The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is releasing a new re-occupancy assessment tool today that provides strategies for limiting exposure to COVID-19 in buildings. “Design is a response to the conditions, needs and functions of our society,” said AIA 2020 President Jane Frederick, FAIA. “This may be the most pivotal and defining moment in our lifetime for…
Architecture
Architecture Billings Index points to major downturn in commercial construction
WASHINGTON – April 22, 2020 – Reflecting the deteriorating conditions in the overall economy, demand for design services from architecture firms recorded a record fall, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA). AIA’s Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 33.3 for March reflects a decrease in design services provided by…
AIA Task Force Launches Tool for assessing COVID-19 Alternate Care Sites
As communities across the country race to expand available hospital bed space in response to COVID-19, an American Institute of Architects (AIA) task force is providing a new tool for public officials to quickly identify buildings suitable to be adapted for patient care. The COVID-19 Alternate Care Sites Assessment Tool provides a checklist highlighting important areas to consider when…
ViewPoint: Robert Ivy, FAIA, AIA CEO: The COVID-19 Crisis Demands that We Remember the Fragility of the Human Condition
Orginonally Posted on AIA.org We are living in a challenging time. As we awaken each new day of this unfolding public health emergency, our perspective changes, sometimes radically. Despite all of our professional knowledge and technical mastery, the COVID-19 crisis demands that we remember the fragility of the human condition. As architects, we know that…
Contracting
ABC Economist on Economic Recovery for Nonresidential Construction
WASHINGTON, May 15, 2020 —Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu warned the economic recovery following the COVID-19 outbreak would be quite different for the nonresidential construction industry compared to previous recessions, according to an economic outlook published in Construction Executive magazine. Normally, construction backlog, which stood at 8.2 months in February, according to ABC’s…
How to Deal with (and Prevent) Commercial Construction Delays
As nearly anyone who works in commercial construction will tell you, delays are a big problem in the industry. How big? A McKinsey study found that a staggering 98 percent of megaprojects (those with budgets over $1 billion) faced cost overruns or delays. Another study found that 60 percent of construction cost overruns at all budgetary levels are due…
Nonresidential Construction Employment Sees Record Loss in April, Says ABC
The construction industry lost 975,000 jobs on net in April, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This was the largest recorded decrease in construction jobs since the government began tracking employment in 1939, despite construction remaining an essential industry in much of the…
Nonresidential Construction Spending Declines In March As Pandemic Halts Projects
May 1, 2020, Washington, DC – Numerous impediments to completing construction projects led to declines in most categories of private construction spending in March, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of government data released today. Association officials warn that the Treasury Department’s threats to audit or prosecute some Paycheck Protection…
Energy
Duke Energy Awards $3.2 million to Innovative Education Programs
Duke Energy announcedit is awarding $3.2 million in grants to support 131 innovative K-12 education programs across the communities served by the company. “Bright futures begin in the classroom, and every child deserves a fair chance at academic success,” said Cari Boyce, president of the Duke Energy Foundation. “The grants we are making today are…
USGBC Launches LEED Zero Certification for Net-Zero Buildings
USGBC’s new certification program encourages net-zero operations for carbon emissions, water and energy use, and waste management. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched LEED Zero, a new program that will address net zero operations and resources in buildings. “Net zero is a powerful target that will move the entire industry forward,” said Melissa Baker,…
Dominion Energy Seeks Solar and Onshore Wind Generation Proposals
Dominion Energy is seeking bids for up to 500 megawatts of solar and onshore wind generation as part of a plan to develop 3,000 megawatts of additional solar and wind power under Virginia’s new Grid Transformation & Security Act (GTSA). The GTSA, which became law on July 1, 2018, paves the way for the largest…
