From data usage to 3D printing, construction technology is poised to blast off this year. The construction industry had a challenging but positive year in 2021, and the growth of construction technology has been one of the bright spots. With the pandemic forcing...
No Ease of Lumber Price Spikes in Sight
It’s been a wild ride in 2020 for the U.S. timber industry, and the run up in prices shows no sign of easing. First, mills temporarily shut down in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, in September in the timber nexus of the Northwest, wildfires have burned out...
Can Sustainable Materials Compete With Virgin Material?
The design industry has long been pervaded by the idea that sustainable materials are “not enough”—not flexible or durable enough, not creative enough, not inexpensive enough to justify their use. These outdated notions have prevented industry professionals from...
The Largest Single Sloped Solar Array in the Country Completes
Mill 19, a nearly quarter-mile-long structure built at Pittsburgh’s Hazelwood Green, a former brownfield site, is now home to the largest single sloped solar array in the United States. The $5 million project includes 4,784 silicon solar panels that cover 133,000 sf...
Renewing the Healing Role of Public Parks
Disease prevention has had a large impact on public space planning and design throughout history. Typhoid, smallpox and cholera epidemics in the 1800s brought forth the sanitary movement creating municipal sewer systems, indoor plumbing and wider, straighter streets...
Document Provides Guidance for Mass Timber Construction
The American Wood Council (AWC) and International Code Council have released a joint publication, Mass Timber Buildings and the IBC. The document provides an overview of requirements for mass timber construction as found in the 2015, 2018, and 2021 International...
Inefficient Air Conditioning is a Key Contributor to Global Warming
Air conditioning systems are significant contributors to global warming, and replacing them with more efficient systems could have a big impact, according to a new UN report. An estimated 3.6 billion cooling appliances are in use globally today, and that number is...
11 Tips on How Best to Install EV Charging Stations in Multifamily Housing
Electric vehicle adoption is expected to grow at a 25% annual clip over the next five years. That’s going to make the installation of electric charging stations a must at apartment communities in most major real estate markets. Having EV stations on your property can...
Solar Lighting for an Affordable, Sustainable Future
While first developed as a practical power source during the 1950s, solar systems were too expensive for mainstream use until the 1970s. Starting from their early use to power Cold War era military satellites, silicon photovoltaic solar cells achieved their first...
How Can Architecture Combat Flooding? 9 Practical Solutions
Flooding is a significant problem for buildings all around the world, including architectural treasures like the Farnsworth House that have been plagued by the issue time and time again. In particular, one-third of the entire continental U.S. are at risk of flooding...
Tech Giants Team Up to Develop ‘Building Transparency’
In an unprecedented collaboration, five technology giants and one flooring maker are showing their commitment to a healthier environment by joining the board of Building Transparency—a nonprofit formed recently to increase the impact of a free-to-use digital tool for...
Is CLT Really a Green Solution?
Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, is touted as a more sustainable option for building construction than concrete and steel. But is it really? The answer is complicated. CLT is intended to replace concrete and steel whose production accounts for about 13% of global...
Which Materials are Easiest to Recycle?
The construction industry is responsible for 75% of the consumption of earth's natural resources. Stone, sand, iron, and many other finite resources are extracted in huge quantities to supply the markets. Additionally, construction sites themselves generate enormous...
Architectural Reuse Council Will Step Up Efforts to Reuse Construction Waste
The Architectural Reuse Council (ARC) was recently formed to maximize building material diversion and reuse. The San Diego-based group aims to foster more salvage and reuse of material through education and outreach. The group is composed of reuse experts that...
Are Microgrids the Answer to Energy Disruptions?
In light of the renewable energy expansion of recent years, microgrids have become increasingly more popular. Although they seem new, these installations have been around for many years—the first one was introduced by Thomas Edison in 1882 at his Pearl Street Station...
What’s Trending in Health-Care Design?
Medical offices and hospitals are, by definition, places where people come first. The same principle has become the rule of thumb for design, even more so than efficiency and sustainability, which architects have traditionally prioritized when planning medical office...
Concrete Houses in Spain: Exploring Cement’s Sustainability Potential
It's no secret that concrete has one of the highest CO2 emissions of all building materials, making it a focal point for architects looking to innovate and experiment with it as a way to optimize its production and application in construction while decreasing its...
Green Cleaning and the Coronavirus
First: a note about your cleanser – Hydrogen Peroxide kills corona and is more environmentally friendly than bleach. Consider using hydrogen peroxide, if it’s an option. But if you must use bleach, here are the implications for your LEED certification: We are not...
ESG: Has Green Building’s Moment Arrived?
In his annual note to investors, BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink said, “I believe we are on the edge of a fundamental reshaping of finance” because of climate change. The BlackRock chieftain pledged to adopt climate considerations when managing its client’s $7 billion in...
6 Ways the Coronavirus Outbreak Will Affect Construction
Three words stand out to construction attorney Steve Lesser when thinking about how U.S. contractors should react to the negative effects of the global coronavirus pandemic: Wait and see. Lesser, the chair of Becker’s construction law practice, said he thinks the best...
Concrete Industry Reduces Carbon Footprint by 13% Over Five Years
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) members have lowered their carbon footprint by 13% in five years, according to an association news release. “The 13% reduction in carbon footprint is for 4,000 psi (pounds per square inch) concrete, the most frequently...
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