TechKnowYear1

2006 PRODUCT REPORT:
A Review of the Year's Most Interesting and Innovative Products

Architectural Record's editors gathered this year to select the best of
the best in innovative architectural products. The 2006 Product Reports
rank the year's top contenders by category. Find out which products
made the cut and which are the best of the best in the Editor's Picks
section. Click here for article

http://archrecord.construction.
com/products/reports/prototypes2006/slide_01.asp
• View the Top 10 Green Products slideshow
• View the Complete List of Winners

Dubai plans world’s first rotating skyscraper

The Arab city with the palm-shaped islands and the sail-shaped hotel will add
to its eclectic skyline by building the world’s first rotating skyscraper, a 30-
story apartment tower that revolves on its base. The tower, announced
recently, will use the Persian Gulf’s abundant sunshine to power the building’s
slow rotation that brings it full circle once a week, said engineer Nick Cooper,
of British firm M.G. Bennett and Associates Ltd., which is designing the
rotation mechanism. USA Today

How do retractable roofs and turf fields in convertible stadiums work?

Ballparks are just as trendy as clothes and hairstyles. In the 1960s and '70s, many cities built
doughnut-shaped multipurpose stadiums. It was also the era of the domed stadium. We were in
awe of the immensity of the Astrodome in Houston and the Kingdome in Seattle. Today, a new
trend in stadiums has led to the demolition of the Kingdome and the likely demise of the
Astrodome. The latest trend in sports stadiums is the retractable-roof stadium.

These new convertible stadiums allow athletic fields to be covered during inclement weather,
but can be opened to allow the sun to shine in on fair weather days. This new type of stadium
has all but killed off the idea of artificial turf stadiums, which cause a greater number of injuries
than natural turf. Retractable roofs are an idea whose time has come, but just how do they
work? There's no single answer to that question because no two retractable roof stadiums are
exactly alike. Click on the following links:

Genetic Characteristics and Environmental Parameters for Growing Turf-grass in Closed &
Retractable Dome Stadiums

Green Product Technical Bulletins

January 10, 2005

The Department of Architectural Engineering and Construction Science at Kansas State University
has recognized and responded to the emergence of the Leadership In Energy And Environmental
Design (LEED) program in the building design and construction industry. Based on input and
direction from faculty and advisory board members, the LEED program was investigated for
applicability to the architectural engineering curriculum, which focuses on building mechanical,
electrical, plumbing, and structural systems design. Assistant professor Ray Yunk, LEED AP,
developed an intersession course introducing green building principles and practices based on
LEED.

One of the assignments for the course was for each student to research and present a product,
technology, or design practice related to one of the LEED credit categories. This was done
through a series of “Greenbuild Tech Bulletins,” resulting in this special series at www.EDCmag.
com. The first three technical bulletins in this series include cotton insulation, waterless urinals
and carbon dioxide monitoring.

“As designers of building structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, architectural
engineers have a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to address energy and
environmental impacts in their designs. To properly prepare students for design careers,
architectural engineering programs must find ways to integrate green building principles and
practices into their curricula,” says Yunk. This class and these bulletins are small steps in that
direction.

Click on the following links:

The innovative concept of "responsive" buildings that are able to modify
their internal and external forms to adapt to users' needs is gaining
momentum in architecture. The concept would require technologies
including control systems that could decide on their own what shape to
take, and structure components that could change according to needs.
Building Design and Construction

AGC Unveils New Building Information Modeling Guide

Building information modeling is sweeping through the industry and a new guide for contractors
from the Associated General Contractors of America is designed to help them keep up.

BIM is a design software tool that simulates construction and allows collaboration among the
owner, architect, engineers, consultants, contractors and specialty contractors. The tool
contributes to faster project delivery, enhanced economics and lean construction. Engineering
News Record

Technology Takes Center Stage

Movable seating, digital sound enhancement, and innovative HVAC systems allow Building
Teams to create flexible, comfortable performance spaces. Ever since the world’s first gas stage-
lighting system was installed at the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia in 1816, technology
has been at the center of performing arts theater design. Complex lighting schemes, sound
reinforcement systems, movable stages and orchestra pits, and intricate rigging are mainstays
of today’s theaters.

