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Architect Magazine - Jan 2019 PDF
Architect Magazine - Jan 2019 PDF
com
The Journal of the American
Institute of Architects
*•
Capture clarity.
Contents
Volume 108, number 1. January 2019.
On the cover: Making Sense of the Smart City; illustration by Rob Z.
Tech + Practice
22 Best Practices: Navigating Family Ties in the Office
25 Detail: Pudasjärvi School Curved Columns
26 Next Progressives: Future Firm
30 Products: How to Specify Steel Doors for Schools
32 Opinion: The Complexion of Legacy in Architecture
Editorial
104 A Bit Messy, and Better for It
by Ned Cramer
Volume 108, number 1. January 2019. architect® (ISSN 1935-7001; USPS 009-880) is published monthly by Hanley Wood, One Thomas Circle, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005. Copyright 2019 by Hanley Wood. Opinions expressed are
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Building Barriers,
Enhancing Performance.
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feature a joint system that provides double
protection against leakage, and rigid,
continuous insulation preserves R-value over
the life of the building. With impermeable
faces and completely encapsulated
insulation, the panels provide a weathertight
barrier to enhance the performance of the
building, allowing occupants to live, work
and play safely inside.
PERFORMANCE REDEFINED
architect invites you to submit new products for editorial consideration. Selected products will be published on
archlighting.com, on architectmagazine.com, and in architect’s April 2019 issue, which will be distributed at Lightfair and
other industry trade shows. Submissions will also be considered for product coverage by all of Hanley Wood’s brands.
Architectural Lighting
2019 Product Call
RECOGNITION ELIGIBILITY
Selected products will be featured in the April Newly released luminaires, light sources,
issue of architect with expanded coverage and lighting products are eligible for editorial
online at architectmagazine.com and consideration. We welcome submissions from
archlighting.com. Note: Submissions into the lighting companies worldwide, though your
AL Product Call are not guaranteed coverage. product should be commercially available in
the United States. Note: architect will not
publish products that it has already covered.
eldoradostone.com
Facade Designer: SHoP Architects
Structural Engineer and Facade Consultant: Thornton Tomasetti
Editor-in-Chief
Ned Cramer, Assoc. AIA
ncramer@hanleywood.com
@NedCramer
Videographers/Video Editors
Dan Tayag
Design Group
President
Ron Spink
rspink@hanleywood.com
Instant
202.736.3431
Advertising
West East Lighting/U.K. & Europe
Director, Design Market Director, Design Market Cliff Smith
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Suren Sagadevan Michael Gilbert 864.642.9598
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310.863.1153 773.824.2435 Canada
D. John Magner
Digital & Amplify Solutions Digital & Amplify Solutions jmagner@yorkmedia.net
Manager Manager 416.598.0101, ext. 220
With four consecutive Stanley Cup victories in its history, Mattie Hanley Erika Taylor
mhanley@hanleywood.com etaylor@hanleywood.com China, Hong Kong, Taiwan
the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a beloved fixture 202.380.3983 202.380.3942 Judy Wang
of Long Island life. When the owner of the 1972 arena decided judywang2000@vip.126.com
to reward fans with a renovation worthy of its storied past, Account Coordinator Account Coordinator 86.13810325171
Danielle Washington Heidi Pieroni
it reimagined the venue with an overcladding that would bring dwashington@hanleywood.com hpieroni@hanleywood.com Hanley Wood University/
new life to the facility. With a design by SHoP Architects 202.380.3719 773.824.2457 Education
Jim Bagan
and Thornton Tomasetti, the new folded-ribbon facade
Emerging Accounts Production jbagan@hanleywood.com
of composite aluminum fins connects to the original structure Sarah Mueller Production Director 773.824.2428
with a minimum of intervention, ensuring thoughtful reuse smueller@hanleywood.com Margaret Coulter
202.736.3619 Marketing
of a venue that still has a lot of wins in its future. Ad Production Coordinator Vice President, Marketing
Read more about it in Metals in Construction online. List Rentals Bernadette Couture Matthew Carollo
The Information Refinery
Brian Clotworthy Inside Sales Audience Marketing
brian@inforefinery.com Ad Traffic Manager Director
800.529.9020 Annie Clark Chris Lustan
Copyright 2019 by Hanley Wood. One Thomas Circle NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005.
202.452.0800. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written authorization.
All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
W W W . O M I N Y. O R G
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metalsinconstruction.org The AIA Architect section of this magazine is produced by the Institute as a benefit to its members
in partnership with ARCHITECT’s editorial and production teams. Please direct any questions or
comments to William Richards, Senior Director of Digital Content Strategy for the AIA.
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patent-pending MPBZ moment post base—now available in 4x, 6x and
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Born in Japan, she moved to the U.S. to attend the Cooper Union in the 1970s and has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
rAlpH GIBson
since 1995, where she was the first woman to receive tenure and chair the architecture department. She is Toshiko Mori, FAIA, and she
is the 2019 recipient of the AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion. Also honored last month were Richard Rogers, Hon. FAIA, with the Gold Medal;
Payette with the Architecture Firm Award; Robert Traynham Coles, FAIA, with the Edward C. Kemper Award; and Karen Braitmayer, FAIA,
with the Whitney M. Young Jr. Award. All awards will be presented at the 2019 AIA Conference on Architecture. —GreIG o’BrIen
> Read more about all of the 2019 AIA Honor Award winners at architectmagazine.com/awards/aia-honor-awards.
Craig Ranch Phase III, McKinney, TX Installing contractor: StazOn Roofing Architect: JHP Architecture
Material distributor: Roofing Supply Group General contractor: Amicus Construction Owner: Lincoln Property Co. Photographer: Tom Coplen
Material: Steel coil Colors: Weathered Steel, Zinc
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RIBA’s House of the Year 2018, Lochside House in the Scottish Highlands, by Cambridge, England’s Haysom Ward Miller, is three
AdAm Bennett
pitched-roof volumes and a detached studio constructed with local timber and stone, clad in charred Scottish larch, and finished
with white plaster, light-hued wood, and large windows. But Lochside House is not just a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It is also
completely off-grid, relying entirely on its own electrical, water, and sewage systems. The house beat out ones by 31/44 Architects,
6a Architects, Chance de Silva & Scanner, Liddicoat & Goldhill, Sarah Griffiths and Amin Taha, and Tonkin Liu. —AYdA AYOUBI
> Read more about the Lochside House at bit.ly/2018RIBAHouseOfYear and see more images at bit.ly/LochsideRIBA.
EUROPEAN STYLE
TAILORED IN AMERICA
THE ASI ALPACO™ COLLECTION
For the 15th year, the Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington, D.C., has named historic civil and human rights sites and
landscapes around the nation that are at risk of loss or deterioration due to lack of resources or development initiatives. The
class of 2018 includes Susan B. Anthony’s childhood home in Battenville, N.Y.; the Hog Hammock Gullah-Geechee community
in Sapelo Island, Ga.; and Blair Mountain Battlefield (shown) in Logan County, W.Va.—the site of a 1921 coal miner uprising where
10,000 workers fought for safer working conditions, living wages, and the right to congregate. —KatharinE KEanE
> To learn about all the sites named to the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s annual list, visit bit.ly/CLFSites.
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A team of Virginia Tech students and faculty beat out 14 others, selected from a larger pool of 60 entrants, to win the 2018 Solar
Decathlon Middle East. The only U.S. participant chosen to compete, the Virginia Tech team spent years on research and
development and then more than a month in the United Arab Emirates desert assembling the FutureHAUS Dubai. Billing it as
“the world’s best solar home,” the modular structure was shipped to the Middle East in five containers as pre-built, plug-and-play
“cartridges” that were assembled into the walls, floors, ceilings, and plumbing and electrical components. —KatharinE KEanE
> To learn more about the Solar Decathlon Middle East and the FutureHAUS, visit bit.ly/VASolarDec.
Steel reduces waste and features a material recovery rate Steel is the most The American
greater than 98%! Structural steel features an incredibly resilient material, Institute of Steel
sustainable manufacturing process. Consider these facts: designed to last, Construction
whether it’s exposed provides
The structural steel making process boasts to fire, blast, or the environmental
a 95% water recycling rate with no external ravages of time. And product declarations
discharges, resulting in a net consumption when a steel building (EPDs) for fabricated
of only 70 gallons per ton. reaches the end of hot-rolled structural
its life, the steel is sections, fabricated
Steel is the most recycled material in the
recycled and retains all steel plate and
world. Domestic mills recycle more than 70
of its fantastic physical fabricated hollow
million tons of scrap each year and structural
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steel has a 93% recycled content!
beams and columns These EPDs cover
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Steel production productivity levels are
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up by a factor of 24 and labor hours have
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Best Practices:
Navigating Family Ties in the Office
It is not uncommon for architects to aspects of a project, Felderman says he us. Spending time with him allows us to
keep business in the family by forming can hone his artistic vision. step away.”
partnerships with their spouses, Andrew and Jodi Batay-Csorba, the
children, or siblings. Below, several husband-and-wife duo behind Toronto- Leverage Your Connection
practitioners ofer advice for managing based practice Batay-Csorba Architects, Many design couples also report that
these personal relationships in the office. report that capitalizing on their dual their intimacy facilitates candor in
roles as designer and spouse can be their work, ultimately improving client
Play to Your Strengths particularly beneficial when working relationships and final products. “In a lot
For Stanley Felderman and Nancy on residential projects with clients of relationships, when you’re in love with
Keatinge, partners in life and at Culver who are also couples. “It’s disarming the person, you’re a little more cautious,”
City, Calif.–based Felderman Keatinge + for people to know that those types of Felderman says. “But we are not afraid
Associates, consciously acting as discussions are OK,” Andrew says of the to challenge each other [or even] our
teammates has ensured long-term conversations that evolve around daily clients, so they get to be part of our
success. “We have made it a point to routines and lifestyle. “Domestic space discovery process.”
emphasize that we work together,” becomes so personal, so to have the Keatinge and Felderman often
Felderman says of their 15-person people doing the design also sharing bring their dogs to the office, where
practice, which they founded in the that same relationship adds something.” their daughters also stop by and do
mid-1980s. “I think the key to success homework, thus creating a family-
is to bring each other into the fold.” Strike a Balance (or Try to) oriented environment that resonates
“Stanley has been incredibly For those in family businesses, it can in meetings: “That connection comes
supportive of me finding my voice,” be challenging to manage emotions, across in our presentations and makes
Keatinge adds. opinions, and biases stemming from the us more attractive to clients,” Keatinge
“We come from diferent places,” office and from home. “When two people says. “We feed of one another.”
Felderman says. “Nancy’s background argue in an architecture office, you For Anda French, AIA, and Jenny
is in theater and research, and she puts never think twice about it since [design French, sisters and principals at
people and emotion as well as utility and is] so emotional anyway,” Andrew says. Boston-based practice French 2D, “a
functionality first—and I value that.” With “But I’m particularly conscious of it as a bizarre twin mindset” facilitates fluid
Keatinge focused on these pragmatic husband and wife.” communication and collaboration. “We
He explains that it’s essential share a shorthand,” Anda French says.
> For more strategies to manage personal relationships in a professional setting, visit bit.ly/ARFamilyBus.
Out of sight.
Detail:
Pudasjärvi School Curved Columns
At the roof, the curved members special place in the Finnish architect’s 3. 0.5"-thick steel knife plate, 13" long
connect to neighboring columns via heart, and we are delighted to see a 4. 0.5"-thick steel X-shaped plate, 3' long
embedded steel knife plates with angled revival of wooden architecture going on 5. Ø12mm bolt (typ.)
13-inch-long blades. Lukkaroinen in Finland.” 6. Ø24mm bolt to floor (typ.)
> To read the full story of the Pudasjärvi School columns’ design and construction, visit bit.ly/ARPScol.
26
Next Progressives:
Future Firm
NewBrick delivers the classic beauty of traditional clay brick, with enormous
advantages in weight, ease of use, environmental impact, system cost, and
energy efficiency.
