The direct, transition metal-catalyzed carboxylation of organohalides with carbon dioxide is a highly desirable transformation in organic synthesis as it utilizes feedstock chemicals and delivers carboxylic acids –among the most utilized class of organic molecules. Phenyl acetic acids, in particular, are privileged motifs that appear in many pharmaceuticals and biologically active compounds. This article reports the development of a sustainable and selective cobalt-catalyzed electrochemical carboxylation of benzyl halides with CO2 to generate phenyl acetic acids. The success of this transformation is enabled by the development of low-coordinate cobalt/pyrox complexes as electrocatalysts to convert various benzyl chlorides and bromides to their corre-sponding phenyl/heteroaryl acetic acids with high selectivity over undesired homocoupling of the benzyl halides. The combina-tion of electroanalytical methods, simulation studies, control reactions, and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations informed the mechanistic analysis of this reaction. An EC’C-type activation mechanism of benzyl halides, which is unique to Co(II)/pyrox electrocatalysts, provides the rationalization of the exceptional observed selectivity for carboxylation. Specifically, the Co(II)/pyrox catalyst undergoes reduction to Co(I) followed by halogen abstraction and a favorable radical rebound to Co(II)/pyrox to form alkyl–Co(III) intermediates. Although voltammetry only shows a single electron transfer step, bulk electrolysis shows a two electron process and using DFT calculations, the intermediates are proposed to undergo two-electron reduction to alkyl–Co(I) followed by a ZnCl2-assisted CO2 insertion to form the carboxylated adducts with regenera-tion of Co(I)/pyrox.

"Rethinking Wood: Future Dimensions of Timber Assembly." Technology|Architecture + Design, 4(2), pp. 244–245

The research and development of Timber Volume Calculators (TVCs) was conducted to determine the amount of wood used in off-site light-frame construction compared to traditional on-site stick-built construction. A four-story mixed rate housing project in the fastest growing region in the US was used to: 1) quantify the total wood volume of the project as-built stick framed onsite, and 2) compare it to simulated factory built panelized and modular construction methods for the same housing configuration. Panelized construction used 6.7% more total wood and modular construction 69.4% more than the as-built scenario. A life cycle assessment found that panelized and modular construction store 4.5% and 32% more CO2 equivalent than on-site stick built construction. Next steps for evaluating economic costs of off-site constructed systems are presented.

This research represents a three-phase study concerning interior glazing systems. Through data obtained via surveys and interviews, this research suggests how a manufacturing/supply company might enter the interior glazing system market successfully. The research explores the conditions which affect a designeräó»s decision to specify a particular glazing system, creating a database of the criteria by which IGS is selected. The research concludes by offering suggestions which will help a company know which types of products are most often used, the types of buildings that should be targeted as primary markets, the most important qualities of the glass products they intend to manufacture, and how to go about educating designers about their products in a way that will help them be more often selected for construction projects.

This research investigates the added value or negative impact of mass timber construction (MTC) when compared with traditional site built construction. The project documented mass timber case studies and collected cost and schedule data for each built case from three stakeholders - architect, general contractor, and mass timber fabricator. This data were compared with site built cost and schedule performance data provided by cost estimation firm Cummings Corp. for building types of similar size. The study found that mass timber improves project cost when compared with traditional site built construction. In addition to the quantitative comparison, a survey protocol of qualitative opportunities and challenges associated with MTC was solicited from project stakeholders. This resulted in an analysis of frequent lessons learned and best practices for mass timber project delivery for to be taken into consideration by stakeholders.

The UK is set to become Europe's largest construction market by 2030. However, UK construction productivity performance is regarded as weak, with low skills levels considered to be a key contributory factor. Consequently, off-site construction has been identified by the UK Government as a vehicle for improving productivity levels if the skills deficiencies in this particular market segment can be addressed. A series of projects were, therefore, launched by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to encourage an R&D approach to skills and development application in the workplace. This paper reports on one of these research projects, a University and Industry collaboration between two of the largest off-site timber platform frame manufacturers in the UK. The paper explains how a needs analysis process was utilised to develop skills training content tailored to the immediate needs of the industry partners. It also explores how working with academia and a wider community of stakeholders allowed this training content to result in sector-level impact via knowledge exchange activities and generic skills material creation. Finally, the novel approach of utilising 'Hoshin' planning to form a larger regional Offsite HUB (Scotland) Community of Practice, with a developed plan for collaboration aligned with international off-site research objectives, is also explained. The case study presented in this paper is evidence of success in mobilising industry through creating communities of practice to advance the construction sector regionally. It also provides a generalisable method that is reproducible by other university-industry cohorts in order to realise shared industry-wide goals.

Mass timber is a family of Solid Laminate Timber Systems (SLTS) formed from smaller sections of timber connected by glue, mechanical fixings, moisture movement or a combination of methods. These products, which include Structural Composite Lumber, GluLam, Cross Lam, Nail Lam and Dowel Lam (or Brettstapel), have over the past two decades seen an extraordinary upsurge in use internationally. This global phenomenon has been driven by a greater emphasis on the sustainable use of renewable resources and by significant technological developments in the manufacture of SLTS. This research paper considers the merits of each of these products, their manufacturing processes and the corresponding quality assurance requirements necessary for successful project delivery. The paper describes the advantages and barriers to the use of the mass timber and provides an overview of the various aspects to be considered during design for offsite and modular construction. The work presented also provides case studies of how these products have been researched and utilised into live projects in the UK utilising local resource resulting in the formation of new supply chain arrangements. The work further explains the advantages of the respective systems for the given application including information on species selection, connection systems employed and the necessary onsite and offsite management approaches deployed.

