Ashley River Tower, designed by NBBJ, recently opened at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Photo: © Paul Warchol Extra Large Image

San Diego · 2008.0219
Two new buildings are complete on the campus of National University in San Diego, California. Architects | Delawie Wilkes Rodrigues Barker of San Diego designed the $7.4 million academic building and the $2.1 million National Polytechnic College of Science (NPCS), part of a series of campus projects by the firm. The two-story, 39,000-square-foot (3,600-square-meter) academic building includes classrooms, lab space, and a media production studio. The 7,300-square-foot (680-square-meter) NPCS building incorporates an existing two-story diving tank for training commercial deep-water divers. Michael Wilkes, FAIA, served as principal-in-charge for the firm.

Milwaukee · 2008.0215
Eppstein Uhen Architects of Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin, has promoted Rich Tennessen to executive vice president. Tennessen has been an officer of the company since joining in 1998. His background is in construction management.

Doha · 2008.0215
The new British Embassy building has opened in Doha, Qatar. Jordan & Bateman Architects of London, United Kingdom, designed the £11.85 million building, which incorporates several sustainable features, including solar panels, sun shading, and graywater irrigation.

Charleston · 2008.0214
The new Ashley River Tower (pictured above) has officially opened at the Medical University of South Carolina campus in Charleston. The Columbus, Ohio, and New York City offices of NBBJ partnered with the Charleston office of LS3P Associates Ltd. to design the $275 million facility for cardiovascular and digestive disease treatment.

The 156-bed, 641,000-square-foot (59,600-square-meter) facility includes a four-story diagnostic and treatment building and seven-story patient hospitality tower, with a garden atrium connector. The predominantly glass facade provides extensive daylighting. Spacious private patient rooms allow space for family visits, supplemented by family lounges on each floor. A central sterile corridor allows doctors and nurses to quickly cross between operating rooms during an emergency.

The tower is the first healthcare facility in the United Status built under new hurricane and seismic construction codes. A mockup of the exterior was tested under rigorous structural conditions.

Shanghai · 2008.0214
Seattle, Washington-based Callison has revealed its design for the Greenland Luwan development in Shanghai, China. The 2.9 million-square-foot (270,000-square-meter) mixed-use project will include six high-rise towers: three office buildings, a five-star hotel, and two 18-story towers housing a total of 52 high-end residential units. A three-story podium will comprise 592,000 square feet (55,000 square meters) of retail space. The development will also include parking for more than 1,240 cars. Construction is expected to start in August 2008 and be completed in 2010.

Atlanta · 2008.0213
Jerome W. Hovorka, vice president of architectural, planning, and interior design firm Rees Associates, Inc., has been named director of Atlanta operations. Hovorka has been with the firm since 1987. He previously led the firm's healthcare practice, and has contributed to such projects as the Johns Hopkins-affiliated Anadolu Medical Center in Turkey; the University of Oklahoma's Physicians Health Sciences Center Campus; and Saint Clare's Hospital System in New Jersey.

Jacksonville · 2008.0213
Construction continues on the JaxPort Operations Center for the Port Authority of Jacksonville, Florida. The 6,200-square-foot (680-square-meter) building incorporates 12 used ISO shipping containers, with a manufactured steel-frame structure on the building's interior. Completion is expected in June 2008.

The Jacksonville office of architecture, planning, and interiors firm VIA Concepts, LLC designed the project, with managing principal Tat Chan, AIA, NCARB, as design architect. The Jacksonville office of international engineering firm Halcrow lead the project team.

San Francisco · 2008.0213
Two principals in the San Francisco, California, office of SmithGroup have been promoted to vice president: Juhee Cho, IIDA, LEED AP, and William Loftis, AIA, LEED AP. Cho and Loftis co-lead the firm's San Francisco workplace studio. Eight associates in the office have been promoted to principal: Lise Barrière, OAQ; Heather Chung, LEED AP; Tim Hernaez, AIA, ACHA; Chee Keong Lin, AIA, LEED AP; Diana Kissil, AIA; Roxanne Malek, AIA, LEED AP; Irene Monis, AIA, LEED AP; and Chris Naughton, AIA.

Brooklyn · 2008.0213
Construction is complete on a renovation project at Brooklyn College's 1960s-era student center in Brooklyn, New York City. Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel, Architects, PC (GKV Architects) of New York City designed the project, which included the creation of five new multipurpose rooms totaling 15,000 square feet (1,400 square meters) on the sixth and seventh floors of the student center. Cold cathode-ray tubes with colored PVC stretch covers were mounted inside circular skylights to provide iridescent lighting effects.

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