Passive House Innovations in Multifamily Retrofits

This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors speak with AEC industry leaders about:

• Innovations in Passive House design and construction
• The challenges of building a design team and opening a new design studio during a pandemic

BD+C Executive Editor Rob Cassidy meets with Chris Benedict, R.A., and Henry Gifford, Mechanical Systems Designer, to discuss "Innovations in Passive House Design, Engineering, and Construction."

BD+C Senior Editor John Caulfield interviews Jason Santeford, who in November 2020 was appointed the first managing director of Gensler's year-old office in Vancouver, B.C.

Jason discusses the challenges of building a team during a pandemic that has kept workers out of the office. He believes, however, that the launch of the new office is “perfect timing” for this market and his company.

This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors spoke with leaders from James McHugh Construction and STV Inc. about:

• The role of preconstruction in creating successful multifamily housing and other building projects
• Leadership strategies during down markets and STV's growth strategies for 2021 and beyond

BD+C Executive Editor Rob Cassidy chats with Steve Wiley, SVP of Preconstruction with James McHugh Construction, about the role of preconstruction in creating successful multifamily housing and other building projects. ow to accurately determine the precise scope of work,

• How to eliminate risk
• How to construct a responsible budget based on giving the owner/developer a clear vision of the project via a detailed interactive 3D model.
• The importance of using design-build for the major components of a multifamily housing building -- the core and shell structure and the MEP systems -- which account for 50-70% of total costs.

BD+C's David Barista sits down with STV Inc.'s new President and CEO Greg Kelly, PE, to discuss leadership strategies during down markets and STV's growth strategies for 2021 and beyond.

This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors spoke with leaders from Kohrman Jackson Krantz, OSPORTS, and the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign about:

• The future of eSports facilities
• The formation of the National Institute for AI in Construction

John Caulfield interviews Mani Golparvar, an Associate Professor at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign.

Golparvar is leading a project to develop a National Institute of Artificial Intelligence for Construction, which is being supported by the National Science Foundation and the Discovery Partners Institute.

More than 40 AEC, venture capital, and tech companies will work with UoI and Carnegie Mellon University to develop the framework of the Institute, whose goal is to advance the use of AI in construction and science/research in general.

Read BD+C's post on the National Institute of Artificial Intelligence for Construction

BD+C's David Barista discusses the latest trends and innovations in eSports facilities with three experts: Thom Chuparkoff, AIA, LEED AP, Director of OSPORTS; Geoff Aiken, Division Director of Sports, Entertainment & Technology with OSPORTS; and Scott Norcross, Partner with law firm Kohrman Jackson Krantz (KJK).

This week on The Weekly show, BD+C editors spoke with leaders from SMRT Architects and Engineers and Stantec about: 

• The future of medical office buildings
• Virtual internship programs

BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Derek Veilleux, AIA, EDAC, NCARB, Principal with SMRT Architects and Engineers and leader of the firm's health and wellness practice.

The focus of the discussion is on how medical office buildings can assuage patient and staff anxieties about safety. His firm's suggestions include greater reliance on curbside services, rethinking how waiting rooms are set up, and even allowing a degree of “self rooming” by patients and staff.

BD+C's Robert Cassidy interviews representatives of global architecture/engineering firm Stantec about the firm's "2020 virtual internship program."

The Summer 2020 program involved 23 interns from 13 cities in the U.S. and Canada, across four technical disciplines, working in multidisciplinary teams on specific projects for pro bono clients.