Peabody readies opening act
Robert Sirota, director of the Peabody Institute, says he is well aware of his institution's shortcomings when it comes to public access, and he has an anecdote to illustrate his concern. Sirota takes a moment to explain the architecture at the Baltimore Police Department's central booking facility on Guilford Avenue. He remarks on its built-in wheelchair access, the abundant lighting and its large glass walls. Then comes Sirota's punchline:
   "It is actually more attractive to get arrested in this city than to go to a concert at Peabody."
   Although Sirota is joking, he says he is not taking the issue of public access lightly. The evidence of his concern is wrapped up in the school's master planning document, drawn up last year, that details an estimated $9 million in capital renovations and improvements focused on opening up the campus to the surrounding community. Full story...

"Hurricane house" set for storms
When Hurricane Bonnie bore down on North Carolina's Outer Banks region last summer, one gray two-story building was wired and ready to capture critical information about what happens when powerful winds pound a typical coastal home. Although Bonnie was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached the test house, Johns Hopkins engineers collected important data that could lead to future houses that are better designed to resist wind damage.
   With a new hurricane season under way, the Hopkins team, led by Nicholas P. Jones, a professor of civil engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering, and doctoral student Michelle Porterfield, has made certain the structure is ready again to gauge the impact of winds measuring up to and including hurricane force. Although its exterior resembles that of a two-story tract house, this building, owned by the town of Southern Shores, actually operates as a community center. High-tech equipment inside and outside can record weather conditions, wind pressure on the building and movement of the structure itself. Data from these sensors is collected inside the house by a computer that can relay the information by modem to the Homewood campus. As a result, the engineers do not need to be on the premises when a dangerous storm strikes. "This structure was built to demonstrate a wind-resistant construction design," says Jones. "I think the odds are better than even that it would survive a fairly severe blow, such as a hurricane, but not necessarily without damage." Full story...

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