Back in June the American Institute of Architects (AIA) hosted its national convention in Miami. More than 17,000 took part in the three-day event, which offered them the chance to take part in numerous learning sessions that provided continuing education credits. While class-room style lessons are important, you can also learn a lot by talking to other people in the industry to find out about their latest industry news, trends and developments. So in addition to the sessions, the AIA convention also included a trade show where hundreds of companies, including an impressive grouping from the glass and metal industry, offered up their newest products. Through their exhibitions, exhibitors brought their own type of education to architects—education about glass and energy performance; safety and security; and aesthetically pleasing design features.

The team at the Architects’ Guide to Glass & Metal  was at this year’s AIA Show and you can read our coverage of the event in the July-August issue, which subscribers will soon be receiving. In addition, our publication is now online in a digital format. Check out previous editions by CLICKING HERE.

And one last thing: the Architects’ Guide to Glass & Metal magazine is now on Twitter. You can follow us for news updates, show reports and much more by CLICKING HERE.

Looking at the AIA’s Architectural Billings Index (ABI), Baker says it’s trending up, but very slowly. In terms of its different sectors, single family residential has been the strongest of late and, according to Baker, there have been some signs that once we work off excess multi-family inventory there might just be some improvement on the rental side as well.

Both the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as institutional, have leveled off and “we have not seen much in terms of promising signs in recent months and they don’t seem like they are ready to turn around,” says Baker.

Looking at the ABI on a regional basis, architectural firms in all regions are still reporting modest declines in activity. Firms in the Midwest, though, seem to be the closest in terms of recovery and the index also shows that firms in the Northeast have also done a little better than average in recent months.

While we all know times are challenging, we also know that eventually things will pick up and work will begin to flow. But the question everyone is asking is, ‘just when will it all turn around?’ There are lots of forecasts and predictions out there, but according to Baker, we can find one possible answer by comparing this recession cycle to those of the past. In doing so there are four benchmarks that might help give us an idea as to when we might just see the market turnaround. These benchmarks are: the stock market, gross domestic product (GDP), payroll employment and non-residential construction starts.

Typically, according to Baker, we begin by seeing improvements in the stock market, followed by some improvement in the broader economy (GDP). If that is sustained, then businesses will bring back payroll employment and if that continues to grow and businesses start to think about adding new facilities, that’s when non-residential construction starts are likely to pick up.

In this recession, the stock market hit its low in March 2009 and the general economy picked up around June or July 2009. In terms of payroll employment, Baker expects that to pick up probably by the second quarter and toward the end of the year we could possibly see an increase in non-residential starts.

Whether by the end of this year or sometimes next year, business will eventually return. In the meantime, find opportunities to stay up-to-date on the latest design trends and technologies—you’ll be able to apply your newfound knowledge in the future once business is again booming. Glass and glazing products are certainly evolving, and you’ll be able to check out some of these new developments at the AIA show, taking place in Miami (turn to page 10 for a sneak peek). And while at the show, be sure and stop be booth 925 to meet the staff of the Architects’ Guide to Glass & Metal. You can also pick up free copies of the magazine as well as information about our new digital edition and continuing education opportunities. We look forward to meeting you there!

I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at the glass usage in a few of projects we featured this year.

For the Cathedral of Christ the Light project, architects at SOM worked extensively with glass to create the qualities of a lantern that would glow during the day from sunlight and in the evening from the light within. One unique feature of the cathedral is the Omega Wall, which re-images a 12th-century sculptural depiction of Christ from the façade of Chartres Cathedral in France. As Craig Hartman, project architect, explains, “The idea was to make this image, like that of the overall building, change as the quality of light changes. So it comes and goes; it really is like a veil, which sometimes, depending on the nature of the light, is very strong and vivid. That’s typically when the light is strong on the outside and less so on the inside. As you get more light, either through light coming off the ceiling and down on the surface of the image or as light becomes brighter on the inside moving toward evening … that begins to diminish in its intensity.” (CLICK HERE to read more about the project.)

Designed by the Dallas offices of HKS Inc., the Fontainebleau Miami Beach is a contemporary, two-story, 40,000 square-foot “jewel box” building, that stands as a blue glass structure with canted walls. While architects selected the blue glass to complement the colors of the surroundings, it also needed to meet Miami’s stringent large missile impact requirements and hurricane codes. Luckily, contract glaziers Accura Glass Works were well versed in installing hurricane-glazing systems. The challenge they faced, though, was doing the in-stall in the midst of hurricane season. “With hurricane season you do your planning but you still have to be reactionary because you do not know when it will happen,” says Rob Parker, president of Accura Glass Works. “There were two different times during the project where we had named storms out in the Atlantic; we were in the ‘cone of probability’ as they call it and in both cases we were there on Saturdays and Sundays making sure everything was secure. Luckily, all we had was some bad rain, but it all just added to the pressure to get the building wrapped.” (CLICK HERE to read more about the project.)

