Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Rendering from Colliers International Construction has started on Waterloo Crossing, a 66,000-square-foot, two-building medical office project in Columbia, with delivery expected next summer.

This story was corrected on Oc.t 12, 2012. An explanation follows the story.

Willco Cos. has scrapped plans for an office building in favor of residential space in downtown Silver Spring, marking the latest delay to add commercial space to the Georgia Avenue corridor.

The Potomac developer has filed an amendment application with the Montgomery County Planning Board to build a 292-unit residential building at 8621 Georgia Ave. The 1-acre site currently a surface parking lot has a long history of commercial use, including 34 years as the first home of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, which moved to Howard County in 1976.

Willco won approval for a 190,000-square-foot office building in 2009 and had planned to begin construction once it lined up a major tenant. But faced with weak demand for new office space in downtown Silver Spring, the company applied this month for a residential amendment to its project and site plans.

Its basically the same building envelope being used as the office building, said Brian Donnelly, an engineer with Macris, Hendricks, & Glascock, a civil engineering and land planning firm working for Willco.

Willcos change of plans marks the latest in a series of delays of filling in development gaps in downtown Silver Spring north of Colesville Road.

The property is 75 feet north of Colesville Road, next to land owned by Lee Development Group, which won approval in 2008 for a class A office building and hotel adjacent to the Fillmore music hall the company completed last year.

There is no market right now for more office space, Bruce H. Lee, president of Lee Development, said in a recent interview.

Lee can afford to wait for tenants to come calling because the company lined up an unprecedented and controversial 15-year development window when the Montgomery County Council approved the Fillmore project in 2008.

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Gazette.Net: Willco drops Silver Spring office plan for residences

Those not-so-scary scarecrows, black and orange garlands, and jack-o-lanterns are popping up all over front porches. Kids want as much candy as possible, but wary parents are making no bones about seeking alternatives to door-to-door trick-or-treating. And Dorchester is hosting several Halloween events, some of which even boast a little educational value. Sat., Oct. 20 For the 11th year, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) starts the Halloween season off in earnest with one of Dots signature spectacles : the Great Pumpkin Float, this year on Sat., Oct. 20, at Pope John Paul II Park. Hundreds of costumed children and their families will coax a flotilla of illuminated jack-o-lanterns down Davenport Creek to the Neponset River, providing photo ops galore.

Beginning at 5:30 p.m., participants can bring a 6-8 inch pumpkin that has been carved at home to the Hallet Street entrance to the park to be mounted on a special individual float. Each jack-o- lantern will have a candle inserted and lit before being launched en masse in the water. Floats and candles will be provided. The result will be a beautiful water parade of ghoulish gourds. Free hot cocoa and candy treats, too. The event is free and no registration is required. Pumpkins will be collected for composting and floats are recycled for next years event, making this a green tradition. Call DCR at 617-333-7404 for weather updates. Fri., Oct. 26 The Franklin Park Coalition invites neighbors to their Night Walk in the Woods. Tune your ears to the creatures of the night while prowling around Franklin Park just before Halloween. Wear sneakers or walking shoes, costumes discouraged, no flashlights allowed! But youll still see lots by the light of the moon. Come wander the deepest woods, wonder about the ghosts that haunt park ruins, and let yourself be spooked! Meet at Valley Gates parking lot midway along the park road by 7 p.m. Look for the lighted jack-o-lantern on the gate. franklinparkcoalition.org Sat.-Sun. Oct. 27-28 Among the haunted happenings at the Franklin Park Zoos annual Zoo Howl (both days 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) are creature encounters, creepy crafts, ghoulish games, a trick-or-treat trail and the Haunted Maze. Radio Disney will be broadcasting from main stage.The Puppet Showplace Theatre and Catching Joywill also be on site on Sat., Oct. 27, for puppet-making and Halloween crafts. Franklin Park Zoo is pleased to partner again this year with Green Halloween, a non-profit, grassroots initiative to encourage communities to celebrate healthier and more sustainable holidays. greenhalloween.org.