4
Future Firm
Next Progressives:
2
1
1. Designed for a site on Turtle Lake, Wis., this vacation residence is inspired by
6 a midcentury bungalow previously on the property. 2. Future Firm converted a
century-old medical office building into an artist studio, gallery, and office space
in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. 3. Lui and Reschke collaborated with New
York–based designer Andrew Heumann on this 2017 Times Square Valentine Heart
Design Competition proposal. Constructed like a scaffolding system, the team
5, 6: Courtesy Future Firm
hoped to evoke movie theaters of the 1960s and 1970s that “allowed for romantic
encounters in an era of necessary anonymity.” 4. Located in the Bridgeport
neighborhood of Chicago, the Night Gallery exhibition space features a street-
facing screen for projections of interactive websites, sensor-based installations,
or animations such as the algorithm-based “When the Drawing is Moving,” by
Rhode Island–based designer Carl Lostritto (shown). 5. First displayed at the 2016
“50 Designers, 50 Ideas, 50 Wards” exhibition at the Chicago Architecture Center,
the firm’s Rebel Garages research conceives a city alleyway as an alternative
community space. 6. The firm’s 2016 “The Uncomfortableness of Getting into Bed
With Others” alternative seating installation is designed to challenge one’s sense
of personal space.
30
Products:
How to Specify Steel Doors for Schools
Sticky fingers, kicks, bangs from opts for galvanized or galvannealed up to three hours. A polyurethane core
backpacks, and nonstop operation test steel exterior doors for schools. Both has better insulating properties, but
the mettle of every school entry and exit zinc-coated, corrosion-resistant alloys cannot be fire-rated. Steel-stiffened
door. Wood doors, while versatile and go through the same hot-dip coating doors are more durable, can be fire-
beautiful, generally won’t survive the process, increasing their durability. rated, and reduce sound transmission.
use. “A wood door can be gouged and Galvannealed steel goes through an Lastly, mineral core doors can reduce
scratched,” says Jeff Wherry, managing extra annealing (heat-treatment) process heat transfer dramatically, even allowing
director at the Steel Door Institute that makes its coating sturdier and more occupants to pass by doors unaffected
(SDI) in Westlake, Ohio. “If a steel door scratch-resistant. by heat from a fire on the other side.
is gouged and scratched, it can be
bonded.” In fact, steel doors are the only Classification Looks Matter
tested door type that has passed FEMA’s The SDI classifies steel doors as Steel doors can be given a faux wood
tornado tests, says Trent Turner, director standard duty, heavy duty, extra heavy finish with a clear coat that resists stains
of hollow metal marketing at Assa Abloy duty, and maximum duty. “We always use and graffiti. “[People think] steel doors
in Lebanon, Tenn. Even with steel tariffs [extra heavy duty], 16-gauge doors,” says are industrial and mundane, but if you
driving up prices, architects say that the Susan Wurdeman, a specifications writer look at some of the product offerings,
investment in steel doors will pay off. and associate at BRIC. “Sometimes we’ll you’ll see that there’s a myriad of looks
even go to maximum duty. … For schools, and styles,” Wherry says.
you need durable [products].”
Lites for Daylight
Hardware Steel doors can contain half-lites and
Steel doors can be specified with quarter-lites, or even be fashioned into
electronic hardware, as many schools Dutch doors. Panels can be cut out of
now require keycard access. Doors solid doors to accept a glass lite. While
can be prepped with power supply fire-resistant lites are available, the
cables that will plug-and-play with the cutout will cause a thermal break, which
building power supply, or have conduit may be acceptable if the ability to see
preinstalled so that an electrician can through the door takes precedence.
install wiring on-site, Turner says.
Certifications
What’s Inside Steel doors are tested by the SDI for
Hollow metal doors are available with “strength, quality, consistency, security,
five standard core types: honeycomb, weather- and fire-resistance, wear
polystyrene, polyurethane, steel- and tear, and longevity” to ensure the
deiRdRe MaLfatto
> To learn more about how to specify exterior steel doors for educational facilities, visit bit.ly/ARSteelDoors.
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32
Opinion:
The Complexion of Legacy in Architecture
otherwise inspiring and prestigious list the current support in the profession to
since its inception in 2009. But their lack heighten diversity in architecture—such
of representation extends beyond this as scholarships, grants, and mentorship
one list: African-Americans are outright programs—but much remains left to do,
missing from the profession. Of the more particularly as it relates to helping our
than 113,000 architects in the United minority firm owners create sustained
In 1947, my grandparents purchased a States, approximately 2,250 are African- legacies that will positively influence
modest Victorian-style home near Belle American—less than 2 percent of the their communities.
Isle on Detroit’s East Side, becoming profession in a country that is 13 percent My presidential platform is “ALL in for
the first black family to integrate the African-American. NOMA 2020.” By the end of my two-year
neighborhood. That house, in which I Consider the impact of this term, I would like to see greater Access,
lived until the age of 9, became part of underrepresentation in the communities Leadership, and Legacy building in
the fabric of a disinvested neighborhood in which many minority architects grew the profession, particularly among the
and, like many buildings in the area, was up—and may still reside. Are cities African-American community, which is
eventually demolished. One reason I better off with design authorship from the most underrepresented minority. As
decided to become an architect, at age architects intimately familiar with the NCARB reports unprecedented numbers
11, was to help improve my hometown as environment? Should communities of of minority students entering the
a whole and thus prevent more families’ color be designed and built by a diverse profession and getting licensed, we also
memories from being bulldozed over. team? Should every neighborhood need more opportunities for minorities
Today, my work is focused on creating benefit from diversity of thought and to grow into leadership positions, start
strong neighborhoods in which people experience in design? I think the answer their own firms, and build a sustainable
feel safe and empowered to build a to all of these inquiries is yes. legacy for the future. NOMA, for one,
good life. As an African-American According to the United Nations, offers year-round programming and
woman, I am acutely aware that the two-thirds of the world’s population will an annual conference to recruit talent,
affected neighborhoods throughout the be living in cities or other urban centers develop best practices, and educate
United States are disproportionately by 2050; the number of people living in designers on how to gain recognition for
black, while the profession tasked U.S. cities will grow from approximately quality work and prepare for succession
with envisioning their rebirth is 300 million to 400 million. Meanwhile, planning and legacy building.
disproportionately white. As the newly by 2045, this country’s population will When architects are empowered to
inaugurated 2019–2020 president of become mostly non-white, according design for the health, safety, and welfare
the National Organization of Minority to a recent study conducted by the of their own communities, they have a
Architects (NOMA), I hope to help Brookings Institute. personal stake in the work—and in the
ensure the success of minority-owned As cities redevelop to accommodate results. If we don’t support the future of
architecture firms so that they will be at this influx, architects will no doubt have a our communities with sensitive design,
the forefront of this important work. hand in building the future. But who will who else will?
As such, I was struck by the absence be these architects and for whom will
of African-American-led firms on the they build? Kimberly Dowdell, AIA, is an architect and
recently released ARCHITECT 50— As in politics, representation matters real estate developer in Detroit, and teaches at
a blemish that has existed on this in city building. I am encouraged by University of Michigan Taubman College.
> To read more opinion pieces by thought leaders in the design community, visit bit.ly/AROpinion.
California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA: QuietRock EZ-SNAP installation
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PABCO’s patented paper-free, viscoelastic polymer and
gypsum core boosts STC performance while speeding up
cutting time for the installer. Simply put, QuietRock EZ-SNAP
sound reducing gypsum panels are a cut above the rest.
Residential:
Elemental
group of guests for longer periods. The Collaborators: Alexander Frehse, José Esparza Chong Cuy, AIA, Carlos Portillo, Isaías
289-square-meter (about 3,111-square- Moreno, Clémence Pybaro
foot) house is crafted out of just three Structural Engineer: Luis Soler P. & Associates
Mechanical Engineer: Geocav
materials: reinforced concrete, wood, Size: 289 square meters (3,111 square feet)
and glass. Cost: Withheld
Third-Floor Plan
main living space underfoot. even closer. “Wood turns gray over 0 10 20
THROUGH THICK AND THIN.
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38
Residential:
1
Elemental
2 3
Cristobal Palma
1. The approach to Casa OchoQuebradas involves passing the blank concrete façade of the tower and
walking onto the roof of the main living level before reaching the front door on the tower’s other side. 2. Roof
terrace on top of the tower. 3. Floor-to-ceiling glazing on the southwestern façades maximize ocean views.
40
Residential:
1 2
Elemental
2
1. The master bedroom on
3
the main level can be closed
off from the living spaces
by a floor-to-ceiling sliding
door. 2. The central fire pit
on the main level can be
opened to the entire floor
via sliding glass doors,
and vents up through the
canted concrete volume
above. 3. On the second
and third levels of the tower,
a guest bedroom and guest
bathroom—lined entirely in
exposed concrete—flank
the straight-run stairs.
4. A circular staircase leads
from the entrance down to
the main living area on the
lower level. Despite the fact
that this level is set into the
hillside, the glass walls (at
left) allow ample light into
the kitchen from both the
open-topped volume over
the fire pit and the glazed
façade beyond.
Cristobal Palma
CONTINUING EDUCATION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
1. Illustrate the multi-faceted practical and aesthetic
benefits of horizontal insulated metal panels (IMPs)
in metal building envelope design.
2. Understand the various panel and trim options
available for insulated metal panels.
3. Examine how installation best practices and framing
requirements for horizontal insulated metal
panels impact building envelope aesthetics and
performance.
4. Evaluate the importance of and requirements for
on-site testing and product warranties.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
AIA CREDIT: 1 LU
AIA COURSE NUMBER: AR012019-3
Use the learning objectives above to focus
your study as you read this article. To earn
credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit
http://go.hw.net/AR012019-3 and complete the quiz
for free as you read this article. If you are new to
Hanley Wood University, create a free learner account;
returning users log in as usual.
Think about most metal buildings. In the past, INTRODUCTION TO HORIZONTAL compressing it and causing it to lose R-value,
architects and builders designed commercial INSULATED METAL PANELS or thermal resistance. The IMP eliminates those
and industrial facilities for practical purposes— issues.
Horizontal IMPs are two single skin metal panels
low-cost and easy construction made these
on either side of a factory-foamed-in-place The ease of installation is a key practical benefit
buildings popular for warehouses and factories.
core. There are two membranes, exterior of horizontal IMPs. Insulated metal panels are
Until recently, there was no role for aesthetics.
and interior, and the foam core. The exterior installed as a single monolithic element, allowing
Now, thanks to innovations in building membrane functions as the water, air, and for faster building completion in almost any kind
envelope design, metal buildings are growing vapor control layer. The interior membrane of weather without risk to system integrity, as
in popularity and architects are using them provides another layer of air and vapor control, opposed to multiple installation steps for other
in residential, office, retail, and institutional and the foam core provides a layer of thermal insulated wall systems.1 2
building designs. As design popularity grew, control. IMPs can be used in any climate
or environmental condition, making them Another practical benefit of horizontal IMPs is
so too did the emergence of gaps in design
adaptable to many building design projects that they do not experience significant thermal
and functionality caused by metal panel design
across different climate zones. bridging. Unlike conventional construction
deficiencies. These deficiencies caused lower
where the cladding is attached to the building
R-value, thermal bridging, discontinuities in air
Practical Benefits of Horizontal Insulated structures, IMPs have concealed attachments
barriers, and condensation.
Metal Panels within the insulation. Second, IMPs provide a
Horizontal insulated metal panels (IMPs) solve continuous air barrier due to specialty joints
There are several practical benefits to horizontal
these design deficiencies with the added and seams as well as concealed fasteners.
IMPs versus a conventional metal building
benefits of aesthetic appeal, faster installation, Concealed fasteners are preferred because they
cladding. In those buildings, insulation is draped
and easy maintenance. are incorporated into the double tongue and
between the panel cladding and structure,
groove and help improve thermal short circuit.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Additionally, discontinuities that often occur in CASE STUDY: UROLOGY MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDING
conventional construction due to the various
Project Overview: Urology of Virginia
layers (insulation, vapor, thermal) are eliminated expanded their Virginia Beach campus by
with the use of foam panels at corners, around 12,500 square feet to accommodate an
windows and doors, and any openings that give imaging center, ambulatory surgery center,
rise to air, thermal, and insulation gaps. cancer clinic, and additional exam rooms.
