1.Infection control in office buildings: Preparing for re-occupancy amid the coronavirus (BD+C)"Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the AE firm Gresham Smith had a client in Tennessee that was in the process of consolidating 1,000 of its employees into an office building that already had 1,000 of its workers."

2.Clemson's new Outdoor Education Center uses a Mass Timber Structural System (BD+C)"Clemson University's 16,000-sf Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center has become the first mass timber structure on the campus and the second mass timber facility in the nation to use Southern yellow pine as the primary building material."

3.Will empty hotels provide an answer for affordable housing shortage? (BD+C)"Richard Rubin sees the current spate of empty hotels, motels, retail, and office spaces created by the pandemic as opportunities for adaptive reuse to affordable housing, which is in perennially short supply in many markets in the U.S. and around the world."

4.COVID-19 will cause North America construction output to fall by $122.4bn in 2020 (GlobalData)"Amid the rapid decline in demand for new projects and safety regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, construction output in North America is now anticipated to fall by 6.6% in 2020, which is equivalent to $122.4bn, and down sharply from the previously expected rise of 0.6% prior to the outbreak (+$12bn), according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company."

5.AI Cameras Police Social Distancing at Work (WSJ)Coronavirus concerns lead companies to repurpose sensors that monitor office space, but privacy experts worry about mission creep.

Continue reading here:
5 must reads for the AEC industry today: May 19, 2020 - Building Design + Construction

A large mixed-use complex fromLanterra Developmentswill soon rise from just southwest of St. Patrick subway station in Downtown Toronto. The early stages of construction are moving along at the site ofArtists' Alley, a mixed-use three-tower development, designed byHariri Pontarini Architects,being built on a block of land between St. Patrick and Simcoe Streets, just south of Dundas.

Looking southwest across site of Artists' Alley, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

The project has been under construction since site clearing wrapped up in late February, 2019 allowing heavy machinery to begin work on the site's shoring. Excavation was able to begin in June, 2019, and digging bottomed out four storeys below street level earlier this year. The first underground forming was recorded in March when crews began pouring footings for the site's first tower crane, the crane in place by the final week of March. The arrival of COVID-19 in Toronto suspended construction of some projects sites in early April, and the pit and partially-built foundations sat mostly idle until earlier in May. The relaxing of restrictions has since brought new activity to the site with new distancing protocols in place.

Much of the complex's foundation is now in place, with concrete pumps working away on the lowest P4 parking level atop the foundation slab. The base for a second tower crane is now visible at the northeast corner of the pit, expected to be installed in the coming days. Once the second crane is active, work on the four-level underground garage levels will move ahead full steam. They will be home to a total of 322 parking spaces, with 200 long-term resident spaces, 38 non-resident spaces, four car-share spaces, and 82 paid parking spaces for the Toronto Parking Authority.

Looking east across site of Artists' Alley, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

As below-grade construction continues, the project is still seeking final planning approvals for the above-ground portion of the site with a recently-submitted application for Site Plan Approval (SPA). This early April submission addresses comments from City Staff regarding minor details in the previous June, 2019 SPA application.

Looking southwest across site of Artists' Alley, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

Once complete, the complex will bring towers of 17, 35, and 39 storeys to the area, with almost 900 new homes along withretail and office space respectively measuring 1,368 m and 5,858 m. A new 1,000 m City park and a pedestrian-friendly public realm designed byNAK Design Strategieswill animate the base of the new complex.

Artists' Alley, image via submission to City of Toronto

You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

* * *

UrbanToronto has a new way you can track projects through the planning process on a daily basis. Sign up for afree trial of our New Development Insiderhere.

Read more here:
Work Heating Up for Three-Tower Artists' Alley Complex on Simcoe - Urban Toronto

Residential property prices have flatlined in the past two months after seeing strong growth before the COVID-19 crisis struck.

The central bank is also looking at the dynamics of people in financial stress and where they decide to live.

"Members also discussed the effect of a possible increase in the number of people moving back home or living in larger households for financial reasons."

"At the same time, the supply of rental housing had been boosted as properties that had previously been offered as short-term accommodation were shifted to the long-term rental market," the minutes said.

The central bank also looked at the buffers households had when it came to paying their mortgages.