*** Thousands of costumed trick-or-treaters and their parents will flock to Southie for the immensely popular Childrens Magical Halloween Castle from noon to 4 p.m. An all volunteer army from the Castle Island Association transforms Fort Independence into a Halloween funtown. Normally bare former soldiers quarters are decorated in Disney and seasonally appropriate motifs. Sun., Oct. 28 Cedar Grove Gardens at 911 Adams St. will host its annual all-ages Harvest Festival from 1-3 p.m. The event includes horse-drawn hayrides across the street in the Cedar Grove Cemetery. The festival includes a scarecrow contest with prize of $250 for the best entry by a group (a perfect opportunity for a class art project.) For more information, call 617-825-8582. Mon., Oct. 29 The Annual Haunted House (Mattapan B-3 Police Station, 1165 Blue Hill Ave., 5 p.m.-8 p.m.) will feature music, food, costumes, candy, spookily decorated dungeon (cells), and much more! In years past over 650 kids participated in the event. 617-822-8269. Sat., Nov. 3 From 10 a.m. to noon: Three days after Halloween, Boston Natural Areas Network invites families to The Pumpkin Drop. Bring us your withering jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins and smash them into the City Natives compost piles (30 Edgewater Drive, Mattapan) and learn how BNAN recycles green waste to improve soils across Boston. To register for a program: Call 617-542-7696 or e-mail info@bostonnatural.org

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Multiple events for Halloween offer treats for ghosts, goblins

The dedication of a small church congregation and the generosity of Yarmouth Port architectural firm and many others have made it possible to start rebuilding the Calvary Baptist Church in Hyannis that was destroyed by fire in March.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held noon on Monday, Oct. 15, with many of the community leaders, organizations and churches who have helped keep the church going through the past seven months. A three-alarm late night fire left four people who were living in the church without shelter and more than 200 residents without a free meal that the church provided three days a week. An overloaded electrical wire was determined to be the cause.

Were going forward, Rev. Bruce Smith said Tuesday. We have the insurance money and donations of money, time and labor. The church is waiting for approval of the building permits in order to start construction as soon as possible before winter weather sets in, he said.

The church has gone through the design review process of the new building designed pro bono by Kurt Raber and Richard Fenuccio of Brown, Lindquist, Fenuccio and Raber Architects of Yarmouth Port. Raber, company vice president, and Fenuccio, president, offered their professional services immediately after the fire, which turned into a pretty significant donation, Raber said Tuesday, including all their time and effort.

The architects decided to get involved because they not only felt it was the right thing to do, but were impressed that the small congregation was feeding so many people each week. It was a big deal, Raber said.

He noted how most of the congregation started out as recipients of the food pantry and became involved as volunteers and members. Its more than a church. Its an inspiring story, he said.

After examining the church, the engineers and architects realized the structural damage was so great that it was not feasible to save anything but the foundation and floor, Raber said. The building would have needed drastic modifications to meet the building codes and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility requirements, he said. The previous building was on two levels and the food pantry and bathrooms in the basement were not easily accessible.

It was not practical or advisable to rebuild, Raber said.

The result was that the church was demolished on Oct. 1. The new church will have the same exterior look with cedar shingles and white corner trim. It will have the same 6,940 square feet as the old church and will be built on the same site, but turned to face and be closer to West Main Street. The old church faced Lincoln Road.

Instead of a single rectangle there will be two, with a new kitchen and dining room at the rear of the sanctuary for the meals program, Raber said. The new church will be all on one floor with no steps so as to be totally handicapped accessible.

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Calvary Church to rise from the ashes in Hyannis

ST. PETERSBURG For about two years, the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay has dropped by unannounced at several homes near Lake Maggiore.

He ate handouts, napped on patios, looked through windows. The neighbors and the monkey learned to get along.

But that sentiment changed Monday when the monkey bit a 60-year-old woman.

Now, most residents say, he needs to go.

"I hate to say this, but it was bound to happen," Jeffrey Seilbach said.

Wildlife officials think the biting incident occurred because some neighbors fed the monkey.

"When people choose to feed wildlife in their neighborhood, very often it's the neighbors that end up suffering the consequences," said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Gary Morse.

The monkey resides in an area of tall trees and overgrown bushes near Country Club Way S. When the branches rattle loudly, neighbors know he's there.

He also likes back yards.

At Seilbach's home, the monkey has climbed a tree and broken a screen around the pool. Seilbach won't take his cat outside.

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Many residents say Mystery Monkey needs to go

Unique Recycled Carpet Fiber Composition Sets New Standard for Decking Material Properties

Covington, GA (PRWEB) October 11, 2012

The non-composite composite

The new NyloDeck is like no other decking material available, and not just because it looks naturally beautiful, said Doug Morse, president and COO of NyloBoard. We call it the non-composite composite deck board, because unlike virtually every other option available, NyloDeck contains NO wood or PVC and it isnt a cap stock product that can be easily compromised. It is impervious to moisture, rotting, termites, mold and mildew and possesses excellent strength, durability and performance qualities.