Project Specifications: 7.2 Insul-Rib™ and
Aesthetic Benefits of Horizontal Insulated
Architectural Horizontal Metal Panels in
Metal Panels Signature® 300 Silver Metallic color
Not only do horizontal IMPs offer several Challenge: Use a high-tech, modern aesthetic
practical benefits in metal building design, but concept for the new structure and maximize
available land by constructing the new building
they also offer versatile aesthetic advantages.
two inches from the existing structure.
There are a variety of panel profiles, widths,
Solution: Horizontal insulated metal panels directly
colors, and finishes to choose for design
addressed the two core challenges with their sleek
projects ranging from industrial to office appearance and higher safety regulations due to the Urology of Virginia, Virginia Beach Campus
buildings. Panels are also available in textured new structure’s proximity to the existing building.
finishes and custom colors, and horizontal IMPs A metal panel manufacturer supplied corrugated panels for the main entrance and stairwells and smooth
can be used with vertical panels and panels of panels for the third floor to add visual interest and break up the mass of the new three-story building.
different widths on the same wall. There are The 7.2 Insul-Rib™ panels featured a polyurethane foam core to deliver superior insulation, and the
many design possibilities, reveals, and profiles Architectural Horizontal IMPs were positioned with patterning aligned with the windows, enhancing
to choose from. symmetry and cohesion.
Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) thickness and spans between supports. There
standard unless otherwise noted. are various fastening options to increase the
negative load capacity of horizontal IMPs.
Thermal Transmission and Air Leakage
When it comes to deflection, or the degree to
In a measurement of the resistance to heat
which a structural element is displaced under
flow, or R-value, of a construction assembly in
a load, the maximum deflection criteria for
a guarded hot box, horizontal IMPs achieved
insulated wall panels is typically L/1807. Local
a rating of R-8.5/inch of panel thickness at
building codes should also be consulted for any
a 40-degree Fahrenheit mean temperature.
additional structural limitations, as the climate
Horizontal IMPs are generally available with
could impact load resistance.
R-value ratings between R-7 and R-48,
IMPs are available in a wide variety of colors as featured in the
Kickapoo Tribe Government Building pictured above.
depending on project specifications. INSULATED METAL PANEL USE IN
When measuring air leakage through wall panel METAL BUILDING DESIGN: PROJECT
Horizontal IMPs are also lightweight compared CONSIDERATIONS
joints, horizontal IMPs resulted in a value of less
to other insulated wall panel systems, and than 0.01 cubic feet per minute, per square Horizontal IMPs offer many advantages for
require less maintenance. Many offer additional foot at 20 pounds per square foot of static building owners, designers, and contractors,
choices for wall panel accessories, like pressure. This is in comparison to standard beginning with their practical use in many
continuous corners and aluminum extrusions.3 4 metal panels, which can have ratings of 0.003 applications. These include architectural,
Insulated Metal Panel Ratings cubic feet per minute, per square foot at 12 commercial, industrial, and institutional
pounds per square foot of static pressure. markets. In any of these project scenarios, IMPs
In addition to their practical and aesthetic offer better thermal performance, reduced
benefits, IMPs have been tested to various Fire Resistance
building operational expenses, faster dry-in
test standards to meet building code The surface burning characteristics of foam with a quicker manufacturing timeline, and
requirements and insurance listing agencies. core horizontal IMPs measure an average flame accelerated construction schedules. This means
These tests include ratings for fire, structural spread index of 20 and a smoke developed index that projects with IMPs can be completed faster,
strength, thermal transmittance, foam core of 350. The wall fire performance of horizontal using fewer raw materials in manufacturing,
properties, water leakage, and air infiltration. IMPs, measured by the American Society for and achieve superior performance.
It is important for architects and designers Testing and Materials, exceed the standard
to request the ASTM testing results for In addition, some IMPs can span greater
requirements of a maximum flame spread of 25
IMPs to ensure that the product meets their distances than single-skin panels and are fire,
and a maximum smoke developed index of 450.5
requirements for a specific job. Below are tested wind, hail, water, insect, and rodent resistant.
results for IMPs against various environmental, Structural6 With these advantages in mind, it’s important
fire resistance, and structural tests. All the for architects to consider several IMP design
The negative and positive load resistance
results have been tested to the American considerations that can impact the building’s
of horizontal IMPs will vary based on panel
structure and exterior envelope. Even the best
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
CONTINUING EDUCATION
product can suffer deficiencies if it’s ill-suited to needs. Exterior IMPs are standard 22 gauge, Proper alignment of the building’s structural
particular project specifications. and interior IMPs are standard 26 gauge with framing is critical to the successful use of
options for 24 and 22 gauge depending on the horizontal panels. Panel end support framing,
Design considerations should begin with
building’s use and location. as well as window, door, and other framed
project design loads. The architect or designer
openings must be located exactly as detailed,
should know the project design loads, then use Horizontal IMPs achieve superior R-values
plus or minus one-eighth of an inch, to ensure
the load tables to determine necessary panel due in large part to the foam insulated core.
that the panels properly fit on each wall. It is
thickness—which should be based on the The foam core provides enhanced energy
also critical that all inside and outside corners
required R-value—and width, profile, and gauge. efficiency through double tongue-and-groove
are square and plumb, plus or minus one-eighth
Once architects have determined project design interlock combined with vapor seal mastic in
of an inch in twenty feet. Architects must
loads, the next step is to choose the appropriate the grooves. These characteristics combine to
decide where they want the vertical panel
metal panel thickness and width. There are many increase thermal performance and eliminate air
joints. And, where ever the panel starts and
options to choose from, including: and moisture intrusion, if the sealant is applied
stops, double studs are required.
• 24 to 42 inches width properly. Compared to a field assembled glass
fiber insulation system, the foam core of IMPs STRUCTURAL ALIGNMENT
• 1 to 53 feet run, depending on geometric offers an R-value that achieves more than twice
requirements the amount of energy efficiency.5 Proper alignment of the structural members to
• 2 to 6 inches thickness which the panels are to be attached is critical.
When designing metal buildings, choosing Before beginning installation of wall panels, verify
• Flat, embossed with a pattern, or striated materials that improve building strength is that all structural framing is properly aligned.
appearances an important consideration. The structural
strength of horizontal IMPs is extremely solid To allow for the proper fitting of the vertical
There are multiple wall profiles available,
due to the composite action between the flat joint assemblies, the structural supports at the
depending on project requirements. For
facings and foam core. For example, a 2-inch panel ends must be positioned and plumbed to
example, when architects choose the same
panel can satisfy most wind load requirements within plus or minus one-eighth of an inch of
panel thickness, width and panel profiles
in the range of 20 to 30 pounds per square the specified spacing. Once these supports are
can vary and still engage with each other.
foot and can be met with 7 to 10-foot span verified to be properly installed, pull a string line
Picture this design setting that’s possible with
conditions. Panel thickness will vary depending between them to ensure that the intermediate
horizontal IMPs: an architectural flat panel can
on the thermal requirements and structural structural supports are in line. Any structural
be used for the lower portion of the building,
span tables; however, narrow panels tend to be members that are inside of the string line will
and half-way up a striated panel is used to
stronger because there are more fasteners per cause the wall panels to bow inward, resulting
contrast profiles and design. Profiles range from
square foot of panel area. It is recommended in panel stress and oil canning, and possibly
flat exterior to stucco embossed and more,
that the typical wall or roof panel attachments thermal buckling.
depending on project specifications and design
should be a minimum of 16-gauge steel.5 • Panel tolerance varies according to the
structural support spacing, though the
substructure must not allow installed
panels to bow inward of the steel line.
• Support spacing over 8'–¼" out-of-plane
tolerance (Outward Only)
• Support spacing between 8' and 4'—1/8"
out-of-plane tolerance (Outward Only)
• Support spacing less than 4'—1⁄16" out-of-
plane tolerance (Outward Only)
Using horizontal insulated metal panels in
a variety of construction settings has clear
practical and aesthetic benefits. They achieve
optimal building code ratings, help improve
a building’s energy efficiency, and allow for
flexibility in design. In the next section, learn
just how flexible horizontal IMPs are with their
variety of panel and trim options.
Visually, horizontal IMPs are extremely 6. The Dynamic Water Penetration Test (AAMA 501.1) is used to evaluate:
appealing because their flush appearance a. Water penetration of windows, walls, and doors using dynamic pressure
provides a monolithic look well-suited for b. Structural adequacy of external wall systems’ ability to withstand water penetration and air leakage
high-profile architectural applications. c. Water-tight seals of large glass areas
Available panel profiles include8: d. Water penetration of curtain walls
• Smooth/Flush • Ribbed
7. Options for corner panels in horizontal IMPs include:
• Embossed • Stucco a. Pre-formed b. Rubber gasket
• Striated c. End fold detail d. Vertical joint trim
e. All of the above
The design flexibility of horizontal IMPs cannot
be understated. From a variety of color and 8. Structural design elements such as long panel lengths, dark colors, and attachment to structural elements that may
finish options to choices in reveal, trim, facings, deflect under load can each cause excessive oil canning or stress buckling of the exterior panel skin due to:
and corners, architects and designers can a. Thermal bow b. Water infiltration
incorporate many different looks. As mentioned c. End case details d. Rubber gasket penetration
Ä This article continues on panels and other products. With its large product selection and full engineering and design capabilities,
http://go.hw.net/AR012019-3. Go online MBCI supports both the design community and customers from project conception through project
completion. www.mbci.com
to read the rest of the article and complete
the corresponding quiz for credit.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
CONTINUING EDUCATION
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this program, participants will be able to:
1. Examine the need to reduce the environmental impact of buildings and the global
demand for product transparency in the building industry.
2. Describe the relationship between Product Category Rules (PCRs), Life Cycle
Assessments (LCAs), Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), Health Product
Declarations (HPDs), and Declare Labels.
3. Identify how product transparency reports such as LCAs, EPDs, HPDs and Declare
Labels help meet the demand for product transparency.
4. Understand how to interpret product transparency reports and apply these tools to
specify sustainable and healthy building products.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
AIA CREDIT: 1 LU/HSW
AIA #: AR012019-1
GBCI CREDIT: 1 CE
IDCEC CREDIT: .1 CEU
ASPE CREDIT: 0.10 CEU
Use the learning objectives above to focus your study as you read this
article. To earn credit and obtain a certificate of completion, visit
http://go.hw.net/AR012019-1 and complete the quiz for free as you read
this article. If you are new to Hanley Wood University, create a free learner
account; returning users log in as usual.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF BUILDINGS their time indoors, compounding the health competitive advantage and revenue increase.
AND THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY effects of poor indoor environmental quality Cost reduction is accomplished by optimizing
caused in part by these chemicals. material energy and resource use across the
The construction industry and the operations
value chain. Risk management seeks to comply
and maintenance of buildings have an BUSINESS DRIVERS FOR SUSTAINABILITY with regulation, mitigate risk from materials and
enormous environmental impact. According to
Sustainability initiatives have developed processes of concern, and gain visibility into the
the Rocky Mountain Institute, “In the United
throughout the corporate world and are now supply chain. To gain competitive advantage
States, building operations such as lighting
widely accepted as a core business value rather companies may enhance their brand and
and HVAC are responsible for 73 percent of
than a temporary trend. Customers, investors, reputation and appeal to employees, customers
the country’s electricity consumption and 38
environmental interest groups and governments and investors. Revenue increases are seen when
percent of all CO2 emissions. And, according to
are taking a greater interest in sustainable customer preferences for sustainability labeled
the U.S. Geological Survey, “Building operations
companies. According to a 2011 global goods are fulfilled and new sustainable product
use 13.6 percent of all potable water, which is
McKinsey Study, 73 percent of executives say portfolios are built.
roughly 15 trillion gallons of water per year.”