"Members were briefed on the resilience of Australian households in the current downturn. Around one-third of households with mortgages had prepayment buffers of three years or more."

"But a smaller share had no mortgage prepayment buffer and were more susceptible to financial stress," the minutes said.

During the week that the RBA board met, the Melbourne Institute's survey showed households were now feeling less financially and emotionally stressed than during the strict lockdown.

"Housing loan arrears were likely to increase," the board meeting minutes said, "but the extent would depend on the severity of the economic contraction and the associated increase in unemployment."

"Loan payment deferrals would reduce the increase in arrears rates for at least the following six months."

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison said last week that banks had now deferred repayments on $220 billion of loans.

Commercial property was likely to take a substantial valuation hit.

"Members discussed vulnerabilities associated with commercial property, particularly for office and retail property."

"A large amount of new office space was expected to be completed in Sydney and Melbourne in 2020. Members noted that demand was not expected to keep pace with stronger supply in the near term and therefore it was likely that vacancy rates would rise and office rents would fall."

"Rising vacancies and reduced rent would be likely to lead to lower valuations, which would pose challenges for leveraged property investors and developers."

The RBA board was also more confident on the effect of COVID-19 restrictions on the construction sector.

"Members noted that some of the concerns that construction activity could be severely affected in the near term by supply chain disruptions and health-related site closures had not been realised," the minutes said.

"The effect on retail businesses of the social distancing measures was likely to exacerbate these problems."

Read more from the original source:
What the RBA is thinking about property prices - The Australian Financial Review

Joe Sitt and 905 W. Fulton Market (Credit: Thor Equities)

Thor Equities investment in booming Fulton Market is paying dividends.

In its latest move, the New York-based firm led by Joseph Sitt sold a 98,000-square-foot office building it developed for $85 million, according to Crains. That marks the priciest sale in Fulton Market to date.The buyer was German real estate firm Deka Immobilien.

The five-story building at 905 W. Fulton Market is the future global headquarters of snack maker Mondelez International, which will take 77,100 square feet of space there. That long-term lease deal was announced in January 2019, and includes more than 6,000 square feet of retail space. In December, DineAmic Hospitality owner of Prime & Provisions inked a deal to lease 8,000 square feet at the building.

The sale to German-based Deka works out to around $870 a foot. In September, Shapack Partners sold its 70,000-square-foot building at 811 W. Fulton Market to Intercontinental Real Estate for just over $50 million, pegging it at $774 a foot, Crains reported at the time.

Cushman & Wakefields Tom Sitz, Cody Hundertmark, David Knapp and Josh McGee advised on the Deka deal.

The future home of Mondelez is along a block-long stretch of Fulton Street filled with Thor-owned properties. In December, the firm landed a $144 million construction loan for an 18-story spec office tower along the 800 block of West Fulton Market. It also owns 1003 West Fulton, 942 West Fulton and 229 West Randolph Street. [Crains] Alexi Friedman

Read this article:
Thor Equities big bet on Fulton Market is paying off - The Real Deal

Michael OLeary has always been willing to conduct more than one fight at a time, but the Ryanair chief executive, who seems in danger of exploding with fury every time he speaks at the moment, may be well-advised to calm down and deploy smarter tactics.

For starters, his outrage over state-aid dopers, as he calls Lufthansa, Air France-KLM and others, is unlikely to achieve much. Alitalia was being bailed out quietly by the Italian government even before Covid-19 arrived, so the chances of persuading the EU to jump on multiple instances of illegal state-aid are roughly zero.

Ryanairs own 600m loan via the Bank of Englands coronavirus lending facility falls into a different bracket, OLeary argued, because the scheme is not sector-specific and is generally available to credit-worthy borrowers. Thats true, but dont expect the distinction to cut much ice with EU regulators. However unfair it is, flag-carrying airlines have always been treated differently.

OLearys other rant about the idiotic nature of the UK governments 14-day quarantine plan will enjoy some popular support among would-be holidaymakers, but the audience Ryanair would surely prefer to influence is government itself. Ministers, after all, will make the rules, not Ryanair.

OLeary may help himself by sounding more constructive. Heres an idea: since not sure and hope for the best Covid cases could be most dangerous in spreading the virus in airports and on planes, Ryanair could offer a refund to any passenger, and member of their family, who feels even mildly ill in the days before a flight.

