29 June 2007

28 June 2007

US EPA Laboratory RTP, NC


The United States Enivronmental Protection Agency RTP opened in 2002 is a multi-building complex that contains over 600 laboratory modules and approximately 2000 scientists and support staff. The 1.2 million square foot complex consists of four 5 story lab buildings, three 2 story office buildings and a 6 story office tower.

The designer Hellmuth, Obata + Kassenbaum set out to achieve a solution that would encompass its client's environmental goal. Which according to their website was, "The design embodies the EPA's goals for preserving the natural environment, reducing energy use, conserving resources, preventing pollution and fostering education about sustainable design. Strategies for energy efficiency and water conservation are saving the EPA $2 million a year in operating costs."




Some of the key environmental issues targeted for consideration during the design included: ecosystem protection, energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, and indoor environmental quality. The completed project also won the 2002 Washington DC Chapter AIA Presidential Citation for Sustainable Design.


RTP in the News Link

23 June 2007

Cameron Sinclair Speaks At TED



Here is the description for the lecture given by Sinclair from the TED website:

"Accepting his 2006 TED Prize, Cameron Sinclair demonstrates how passionate designers and architects can respond to world housing crises. The motto of his group, Architecture for Humanity, is "Design like you give a damn." Using a litany of striking examples, he shows how AFH has helped find creative solutions to humanitarian crises all over the globe. Sinclair then outlines his TED Prize wish: to create a global open-source network that will let architects and communities share and build designs to house the world."

WorldChanging Sinclair Bio
Architecture for Humanity Link
Open Architecture Network Link

22 June 2007

19 June 2007

Desert Living Center Striving For LEED Platinum


While perusing a periodical recently we became aware of an interesting project in Las Vegas, Nevada known as the Springs Preserve. The complex consists of the Origen Experience, Desert Living Center, Gardens/Trails and the Nevada State Museum. The Desert Living Center is of particular interest as it was designed with the intent of gaining LEED Platinum Certification.



The center was designed by Lucchesi, Galati Architects Inc. and incorporates the following elements in order to obtain the platinum certification:
  • Rammed-earth walls utilizing local materials
  • Window design maximizing natural daylight use
  • Recycled materials minimizing new resource demand
  • Passive cooling and renewable heating of buildings
  • Reclaimed water to reduce tap water needs
  • Electrical energy created by solar array panels



The building consists of three zones, the Sustainability Gallery, the Inside Out Gallery and the Design Lab & Dialogue Center. The Sustainability Gallery focuses on various aspects of sustainability while the Inside Out Gallery peels back the inner structure of the building itself to reveal and teach the fundamentals of green buildings. The Lab focuses more on academic and research endeavors as they relate to the environment.

18 June 2007

Corbusier: Master Architect Of Choice




For the past few months ecAr2.0 has featured a poll in the sidebar asking our readers to choose under which famous master architect they would have wished to have interned.

The results are in and Le Corbusier is the clear winner followed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Mies van der Rohe and Louis Kahn came in third and fourth respectively. Walter Gropius the father of the Bauhaus received no votes.

Keep an eye on our sidebar for our next interactive poll that will launch shortly and thanks again for your participation.

17 June 2007

New Convention Center Raleigh, NC

O'Brien Atkins photo

A new addition to the Raleigh, NC skyline is finally coming to fruition. Beginning in 2002, city and county leaders commissioned studies aimed at replacing the aging existing facility with a newer, larger, more modern center. The project is a joint venture effort between TVS and local architects, O'Brien Atkins and Clearscapes. The center is located adjacent to the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts and helps to anchor the downtown cultural district. Currently the project is LEED 2.1 registered and is projected for completion in 2008.

O'Brien Atkins photo

15 June 2007

13 June 2007

David Rockwell Speaks At TED


Here is the description for the lecture given by Rockwell from the TED website:

"In this emotionally charged conversation with journalist Kurt Andersen, designer David Rockwell recounts the process of constructing an elegantly understated viewing platform at Ground Zero shortly after 9/11. Collaborating closely with what he describes as a "design SWAT team" of other New York-based architects and designers, including Richard Scofidio, Elizabeth Diller and Kevin Keenan, the result was a quiet, dignified, powerful memorial that was, most important, entirely appropriate for its surroundings."

12 June 2007

Virtual Rome Was Not Built In A Day

Interesting collabrative project between several universities in the United States and Italian authorities to creat a virtual three dimensional model of Rome that will evolve over time. We provide the following excerpt from the first paragraph of the project website description below:

"History. From 1997 to 2007 the UCLA Cultural Virtual Reality Laboratory (CVRLab), the UCLA Experiential Technology Center (ETC), the Reverse Engineering (INDACO) Lab at the Politecnico di Milano, and the Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities (IATH) of the University of Virginia collaborated on a project to create a digital model of ancient Rome as it appeared in the late antiquity. The notional date of the model is June 21, 320 A.D."

Rome Reborn 1.0 Website

International Center For Automotive Research

Located in Greenville, South Carolina a new campus for Clemson University is taking shape. The project designed by Atlanta based Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects is intended to house the university's International Center for Automotive Research. The proposed 85,000 square foot, $18 million dollar facility will house a new graduate engineering center for automotive engineering and research.

Below is an excerpt from the architects website:

"Research conducted at the Graduate Engineering Center focuses on systems integration with concentrations in lightweight design, manufacturing, and electronics with a chaired professorship for each. The specific program elements associated with each element concentration are clustered around the chaired professor’s suite of offices and research labs. Because a multitude of individuals will be working on projects related to or within the research coordinated by these chairs, there are a variety of flexible spaces. While each individual pursues his or her own work, there is collaboration, room for informal discussion, and a sense of community. A component of the research sector is the introduction of industry, both in the presence of individuals from the various fields as well as support of certain research. The results of the research being performed at the center benefit both the university and industry.

The teaching component of the Graduate Engineering Center curriculum centers on mechanical engineering. The school is comprised of masters degree, post-doctoral, and doctoral students as well as faculty members, visiting faculty, partners, and assistant faculty. The center also houses complimentary administrative functions. The school anticipates an initial annual enrollment of forty graduate students with the expectation of growth to over one hundred students per year.

The third component of the building is the public function which includes classrooms, auditorium, café, library, and lobby/display spaces. While several portions of the building may not be physically accessible, many are visually accessible encouraging a broader exchange with the general public."


CU-ICAR Official Link
Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects Link

09 June 2007

Intriguing Earth Architecture 14

Naoshima Contemporary Art MuseumNaoshima Contemporary Art Museum, Naoshima, Japan - Tadao Ando

06 June 2007

William McDonough Speaks At TED


Here is the description for the lecture given by McDonough from the TED website:

"Architect and designer William McDonough asks what our buildings and products would look like if designers took into account "All children, all species, for all time." A tireless proponent of absolute sustainability (with a deadpan sense of humor), he explains his philosophy of "cradle to cradle" design, which bridge the needs of ecology and economics. He also shares some of his most inspiring work, including the world's largest green roof (at the Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan), and the entire sustainable cities he's designing in China."

TED Sidebar Link
William McDonough + Partners Link