In addition, the multitude of chemicals used in sustainability is a priority on their CEO’s global
INTRODUCTION TO TRANSPARENCY REPORTS
building products and construction are having agenda. Sustainability objectives are changing
a detrimental effect on the health, safety and from managing reputation and compliance Architects and designers are increasingly
welfare of building occupants. Unfortunately, to creating business value. CEO’s say business seeking high-profile projects and insisting
Americans spend approximately 90 percent of drivers include cost reduction, risk management, on certifications that take a whole-building
LEED v4’s more stringent requirements raise the bar for project
teams and building product manufacturers to more holistically assess
environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of a product.
well as the intended application of the results a. Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—EPD
and the intended audience. The scope of an LCA b. Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Sourcing of Raw Materials
is used to specify the reason for conducting the c. Building Product Disclosure and Optimization—Material Ingredients
study, including identifying a product’s function, d. Building Life Cycle Impact Reduction
determining the intended audience and how 2. What is the first step in creating an Environmental Product Declaration?
the results will be used, and setting system a. Conduct the LCA b. Search for an available PCR
boundaries (cradle-to-gate, cradle-to-grave, c. Verify the EPD
gate-to-gate). The goal and scope also identify
data requirements to ensure the results are 3. A _______ is a “snapshot in time” that measures the product’s burdens, including what goes and what goes out across
reliable. Finally, the goal and scope acknowledge the product life cycle.
a. PCR b. LCA
study assumptions and limitations and establish a
c. EPD d. HPD
time and geographic reference.
A Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Analysis collects, 4. In a Life Cycle Assessment the ___________ step collects, validates and aggregates input and output data to quantify energy,
water and material use, and environmental discharges and waste such as air emissions, solid waste disposal and wastewater
validates and aggregates input and output data discharges associated with each life cycle stage.
to quantify energy, water and material use, and a. Goal and Scope b. Life Cycle Inventory Analysis
environmental discharges and waste such as air c. Life Cycle Impact Assessment d. Interpretation of Results
emissions, solid waste disposal and wastewater
discharges associated with each life cycle stage. 5. _______ provide increased transparency on products consumers are requesting and allow consumers to make side-by-side
comparisons of products.
A sensitive step in this calculation process is the
a. PCRs b. LCAs
allocation of flows such as releases to air, water
c. EPDs d. HPDs
and land.
Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) assesses 6. Which environmental impact does an EPD report?
Sloan is the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial plumbing systems. Sloan has been at the forefront
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AIA Architect
AIAVoices
PHOTOGRAPHY: TONI GREAVES
A Recipe for Since its foundation almost 25 years ago, to the community. I think affordable housing
Carleton Hart Architecture has been immersed tends to be more sensitive to its surroundings
Housing Equity
in the field of affordable housing, working than market-rate development.
closely with nonprofit developer clients that I met a memorable housing advocate at a
serve people and communities in the area. conference last year, a priest who had gotten
Affordable housing can foster One of those clients, Northwest Housing into housing through his church’s mission. He
long-term investment. Alternatives, brought [the Buck-Prager] spoke about his own work and described how
project to us, knowing we have experience people want a magic bullet for the housing crisis,
Michelle Black, aia, is a senior associate at with affordable housing, historic buildings, but the solution is going to be more like a recipe.
Carleton Hart Architecture in Portland who and complicated project structures; this one We will have to deploy multiple techniques
is well-versed in both affordable housing touched all three. The site, located in Portland’s for each unique situation: from permanent
and historic preservation. One of her recent Northwest District, is a high-opportunity area supportive housing to temporary family shelters,
projects highlights the crossover between within walking distance of public transit, shops, zoning incentives to bond dollars, workforce
those areas: the Buck-Prager Building, a healthcare, and the social services located training to healthcare services, and beyond.
1918 structure that was formerly a maternity downtown. It offers everything you’d hope I see rehabilitation and reuse of existing
hospital and is being redeveloped as affordable for in an urban neighborhood, which means building stock as an important part of that
housing. Like many cities, Portland is in the it’s exactly the kind of area that low-income recipe. There is intrinsic value in existing
middle of a housing crisis, and expertise like citizens stand to gain the most from but usually structures, both financially and architecturally.
Black’s is a necessary part of the solution. cannot afford to live in. That being said, older buildings—specifically
I’ve been lucky to work with great historic buildings—often require extensive
As told to Steve Cimino affordable housing clients who are sensitive upgrades to meet current codes. There is a
to both their residents’ needs and to the point where what you’re gaining is outweighed
neighborhoods that they’re building in. These by what you have to overcome. It’s not a magic
are clients that have long-term relationships bullet, but it can be an important part of any
with specific areas; they care about adding affordable housing strategy. AIA
51
Registration opens
January 16!
conferenceonarchitecture.com
Image: Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau
AIANow
leaders report that virtual and AR are a disruptive technology in many fields, and architecture is
no exception. According to AIA’s 2018 Firm Survey report, 16 percent
and augmented reality will of architecture firms, including two-thirds of firms with more than 50
be one of the biggest trends employees, already use virtual reality in their practice.
impacting the industry over The science behind the impact of the accelerated use of VR and AR
on the brain is still outstanding, but clearly firm leaders are eyeing it as
the next five to 10 years. a technology trend coming their way.
53
AIA Architect JANUARY 2019 AIA FEATURE
AIAFeature
54
AIA FEATURE JANUARY 2019 AIA Architect
The technological revolution that is just beginning to hit the AEC industry has
the potential to dramatically lift profitability for firm owners—and in doing so
lift compensation for architects. To get there, firms will need to have a better
strategic vision of how to harness these technologies to make the design process
more efficient.
Architects, as well as the entire AEC Productivity is the measure of how much zoning and code compliance, historic
industry, have been on a solid run over the past output can be produced in a given period of preservation, and sustainable design—and
several years. Since the current construction time. Since it is fundamentally a manufacturing providing planning and predesign services
recovery began in 2011, spending on concept, productivity is a bit trickier to apply as well as post-construction operations and
construction projects nationally has increased to service industries like design because maintenance services.
almost 10 percent per year and, as a result, quality is integral to determining the value of Since design activity doesn’t always show
payrolls at architecture firms have increased a service. The quality of one’s work is often up as increased building space, firms more
about 4.5 percent annually. As a profession, more important than the quantity. However, traditionally look at net revenue per employee
architecture is almost back to where it was the basic relationship is the same: If architects as a proxy for the concept of productivity.
when the Great Recession began in 2008. produce more high-quality services, firms will Conceptually, this measure makes sense,
Business conditions have been so good generate more revenue. since the services that clients are willing to pay
that we may not have noticed that the design Even with the significant complexities for are probably a reasonable measure of an
professions are still stymied by many of the that surround the measurement of architects’ architect’s productive activity. However, even
same old business problems. Fees continue to productivity, there are good reasons to factor this measure doesn’t paint a very favorable
be under tremendous pressure, even though this concept into the analysis of how well the picture for trends in architect productivity. Net
many firms have more work than they can profession is performing. On its face, the results revenue per employee (adjusted for inflation)
comfortably handle. Maintaining profitability are not good. Twenty years ago, architects, as has increased only modestly in recent years—
remains a challenge for a significant share of a profession, were designing almost 20,000 less than 1 percent per year on average between
firms. Compensation for architects continues square feet of nonresidential space in the U.S. 2005 and 2017. For larger firms, this measure of
to be well below that of other professions for each architectural position at U.S. firms. productivity declined over this period (Figure 1).
with comparable educational requirements; Currently, this figure is just half that, under
architects bemoan the fact that many of 10,000 square feet per architectural employee. Emerging Technologies and
their college classmates who chose careers However, this situation is not as bad as it Improvements in Productivity Gains
in law, medicine, business management, or appears. Architects are doing more building
technology had higher starting salaries than renovations and retrofits, which don’t increase In most industries, new technologies have been
they likely will see even after 15 to 20 years of the amount of building space. They are also the critical pathway to increased productivity:
architectural practice. providing clients with additional design Think Henry Ford and the automotive
There are many reasons why architectural services that don’t directly translate into assembly line that allowed workers to focus
practice remains challenging from a business additional space—including space planning, on a single repetitive task, or more recently,
perspective. Phillip Bernstein, an associate
dean and senior lecturer at the Yale School
of Architecture, points to the architecture FIGURE 1: Net Revenue per Employee Has Increased Only Slightly Over Past Decade
business model as the chief culprit. Many Revenue per employee, in thousands, average across all firms, in 2017 dollars.
AIAFeature
CONTINUED
computers, the internet, smartphones, and—in generally accepted technologies is surprisingly their enthusiasm, however, the emerging
the case of architects—AutoCAD and BIM. long and unpredictable. technological revolution is likely to have
While there may be some debate as to The adoption cycle for BIM is a good minimal impact on architect productivity for
whether design software has made architects example. An AIA survey estimated that in the foreseeable future for three reasons:
more productive, increasing productivity 2005 about 10 percent of architecture firms • Firms have a difficult time not only
in service industries like architecture is a were using BIM on billable projects. Since implementing productivity improvements
challenging task. Technology may improve the then, it has come to be viewed as the industry but even assessing whether productivity
quality of the service provided (better building standard and it is used by virtually all firms is a major concern that they should be
designs) but not the quantity provided (more with 50 or more employees. But as of 2017, addressing;
building designs). For architecture, like many fewer than half of all U.S. architecture firms • To the extent that they view productivity as
service industries, quality is often difficult to reported using BIM on billable projects, and a concern, firm leaders generally focus on
measure. over a quarter of firms don’t use BIM and have more immediate and tangible fixes, not on
Still, several new technologies currently no plans to use it in the future. introducing unproven technologies where
being developed and applied could Still, architects are confident that many the benefits are unlikely to be realized for
dramatically affect the productivity of of these emerging technologies will have a many years; and
architects, including: significant impact directly on architecture • Many architecture firms strive to be
• Virtual reality, augmented reality, and or on the AEC industry more broadly over perceived as technologically sophisticated.
real-time rendering: to visualize, test, and the coming decade. In a survey conducted in This goal may encourage them to remain
validate designs; April 2018, architect respondents were asked fluent with emerging technologies, but not
• 3D printing: for design models and, which emerging technologies would have a to encourage them to actually implement
potentially, on-site production of significant impact on the AEC industry over the technologies in their practices.
construction products; the next five to 10 years. Almost two-thirds felt
• Big data and predictive modeling: to that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality Also, given that productivity of architects
monitor consumer behavior, construction (AR) would become popular technologies, is difficult to measure, it’s easy for firms to
processes, and project history; likely because of the growing adoption of think that their productivity is better that it is.
• The internet of things, including sensors BIM that facilitate the use of these related In a recent survey of architecture firms, most
that generate data: to control systems and applications. Other technologies were viewed felt that their firmwide productivity levels
monitor behavior; and as being almost as significant, with the internet had increased over the past few years. When
• Artificial intelligence and machine of things, enhanced construction materials, asked how they would rate their architecture
learning: to generate best practices and and off-site construction processes viewed as staff ’s productivity compared to that of their
prototypes. having a very significant impact on the AEC peers, only one in six firms felt that their staff
industry over the next five to 10 years by more was less productive than that at their peers,
Architecture is not the only field that is than half of architecture firms (Figure 2). a third felt that they were as productive, and
witnessing a revolution of new technologies. half felt that they were more productive. Many
Others could dramatically change the The Productivity Disconnect firm leaders thus must be overestimating the
construction process or the environment in productivity of their staff.
which design and construction occur. These These results suggest that architects are Even though architecture firms generally
emerging technologies include: surprisingly bullish regarding the potential believe that their productivity will increase in
• Enhanced construction materials: impact of emerging technologies on design the coming years and recognize the potential
such as specially cured concrete, practice and construction techniques. Despite of these emerging technologies to reshape the
smart fenestration, microbiology,
nanotechnology;
• Robotics, automation, drones, and FIGURE 2: Emerging Technologies are Predicted to Impact the Industry Over the Coming Decade
Share of firms rating trend as “very significant” in terms of impact to AEC industry over next 5-10 years
industrialized design: to improve
productivity in construction;
• Off-site construction processes: such
VR/AR
as prefabrication, modularization, and
preassembly; and I-o-T
• Autonomous vehicles: that will influence Enhanced construction materials
building designs, use of space, and
locational choices. Off-site const.
3D printing
However, most of these emerging
technologies are largely unproven in terms of Robotics/automation/drones
how they could influence the AEC industry. Big data
And even if there were a consensus that a
AI
technology could potentially reshape the
profession, the timing of that change is Autonomous vehicles
unknown. The time frame for the adoption of 0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
56
PERSPECTIVE
AIA FEATURE JUNE 20152019
JANUARY AIA Architect
profession, most focus on more immediate performing better recently, with above-average productivity and firm profitability, and more to
issues to improve their practices’ day-to-day revenue growth for 2018 as well as above- do with the fact that productive and profitable
operations. For example, most architects use average profits for the year (Figure 3). firms are more likely to promote an image of
smartphones and tablets on projects, and It may be that the adoption of emerging being on the leading edge of pursuing new
most use cloud computing to make project technologies has less to do with staff ideas. AIA
information more accessible. By way of
contrast, however, very few use VR or 3D
printing for billable project tasks.
