Friday5 - October 9, 2020 - MillerClapperton

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10-09-20 info@millerclapperton.com tel: 770-941-8281

IN THIS WEEK’S FRIDAY5

There has been renewed interest in space exploration and habitability in recent years, which has led to conversations around design and construction on remote planets, including Mars and even the Moon. A collaboration among Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), ICON, a developer of advanced construction technologies, Search Exploration Architecture (SEARch+), and NASA, is seeking to develop a “space-based construction system that could support future exploration of the Moon.”

As the first off-Earth site for sustainable surface exploration, Project Olympus will be the first human attempt at extra-terrestrial construction. “In order to make humanity a spacefaring civilization, the project explores all the needed components, from landing pads to habitats.” You can read more about the complexities of the project below. Also in this week in tech, Architect Magazine explores using chitin – a polymer found in fungi and arthropod exoskeletons, like shrimp – as a building material when mixed with Martian soil for making tools and rigid structures on the red planet.

Location: Ellensburg, WA
Product: Reynobond FR (MCM)
General Contractor: Lydig Construction
Architect: Schreiber Starling Whitehead

Originally constructed in 1968, Dean Hall at Central Washington University was first renovated in 2008, at which time it earned LEED Gold certification and became the first LEED building on campus. The three-story, 77,353-square-foot building on the campus’ west side is home to several departments including Anthropology and Museum studies, Geography and Land studies, and the Resource Management program. More than a decade later, the building is undergoing another refresh with Metal Composite Material panels being installed along the parapet. MillerClapperton is fabricating 3,400 square feet of Metal Composite Material for the project.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has announced the winners of the 2020 Healthcare Design Awards, which recognizes project that “help solve aesthetic, civic urban and social problems while also being functional and sustainable.” A total of eight projects were selected in three different categories: built projects with a construction cost under $25 million; built projects with a construction costs over $25 million; and master planning urban design for healthcare setting. Pictured above is the Hampton County Health Clinic in Varnville, SC – a built project less than $25 million. Click below for a complete list of winners and this year’s jury members.

The concept of sustainability has evolved in recent years from a system-based approach to aid in the preserving of the environment to a more fundamental concern over human health. And, interest in sustainable green design and construction has grown as evidenced by ENR’s Top Green survey of top green design firms. There was a 7.5% increase in design revenue from projects registered with and actively seeking certification from third-party rankings. Sustainability remains a key factor in client thinking, and even before the pandemic, there was an emphasis on resilience and health, but recent events have acted as a catalyst.

Recommendation: Upcycling by Daniel Stockhammer
Reviewed By: Architect Magazine

Daniel Stockhammer, an assistant professor at the Institute of Architecture and Planning at the University of Lichtenstein, has released a new book, ‘Upcycling: Reuse and Repurposing as a Design Principle in Architecture’. The term ‘upcycling’ first appeared in 1994 according to Wikipedia, and refers to “adding value through reuse, rather than finding residual values in used or leftover materials,” which more aptly applies to ‘recycling’. The two are explicitly different.

He argues that: “The preservation and qualitative reuse and repurposing of existing building stock means: –architectural relevance is gained through complexity and multiplicity of meaning (instead of through form) –Identity, longevity, and historical and social continuity are bolstered –Knowledge of building culture and construction is secured – The simplicity, durability, and sustainability of building construction, building materials, and technology are challenged and promoted…” and questions “What structures and materials are suitable for keeping the processes open to enable that future buildings and construction waste can (again) be reused and repurposed?”

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