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Breathing New Life On 30th & Broadway

2019-09-11T18:06:38+00:00June 20th, 2017|

Architectural Dimensions worked with CVS, Armstrong Development, and the City to formulate a redevelopment design that includes the program needs of CVS while preserving the integrity of the building designed by Charles McCall.

Specialization Takes Command

2019-09-11T18:19:23+00:00June 20th, 2017|

Like every industry and sector in this country, development now requires more specialized attention to capture, organize and address requirements to build projects. Architectural Dimensions has addressed this issue through growing an Agency Management department that orchestrates all issues related to acquisition of permits and approvals by all agencies that preside over projects. With architectural and legal experience this department mentors the development team to address technical requirements and the circuitous processes to capture approvals and demonstrate compliance to properly close out projects. The Agency Management department is the communicator, negotiator, expeditor, repository, accountant and manager of applications to all regulatory and utility agencies. It also manages more specialized consultants if needed such as legal, utility planning, etc. The complexity regulatory compliance and utility procurement handled by one entity frees ownership and the design team to focus on its expertise while agency managers tend to the bureaucratic processes that need relationship building and uncluttered communication without emotion. Agency Management NIMBYism aside, the growth in regulations, environmental protection, governmental budget shortfalls, advancements in science to measure impacts, technological advances to mandate building systems, sustainability requirements and energy reduction have eased into the hands of politicians and their underlying bureaucratic systems. The RESULT...? [...]

The Old Army Warehouses and the New Way of Tilt-Up Construction

2019-09-11T18:21:58+00:00June 8th, 2017|

The photos below show the contrast between WWII era warehouse construction and today’s. While concrete construction was in vogue before in the 20’s and 30’s the vast need for immediate construction in WWII drove the use of wood, particularly on the west coast with abundant forests. The wood timber framed warehouses on the former Oakland Army Base site were designed for thru-put of materials from trains to ships along the water’s edge. Large wood members were used to construct trusses of long spans, Douglas Fir (tongue and grove) was used for sheathing on walls and roofs and clear Redwood was used for siding. Premier wood products not easily attained today. In contrast, the new warehouses being built today are composed of “tilt-up” reinforced, concrete walls and prefab wood or steel trusses covered by plywood sheathing then PVC, single ply roofing in contrast to shingles used on gable roof structures in the old warehouses. While the old warehouses survive, sustaining environmental loads of wind and earthquakes their geometries and features are not conducive to modern logistics in the movement of goods. While demolition is a sad end to genius engineering and a national achievement, the wood lives on to be reused in [...]

New Office Building Along El Camino Real in Belmont

2019-09-11T18:22:20+00:00June 1st, 2017|

On an impossible site of only 6,367 sq. ft., we crafted a project to utilize off-site parking to where there are only 2 parking stalls on the site itself. Study of the surrounding neighborhood within a ¼ mile of the site showed excess parking that would fulfill the parking requirement for a 8,821 sq. ft. office building. The site is located in the City of Belmont, fronting on the major north/south arterial El Camino Real, sandwiched against the Caltrain rail corridor. Years of widening of El Camino, a state highway, has left many parcels squeezed in size that cannot provide adequate parking. The changing complexion of transportation and smart utilization of available public parking is a trend that will allow more urban density. View Project Page

Streetscape of Ideas, Two Years of Design

2019-09-11T18:22:54+00:00May 17th, 2017|

A streetscape of a few buildings designed by Architectural Dimensions over the past two years. An interesting viewing of design geometries, heights and textures brought together in a black and white denominator. Visit our portfolio below for more information about these projects, in color! Click to Enlarge

6 Stunning Construction Photos from the Virgin Hotel in San Francisco

2019-09-11T18:23:43+00:00May 8th, 2017|

The new 200 room Virgin Hotel is coming along with anticipation of opening in the fall of this year. The concrete frame building is getting its new “skin” of glass while the interiors are progressing on a separate track. The final design of the roof restaurant is activated as we head for close-out of the project that requires inspections, commissioning of systems and insertion of furniture and equipment. Looking west from the corner of 4th Street and Clementina South Facade before the application of exterior materials Downtown San Francisco is Visible from the Future Rooftop Restaurant Views of Downtown are captured throughout the building Glazing Installation Nearing Completion on the upper floors

2017 Electrical Code Updates

2019-09-11T18:24:02+00:00April 27th, 2017|

Quick Look at the 2017 Electrical Code Changes Due to the fast pace of technology, the National Electrical Code must be revised and expanded every three years to remain relevant and up to date with the latest movement in the electrical field. It is important for anyone engaged in the electrical industry to stay on top of the latest trends and updated code. Floor Outlets New code requires one floor outlet per every 215 sq. ft. in a meeting room under 1,000 sq. ft. and over 12' wide. Must be no closer than 6' from a wall. The intent is to spread them out so one four plex is not equal to 860 sq. ft. Example: 970 sq. ft. = 4.5 thus 5 are needed. Wall Outlets Wall outlets are now required every 6' horizontally. Terminal Connections Installation of conductors requires landing them at terminals all through the the building. A torque tool must be used to achieve the required torque value. Too loose or too tight connections cause fires. Difficult to test once building is hot so we need to witness torque tool usage during construction and/or special inspect connections. We can do it soon on Belmont for example. AFCI’s [...]

Giving New Life to Outdated Motels

2019-09-11T18:24:55+00:00April 12th, 2017|

Shining a Bright Light on Motel and Hotel Redevelopment As the hotel sector continues to develop new product there are many aging hotels and motels that need redevelopment. Many hotels, outside of urban cores, are exterior corridor products that are still in vogue with many guests that park near their room - the genesis for the product "motel" that was spread starting in the 50's with the advent of the car and development of the nation's interstate roadways after the war. While the type of occupancy, utility demands, methods of construction do not vary between hotel and motel there is a negative connotation with motels in today's marketplace. We have seen a growing differentiation in General Plans and Zoning Codes that burden motels with redevelopment constrictions that appear to deter alterations and growth of existing facilities. While not prohibited, new hotels have shed the concept of exterior corridors and room entrances for a host of reasons that include energy conservation, weather protection, security and operational efficiency. This leaves the old exterior corridor hotels on their own to sustain criticism against current trends. There are beautiful examples of reconstructed hotels without massive change from the exterior corridor concept. It's all about design [...]

Hampton Inn & Suites in Napa, California

2019-09-11T18:25:10+00:00March 31st, 2017|

Modern Hospitality comes to the Heart of Wine Country The Hampton Inn & Suites in Napa, California is 4-storys tall and embodies 115 guestrooms. The hotel will join the rapidly growing South Napa area. Along with a fitness center, the hotel offers a swimming pool and spa, exercise room, and meeting rooms for its guests. It will provide surface parking and environmentally conscious features, as required by the current State Building code and will achieve a LEED Silver certification.

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