This chapter discusses how the programming, design, construction and management of buildings requires the coordination of numerous stakeholders and organizations. Design-bid-build (DBB) uses a competitive, open bid process in which multiple general contractors vie to have the lowest bid on a project based on a set of construction documents. Performance bonds and various statutory requirements are employed to protect taxpayers' money. Integration relies on collaborative teams that ideally have near equitable decision-making authority. Integrated delivery works to unify design and construction activities, suggesting that the contractor is engaged during design phases. Construction manager at-risk (CM at-risk) involves a construction manager who takes on the risk of building a project. The architect is hired under a separate contract with the owner. The construction manager oversees project management and building technology issues, areas in which they typically have particular background and expertise. The chapter explains how design-build has gained popularity in recent years because of owners' desire for a single contract and single party of responsibility for design and construction.

Offsite construction is widely adopted in the US and more present than in any period in history. While the emergence of building information modeling has stimulated the popularity of prefabrication methods, the industry remains reluctant to adopt methods of prefabrication. One explanation is that there is little substantial quantifiable data to support the benefits of prefabrication in construction delivery. To enumerate the claims of prefabrication performance, there have been efforts to conduct industry-wide surveys and reports. The chapter presents an overview of the three surveys and provides a summary of each survey and the comparative overlaps. The main purpose of these surveys is to identify the key performance indicators associated with offsite construction. The surveys identify barriers and substantiate claims for the industry. The McGraw-Hill Construction survey did not directly ask questions regarding productivity; rather, the report has key interviews with construction industry leaders.

Prologue Introduction: Systems, Technics, and Society Kiel Moe & Ryan E. Smith Part 1 Building Systems 1. Construction History: Between Technological and Cultural History Antoine Picon 2. How the Introduction of Iron in Construction changed and Developed Thought Patterns in Design Tom F. Peters 3. Retrofitting and Redacting Masonry Engineering Philippe Block 4. Building Systems/Building Territories: Industrialized Housing Delivery and the Role of the Architect Ivan Rupnik Part 2 Building Economies 5. Architecture or Revolution: Taylorism, Technocracy, and Social Change Mary McLeod 6. Glass and Light: The Influence of Interior Illumination on the Chicago School Tom Leslie 7. Obsolescence: Notes Towards a History Daniel Abramson 8. Risky Business, Fishy Forms Ellen Grimes Part 3 Building Ecologies 9. Household Conditioning (if you are cold, put on a sweater) William Braham 10. A House within a House Hillary Sample 11. Architectural Production and Sociotechnical Codes: A Theoretical Framework Steven Moore & Barbara B. Wilson Annotated Bibliography

Interview Date: August 16, 2016 New York City has recently had a number of projects designed and built utilizing volumetric modules, an alternative method of delivery.1 This interview, moderated by Guest Editor Ryan E. Smith, is with four leading architects in New York City who have recent experience with modular design and construction. Peter Gluck with GLUCK+, Mimi Hoang with nArchitects, Chris Sharples with SHoP Architects, and James Garrison with Garrison Architects respond to a series of questions regarding factory-based production of architecture.

Rapid innovation in science and technology has led to the development of new fields that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. Previous studies have retroactively examined the emergence of these fields. This paper outlines a mixed method approach for using network ethnography to identify emerging fields as they develop, track their evolution over time, and increase collaboration on these topics. This approach allowed us to simultaneously analyze organizational trends and gain an understanding of why these patterns occurred. Collecting ethnographic data throughout the course of the study enabled us to iteratively improve the fit of our models. It also helped us design an experimental method for creating new teams in these fields and test the effectiveness of this intervention. Initially, organizational leaders were wary of using a network intervention to alter these fields. However, by presenting insights from both our network analysis and ethnographic fieldwork, we were able to demonstrate the strategic need and potential impact of this type of intervention. We believe that network ethnography can be applied in many other research contexts to help build strategic partnerships, facilitative organizational change, and track industry trends.

This chapter discusses how leaders must develop personal relationships with each of their team members in order to best shape their approach. The asserts the need to advocate for diversity and champion initiatives that make inclusion an organizational priority and identify fundamental issues that may be limiting opportunities for diverse team members to succeed and then discuss these openly with the team and ultimately address them. Motivation and creativity are interrelated qualities in collaborative teams. Leaders should begin by building a team culture of intrinsic motivation and engagement, and then add factors that increase innovation. Empathy is a social skill that is foundational to emotional intelligence. In collaborative teams, empathy is used for several reasons, the most fundamental of which is to thoughtfully consider other team members' thoughts and feelings when making decisions. The historical, cultural, and social experiences people share during their formative years have an impact on their viewpoints and perceptions long-term. Technology plays a variable role in communication depending on each generation's comfort level with the tool and the extent to which it was used when they first entered the workforce.