The new McAllen, Texas, Public Library – which opened on the site of a vacant Walmart in December 2011 – was envisioned by city officials from the start of architectural bidding to include environmentally friendly features. But, from the perspective of Boultinghouse Simpson Gates Architects in McAllen, no design could be more environmentally conscious than adaptively reusing the former “big box” retail store, saving approximately 130,000 square feet of building demolition debris from being sent to the local landfill.

When design of the VanDusen Botanical Garden Visitor Centre was awarded to Perkins+Will Canada in late 2007, architects were challenged to create a building that not only would increase visibility for and attract more visitors to the approximately 54-acre internationally recognized garden in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, but also meet the highest goals in sustainable building design.

The practical goal of the new $61-million 21-story Student Residence Hall at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) in Boston may have been to provide 145,600 square feet of on-campus accommodations for 493 students when it opens in the fall of 2012.  But the unique design of the new Residence Hall – which is clad in 5,500 Alucobond® Plus aluminum composite panels in seven custom colors that are dimensionally positioned with glass to invoke Gustav Klimt’s 1909 “Tree of Life” painting – has met an aesthetic goal to set the building apart on the Boston skyline and, thereby, create an idiosyncratic image for MassArt.

Architectural design of the newly opened Seven Clans Casinos Red Lake followed the wishes of community elders of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians who own and operate this casino-hotel complex located  in north-central Minnesota on the reservation’s southern edge.  They wanted the facility’s design to respect tribal heritage but also to exude an atmosphere of fun and relaxation.

Mission Hospital Patient Care Tower Clad in Alucobond® ACM to Reflect Advanced Technology Inside and Out

The new $153-million 94,000-square-foot Patient Care Tower at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif., opened in November 2009 featuring state-of-the-art technology in advanced imaging and diagnostic services as well as patient- and family-centered care.

Jumer’s Casino & Hotel Lights Up Landscape in Broad Daylight With Alucobond® Spectra Colors

The new Jumer’s Casino & Hotel in Rock Island, Ill., was designed to bring a Las Vegas-style gaming experience to the Midwest – opening in December 2008 as a replacement for the company’s Casino Rock Island Riverboat, which had been moored since 1992 on the Mississippi River in downtown Rock Island. The new $151-million 270,000 square-foot complex includes one 170,000 square-foot casino and entertainment center connected to a five-story 205-room hotel.