When asked in a recent survey to identify
FIGURE 3: Technologically Sophisticated Firms Have Been More Profitable
one thing that they would do to improve
2018 profitability by perceived technological sophistication, average percent across all firms
productivity at their firm, access to emerging
technologies was rarely mentioned. Only
5 percent of firms mentioned anything that
had to do with technology, and most proposed All firm average
innovations that involved enhancements to
their current AutoCAD and BIM systems, not
an implementation of any new and emerging
Moderately sophisticated
technologies.
Instead, firms were quick to point to the
need for improved training or professional
development for their staff. Over a third of Fairly sophisticated
firms listed the need to hire more experienced
staff as their single best action to improve
productivity. Improving project management, Very sophisticated
coordination, and communications among
the project team was the next most commonly
desired productivity enhancer, listed by 0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
more than a quarter of firms. Improving firm
strategy, operations, systems, and management
resources was a common response, with FIGURE 4: Potential Productivity Enhancements for Design and Construction
almost 20 percent of firms selecting an
action in this category. Avoiding nonbillable
outside distractions (such as texting, email,
and social media), better cooperation from
01 02 03
clients in making key project decisions, better
definition of the scope of projects, and avoiding Off-site construction Artificial Big data/predictive
overdesign were also mentioned. processes intelligence/ modeling
While harnessing emerging technologies machine learning
doesn’t seem to be a prime motivation for
improving productivity at firms, developing
or maintaining technological proficiency is a
priority for many. When asked to characterize
the degree of technological sophistication 04 05 06
among their staff and at their firm on a
five-point scale—from “not technologically Virtual and augmented Robotics/ 3D printing
sophisticated” to “very sophisticated”—almost reality, real-time automation/drones/
three-quarters rated their firm as either 4 (fairly
rendering industrialized design
sophisticated) or 5 (very sophisticated).
This focus on technological competence
apparently encompasses more traditional
products and systems rather than emerging
technologies. However, this strategy has 07 08 09
been very successful in generating better
results for firms through more-efficient Autonomous vehicles Enhanced Internet of things
operations, improved communication across construction
the design team, attracting better employees,
or producing a better-trained staff. Firms
materials
that rated themselves highly in terms of
technological sophistication have been
57
Architectural Adventures
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Photo ©Iwan Baan Photo ©Crystal Bridges Museum
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From Machu Picchu to Lake Experience the region known as
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throughout Peru. (18 LUs) and professional architect.
Photo ©Savorelli
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AIA FUTURE JANUARY 2019 AIA Architect
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relationships and very nearly tangible materials
specifications is unparalleled.
Kat Schneider is an architectural and user
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She explains that AIR began about two years
ago when the firm decided to focus more closely
on the paradigm shifts that were beginning to
take place within the profession. VR granted the
architects at Arrowstreet the unique opportunity
to exclude a person’s surroundings and allow
them to focus on critical decision-making.
Arrowstreet has also been at the forefront
of incorporating augmented reality (AR) into
designs, which has been particularly helpful—
according to Schneider and her colleagues
Amy Korté, aia, a principal at Arrowstreet,
and Kachina Studer, a VR designer—with
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◼ percentage of the population with access to sanitation facilities ◼ number of people per household ◼ high-rise buildings ◼ buildings ◼ mcdonald’s ◼ airports ◼ number of passengers per
airport ◼ sightsmap ◼ number of conferences and meetings ◼ hotels ◼ twitter ◼ linkedin ◼ facebook ◼ mobile phones ◼ wi-fi hot spot ◼ apple store ◼ innovation index ◼ landline subscriptions
◼ broadband subscriptions ◼ internet ◼ mobile telephony ◼
◼ reserves per capita ◼ embassies ◼ iso 37120 certification ◼ research centers ◼ strength of legal rights ◼ corruption perceptions ◼ open data
to the water supply ◼ pm2.5 ◼ pm10 ◼ pollution ◼ environmental performance index ◼ renewable water resources ◼ future climate ◼ solid waste
◼ mortality ◼ crime rate ◼ health ◼ unemployment ◼ gini index ◼ price of property ◼ female workers ◼ global peace index ◼ hospitals ◼ happiness
the university of navarre iese business school’s annual cities in motion index uses 83 criteria to judge a city’s “smartness”: ◼ higher education
◼ business schools ◼ movement of students ◼ universities ◼ museums and art galleries ◼ schools ◼ theaters ◼ expenditure on leisure and recreation 65
index ◼ global slavery index ◼ government response to situations of slavery ◼ terrorism ◼ productivity ◼ time required to start a business
platform ◼ e-government development index ◼ democracy ◼ government buildings ◼ co2 emissions ◼ co2 emission index ◼ methane emissions ◼ access
◼ ease of starting a business ◼ headquarters ◼ motivation for early-stage entrepreneurial activity ◼ gdp estimate ◼ gdp ◼ gdp per capita ◼ reserves
66
Union Point,
Weymouth, Mass.
Marketing Spin
A massive mixed-use development near Boston was
championed as a cutting-edge smart city. The reality has
proven to be far different.
The rendering, by the Boston-based Elkus Manfredi and Route 128, a ring road that has become Silicon
Architects, shows a pleasing little city in the woods. It’s Valley East. Route 128 doesn’t extend all the way to
a dense, amoeba-shaped cluster of mid-rise buildings, Weymouth, a blue-collar town about 12 miles south
some sporting green roofs or expansive photovoltaic of center city, population 55,664, which saw its last
arrays. Maybe it isn’t the most radical architectural major growth spurt when school desegregation plans
vision, but it’s a solid, forward-looking, optimistic in Boston in the 1960s and ’70s triggered white flight.
one. The project is called Union Point, planned for But that was the beauty of the Union Point plan:
what was once the South Weymouth Naval Air Station. It promised to transfuse some MIT-inspired luster
During World War II, the base housed a fleet of blimps into Weymouth. As LStar’s website puts it: “Union
that patrolled the East Coast for German U-boats; Point is where artful design meets green living, where
like many such bases, it was decommissioned in the the landscape inspires human potential, where life
1990s. More recently, for the past year or so, it’s been itself feels expansive.” The website artfully blends
repositioned as a smart city. renderings showing a lively pedestrian-oriented
LStar Ventures, a Raleigh, N.C.–based developer commercial district and photos of existing homes,
that acquired the 1,500-acre site in 2015, aspires the sort of faux-historic cottages that are common
to attract technology firms and their employees to to New Urbanist influenced developments, as well
Union Point, where self-driving cars will rule the as some unremarkable apartment complexes. “What
roads and residents can hack their lives with a series makes Union Point distinctive? Urban technology
of apps. Or, as David P. Manfredi, FAIA, put it in partners, such as GE, Arup, and Optimus Ride, are
a blog post more than a year ago (Elkus Manfredi working with our developers to build in resilient
drafted the master plan with Sasaki), Union Point will energy systems, sustainable design, and fuel-free
be “a connected urban environment that integrates transportation alternatives. Energy efficiency translates
multiple information and communication technologies into cost savings and consumer approval. That’s not
to manage a city’s assets, improve the efficiency of getting ready for the future—that’s being the future.”
services, and meet residents’ needs.” By the time I called Mayor Robert Hedlund of
Every city lately, it seems, aspires to be smarter. Weymouth in mid-November, reality had already
Tech firms almost universally are eager to install intruded on that breathless sales pitch. About two
sensors to collect every bit of data city dwellers months earlier, LStar had filed suit against Kyle
generate as they go about their lives. They want to use Corkum, one of the company’s own managing
that information for efficiencies large and small, to partners and the person directly in charge of Union
distribute electricity more effectively or monitor the Point. The mayor himself had just entered into the fray.
availability of treadmills at the gym (a convenience “I just shut their water off,” he told me—or at least he
touted by the developers of New York’s Hudson Yards). had on paper.
Everyone feels compelled to optimize everything. And so I drove up from New York to try and
Most smart city projects in the U.S. involve understand how the project had come undone. Union
retrofitting existing cities: setting up an energy-efficient Point, accessible via a gateway decorated by a Navy jet
electric grid in Boulder, Colo., or helping drivers find mounted like a hood ornament, isn’t especially smart.
parking spaces in San Francisco. Smart cities built As it stands now, it’s a somewhat disorganized cluster
from the ground up tend to be in Asia or the Middle of residential subdivisions, with 1,200 units built so
East, and when they are located here, such as the far out of a proposed 4,000. They were constructed
Bill Gates–backed Belmont outside of Phoenix, they by your standard production home builders, such as
tend to involve remote sites in the desert southwest. Pulte and Stonebridge, and sit tightly spaced, a nod
So it was a welcome surprise to discover that someone to one of the most developer-friendly ideas from New
was planning to build a 21st-century city, from the Urbanism: smaller lot size. There are areas with narrow
ground up, on the stodgy East Coast. Once I got streets abutting town greens, and other areas with cul
beyond the renderings, however, I soon realized that de sacs. One street is lined with triplex McMansions—
Union Point was more a case study in smart city hype three connected housing units, each with its own street-
outpacing reality. facing front door, and three shockingly wide garages.
There are also a number of apartment complexes; the
“Being the Future” slickest is called the Mastlight, named for the beacon
Unlike a lot of schemes that never get past the that used to guide the Navy’s blimps home. It had a
clickbait phase, Union Point, at first glance, is prominently placed bike rack out front, with a single
entirely logical. It’s in greater Boston, home to MIT bike-share bike docked there, and a strategically
townhomes and condominiums; and 150,000 square local garden club, whose members showed up, mid-
feet of retail.” He claimed that “LStar [was] in interview, to have their pictures taken with the mayor.
negotiations for a 10,000-seat professional soccer and Hedlund, who took office in 2016, after LStar had
lacrosse stadium.” He promised a hockey rink, a movie arrived, refers to Corkum as a “visionary,” framing
theater, and grocery store. “These are all real things the word with air quotes. He doesn’t have an issue
on the shelf right now that are being considered,” with the smart city concept per se, although, as
Corkum said. Luongo observed, “It’s a little scary when you look
at [the renderings]. It almost looks like the Emerald
Like the Emerald City City.” It’s just that they expected something more
More than three years later, those things—unless straightforward from the development. “Weymouth
you count the sports fields as a stadium—have yet to lacks a real downtown,” Hedlund told me. “The hope
materialize. A few days before Thanksgiving, I met was that this would be our downtown eventually.
with Mayor Hedlund and his director of planning and This will be an entertainment center for the town, a
community development, Robert J. Luongo. We sat at commercial center for the town. … The problem is
a long table in the mayor’s office in a handsome 1928 to have a smart city you actually have to have a city,
town hall, a replica of Boston’s Old State House. The and not just a bunch of tumbleweeds flying down
office had been newly decorated for the holidays by the the old airstrip.”
70 “It almost looks like the Emerald City.”
address storm water runoff, graywater re-use, and green to triangulate the location by 2021. And Austin, Texas,
of gunfire and notify law is now home to what is
wastewater treatment solutions.”
enforcement. being billed as the nation’s
Manfredi’s message is clear: if you’re serious about “largest autonomous
building a smart city, you’re making a commitment bus pilot program.” This
summer, the city tested
six electric 15-passenger
buses with plans for a
second phase of trials that
will include passengers.