No-quibble refunds are not Ryanairs normal style, but an effort in that direction would show more seriousness than the current exercise in throwing insults.

The beleaguered board of Intu, the over-borrowed owner of shopping centres, has thought long and hard (again) about how to resolve a 4.5bn debt nightmare and heres its latest idea: boot the problem Intu the long grass.

The update on lender discussions was really a proposal not to hold meaningful discussions for a while. The owner of the Trafford Centre near Manchester, the Metrocentre in Gateshead, Lakeside in Essex, and others is seeking a standstill arrangement that would allow it to operate on a pay if you can basis with lenders until the end of 2021.

In other words, covenant tests on borrowings, which the company is at severe risk of failing in June, would be waived and everybody would pledge to revisit the mess another day.

There is no guarantee all lenders will play ball, of course. Intu is a complex financial construction and has many flavours of lenders everything from high street banks to hedge funds. But the board will probably get most of what it wants since it is impossible to round up buyers for large malls, as Hammerson proved when a sale of seven centres collapsed this month. Most lenders dont want to take control of acres of retail space.

Prepare, then, for another round of extend and pretend. It may make short-term sense at Intu, but a delayed restructuring adds another layer of uncertainty to valuations across the retail property sector. Nobody knows what anything is worth and the answers are likely to take ages to arrive.

An encouraging Covid vaccine trial by the US group Moderna pushed stock markets everywhere higher on Monday, but there was a medical breakthrough on a different front closer to home. GlaxoSmithKline said its trial to develop a two-monthly injection to prevent HIV infection has shown excellent results.

This could be very big news for GSK, which is strong in HIV treatment but has been eclipsed in prevention by the US group Gilead, whose Truvada daily pill generates sales of about $2.5bn a year. GSK said a trial of its cabotegravir medicine had been stopped three years early because the data were so good 69% more effectiveness than Truvada.

The result seems to have been way beyond GSKs expectations and could mean approval for cabotegravir in the US and Europe later this year. It is just one treatment and nothing can ever be taken for granted in drug development but its another piece of evidence that the long-promised improvement in productivity in GSKs labs may finally be happening.

The rest is here:
Refunds rather than insults would serve Ryanair boss well - The Guardian

Plans have been approved for a 36-storey tower at 50 Fenchurch Street in the City of London, despite concerns over the impact of its views on city landmarks.

The City of London Corporation's planning committee unanimously approved the plans for the new Square Mile skyscraper, ignoring an objection from Historic Royal Palaces that the building would be intrusive on the protected views of the Tower of London. The committee said the 150 metre-tall building would not impact on the protected views.

The building will deliver a 36-fold increase in public space on the ground-floor level, in comparison with the existing seven-storey office block currently on the same site. It will include a public roof garden on the 10th floor, and will deliver 60,000 square metres of office space and 800 square metres of retail space. Plans also include more than 1,200 cycle parking spaces, and the relocation of a 12th-century chapel crypt, called Lambes, that lies below the current building to a new location in the free public exhibition at lower ground floor level.

The new tower is set to include living walls across 30 storeys to help improve biodiversity and mitigate air and noise pollution.

City of London Corporation planning and transportation committee chair Alastair Moss said: The new 50 Fenchurch Street building will be of the highest-quality design and has a number of innovative features, including extensive urban greening all the way into the higher floors and a new public space. It provides a significant increase in flexible office floorspace, meeting one of the primary objectives of the Citys Local Plan and London Plan policies.

Historic Royal Palaces has been contacted for comment.

Last year Christopher Hayward, the previous chair of the City's planning committee,told Construction News the corporation wanted to encourage more tall buildings and expected the space between20 Fenchurch Street (commonly known as the Walkie Talkie) and the Leadenhall Building (the Cheesegrater) to be filled with a series of skyscrapers.

See the original post:
New skyscraper approved in City of London despite objections - Construction News

Developers have unveiled plans to extend a highly controversial 310-home development in Faversham by almost 20%.

Barratt David Wilson Homes, which has this week restarted its construction work, wants to add 58 homes to the sprawling Perry Court Farm scheme in the heart of the town's countryside.

