Thornton Tomasetti’s Joseph and Choi to co-chair the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Outrigger Design Working Group

Thornton Tomasetti Irvine Principal Leonard Joseph, P.E., S.E. and New York Senior Principal Hi Sun Choi, P.E., LEED AP have been named co-chairs of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Outrigger Design Working Group. The working group, which also includes co-chairs Neville John Mathias from Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Dr. Goman Wai-Ming Ho from Ove Arup & Partners Hong Kong, is currently developing the first-ever outrigger system design guide, which will provide an overview of the history, design considerations and recommendations for outrigger systems. It is expected that the guide will be published in 2012.

The design guide will describe in detail the application of outriggers within the lateral load resisting systems of tall buildings, effects on building behavior and recommendations for design. It will also address concerns specific to this structural system such as differential column shortening and construction sequence impacts.

The document will illustrate the impact of outrigger systems on tall building designs and demonstrate ways in which the technology of such systems is continuously advancing. Project examples will be presented for various types of outrigger systems. BD+C

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.

Urban Planning | Apr 12, 2024

Popular Denver e-bike voucher program aids carbon reduction goals

Denver’s e-bike voucher program that helps citizens pay for e-bikes, a component of the city’s carbon reduction plan, has proven extremely popular with residents. Earlier this year, Denver’s effort to get residents to swap some motor vehicle trips for bike trips ran out of vouchers in less than 10 minutes after the program opened to online applications.

Laboratories | Apr 12, 2024

Life science construction completions will peak this year, then drop off substantially

There will be a record amount of construction completions in the U.S. life science market in 2024, followed by a dramatic drop in 2025, according to CBRE. In 2024, 21.3 million sf of life science space will be completed in the 13 largest U.S. markets. That’s up from 13.9 million sf last year and 5.6 million sf in 2022.