The facility has been completely updated to meet the needs of today’s students in accordance with the school’s mission of ethical learning, academic excellence and progressive education. ARO has instilled the Tate Library with a spacious and open layout, to provide better access to books, information and technology and to foster a variety of teaching and learning approaches. The new layout comprises offices, enclosed collaboration rooms, open group work areas and individual study places. The ceilings are highlighted by custom glass fiber-reinforced gypsum and new LED lighting, and the fresh study environment is designed with maximum sound absorption and thoughtful placement of furniture to showcase ample daylight and views of the campus.

This comprehensive renovation of Tate Library at ECFS has morphed the iconic 1970 building into a learning commons that is a hub for the entire campus. In support of ECFS’s mission of ethical learning, academic excellence and progressive education, the building’s new open, roomy interior offers greater access to books, information and technology.

Keeping the integrity of the original stone and concrete building, the exterior changes include new windows with “bird-friendly” glazing and a new main entrance facing the campus quadrangle. A reworked interior layout, technology infrastructure, environmental systems, and LED lighting optimizes the user experience and also considers evolving future needs. Custom glass fiber reinforced gypsum (GFRG) ceilings in the open areas integrate lighting and complement the continuity of the space. Careful zoning of activities and acoustical treatment, as well as new enclosed collaboration rooms, offices and support spaces around the perimeter of the building, boost group and individual studies.

The main construction work on the 23,000-square-foot project took place from June 2017 to October 2018, and was overseen by Consigli.

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Officially launched on March 1st, the new endeavor will initially help K-12 clients implement all phases of a school bond program, including project identification, planning, design, construction and close-out. Over the next two to five years, the group will expand these services to clients in other markets such as higher education, federal and healthcare.

JP Grom, AIA, LAN’s vice president, will lead the 23-member group that over the past five years has managed nearly $1 billion in construction projects for notable K-12 school districts throughout the State of Texas. Among these standout projects are the $267 million bond program for the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District (ISD), Sheldon ISD’s $285 million bond program, Tomball ISD’s $275 million bond program, Marshall ISD’s $109 million bond program, Stafford Municipal School District’s $62 million bond program and a portion of Aldine ISD’s $785 million bond program.

“Almost every school district in Texas has experienced rapid growth over the last decade,” commented Wayne Swafford, P.E., LAN’s president. “To accommodate this growth, school districts are passing massive bond programs so students will have the environment and infrastructure needed to succeed in the 21st century. Creating this group will allow us to invest more resources and expertise to help K-12 school districts implement their bond programs efficiently under budget and ahead of schedule.”

LAN is a full-service consulting firm offering planning, engineering and program management services for major civil infrastructure needs across the nation. With more than 350 employees across the U.S., LAN is a national leader in the engineering industry and is consistently ranked among the “Top 100 A/E Firms” according to Engineering News-Record. LAN is a LEO A DALY company, an international architecture and engineering firm.

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DLR Group|Westlake Reed Leskosky’s design responds to rising student enrollment and growing interest in the arts, and furnishes much-needed space for UNR’s new and expanded arts programs.

The new University Arts Building expands the existing Church Fine Arts Complex, originally opened in 1962, and connects the two facilities into a seamless arts complex via a skywalk. The entrance showcases a multi-tiered lobby that joins the plaza, street, and bridge levels into a multilayered setting to present art, music and performance. DLR Group|WRL’s design utilizes the topography of the site in the heart of campus to create an active outdoor area that connects campus pedestrian walkways.

“UNR is known as a vibrant arts campus. This new facility solidifies the University’s commitment to the arts by not only adding a special venue to elevate performances and education of the arts, but also providing a building designed to expose the rest of campus to these wonderful activities within,” said DLR Group|WRL Principal Peter Rutti, AIA. “The University Arts Building will be home to world-class performances and major exhibitions the entire community can enjoy.”

Highlights of the new venue include a 287-seat recital hall, a unique electro acoustic composition lab for digital music production, recording studio, digital fabrication lab blending art and music disciplines, additional rehearsal and practice rooms, faculty offices and studios, and the University Art Museum. The electro acoustic composition lab features octophonic sound, with eight speakers positioned around the room that can work in unison or function independently to support the creation and performance of music.

