Design unveiled for federal courthouse in Huntsville, Ala.

The U.S. General Services Administration recently unveiled the design for a new federal courthouse in Huntsville, Ala.

The three-story Fentress Architects-designed courthouse will include five courtrooms and six judges’ chambers, as well as workspace for the U.S Marshals Services, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services.

Huntsville Courthouse aerial

The neoclassical design includes a large pedimented entry portico flanked by gently arcing symmetrical wings. The project will incorporate modern security, sustainability, and technological features while integrating classical organizational, proportional, and design elements. A large formal public lawn with symmetrical plantings will help create a sense of space and focus the eye toward the nearby panoramic views.

The $86 million, 123,000-sf courthouse is slated to begin construction in early 2022 and take approximately 30 months to complete.

Zinc panels provide natural-looking, durable cladding for an administrative building and toll canopies at the newly expanded Queenstown Plaza U.S.-Canada border crossing at the Niagara Gorge. Toronto’s Moriyama & Teshima Architects chose the zinc alloy panels for their ability to blend with the structures’ scenic surroundings, as well as for their low maintenance and sustainable qualities. The structures incorporate 14,000 sf of Rheinzink’s branded Angled Standing Seam and Reveal Panels in graphite gray.

| Jan 4, 2011

An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value

One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.

| Dec 17, 2010

ARRA-funded Navy hospital aims for LEED Gold

The team of Clark/McCarthy, HKS Architects, and Wingler & Sharp are collaborating on the design of a new naval hospital at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. The $451 million project is the largest so far awarded by the U.S. Navy under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The 500,000-sf, 67-bed hospital, to be located on a 70-acre site, will include facilities for emergency and primary care, specialty care clinics, surgery, and intensive care. The Building Team is targeting LEED Gold.

| Dec 2, 2010

U.S Energy Secretary Chu announces $21 Million to improve energy use in commercial buildings

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that 24 projects are receiving a total of $21 million in technical assistance to dramatically reduce the energy used in their commercial buildings. This initiative will connect commercial building owners and operators with multidisciplinary teams including researchers at DOE's National Laboratories and private sector building experts. The teams will design, construct, measure, and test low-energy building plans, and will help accelerate the deployment of cost-effective energy-saving measures in commercial buildings across the United States.

| Nov 10, 2010

$700 million plan to restore the National Mall

The National Mall—known as America’s front yard—is being targeted for a massive rehab and restoration that could cost as much as $700 million (it’s estimated that the Mall has $400 million in deferred maintenance alone). A few of the proposed projects: refurbishing the Grant Memorial, replacing the Capitol Reflecting Pool with a smaller pool or fountain, reconstructing the Constitution Gardens lake and constructing a multipurpose visitor center, and replacing the Sylvan Theater near the Washington Monument with a new multipurpose facility.

| Nov 9, 2010

U.S. Army steps up requirements for greening building

Cool roofs, solar water heating, and advanced metering are among energy-efficiency elements that will have to be used in new permanent Army buildings in the U.S. and abroad starting in FY 2013. Designs for new construction and major renovations will incorporate sustainable design and development principles contained in ASHRAE 189.1.

| Nov 3, 2010

Park’s green education center a lesson in sustainability

The new Cantigny Outdoor Education Center, located within the 500-acre Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Ill., earned LEED Silver. Designed by DLA Architects, the 3,100-sf multipurpose center will serve patrons of the park’s golf courses, museums, and display garden, one of the largest such gardens in the Midwest.

| Nov 3, 2010

Public works complex gets eco-friendly addition

The renovation and expansion of the public works operations facility in Wilmette, Ill., including a 5,000-sf addition that houses administrative and engineering offices, locker rooms, and a lunch room/meeting room, is seeking LEED Gold certification.