The firm has submitted the proposals to Swale Borough Council and stresses the extra homes will boost the council's housing delivery rate, which is currently falling shy of its targets.

The land earmarked for the additional properties is a five-acre parcel of former farmland behind The Abbey School and next to a Grade-II listed oasthouse.

If approved, the new houses will be a mix of two, three and four-bed, while 20 of them will be affordable homes.

Developers say the extension of the development, which has proved to be the town's most contentious scheme in recent memory, will add an extra 400,000 to the local economy each year.

A planning document compiled on behalf of the applicants, states: "The proposals will deliver much-needed new housing that is integrated, has a distinct sense of place and is fit for purpose and will become a successful contribution to the market town of Faversham."

A pond will be installed at the site, while the design of the homes will be "sympathetic to the surrounding area".

But Bergamot Road resident James Charlton fears the scheme is "cramming" too many houses into a small area.

He also harbours fears over the increased traffic on Brogdale Road, on which long-standing rural houses are now being surrounded by new-builds.

"Although improvements to the road have been made, this will add considerable amounts of traffic to an area that was never designed to take the amount that is now being expected of it," he said.

Barratt Homes, however, does believes the road network can cater for the extra 58 homes, and stresses the land is not being over-developed.

Meanwhile, over the other side of the development, just off the A251, plans have been revealed for a terrace of shops next to the already-approved Aldi supermarket.

The new commercial units will be near to the rubber-stamped three-storey Premier Inn hotel and 66-bed care home.

Henry Davidson Developments say the terrace of shops, for which occupiers are yet to nailed down, will either be split into two or three units - offering retail space or becoming food and drink outlets.

The plans for both the commercial units and the 58 extra homes will be decided on by Swale council bosses later in the year.

Work will however continue on the first phases of the original 310-home scheme.

On construction work restarting this week, Paul Kitchingman, managing director at Barratt Homes, said: "Our first priority is the health and safety of our employees, sub-contractors and customers.

"We have created a detailed set of working practices and protocols for employees and sub-contractors to ensure that we can reopen our construction sites safely, in a phased and measured way, which minimises risk."

Head to our business page for all of the latest news about businesses in Kent

Read more: All the latest news from Faversham

Excerpt from:
Bid to expand controversial housing estate by 20% - Kent Online

A major multi-million pound development consisting of shops, offices and housing has been earmarked for Newry city centre.

An application for the development which would create substantial jobs during construction and upon completion has been submitted to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council for consideration.

The would-be developer the Belfast-based Kerr Property Holdings Ltd has plans for a site in excess of 10,000 sq metres.

This includes over 2,000 sq metres of office space, taking in the three-storey listed building at 47 Merhants Quay, the former Renault car sales showroom and garage. It was owned by the Goss family from Mayobridge, but has been vacant for many years.

The development would also include three retail units, each with service yard area.

There would be a coffee bar incorporated too, this to be located within the ground floor of the listed building.

The ambitious proposals would also involve a substantial programme of demolition of existing properties with replacement new-builds.

Buildings at Merchants Quay and Cornmarket would be taken down and the site completely redeveloped and transformed.

There is a major emphasis on housing as part of the scheme.

A total of 82 units is planned. These would be within multi-storey blocks and the residential accommodation will consist of a mix of both private and social housing.

There would be landscaping too as part of the plans.

And tenants of the new units would have access to parking and a communal courtyard around which the properties would be constructed.

In all three applications have had to be submitted.

A full planning application, as well as two others one for Listed Building Consent and the other DCA, which is permission for demolition within a conservation area.

The DCA bid is for demolition of the former car sales showroom/garage located at Nos 49-54 Merchants Quay and the premises located at No. 46 Merchants Quay, Newry.

The listed building consent is specifically for 47 Merchants Quay.

It seeks approval to develop a vacant storage unit to proposed commercial use, consisting of coffee bar at ground floor with office accommodation above. This would then connect at the rear to a new proposed office complex.

It would require remedial works to external and internal fabric of the listed building including repairs to stonework and brickwork; timber beams and joists and the roof structure, which would involve glazing, as well as the repair or replacement of timber windows and doors.

The three retail units as yet for unspecified tenants are located elsewhere on the site.