—katharine keane
71
to invest heavily in infrastructure. You’re not just impressive commitment, though, was from a Dutch
going to have a reliable water supply and effective robotics company called Prodrive that planned to
waste treatment, but you’re going to have the most build its U.S. manufacturing facility there on land
sophisticated water distribution and waste treatment donated by the developer (also true).
possible. In other words, the whole smart city concept But within a year, the blimp had deflated.
is a sham unless there’s infrastructure to support it. Or, Corkum’s version: The trouble began with the lender.
as Hedlund frames it: “On one hand we’ve got Dubai LStar had to borrow tens of millions of dollars to
here on the boards, and [then on the other] he’s trying execute a project more ambitious than any it had
to get a water loop in for a fire hydrant or a curb cut in previously undertaken. Suddenly the bank balked.
the right place. It’s kind of funny.” Corkum says his partners sided with the bank and said,
“We should bail on as much of the vision as we have
A Metaphorical Elevator Ride to make them happy.” When Corkum refused, he says
Corkum insists that the requisite infrastructure deals that they mounted a “smear campaign” in the form of
had all been worked out, that the systems would the lawsuit.
have been in place within three or four years. He That suit was filed in a North Carolina Superior
attributes the dissatisfaction of local officials to Court in September by Steven Vining, formerly
“naiveté” about how long these things take. Yet it’s Corkum’s business partner and now, since Corkum has
also clear that Corkum had never tackled a project of been removed from his position, the “sole manager and
this complexity before. The term “smart city” wasn’t member of LStar.” It tells a different story. In a copy
even in his vocabulary until he began working with originally obtained by The Patriot Ledger, it’s alleged
Elkus Manfredi (the firm declined to comment for this that “Corkum not only mismanaged the project for
story). Of Howard Elkus, one of the firm’s partners, which he was responsible but converted to his personal
now deceased, Corkum says, “Oh my god, he was use or otherwise fraudulently obtained more than
like a second father.” Corkum told me how Elkus had two million dollars of Plaintiff’s money.” The suit is a
taken him on a metaphorical elevator ride to higher litany of bewilderingly unorthodox transactions and
and higher levels and, over time, had introduced alleges, among other things, that “under Corkum’s
him to more and more exalted concepts, things like management, no budget or written business plan was
sustainability and the triple bottom line. With each ever prepared for the Union Point project,” and also
ascent, the plan grew in its sophistication. “One day, that Corkum’s management of the project left LStar
someone on [Elkus’] team said, ‘What you’re doing “$70 million in debt.” Corkum recently filed a counter
is a smart city,’ ” Corkum recalls. “I had to look it up. suit, claiming that LStar executives defaulted on a
I had no clue, and I got super excited. I said, ‘Oh yeah. $2.5 million loan specifically to cause Corkum
Technology!’ ” “financial ruin and damage to his reputation in the
And that was before Amazon entered the picture. development industry.”
In September 2017, a series of articles announced All of which leaves South Weymouth in an
that Union Point, like 200 other cities, had joined unfortunate bind. “This town’s clamoring for a branded
the headquarters sweepstakes for the mega-retailer, hotel,” Mayor Hedlund told me. “We know that a hotel
proposing to build the company’s $5 billion home isn’t going to go in and plant their flag in a wasteland,
base. In an interview with The Patriot Ledger, Corkum but there are 23 liquor licenses up there. We’re in
said, “When you go down their list, everything they’re the middle of a housing boom. We’re in the middle
asking for is here. A hundred acres, 8,000,000 square of an economic boom. … There have been inquiries
feet, mass transit, tech friendly and sustainable, that’s made and lack of follow through. There are three
Union Point.” potential developers now who have come to us and
The first news story featuring the futuristic said, ‘We’ve been trying to get in there for two years.’
Elkus Manfredi renderings appeared a few weeks There was this disconnect. I don’t know why, but there
later, when HuffPost trumpeted, “They’re Building was. If in the middle of this boom you don’t have one
the Sustainable Urban Future Near Boston.” From groundbreaking in all of 2018, there’s a problem.”
there, the rhetoric only escalated: There were When I met him in November, Hedlund took some
announcements that a company called Optimus comfort from the fact that the site’s one announced
would be testing its self-driving cars at the complex commercial tenant, Prodrive, was still planning to
(true) and that GE would become a partner to the build its factory. That optimism proved fleeting. Soon
development in the way that Cisco partnered with after, Prodrive announced that it was pulling out, and
New Songdo in Korea (difficult to confirm). The most then in early December, LStar was put on “notice of
72
default” by the Southfield Redevelopment Authority, touched on numerous issues such as traffic—specifically
the local board overseeing the project. According how to prevent the site, when fully built out, to be
to The Patriot Ledger, the developer was accused of overwhelmed by cars—and the lack of affordable
“failing to attract development, provide necessary housing. Greenfield sent the document off and didn’t
infrastructure and meet its financial obligations.” hear anything for almost a month. Eventually he got
LStar was given 30 days to respond to these a thank you email from Corkum, who said he was
considerable problems or have its agreement to passing the findings along to one of his assistants.
develop the site terminated. (The 30-day period ended Greenfield read it and thought, “If he’s delegating
just after this article went to press.) everything to them, it’s the end of the engagement.”
Which it was. Greenfield says he still hasn’t been paid.
A Serendipitous Turn If there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that talking a
Adam Greenfield is a London-based urbanist and good game is far easier than building a technologically
technology expert. In his 2013 book-length essay, advanced city, or any city for that matter. Corkum
“Against the Smart City,” published by Do projects, went on an elevator ride with his architect to the
he dissected several leading examples of the form, loftier precincts of urban planning, absorbed the latest
critiquing Cisco’s role in New Songdo, where the buzzwords, and won over the public, at least initially.
company boasted of “intelligent road pricing” and The smart city concept is endlessly captivating (“Oh
advertisements that adjust in real time to better yeah! Technology!”), but the realization of that vision
influence whoever happens to be watching. As remains stubbornly elusive.
Greenfield observed: “It’s as if someone took Minority On my visit to Weymouth, I spent an hour driving
Report as a shopping catalogue or a punch list rather around Union Point with Hedlund and Luongo. They
than a vision of dystopia.” made sure I noticed the empty storefronts and pointed
I contacted Greenfield because I thought out oddities like the pile of mammoth buoys that the
he might have a sense of whether it had become still-extant Coast Guard base on the site had gathered
commonplace for developers of master-planned golf for reconditioning. But the strangest thing they showed
course communities to promote their projects as me was a sweeping field full of cars. As it turns out,
the site’s one commercial tenant of any consequence is
Volkswagen. Union Point, hypothetical smart city, is
the current home to the automaker whose diesel cars
were recalled because they were designed to cheat in
emissions tests.
An LStar executive told The Patriot Ledger in
2017 that Volkswagen’s presence was “a temporary
circumstance and short-term use of the land to add
activity to the site.” But the VWs were still there when I
visited. The failed smart city as refuge to cars equipped
with computers programmed to lie—this requires a
literary reference far more dystopian than the Emerald
City. Greenfield had one at the ready: “It is the most
[J.G.] Ballardian thing I’ve ever seen.”
What is a
Smart City?
Multiple
Locations,
Saudi Arabia
A Billboard
of Progress
Saudi Arabia and other authoritarian
states are using smart cities to transform
their economies—with mixed results.
75
At the center of the new vision is Neom, a No official master plan has
staggering 10,200-square-mile project that will rise been released, but a promotion
along virgin coastline of the Red Sea. Estimated to video that aired in 2017
cost $500 billion, this “blank slate,” as the Saudi claimed that “this is the
government describes it, calls for a “new generation blank page you need to write
of city” that runs its “opulent buildings” on solar and humanity’s ne er.”
wind power, has streets supporting automated cars, and
city services run by artificial intelligence and robots. No
official master plan has been released—the first phase is
scheduled to be completed by 2025—but a promotion
video that aired in 2017 claimed that “this is the blank
page you need to write humanity’s next chapter,” and
depicted a progressive lifestyle, including leotard-clad
women stretching into a yoga asana. The development Partners. The 80-story PIF Tower by HOK, which is
would be an independent economic zone running under construction and expected to earn LEED Gold,
under its own laws, taxes, and regulations, intended aims to be one of the most high-tech skyscrapers in the
to attract a knowledge-based economy of international world, with a façade that includes high-performance
companies as well as tourists to its beaches. enclosures incorporating solar shading and
Vision 2030 is, in fact, just the latest in a decades- photovoltaic solar collection. KAFD will be connected
long attempt to diversify and develop Saudi Arabia. by a new metro system, one of the many new public
In 2005, the kingdom went public with another smart transit systems planned across the kingdom, with one
city development, King Abdullah Economic City, a station designed by Zaha Hadid Architects now under
65-square-mile project outside of Jeddah on the Red construction. Also announced in 2006: the Knowledge
Sea coast that was master planned by a team led Economic City in Madinah, which included plans
by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). The King for four new neighborhoods with retail, office space,
Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), located north mosques, and over 1 million square feet of housing. In
of Riyadh, was announced a year later. The Danish 2018, the project got a boost when a new high-speed
architecture firm Henning Larsen did the master plan railway opened, reducing travel time between Madinah
for that project, a highly sustainable financial hub and Makkah, the two holy cities.
with clusters of high-rise office and residential towers But this initial round of smart city developments
designed by the likes of SOM, Gensler, and Foster + has largely failed to fulfill its initial promise. According
What is a
Smart City?
Quayside
Toronto, Ontario
A Question of
Privacy
Government is partnering with Google sister company
Sidewalk Labs to pilot smart city technology in Toronto.
Residents have their doubts.
79
This smart city of the future first appeared in cutesy Sidewalk Toronto was launched in October 2017.
sketches. Drawn in a cheerful palette were a kayaker A year and a few months later, the vision for Quayside
paddling in a harbor, a dad pulling a little one in a remains only slightly less vague than those initial
bike trailer, children running hand-in-hand through a drawings. The 3 million-square-foot project promises to
carless streetscape. There were gondolas and pergolas, include many of the hallmarks of smart-city ventures:
and underground robots carrying waste. And, vaguely, “dynamic streets” designed for autonomous vehicles,
in the background, there were also buildings. “radical-mixed-use” buildings featuring “power-over-
This was the vision for Quayside, a new waterfront Ethernet,” and a novel approach to retail and service
neighborhood in Toronto conceived by “Sidewalk space that prioritizes pop-ups over long-term leases.
Toronto,” a partnership between a local public The project also promises to inspire meaningful
agency and Sidewalk Labs, a New York–based unit of innovations in construction and real estate practice.
Alphabet, Google’s parent company. “By leveraging “We’re putting forward new technologies that have
technology and combining it with really smart, not been integrated before,” says Karim Khalifa, a
people-centric urban planning,” Sidewalk Labs CEO mechanical engineer who is the director of buildings
Dan Doctoroff said at the time, “we could have really innovation for Sidewalk Labs. “The project includes
dramatic impacts on quality of life.” prefabricated mass timber at a scale that has never been
attempted.”
Perhaps most importantly, Quayside promises
to generate endless streams of data—from buildings,
road sensors, traffic signals, and other sources—with
the promise that they will make the development more
efficient, safe, and pleasant. Local resistance to the plan
has mounted, however, as residents of various political
stripes have raised a provocative series of questions.
Who will control that data? What does a tech-inspired,
Google-affiliated city mean, technologically, socially,
economically, and politically? What, exactly, is
Sidewalk trying to build?
Quayside will rely on “radical zoning” that will mix a variety of uses, including short-term pop-up retail
Sidewalk Labs, with few local staff and limited political data and privacy concerns and the way the public-
connections, also seemed unprepared for the blowback. private partnership was operating.
