To tap into the built environment’s full potential to improve wellbeing, one needs to better understand not only how noise negatively affects occupants’ physical and mental health, but the ways in which “the sonic aspect of buildings can be intentionally articulated to achieve a richer, more satisfying built environment:...
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During the design phase, the process of selecting and specifying a curtain wall and/or storefront, in some cases is limited to aesthetics, structural considerations, thermal performance, and cost. Too often, the interface between the air and water barrier and fenestration are overlooked. The goal is to maintain continuity of...
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It is within the building enclosure, the exterior skin, where joints are found—one of the primary components responsible for facilitating these dynamic interactions. Joints allow buildings to stand firm as much as they allow them to operate responsively to ever-changing internal and external conditions, enabling the flexing, sweating, or...
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The new buildings were carefully designed to cater to the diverse educational requirements of the students, accommodating performing arts, general and special education classrooms, science labs, drafting and engineering labs, a multimedia classroom, food service and dining areas, as well as childcare and campus support services.
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High-rise construction is a massive undertaking in every aspect. Through collaboration and careful decision-making, a team can establish a well-designed, coordinated, and successful process that can save both time and money.
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Among the many energy drains, heating and air conditioning are two of the most resource-intensive activities that will test the performance of a building’s envelope (roof, walls, and windows). To prioritize thermal performance, specifiers are putting high-performance building materials to work, including polyisocyanurate (polyiso) insulation.
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The practice of blindside waterproofing, where the membrane is pre-applied to an excavation support system outboard of the concrete foundation wall, has a decades-long history of use on commercial building projects, and yet it is not uncommon for contemporary projects to experience unwelcome surprises at the time of a...
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In the architecture, engineering, and construction industry, there can be considerable control over one important aspect of sustainability: greenhouse gases (GHGs). In fact, the built environment accounts for 39 percent of gross annual CO2 emissions.
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A TCP is a document typically prepared by an experienced licensed engineer who is knowledgeable on the thermal behavior of concrete. A TCP provides a foundation to ensure high thermal stresses and cracking of mass concrete will be avoided, and that its long-term durability will not be negatively affected....
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The advent of intumescent fire-resistive materials (IFRMs), which are smooth in appearance, finally allowed for the expression of exposed steel in new and creative ways, and new material innovations continue to support this change. IFRMs allow designers to strip away the unnecessary elements that were common in construction in...
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