Kaiser Borsari Hall will draw 100% of its electricity from a rooftop solar panel array. Photo courtesy Perkins&Will

Mass timber a big part of Western Washington University’s net-zero ambitions

Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash., 90 miles from Seattle, is in the process of expanding its ABET-accredited programs for electrical engineering, computer engineering and science, and energy science. As part of that process, the university is building Kaiser Borsari Hall, the 54,000-sf new home for those academic disciplines that will include teaching labs, research labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, and administrative offices.

Construction Costs

Despite challenges, 2024 construction material prices continue to stabilize

Gordian’s Q2 2024 Quarterly Construction Cost Insights Report indicates that supply chain issues notwithstanding, many commodities are exhibiting price normalization.

University Buildings

Washington University School of Medicine opens one of the world’s largest neuroscience research buildings

In St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation District, Washington University School of Medicine recently opened its new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building. Designed by CannonDesign and Perkins&Will, the 11-story, 609,000-sf facility is one of the largest neuroscience buildings in the world.

Affordable Housing

General contractor’s keys to a successful affordable housing project

General contractors can have tremendous influence over a project’s success in terms of schedule, budget, and quality. However, to ensure a project is put on this path, there are a few factors that must be considered.

Contractors

Bringing the concepts of architects, engineers, and clients to life often requires problem-solving and compromise, and always requires hard work on the contractor’s part. Keeping construction within the allotted budget and up to the rest of the building team’s standards requires a combination of extensive technical and product knowledge.

Since May 2020, spending on nonresidential construction has been on a downward trend.

Contractors | Jul 1, 2021

Nonres construction spending down again in May

And the industry is still beset with labor and materials issues that could impede future growth

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartments, Grimm + Parker, Building Design+Construction 2021 Exercise area

Multifamily Housing | Jun 30, 2021

A post-pandemic ‘new normal’ for apartment buildings

Grimm + Parker’s vision foresees buildings with rentable offices and refrigerated package storage.

Resiliency | Jun 24, 2021

Oceanographer John Englander talks resiliency and buildings [new on HorizonTV]

New on HorizonTV, oceanographer John Englander discusses his latest book, which warns that, regardless of resilience efforts, sea levels will rise by meters in the coming decades. Adaptation, he says, is the key to future building design and construction.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 23, 2021

COVID-19’s impact on multifamily amenities

Multifamily project teams had to scramble to accommodate the overwhelming demand for work-from-home spaces for adults and study spaces for children.

McCarthy's CEO Ray Sedey (right) and the Army's Lt. Col. Samuel Jungman

Contractors | Jun 22, 2021

McCarthy Building Companies taps the military for potential new hires

The contractor can now recruit through the Army’s Youth Success program

A rendering of a new school campus with flexible indoor-outdoor teaching spaces

K-12 Schools | Jun 20, 2021

Los Angeles County issues design guidelines for extending PreK-12 learning to the outdoors

The report covers everything from funding and site prep recommendations to whether large rocks can be used as seating.

Hotel Facilities | Jun 18, 2021

Adaptive reuse for hospitality, with Frank Cretella of Landmark Developers

In an exclusive interview for HorizonTV, Landmark Developers' President Frank Cretella talks about the firm's adaptive reuse projects for the hospitality sector. Cretella outlines his company's keys to success in hospitality development, including finding unique properties and creating memorable spaces.

Exterior rendering of mass-timber TimberQuest school building

Wood | Jun 10, 2021

Three AEC firms launch a mass timber product for quicker school construction

TimberQuest brand seeks to avoid overinvestment in production that has plagued other CLT providers.

Office Buildings | Jun 10, 2021

The future of the workplace is social clubs

Office design experts from NELSON Worldwide propose a new concept for the workplace, one that resembles the social clubs of the past.

Multifamily Housing | Jun 3, 2021

Student Housing Trends 2021-2022

In this exclusive video interview for HorizonTV, Fred Pierce, CEO of Pierce Education Properties, developer and manager of off-campus student residences, chats with Rob Cassidy, Editor, MULTIFAMILY Design + Construction about student housing during the pandemic and what to expect for on-campus and off-campus housing in Fall 2021 and into 2022.