San Francisco · 2006.0808
San Francisco, California-based SMWM has hired Kevin LeMans as managing director as part of the firm's continuing expansion strategy. A LEED-accredited professional, LeMans has over 25 years of experience in such roles as regional manager, design principal, operations manager, and project manager. Past clients of his include PG&E, Genentech, Nike, and the University of California.
Las Vegas · 2006.0808
Frank Gehry has revealed his design for the $60 million Lou Ruvo Alzheimer's Institute in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to clinical care facilities for patients with Alzheimer's and other brain diseases, the five-story, 55,000-square-foot (5,100-square-meter) building will feature several educational attractions, such as a resource library and a two-story, 5,000-square-foot (470-square-meter) "Museum of the Mind." A curving, 75-foot- (23-meter-) high lattice of glass and steel will cover the 400-seat banquet hall. The main entrance design evokes a stack of building blocks. The facility will be located on a two-acre (0.8-hectare) parcel in the city's 61-acre (25-hectare) Union Park development. Construction is scheduled for fall 2006 through 2008.
Seattle · 2006.0807
San Francisco, California-based KMD Architects has promoted Christopher Rubright to director of healthcare design, a companywide position based in KMD's Seattle office. His recent projects include hospitals and medical centers in Seattle, Mt. Vernon, and Bremerton, Washington; Houston, Texas; Sacramento, California; and in Mexico, Bangladesh, and South Korea.
Durban · 2006.0807
German architecture firm gmp (von Gerkan, Marg und Partner) has revealed designs for three stadiums for the 2010 soccer World Cup in South Africa. The largest will be the three-tier, 85,000-seat King's Park stadium in Durban. The design features wind resistance and two stadium-long arches that will be become part of the city's skyline. Other plans include the 40,000-seat Nelson Mandela Bay Arena in Port Elizabeth and a 70,000-seat arena with a retractable roof in Cape Town. The three stadiums are scheduled for completion by 2009. The firm previously designed upgrades to stadiums in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Cologne for the 2006 World Cup.
Georgetown · 2006.0803
Construction continues on the $9 million restoration of the Williamson County Courthouse (1911) in Georgetown, Texas. Eleven Thirteen Architects, Inc. of Georgetown is the architect for the project. Demolition is almost complete, including removal of the third-floor drop ceiling to expose the original plaster ceiling. The brick parapet around the top of the courthouse is being removed, to be replaced by terra cotta pediments and balustrades. New copper has been applied to the rooftop dome. The 65-seat balcony in the district courtroom, which was removed in the mid-20th century for office space, will be reconstructed. The project, funded in part by a grant from the Texas Historical Courthouse Preservation Program, is scheduled to be completed in April 2007.
Lansing · 2006.0803
General Motors Corp. has opened a new $1.5 billion assembly plant on the outskirts of Lansing, Michigan. The 2.4 million-square-foot (220,000-square-meter) Lansing Delta Township Assembly plant is the largest facility and the first auto manufacturing plant in the world to receive a LEED gold certification. The roof features a special white polymer that reduces heat absorption and also special drains to collect rainwater for use in toilets. Some construction materials were reused from closed plants, others contained recycled content, and over 60 percent were from manufacturers within 500 miles. The site plan preserves 75 acres (30 hectares) of existing habitat. Alberici Group worked with GM on the design and construction.
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