Pillars of the Toyota Production System Adapted for AEC Industry
The concept of ‘mistake proofing' (poka yoke in Japanese) was introduced to the west in 1986 by Shingo, a master mind of the Toyota Production System, in the book titled Zero Quality Control: Source Inspection and the Poka-yoke System. This concept together with the concept of ‘autonomation' (jidoka in Japanese) forms a pillar of the Toyota Production System.

Stanford University
The first building in Stanford's new 553,000-sf, eight-acre Science and Engineering Quad (SEQ-2) is the $118-million Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2).

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Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
The Sue and Bill Gross Women's Pavilion at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, Calif., features the latest in healthcare technology, patient comfort, and seismic building safety. The $210-million Women's Center consists of a seven-level patient tower plus a basement, an interstitial floor between the first and second levels, and a mechanical penthouse on an operational campus. The project was completed 60 days ahead of schedule and under budget.

Public Concern and Other Drivers of an Emerging Specialty
Employing either heat, chemicals, or some combination of both, effluent decontamination systems (EDS) completely destroy the targeted pathogens that may be contained in the liquid effluent (or within solids carried in the effluent) discharged from a biocontainment laboratory. For owners and designers, the conversation about whether an EDS is needed in an individual facility has expanded to include discussion of the best approach for the science concerned.

Operational Strategies Crucial in Achieving Savings
In response to ballooning energy costs, AstraZeneca, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, is seeking new ways to reduce energy consumption in its existing laboratory buildings and maximize energy efficiency in its new facilities. In designing Buildings D and E, a 50,000-sf office building and a 70,000-sf laboratory addition to the award-winning 270,000-sf research complex on AstraZeneca's Waltham, Mass., research campus, the company is drawing upon proven energy-saving strategies already in use in its current facilities as well as implementing equipment, technologies, and operating standards likely to yield significant savings.

New Developments and Solutions Call for Coordination Among Stakeholders
The successful commissioning and subsequent start-up of complex biocontainment facilities can be achieved with teamwork and collaboration among all stakeholders at the beginning of a project. The full commitment of stakeholders who are part of the project team is the cornerstone upon which the proper commissioning and smooth start-up will be achieved.

Bigger is Not Necessarily Better
One of the biggest trends in scientific research is the exploration of materials at the smallest scale. Nanotechnology likely will be a part of many bioscience, materials, and electronics facilities of the future, so these facilities must be designed to accommodate cleanroom space. Because cleanrooms consume a disproportionate amount of energy and other utilities, sizing the systems is critical, cautions Adrian Maynes, strategic marketing manager for M+W Zander U.S. Operations Inc.

Brookhaven National Laboratory
The new, 94,500-gsf facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory provides researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate and study nanoscale materials. The Center is one of five research centers proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and will complement the other DOE centers, as well as coordinate with University centers supported by the National Science Foundation. These centers will greatly enhance scientists' ability to investigate the effects of nanoscale dimensions on materials' properties by providing new fabrication techniques, novel experimental probes, and other research tools.