McCarthy begins construction of Solar Energy Research Center at Berkeley

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., a California construction firm, broke ground on the Solar Energy Research Center for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the company announced.

The three-story, 40,000-sf facility will be devoted to researching and developing transportation fuels from sunlight using nano-scale photovoltaic and electrochemical solar energy systems.

The Solar Energy Research Center will be composed of renewable or recyclable materials, including a “green roof.” Its exterior skin will consist of aluminum composite metal panels, curtain wall, and architectural concrete.

The building will reduce water usage by 20 percent through water efficient landscaping and innovate wastewater technologies. It is expected to earn LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The $54 million project will be completed in late 2014. SmithGroupJJR serves as the architect.

For more information, visit www.mccarthy.com.

Founders Hall at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, the first mass timber building at Seattle campus of Univ. of Washington, was recently completed. The 84,800-sf building creates a new hub for community, entrepreneurship, and innovation, according the project’s design architect LMN Architects.

University Buildings | Nov 2, 2022

New Univ. of Calif. Riverside business school building will support hybrid learning

A design-build partnership of Moore Ruble Yudell and McCarthy Building Companies will collaborate on a new business school building at the University of California at Riverside.

School Construction | Oct 31, 2022

Claremont McKenna College science center will foster integrated disciplinary research

The design of the Robert Day Sciences Center at Claremont McKenna College will support “a powerful, multi-disciplinary, computational approach to the grand socio-scientific challenges and opportunities of our time—gene, brain, and climate,” says Hiram E. Chodosh, college president.

University Buildings | Oct 27, 2022

The Collaboratory Building will expand the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning

Design firm Brooks + Scarpa recently broke ground on a new addition to the University of Florida’s School of Design, Construction, and Planning (DCP).

Higher Education | Oct 24, 2022

Wellesley College science complex modernizes facility while preserving architectural heritage

A recently completed expansion and renovation of Wellesley College’s science complex yielded a modernized structure for 21st century STEM education while preserving important historical features.

The Biggest Cybersecurity Threats in Commercial Real Estate, Coleman Wolf, ESD 3410923_1920

BAS and Security | Oct 19, 2022

The biggest cybersecurity threats in commercial real estate, and how to mitigate them

Coleman Wolf, Senior Security Systems Consultant with global engineering firm ESD, outlines the top-three cybersecurity threats to commercial and institutional building owners and property managers, and offers advice on how to deter and defend against hackers.

Auburn University's Culinary Science Center

University Buildings | Oct 7, 2022

Auburn’s new culinary center provides real-world education

The six-story building integrates academic and revenue-generating elements.

K-12 Schools | Sep 21, 2022

Architecture that invites everyone to dance

If “diversity” is being invited to the party in education facilities, “inclusivity” is being asked to dance, writes Emily Pierson-Brown, People Culture Manager with Perkins Eastman.