June 27, 2008
  Next to a Real Oasis, the Water + Life Museums Offer a Refuge of Sustainable Design
The natural history of the desert and the human-designed infrastructure to make it livable come together in a landmark project.
The Water + Life Museums, by Lehrer + Gangi Design + Build, are the first LEED® Platinum certified museums. Both institutions are designed using infrastructural forms and materials that call attention to the industrial effort required to maintain human settlements in the desert and the need to preserve resources. The museum design uses several solar shielding techniques, a massive PV panel array, and radiant floor heating and cooling.

AIA/HUD Secretary Awards Recognize Four Outstanding Housing Projects
The AIA’s Housing and Custom Residential Knowledge Community, in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is pleased to present the four 2008 recipients of the AIA/HUD Secretary Awards. The award recognizes excellence in four categories: affordable housing architecture, neighborhood design, participatory design, and accessibility. These awards demonstrate that design matters, and the recipient projects offer examples of important developments in the housing industry.

Promoting Pragmatics and Aesthetics in a Hospital Setting
Solving dual challenges of pragmatics and aesthetics, RTKL’s design for the Central DuPage Hospital provides environments that work in concert with medical treatment to promote healing and health. The details of the new 278,000-square-foot, 202-bed facility help doctors and nurses perform their jobs efficiently and offer patients hotel-like comfort and amenities.

 

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Welcome to the Design Zone
Here is where you will find our weekly Project Watch, short vignettes on notable projects in this country and abroad. The Design Zone is also where you will find coverage of awards programs, including the national Honor Awards as well as state and local component awards.