“The breadth and depth of our campus continues to grow,” University of Nevada, Reno President Marc Johnson said. “The University Arts Building is an excellent example of the high level of energy and quality we have for our College of Liberal Arts, the School of the Arts and our University.” 

Funding for the $35.5 million building is a combination of private philanthropy gifts and University monies.

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new construction, renovation and adaptive reuse.

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The recently completed 63,250-square foot, $21.7 million building, located on the Armstrong Campus, was programmed, planned and designed by The S/L/A/M Collaborative (SLAM), along with associated renovations to the existing 46,000-square foot Ashmore Hall.  The official ribbon cutting was held on Thurs., Jan. 3, 2019 with such dignitaries as Gov. Nathan Deal and Don Waters, chairman of Board of Regents in attendance.  Waters College is named for Don, an Armstrong State University alumnus and his wife, Cindy Waters, who donated $2 million for the building.

SLAM’s team of programmers, planners, and designers worked closely with key stakeholders in developing a program that incorporates a new Simulation Center with high fidelity simulation labs and a clinical exam suite designed to provide hands-on experience in a space that reflects real-world medical environments. The flexible simulation rooms house sophisticated human patient simulators linked electronically with a robust AV system for detailed and extensive debriefing and learning.  The clinical exam rooms feature a Sonography Suite.

In addition to the Simulation Center, the new building houses nursing skills and assessment labs in the 8,193-square-foot St. Joseph’s/Candler Nursing Suite on the second floor, a large active learning multi-purpose space, classrooms, open collaboration spaces, student study rooms, shared lounge space, and active learning / teaching labs that serve many of the university’s programs, including cardiovascular interventional sciences, radiologic sciences, nuclear medicine, medical laboratory science, respiratory therapy, and, communication sciences and disorders. The renovated Ashmore Hall houses the dean’s suite, faculty offices, administrative space, lecture hall, classrooms, respiratory therapy labs, and biodynamics.

 The Health Professions Academic Building is sited at the edge of a growing west campus, where a new densely wooded landscape was pioneered amidst a protected wetlands environment. Site water management was considered at every stage of the project to protect the ecology of wetlands, while strategically draining the gently sloping topography. The style of the new building is modern and distinct, yet in conformance with the existing campus design motif and palette.

The final site design achieves the contextual goals of the project: a building thoughtfully situated beneath a dense tree canopy with a strong connection to the main body of the campus.

Construction was provided by Holder Construction of Atlanta.

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Designed to serve as a true community asset, the new facility will create opportunities for children and students to learn and develop their skills for the future. The youth recreation facility is designed with a variety of spaces, including a health and lifestyles room, youth/teen game room, teen career educational center, technology center, gymnasium/multi-purpose room with stage, art and music labs, art gallery, dance studio, reading areas, and a full demonstration/learning kitchen. The project is being supported through a donation of up to $4 million by Clarence Otis, former CEO of Darden, and his wife, Jacqueline Bradley, a Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida board member for more than 20 years.

The site is located in one of the area’s oldest residential neighborhoods, just west of downtown Orlando, and will be part of a new community hub associated with the adjacent elementary school, an Early Childhood Learning Center and a Wellness Hub. To create a visual connection to the outdoors, the building is designed with open glass throughout, along with balconies and terraces. With construction set to begin in May 2019 and completion slated for April 2020, the facility will be built on land leased from Orange County Public Schools. The facility will also serve as Orange Center Elementary School’s gymnasium. Brasfield & Gorrie, of Winter Park, Fla., will serve as construction manager for the project.

In addition, SchenkelShultz Architecture also designed the new $2.3 million, 12,665-square-foot expansion of the Joe R. Lee Branch Boys & Girls Club in Eatonville, which is scheduled to begin construction this month. Located at 400 Ruffel Street, the new addition will more than double the size of the existing 9,500-square-foot facility designed by the firm. When completed in October 2019, the Eatonville branch improvements will include a dedicated teen center, new technology labs, digital arts lab, dance-aerobics studio and more. The Eatonville branch is named in honor of retired Darden CEO Joe R. Lee. Aagaard-Juergensen LLC, Orlando, serves as construction manager for the Eatonville project, as it did for the original facility which opened in 2011.

