The Banner Gateway Medical Center in Gilbert, Arizona, was recently completed. The Seattle office of NBBJ designed the facility. Photo: Courtesy McCarthy Extra Large Image

Oakland · 2008.0528
Renovation of the Studio One Art Center in Oakland, California, is complete. Shah Kawasaki Architects of Oakland designed the project, which rehabilitated a historic facility within its existing U-shaped footprint, improving space for the municipal arts program. The official reopening is scheduled for May 31, 2008.

The front entrance was relocated to within the courtyard formed by the building's wings. The hardscape courtyard, with new tree-lined paths, provides space for outdoor performances and community gatherings.

Inside, wayfinding has been clarified. The floorplate was restacked to group programs with similar functions. Programs such as ceramics that require heavy equipment were moved downstairs; drama classes were also moved to the ground floor to allow clear entry after hours.

The renovation incorporated many sustainable design practices. The use of high-efficiency boilers, energy-efficient lighting and occupancy sensors, super-insulated roof and walls, and dual-paned glazing result in energy efficiency that is expected to exceed California Title 24 energy code requirements by 31 percent. The building also includes water-conserving fixtures, low-VOC finishes, cork floors, and the infrastructure to allow installation of rooftop solar panels in the future. Seventy-five percent of construction debris was recycled.

Austin · 2008.0527
The new Ronald McDonald House of Austin and Central Texas has received LEED Platinum certification. Eckols & Associates AIA of Austin served as architect on the project. Austin-based firm TBG provided sustainable design, site planning, and landscape architectural services.

The four-story, 28,500-square-foot (2,650-square-meter) facility, which opened in December 2007, provides a homelike environment for families with children being treated at local medical centers. Built on a brownfield site, the "house" includes 30 guest rooms, multiuse common areas and administrative offices, as well as rooftop gardens, a playground, and a picnic area.

The project includes numerous sustainable design features. Building orientation and shading devices allow daylighting while minimizing heat gain. The roof supports a 10.8-kilowatt solar array and three Hydrotech® "green" roof systems planted with native, drought-tolerant species. A combined HVAC system connects to the Austin Energy District Chilled Water Loop and ensures that air will not be shared between guests room.

Materials were procured or manufactured within a 500-mile (805-kilometer) radius of the site. The exterior includes such low-maintenance, no-finish materials as recycled steel, cultured stone, and concrete with high fly-ash content. Interior finishes include low- and no-VOC materials. Over 80 percent of construction waste was recycled.

Strasbourg · 2008.0513
The Collège Doctoral Européen des Universités de Strasbourg, located in Strasbourg, France, is now complete. Nicholas Hare Architects of London, United Kingdom, designed the building, which houses 102 student studios, as well as large lecture rooms, seminar rooms, administrative areas, an interior garden, and a caretaker's house.

A large, sloped, copper-clad roof covers a seven-story atrium. The curved roof follows the angle established by planning restrictions that protect neighboring buildings' access to daylight. The primary reinforced concrete frame of the main block was designed to take seismic loads. This structure then supports the large curved steel beams that support the roof. The solid facades were constructed using prefabricated hollow concrete wall panels that were filled in situ with mass concrete.

Full-height sliding louver panels in the student rooms create changing patterns on the west facade. Glazed double-height common rooms provide views over the adjacent botanical garden.

San Francisco · 2008.0512
Rafael Viñoly Architects has revealed its design for the Institute for Regeneration Medicine building at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Planned for a narrow hillside site on UCSF's Parnassus campus, the building will incorporate base-isolated seismic design. The UC regents recently approved the curved, terraced design.

Each of four split levels will be able to operate as a single continuous lab space, connected by exterior ramps. Features will include daylighting, views, and green roofs. A pedestrian bridge will connect the building with three nearby research and medical buildings.

LEED Silver certification is expected, and environmental performance criteria from the Laboratories for the 21st Century (Labs21) program, sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy, will be followed. Groundbreaking is planned for mid-2008, with completion expected in 2010. Josh Schroeder is serving as project director for the firm.

Richmond · 2008.0512
Construction continues on the Richmond Oval, a signature venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada. Cannon Design is serving as the prime consultant on the $178 million facility, located on the waterfront in nearby in Richmond. Sponsors have established LEED Silver certification as a goal.

The facility is topped by a massive 6.5-acre (2.6-hectare) roof, composed of 15 glue-laminated beams, each weighing 18 tons (16 metric tons) and measuring 330 feet (100 meters) in length. Arched trusses and rafters, and curvature in surface panels, give the roof a rippled appearance.

The 363,000-square-foot (34,000-square-meter) complex houses a 400-meter indoor track that will serve as a venue for speed-skating events; it is expected to hold over 8,000 spectators during the Games. Completion is expected in fall 2008.

Gilbert · 2008.0501
Construction of the $114 million Banner Gateway Medical Center (pictured above) in Gilbert, Arizona, has been completed. The Seattle, Washington, office of NBBJ designed the 360,000-square-foot (33,000-square-meter) medical center, which includes a five-story, 121-bed patient tower, a two-story diagnostic and treatment building, and a central plant.

McCarthy Building Companies served as general contractor on this 22-month fast-track project.

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