SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s new environmentally sustainable headquarters building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue, designed in joint venture by KMD Architects and Stevens Architects, provides a poster-child of sustainability innovation for urban office buildings, and reflects the mission of the PUC as a provider and manager of water and energy for San Francisco. All told, 525 Golden Gate in comparison to similarly-sized office buildings features 50% less of a carbon footprint, uses 32% less energy, and consumes 60% less water. The 13-level, 277,511 gross-square-foot, $190 million SFPUC headquarters building is one of the greenest urban office buildings of its kind, bringing together in a modern, contextually-designed office tower some of the most innovative new technologies at the forefront of building design. Given the SFPUC’s objective to create a physical demonstration of resource-conservation and sustainability, KMD set out to design a sleek, memorable structure that also responded to functional components inside and outside this next-step advancement of green design. Among the SFPUC headquarters’ design and performance attributes are: -- Design. -- Energy. -- Water-conservation. -- Earthquake-performance to survive a Maximum Credible Earthquake. The building is designed to achieve LEED-Platinum certification by the US Green Building Council, and will exceed California’s recently-instituted Title 24 requirements for energy efficiency in new office buildings by 55 percent, according to SFPUC estimates.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) announced today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Henan Billions Chemicals Co., Ltd. (Billions), by which PPG will license certain chloride-based technologies to Billions for use at Billions’ titanium dioxide (TiO2) refinement facilities in China. In addition, PPG has signed a long-term purchase agreement for titanium dioxide with Billions. Commercial terms of the agreements and license proceeds from Billions to PPG were not disclosed. “This agreement with Billions provides further evidence of PPG’s commitment to utilize our existing expertise to expand and secure additional global supply of titanium dioxide” PPG intends to use the chloride-based TiO2 manufactured by Billions for various end-use applications, including paints and other coatings. The TiO2 also would be available for sale to third parties. “This agreement with Billions provides further evidence of PPG’s commitment to utilize our existing expertise to expand and secure additional global supply of titanium dioxide,” said Charles F. Kahle II, PPG chief technology officer and vice president, coatings research and development. PPG previously manufactured titanium dioxide using the chloride process at its chemicals facility in Natrium, W.Va., and sold titanium dioxide pigment for coatings and other end-use applications. Titanium dioxide is a raw material widely used in the paint and coatings industry as a pigment to provide hiding, durability and whiteness characteristics.

CHESTER, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sordoni Construction Company was selected as the construction manager for the Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. facility enhancement project at their manufacturing site in New Brunswick, NJ. These improvements will enable Hemispherx to provide a high volume, more cost effective manufacturing process for Alferon N Injection® and Alferon® LDO. Alferon N Injection® is Hemispherx’s injectable formulation of natural interferon which is approved by the FDA for the treatment of certain categories of genital warts. Alferon® LDO is an experimental therapeutic being developed for multiple clinical indications including prevention, prophylaxis and treatment of influenza. Sordoni will oversee and manage this multi-million dollar renovation of the existing manufacturing suite to a more efficient, less labor intensive up-graded process. The project includes full engineering studies, capital improvements, system upgrades and introduction of building management systems to enhance production. The main building is approximately 43,000 square feet and includes process piping, vessels, a bioreactor, class 100 hoods and a cold room. New utilities, including WFI, clean steam, process chiller and an emergency generator will also be added. In order to make the space for the new process suite, an existing mezzanine level will be demolished. Information contained in this news release, other than historical information, should be considered forward-looking and is subject to various risk factors and uncertainties. For instance, the strategies and operations of Hemispherx involve risk of competition, changing market conditions, change in laws and regulations affecting these industries and numerous other factors discussed in this release and in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any specifically referenced investigational drugs and associated technologies of the Company (including Ampligen® and Alferon® LDO) are experimental in nature and as such are not designated safe and effective by a regulatory authority for general use and are legally available only through clinical trials with the referenced disorders. The forward-looking statements represent the Company’s judgment as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims, however, any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements. The planning, completion, results or submission of clinical trials do not imply that any study product will ever be approved commercially for the studied or other treatment indications.

Accuride announces new higher load ratings for super heavy-duty slide Models AL4120 and AL4140. The company found these products tend to be used in applications with lower cycle requirements. As a result, the slides were re-tested to 5,000 cycles, which significantly increases maximum load capacity. Model AL4120, a ¾ extension slide, carries up to 1,212 pounds per pair; model AL4140 offers full extension and accommodates up to 1,323 lbs. per pair. These products are lightweight aluminum, with stainless steel ball bearings and ball retainers to provide the corrosion resistance when used for exterior applications exposed to moisture and high humidity. In moderate use applications up to 10,000 cycles, Model AL4120 offers a load rating up to 966 pounds. AL4140 carries up to 882 pounds. These slides are non-disconnect for added strength, and available in lengths of 16", 20", 24", 28", 32", 36", 40", 44" and 48". Accuride International designs and manufactures RoHS-compliant precision slide products for a variety of applications in cabinetry and casework. The company has six locations worldwide and all manufacturing facilities adhere to quality management systems registered to ISO 9001:2008. For more information, visit www.accuride.com.

