News Headlines

White Tank Branch Library & Nature Center was awarded the Crescordia Award in the Environmental Technologies Public Sector

Appaloosa Branch Library received a Merit Award for Building & Structures Civic category
More...

www.triblocal.com | www.dailyherald.com

Midwestern University, Downers Grove Clinic groundbreaking ceremony took place on August 1st, 2011. The $120 million facility will house a multispecialty clinic and low-cost dental clinic for the community.

The clinic is part of Midwestern University's $289.9 million capital construction plan that is significantly contributing to the regional economy.
More...

www.Huffingtonpost.com

Maricopa County Library District's White Tank Library & Nature Center is mentioned in the huffingtonpost.
More...

www.ntma.com

Advance Terrazzo Company - Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Terminal 3 Baggage Claim Remodel
- NTMA - Honor Award

The design for the baggage claim area at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport was inspired by a hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon at Havasupai
More...

The National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association, Inc. (NTMA) is a full service Non-Profit Trade Association headquartered in Fredericksburg, Texas.

www.LibraryJournal.com

A Shimmer of Green in the Desert
"Rising up to take in the mountain views, the Appaloosa Branch Library embodies its "desert mirage" theme. Exterior walls are covered in iridescent mica that shifts color throughout the day and helps repel the desert heat. The dynamic structure—perched at one end in a mound, surrounded by drainage arroyos, and anchored by a seemingly suspended 275'-long wall and steel-clad segments—appears to float in its landscape."
More...

White Tank Branch Library & Nature Center takes Honorable Mention - Featured in Article: 10 More That Will Inspire You

Photo Credit: Liam Frederick

Honorable Mention Award
Jurors' Favorite Award
Most Cans Award

Our stagecoach displayed is hauling an even more precious treasure: a dream to end hunger, and the means to meet that ambitious goal.

To read more about Canstruction® and this event visit www.phoenixcanstruction.org

The Canstruction® Creations Will Be on Display March 5-12, 2011 at RED Development CityScape in Downtown Phoenix.

Thank you again to all our sponsors:
Wells Fargo
Arizona Materials, LLC
LSW Engineers Arizona Incorporated
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc.
KPFF Consulting Engineers
Kustom Material Laminations
Perkinson Reprographics, Inc.

Congratulations to the White Tank Branch Library & Nature Center team for bringing home the Sustainable Building Award. This is our second consecutive year to receive this award. Appaloosa Branch Library was the recipient last year. Also, congratulations to the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport team for winning the Redevelopment Project Award.
More...

Sandra M. Kukla, AIA, LEED AP, Exec VP
A licensed pilot who helped her father build an aerobatic biplane, Kukla's passion for aviation informed her career choices from an early age. She became the youngest principal at DWL in 2005 and is the only female architect among the firm's managing partners. Her projects include the award-winning D Gates Concourse at Terminal 4 of Sky Harbor. More...

White Branch Tank Library
The Maricopa County Library District recently announced that its White Tank Branch Library and Nature Center has achieved LEED® Platinum certification (New Construction). The facility is the first public library in Arizona certified to the Platinum level, one of only three libraries in the United States, and the 11th LEED Platinum certified public building in Arizona. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings; Platinum is the highest level of LEED certification attainable. More...

Gateway Airport
The West Terminal Expansion project (Phase 1) consists of a new 25,000 SF passenger terminal building designed to accommodate the growing needs of an existing facility. The Terminal added two additional passenger gates and provides new, larger rental car, concessions, meet & greet and baggage claim areas. Gateway’s unique courtyard area for passengers is expanded with a restaurant and seating situated within a regional desert-themed landscape. More...

White Tank Branch Library
With a magnificent backdrop of 4,000-foot peaks, the 29,000 SF White Tank Branch Library & Nature Center is a desert oasis nestled in a rugged landscape notorious for its severe summer heat and torrential rainstorms. Yet this public library is found just a few miles from the suburbs of Phoenix, at the entrance to the largest regional park in Maricopa County. It's an environmental statement, complete with Nature Center and amphitheater. More...

Appaloosa Library
- 2010 Sustainable Building of the Year by AZRE
- 2010 Environmental Design + Construction Excellence in Design Awards: Gov. Honorable Mention
- 2010 AIA Western Mountain Region Awards - Honor Award

Barrett, The Honors College at ASU
- 19th Annual Excellence in Masonry Architectural Awards (2010)
- 2010 National Association of Home Builder - Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards Finalist
(Final Awards Yet To Be Selected)

Glendale Fire Station 151
- 2010 Brick In Architecture Award - GOLD
- 2010 Valley Forward - Finalist in the Buildings & Structures, Civic Category
- 2010 F.I.E.R.O Fire Facilities Design Award - MERIT Award

Scottsdale Booster Pump Station 179
- Public Works Project of the Year by the Arizona chapter of the American Public Works Association
-International Water Association (IWA) Global Project Innovation Award

The Arizona Masonry Guild’s 19th Annual Excellence in Masonry Architectural Awards program recognizes outstanding masonry projects featuring brick, block and stone. Awards are given to the architectural firm, structural engineering firm, general contractor, major masonry supplier, and masonry contractor for each winning project in recognition for their excellent design, workmanship and creativity.

Award Details www.masoncontractors.org

Steve Rao, DWL President, is now a Self Certified Professional with the City of Phoenix Development Services Department. The Self-Certification Program eliminates building plan reviews by allowing a registered architect or structural engineer to take responsibility for code compliance and certify that the project complies with the building code. Depending on the scope of the project, permits can be issued within one to five calendar days. This certification allows DWL to save time on our project schedules by eliminating lengthy Plan Review.

Steve Rao, AIA, LEED AP, President

The new Fire Station is a replacement of the Fire Department’s first home—Fire Station, No. 1. Cherished for its long history of service and tradition, but no longer able to meet growing needs of the community (and the functional standards of a modern fire station), the new state-of-the-art facility is located just off the city’s main street to better serve the community and increase public awareness. This new 14,000 SF fire station contains four apparatus bays, a training classroom, living quarters for 10 department personnel, a kitchen, fully-equipped fitness facility, and an area for the future Battalion Chief’s quarter expansion.

Award Details Visit www.gobrick.com

The new Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University, opened fall 2009 and is visioned as a high-aspiring, high spirited and distinctive campus within a campus. The new Barrett community is part of ASU’s attempt to create an area that promotes excellence and interaction among students.

Barrett, The Honors College is LEED Gold certified and features a sustainable living community, with low-consumption plumbing fixtures, enhanced energy monitoring, a green roof and an organic garden offering students the opportunity to study and experience sustainable living concepts. More...

This project was built in collaboration with IKON.5 Architects.

Speakers | Steve Rao, AIA, LEED AP, President DWL Architects + Planners, Inc.
Speakers | Steve Jensen, LEED AP, Project Manager, Austin Commercial LP
Moderator | Michael Hill, Sundt Construction Company, AZAA Corporate Director

At the Arizona Airport Association Spring Conference, Steve Rao and Steve Jensen presented a case study of how Building Information Modeling (BIM) was utilized in the design and construction of the Terminal 4 - Checkpoint C Expansion at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The discussion focused on how BIM was used to bring a complex project in under budget and ahead of schedule at a fully operational airport and how this impressive tool can save time and avoid costly change orders on construction projects.