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December 9th, 2013

Drury Plaza Broadview Hotel in Wichita completes LEED Certification

The Drury Plaza Broadview Hotel in Wichita has been awarded LEED Certification. The hotel is the third Drury Hotel to complete LEED Certification under the United States Green Building Council’s rating system.

The historic Broadview Hotel in Wichita, Kan., has undergone a $30 million renovation. The hotel’s new guest entrance faces the Arkansas River, and the hotel sits adjacent to Wichita’s Century II Performing Arts and Convention Center. Since 1922, guests have entered into a grand lobby with large chandeliers and checkered floors at the hotel. The elegance of the historic hotel remains, but guests enjoy updates in the hotel’s 200 rooms, new amenities, and energy efficient design.

November 20th, 2013

Brown’s Ranch Trailhead Completed – City of Scottsdale, International Green Construction Code

130926GO_4 Browns Ranch TrailheadBrown’s Ranch Trailhead is the latest addition to Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve’s public access areas. Architect Phil Weddle worked with the City of Scottsdale to complete the project using the International Green Construction Code, or the IgCC.

It provides parking for 200 vehicles and 24 horse trailers, as well as restrooms, a shade ramada, covered amphitheater, interpretive signage, video, exhibit space, and water for two-legged and four legged guests. This northern region of the Preserve is popular with mountain bikers and equestrians, so the trailhead provides a place for cyclists to park their bikes, as well as hitching rails and a water trough for thirsty horses.

  • <p>eBay has completed a LEED Gold Global Customer Service Center in Draper, Utah. The project achieved a 34% energy savings, including receptacle loads for 1,900 employees projected to be 40% of the building’s annual energy use.</p>
  • <p><strong>Prescott College Achieves LEED Platinum for the Campus Village Student Housing</strong><br /> <strong>90.2% Energy savings </strong><br /> 91% Lighting: 76% HVAC: 45% Envelope *Compared to an ASHRAE 90.1-2007 baseline</p>
  • <p>Mesa Fire Station 219, LEED Gold, <strong>Overall energy cost savings were 40% better than a baseline standard. </strong>Renewable energy on site from a photovoltaic 5.3 kW system generates 10% of the building’s annual energy use. (8,167 kWh per year).</p>
  • <p>The renovation of the existing ASU Student Health Services Building, constructed in 1954 and last renovated in 1968, involved demolition, renovation, and new construction. The new energy-efficient facility now accomodates more than 70,000 students currently attending ASU.</p>
  • <p>The Desert Courtyard House is literally and figuratively connected to the surrounding desert, using soil excavated from the site to construct battered mass walls of concrete and rammed earth. The mass walls envelop and protect the interior spaces and a central exterior courtyard.</p>
  • <p>Caesars Palace has recently completed the LEED Silver certification on both a newly expanded convention center, 500,000 sq. ft., and the new 678,600 sq.ft. Octavius Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada.</p>
  • <p>Chandler City Hall carefully juxtaposes natural material references from the surrounding desert landscape with the extensive use of glass, conceptually expressing a sense of regionalism and climate responsive design, with transparency and openness in City government.</p>
  • <p>The City of Albuquerque has remodeled its existing Animal Services Center to expand its footprint and program. The Animal Services Center in Albuquerque, NM has achieved LEED Silver Certification.</p>
  • <p>Located in Ozone Park, Queens, New York, the Sunrise Yard facility was recently awarded LEED Platinum certification, with the building’s energy efficiency 85% above baseline standards.</p>
  • <p><strong>Best Green Project 2012, Engineering News and Record Southwest</strong>: A LEED Platinum project with projected energy cost savings of 43%. Quest Energy Group was responsible for the energy modeling key team member from the early stages of design development.</p>
  • <p>Five new academic buildings at Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus, 245,000 sq. ft. LEED Gold Certified, 32% Energy Savings. Architect: RSP Architects (Architect-of-Record) with Lake-Flato (Design Architect)</p>
  • <p>A full-scale energy analysis and audit effort was conducted in order to identify potential energy conservation measures for Busch Stadium. </p>
  • <p>Phoenix Fire Station #72 has been awarded LEED Gold certification.</p>
  • <p>The United States Forest Services Department built a new call center and administration building in Tucson, Arizona which has achieved LEED gold certification.</p>
  • <p>The Mesa Community College Physical Sciences Building has achieved LEED Gold certification.</p>

What’s New:

The AIA Arizona award winners were announced this month, with Awards given in the categories of Honor, Merit and Citation.

The winning projects were from a diverse array of firms, from tiny architecture studios to large multinational firms.

asu-healthservices-1

Pictured:
Citation Award Winner: ASU Health Services Building
Architect: Orcutt|Winslow
Design Architect: Lake Flato
Owner: Arizona State University
Contractor: Okland Construction