Eco-friendly NyloDeck is made using recycled carpet fibers and VOC-free bonding resins, along with UV protection via a patented manufacturing process. A 15 x 30 NyloDeck actually contains enough recycled fiber to carpet an average size home. The result is an exceptionally strong, yet lightweight, color-through board available in a range of popular colors.

NyloDeck was initially rolled out as a concept in 2010, and was named a 2010 Top Ten Green Building Product from GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News. It was extremely well received as the decking material for Professional Builders Show Village in early 2012, said Craig Jacks, vice president, Sales and Marketing at NyloBoard. Since then, the company has conducted rigorous testing and taken advantage of the latest manufacturing advancements to ensure a long-lasting, high performing product that is completely unique, yet priced competitively with other premium decking materials, noted Jacks.

With a comprehensive 25-year warranty, NyloDeck has met the high standard of ICC AC 174 compliance and has received its CCRR 0183 with both a 16/100 and 24/100 span rating. In addition, NyloDeck has some of the best thermal expansion and contraction rates of all decking materials, which means it performs extremely well in temperature fluctuations. NyloBoard products have also received the highest possible ratings in mold resistance (ASTM D 3274), fungal resistance (ASTM D1413), and termite resistance (AWPA E197), as verified by these standard testing methods.

A proprietary embossing process creates natural looking, unique grains on every board that are stain resistant and simple to clean and maintain. NyloDeck does not splinter, warp, peel or pit. It does not require pre-drilling and industry leading fasteners can be used for easy installation. Strength and rigidity enable board lengths up to 24 that can span joists up to 24 on center.

Proven reliability and performance

As a custom builder for buyers who want the latest and the best features for their homes, Im always looking for new, yet reliable and eco-friendly products that are on the leading edge in composition and technology, said Dan Mitchell, president, Eagle CDI, a builder of large-scale top-quality custom homes in Tennessee. I found NyloDeck to be the perfect combination of performance, strength and great looks. My team likes working with NyloDeck because its lightweight, yet strong and very easy to install, and NyloBoard provides hands-on, personal customer service from start to finish.

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NyloBoard Introduces NyloDeck® – Next Generation Composite Decking

CHICAGO, Oct. 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FLOR, Inc., designer and curator of modular carpet tiles for the home, announced today the opening of its first international location. The store is located in Toronto, Canada, at 162 Cumberland St. in the high-end Yorkville shopping neighborhood where some of the most compelling home and fashion stores reside.

FLOR is a dynamic design system of coordinating 50 cm (19.7-inch) carpet squares that allows people to customize rug, runner or wall-to-wall solutions for their homes.

Previously only available to the U.S. market, FLOR, through its new store, offers Canadian consumers a chance to experience the beauty and flexibility of this premium design system up close and in person. After opening several stores earlier this year in the U.S., FLOR is excited to add its first location in Canada, specifically in Toronto where discerning design enthusiasts and a strong and loyal customer base can be found.

GRAND OPENING EVENT

FLOR will host a Grand Opening Event tonight, October 11, 2012, at the Toronto FLOR Store to give design enthusiasts their first chance to come by the store and take the ultimate "toe test."

With the opening of the 1,400 square-foot store, FLOR marks its first retail location in Canada -- joining their flagship store in New York as well as locations in other major U.S. design markets including Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco - moving them closer towards delivering the FLOR brand experience to design admirers all across North America.

THE FLOR EXPERIENCE

Visitors to the Toronto store will be able to interact with the full range of inspiring colors, patterns and textures available in FLOR's innovative system of 50cm (19.7-inch) carpet squares. Customers are invited to experience just how easy it is to redefine any space by mixing and matching FLOR styles to create custom rugs, runners and wall-to-wall designs of any length, size or shape.

FLOR's Toronto store is designed to motivate, educate and inspire visitors to explore how the beauty and adaptability of the FLOR premium design collection can enhance their decor. Customers are encouraged to actively participate in the creation of their FLOR rug by using a specially-designed grid on the floor that allows them get a sense of the size and scale of their rug concept. Pages from the FLOR catalog are brought to life on the walls to help visitors visualize how FLOR can fit any decor.

For those desiring more assistance, the store will have a team of experienced FLOR design consultants available -- either in-store or in-home through specially-scheduled appointments -- to help choose styles, coordinate colors and answer questions on care or assembly. Customers may also take advantage of FLOR's Professional Installation Services program and have a preferred professional installer visit their home to help assemble their rug, runner or wall-to-wall installation.

