Insulated metal panels enhance building envelope performance, prevent thermal bridging, and promote sustainability. My previous post on the use of metal in architectural design focused on the material’s aesthetic flexibility. Though designers place a high value on the looks of a facility, they must also consider more practical matters, such as how a material impacts […]
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Train Station Translation: A Lesson in Design Vocabularies
A train station’s style has a lot to say. Literally and figuratively, train stations connect municipalities. The station is the gateway to the tracks that lead people to other places. It is the face that a city or village shows to commuters, and, in many cases, an embodiment of a community’s values. Midwestern stations adopt […]
Achieve Hospitality Architecture That Impresses – Part 2: Customer and Context
Designing a hotel that outperforms competitors means listening to what both primary users and surrounding buildings have to say. The most prosperous hotels embrace local opportunities. They might, for instance, support a manufacturing district or link to a transit hub. Therefore, the challenge for architects is to design hotels that not only cater to the […]
Architecture That Helps Children Fall in Love with the Environment
The coming decades present a major ecological challenge . . . so let’s encourage the next generation to do something about it! I remember a children’s story about a man who got angry when neighborhood kids threw rocks at ducks. He’d yell at them, but they would keep coming back to throw more rocks. One […]
Achieve Hospitality Architecture That Impresses – Part 1: Multigenerational Appeal, Local Connections
Did guests get the experience that they paid for? This question has long haunted hotel operators. Hotels generate an experience. The factors that contribute to that experience range from overall service and speed of check-in to dining and cleanliness. These things are critical, but it all starts with what creates the first impression: the facility. […]
Train Station Architectural Design Fundamentals – Part 5 (Accessibility: Making the Grade with Universal Design)
If safety is the number one priority for train stations, then accessibility comes in at a close second. Have you ever wondered about those little bumps you see on sidewalks just before you get to a cross street? Those of us in the architecture/engineering/construction industry call them truncated domes, and they’re there for a reason: […]
Train Station Architectural Design Fundamentals – Part 4 (Tough and Timeless Materials)
When it comes to train station materials, durability isn’t enough. Every weekday, harried commuters clatter and bang their way through the typical train station. Their clasps, umbrellas, and coffee mugs scrape and grind against its walls. On weekends, the assault continues: downtown-bound families with children who love to roughhouse, skateboarders attempting new tricks. I’ve even […]
