Hord Coplan Macht, Inc. (HCM) announced yesterday that one of its projects entitled Friends Community School, located in Greenbelt, Maryland, has achieved LEED-New Construction Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

As described by the architects, the 26,900-square-foot, high-performance building accommodates 200 students in kindergarten through eighth grade with a staff of 30. Planned to help teach the school’s core science and environmental curriculum – and built of a rapidly renewable material – its straw bale construction is ideal for its acoustical and thermal insulation qualities.

Homeowner preferences lean to energy efficiency and simplicity in design

The AIA Home Design Trends Survey issued its monthly report evaluating the US housing market. Without the rapid appreciation in home values seen between 1995 and 2005, design of kitchens and bathrooms has recently been somewhat more modest. Functionality is now preferred to more and larger kitchens and bathrooms within U.S. homes. Households are placing a premium on products and features that promote energy efficiency, and adaptability in the use of space for seniors and those with accessibility concerns.

Residential architects continue to report declining business conditions, indicating that the housing market is not yet entering a full recovery phase. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trends Survey for the fourth quarter of 2009, which focused specifically on kitchen and bathrooms.

Designed by Overland Partners Architects, the $11 million, eight-acre Plaza features landscaped grounds with native plantings, scenic promenades, and five new buildings

HOUSTON, March 8, 2010 – Houston’s Hermann Park Lake Plaza has officially been awarded LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed by San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects, the $11 million, eight-acre Hermann Park Lake Plaza opened in May 2009 as the threshold to the 445-acre Hermann Park, Houston’s finest and most-visited public park.

The Plaza features newly landscaped grounds with native plantings, new scenic promenades, and five newly-constructed buildings, including a paddle boat pavilion with a boathouse, the Hermann Park Mini-Train depot with satellite stations around the park, a public restroom facility, a café and terrace, and a volunteer and maintenance building. Also, the Plaza’s new Tiffany & Co. Foundation Bridge arches across a 7.5-acre lake lagoon, offering romantic views from a newly accessible vantage point, increased connectivity within the park, and enhanced beauty of the area without disturbing the natural surroundings.

Bulter Rogers Baskett Architects (BRB) has renovated the Johnson Chapel at the Trinity School, the 300-year old college preparatory, coeducational, independent day school on New York’s Upper West Side. The 1,000 square foot chapel will support a variety of activities, including regular services, memorials, religion classes, and talks by speakers from various religious traditions. The Johnson Chapel provides a place of repose amidst the vibrant bustle of school life.

The Chapel was recently honored with an AIA New York Chapter “2010 Design Award” for outstanding interior, one of only thirty-four overall winners in four different categories. Additionally, the Chapel has won a 2009 Society of American Registered Architects (SARA) Professional Design Award, an Award of Merit in New York Construction’s “Best of 2009” competition and an Interior Design “Best of Year 2009” Award in the institutional category.