​Hurst-Rosche was recently selected by the Tennessee Board of Regents and Pellissippi State Community College for a project to replace the fabric roof structure on their student recreation center.  Hurst-Rosche has now developed a long history of air supported and structural supported fabric roofing projects.  The project is at the PSCC main campus on the north side of Knoxville, TN. This is the third State of TN project since the Nashville office opened in February of last year. 

The Horseradish Capital of the World is set to replace its nearly 60-year-old Water Treatment Plant built in 1958 with a new efficient facility. Hurst-Rosche is responsible for the design, bidding, and construction administration of the new 5 million gallon per day water treatment facility that will allow the City of Collinsville to grow and provide clean, quality water to its residents for decades to come. 
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The 20,000 sq. ft. building will be constructed of pre-cast concrete panels and will include an office area, lab, and process areas.

Dennis Kress, the Public Works Director in Collinsville, said the new facility design will modernize their current system and create a new flexibility that will allow comprehensive maintenance and expansion for Collinsville.
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“We’re excited to see this project started and can’t wait to get it online and completed,” Kress said. “We worked hard to see this happen.”

The $20 million facility is scheduled to be completed in September 2019.

Congratulations to Southeast Missouri State University for completing the reconstruction of their Houck Stadium main press box in time for their season home opener. Hurst-Rosche provided all architectural/engineering services associated with this "crunch time" project. The superstructure for this project was crazy! The existing structure had a center set of columns and the building hung from them. It was like a "popsicle" on a stick. Oh, and by the way, it is in a critical seismic zone. So, in order to use the existing structure and keep the project at an acceptable budget, Hurst-Rosche had to have a solution that did not weigh any more than the old press box. After much analysis and calculations, the solution was determined. Close coordination from Hurst-Rosche, Lisa Howe (SEMO project manager) and the contractor led to a completed project only days before the first home game. It must have done the trick. The first game with the new press box was a REDHAWKS win!!! 

Recently, RIDES MASS TRANSIT had a ribbon cutting to open their brand new facility in Harrisburg, IL. This is the third of which we have had the pleasure to partner with. Click the link below to learn about all the different ways RMTD can serve you or someone you know.
 www.ridesmtd.com

After many months of freezing cold weather, ice, and snow, we can officially say we are in the ‘Spring’ season!  People emerge from their houses and start socializing along the neighborhood streets and in the parks.  Everyone’s moods brighten as the sun now not only shines, but warms their faces as they bask in it.  That effect is the glory of natural light and how it makes us feel Bringing the outdoors, inside, is our focus today.  Not just bringing a potted plant indoors, (though that is part of it), but incorporating natural elements into Interior Design and Architecture, and how it effects psychology and can provide energy cost savings.

In the last blog it was mentioned that displaying nature images in a healthcare facility can increase the process of recovery.  It also improves the moods of people within the space.   It is about designing an environment that creates a connection between humans, the built environment, and nature.

In schools, for instance, blinds and other window treatments are often used to reduce the glare that the natural light gives when shining into the space.  However, glass with non-glare film can be specified, or the design can include light shelves, which use direct sunlight to the advantage of the space by reflecting it off the shelf’s top surface and directing it to the ceiling and reducing glare and utilizing natural lighting.  Incorporating natural light in a space may increase the work ethic of people within the space, improve their moods, and foster positive attitudes. 

We have talked about ways to harvest daylight, but there is a specific process called Daylight Harvesting that we also like to incorporate in design.  Daylight harvesting can utilize sensors in a space that register the light levels from outside and use dimming to adjust the interior fixtures that are closest to the natural lighting source.  This conserves energy and helps assure a more uniformly distributed light through the space.

Another energy saving measure is to provide dimmable LED Lighting.  LED Lighting can closely resemble the same color temperature as natural sunlight and not render the bluish tint that fluorescent lighting does.  Color temperatures over 5,000K are called cool colors (bluish white), which are frequently used to enhance concentration in offices, while lower color temperatures (2,700–3,000 K) are called warm colors (yellowish white through red) and is often used in public areas to promote relaxation (1, 2). This design approach of providing dimmable LED lighting enhances lighting uniformity throughout a space, requires minimal maintenance, and has a longer lifetime than any other fixture type. 

Although most sustainable products like LED lighting are more expensive than fluorescents, fluorescent lighting has a rated life of about 20,000 hours, when LED can easily get you 100,000 hours, therefore saving you money in the long run.  It is also a similar situation with flooring.  You can spend more money up front for a flooring product that is more sustainable and that has low to no maintenance requirements, or purchase a less expensive product and incur costly repairs and protection over the course of its shorter lifetime. 

Now, take a break, and go breathe in some fresh air!  Then, call us for a design consultation. 



Thanks for reading!

References:

1. Rudiger Pashotta (2008).  Encyclopedia of Laser Physics and Technology.  Wiley-VCH. P. 219.   ISBN 978-3-527-40828-3.

2. http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/color12.html Copyright 2009 Bruce MacEvoy.