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FLOR Store Opens Its Doors in Toronto

NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

World Lighting Fixtures Market, Freedonia

http://www.reportlinker.com/p01008678/World-Lighting-Fixtures-Market-Freedonia.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Lighting_Equipment_Manufacturing

Global demand to rise 6.9% annually through 2016

Global demand for lighting fixtures is projected to climb 6.9 percent annually through 2016 to $153 billion. Product sales will be driven primarily by a strong global rebound in motor vehicle output and an acceleration in building construction activity. Efforts to conserve energy and convert to more efficient light source technologies will also boost gains, particularly as sales of incandescent and other less efficient lamps are being phased out through much of the world. Increased use of these higher-end fixtures will also contribute to gains in value terms. In the developing world, ongoing efforts to modernize the building stock, coupled with increasing urbanization and rising incomes will further aid advances.

China, US to post aboveaverage gains in demand

Through 2016, China alone will account for 36 percent of all additional demand, retaining its position as the largest lighting fixture market. The US, the second largest market, will also post above-average gains, itself accounting for 18 percent of additional global sales, as the country rebounds from a reduced 2011 base. However, sales gains are expected to be the fastest in India, a developing market for lighting fixtures. Above-average growth is also forecast in lower-volume markets such as Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and Vietnam. Although increases will generally not be as robust, lighting fixture demand in established lighting fixture markets such as Western Europe and Japan will improve from reduced 2011 bases. The rate of growth through 2016 will be attributable in large part to a strong upturn in automotive industry production after a period of decline. Sales of lighting fixtures in developed areas will also be spurred by improving economic activity, leading to a pickup in consumer spending and recoveries in construction activity.

Nonportable indoor fixtures to record fastest growth

Nonportable indoor lighting fixtures will record the fastest gains of any major product segment through 2016, fueled by a recovery in residential construction spending and an acceleration in nonresidential building activity. Vehicular fixtures will expand at the next fastest rate, stimulated by increases in global motor vehicle production, including a recovery in key markets such as the US, Japan, and Western Europe, where vehicle output had declined sharply into 2011. Demand for portable lighting fixtures will be more moderate, partly because many newer light technologies are designed to fit most legacy portable fixtures.

Homes to pace dominant construction market

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World Lighting Fixtures Market, Freedonia

The Garden by the Bay in Singapore has been anointed World Building of the Year 2012. Photo: Supplied

Architects from around the world gathered in Singapore last week for the World Architecture Festival and the anointing of the World Building of the Year for 2012. After winning their categories, many Australian buildings were in the running for the impossibly grand title. Among them, Melbourne architect John Wardle for his Shearer's Quarters in Tasmania (right) which took home ''World's Best Villa''. Sydney Architects FJMT won the Offices category for Darling Quarter. The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne seems to win everything Billard Leece Partnership and Bates Smart enter it in and duly nabbed the Health category. Hassell was recognised for several projects, including three Futures projects: Perry Park in Sydney and two projects in China. The Garden by the Bay in Singapore (bottom) designed by UK architects Wilkinson Eyre and landscape architects Grant Associates received the top accolade. The jury loved its dramatic greenhouses - the Cooled Conservatories: ''If they can cool these glasshouses through natural cooling, we should ask why it can't be done in other buildings?''

worldarchitecturefestival.com

Melbourne architect John Wardle's award-winning shearers' quarters. Photo: Supplied

FROM HER TO ETERNITY

It's generally accepted that precious jewellery will be passed on within families, yet to recycle someone else's heirlooms into contemporary jewellery might seem unacceptable and slightly ghoulish. But then Julia deVille treads fearlessly among the dead. She is renowned for her taxidermied sculptures, but her jewellery also serves as memento mori - reminders of mortality. For Bequeath, deVille's first jewellery show in five years, the past lives on in ''eternity rings'' made of jewellery and gemstones that deVille has collected over the years from owners long since deceased. ''I'm constantly in awe of jewellery's capacity to carry meaning beyond our own lives,'' she says. ''For example, my mother is going to be turned into a diamond when she dies and I will make her into a ring for myself. Thus her life, in some form, continues ''

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e.g.etal Downstairs 167 Flinders Lane, October 22-November 3; egetal.com.au

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Space: Award it and they will come

MANILA, Philippines - City dwellers will make up 70 percent of the world population by 2050, and cities must enact drastic changes now in order to accommodate the city dwellers of the 21st century; and offer them living conditions that are conducive to personal development and well-being.

Architects can play a crucial role in the city evolution by their capacity to meet the challenges of urban sustainability, and develop the tools needed to create resilient, sustainable and livable cities.