The design of both the new West Lakes facility and the expanding Eatonville branch align with the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.

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The Green Schools Conference & Expo is the sole national event to unite all the players involved in making green schools a reality, while the IMPACT conference is the largest green building conference and expo in the Midwest — and attracts building professionals, sustainability leaders and change makers from across the region.

Zaria Forman documents climate change with powerful pastel drawings. She travels to remote regions of the world to collect images and inspiration for her work, which is exhibited in venues around the world. She has flown with NASA on several Operation IceBridge missions over Antarctica, Greenland and Arctic Canada, inspiring her art.

“Zaria brings a unique expertise in science, sustainability and art to this year’s IMPACT and Green Schools Conference & Expo,” said Sheri Brezinka, regional director at USGBC. “She offers an up-close perspective of the environment in remote places and will underscore the importance of addressing the impacts of climate change, which can be seen in all corners of the world, through the practice of green building.”

Forman’s work has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, CNN and PBS. She has delivered a TEDTalk and has spoken at Amazon, Google and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, exhibited in Banksy’s Dismaland and was the artist-in-residence aboard the National Geographic Explorer in Antarctica. Her works have appeared in publications such as The New York Times, National Geographic, Huffington Post and the Smithsonian Magazine.

“I make drawings of remote landscapes at the forefront of climate change. By sharing the beauty and sublimity of these remote places, I hope to energize viewers to help preserve them,” said Forman. “I am honored, and very much looking forward to sharing my work with a community that is helping to shape and inspire future generations to protect this earth that sustains us all.”

The IMPACT conference unites hundreds of industry leaders, experts and professionals to inspire, connect and advance sustainable building across the Midwest. Industry professionals attending IMPACT have a unique opportunity to enhance their understanding of the K-12 schools sector by also attending GSCE. GSCE is produced in partnership with the Green Schools National Network. As the largest gathering of green schools advocates in the country, GSCE offers an opportunity for attendees to learn creative strategies to support healthy, sustainable schools. The co-location of the two conferences will bring together experts from diverse industries within the green building world for a unique opportunity of collaboration and networking. The GSCE and IMPACT programs are now available online.

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Limelight is a wireless lighting control solution for outdoor and industrial facilities that provides remote control and management, conserves energy, and elevates facility safety. With the simplicity of its wireless fixture-level control architecture, it also helps ensure code compliance and streamlines the specification and design process.

In May 0f 2018, Lutron and TwistHDM announced a relationship that established Limelight by Lutron, adding a best-in-class wireless exterior lighting control offering to Lutron’s wide-ranging product line, which historically focused on interior controls and automated shading solutions.

Limelight by Lutron integrates data seamlessly into Lutron’s existing data and management platform, Enterprise Vue. That software, which offers a variety of metrics and alerts, allows a facility’s indoor and outdoor lighting to be controlled from a single dashboard and provides a solution for multi-building projects and campuses looking to control lighting indoors and out.

“With the construction industry increasingly turning to smart building IoT solutions, the addition of Limelight to Lutron’s brand portfolio gives Lutron a formidable range of lighting control options,” said Bob Niemiec, managing partner at Twisthink and TwistHDM.

Founded in 1961, Lutron Electronics is headquartered in Coopersburg and offers more than 15,000 energy-saving products, sold in more than 100 countries. In the U.S. alone, Lutron products save an estimated 10 billion kWh of electricity, or approximately $1 billion in utility costs per year. The company’s early inventions — including the first solid-state electronic dimmer invented by Lutron’s founder, Joel Spira — are now at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

Limelight was developed in 2008 by Twisthink, a strategic innovation firm, with one goal: to create the smartest outdoor lighting control system in the market. Limelight’s universal wireless modules are capable of working with any LED fixture, factory or field installed. The controls leverage occupancy sensing, daylight harvesting, event scheduling, and zoning to use energy only when, where and to what degree is needed, resulting in an energy savings of at least percent.

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While the 54-year-old Sharples Dining Hall is a campus landmark, the beloved facility has become too small to comfortably house the student body.

By converting the existing dining hall into a community commons space, DLR Group aims to generate enhanced opportunities for socialization between students, staff and faculty. The design will respect the historic character while elevating student life for future generations, according to DLR Group. A diverse range of spaces will be available for use, from individual study, to small group or large team activities, and integrated technology will allow for continuous connectivity throughout the building.