Kings Mountain Energy Center Begins Operations
Cleveland County officially became home to one of the cleanest and most efficient power plants in the nation today, as NTE Energy’s Kings Mountain Energy Center (KMEC) formally began operations. Officials from NTE Energy joined with city, county, and state leaders Tuesday to cut the ribbon on the $500 million facility. The 475 MW natural…
Engineering
Davis & Floyd Project Spotlight: Charleston-US 17 Spring/Fishburne Drainage Improvements
Septima P. Clark Expressway (US 17) is a critical transportation corridor across the Charleston peninsula that experiences chronic flooding during heavy rainfall events. The City of Charleston enlisted Davis & Floyd to recommend and design improvements for flood resiliency, highway accessibility, traffic efficiency, and vehicular/pedestrian safety. Davis & Floyd provided the following solutions to the…
Davis & Floyd Begins New Chapter, Launches Refreshed Website
Davis & Floyd celebrated its 65th year in business in 2019. According to CEO Stephen L. Davis, the primary drive for the company has always been to lead the way and stay out in front of the world of design and engineering. While other companies came and went over the past six decades, Davis &…
Engineers Week: Tim Gause Talks about His Career Choice
The purpose of National Engineers Week (February 16–22, 2020) is to promote a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in technical careers. Tim Gause, Electrical Engineer at Design-Build firm A M King, shares the story of how he got involved in the engineering field. Based in Charlotte, Gause provides…
Parsons Relocates Charlotte Office to New, Modern Facility
Parsons Corporation (NYSE: PSN), a leading provider of technology-driven solutions focused on the defense, intelligence and critical infrastructure markets, debuted a new office space for its 130 employees in Charlotte, N.C. on January 6, 2020. GroundBreak Carolinas attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “Our Charlotte employees are a force multiplier for the company’s operations around the world,”…
Equipment
Equipment Leasing and Finance Industry Confidence Up for Third Consecutive Month in January
The Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation (the Foundation) releases the January 2020 Monthly Confidence Index for the Equipment Finance Industry (MCI-EFI) today. Designed to collect leadership data, the index reports a qualitative assessment of both the prevailing business conditions and expectations for the future as reported by key executives from the $900 billion equipment finance sector. Overall, confidence in…
Williams Scotsman to Acquire Acton Mobile
WillScot Corporation (NASDAQ:WSC) (“Williams Scotsman”) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement whereby Williams Scotsman International, Inc. will acquire the entity that owns Acton Mobile (ActonMobile.com) from Prophet Equity for a cash purchase price of $235 million, subject to customary adjustments. Brad Soultz, president and chief executive officer of Williams Scotsman, commented,…
EquipmentWatch Establishes New Standard for Standby and Idling Cost Calculation
EquipmentWatch, a leader in data, software, and insights for the heavy equipment industry, has expanded its Cost Recovery product to include hourly cost rates for standby and idling equipment. These new rates are a welcome addition to the standard Rental Rate Blue Book active use rates specified by the Federal Highway Administration, most state DOTs,…
Ritchie Bros. to Close Raleigh-Durham Location as Buyers Move Online
Construction and industrial equipment sales group Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE:RBA) will be closing five locations across North America in a move to focus on online sales and larger locations. In an email to employees, Ritchie Bros. CEO Ravi Saligram said the closure of small sites comes as more people are taking part in auctions…
Facilities
Eight Reasons Why You Need to Have Annual Plumbing Checks
Running a business can be a daunting feat. New problems will catch you off-guard and sometimes all you can really do is take the bull by the horns, and hope that everything will return to normal. Even a short business interruption can mean losing thousands of dollars! A business owner keeps an eye on the…
Five Electrical Safety Tips for Commercial Buildings
To some, a workplace may feel like a second home. It’s a place where employees form bonds and battle hardships together. Whether you’re a company CEO, a higher-up, or the owner of a commercial building, keeping your establishment a safe place for everyone will increase their productivity and give you peace of mind as well….
