Posted on March 04, 2014 by Rob Cassidy
Before you get your shorts in a knot, I have nothing against science, technology, engineering, or even mathematics; to the contrary, I love all four “STEM” disciplines (I’m lying about the math).
But I question whether we need to be building K-12 schools that overly emphasize or are totally...
Posted on February 25, 2014 by Rob Cassidy
Good news: We've extended the deadline for entries for our 17th Annual Building Team Awards to Friday, March 14, 2014.
Even better news: We've extended the "Early Bird" deadline to March 6, 2014.
"Early Bird" means that, if you get a draft of your support statement to me (at rcassidy@sgcmail.com)....
Posted on February 05, 2014 by Rob Cassidy
I've received several requests from BD+C readers who design and build K-12 schools about the 3-part series we ran in our January issue ("SPECIAL REPORT: Can Design Prevent Another Sandy Hook?"). They wanted to send the issue to their school boards and other public officials with...
Posted on January 10, 2014 by Rob Cassidy
(Editor's Note: This blog post is part of BD+C's five-part special report on security design for K-12 school projects. Read the full report.)
To tell the truth, I didn’t want to write about the terrible events of December 14, 2012, when 20 children and six adults were gunned down...
Posted on January 06, 2014 by Rob Cassidy
Green building consultant Jerry Yudelson, PE, LEED Fellow, has been named President of the Green Building Initiative and the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating program. BD+C's Robert Cassidy talks with Yudelson about his appointment and the future of Green Globes.
BD+C: What are your...
Posted on December 09, 2013 by Rob Cassidy
Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest hockey player ever, once said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Wouldn’t it be grand if AEC firms could apply the Great One’s predictive skill to the real estate market? Then you’d know exactly where to deploy your resources,...
Posted on December 05, 2013 by Rob Cassidy
December 14 will mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting of 20 second-grade students at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Conn.
An exclusive survey of 462 architects, engineers, and contractors by Building Design+Construction shows that more than 60% said their firms experienced...
Posted on November 25, 2013 by Rob Cassidy
We just posted the Entry Form for our 9th Annual BD+C "40 Under 40" competition.
Frankly, the Entry Form is just the basic data. The real meat of your entry is your Personal Statement - the written document that tells the judges why you should be picked as a "40 Under 40" superstar.
So, get started...
Posted on November 25, 2013 by Rob Cassidy
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s mechanical, electrical, or plumbing systems don’t work the way they should. As we’ll see, even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the...
Posted on November 11, 2013 by Rob Cassidy
In the November issue of BD+C, you'll see our report on "Pedia-Pod," the modular pediatric patient unit we've helped design, outfit, and build at Greenbuild. Here's how it was developed.
As you may know, BD+C has a tradition of building modular "demonstration" buildings for Greenbuild: a classroom...