Unicel Architectural and Lewis & Malm Architects today announced and published a case study detailing the incorporation of daylighting design to optimize learning environments at the Woolwich Central School in Maine. The $16 million renovation project focused on sustainable architectural approaches and uses solar shading and integrated motorized louvers to filter sunlight into learning spaces while managing heat gain and glare. The full case study can be found at: http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/unicelarchitectural.com/en/specialty-glazing-case-studies-Woolwich.php

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CaliforniaContractorBonds.com is excited to announce the launch of its online publication "License Bond News, Notes & Legislation," located at http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.californiacontractorbonds.com/blog. The California contractor bond market is constantly changing as a result of many factors including newly proposed legislation, evolving technology advancements, as well as economic fluctuations, just to name a few. The new publication is designed to keep contractors up to date on the latest industry changes, as well as provide a voice for contractors to express their needs and concerns, so that government regulators, sureties, and the general public can better understand the challenges contractors face when operating a construction business in California. The goal of the CCB Blog is to help develop a community dialog where ideas are discussed, that may lead to changes that are beneficial to both contractors and the general public. The blog will maintain a focus around California contractor license bonds and the hottest issue to date is without question the impact bad credit scores are having on bond rates for many California contractors. Some contractors are seeing license bond renewal rates increase from around $100 per year, to well over $1300 or more in some instances. While official statistics are scarce, reports indicate that increased bonding costs are forcing some contractors out of business altogether. License bond changes of this magnitude could not have come at a worse time as contractors are already struggling to cope with a sluggish economy with few work opportunities to be found in the California construction arena. With this in mind, look for articles relating to ideas and tips to help reduce contractor license bond costs. The blog will also discuss multiple bonding programs offered by various sureties throughout the state, as well as any changes looming on the horizon.

NEW YORK, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Engineering News-Record (http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/ENR.com), part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, today announced that Contractor Business Quarterly (ENR CBQ) will debut in ENR's July 16, 2012 issue. ENR CBQ is a print and digital section in ENR that addresses business strategies to help contractors improve performance, productivity and profits. In print, ENR CBQ will reach more than 30,000 contractors within ENR's total paid circulation of 63,000. A digital edition of ENR CBQ will be available online at ENR.com for access by ENR.com's more than 200,000 monthly unique visitors, with additional digital distribution to include selected active contractors drawn from the Dodge database of more than half a million projects annually. The new quarterly section will differentiate itself from ENR's news and features to include topics essential to managing a construction business. Said Tuchman, "Contractors, specialty contractors and construction managers make up the largest part of ENR's audience, and ENR CBQ will give them a thoughtful look at the business side of contracting. The package will include analytical features about management strategy, balancing risk and project delivery systems as well as ownership strategies, workforce and technology. We also will tap McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge for business intelligence resources on active markets." ENR CBQ is the latest in ENR's mission to inform its audience, employ technology, and provide leadership for the construction industry. Last year, ENR launched seven new regional editions in print and online to answer audience requests for more local information, and established the Construction Industry Confidence Index to provide quarterly benchmarks on the state of the industry. ENR's mobile alerts were among the first in the industry among B-to-B media. ENR has recently won several industry awards, notably two Jesse H. Neal Awards for excellence in journalism, including Best Website and Best Technical Content.

A collection of framing and furniture elements for creating a sense of place Add image of the suite Kalamazoo, MI (June 1, 2012)- Landscape Forms, the industry leader in integrated collections of high-design site furniture and advanced LED lighting, announces the introduction of UrbanEdge, a collection of landscape framing and furniture elements for urban spaces. The collection is designed by Seattle-based Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN), the recipients of the prestigious 2011 Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Landscape Architecture. UrbanEdge pairs GGN’s experience in designing urban spaces with Landscape Forms’ expertise in developing and manufacturing beautiful site furnishings that address issues in urban environments; built to perform and endure under conditions of heavy urban use. UrbanEdge responds to the demand for more outdoor public areas with an interest in less formal, more welcoming spaces, and effective use of scarce available urban space. UrbanEdge is a tool for designers to create unique yet functional sites; defining edges and turning dead corners into outward oriented settings that interface with the urban fabric. It helps designers construct places for orienting and organizing, resting and reflecting, meeting and greeting, people watching and taking in a view. It can be used to create curbside transit stops and “eddies” along sidewalks where people step in and out of the flow; to develop niches and focused social settings within larger spaces; and to enrich experience in outdoor spaces with dynamic and kinetic furniture elements that suit the way we interact today. GGN designers took inspiration from the social interactions in many types of spaces – lunch rooms, living rooms, transit stops, and play grounds and extracted their relaxed, informal spirit to design furniture elements that enliven them. UrbanEdge family consists of MAX Trellis; JESSIE Railing; GUS Planter; OLLIE Small Seat; SOPHIE Large Seat; BERNIE Bar Height Seat; and STELLA Table. Frames include the trellis, railing system and planter. Core elements are the seating and table pieces that live within defined spaces and activate the core, enhancing the experience of place. - UrbanEdge family members are multifaceted and work together in multiple combinations. UrbanEdge was created by designers for designers. Its focus is on the functionality of spaces and facilitates a wide range of activities. The suite of furnishings can be combined in inventive ways to energize outdoor settings and provide varied opportunities for people to interact within the same space over time. UrbanEdge is a dynamic resource for maximizing under-leveraged urban space, designing vibrant, integrated urban settings and creating a sense of place.

