ASU POLYTECHNIC GREEN The new academic complex on the Polytechnic campus of Arizona State University (ASU) was built to withstand the insistent, erosive forces of the desert around Mesa, Arizona. "Being out on the eastern part of the valley, the site is very exposed and gets hit very hard with wind and rain," says Beau Dromiack, design leader for RSP Architects, the architect of record for the project. "It requires a durable architecture which we call 'desert tough.'" — Published 2009.0422
	AUTODESK UNIVERSITY #16 In his keynote speech for Autodesk University 2008, Tom Kelley noted that the more time you spend in an industry, the more expertise you develop; but at the same time, you begin to screen out information. He suggested that in these times of economic downturn, companies should take a more anthropological view and look beyond what they already know. Kelley quoted Marcel Proust: "The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." — Published 2009.0121
	PREDOCK'S ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL In New Mexico, sandstone walls, granite boulders cracked by tree roots, and time-blurred ruins of past civilizations all rise against a cold cobalt sky — variegated results of sun, wind, culture, and geology. Architect Antoine Predock cites such elements of the U.S. Southwest as influences on his design of the University of New Mexico (UNM) School of Architecture and Planning in Albuquerque. — Published 2008.1210
	SUPER SEISMIC MEDICAL CENTER The Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, currently under construction in Burlingame, California, will be the first "base-isolated" hospital in northern California. Built on isolator bearings with seismic dampers, the building was designed by Anshen + Allen to remain operational after a major seismic event. During an earthquake, the building can move up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) horizontally and two inches (five centimeters) vertically without incurring major damage. — Published 2008.0514
	ENGINEERING SIDRA TREES The Education City Convention Center on the outskirts of Doha, Qatar, designed by Arata Isozaki, includes a giant structure resembling two intertwined trees to support the building's exterior canopy. Used in lieu of vertical columns, the 250-meter- (820-foot-) long, doubly curved steel tree structure forms the signature entrance to the convention center, currently under construction. — Published 2008.0227
	AUTODESK UNIVERSITY NO. 15 In his main-stage presentation at Autodesk University 2007, Autodesk CEO Carl Bass cited several key trends in the world of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC): increased digitization, increased globalization, a boom in global building and infrastructure, the rising cost of energy, and climate change. He made the case that technology is required for more efficient and more sustainable design, building, and maintenance of that new infrastructure worldwide. — Published 2008.0130
	BENTLEY CONFERENCE A software user conference isn't always just about demonstrating new products. It can also be about the underlying vision of the hosting company. That was the case with the Bentley BE User Conference, held in Los Angeles in May 2007. Company spokespeople explained their philosophical approach to their upcoming platform release, code-named "Athens," and bolstered their announcements with examples of progress in building information modeling (BIM), sustainable design, and future research. — Published 2007.0627
	SUSTAINABILITY CAD STRATEGIES At the GreenBuild Conference in late 2006, Phil Bernstein, Autodesk vice president of Building Industry Strategy and Relations, announced that the software company would begin working with the U.S. Green Building Council to help architects and engineers more readily adapt their digital design processes to incorporate sustainability issues. — Published 2007.0328
	OPEN BOOK The new home of the Bridge Academy, a secondary school in a low-income area of Hackney, London, will be a complex seven-story, terraced building, fitted into a relatively small site. With a focus on mathematics and music, the school is one of many specialist academies being built by the British government. It is sponsored by UBS, a global financial services firm. — Published 2007.0124
	MEASURING UP WRIGHT What would you do if you were asked to build a house on a rocky island with only five pencil drawings to go by? This was the challenge given to Thomas Heinz, AIA, a renowned Frank Lloyd Wright scholar. The house he was asked to model and execute was designed by Wright in 1950 but never built. — Published 2005.1026

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