All three applications relation to this scheme are due to be publicly advertised this week.

Original post:
Multi-million pound retail, office and housing plans on site of former car showroom in Newry - Armagh i

Home Design

Brought to life by Flavin Architects and designer Lindsay Bentis, the house takes cues from destinations like Turks and Caicos and Jackson Hole.

An Eilersen sectional from Lekker Home and a purple swivel chair from Ligne Roset bask in the light afforded by the family rooms sliding glass doors, which open to a bi-level patio. / Photo by Nat Rea

When it came time to build their dream home, a boisterous Newton family of five took cues from places theyd stayed during their travels. They count among their influences beach resorts on Turks and Caicos, ski resorts in Jackson Hole, and hideaways on the rugged coast of Big Sur. The use of natural woods, stone, concrete, and metals [in those properties] were all relevant when defining the architecture we have come to love, the husband says.

The couple commissioned Flavin Architects to design their house. The firm, known for its natural, contemporary aesthetic, was the perfect fit. We wanted modern, but also warm, the wife explainsa house that would still fit in with its traditional neighbors. In other words, something different, but not too different. We can be as different as desired, says principal architect Howard Raley, who worked alongside firm founder Colin Flavin. They didnt turn that dial way up.

The recessed front entrance creates a sheltered porch, while adding visual interest. / Photo by Nat Rea

At 8,885 square feet, the house has clean lines and lots of glass, but doesnt feel austere or out of place, Flavin says, thanks to the teams nods to New England design. There are divided-light windows rather than single expanses of glass, for instance, and hipped roofs rather than flat ones. Flavin also melded Northwestern-esque materials with wholly Northeastern ones: Stained western-red-cedar boards compose the shingled faade, while raw-concrete retaining walls juxtapose the foundations local ledgestone veneer. The houses galvanized steel gutters are no stranger to New England either, yet evoke a modern, industrial flavor.

Organic materials were the jumping-off point for Lindsay Bentis, who designed the homes interiors. Throughout most of the first floor, walnut and oak windows are earthy accents against white walls. Rooms, meanwhile, are made cozy with wood ceilings, textured tiles, trails of burnished-brass details, surprise moments of pattern, and sumptuous textiles. We spent a lot of time sourcing lighting [together, too], Bentis says. The fixtures act as sculptures in these rooms.

A wallcovering by MissPrint lends a playful, feminine feel to the wifes office. / Photo by Nat Rea

The powder room includes a textured, ceramic-tile backsplash and a custom concrete countertop. / Photo by Nat Rea

The husband worked closely with the architects to develop an ergonomic design for the staircase in the entry. The low, deep tread makes it easy to go up and down, he says. A painting by a family friend, Rubin Gold, hangs nearby. / Photo by Nat Rea

A cloud-like pendant light by Apparatus, for one, provides a warm welcome in the 19-foot-high foyer, where porcelain floor tiles echo the feel of the retaining walls out front. The star of the space, however, is the single-stringer staircase with steel-edged glass rails and white-oak treads. Flavin and Bentis credit the husband on his vision for the piece, which looks spectacular at night through the wall of double-height windows, lit from within.

Off to the right, the kitchencreated in collaboration with Tone Amado, of Design Group 47is a study in spare design, with grainy wood cabinetry that softens the effect of a room with many hard surfaces. A trio of walnut windows frames a leafy view above matching base cabinets, topped with porcelain slabs. A tall wall of stained cabinetry that matches the island hides appliances. [The husband] hates clutter, Bentis says. Everything has a place.

In the kitchen, spun-aluminum pendant lights by Louis Poulsen hang above the island. A pass-through window to the screened porch makes grilling easy. / Photo by Nat Rea

Bentis chose purple for accents throughout the house, including the dining room rug, because it was one of the few colors the husband and wife both liked. / Photo by Nat Rea

The public living spaces, oriented around the kitchen, are where organic materials, sculptural furnishings, and saturated colors coalesce. The couple, who regularly entertain family, needed the dining room to seat many, but feeling crowded wasnt an option. Bentiss solution? A glass table that takes up little visual real estate and doesnt obscure the purple carpet, slim side chairs, and a Larose Guyon light fixture, discovered during a designer/client field trip to a furniture fair in New York. Sunlight bounces right through the room, Bentis says.

