In 1954, the Monsanto Chemical Company provided funding to Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Plastics Research Laboratory to develop a futuristic house made of plastics. One goal was to demonstrate that a modular, cost-effective, and...
Like all Placetailor projects, the Fort Hill Passive House is built with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainable building practices. SGH designed the structure for the five-unit, multifamily building.
As one of Central America’s largest healthcare facilities, Vitta Center houses more than 200 medical clinics, a 100-bed hospital, office space, staff residences, and nearly 1,500 parking spaces. The three towers, clad in a combination of...
The City of New York’s Department of Design and Construction and Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) needed to expand and reconfigure their facility along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. By adding a new office building over the existing...
The Frank and Marisa Martire Business & Communications Center is home to the College of Business and Department of Communications and Media Studies. The design highlights its innovative facilities, including a striking lecture hall and...
Falling debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers (WTC 1 and 2) damaged the building at 7 World Trade Center (WTC 7) and ignited fires. After several hours of fire exposure, WTC 7 also collapsed. SGH analyzed the fire...
John Ringling opened his private museum to the public in 1931, sharing the art he and his wife, Mable, collected during their travels. Currently managed by Florida State University, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art needed more space to...
The Marcia & John Price Museum Building at the University of Utah was a collaborative, design-build effort between Prescott Muir Architects, VBFA Inc., and Layton Construction Co., Inc. In collaboration with the original project team,...
Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a significant work of contemporary architecture designed by Antoine Predock (circa 1991). The Civic Arts Plaza includes a professional working theater and city offices. Various areas required repairs...
The Idaho Cleanup Project involved installation of an Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) that implemented a prototype technology. The IWTU processes radioactive acidic sodium-bearing waste and converts it into a solid carbonate product. As...
In the March issue Interface – The Journal of RCI, Mary Arntzen and Derek McCowan discuss various modifications that may be made to aluminum-framed curtain walls to improve their thermal performance. This article discusses enhancement...
This presentation and associated paper describe the three most popular referenced ASTM standard tests, the purpose of the tests, common challenges of building-envelope-related infrared work, and methods that can provide additional accuracy...
Uncontrolled fire exposure represents a low-probability and potentially high-consequence event. The emerging field of structural fire engineering involves the explicit design of structural systems to adequately endure thermal load effects caused...
In addition to satisfying basic performance requirements, curtain walls installed in many health care and laboratory facilities are often required to meet more demanding performance requirements for durability, air and water...
Utilizing an inverted roofing assembly in which insulation is installed above the waterproofing membrane improves the waterproofing performance of vegetative roof assemblies compared to other common design approaches. This improved waterproofing...
Abstract: The primary purpose of thermal insulation is to reduce conductive heat flow through the building envelope, thereby lowering heating and cooling costs while minimizing the potential of condensation on or within building components....
By: Donald Dusenberry, Mlakar, P.F., Harris, J.R., Haynes G.A., Phan, L.T., Sozen, M.A.
Abstract: An overview of fire damage sustained by the Pentagon structural elements in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack is provided. The fire intensity in some compartments of the affected areas inside the Pentagon was approximated to be...
Abstract: As architectural products become more advanced, making comparisons between them becomes more difficult for designers. This is especially true in the case of fenestration products (e.g., windows, skylights, and curtain walls). The...