The new 800-900 seat dining hall will be designed with input from students, faculty and staff, according to DLR Group, and will offer a modern culinary experience. Together, the new dining hall and community commons will serve as a hub of activity and a cornerstone for social gathering on campus.

DLR Group will execute a comprehensive, 360-degree view engagement process to ensure all stakeholders have a voice in the project. The process includes campus immersion by the planning and design team via student, faculty, staff, and administration interviews, student focus groups, town hall meetings, and campus workshops.

In addition, DLR Group will research and explore various sustainable options to meet the College’s desire for a net zero solution, including energy reduction and production. Swarthmore’s existing 425-acre arboretum campus, which features rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails, will also influence the final design. DLR Group will use complementary materials and preserve the natural landscape surrounding the facilities.

The project is funded in large part by a 2013 gift from Giles “Gil” Kemp, Swarthmore College Class of 1972, and Barbara Guss. Design work begins immediately and construction will be completed in two phases. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2020 with a grand opening in fall 2022.

“DLR Group is deeply honored to be selected as the College’s design partner to transform campus life. This project touches every individual on campus and reflects the institution’s culture of embracing sustainability, diversity, and inclusiveness at its very core,” said Stu Rothenberger, AIA, DLR Group Global Higher Education Leader. “We look forward to engaging and collaborating with the entire campus community to explore what is possible as we push the boundaries of sustainable design.”

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The $13.8-million overhaul involves new construction, the demolition or renovation of multiple structures, as well as site improvements throughout the campus.

Noteworthy in the scope of services is the construction of a 12,261-square-foot building that will be the new home for Tarpon Springs High School’s widely acclaimed music program. A building formerly used for the program will be demolished.

Renovation activity will include, among other tasks, replacement of flooring and carpet, painting, new doors and hardware sets, canopy installations, new plumbing systems, improved acoustics, updated electrical power sources, new walls and ceilings, and upgraded HVAC systems.

Site improvements will provide courtyards and outdoor classrooms, new landscaping and sidewalks, storm water utility upgrades including improved storm water detention, and modified parking and drive lanes.

The project’s scheduled completion is July 31, 2019, and the architect of record is Rowe Architects of Tampa.

“This project is extraordinary in several respects,” said Curtis DeLaquil, JE Dunn senior project manager. “Rarely does the renovation of a high school involve work at 14 separate campus buildings. The site improvements are also quite extensive —from rerouting and restoring the school’s main entrance, to the unique challenge of removing and replacing the underground storm water piping system through the center of campus. It’s nothing short of a transformational project.”

JE Dunn Construction, founded in 1924, is the 10th largest domestic general building contractor in the nation, providing construction management services through 20 offices nationwide — including Tampa — and self-perform services in select locations. Rowe Architects is a nationally recognized architectural design firm based in Tampa based firm evolved from a practice founded in 1965 by the late H. Dean Rowe, FAIA. The firm has a successful history of providing quality professional architectural services on educational, institutional, commercial, multi-use and historic preservation projects throughout Florida.

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Popular with students since opening, the wear-and-tear on the CJL was to be expected. Spearheaded by Joshua Zinder, AIA, founding principal of JZA+D, the renovation project did more than merely replace the worn-out finishes. About 17,800 square feet of building area has now been completely refreshed — finishes, furnishing and fixtures — while mechanical systems and exterior building envelope including windows and front doors have been upgraded to reduce both energy consumption and long-term maintenance requirements. 

Perhaps most importantly, the building’s use during the project went largely uninterrupted, and the approach was highly cost-effective. Zinder’s team produced detailed, tiered recommendations along with associated budget impacts, and firm partner Mark Sullivan, AIA, developed phased scheduling to allow for continuous occupancy.

“Today, students and other users of the Center for Jewish Life experience better organized interiors, new signage and wayfinding. Also, improved lighting and artwork help bring the Center for Jewish Life up to the high standards that Princeton University consistently offers in all its campus facilities,” says Zinder, vice president-elect of AIA NewJersey. JZA+D also recently completed a welcome center for Rutgers-Camden.  

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