July 11, 2008
  A Bridge Can’t Go Too Far
D.C.’s New Wilson Bridge Wins 2008 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently honored the D.C. Traffic Improvement Project for its design and engineering of the new Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge in metropolitan Washington, D.C. ASCE’s 2008 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement (OCEA) Award recognized the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge project for sustainable design programs that protected the environment during construction through soil and underwater vegetation preservation and water and air quality monitoring. The award also honors the project’s programs that will continue to provide green restoration to the surroundings. The project’s ongoing $50 million “green program” of environmental mitigation initiatives will create and restore parks, wetlands, fish passageways, streams, forests, and habitats—all near the bridge and for miles in every direction. The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge project was selected by ASCE from among 50 entries.

A Year Later, Greensburg Will Rebuild with Platinum
The Kansas town nearly wiped off the map pitches in to see that it grows back green
After Greensburg, Kan., was almost wiped off the map by a tornado a year ago, the town has enlisted the help of Kansas City, Mo.-based firm BNIM to help them rebuild sustainably. The town has decreed that all city-owned public buildings larger than 4,000 square feet must be LEED® Platinum certified, and the architects and community nonprofits are working with residents to encourage and enable them to build their homes and businesses back using sustainable design practices. Community leaders say that Greensburg offers an opportunity to join together cultures that share similar values, yet occupy different cultural realms—sustainability expertise and rural Midwestern communities.

Senior Living, Cruise Ship Style
A luxury residence for people who have reached the big 5-0 beckons would-be buyers with the feeling that they have entered a world-class resort. From the two-story atrium and grand marble staircase to the furnishings to the artwork that is peppered throughout the building, the Conservatory Senior Residences in Plano, Tex., designed by Houston-based Meeks+Partners, turns away from what developers consider an institutional project type to embrace a lifestyle that is as well-appointed as the architecture itself.

Herman Miller for Healthcare Sponsors Scholarships to HealthcareDesign08
Submissions due August 8 for November conference
Herman Miller for Healthcare will sponsor eight intern architects to attend the fall conference of the Center for Health Design/AIA Academy of Architecture for Health known as HealthcareDesign.08. The conference will be held November 8–11 in Washington, D.C. Each intern architect selected will receive up to a $1,000 reimbursement to pay for registration fees, air travel, and hotel room costs. (Note: This amount typically does not cover all the expenses one incurs to attend a conference.) This scholarship program is part of Herman Miller's continuing commitment to excellence in health-care architecture and support of young architects. For eligibility and application information, visit the Academy of Architecture for Health Web site.

  

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This is the home of the weekly Best Practices column, news of tips and tools that you can use in your day-to-day practice and case studies illustrating “how-tos” and “lessons learned” for all stages of practice. The Practice Zone also features reports of research in architecture and related fields.