Donald Schmitt, Diamond Schmitt Architects
A mountain landscape, a rich heritage of First Nations culture, and a painting by Group of Seven member A.Y. Jackson all informed the design response for the new Faculty of Law at Thompson...
By: dandsarchitects
Given the impact of climate change on people and their lifestyles, architects and engineers are increasingly designing new buildings under the "green" concept, using innovation across all aspects of the design and construction process in order to produce sustainable, eco-friendly buildings.
Associate Prof Dr Jin Anotai, lecturer in the Department of Environmental Engineering at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thon Buri, said that engineers and architects of today have to design homes and other buildings with concern for the environment firmly in mind, and that both project design and construction materials should be environmentally friendly.
Building design should have a waste-disposal system, with zero waste being the main goal in terms of having a system that equals the building's beauty, he said.
Innovative design has to combine both the architect's view and the engineer's view, so that a building offers functionality to meet the demands of end users and is also friendly to the environment, he added.
Associate Prof Pirast Pacharaswate, a lecturer in the Architecture Faculty of Chulalongkorn University, said residential design should not only be about structure and architectural features.
An architect has to take environmental concerns into account to consume fewer resources, while the home itself also has to be environmentally friendly.
The architecture should be responsive to the weather, which has become increasingly severe over the past few years. The right design can reduce environmental destruction, he said, adding that this should be a clear and desirable concept for everyone, including Thais.
The local climate has influenced people's lifestyle. Cold and warm climates have affected the tradition and culture of people, said the lecturer.
TREES standard
In line with the recent green trend, the Association of Siamese Architects under Royal Patronage and the Engineering Institute of Thailand under HM the King's Patronage launched the "TREES" standard.
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Architects lead green revolution
Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) July 24, 2014
Array Architects understands and is committed to implementing Lean Design strategies for all healthcare clients. By committing resources to Lean and Six Sigma staff training and certification, Array continually strives to be a thought leader in improving efficiency and value to healthcare clients projects.
Each year, Array brings staff together with clients and offers week-long training courses and encourages staff and clients to earn their Lean Green Belts. Including the clients in Lean training sessions is important as they add greatly to the intense discussions and group learning that develops during and after training. Array currently has eight staff members who have earned their Lean Green Belt certification and three who have taken the next step and earned either their Six Sigma Green or Black Belts. According to Lean/Six Sigma Black Belt, Kent Doss, "The strategies and tools employed in Lean Design are finely tuned to increase efficiencies in the conceptualization and execution of procedural operations. As healthcare designers, we have come to rely on direct observation (i.e. shadowing) of caregivers, support staff and patients as they go about their daily routines or specific processes so that we can design spaces that account for their needs from an holistic perspective."
Read more about Array's commitment to Lean principles on our blog.
About Array Architects: We are a team of architects and designers with unique backgrounds, but we all have one thing in common - we share a strong desire to use our expertise and knowledge to design solutions that will help people in moments that matter most. This focus makes us leaders in our field. We are the highest ranking healthcare-only practice in Architectural Record's 2013 "Top 300 Architecture Firms."
Together, we discover optimal solutions with our clients. It is our three decades of specialization that allows for effective communication, collaboration, and precision in the complex, changing world of healthcare.
Array Architects ali ellinger 610-755-6430 aellinger(at)array-architects(dot)com
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Array Architects Advances Lean Healthcare Design With New Six Sigma Belts
Akron, OH (PRWEB) July 23, 2014
Hasenstab Architects recently designed a new hybrid endovascular operating room for Akron General Medical Center. The 780-square foot hybrid surgical suite provides advanced capabilities for endovascular and coronary diagnostics and treatment with the additional ability to perform more invasive surgery if necessary.
The flexibility of the new OR enhances patient safety by eliminating the need to transfer the patient to another operating room when a problem arises, said David Everhard, principal and project manager for Hasenstab Architects. Also, the requirement for an open heart OR to be on standby, but unused when catheterization procedures are being performed is eliminated allowing for better utilization of the facility.
In order to accommodate multiple procedure scenarios, the equipment that was incorporated also needed to be flexible. Storage cabinets were designed with a rolling cart system and can be wheeled in from an adjacent sterile storage room. The space is also fitted with multiple large monitors on long booms, which can be arranged where required or positioned out of the field if not needed. The room can also be updated to provide other advanced cardiovascular procedures as medical advances take place.
