Revit Leads SERA Architects to LEED Gold

Check out this feature on greenbuildingpro.com that summarizes the Ideate, Inc. Study in Success: Revit Leads SERA Architects to LEED Gold.

“The Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center opened for guests May, 2009 in the Portland, Oregon downtown urban core. Designed by BIM-focused Portland-based SERA Architects and developed by Sage Hospitality, the hotel stands where a vacant and deteriorating once bank/office building stood. As SERA’s market partner and source of software solutions, Ideate, Inc. assisted SERA in this achievement.”

Or download the entire Study in Success PDF here.

Get it. Know it. Use it.

Curtain Walls - Medieval History, Current Revit Practices

Quite often my kids teach me new things, like what a “silly band” is OR that moms really should have long hair...Yesterday I learned new information about curtain walls. Thought I would share this info for those who think it’s all about the glass.
Enjoy!

Description of the Curtain Wall
The Curtain was an outer wall which surrounded the bailey (Motte and Bailey castles) or Medieval castle buildings. The purpose of the curtain wall was to protect the interior of the castle. The wall was often connected by flanking towers which could house castle defenders. Sometimes arrow slits were a feature of the curtain wall enabling castle defenders to safely shoot at any attackers. Built for defence the curtain wall varied in size from 6 - 20 feet thick, up to 45 feet high and up to 1,500 feet long!

History of the Curtain Wall
The curtain wall was one of the most important forms of defence and, as such, its history dates back to the Hillforts of the Iron and Bronze Ages. The early curtain walls were made of heavy timbers and were originally called Palisades. The wooden curtain wall was a feature of the Motte and Bailey Castles which were built by the Normans. The wooden wall was subject to rot when built on an earth base and could be destroyed by fire. The wooden walls were therefore replaced by stone curtain walls. Crenellations (battlements) were added to Medieval curtain walls which provided a fighting platform and good vantage point from which soldiers launched arrows. The Crenellations also provided defenders with a solid defence to hide behind when they were not launching arrows from the gaps in between the stone battlements. Attackers would scale the curtain wall and scaling ladders had hooks designed to fit over the crenels.

Origin, Meaning of the word 'Curtain Wall'
The Origin and Meaning of the word 'Curtain' wall derives from the Latin words 'cortina and curtian' meaning a court or enclosure surrounded by walls.

The Curtain Wall
The Curtain Wall was introduced in England in the Iron and Bronze Age Hillforts. It was included in the designs of Norman and Plantagenet castles during the Medieval period 1066 - 1485. The old Medieval Castles were a symbol of wealth and power and were often the centre of historic battles and Medieval sieges. These great old castles were built for Medieval warfare and defence and new parts of the castle were designed accordingly and the curtain walls grew higher and thicker! This section of 'Castles' provides interesting facts and information about the many different parts of Castles! The Curtain Wall was an essential Castle part for as a form of defence against intruders.

Excerpted from http://www.castles.me.uk/curtain-wall.htm

Interested in learning more about Revit Curtain Walls?

April 14, Sacramento
Join Ideate and special guest Gregory Jones from LPAS Architecture and Design. Gregory will review the process used in the California Lottery Headquarters project, the pitfalls LPAS ran into and some of the workarounds and lessons learned from the whole experience. Registration link here.

April 23, Portland
Ideate will host a Revit Curtain Wall panel at the Portland Revit User Group, with special guests Celeste Warren from YGH Architects and Russell Holzinger of SERA Architects who will provide overviews of specific projects their firms have completed using Revit Curtain Walls. The session will include a panel discussion featuring Celeste, Russell, Eric Miller from BOORA Architects and Amy Hensley, Designer representing Benson Industries, the curtain wall manufacturer currently working with SERA Architects on the Edith Green project. Registration link here.

Submitted by Glynnis Patterson, N.C.A.R.B. – Director of Services
Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Legos.

Ideate Congratulates 2010 BetterBricks Awards Winners & Finalists

The BetterBricks Awards celebrate the champions of high performance buildings. The Awards recognize architects, engineers, developers, building owners, building operators, facility managers and other building professionals for their support of high performance, commercial buildings with a special emphasis on energy efficiency in the Northwest. The 2010 Oregon/SW Washington BetterBricks Awards honored a total of 12 green building professionals.

Ideate extends sincere congratulations to our clients who were winners & finalists:

• Garrin Royer and Danny McGinley, Principals, Redside Development
• Dennis Cusack, Principal, SRG Partnership
• Lisa Petterson, Associate, SRG Partnership
• John Breshears, Principal, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects
• Bob Gulick, Principal, Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch
• Nick Collins, Principal, PAE Consulting Engineers
• Clark Brockman, Principal, SERA Architects
• Galen Ohmart, Solarc Architecture + Engineering
• Brian McCarthy, CMGS Landscape Architects
• Bob Packard, Gene Sandoval, Peter van der Meulen, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects
• James Thomas, Glumac

We're proud to work with such a distinguished group.

To learn about Ideate solutions for your business, contact sales@ideateinc.com.

Study in Success - Revit Leads SERA Architects to LEED® Gold

Ideate is proud to announce publication of its latest Study in Success entitled “Revit Leads SERA Architects to LEED® Gold” both online and in a limited print edition.

The subject of the study is SERA Architects’ LEED® Gold award-winning project, The Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center. Designed by BIM-focused Portland-based SERA Architects and developed by Sage Hospitality, the hotel stands where a vacant and deteriorating bank/office building once stood in Portland’s urban center.

Additionally, the project is prominently featured in the Portland Business Journal Sustainable Oregon, November 20, 2009 article, “New LEED® Gold Building Brightens Portland Cityscape.”

The Ideate Study in Success reveals how SERA Architects undertook and accomplished a major eco-friendly building renovation project, one that achieves remarkable efficiencies in energy consumption and water use, provides travelers with excellent comfort and amenities, minimizes impact on the environment and embellishes the aesthetic of the city. The Courtyard by Marriott Portland City Center has recently been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is the first hotel in the Pacific Northwest to receive such a high level of recognition and Marriott’s first LEED® Gold of any of its brands.

In preparation for Ideate’s creation of the Study in Success, SERA Architects' Associate and Marketing Manager Kristy Edmark, initiated an extensive interview process that included key staff members: SERA Principal Joe Pinzone, Associate and Architect Gary Golla, Job Captain Jon DeLeonardo and Director of Interior Design Lisa Zangerle. In the course of their interviews, SERA team members shed light on how the firm utilized BIM-focused Autodesk software and employed Ideate training and technical support.

Download the Study in Success from Ideate's Case Study library or request a printed courtesy copy from marketing@ideateinc.com.