Enter today! BD+C's 75 Top Building Products for 2024

Last year was the second-busiest ever in terms of 200-meter-plus building completions, with 73 towers, according to a report by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.

From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.

Architects and fenestration experts are looking for windows and doors for their projects that emphasize speed to the project site, a fair price, resilient and sustainable performance, and no callbacks.

The use of glass as a building material positively impacts learning, healing, productivity and well-being, according to a white paper published by Guardian Industries and the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The findings highlight the significant influence daylighting and outside views have on employees, workers, students, consumers and patients.

The newly-opened Exploratorium has brought energy and excitement to the city’s bustling waterfront.  EHDD transformed the historic Pier 15, built in 1915, to a 330,000 square foot indoor and outdoor campus, being touted as the largest net-zero building in the city and potentially the largest net-zero museum in the world.

This course discuses the latest technological advances in glazing, which make possible ever more efficient enclosures with ever greater glazed area.

Design team turns to fire-rated glazing for interior doors to give access to natural light, patient privacy and clear wayfinding throughout the building.