Kaiser Borsari Hall will draw 100% of its electricity from a rooftop solar panel array. Photo courtesy Perkins&Will

Mass timber a big part of Western Washington University’s net-zero ambitions

Western Washington University, in Bellingham, Wash., 90 miles from Seattle, is in the process of expanding its ABET-accredited programs for electrical engineering, computer engineering and science, and energy science. As part of that process, the university is building Kaiser Borsari Hall, the 54,000-sf new home for those academic disciplines that will include teaching labs, research labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, and administrative offices.

Products and Materials

Top building products for May 2024

BD+C Editors break down May's top 15 building products, from Durat and CaraGreen's Durat Plus to Zurn Siphonic Roof Drains.

University Buildings

Washington University School of Medicine opens one of the world’s largest neuroscience research buildings

In St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation District, Washington University School of Medicine recently opened its new Jeffrey T. Fort Neuroscience Research Building. Designed by CannonDesign and Perkins&Will, the 11-story, 609,000-sf facility is one of the largest neuroscience buildings in the world.

K-12 Schools

Inclusive design strategies to transform learning spaces

Students with disabilities and those experiencing mental health and behavioral conditions represent a group of the most vulnerable students at risk for failing to connect educationally and socially. Educators and school districts are struggling to accommodate all of these nuanced and, at times, overlapping conditions.

Education Facilities

A glass-enclosed workshop at the Random Everglades School in Florida.

K-12 Schools | May 16, 2022

Private faculty offices are becoming a thing of the past at all levels of education

Perkins & Will’s recent design projects are using the area to encourage collaboration.

Well Gold Certification Sandy Spring ext

K-12 Schools | May 16, 2022

A Quaker high school in Maryland is the first in the U.S. to get WELL Gold certification

Designed by Stantec, a Quaker high school is the first in the US to receive WELL Gold certification, which recognizes a commitment to occupants’ health and well-being.

Structural | BD+C University Course | May 10, 2022

Designing smarter places of learning

This course explains the how structural steel building systems are suited to construction of education facilities.

1.0 AIA LU/HSW | BD+C University Course | May 3, 2022

For glass openings, how big is too big?

Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.

Education Facilities | May 2, 2022

Texas School for the Deaf campus gateway enhances sense of belonging for deaf community

The recently completed Texas School for the Deaf Administration and Welcome Center and Early Learning Center, at the state’s oldest continuously operating public school, was designed to foster a sense of belonging for the deaf community.

ProConnect Education Scottdale AZ Dec 4-6, 2022

Education Facilities | Apr 28, 2022

ProConnect Education (K-12 to University) comes to Scottsdale, AZ, Dec 4-6

ProConnect Education 2022 will attract building product specifiers and manufacturers to the Andaz Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., in December.

Multifamily Housing | Apr 26, 2022

Investment firm Blackstone makes $13 billion acquisition in student-housing sector

Blackstone Inc., a New York-based investment firm, has agreed to buy student-housing owner American Campus Communities Inc.

Knox College Whitcomb Art Center Lake Flato Architects AIA COTE top 10 winner for 2022

Architects | Apr 22, 2022

Top 10 green building projects for 2022

The American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment (COTE) has announced its COTE Top Ten Awards for significant achievements in advancing climate action.

CU Denver engineering, design and computing building

University Buildings | Apr 18, 2022

SmithGroup to design new Univ. of Colorado Denver engineering, design, computing building

The University of Colorado Denver selected SmithGroup to design a new engineering, design, and computing building that will serve as anchor of new downtown innovation district.

Market Data | Apr 14, 2022

FMI 2022 construction spending forecast: 7% growth despite economic turmoil

Growth will be offset by inflation, supply chain snarls, a shortage of workers, project delays, and economic turmoil caused by international events such as the Russia-Ukraine war.