This week on The Weekly, BD+C editors spoke with leaders from WSP USA, Perkins Eastman, and Little Diversified Architectural Consulting on three important topics:
• The COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes, and how design can make a difference
• Why and how the commercial construction industry can help drive the U.S. economic recovery
• How school districts are preparing for "back to school" and making long-term changes to school design and operations to promote infection control.
SEGMENT 1: Why and how the commercial construction industry can help drive the U.S. economic recovery, with Lou Cornell, CEO, WSP USA
"I think we can certainly help the economy get back on its feet by doing what we do best. It's about building infrastructure that generates jobs, and makes life better for those that use it everyday. I think engineers will play a vital role in reigniting the economy."
- Lou Cornell, CEO, WSP USA
SEGMENT 2: The COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes, and how design can make a difference, with Bradford Perkins, FAIA, Founding Partner, and Martin Siefering, AIA, Principal, Perkins Eastman
"Even in progressive states, code minimum—which was basically interpreted by the developers back then as the maximum—it's 80 square feet per person, in a semi-private room. Obviously, that, plus nursing units of 40 to 60 residents, means that social distancing, isolation—those things are absolutely impossible."
- Bradford Perkins, FAIA, Founding Partner, Perkins Eastman
SEGMENT 3: How school districts are preparing for "back to school" and making long-term changes to school design to promote infection control, with Shana Hetherington, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Project Architect, Project Manager, Little Diversified Architectural Consulting
"How are schools going to be ready? It's a challenge. How do you social distance on a bus? How do you social distance kids coming into schools and in crowded hallways? Classrooms that typically can fit around 22 kids, when you space desks six feet apart, that cuts [the capacity] in half."
- Shana Hetherington, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Project Architect, Project Manager, Little Diversified Architectural Consulting
WATCH ‘THE WEEKLY’ EVERY THURSDAY AT 1 PM EASTERN
“The Weekly” is a presentation of Horizon TV, the online broadcast arm of SGC Horizon LLC, publishers of Building Design+Construction, Multifamily Design+Construction, Professional Builder, ProRemodeler, and Construction Equipment.
Related Stories
Standards | Apr 22, 2024
Design guide offers details on rain loads and ponding on roofs
The American Institute of Steel Construction and the Steel Joist Institute recently released a comprehensive roof design guide addressing rain loads and ponding. Design Guide 40, Rain Loads and Ponding provides guidance for designing roof systems to avoid or resist water accumulation and any resulting instability.
Building Materials | Apr 22, 2024
Tacoma, Wash., investigating policy to reuse and recycle building materials
Tacoma, Wash., recently initiated a study to find ways to increase building material reuse through deconstruction and salvage. The city council unanimously voted to direct the city manager to investigate deconstruction options and estimate costs.
Student Housing | Apr 19, 2024
$115 million Cal State Long Beach student housing project will add 424 beds
A new $115 million project recently broke ground at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) that will add housing for 424 students at below-market rates. The 108,000 sf La Playa Residence Hall, funded by the State of California’s Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, will consist of three five-story structures connected by bridges.
Construction Costs | Apr 18, 2024
New download: BD+C's April 2024 Market Intelligence Report
Building Design+Construction's monthly Market Intelligence Report offers a snapshot of the health of the U.S. building construction industry, including the commercial, multifamily, institutional, and industrial building sectors. This report tracks the latest metrics related to construction spending, demand for design services, contractor backlogs, and material price trends.
MFPRO+ New Projects | Apr 16, 2024
Marvel-designed Gowanus Green will offer 955 affordable rental units in Brooklyn
The community consists of approximately 955 units of 100% affordable housing, 28,000 sf of neighborhood service retail and community space, a site for a new public school, and a new 1.5-acre public park.
Construction Costs | Apr 16, 2024
How the new prevailing wage calculation will impact construction labor costs
Looking ahead to 2024 and beyond, two pivotal changes in federal construction labor dynamics are likely to exacerbate increasing construction labor costs, according to Gordian's Samuel Giffin.
Healthcare Facilities | Apr 16, 2024
Mexico’s ‘premier private academic health center’ under design
The design and construction contract for what is envisioned to be “the premier private academic health center in Mexico and Latin America” was recently awarded to The Beck Group. The TecSalud Health Sciences Campus will be located at Tec De Monterrey’s flagship healthcare facility, Zambrano Hellion Hospital, in Monterrey, Mexico.
Market Data | Apr 16, 2024
The average U.S. contractor has 8.2 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of March 2024
Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 8.2 months in March from 8.1 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted March 20 to April 3. The reading is down 0.5 months from March 2023.
Laboratories | Apr 15, 2024
HGA unveils plans to transform an abandoned rock quarry into a new research and innovation campus
In the coastal town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., an abandoned rock quarry will be transformed into a new research and innovation campus designed by HGA. The campus will reuse and upcycle the granite left onsite. The project for Cell Signaling Technology (CST), a life sciences technology company, will turn an environmentally depleted site into a net-zero laboratory campus, with building electrification and onsite renewables.
Codes and Standards | Apr 12, 2024
ICC eliminates building electrification provisions from 2024 update
The International Code Council stripped out provisions from the 2024 update to the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) that would have included beefed up circuitry for hooking up electric appliances and car chargers.