Watch on-demand: Key Trends in the Healthcare Facilities Market for 2024-2025

BD+C will publish its 8th Annual White Paper on Green Buildings, "Zero Energy Buildings + Homes," in November-and you can contribute to it. We're looking for highly qualified experts (or teams of experts) to write individual chapters (about 2,000-3,000 words). We've started the outline here, but we'd like your suggestions about additional chapters. What did we miss? Help us shape this important report.

The American Institute of Architects reported the December Architecture Billings Index rating was 43.4, up slightly from 42.8 in November. The score indicates a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said the inability to get financing is still the main roadblock to recovery.

While 2009 was likely the bottom in terms of percentage decline, 2010 will be the bottom in terms of dollar volume for non-residential construction, according to market analysts at consulting firm FMI. Residential construction is expected to begin recovering in 2010. The economy may show some signs of improving, but it is just the beginning of the downfall for nonresidential construction.

Despite signs that the overall U.S. economy is beginning to improve, nonresidential construction spending is expected to decrease by 13.4% in 2010 with a marginal increase of 1.8% in 2011 in inflation adjusted terms, according the American Institute of Architects' Consensus Construction Forecast. Commercial and industrial projects will continue to see the most significant decrease in activity. Thanks, in part, to federal stimulus spending, institutional building categories will fare better over the new year. BD+C, January 6

Minneapolis Public Housing Authority and Honeywell today announced a $33.6-million energy efficiency and facility renewal program that will help the housing authority improve its infrastructure, reduce its impact on the environment, and save more than $3.7 million in utility costs per year. Local contractors will also complete a majority of the work for the program, one of the largest of its kind for a public housing authority, helping boost the Twin Cities job market.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the leading product safety testing organization, and ICC Evaluation Service, Inc (ICC-ES), the United States' leader in evaluating building products for compliance with code, today announced a partnership that will provide the building materials industry with a Dual Evaluation and Certification Program for building products.

National architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch of Boston and Merzproject of Phoenix today announced their merger. The merger unites Shepley Bulfinch, one of the country’s leading design firms, and Merzproject.

Baltimore-based architecture and design firm Brown Craig Turner has significantly expanded its housing design capabilities and expertise with the launch of its new senior living studio.