To provide space for the new hybrid OR, two older operating rooms were demolished and combined. The ceiling space provides boom mounted arms for two 50 monitors, four smaller monitors, four operating lights, an equipment boom at the foot of the table and an anesthesia boom at the head of the table. Overhead medical gas connections were also provided if the perfusion machine is required during open heart surgery.
As surgical procedures become more advanced and less invasive, hybrid and integrated ORs have quickly become a popular trend.
By being able to provide this OR setting for patients, the hospital can increase patient satisfaction, improve outcomes and lower readmission rates, Everhard said. It also sends the message that the hospital is willing to invest in the best technology for the long term benefit of the community, doctors and staff.
The new hybrid operating room complements a series of high-tech operating rooms also designed by Hasenstab Architects at Akron General Medical Center including two integrated operating rooms, as well as the iCT and iMRI operating rooms.
About Hasenstab Architects
Since 1982, Hasenstab Architects has provided professional design services for the healthcare, educational, science/technology, and commercial industries in Northeast Ohio. Past projects include Akron Childrens Hospital Critical Care Tower, Summa Health Systems Jean B. and Milton N. Cooper Cancer Center, Akron Zoos Grizzly Ridge, The University of Akrons National Polymer Innovation Center, and the National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM School. http://www.hasenstabinc.com
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Hasenstab Architects Designs Hybrid Operating Room for Akron General Medical Center
Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) July 23, 2014
National planning, architecture and interior design firm KSQ Architects announced today that Peterson Associates has joined the firm. Founded in 1974 by Jay Peterson in Charlotte, NC, Peterson Associates is a multi-disciplinary firm providing architecture, engineering and interior design services for healthcare, K12 and higher education clients in the Southeast. Specializing in higher education, K12 schools and multifamily design, KSQ Architects was founded in 1988 and maintains offices in New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado.
The Charlotte office will be known as KSQ/Peterson. The combined strengths of both firms will not only create a Southeast office for KSQ, but also provide the benefit of Petersons healthcare and engineering expertise, expanding that market as well as opening up the ability to pursue health sciences-related buildings in the higher education sector. KSQs depth of expertise in collegiate student housing, dining, unions, K-12 Schools, and multifamily housing will now have a stronger presence in this growing region.
By joining KSQ, we can offer a stronger depth of expertise in K12 and student life architecture as well as the benefit of a national portfolio, said Doug Burns, a principal with Peterson Associates. Our firms are a great match, as we share common values in our commitment to both design excellence and client satisfaction. Three members of the Peterson leadership team will become principals of KSQ/Peterson: Doug Burns, Wayne Gregory and Michael Rogers.
We are excited to bring on board the expertise Peterson offers in healthcare design and engineering services, said Armand Quadrini, AIA, a principal and director with KSQ. Adding engineering streamlines decision making processes, allowing for better coordination, early evaluation of the energy efficiency of the design and how the systems support the architecture. Joining forces with a 40-year-old known entity in North Carolina sets us on an excellent trajectory for growth in the Southeast, he said.
With the addition of Peterson Associates, KSQs staff will grow to more than 100 professional, technical and support staff. For more information, visit http://www.ksqarchitects.com or contact Monica Roberts, communications manager, at mroberts(at)ksqarchitects(dot)com.
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Peterson Associates of Charlotte Joins KSQ Architects
Olympic Park - Qi Xin Architects - Venice Biennale Fundamentals 2014
ARCHITECT: Qi Xin Architects LOCATION: Beijing, China YEAR: 2007 SHOOTING / DIRECTING Pier Alessio Rizzardi Zhang Hankun EDITING Roberto Ortu GRAPHICS Gabriele Gianmaria Giussani IN COLLABORATION...
By: Pier Alessio Rizzardi
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Olympic Park - Qi Xin Architects - Venice Biennale Fundamentals 2014 - Video
Bekkering Adams architects FUNDAMENTALS Form ContraForm
Fundamentals: Form-ContraForm , an installation by Bekkering Adams architects The installation FUNDAMENTALS: Form/ContraForm reflects on the concept and defi...