Minneapolis, Minn. – Sue W. Thomas was named chief executive officer of Nystrom Inc., a global supplier of complementary products and services for commercial building, including some of the world’s most renowned structures, like the recent renovation of the Pentagon. As CEO, Thomas is responsible for the visionary leadership and strategic direction of Nystrom – and will emphasize delivering an even richer experience for customers. A trusted name in the commercial building industry for more than 60 years, Nystrom supplies the miscellaneous and specialty components essential to building projects, such as roof hatches, smoke vents, louvers and access doors. A longtime key member of the company’s management team, Thomas is credited with leading the organization through periods of high growth and development, acquisition and challenging commercial construction market conditions. In addition, she guided the business through several acquisitions, including that of Victory Treads in 2011, Arden Architectural Specialties in 2008 and Babcock-Davis Hatchways in 2001. She also has overseen productivity improvements, including the expansion of production capacity to 51,000 square feet facility in Minneapolis, and the adoption of practices for lean manufacturing and continuous improvement. “Sue is uniquely qualified and experienced to lead this organization into further growth and to deepen our customer relationships,” said James T. Nystrom, chairman of the board. “We are confident under her direction, Nystrom will expand its industry position as the go-to strategic partner in Right to Site Services.” Thomas is a member and former president of the Twin Cities Chapter of the Construction Finance Management Association, the only nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the educational needs of construction financial professionals. Prior to becoming CEO of Nystrom, Thomas served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer for the company. She joined Nystrom in 1990 in finance. She succeeds Scott Sustacek as CEO of Nystrom.

MONTERREY, Mexico--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: CX) announced today that it has provided 50,000 m3 of ready-mix concrete for a state-of-the-art soccer stadium that will host several games of the UEFA EURO2012 Poland-Ukraine championship, including the game in which Spain will start the defense of its UEFA EURO2008 title, against rival Italy on June 10. The new PGE Arena Stadium in Gdansk, Poland, has a capacity of 42,000 spectators and won the Architecture and Design Award at the Stadium Business Awards in May 2012. During the group stage in this championship, PGE Arena will be the home base for the very competitive Group C, which includes defending Euro and World Cup champion Spain, as well as Italy, Croatia, and Ireland. It will also host one quarter-final match. As part of the superior building solutions it offers, CEMEX installed a mobile ready-mix concrete-batching plant directly at the construction site, which allowed minimizing ready-mix delivery timing and helped to ensure that the construction work was being carried out fluidly and on time. CEMEX also provided several types of specialty ready-mix concrete products, including a special architectural self-compacting concrete, used to create exposed vertical architectural construction elements, and decorative ready-mix concrete colored with dark gray pigments. The ready-mix concrete grating that serves as the foundation of the structure was built with 9,000 m3 of a specialty ready-mix concrete ideal for such large structures. PGE Arena pays tribute to Gdansk’s reputation as the amber capital of the world. Its exterior’s elliptical shape and yellow-orange-brown color resembles a drop of amber, a resin which has been extracted from the Baltic coast for hundreds of years. CEMEX is a global building materials company that provides high-quality products and reliable service to customers and communities in more than 50 countries throughout the world. CEMEX has a rich history of improving the well-being of those it serves through its efforts to pursue innovative industry solutions and efficiency advancements and to promote a sustainable future.

