Illinois Business Journal Illinois Business Journal
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Companies invest in structural safety

smurfit-stone container in chicago

Making buildings stand firm under fire
By KERRY L. SMITH

  Bringing architects, engineers and their clients together to design a building that can maintain its structural integrity despite a catastrophic incident - either natural or man-made - is what is most important to A. Epstein and Sons International Inc.
  Although the events of Sept. 11, 2001 brought this concept into much more intense focus, the need to design buildings that hold their form and facilitate safe evacuations has always been a priority in [continue]

Future high-rise structures similar in size and stature to The Smurfit-Stone Container Building in Chicago, at left, developed by A. Epstein and Sons International Inc., likely will include structural security measures in their designs, as architects and clients reprioritize security needs since Sept. 11, 2001.

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Architects analyze security strengths and weaknesses from the inside out
By KERRY L. SMITH

   Even before Sept. 11, 2001, designing and constructing buildings that could withstand physical threats was a top priority for U.S. companies.
  Now, a year after the terrorist attacks - and amidst a still sluggish economy - architects are working with executives to draw plans that are both effective and affordable, when it comes to protection against natural and man-made agents of destruction. [continue]
 

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O'Fallon YMCA 
and Rec Center
The O'Fallon YMCA and Rec Center was designed by EWR Associates of Fairview Heights. The building features a multitude of windows, lending an open feeling in the interior lobby and providing plenty of natural lighting.

New design, functionality spurs Y membership
By VICKI BENNINGTON

   With three new award-winning facilities built and three more in the planning stages, the YMCA Southwest Illinois is stepping up to the plate with a marked increase in membership, sporting buildings that show the "fun" side of the largest nonprofit community service organization in the United States.
   The O'Fallon YMCA and Rec Center facility, which opened in February 2001, recently won a national YMCA design award. The recognition [continue]

 Builder makes home ownership reality

. Don Johnson By KURT PRENZLER

  EAST ST. LOUIS --
"Location, location, location," is the well-known answer to the question: "What are the three most important things to know about real estate?"
   We have all heard of contrarian investors in the stock market. Don Johnson is a living, breathing example of a homebuilder contrarian who restricts himself to building single family homes in perhaps the toughest location in the region: the cities of Centreville, East St. Louis and Washington Park. All three [continue]
 

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