Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

July 2004

With both the AIA and NeoCon shows back-to-back in Chicago last month, there was plenty of opportunity for the “wearing of the green.” In fact, green or sustainable design was a major part of both shows.

At AIA, a record number of attendees (22,000-plus) and exhibitors (850) were treated to sustainable design tours, a Green Products pavilion and numerous sessions on green architecture. NeoCon provided an Environmental Design track, a special GREENlife show guide, exhibit area and lounge, as well as a tour of one of the first LEED-CI-rated spaces. Chicago, itself, set the tone with the recent opening of the Chicago Center for Green Technology. All new public buildings in Chicago are now required to be LEED-certified.

This issue calls attention to several additional upcoming, green-related events for architects and designers: DOE’s Energy 2004 in New York, the Building Solutions Conference in Texas sponsored by the Energy & Environmental Building Association, and IFMA’s World Workplace in Salt Lake City. Also of note is a recent study documenting that mold in buildings can exacerbate respiratory problems – although the study found no proof that mold causes other aliments.

Not Sold On Mold: A recent study by the National Academies of Science shows that mold can adversely affect people with asthma and other respiratory problems. However, the study found no proof that mold can cause other claimed aliments (center points in numerous lawsuits) such as fatigue, fever or skin outbreaks. More >

Keeping Time: Scheduled to open this month, the appropriately-named Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay in Redding, California, is a creative combination of structural elements, glass and granite. A translucent, non-skid decking provides for spectacular viewing at night. The cable-stayed structure was designed by Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava. More >

Liquid Stone: Some 30 contemporary projects showcasing the use of concrete in architecture will be featured through the balance of the year at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Display includes the Torre Agbar in Barcelona, a bridge by Lord Norman Foster, a “seashell” complex in Japan by Tadao Ando, and Richard Meier’s new Jubilee Church in Rome. More >

An Experience: Plans have been released for the major transformation of the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto. Design, by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc., calls for seven new ”experience” areas including KidSpark (a learn-through-play space) and Hot Zone (a hub for current science and hot technology). More >

50 Days of Precast: 2004 represents the 50th anniversary of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute. In honor of this landmark, precast producers across the country will be hosting an extensive series of plant and project tours and educational events this fall (September 1-October 17). Learning credits will be available. Register now for one (or more) of these events. More >

Free Color/Texture Guide
The second edition of the Architectural Precast Concrete Color & Texture Selection Guide from the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute is available free to qualified architects via an online downloadable format or as a hardbound copy by request on company letterhead.

The guide, which sells for $90, assists architects in the initial selection of color and texture for architectural precast concrete components. The 304-page three-ring binder serves as an extension of the information included in the Architectural Precast Concrete Manual (MNL-122-89).

The guide offers more than 500 colors and textures that can enhance the aesthetic quality of precast concrete panels. The majority of the 287 large color plates show two finishes on the same sample, with the photos numbered and arranged from light to dark colors to enhance comparisons. There also are eight photos illustrating stone APPLICATIONs, including brick, tile, terra cotta, granite, limestone and marble veneer-faced precast concrete panels. The variables considered in developing the color plates were cements, pigments, coarse and fine aggregates, and texture or surface finish with various depths of exposure. More >

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It’s An Art - Master plan for the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts combines the talents for two renowned architectural firms: Foster and Partners of London and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture of Rotterdam and New York. Plan includes new and existing buildings surrounding a Grand Plaza. Concept designs for both the Center’s Charles and Dee Wyly Theatre and the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House have been previewed. More >

Definitely An Art - Vienna architect Hans Hollein has won the $5,000 Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize for “significant contribution to architecture as an art.” His projects include the Museum of Glass and Ceramics, Tehran; the Museum of Modern Art, Frankfurt (photo); and the Interbank Headquarters, Lima, Peru. More >

On The Waterfront - Billed as the first major retail complex in Boston in a decade, the mixed-use Waterside Place will include a 600,000-square-foot shopping center, a supermarket, convention hotel, residential units and parking. Design is by Seattle-based Callison Architecture Inc., working with Kallman McKinnell & Wood Architects of Boston. More >

Houses Of Goa - Planning a trip to Goa any time soon? If so, be sure to stop at the unique, ship-shaped museum in Salvador do Mundo village in Bardez. Created by architect Gerald da Cunha, the museum is devoted to Goan residential architecture – an experimental combination of eastern and western architectural styles. Goa, by the way, is an Anjediva island colonized by the Portuguese. More >

Architects: Send A Case Study >

“There is something a bit stiff about the [World War II] memorial’s classically inspired design.”

Benjamin Forgey
Washington Post
architecture critic

The precast/prestressed concrete industry offers a wide range of AIA/CES approved box lunch programs. Find out more >

Energy 2004 – Sponsored by the US DOE, DOD and GSA, the energy conference is scheduled for August 8-11 in Rochester, N.Y. Seminars cover new HVAC technologies, latest developments in LED lighting, and more. More >

Building Solutions Conference – Sponsored by the Energy & Environmental Building Association, conference will run in conjunction with the Texas Builders Association’s Sunbelt Builders Show. October 20-23 in Grapevine, Texas. More >

New Biz Anyone? – National conference of SMPS (Society for Marketing Professional Services) and PSMA (Professional Services Management Association) takes place August 11-14 in New York. More >

All Precast – Combined Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute’s Annual Convention and the PCI National Bridge Conference (Bridges for Life™) takes place October 17-20 in Atlanta. Event also includes a Total Precast Concrete Structures Workshop. More >

Facility Management – IFMA’s World Workplace 2004 runs October 17-19 in Salt Lake City. Seminars include: Control of Condensation and Mold; Workplace of the Future; and Understanding Sustainability. More >

NeoCon East – 2004 show incorporates both the Architectural Stone and Ceramic Tile Expo and a new lighting pavilion. October 6-7 in Baltimore. More >

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