Enhancement to Online Tool Box Gives Architects, Specifiers Easy Access to Assemblies and Wall Systems for Commercial Building Projects ATLANTA, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The specification of assemblies using Georgia-Pacific Gypsum products just got easier for architects and specifiers, with the company's launch of its latest online tool -- a searchable Assemblies Library. The Georgia-Pacific Gypsum Assemblies Library is a searchable database that provides detailed information, illustrations and performance characteristics for a variety of wall systems and assemblies using gypsum wallboards, sheathing, shaftliner and backer boards from Georgia-Pacific Gypsum. It is the latest enhancement to the free online Georgia-Pacific Gypsum Tool Box, which gives architects, contractors, building owners and facility managers the tools and information needed to make decisions and increase efficiency throughout design and construction. Visitors may access the Assemblies Library at www.gp.com/toolbox. The Assemblies Library allows users to easily search among, choose from and download information on assemblies that feature one or more Georgia-Pacific Gypsum products. The Assemblies Library allows for searches conducted by categories, including but not limited to: Assembly type Hourly fire rating Sound Transmission Class (STC) rating Product type Fire test number Sound test number. The searchable Assemblies Library complements other tools within the Georgia-Pacific Gypsum Tool Box, including LEED® Calculation Tools for U.S. and Canada; Online Architectural and Roofing Binders; and a Residential Wall Systems Comparison Tool, among many others.

TAYLOR, Mich., June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS) today announced that President and Chief Executive Officer Timothy Wadhams will present at the Deutsche Bank Global Industrial Conference on June 13, 2012 in Chicago at 9:40 a.m. EDT. Masco's presentation will be webcast live on the Internet via the Company's Web site at www.masco.com or at http://redirect.aecdaily.com/s18122/www.media-server.com/m/p/36rnw7n6. Headquartered in Taylor, Michigan, Masco Corporation is one of the world's leading manufacturers of home improvement and building products, as well as a leading provider of services that include the installation of insulation and other building products.

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga., June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cooper Lighting, an industry leader committed to delivering innovative products and driving transformational technology in the lighting industry, has backed up its claim of developing innovative products by recently bringing home a total of 18 awards from major industry competitions. Honored in the Next Generation Luminaires™ (NGL) Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Design Competition, LIGHTFAIR® International Innovation Awards (LIA), Architectural SSL's Product Innovation Awards (PIA) and the 2012 Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX), Cooper Lighting has not only received high-praise for its wide range of LED products and leadership, but also the accompanying hardware to go along with them. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the International Association of Lighting Designers, the fourth annual NGL competition recognizes and promotes excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED commercial lighting luminaires. Of the 187 submitted product entries in the 2012 SSL INDOOR Competition, a total of 53 were chosen as winners. That elite group includes the world's first Zhaga complaint IRiS P3LED Directional Luminaire in the Recessed Accent Luminaires category, the Portfolio 6-inch High Output LED Downlight in the Recessed Downlight category and the Corelite Loft LED Micro Luminaire in the Pendant and Surface Linear Luminaires category–all three brands are part of the well-known and highly-acclaimed Cooper Lighting family of products. With these three most recent awards, Cooper Lighting has become one of only a few manufacturers to have ten of its products recognized since the competition's inception. Cooper Lighting is also proud to be honored with an Innovation Award for its io Lili LED 2' x 2' Recessed Indirect Luminaires in the LIA's Commercial Indoor category. Spanning 14 categories with 228 entries, the LIA competition is judged by an independent panel of renowned lighting industry professionals and focuses on new and truly innovative technologies. Cooper Lighting has made a significant investment in people, resources and technology to ensure the company provides first-class solutions to its customers' lighting challenges. The Company offers a range of indoor and outdoor LED lighting products and controls, all of which are specifically designed to maximize energy and cost savings.

2012 Architosh Best of Show AIA National Award in the Desktop Category BOULDER, CO and CAMBRIDGE, UK – May 31, 2012 – Limitless Computing Inc.®, a leading provider of 3D mobile Augmented Reality, and ArtVPS Ltd, developers of Shaderlight™, the interactive rendering software for Google SketchUp, today announced that its Shaderlight Cloud Rendering powered by Limitless Computing is a runner-up in the 2012 Architosh Best of Show AIA National Awards in the desktop category. Architosh, a leading online publication devoted to Mac and iOS CAD and 3D software applications, announced its first AIA National Convention and Exposition Best of Show Awards. “Shaderlight deserves recognition as the first cloud-based rendering solution for Google’s popular SketchUp rendering program,” wrote Anthony Frausto-Robledo, publisher and editor-in-chief of Architosh. “With this unique solution, SketchUp users can produce photo-realistic renders of their models at up to 5x speeds faster than on the desktop and up to 128x faster at animations.” Shaderlight Cloud Rendering combines the leading interactive plug-in to Google SketchUp, and proven Cloud technology from Limitless Computing. It frees up desktop computers for other work, enabling users to handle multiple projects simultaneously, and offers a low-cost alternative to rendering scenes and animations in-house. Graham Wylie, CEO, ArtVPS, said, “It’s fantastic that the benefits of this new innovation are already being recognized. Shaderlight Cloud Rendering enables architects and designers to deliver the highest quality renders, in very little time and at a low cost, meeting the needs of all busy practices today and those who simply cannot afford the significant hardware investment required to deliver these results.”