Growing demand for more flexible, multipurpose venues has placed even greater emphasis on
the application of high-tech systems. As a result, Building Teams are turning to the latest
innovations in theater design, including movable seating, digital sound enhancement,
multimedia, and innovative HVAC systems, to improve overall quality, solve complex design
issues, and overcome tight budgets.
Building Design + Construction

The 'Reading Room' for New Materials

Founded in 1997 by George M. Beylerian, a furniture designer, Material ConneXion is now a busy
clearinghouse that reviews about 50 new products every month and works with designers to find
the right stuff for projects ranging from clock radios to buildings. Manufacturers are invited to
submit new products, but not every sample gets through the door. Engineering News Record

Non-Compliance with ADA

Non-compliance with ADA guidelines related to doors can mean big problems for building
owners. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law — not a building
code — it does include design and construction standards for both public and private buildings.
These standards are expressed in the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines
(ADAAG). click here for ADA website

The ADA can be very confusing, and can even sometimes seem to conflict with standard building
codes. Much of the law is also vague, and can be open to interpretation. Unfortunately, the ADA
is ultimately defined in the courts, where building owners found to be non-compliant can face
hefty attorneys’ fees and potential fines.

In very general terms, the ADA requires a building owner to provide:
•   Measures that will enable individuals with disabilities to physically enter the facility.
•   Access to those areas where goods and services are made available to the public.
•   Access to restroom facilities and insure that the restrooms themselves are accessible.
•   Any remaining measure of accessibility required to remove barriers in order to provide access
to the goods, services, advantages, privileges or accommodations provided to the public.

Obviously, many issues of "accessibility" involve doors, which an entire section of the ADA is
devoted to (section 4.13). For more information on this section of the law, click here for a white
paper compiled by John Cohrs (AHC, CDC, CCPR) of Hager Companies. John, an expert in ADA
issues related to doors and door hardware, also facilitates educational seminars on ADA
compliance for architects (authorized by the AIA/CES program).

Air Barriers - The Latest Tool in Moisture Control

When it comes to controlling moisture at the building envelope, the construction industry has
traditionally focused on blocking water and vapor from entering and getting trapped in the
external wall assembly.

But recent theories suggest that there's a third culprit in the moisture intrusion mystery—air.
Full article

Related article: About Air Barriers

Three years ago, standing on a cladding factory floor watching
robots lift a 10 x 5-ft window pane, Frank Gehry was surprised
to see the glass sag under its own weight. It was a pivotal
moment, for it led to a suggestion that freed the famed
architect to sculpt his first all-glass curtain wall, full of his
signature sweeps but lacking budget creep. Crews site-bend
glass with gloved hands to curve a curtain wall that evokes
waving sails.

In a region where remarkable buildings jostle for

attention, the

quest for a skyscraper icon led the

developer of Bahrain’s

World Trade Centre to build 29-

meter-dia wind turbines into its

twin towers. The trio of

turbines, the world’s largest on a

building, may not add

up financially as energy sources. But

they will make the

240-m-tall “skycon” unique, while displacing

up to 1,300

MWh a year of fossil-fuel power.

With elliptical floor plans, the concrete-framed towers

taper

like sails. Between them, three bridges span

approximately

32 m. Each carries a 275-kW turbine, located midspan.

Together, the turbines will meet 11 to 15% of the building’s electricity demand. That will be
equivalent to at least 55 tonnes of carbon emissions, according to the project’s local architect
and engineer. Full article

Daley Wants to Make Chicago the "greenest city in America:" Latest Efforts
Rubber Sidewalks, Solar Powered Bus Shelters

If you think Chicago's winter landscape is cold and boring, the city's new solar-powered bus
shelters and a gray rubber sidewalk might do more than help save the environment.

City officials unveiled the latest in a series of "green" technologies Wednesday—the first sun-
charged bus shelter, which officials say won't cost the city a dime, and a 550-foot sidewalk
made of recycled rubber. Full Chicago Tribune Article

How Not to Screw Up
Cautionary tales from the people who lived them

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pipe? Have you been there and done that? Share
your experience and hear tales from others through
CSI's audiocast series, How Not to Screw Up.

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