans dating to as early as the 1950s and '60s collapsed in the face of recession, lack of financing or construction restraints.

All of the 300 apartments built so far in the first phase are leased, said Jeffrey Resetco, vice president of construction and development at Education Realty Trust Inc. of Memphis, Tenn., which is heading up construction of the rentals.

The first phase will wrap up this summer, with the addition of an additional 92 apartments. Those units are already 98 percent pre-leased, Resetco said.

All the commercial space in the first phase is now leased and has drawn high-profile tenants such as UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma, who opened a restaurant there. Commercial space has been leased to more than two dozen stores and professional offices, plus attractions such as the Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry, scheduled to open Saturday.

The Mansfield town council Monday night was expected to get an update on the progress of Storrs Center.

Storrs Center is being privately developed in conjunction with the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, a coalition of town, university, business and community members that formed more than a decade ago to guide the project through the planning and permitting process.

The next phase was once named Village Street but has been rechristened "Wilbur Cross Way," a nod to the former Connecticut governor. Wilbur Cross Way now incorporates a building that LeylandAlliance had once hoped would become a hotel. Those plans were rejected by the town last year.

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Storrs Center Ready For Next Phase

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However, Mr Beblawi gave no indication that his resignation was in any way an act of protest against the hard-line military and intelligence figures currently controlling much of Egypt's politics from behind the scenes.

"The Cabinet has, in the last six or seven months, responsibly and dutifully shouldered a very difficult and delicate burden and I believe that, in most cases, we have achieved good results," he said.

"But like any endeavor, it cannot all be success but rather within the boundaries of what is humanly possible."

He said Egypt was in a "narrow tunnel in terms of security, economic pressures and political confusion".

His replacement was widely expected to be Ibrahim Mahlab, the housing minister, according to Egyptian media, but it was also suggested that Mr Beblawi might be asked to stay on for an interim period - presumably until Field Marshal Sisi is ready to make a formal announcement of his candidacy, which would require him to stand down as defence minister.

Mr Beblawi, an economist who followed a "technocratic" route to office like many Egyptian cabinet ministers after a career in banking, was previously finance minister and deputy premier during the period of interim military rule following the fall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak three years ago.

He resigned in October 2011 in protest at the military's killing of more than 20 Christian protesters outside the state television building, but remained in office for a further two months.

Mr Mahlabs appointment would reinforce the widespread sense that the military is overseeing a return to the Mubarak era shorn of the man himself. A member of Mr Mubaraks National Democratic Party, he ran the state-owned construction company, Arab Contractors, and was appointed to the upper house of parliament directly by Mr Mubarak in 2010.

He is seen as close to the army but also as more dynamic than Mr Beblawi.

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Egyptian cabinet quits

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