The company’s initial message, with those sunny
drawings, was vague but cheerful. “We want to mix A Vision in Timber
technology and cutting-edge city planning, and bend Meanwhile, Sidewalk has been working to translate
the curve on quality of life in cities,” Doctoroff told me its vision into actual development. The company has
before the launch. He also said: “We’re humble. We been reluctant to release designs in a coherent way,
know how to listen.” and in December, when it revealed specifics of its
Those qualities have certainly been put to the test. Quayside master plan for the first time, the drawings
One problem was the deal’s unusual structure. The remained frustratingly vague. Designed by a team
two partners began working together to create policy including Neil Kittredge, AIA, a partner and director
around “digital innovation,” and the resulting public of planning and urban design at Beyer Blinder Belle
outreach seemed to blur Waterfront’s public agenda in New York; Toronto-based urban design consultancy
with Sidewalk’s spin, raising questions about who Urban Strategies; and urban planner Ken Greenberg,
exactly was driving the agenda. It didn’t help that the Assoc. AIA, the scheme is a mix of mid-rise and low-
agreement called Sidewalk an “innovation partner” for rise buildings between five and 30 stories tall. It’s
much of the port lands beyond Quayside—750 acres— meant to support 3,900 new jobs and house about
without spelling out exactly what this would mean. 5,000 residents, 40 percent of them in some form
And then there was the question of data. How would of affordable housing. A pedestrian-only street runs
information from Quayside be collected, how would through the middle of the block, and the site features
it be stored and used, and who would have access to it a “water plaza” designed by emerging Toronto
and for what purposes? Would a resident’s movements, landscape architect firm Public Work that connects
captured by cameras or geolocation data, truly remain the development to the waterfront. “There is this
private? And would Sidewalk be able to extract huge really interesting geography of where the downtown
economic returns from its intimate knowledge of the meets the lake,” says Jesse Shapins, Sidewalk’s director
community? Critics panned the initial public meetings of public realm. “And so from an urban design
for being unreasonably vague about these questions. perspective, we’re looking to blend as much as possible
One of Waterfront’s board members and two members the relationship between land, water, and buildings.”
of its digital strategy advisory panel have resigned in As for the buildings themselves, they are
recent months, unhappy with Sidewalk’s handling of what Sidewalk is calling “radical mixed-use,” with
82
residential, office, retail, and light industrial alongside solution “that is, on the one hand, not complicated, but
each other in loft-like structures—a plan that would on the other hand it’s quite complicated when you try
require significant zoning changes. Inside the to get into structural and programmatic details.”
buildings, one of the innovations will be the use of Who will work with that kit of parts, in addition
power-over-Ethernet, which Khalifa’s team is working to the architectural expression of the buildings
on with consultancy Interface Engineering. This themselves, remains undecided: Sidewalk executives
technology supplies low-voltage DC current through haven’t yet revealed who the architects will be,
Ethernet cables, which can be run inside the cavity of but they have engaged Snøhetta and Heatherwick
an interior wall and then easily moved when there’s a Studio to explore possibilities. “We’ve asked them
change in tenancy or use. Early sketches of the project to test the model, and see whether it can be used to
featured fourth-floor workshops alongside apartments; create beautiful architecture,” says Andrew Winters,
more recent iterations had separated residential and Sidewalk’s chief operating office for development.
office spaces into different floors. “And the answer is yes.”
One thing that has remained consistent is Perhaps the most difficult part of the project
Sidewalk’s commitment to mass timber. As Khalifa revolves around fire safety and code compliance in
argues, cross-laminated timber panels and glue- wood buildings. In Ontario, as in most jurisdictions,
laminated beams especially are less carbon-intensive in order to achieve an adequate fire rating for homes,
than steel or concrete; they are lightweight and the wood structure must be covered by drywall or
relatively easy to transport long distances; and other materials whose fire-separation capacity is well
they lend themselves to off-site panelization or understood. Sidewalk is attempting to solve this issue,
prefabrication. He says that Sidewalk is planning to Winters says, with a fire-resistant finish that can be
“invest in the supply chain” of mass timber in Ontario, applied to the surface of the wood. Still, regulatory
to make it easier for the Quayside project and future challenges remain: the local building code forbids
development to rely on the material. The company has wood structures taller than six stories, although two Courtesy sidewalk labs
partnered with Michael Green Associates Architecture groundbreaking wood projects in the city (10 and 14
(MGA), whose principal Michael Green, AIA, has stories high) are currently seeking approval.
become a leading proponent of mass timber. In an If Sidewalk does secure the necessary permits, its
interview last year, Green said that he has designed a timber architecture could frame an unusual sort of
“kit of parts” for the project that can be manipulated public life. The company’s master plan for Quayside
to “allow for the changing way we all want to live”—a allots almost all of the 400,000-square-foot ground floor
83
1. General Electric
2. Intel
3. AT&T
4. Microsoft
5. Amazon (AWS)
6. Honeywell
to what it calls “stoa” spaces—semi-enclosed “flexible
7. IBM
envelopes” where retailers or restaurateurs could build
8. Google
climate-controlled structures or set up kiosks that
9. Cisco
would lend themselves to pop-ups. Although short-
10. Dell
term tenancies aren’t typically favored in a developer’s
11. Ericsson
pro forma, they seem less and less risky financially as
12. Qualcomm
retail is increasingly disrupted by e-commerce. Shapins
13. Huawei
acknowledges this, and adds: “We want to drive a really
14. Verizon
integrated vibrant expanded public realm that moves
15. Schneider Electric
between the buildings and the streets and the plazas.”
16. Siemens AG
In order to support that objective in Toronto, with
17. Nokia
its bitterly cold winters and hot summers, Sidewalk is
18. Oracle
pursuing something called microclimate mitigation.
19. Apple
Local architecture firm Partisans and engineering firm
20. SAP
RWDI are working on a series of freestanding shelter
21. Johnson Controls
structures and “raincoats” for the buildings—adjustable
22. Hitachi
soft surfaces that make the extremes of wind and rain
23. ABB
more tolerable.
24. HPE
There is a coherent urbanism here: mutable, mixed,
25. Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile)
and fine-grained. But the project’s most controversial
26. Nvidia
aspect, at least from an urbanistic perspective, could
27. Samsung
be what it does with public streets. One of Sidewalk’s
28. SoftBank
first specific proposals was for “dynamic streets,”
29. Itron
which would feature a system of paver units containing
30. Alibaba
sensors and lighting components. The lights would
31. Sprint
signify which lanes are available to pedestrians and
32. InterDigital/Chordant
vehicles and could be altered depending on the time
33. Facebook
of day or for special events. Sidewalk hopes to limit
34. Baidu
traffic by building an “urban consolidation center,”
35. Tencent Holdings
where packages would be received and routed to their
36. ST Engineering
37. OSIsoft
38. Alstom (by GE)
39. Eaton
40. DNV-GL
84
entire scheme still needs to be approved by Waterfront project. Even as the physical picture of Sidewalk’s
Toronto before city officials actually start to consider master plan has filled in, local residents haven’t
it, a process that won’t formally begin until the seemed to care much. A substantial and novel
middle of this year. In a city where development development project has been largely cast as a
approvals can typically take four or five years, it seems Trojan horse for “surveillance capitalism.” It’s hard
unlikely that any aspect of the Sidewalk plan will take to tell whether the government will—or even can—
shape anytime soon. respond adequately to this challenge. After all,
If it ever does. Most critics agree that Sidewalk’s Sidewalk is trying to change so many things at
main goal is to gain access to data, as a resource to once: privacy law, construction technology, retail
be mined and leveraged. Saadia Muzaffar, one of the strategy, logistics, mobility, the housing market. Its
advisers who stepped down from Waterfront Toronto’s ambitions and its assumptions in each field aren’t
digital strategy board, complained in an open letter clear—even, I think, to Sidewalk itself. It will take
about the “blatant disregard for resident concerns years to assess how the project will actually take shape
about data and digital infrastructure.” She wrote that or who benefits.
public meetings were spent “talking about buildings Which ought to come as a lesson for Sidewalk:
made out of wood and the width of one-way streets” Tech might move at a lightning pace, but
and other “things no one has … expressed material development moves much more slowly. In trying to
concern for in this entire process.” combine the two, the company is learning just how
That last point is an unfortunate reality of the hard it is to build a real-life community.
86
What is a
Smart City?
Jurong Lake
District,
Singapore
Future Proofing
For a new business district in Singapore,
technology is a tool for achieving sustainability
and resilience.
As urban areas expand, the old central business district and partner of Rotterdam-based KCAP. Christiaanse,
model becomes less, well, central. Many global cities along with Arup and other partners, helped plan the
are designing additional districts outside the city district with the redevelopment authority after winning
center as a means to attract emerging business and the commission a few years ago. He prefers to think of
new residents. Madrid, for instance, hopes to entice the design, which was released to the public in 2017,
companies leaving post-Brexit London to relocate to as future-proofing the city. Future-proofing “means
its Madrid New North project. Singapore, meanwhile, that you create a condition of public places and street
is planning a second central business district called patterns and building typologies that are resilient for
the Jurong Lake District. An 890-acre mixed-use change in the future and can accommodate unexpected
development located near the country’s newly events,” Christiaanse says.
consolidated container port operations, it is primed to One way to future-proof is to create flexible
capitalize on a future Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high- zoning. The Jurong Lake District is using a grid
speed rail system. The district calls for 20,000 new system—called “white zoning”—that is meant to
homes and room for up to 100,000 jobs in a dense and give developers and businesses maximum leeway to
sustainable, 24/7 area that includes a revived national change how a building functions as their needs evolve.
garden park along the water. According to the website Meanwhile, the infrastructure for subways, rail, roads,
for Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority, the and other city services is “designed in such a way that
project will “demonstrate how technology can enable a it doesn’t interfere with the street pattern and the plots
livable and sustainable urban environment,” using big of the neighborhood,” Christiaanse says. Residential
data and sensors to create real-time feedback that will neighborhoods won’t be disrupted as infrastructure
“enable facility managers to diagnose and fix problems goes in, or in the future when it needs updating. The
in a timely way.” plan, for instance, puts the corridor and entrance for
Just don’t call it a “smart” city, at least not to its the future high-speed rail station along a park, so that
architects. “I don’t use that word actually, because I city streets and residents won’t be disturbed when
think it’s too inflated,” says Kees Christiaanse, founder construction starts.
87
the high-speed rail and the plans are getting delayed,” 10,000 workers to produce rubber for distribution models, autonomous
the Detroit-based company. After failing vehicles, and autonomous logistics
Christiaanse says. “That’s why our approach was to to both grow rubber trees and integrate hubs,” according to a statement from
create a strategy of phasing in, where you do not create with the local community, by 1934, the the project developers Belmont Partners.
interdependencies too much,” he says. Construction city was abandoned. Even earlier, in One state away, near the Denver
the 1880s, engineer George Pullman International Airport, Japanese
hasn’t started yet on the district, but the redevelopment established his eponymous company electronics giant Panasonic is
authority says that delays in the rail project won’t town on Chicago’s South Side for the developing an almost 400-acre
prevent it from proceeding. Which demonstrates how employees who manufactured his smart city. It will feature a solar-
sleeping railcars. The town’s concept powered micro-grid, connected LED
the development as a whole can keep moving forward, famously met its demise soon after an streetlighting, and an autonomous
even if political bickering delays one aspect of it. 1894 strike that left 34 people dead. shuttle.
Turns out that a smart city, to be truly smart, More than a century later, there’s a Given that the market for smart
new twist on the company town: Instead city technology and products is
needs to be based on thoughtful and strategic of being an exclusive (and captive) expected to exceed $1 trillion within
urban planning—an indispensable framework to place for a corporation’s employees to the next five years, it is no surprise that
accommodate the technology of the future. live, the new version is an information corporations, funds, and entrepreneurs
sponge built by a single company are investing in such developments.
for the benefit of its database. The But unlike company towns of the past,
residents are employees in the sense tech companies do not need to build
that they contribute to the company’s and own the towns themselves. Instead,
bottom line—without actually working with their data-gathering capacities,
for the company itself. all towns become company towns. —k.k.
88
What is a
Smart City?
Stockholm
Royal Seaport
A Holistic Approach
Sensitive urbanism,
smart technology,
progressive
architecture, and
careful government
stewardship make
this 583-acre
development in
Stockholm a model
for smart cities
across the globe.
89
important as having well-functioning roads, electricity, builders to follow,” Laursen says, which highlights the
or water,” Staffan Lorentz, the head of development already established sustainability requirements for all
for Royal Seaport, said in a 2012 interview. Linking of the buildings in Royal Seaport, such as encouraging
walking paths, bike lanes, rapid bus systems, and the green roofs and photovoltaics. The main corridor that
metro using apps and wayfinding will help the district connects the historic center to the water calls for closer
reduce its emissions. Ground broke on the project in blocks and higher buildings to help define the axis.
