Report outlines how Atlanta can collaborate with private sector to spur more housing construction

A report by an Urban Land Institute’s Advisory Services panel, commissioned by the city’s housing authority, Atlanta Housing (AH), offered ways the city could collaborate with developers to spur more housing construction.

Adaptive Reuse

KPF unveils design for repositioning of Norman Foster’s 8 Canada Square tower in London

8 Canada Square, a Norman Foster-designed office building that’s currently the global headquarters of HSBC Holdings, will have large sections of its façade removed to create landscaped terraces. The project, designed by KPF, will be the world’s largest transformation of an office tower into a sustainable mixed-use building.

Sustainability

World’s first TRUE Zero Waste for Construction-certified public project delivered in Calif.

The Contra Costa County Administration Building in Martinez, Calif., is the world’s first public project to achieve the zero-waste-focused TRUE Gold certification for construction. The TRUE Certification for Construction program, administered by Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), recognizes projects that achieve exceptional levels of waste reduction, reuse, and recycling.

Energy Efficiency

Artificial intelligence could help reduce energy consumption by as much as 40% by 2050

Artificial intelligence could help U.S. buildings to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, according to a paper by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Aug 11, 2010

ASHRAE releases free BIM introductory guide

A newly released guide from ASHRAE on building information models and building information modeling (BIM) serves as a resource for professionals considering BIM tools and applications for their businesses. According to "An Introduction to Building Information Modeling," BIM is “a digital representation of the physical and the functional characteristics of a facility.” Unlike 2D or 3D CAD, BIM software utilizes intelligent objects to create models.

Aug 11, 2010

USGBC honors Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans as the ‘largest and greenest single-family community in the world’

U.S. Green Building Council President, CEO and Founding Chair Rick Fedrizzi today declared that the neighborhood being built by Make It Right New Orleans, the post-Katrina housing initiative launched by actor Brad Pitt, is the “largest and greenest community of single-family homes in the world” at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York.

Aug 11, 2010

Jones Lang LaSalle: 544 employees achieve sustainability accreditation

CHICAGO, LONDON and SINGAPORE, July 30 -- Underscoring its leadership position in environmental…

Aug 11, 2010

AIA report estimates up to 270,000 construction industry jobs could be created if the American Clean Energy Security Act is passed

With the encouragement of Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the American Institute of Architects (AIA) conducted a study to determine how many jobs in the design and construction industry could be created if the American Clean Energy Security Act (H.R. 2454; also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill) is enacted.

Aug 11, 2010

IFMA announces 2009-2010 executive committee and board of directors

The International Facility Management Association is pleased to announce its 2009-2010 executive committee and board of directors, which begin their terms July 1. Thomas L. Mitchell Jr., CFM, CFMJ, will serve as the new chair of the association’s board of directors, succeeding John McGee, MBA.

Aug 11, 2010

Retail construction recession to end later in 2010

The recession reduced retail construction spending early and deeply, but now most of the decline should be behind us. Construction spending is down 48% over the last two-and-a-half years, and the value of retail construction starts reported by Reed Construction Data fell 41% in 2009 vs. 2008. Construction spending is expected to drop 5-6% more by late 2010; the decline will be close to 10% afte...

Aug 11, 2010

A few bright spots for AEC firms in 2010

The AEC industry is heading into 2010 in better shape than was the case a year ago, according to the 2010 AEC Industry Outlook: Strategy and Insight for Design & Construction Firms, a new forecast released by ZweigWhite this month. A significant turnaround for the commercial market isn't anticipated until 2011, but a modest pickup is expected in late 2010.

Aug 11, 2010

Earthquake engineering keeps airport grounded

Istanbul, Turkey's new 2.15 million-sf Sabiha Gökçen International Airport opened on October 31, 2009, becoming the world's largest seismically isolated building. Arup's global airport planning and engineering team, in collaboration with architects Dogan Tekeli Sami Sisa Mimarlik Ofisi and contractor LIMAK-GMR JV, working within an 18-month timeline, designed and built the facility wi...

Aug 11, 2010

Old factory converted from hearth to home

A former briquette factory in Cologne-Frechen, Germany, was converted into a mixed-use building by Astoc Architects & Planners, Cologne, in association with Rheinischen Amt für Denkmalpflege—the Rhenish agency for historic preservation. The roughly 172,200-sf building includes a mix of residential condominiums, lofts, and leased commercial space.

Aug 11, 2010

Recreation facility scores with sustainable features

A new $79.1 million health and learning center is under construction on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff. The 270,000-sf facility will house recreation space, classrooms, health and counseling services, and the Lumberjack Stadium for track and soccer teams. Designed by the Phoenix office of OWP/P Cannon Design with Mortenson Construction as CM, the project is aiming for LEED ...