The dining room opens into the living room, a moody, womb-like space with charcoal walls, velvet swivel chairs, a built-in bar, and curtains that wrap the room at the press of a button. The bar at the 11 Howard hotel in SoHo, where the wife and Bentis stayed on a trip to New York, served as the inspiration. She wanted that dark and smoky atmosphere, Bentis says.

To achieve a moody feel in the living room, designer Lindsay Bentis chose Benjamin Moores Blue Note for the walls and trim work. / Photo by Nat Rea

The gold-tone legs of the coffee table in the living room echo the brass finish on the base of the dining room table. / Photo by Nat Rea

The family room furniture faces a massive television and linear gas fireplace surround, clad in steel plates that weigh about 1,000 pounds and sport a hand-rubbed wax finish. / Photo by Nat Rea

From there, custom steel doors open to a large family room: the heart of the home and the soul of this materials-rich project, with its rift-sawn, white-oak floor, walnut ceiling, and monolithic marble coffee table. To satisfy the couples request to incorporate metal elements that reflect architectural styles they admired on visits to the West Coast, Bentis commissioned Loki Custom Furniture to create a hot-rolled, steel-paneled surround for the fireplace. The metal has a patina with blue, purple, and silver tones that feels very organic, Bentis says.

The rooms flow easily from one to the next, as well as to the outdoors, which was an important consideration for these frequent hosts. A bi-level patio offers more space to entertain and easy access to the lawn, where the kids are in a constant state of motion. Theres also quite the setup in the basementan impressively outfitted sports court, complete with a flat-screen television. Were down there every day, the husband says. Raley calls the subterranean project, which involved removing more than 10 feet of ledge, a tremendous feat.

He and Flavin, along with Bentis, marvel at the familys involvement. Everywhere we go, we look at design details, inside and out, the wife says. There are cool elements everywhere; you just have to look.

Landscape architect Michael DAngelo helped the design team refine the scheme of the patio off the family room. / Photo by Nat Rea

The screened porch, which has a cedar ceiling and window trim, exudes a modern, rustic vibe. / Photo by Nat Rea

A sports court in the basement offers the couples three kids a distraction from electronic devices, especially in the winter. Their friends are here all the time, the wife says. / Photo by Nat Rea

The mudroom, which connects to the front entry, the garage, and the basement stairwell, features a walnut-lined wall with hooks and a bench. An inky wallcovering from MuralsWallpaper adorns the hall beyond. / Photo by Nat Rea

A gray wallcovering creates a cozy backdrop for the Hupp bed from Casa Design Group in the master bedroom. An industrial-style Vortice chandelier with a black enamel finish by Lucent Lightshop pops against the oak ceiling. / Photo by Nat Rea

Etched marble tile lines the master bath. / Photo by Nat Rea

ArchitectFlavin Architects

ContractorsDerba Construction, MB Development

Interior DesignerThread by Lindsay Bentis

Landscape ArchitectMichael DAngelo Landscape Architecture

See more here:
Flavin Architects Designs a Home Inspired by the Owners' Travels - Boston magazine

William Duff, founder of San Francisco firm WDA

Architects are spending a lot more time at home and its giving them a new perspective on design.

For architects who designed their own homes, stay-at-home orders mean theyre putting their own designs to the test. Some are thinking of making changes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

William Duff, founder of San Francisco firm WDA, designed his own home around large open communal spaces. It wasnt until he was forced to work from home beside his wife and two children that he realized the open floor plan allowed sound to bounce across the house, making phone calls and video conferences difficult.

Hes forced to take calls and work in his isolated basement. Cooking at home more often has him thinking of expanding his kitchen and food storage.

Architect Marlon Blackwell wants to build a separate structure on his Arkansas property for family members to use when they need some space from the rest of their clan.

The realities of pandemic living have inspired others to dream up new amenities for future projects. Tucson, Arizona-based architect Rick Joy is exploring a no-contact delivery system, something like a mailbox with two open ends for food delivery drivers and the like to drop deliveries without having to come into contact with residents.

I know my clients are going to ask for that in the future, he said. [WSJ] Dennis Lynch

Read more:
In isolation, architects are putting their own designs to the test - The Real Deal