AGG - 2008 - May/June

Boston Beckons
Architectural Glass and Metal Related Sessions on the Educational Program Cover a Range of Important Topics

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Annual Convention in Boston May 15-17 will present an array of educational sessions for attendees to increase their knowledge. A number of these sessions focus on aspects of the architectural glass and metal market. Here is an overview of these sessions.

High-Performance Enclosures
Friday morning from 8 a.m. to noon, Wagdy Anis and Vincent Cammalleri will discuss the challenges associated with enclosure design and explore some strategies for moving into the future toward zero-net-energy buildings. They will examine the science of heat transfer, moisture movement and control, and air movement in enclosure assemblies. The objective is to provide knowledge to design effective moisture and infiltration control measures and applications that will result in higher performance buildings.

The session, WE06, is sponsored by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy and National Institute of Building Sciences, and it provides 3.75 LUs.

Daylighting Design
Alternatively on Friday morning from 8 a.m. to noon, attendees can hear Robert J. Osten Jr. and Keith Yancey discuss architectural daylighting principles and strategies and how these should influence the design process from the conceptual design phase forward. After a discussion of daylighting’s historical role, basic solar dynamics and tools and techniques, participants will work in small groups to construct models solving a given design problem.

Daylighting Obstacles
On Thursday morning from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., Jason Silva and Paul Trively will explore daylighting obstacles and opportunities. The objectives are to identify the key obstacles to daylighting projects and strategies to overcome these obstacles, to learn how to create and use an assessment tool to understand clients’ needs and expectations related to daylighting and to learn how to incorporate daylighting strategies into commercial projects.

Glass in Boston
Boston is an architectural delight. From structures built in the earliest days of the country’s history to today’s cutting-edge designs, there is plenty to see in the city. Here are some suggestions for structures that reflect today’s designs—energy-efficient, open, clean—with innovative use of architectural glass and metal.

Artful
As befits an institution called the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, the new ICA building makes effective use of glass and metal for a clean, modern look.

It recently was named the 2007 recipient of the Harleston Parker Medal, a unique award presented periodically to the “most beautiful building” in the greater Boston area by the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) and the City of Boston. The 65,000-square-foot museum, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Perry Dean Rogers Partners, was praised by the jury as a new civic building with a powerful relationship to its site on Boston Harbor.

The new ICA, which has a four-sided structural curtainwall system, features a dramatic folding ribbon form and a cantilever that extends to the water’s edge. The design weaves together interior and exterior space, producing shifting perspectives of the waterfront throughout the museum’s galleries and public spaces. The facility also features a Pilkington point-supported curtainwall supplied by W&W Glass.

Patriotic
Genzyme headquarters in Cambridge has gained renown for its green-ness. Among other green features, it has a 12-story atrium that utilizes mirrors to draw in the natural light.

According to Karas Glass Co. Inc., the glazing contractor for the structure, the facility has 100,000 square feet of custom unitized curtainwall with operable windows.

In this election year, visit the JFK library, which, in addition to its contents, offers sweeping views of Boston Harbor, thanks to its glass curtainwall. I.M. Pei’s elegant design always is inspiring to see. It can be reached via shuttle bus from the JFK/Umass stop on the Boston subway’s Red line.

And, on your way in, did you notice the elevated walkways at Logan Airport? The four walkways which connect two terminals with the parking garage feature a unitized aluminum curtainwall product and composite aluminum panels. Cambridge 7 was the architect for the project.

Trends in Super-Tall Buildings
From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, Paul Armstrong will explain trends in super-tall buildings and urban design. Case study examples of super-tall buildings and their impacts on megacities around the world, especially in developing countries, will be explored. He also will assess how a comprehensive design process involving collaboration among architects, engineers, planners and other professionals involved in the planning, design and construction of high-rise buildings is needed to identify all essential principles that unify them into a coherent design based on the contextual strategies of urbanism and principles of sustainable design.

The session, TH82, is sponsored by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture and provides 1 LU.

High-Performance Facades
On Friday morning from 8:15 a.m. to 9:45 a.m., David Altenhofen will discuss tectonics in high-performance facades based on climate, function and materiality. He will identify wall systems to control the flow of heat, air, and moisture appropriately across the exterior wall and explain the physical means by which wall assemblies (e.g., barrier, drained, rain screen) and materiality control the transfer of heat, air and moisture.

The session, FR24, is sponsored by the AIA Center for Building Science and Performance and provides 1.5 LUs.

Embassy Design
Friday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. there will be a session on the State Department’s Embassy program.

The session, EX23, is sponsored by the AIA Federal Architecture Task Group and AIA Government Advocacy and provides 1 LU.

Accessibility Laws
In the next time slot, Friday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Mark Mazz will try to clear up confusion on accessibility laws.

The session, FR76, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides 1.5 LUs.

Energy Codes and Fenestration
This is the title of a session on Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. in which Jim Benney will discuss how fenestration performance (i.e., U-factor, solar heat gain, etc.) and glazing area play a major role in determining if buildings are compliant with ASHRAE 90.1 and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which is being adopted rapidly through the U.S. Window technology has changed product performance rapidly. It is important that architects be able to evaluate buildings easily to determine their energy performance and compliance to energy codes.

In the session he will list the energy performance rating criteria for fenestration products, and discuss and explain code requirements for fenestration energy performance.

The session, SA02, is sponsored by the National Fenestration Rating Council and provides 1 LU.

Light Redirecting Glazings
At the same time Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Doug Milburn will discuss light redirecting glazings in the workplace. He will discuss how to determine the most appropriate design of a space to maximize its ability to be daylighted using light redirecting.

Glass House
Also on the AIA program in Boston is a tour (TP05) of Philip Johnson’s Glass House. The bus and walking tour will take place on Wednesday, May 14, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.