Renowned architect Philip H. Recto, the keynote speaker during the Philippine observance of World Day of Architecture celebration conducted by the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) recently, urged architects to be city changers by playing an active role in the city evolution, especially in areas such as: mitigating climate change, reducing carbon emissions, and improving management of resources and energy; structuring cities to be more socially-inclusive, accessible and equitable; developing cities that can resist crises and cataclysms; developing economic, educational and creative opportunities for all; and ensuring the security and sanitation conditions essential to all inhabitants.

Architects alone, and on their own, cannot bring about the ideal change that society needs in the face of climate change. however, we are in a position to initiate and lead the desired change to mitigate the challenge and get our communities more prepared in dealing with the adversities that climate change may bring, Recto said.

The task is not really as awesome as it seems. The first step is to work towards getting everyone engaged in the change process, and inculcate the notion that the change has to begin with oneself, he continued.

At this point, he also mentioned that his own architectural office was furnished with 97 percent recycled materials in support of sustainable development.

Recto stressed that in the context of the UN Human Settlements campaign I am a City Changer, it begins with an awareness of the urban issues that confront us today; and it is this awareness that should transform our attitude -- from one of resignation that things happen by chance, to a victorious attitude that we can make a difference because things happen by choice.

The World Day of Architecture celebration was initiated by the Union Internationale des Architectes (UIA) or International Union of Architects which is an international federation of national associations of architects with headquarters in Paris. Since its founding in 1948, it has grown to encompass the key professional organizations of architects in 124 countries and territories, and counts on some 1.3 million members worldwide today.

In 1996, the UIA arrived at a decision to celebrate the World Day of Architecture on the first Monday of October of each year. This is the same day that the United Nations observes World Habitat Day in order to reflect on the state of human settlements and the basic right to adequate shelter for all. - (Philstar News Service, http://www.philstar.com)

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Architects urged to be city changers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Emeco Industries, Inc. has filed for a preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court here, seeking a range of remedies, including blocking Restoration Hardware from manufacturing, marketing, advertising, and selling its cheap knockoffs of Emecos iconic Navy Chair collection.

Were not going to stand by while Restoration Hardware steals our brand and trades on our reputation by selling an inferior product, said Emeco CEO Gregg Buchbinder. Its important for American companies to stand up for craftsmanship, quality and jobs. We not only want to stop Restoration Hardware but prevent others from doing similar damage to our economy.

Unlike Restoration Hardwares foreign-made knockoffs, Emecos Navy Chair is hand made by 54 craftspeople in Hanover, Pennsylvania, through a 77-step process. The company works with top designers and uses recycled waste to make high-quality, sustainable products. The Navy Chair, which is sold in 48 countries, is built to last 150 years.

The latest legal action comes as The New York Times published an article about the companys efforts to protect the world-renowned Navy Chair, which the newspaper said is at the core of Emecos business.

In the article, Once Again, Seeing Double, writer Julie Lasky quoted Buchbinder as saying: The Navy chair is what we center everything around. Its the heritage of our company. Emecos CEO later added: If I dont fight, it kills the company.

The motion, tentatively set for a hearing on Nov. 16, follows a federal lawsuit filed Oct. 1 against Restoration Hardware and its former CEO and present Creator and Curator Gary Friedman. The complaint alleges that the giant home furnishing retailer has engaged in willful and flagrant infringement of Emecos trade dress and trademark rights for its world-renowned Navy Chair by selling a series of cheap knockoffs with the near-identical Naval Chair name.

In seeking the injunction, Emeco argues that Restoration Hardwares actions will continue to cause irreparable harm to Emecos reputation unless the court intervenes. Emeco alleges that the knockoffs are a product of willful, intentional conduct that is part of Restoration Hardwares established practice of using others designs and trademarks for financial gain.

The motion points out that Restoration Hardware has been the focus of a half-dozen copying and infringement actions over the last decade, and cites a newspaper article in which the company is referred to as Replication Hardware.

Emeco says Restoration Hardware has in effect conceded a likelihood of consumer confusion over the chairs by removing the words Naval Chair from its website, and then, after the lawsuit was filed, apparently ceasing sales of the products. Nevertheless, Emeco argues that the injunction is necessary because Restoration Hardware already distributed millions of catalogs featuring the infringing products and continues to display the chairs on its website. And without an injunction, there is nothing to stop it from resuming its unlawful conduct at any moment, the motion says.

Originally posted here:
Emeco Files for a Preliminary Injunction Against Restoration Hardware