A common misperception about BIM is that it�s just for designing and constructing buildings. �People shouldn�t look at the word �building� in BIM as an actual building, but as the verb �to build,�� says Jay Mezher, design visualization manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff in Seattle. �It�s not limited to vertical structures. You can model and analyze as many issues in horizontal projects as you can in buildings.� Interior bay with animated equipment models that simulate operation. Structural model of Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development
It may not appear so from the outside, but inside the five-story concrete shell of the old B.F. Sisk Courthouse in Fresno, a new $70-million ($56 million in construction costs) Superior Courthouse is taking shape. One of the B.F. Sisk courtrooms, as envisioned by SmithGroup. Related Links: Top Design Firms “We are completely transforming the interior of this 1960s federal court building into a modern courthouse,” says David Moore, lead architect for the San Francisco office of SmithGroup Architecture. “It’s a complete gut and renovation.” The 192,000-sq-ft make-over broke ground in July 2008 and is scheduled for completion in late
Lowe Enterprises leads massive, $500-million project that will consolidate, upgrade existing facilities The three-phase project will create nearly 1 million sq ft of office space for San Diego County. The first phase of the project includes a central plant to serve the complex. Related Links: Top Design Firms Central Valley Market Report “We’re looking for something that will be timeless,” says RJC Architects principal James Robbins of the $500-million San Diego County Operations Center, a massive development under way in the county’s Kearny Mesa district. “The center’s existing buildings have been there for close to 50 years. We’re expecting these
Although the number of new projects has declined due to tight financial markets and the recession, several Texas Top Design Firms finished 2008 in good shape and continue working on projects. Photo: AkerZvonkovic Photography Turner Partners designed an addition to the Village High School in Houston. The three-story project consists of 21 classrooms totaling 45,000 sq ft of new facilities. Related Links: Top Design Firms - Wrapup Feature Top Design Firms - Ranking/Chart Top Design Firms - Ranking by Industry Sector Photo: John Lindy Photography Turner Partners performed the site master planning and designed a 1,100-seat sanctuary addition to the