Indiana Recognizes ‘Green Globes’ System

Indiana recently recognized the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system in legislation.

In July, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels issued an executive order establishing an energy-efficient state building initiative which calls for all new state buildings to be designed, constructed, operated and maintained to achieve maximum energy efficiency.

To comply with the order, efficiency must be demonstrated by achieving a two globe rating under the Green Globes system, a silver rating under the LEED system or an equivalent rating from a system that has been accredited by the American National Standards Institute. This is the first executive order that has recognized Green Globes.

Indiana is the 18th state to approve the initiative. Other Midwest states that have previously approved Green Globes comprise Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Condo, Landscaping Office Win Steel Architecture, Engineering Award

Two Chicago projects were recipients of awards in the Innovative Design in Engineering and Architecture with Structural Steel competition, the 156 W. Superior condominium and Christy Webber Landscapes GreenWorks.

The 156 W. Superior condominium was a national award winner for projects less than $15 million, and Christy Webber was a merit award winner, also in the less than $15 million category.

Submissions were judged on use of structural steel, with an emphasis on creative solutions to project requirements; design innovation; aesthetic and visual impact of the project; innovative use of architecturally exposed structural steel; technical or architectural advances in the use of steel; the use of innovative design and construction methods; and sustainable design. There were seven other winners, in addition to the two from Chicago.

The nine IDEAS² winners were chosen from more than 85 submissions received by architectural and engineering firms throughout the U.S. Each submission is reviewed and award winners are selected by a nationally recognized panel of design and construction industry professionals.

Located within the emerging River North district in downtown Chicago, 156 W. Superior is a nine-story, mid-rise tower that explores the steel and glass language of the Second Chicago School, which was defined by the work of the Mies van der Rohe and early SOM designs.

Christy Webber Landscapes is located on Chicago’s West Side, and the three-building facility with wind tower is one of the few in the country to receive a LEED Platinum rating.

The American Institute of Steel Construction Inc. sponsors the competition.

Steel-Design Student Competition Awards Top Innovators

For the second year in a row, Woodbury University students were awarded top prizes in the 8th Annual AISC/ACSA Steel Design Student Competition.

Approximately 320 students from 30 universities across the United States, Canada and Mexico competed this year. Sponsored by the Chicago-based American Institute of Steel Construction and administered by the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the program challenged students to address various issues in design and construction projects with a special emphasis on innovation in steel design.

More than 200 student projects were submitted. Teams from Woodbury received first place and third place honors in both of the competition’s two separate categories: Category 1-Assembling Housing (which challenged the students to design multi-family housing by investigating the diverse functional and aesthetic uses for steel as a building material for urban housing) and Category 2-Open Competition (which gave students the opportunity to select a site and building program with limited restrictions).

Criteria for the judging of submissions included creative use of structural steel in the design solution, successful response of the design to its surrounding context and successful response to basic architectural concepts, such as human activity, structural integrity and coherence of architectural vocabulary.

A design jury awarded first, second and third prizes, along with two honorable mentions, in each category.

Winning students, faculty sponsors and schools received cash prizes totaling $14,000. Prize-winning projects will be part of a traveling exhibit at the 2009 ACSA Annual Meeting in Portland, Ore., and the 2009 American Institute of Architects Convention in San Francisco.

Negative Conditions Remain in Architecture Billings Index

The national Architecture Billings Index rebounded almost three points in June, after dropping two points the previous month. However, June was the fifth straight month that the index has remained below the 50 threshold, indicating that business levels at U.S architecture firms continue to deteriorate.

The Midwest is the only region where the index shows expansion (51.8).

“Very recently, the Midwest has been showing the best regional conditions,” says AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker. “But otherwise, these numbers are a continuation of weak conditions in the nonresidential construction sector. Given that inquiries for new project work have not seen much improvement, it’s likely we are several months away from a turnaround.”

Millennium Park’s Lurie Garden Wins National Landscape Award

The Lurie Garden in Chicago’s Millennium Park has earned the 2008 top design award from the American Society of Landscape Architects—besting hundreds of entries from around the world.

The ASLA Award of Excellence in General Design recognizes constructed projects of landscape architecture or urban design. Judges base their decisions on the quality of design and execution; design context; environmental sensitivity and sustainability; and design value to the client and to other designers. The Lurie Garden exceeded in all of these criteria.

“The landscape architect has created an oasis in the center of the city. It works on so many levels, no wonder people love it. The plant palette is very rich and engaging. This is not our typical botanic garden,” said the awards jury which represents some of the world’s leading design experts. “It has raised the bar and is far and away the most outstanding example of work submitted to the awards program this year.”

Designed by Seattle-based Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd, the 2.5-acre rooftop garden was inspired by Carl Sandburg’s famous description of the “City of Big Shoulders.” Gustafson enclosed the garden on two sides with a 15-ft high “shoulder” hedge. Two diagonal, hardwood walkways create movement through the garden, giving the sturdy design a much gentler feel.

Those visiting should look for distinctive features that set this garden apart. The garden has two interior “Plates” that are planted with perennials and trees native to Chicago. Called the Dark Plate and Light Plate, they each have their own form but combine to resemble a muscular torso. In addition, The Seam is the boundary between the two plates. It is composed of a boardwalk that “floats” over a shallow water feature, perfect for dipping feet into after a long day at the office or touring around the city.