8 Reasons Why You Need to Have Annual Plumbing Checks
Running a business can be a daunting feat. New problems will catch you off-guard and sometimes all you can really do is take the bull by the horns, and hope that everything will return to normal. Even a short business interruption can mean losing thousands of dollars! A business owner keeps an eye on the…
Survey Reveals Majority of Facilities Teams Are Unprepared for Catastrophes
Survey statistics in the just released eBook, “Information Management for Facilities and Operations” show that building managers and their facilities teams aren’t as prepared for the next catastrophe as they’d like to be. Released by AIIM Market Research and ARC Document Solutions, the eBook highlights trends in facilities management on preparedness and recovery, including cloud…
Maintenance
Culvert Rehabilitation Project Features InfraSteel
The InfraSteel culvert rehabilitation solution is chosen by the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina for its Booker Creek Culvert at Elliot Road Rehabilitation Project. The InfraSteel slip-liner will preserve the existing failing bridge structure and avoid a road closure. According to InfraSteel executive Cullom Walker, “Elliot Road is busy and intersects heavily traveled US…
Products
Clemson’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute Celebrates Five Years Promoting “Wood is Good”
CLEMSON – Trees have provided a viable building material for centuries, and although steel and concrete have taken center stage in contemporary construction, lumber is making a comeback. Building with wood has a number of advantages. For the past five years, Clemson University’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute (WU+D) has been educating individuals in the Southeast about…
NC State Researchers Develop Technique to Characterize Strength and Failure of Cement
Researchers from North Carolina State University have, for the first time, used a “micropillar compression” technique to characterize the micro-scale strength of cement, allowing for the development of cement with desirable strength properties for civil engineering applications. “The information collected using this technique can be used to better understand the behavior of concrete when it…
Lumber Tariff to Impact Construction Costs
As construction material price are rising, the US Commerce Department took action that will contribute to an additional rise in the prices of a key building material. Wilber Ross, US Commerce Secretary has announced a new 20% tariff on imports of Canadian softwood lumber. The US currently imports about $5.66 billion worth of softwood lumber…
Culvert Rehabilitation Project Features InfraSteel
The InfraSteel culvert rehabilitation solution is chosen by the Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina for its Booker Creek Culvert at Elliot Road Rehabilitation Project. The InfraSteel slip-liner will preserve the existing failing bridge structure and avoid a road closure. According to InfraSteel executive Cullom Walker, “Elliot Road is busy and intersects heavily traveled US…
Suppliers
SkillsUSA Instructors Recognized by Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Teaching Excellence Program
Harbor Freight Tools for Schools has awarded $650,000 in teaching excellence awards to 12 SkillsUSA instructors from across the country in the 2019 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence. The prize, launched in 2017, is open to skilled trades teachers who are faculty members at U.S. public high schools. Eligible applicants are…
Metromont Corporation to Acquire Shockey Precast Group
Metromont Corporation, a manufacturer of precast concrete materials, announces its plan to acquire Shockey Precast Group of Winchester, Va. “The Shockey Precast Group has an outstanding reputation. Don Shockey has built a quality operation and organization. Our culture and business models are very similar which will make for a smooth transition that’s beneficial to both…
Carolina Comfort Air Recognized as the #3 Top Volume Trane Dealer in the Nation
With a 4000% growth since 2007, Carolina Comfort Air was recently recognized among Trane’s top volume performers in the country. The award is based on purchase volume of Trane equipment in residential, light commercial, and new construction. Winners are selected based on their ability to implement Trane’s technical and business acumen, and they are required…
Acton Mobile Completes Asset Acquisition of Mobile Office Units from Mobile Mini
Acton Mobile (ActonMobile.com), America’s mobile facilities company, announced today the acquisition of Mobile Mini’s mobile office fleet in Tennessee. This is the second asset acquisition from Mobile Mini within the last two years. “In addition to Acton Mobile’s remarkable organic growth during 2016, this transaction will further accelerate our market penetration throughout Tennessee, North Carolina…
Sustainability
Section 179D Green Incentives Retroactively Extended
On Dec. 20, 2019, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill H.R. 1865 was signed into law, which provided an extension for the Section 179D energy efficient building deduction, now allowing projects placed in service in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to be certified for qualifying energy tax incentives. The Section 179D tax deduction was originally passed as part…
New Report from the U.S. Green Building Council Shows that Climate Action Requires Putting People First
A growing number of Americans believe environmental problems are an important issue, according to the latest research report from Living Standard, an initiative of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The report, called Standard Issue Volume II, sampled 1,850 adults across the U.S. and found that while most people believe environmental problems are important, they do not…
Ameresco Begins Phase Two of Energy Savings Project at the Medical University of South Carolina
–Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC), a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, today announced that it has begun phase two of a comprehensive energy savings project at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), one of the nation’s top academic health science centers and the largest medical school in South Carolina. MUSC financed this project under an energy savings performance contract (ESPC) and…
AIA Outlines Initial Plan to Drive Climate Action
On the heels of announcing a landmark initiative to drive climate action, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) is outlining an initial path forward for the organization and profession this morning in a new declaration, Where We Stand: Climate Action. “Climate change requires a holistic approach, addressing the interdependencies among people, buildings, infrastructure, and the environment,” said…