But glass is not just for use on the outside; it can also create a dramatic statement on the inside. Such was the case for the Thompson-Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee. Designed by Blankenship & Partners LLC, the arena was renovated to include structural silicone glazed guardrails. After 20 years of complaints about metal handrails that obstructed the views of those watching the games or other arena events, the University of Tennessee decided a new view was in order. “The University of Tennessee really wanted an improvement to the old metal rails so they went in the complete opposite direction by creating an all-glass rail. This allowed us to remove all of the vertical posts and horizontal lines from people’s views,” says Blankenship. Because the guardrails are a structurally glazed system it was necessary to find a way to hide all of the mechanics and attachments. To do so a black opacifier was added to the bottom part of the glass by GlassKote USA. (CLICK HERE to read more about the project.)

Projects such as these represent just a sampling of what we saw this year when it came to architectural glass. Have you been involved with a unique project? Please tell me about it and it may just be featured in a future issue.

Happy holidays!

The new two-level store, expected to open in December, will be located in Crystals, CityCenter’s 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind and Rockwell Group. On both the inside and out, glass was a significant design element. In fact, the store will feature an 85-foot-high glass façade that cants slightly over the street to resemble a diamond. Once inside, visitors will find a crystalline stone and glass staircase lit from beneath to emphasize the curve of the stairs that shine through the glass façade.

Of course, there are also large panels of glass that you can gaze through to take in all the glitzy scenery Las Vegas has to offer. For others, though, I would bet they’re more enthralled by the scenery that will be available inside the store, rather than what’s out on the strip.

голова болит секс

I would have to guess that a lot of us out there would like to design our own dream building, created with our favorite things in mind. As in this case, Tiffany & Co. itself designed the new Las Vegas store, and based on the details, from the diamond-like façade to the sparkly staircase, it’s easy to see the distinctive characteristics and features that reflect the store’s heritage.

And on that note, you tell me: if you were to design your very own building-one that reflected your style, tastes, likes and dislikes-what kind of structure would it be? The sky’s the limit these days when it comes to design. So don’t be shy and let me knwo what you think. As for me? I’ll take a diamond store any day, thank you very much.

• голова болит секс

голова болит секс

• голова болит секс
голова болит секс

Next week I will be traveling to Australia. While the flight will be long, the trip will be worth it. Whenever I travel I like to look for the interesting architectural details, particularly the glass. According to the Australian Glass & Glazing Association, there are more than 3500 glass companies there–and the industry is continually growing.

When it comes to architecture, I’ve read that many firms take an avant-garde approach to design–just look at the famous Sydney Opera House. While that’s a project with which most everyone is familiar, there are plenty of others to see, I’m sure. I’ll be posting updates and photos from my trip so be sure to check here regularly.

If you’ve got a suggestion of a must-see let me. Or, to share your thoughts on Australian architecture-or any architetcural project-your comments are always welcome.

Take, for instance, the Helen Diller Cancer Research Building, which you can read about in the upcoming May-June issue of the Architects’ Guide to Glass. Located in San Francisco’s Mission Bay, the project was designed by architect Rafael Viñoly to maximize the interactions among everyone working there. This was done by using glass extensively; most significantly by way of an atrium that is visually and physically accessible from surrounding areas and exterior terraces.

As project manager Bethany Lundell told me, “We’re trying to stimulate the researchers and the way they operate … there are different types of light in different spaces and we wanted to provide daylight in tough spaces … because it really does make a difference in terms of how you experience and enjoy a space.”

It’s true; you can’t very well have natural light when bricks and concrete are your primary building materials. With glass you not only get the benefit of visible light transmittance, but nice aesthetics, too. Tell me about some ways you’re designing with daylighting in mind.

However, if you’re out there reading this and what I’m writing is all brand new to you, don’t worry; we’re here to help. I have been writing about glass for the past nine years and I still remember reading through all the new product press releases that I was writing up for USGlass magazine. Back then terms such as “curtainwall, “low-E” and “structural silicone” left me thinking, “what is all this?” It did not happen over night, but eventually I learned a thing or two about architectural glass and glazing. I’m still not a technical glass wiz, and that’s why I’m still learning as much as I can.

Luckily, there are a lot of great resources out there. Industry associations such as the Glass Association of North America, the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Association and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association all offer a variety of materials on industry standards, codes, product performance and much more. These materials may be just what you need to give your glass education a boost.

And by the way, while I may have started out focusing on the glass industry when I was writing for USGlass, I’ve now shifted my focus to the architectural side of things. I’ve recently taken on the Architects’ Guide to Glass and am looking forward to getting to know this aspect of the business. My predecessor, Charles Cumpston, is one of the most well-known and well-respected editors in the glass industry, so I know I’m going to have some big shoes to fill in this new role. Charles did a great job with the Architects’ Guide and I am looking forward to continuing along the path he started with it.

To get things started, I really want to hear from you, our readers. What are some things you want to know about glass? What type of news, information and articles would you like to see? And if you’ve been involved with a significant glazing project I want to hear about it. Send me an email or post your comments and let me know how we can help bring you the information you need about glass.