Saturday, August 11, 2012

Task #2

One Bryant Park Tower
The world's greenest skyscraper, One Bryant Park achieved LEED Platinum certification, making it the world's first office tower to reach the USGBC's highest rating.  Designed by Cook+Fox Architects and built by Tishman Construction Corporation, the building has set a historic precedent for sustainable tower design by being the largest of any skyscraper to reach LEED Platinum. As the second tallest building in Manhattan, One Bryant Park is unforgettable and never too distant from any New Yorker’s peripheral view.  Housing the new headquarters of the financial giant Bank of America, the green features implemented in this design quickly allowed it to rack up all the points it needed to garner its LEED Platinum rating.


The tower was originally built to LEED Gold standards, but the tower has far surpassed expectations with its LEED Platinum certification.  Quite uncommon for a tower of its size, the new building employs a system for rainwater catchement and reuse, greywater recycling, energy efficient building systems, and high performance glass which maximizes day-lighting and minimizes solar heat gain and loss.

The system also perfectly compliments an incredible cooling system that produces and stores ice during off-peak hours, and then uses the ice phase transition to help cool the building during peak load.
Another remarkable innovation is the air purification system - not only is the air entering the building purified to a high standard, but the air exhausted is also cleaned, effectively making the tower a giant air filter for Midtown Manhattan.
During the construction of One Bryant Park, 91% of all construction and demolition waste was either recycled or diverted from the landfill.
Moreover, the building was built by and large with recycled and recyclable materials, and all the materials were sourced locally to reduce carbon costs and to support the local economy.
One Bryant Park hosts a unique atrium, The Urban Garden Room, which is completely open to the public daily from 8am-8pm. The room is a perfect calm, green escape from the noisy city streets that sit just opposite the glass window.  http://inhabitat.com/photos-worlds-greenest-skyscraper-nycs-one-bryant-park/
 

 
Master Format
The Construction Specifications Institutes (CSI) MasterFormat is the most widely used standard for organizing specifications for building projects in the U.S. and Canada. 
The MasterFormat incorporates a complete organizational format for project manuals by
including bidding requirements, contract forms, conditions of the contract and the General
Requirements, in addition to the Technical Specifications Divisions 02 through 16. This
document has been the construction industry’s consensus standard for the organization of technical information. 



MasterFormat is intended to classify detailed construction information into a standard order or
sequence by materials and methods. This is done by establishing a detailed master list of
divisions, sections and parts. The MasterFormat facilitates construction communication,
promotes standardization in the industry, and facilitates the retrieval of information. It is
primarily used for the organization of project manuals, detailed construction cost estimates, and product data filing.

Architect Profession

Video 1
The truth about being an Architect
Architecture is a great profession and a horrible business.  What’s great about the profession is the fact that Architecture is about many things:  form, story, music and inspiration.  It’s also about illuminating one’s life with philosophy, sociology, psychology, material science, engineering, mathematics, history, and construction.  These are the reasons that architecture is a great profession that can enrich your life.   
However, there seems to be many complaints that the business for designing building, running an office and keeping an architectural firm solvent can be overwhelming.  The education of an architect prepares one to become a designer, but unfortunately, you may do very little design work.  The truth is that design is a very small part of what the architect does.  The job of an architect involves doing a lot of technical drawings, research, coordination and organization, people skills, may work with a large number of subcontractors and consultants, and must work well with other people particularly contractors in the field.  Their most important job is managing the client, the business and employees.  All these jobs comprise of what an architect actually does with no time for design at all.  This is why the business of architecture can be so different from the profession and for some unfulfilled.  http://whyarchitectsdrink.blogspot.com/2009/04/pros-and-cons-of-being-architect_29.html   

Video 2
How to Architect Part 1
To determine if you’re cut out to be an architect, you should answer a few questions such as:  Can you draw well?  According to this video, you do not have to be an artist to be an Architect.  However, you do need to be able to get your ideas across through sketching.  Sketching is a way the architect convey ideas.  Today, most of the drafting is done on a computer.  The inability to draw should not be the only reason to stop you from becoming an architect, but being able to draw certainly comes in handy.  To improve you can take a drawing course, start sketching everything you see, learn to draft, and look at other architects work. See the questions and links below to get an overview of the other question to think about.
Are you good at Math?
Are you proficient in the language of your choice (English)?
Are you creative (inventive, imaginative, and good at coming up with new ideas)?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdsi0kLL1I8&feature=relmfu



Video 3
Top 10 things you’ll never hear an architect say (Per Doug Patt)
10.  Were on budget and everything is going according to schedule.
9.     I don’t have enough education.
8.     My client is pissed.
7.     The general contractor is not a moron.
6.     I learned everything I needed to know in college.
5.     We can’t build that, it’s going to be way too expensive.
4.     I love my job every day.
3.     Getting that house built was really easy.
2.     I’m getting way to much sleep.
1.     I’m really rich.    
 
Architectural Software

There are various computer programs available to assist architects with building design.  Most professionals will choose the program specific to their needs and operating systems.  Below are helpful websites that will assist in choosing the correct software.   

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