In the world of project execution, "design/build" is the convention. With its emphasis on the benefits of early involvement (integration of design, engineering execution, design-build, procurement, and construction decisions), it has become the dominant mode (Rothman, 2004). In this project, students explore the design/build principle of…

School districts sometimes need to add relatively small increments of high quality educational space to their existing physical facilities. For some of these situations, the portable or relocatable classroom is the answer; in other cases, the district needs different or more permanent space--quickly. This document comprises six charts that present…

The University of Michigan and Aerojet Corporation report their development of a new building system which will offer the consumer a higher quality product at lower cost. To achieve this goal, the University-Aerojet proposal suggested filament winding (a process derived from the aerospace program for the manufacture of reinforced plastic…

In view of the cost of structural framing for school buildings, ten steel-framed schools are examined to review the economical advantages of steel for school construction. These schools do not resemble each other in size, shape, arrangement or unit cost; some are original in concept and architecture, and others are conservative. Cost and…

One hundred different topics related to the technical aspects of building design and construction are discussed. The major areas of discussion are--(1) the effects of climate on building materials, (2) site and soil analysis, (3) acoustical and thermal design considerations, (4) fire and building design, (5) structural analysis and design, and (6)…

Basic information and guidelines on the use of URBS components are provided for use by architects and engineers. The URBS system was developed in response to the competitive bidding on performance specifications, incorporating user requirements, economic constraints, industry capability and trade practices. The essence of the URBS Project--the…

Target costs for the University Residential Building System (URBS) Project of the University of California are presented. Findings depict the effectiveness of building design and material applications and should be useful in guiding future student housing design work, whether the design utilizes the URBS system or not. Ten recently constructed…

Reviews attack on fire safety in high rise buildings made by a group of experts representing the iron and steel industry at a recent conference. According to one expert, fire problems are people oriented, which calls for emphasis on fire prevention rather than reliance on fire suppression and for fire pretection to be built into a structure.…

Two campus structures -- a student-faculty center at the University of Massachusetts and a technological complex at New York University -- and a downtown high-rise office building in Cleveland all have precast panel walls, which play a major role in the mechanical and electrical distribution systems. (Author)

Current trends in architectural design and construction are described which may affect the prefinishing of exterior building components. Contents include--(1) prefinishing of ferrous metals, (2) prefinishing of nonferrous metals, (3) prefinishing of wood and composition board, (4) prefinishing of masonry concrete block, (5) prefinishing of…

The primary objective of the University Residential Building Systems (URBS) project was the achievement of significant gains in environmental qualities concurrent with reductions in the cost for construction, maintenance and alteration of student housing facilities. Evaluation of the bids for the URBS components indicates that the foregoing…

This module, a laboratory supplement on the theory of bending and properties of sections, is part of a first-year, postsecondary structural science technical support course for architectural drafting and design. The first part of this two-part supplement is directed at the instructor and includes the following sections: program objectives; course…

The University Residential Building Systems (URBS) project is a major program of research, design, development and construction with the object of obtaining and using compatible building components in the construction of university student housing. This is accomplished by providing incentive to industry for development of new products that will…

Skillful handling of a science complex for the State University of New York at Binghamton expresses society's concept of the goals of technology and questions about values generated by those standards. The spatial organization and systems of the buildings meet the pragmatic needs of science; however, the design does not succeed in expressing…