Minneapolis building gets much-needed makeover

A proprietary extruded aluminum curtain wall is at the heart of the renovation of an office building in Minneapolis. The two-story commercial-industrial space houses DC Group, a firm that provides equipment and maintains uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems for corporate customers, including AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, Verizon, Microsoft, and Oracle.
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Battling the barricade

In the wake of any tragedy, society struggles collectively to process the loss. For some, it is the loss of friends and loved ones, but for most, it is the feelings of safety and trust that are diminished.
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Specifying the concrete slab to be polished

One of the biggest mistakes a designer can make when specifying polished concrete slabs is to state, “Concrete for polished concrete, including formwork, reinforcement, concrete materials, mixture design, placement procedures, initial finishing, and curing is specified in Section 03 30 00 Cast-in-Place Concrete.”
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Preparing for risk through resilience

Resilience is where the promise of sustainability and the real world meet. Unfortunately, this promise often goes unfulfilled as current industry trends favor cheap instead of durable. A first-cost mentality is simple, but when the wrong materials are specified, it can expose owners and occupants to higher risks.
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Library takes a page from LEED’s book

Design features incorporated in the Highland Hills library in Dallas, Texas, are allowing it to enjoy lower energy and water costs. The 1812-m2 (19,500-sf) building is one of seven Dallas libraries certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
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