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.

Products and Materials

Top building products for May 2024

BD+C Editors break down May's top 15 building products, from Durat and CaraGreen's Durat Plus to Zurn Siphonic Roof Drains.

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.

K-12 Schools

Inclusive design strategies to transform learning spaces

Students with disabilities and those experiencing mental health and behavioral conditions represent a group of the most vulnerable students at risk for failing to connect educationally and socially. Educators and school districts are struggling to accommodate all of these nuanced and, at times, overlapping conditions.

Education Facilities

Oct 30, 2013

11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013

If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.

Life at HOK | Oct 28, 2013

Urban growth doesn’t have to destroy nature—it can work with it

Our collective desire to live in cities has never been stronger. According to the World Health Organization, 60% of the world’s population will live in a city by 2030. As urban populations swell, what people demand from their cities is evolving.

Tom Wujec, Autodesk Fellow and Lead Facilitator for the U40 Vision Competition,

Oct 18, 2013

Meet the winners of BD+C's $5,000 Vision U40 Competition

Fifteen teams competed last week in the first annual Vision U40 Competition at BD+C's Under 40 Leadership Summit in San Francisco. Here are the five winning teams, including the $3,000 grand prize honorees.

Joe Edge | Oct 18, 2013

Researchers discover tension-fusing properties of metal

When a group of MIT researchers recently discovered that stress can cause metal alloy to fuse rather than break apart, they assumed it must be a mistake. It wasn't. The surprising finding could lead to self-healing materials that repair early damage before it has a chance to spread.

U40 Summit participants gathered for a group photo at the conclusion of the Visi

Oct 15, 2013

15 great ideas from the Under 40 Leadership Summit – Vote for your favorite!

Sixty-five up-and-coming AEC stars presented their big ideas for solving pressing social, economic, technical, and cultural problems related to the built environment. Which one is your favorite?

The Williams Selyem Winery metal building

Oct 7, 2013

10 award-winning metal building projects

The FDNY Fireboat Firehouse in New York and the Cirrus Logic Building in Austin, Texas, are among nine projects named winners of the 2013 Chairman’s Award by the Metal Construction Association for outstanding design and construction.

Jim Young | Oct 7, 2013

Geothermal system, energy-efficient elevator are key elements in first net-zero public high school in Rhode Island

The school will employ a geothermal system to heat and cool a portion of the building. Other energy-saving measures will include LED lighting, room occupancy sensors, and an energy-efficient elevator.

The 1,460-sf green wall at the Papadakis Integrated Science Building, Drexel Uni

Sep 24, 2013

8 grand green roofs (and walls)

A dramatic interior green wall at Drexel University and a massive, 4.4-acre vegetated roof at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center in Kansas City are among the projects honored in the 2013 Green Roof and Wall Awards of Excellence.

Sep 19, 2013

What we can learn from the world’s greenest buildings

Renowned green building author, Jerry Yudelson, offers five valuable lessons for designers, contractors, and building owners, based on a study of 55 high-performance projects from around the world.

Sep 19, 2013

6 emerging energy-management glazing technologies

Phase-change materials, electrochromic glass, and building-integrated PVs are among the breakthrough glazing technologies that are taking energy performance to a new level.