Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.

Cultural Facilities

Kansas City’s new Sobela Ocean Aquarium home to nearly 8,000 animals in 34 habitats

Kansas City’s new Sobela Ocean Aquarium is a world-class facility home to nearly 8,000 animals in 34 habitats ranging from small tanks to a giant 400,000-gallon shark tank.

Museums

Chrysler Museum of Art’s newly expanded Perry Glass Studio will display the art of glassmaking

In Norfolk, Va., the Chrysler Museum of Art’s Perry Glass Studio, an educational facility for glassmaking, will open a new addition in May. That will be followed by a renovation of the existing building scheduled for completion in December.

Museums

Nebraska’s Joslyn Art Museum to reopen this summer with new Snøhetta-designed pavilion

In Omaha, Neb., the Joslyn Art Museum, which displays art from ancient times to the present, has announced it will reopen on September 10, following the completion of its new 42,000-sf Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion. Designed in collaboration with Snøhetta and Alley Poyner Macchietto Architecture, the Hawks Pavilion is part of a museum overhaul that will expand the gallery space by more than 40%.

Museums

Mar 26, 2014

Callison launches sustainable design tool with 84 proven strategies

Hybrid ventilation, nighttime cooling, and fuel cell technology are among the dozens of sustainable design techniques profiled by Callison on its new website, Matrix.Callison.com.

Design architect GWWO selected Valspars Blue Pearl II color-changing paint to c

Mar 21, 2014

Kameleon Color paint creates color-changing, iridescent exterior for Exploration Tower at Port Canaveral

Linetec finishes Firestone’s UNA-CLAD panels, achieving a one-of-a-kind, dynamic appearance with the first use of Valspar’s new Kameleon Color

To true the wall surface, the installer should level the insulation board, rathe

Mar 20, 2014

Common EIFS failures, and how to prevent them

Poor workmanship, impact damage, building movement, and incompatible or unsound substrate are among the major culprits of EIFS problems.

GWWO | Mar 13, 2014

Do you really 'always turn right'?

The first visitor center we designed was the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center for the Everglades National Park in 1993. I remember it well for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was the ongoing dialogue we had with our retail consultant. He insisted that the gift shop be located on the right as one exited the visitor center because people “always turn right.”

Mar 12, 2014

14 new ideas for doors and door hardware

From a high-tech classroom lockdown system to an impact-resistant wide-stile door line, BD+C editors present a collection of door and door hardware innovations.

Mar 5, 2014

5 tile design trends for 2014

Beveled, geometric, and high-tech patterns are among the hot ceramic tile trends, say tile design experts.

Feb 24, 2014

New Menil Drawing Institute will fit in with leafy surroundings

In Houston, plans are being finalized for the first freestanding American building built to house and conserve modern and contemporary drawings.

The building site is located in a historic area of Philadelphia, which factors i

Feb 18, 2014

Robert A.M. Stern sent back to drawing board for Revolutionary War museum in Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Art Commission has suggested some significant changes to the design by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, namely the elimination of a cupola and the addition of eye-level windows on the ground floor.

The pinwheel is driven by hidden microphones and connected motors.

Feb 14, 2014

Giant interactive pinwheel adds fun to museum exterior

The proposed design for the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History features a 10-foot pinwheel that can be activated by passersby.

David Barista | Feb 14, 2014

Crowdsourced Placemaking: How people will help shape architecture

The rise of mobile devices and social media, coupled with the use of advanced survey tools and interactive mapping apps, has created a powerful conduit through which Building Teams can capture real-time data on the public. For the first time, the masses can have a real say in how the built environment around them is formed—that is, if Building Teams are willing to listen.