The Construction Specifier Express

June 21, 2022

‘Raumfachwerk’ wins Swiss airport design contest for inventive use of mass timber

The beauty of wood. The strength of steel

SPONSORED

Introducing IMPRESSIONS, a structural steel roof and floor deck with digitally printed wood-grain finishes so realistic you won’t believe it’s steel.

Second Brazilian plywood certifier facing injunction for inadequate qualifications

The U.S. Structural Plywood Integrity Coalition (USSPIC) has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction against certifier Forestwood Industries, claiming the company threatens to circumvent a permanent injunction against the importation of plywood from Brazil.

LEED Zero milestone highlights shift in U.S. green building practices

As of this month, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has issued nearly 100 net-zero certifications under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Zero program, representing more than 7,000,000 m² (23,000,000 sf) of space.

UIC School of Architecture appoints ‘creative powerhouse’ as director

The School of Architecture at University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) has appointed veteran architect and “creative powerhouse” Florencia Rodriguez to serve as director and advance the school’s commitment to the intersection of practice and theory.

NYC firm’s new school design creates open oasis amidst busy Chinese city

Architecture firm Studio Link-Arc was tapped to design Shenzhen, China’s Nanshan Foreign Language School (NFLS), an elementary and middle school campus which doubles as an open oasis in the middle of heavily urbanized space.

Features

Visible light technology

The COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent variants have focused the public’s attention on infectious disease and its transmission.

High-performance building envelopes

Deep energy renovations of commercial and multi-unit residential buildings are critical if cities want to tackle their climate emissions on a large scale.

DISCUSSIONS OF THE WEEK

CONTRACTOR SELECTION ON GOVERNMENT-FUNDED PROJECTS

My client is about to advertise for bids on a building project, which in addition to meeting state purchasing requirements is partially funded with federal relief money. There is consideration for requesting competitive sealed proposals (best value) due to current challenges in the supply chain. Obviously, awarding this type of contract takes more time than a private owner would, which increases price risk. I’m interested in any common-sense solutions which satisfy the purchasing requirement without overburdening the budget or later being unprepared for dealing with a request for increases which could not be anticipated.

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PRESERVING HISTORIC CONCRETE BALUSTRADE RAILS

I’m working on a unique project in which 100-year-old historic concrete balustrade rails are in need of repairs and refurbishment. Their surfaces are showing signs of wear and weathering, and I would like to clean the components, make repairs as necessary, and help protect them with some type of permeable coating. A petrographic evaluation has found the majority of the balusters and rails contain no course aggregate, and the binder is straight cement. There is a good amount of carbonation. The baluster grout had a relatively high water to cement (w/c) ration when cast, but 100 years of curing has resulted in a moderate hard paste. The sand has a slightly courser gradation than normally expected and consists almost entirely of quartz, with lesser amounts of quartzite, feldspars, and hematite/goethite. Any thoughts on what type of product(s) to use would be greatly appreciated.

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