2011 with the goal of having the district complete—and Along the waterfront, however, where there is a park
running fossil fuel free—by 2030. and a canal space, they lowered the scale to create “an
There’s a bit of irony in that carbon neutral goal, Amsterdam feeling,” as Laursen describes it, with row
considering the 583-acre district—one of the largest houses and a mix of building materials. “It underlines
urban development areas in Northern Europe—runs a more intimate and calm public environment,” he
along a waterway historically used to transport coal says, and is meant to emulate an organic city grown
to the city’s gasworks factories. In fact, one of the over time, as opposed to one born overnight, by
key architectural symbols of the district, designed by designing in a “diversity not only in ways of living, but
Herzog & de Meuron, pays homage to an original, also in ways of using a mix of materials in different
round gasworks building. The 295-foot-tall tower, urban spaces.”
expected to open in 2022, features a variegated, To that end, historic preservation has also been
v-shaped exterior and will house 317 apartments. important to the project. In Europe, smart city
“Its floor plan opens like the pages in a book to the projects are more often than not retrofits requiring
surrounding city and landscape, maximizing sun sensitivity to existing context. In addition to restoring
exposure and offering a variety of views,” is how some existing buildings, Laursen and his team made
Jacques Herzog, Hon. FAIA, described the project. sure to maintain a portion of the historic pier that
Sun exposure is critical during the dark harkens back to the days of the “Shouting Stone.”
Scandinavian winters, and the sensitivity to this design “Before they had bridges connecting the islands, if
issue also helped the Danish firm Adept and the you wanted the ferry, you would go out to a rock and
Stockholm-based Mandaworks earn the opportunity shout for it to come get you,” Laursen says. “Even
to master plan a key portion of Royal Seaport. The though we will build a lot of new buildings, the whole
two firms won a 2015 design competition for a 43-acre history of the site is well preserved.”
section located near the city’s metro system. Known as Part of Royal Seaport’s success so far derives
Kolkajen-Ropsten, it reconnects the historic gasworks from its political cohesion and commitment to vision.
area to the waterfront through a new central axis According to the district’s website, property developers
leading to a shoreline park they call a “water arena.” must all participate in city-run seminars at early stages
“We proposed to build out a new island in the water of planning, to determine their competence and
that would turn the northeast facing shoreline to a experience in achieving the rigorous sustainability
south facing promenade” with housing and ground- targets. The goals will be achieved using high-tech
level public retail, says Martin Laursen, founding strategies for monitoring buildings as well as through
partner of Adept, “so that the area would be more low-tech means, such as government-sponsored forums
attractive in terms of daylight.” on sustainable solutions and recurring mini trade fairs
Another key feature of their master plan is access that introduce developers and technical suppliers
to public transit and bike infrastructure (Royal to one another and encourage discussion around
Seaport is just 10 minutes from the city by bike). There sustainable products, services, and ideas.
will only be short-term parking in the area, with long- Today, a portion of Royal Seaport has come to
term parking for residents and workers in a nearby life, with more than 2,500 housing units occupied,
central garage. Not every apartment gets a place to and another 5,100 soon to open. Construction on the
park, according to Laursen: “You might have to share infrastructure for the Kolkajen-Ropsten district will
one spot between three or four apartments,” he says. begin next year. Several research and design studies
“The new area aims to push future inhabitants to use have already been conducted, including a post-
other more sustainable forms of transportation than occupancy survey with new residents to ensure that
a private car.” the promises of the development are being realized.
Adept and Mandaworks have spent three years “Real-time follow up on how well the apartments and
finalizing the plan, and this year the city began the area performs in energy consumption or traffic
conducting architecture competitions for plots. “We is important,” Lorentz said. “We need to constantly
did a design book for the area for architects and follow up to see if we’re making the right decisions.”
91
Top: A rendering of
Herzog & de Meuron’s
Gasklockan tower
What is a
Smart City?
We’re Working on It
In a roundtable with ARCHITECT, three smart city experts trade
opinions and insights on what the buzzword really means, why
the world’s largest companies want a stake, and how architects
can step up to the plate.
93
of Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers The state of data—the accuracy, its authenticity,
and the Quest for a New Utopia (W.W. and its trust—is variable. It’s all over the place, and
Norton & Co., 2013). In 2001, he co-founded
NYCwireless, a pioneer in the community and the hardest part of our job is figuring out what’s the
municipal wireless movement. authenticated data so we can start using technologies
to understand what happens when you digitize a
process that has not been digitized in the past. The
biggest challenge to the profession is to anticipate
needs that don’t exist right now.
94
What are the benefits of smart cities for the Smart cities are a lot about the technology and
public—for the users? the infrastructure. Many communities are cognizant
of the big infrastructure plans from the ’50s and ’60s
Townsend: That’s still an open question. The whole
that, in terms of transportation, actually divided a
movement began with a bunch of claims mostly
lot of neighborhoods. So we’re coming back to the
coming from a handful of big IT companies: IBM
same communities with ambitious goals to transform
and Cisco framed it early on about efficiency largely
them with a lot of technology, data, and infrastructure,
delivered through better infrastructure and better
knowing that they were harmed by some of these big
operations that upgraded 20th-century hardware in
modernization efforts in the past.
energy, water, traffic, and security.
It’s important to go into those communities
There was a lot of virtue to that. There was a lot
understanding that history and knowing you are
of waste in our existing physical systems and the
always actively working to build and maintain that
way they’re operated, and a lot of opportunities to
trust in order to be successful in engagement.
interconnect and apply systems thinking. But in many
ways it was oversold: It was never going to solve Doherty: When I mentioned the collision of industries
the systemic problems we’re facing—climate change, before, it’s also about the collisions and conversations
migration, security, sustainability. that can happen between government and its
A different vision has bubbled up—from citizens, constituents. We’re finding that those conversations
civil society, small business, and entrepreneurs—that’s are either very short and canned, or they’re forced
about the way we live, and the things that have been down people’s throats—in totalitarian governments in
created by those people have a lot more to do with particular—which is a much different way of viewing
convenience, transparency, living cleaner and healthier, what is a high-performing urban environment.
and connecting the natural environment back into the The storytelling mechanisms we’re looking to
urban world. What a smart city can deliver depends on collide involve Hollywood—not to create Disney World
what your goals are. And what your goals are depend or, god forbid, another Dubai that has no context or
on the politics and social makeup, who is in the city, soul behind it—but something that can be part of the
who has power and what they’re trying to achieve. ingredients to create that recipe. Why do you want
We’re seeing this play out right now in clear terms to be in a pop-up city that’s never existed before—to
in Toronto with Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto raise your family, get a better education, to get better
trying to develop what’s probably the most valuable healthcare? The people do know what they want,
piece of waterfront property in North America as a but you also don’t want to implement a technology
smart district using everything the Alphabet family for technology’s sake unless you know what the
brings in terms of its ability to sense, manipulate, and ramifications are.
influence the physical world through the analysis and
transformation of data. And they have done it in a way Why are companies like Google, or Alphabet,
that did not reflect what the community wanted. and IBM interested in the smart city?
I would take issue with [Doherty’s] comment
Doherty: Google is a machine, like a locomotive that
earlier that the mission now is to come up with ideas
needs coal to work. Its main goal is to have private-
for what we can do. People in cities know what their
public people’s information as its coal. The Sidewalk
problems are and have a fairly decent sense of how they
Labs opportunity is a good idea—to boomerang
can be solved. What they need from technologists are
innovations that may happen elsewhere into district-
solutions to the problems they identify.
sized solutions so people start to adopt and change
behavior, and see the results that it would scale.
Debra, you were instrumental to developing
The opportunity to also be that data-capturing
the “Pittsburgh Roadmap for Inclusive
mechanism is something a private company thrives for.
Innovation.” Who did you find were the most
We have a moral and ethical issue here because if Toronto
necessary stakeholders in this process of
acquiesces and says, “This is good enough,” we’re going
smart city planning?
to have this public trust entity that Google is going to
Lam: First, it’s not just identifying those stakeholders: feed so that anyone can come in, petition, and create
It’s how you continue to engage with them and how you apps and other smart city solutions over a period of time.
build their trust so they become active owners of this That sounds good, but the reason prominent
process as much as you are. And that’s the difficulty. You Canadian privacy figures are resigning from the task
can put together a town hall, sure, you can do an force is that, at its essence, Quayside is capturing
introduction, but how do you sustain that the fuel for Google. I don’t know how an American
communications process? How do you take out barriers company can come in and take Canadian private
that prevent people from joining and from continuing information and think it’s going to be able to get away
that conversation? with that.
95
And the solution is cloudy. It’s a $1.1 billion The distribution infrastructure Amazon Whole
investment by Google into the Quayside project. Who Foods is building out is a land grab. They’re trying to
else is going to absorb that $1.1 billion if Waterfront establish a footprint that will allow them to essentially
Toronto says, “No,” and Google says, “Well, tough luck”? take out a large swath of the retail sector in the U.S.
This is the double edge of smart cities: How much whenever they choose to execute that strategy as they
do we want to maintain the anonymous way of living have done online.
and working? [What can we] get back from these tools Uber’s abrasive congestion pricing is basically a
that will measurably increase of quality of life? strategy to collude with local governments to set up
a regulatory regime where it can afford to engage in
a war of attrition with its competitors. It is the only
“ [W]hen we’re talking about the power one who has enough money to survive. And then it’ll
of data and what it can do with a control what the price of the congestion is because
community, it’s important to go back it’ll have the only vehicles on the road.
to basics: Who is the recipient, who is So all these companies are actually fighting.
the end user and the input factor of There’s a lot of data, clicks, and abstract digital things
data, and what does that all mean?” floating around but they’re really weapons in a war
over urban territory. And we shouldn’t forget that
— Debra Lam, managing Director of smart cities because that’s where our skills and experiences as
anD incLusive innovation, georgia tech planners and architects and people in government are
relevant even though we may not understand all the
nuances of deep learning and data-sharing covenants.
Lam: It’s interesting how tech companies have evolved Lam: [In Pittsburgh,] we implemented RFID tag
in this space as well. It was driven by sales at the sensors on our trash cans in a neighborhood thinking
beginning. You had a team of salespeople that were that it would be more efficient [for workers to] only
tracked in terms of their performance by the hardware pick up the trash when [the cans were] full rather
and the software they needed to sell and push out. than stop by stop, and therefore we could divert the
And when you’re driven that way, then you can’t sanitation workers to do other things in public works.
really think about the users’ needs and appreciate the We thought that was an empowering way to look
bigger factor that we’re all outlined in. Where I think at data—we were informed by the trash fillage. What
it is slowly and effectively making real purpose is to we didn’t account for was the sanitation workers
understand beyond just the sales of it: how technology themselves. So if a sanitation worker takes pride in
can be that connector toward citizens because there doing 50 trash cans each day, and [suddenly] you tell
is good in technology and it can be an empowering them to do less, then they weren’t quite sure about
tool. It’s a matter of changing the conversation and the what they saw as their job and what needed to be
dialogue so you’re not driven by those types of metrics, done. And this experience was meaningful because we
but driven more by the impact that the technology can thought we would be informed by the data. But we
do in terms of transforming the lives of citizens. didn’t account for the people that were involved at the
And that’s where we need to get into this next heart of this project, how they would be affected by
stage of smart city development. this project, and how to incorporate those needs.
Obviously there’s a lot of talk about the privacy
Townsend: The online industry press tends to see
and security, and we can have individual [discussions]
[smart cities] in terms of clicks, eyeballs, and data.
devoted to a lot of those issues and standards. But
And there certainly is a lot of that at stake. But as an
when we’re talking about the power of data and what
urban planner, you also have to look at it from the
it can do with a community, it’s important to go back
conventional land-grab aspect of it. What is the actual
to basics: Who is the recipient, who is the end user and
physical territory these companies are trying to claim?
the input factor of data, and what does that all mean?
Sidewalk in Toronto is a very good example
where when we boil it down to what that project is
What is an ideal scenario for data ownership
really after: It’s control of that land. If you look at
and management? What should cities,
Alphabet’s broader financial portfolio, it’s part of the
communities, or facility managers be looking
diversification of that portfolio out of tech stocks, its
and asking for?
own stocks, and other tech company stocks, and cash
into real estate that it’s been executing for the last Townsend: This is the one promising thing that has
10 years. And Toronto is a nice, safe place to park a come out of Sidewalk in Toronto. The way Sidewalk
couple billion dollars in some waterfront real estate has structured the conversation about data governance
that isn’t as susceptible to sea level rise as the other has not been ideal. But where it has gotten to is not
places along the coast that it’s parked its money. that Sidewalk will keep all the data and license it, or
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