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Bekkering Adams architects FUNDAMENTALS Form ContraForm - Video
Two former students from Oxford Brookes School of Architecture have been shortlisted for the prestigious Sunday Times British Homes Award.The competition by Viessmann partners, challenges architects to design an aspirational EcoHaus. James Shelton and Christopher Hawkins from Shelton Hawkins Architects both studied architecture at Oxford Brookes before completing their training at Hopkins Architects.
Their entry, COR3 Living, is a stunning, high-specification waterside ecohome that supports its users through an intelligent core which manages the buildings environment. It is one of eight designs to have been shortlisted by a panel of judges. The competition requires architects to design a family home to Passivhaus standards for a waterside site owned by The Habitat First Group.
The shortlisted designs will be voted on by the readers of the Sunday Times. The winner will be announced on Friday 19 September on The Sunday Times website, with the winning design being built on at least one site in the UK.
Speaking about the nomination, James Shelton of Shelton Hawkins Architects said, We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the prestigious 2014 British Homes Awards. Shelton Hawkins Architects have designed a series of innovative waterfront homes with an integral sustainable core at their centre. The dwellings go beyond conventional sustainable design and are to be built to the rigorous Passivhaus standard.
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Two Oxford Brookes Alumni Shortlisted for British Homes Award
Architects Pitman Tozer have built a 7-story housing block in Mint Street, east London, for Peabody housing that combines market-rate and subsidized apartments in a modern, stylish, efficient building located only 12 meters (40 ft) from a busy railway viaduct. In a departure from the harsh functional towers usually associated with such tight urban sites, the Mint Street building is a pleasant, colorful, curved form that offers living spaces with plenty of light and humane proportions.
This difficult site in east London is a former car park, sandwiched in a constricted urban spot between the viaduct, existing housing and a large light industrial building that was being retro-fitted for creative office "hub" use at the same time. Peabody (formerly the Peabody Trust), a social housing organization that has been active in the UK since the late 19th century, acquired the land and the light industrial building behind it and decided to develop both in parallel.
Pitman Tozers winning scheme creates 67 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and embraces the site outward, rather than trying to exist in isolation from its surroundings. The building curves with the shape of the rail line, and windows at the frontage face boldly onto the trains, rather than being turned away, with entrances opening toward the viaduct.
This was a deliberate decision by the architects, who could have chosen to have all of the windows twist in a different direction or face inward in some kind of courtyard arrangement, which would have been darker and much less engaged with the neighborhood. The plan works to maximize the natural light and expansive views, which are unobstructed, except when trains are passing.
While having such a wide view is a bonus, there is the inevitable issue of noise. Nowadays, window glass can be made super-efficient, reducing external noise to almost nothing. Acoustic glazing on the living room windows gives a sound reduction of 41 dB, which, as I was able to witness, translates to an experience of almost complete silence.
But this is only part of the solution at Mint Street. Apartments facing onto the viaduct have a "winter garden" space, which is basically an enclosed balcony, with the living/dining room sitting behind it, and the kitchen in the deepest reach of the plan. With the windows closed, this additional room acts as a double-layer buffer to the rail noise, as well as providing a visual separation.
Noise and distraction are of most concern for sleeping areas. At Mint Street the ground-level apartments have bedrooms facing the quiet courtyard at the back. They also have bedrooms facing the railway, but these are fitted with acoustic glazing and an inner tertiary pane, a combination that achieves a total noise reduction of 47 dB.
The bedrooms on the upper floors that face the viaduct are located behind the winter gardens, which have double-glazing on the outer surface and an extra layer of glazing and solid wall inside.
Sealing off the interiors, of course, has implications for air flow. The Mint Street development uses a mechanical ventilation system that draws fresh air from the back of the building inside, delivering it through vents in every apartment. The same system also takes stale air out and can be boosted when necessary.
Sections of windows at the rear of the buildings are fitted with ventilation screens, which are similar to window screens you find in North America (though made of good-quality timber rather than metal mesh), but which are strangely uncommon in Europe and the UK.
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Living in style 12 meters from a busy railway line
Alphaville Interview - Architects meet in Fuoribiennale_OFF
Alphaville Interview - Architects meet in Fuoribiennale_OFF - Venice, Palazzo Widmann - 06/06/2014. Interview by Ginevra Selli, Luca Marinelli. Video Editing...
By: architetturaecritica
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Alphaville Interview - Architects meet in Fuoribiennale_OFF - Video