GAF’s Roving Truck promotion coming to your town soon

GAF, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, has just announced its 2012 “Text-For-A-Truck” sweepstakes, starting June 15th and running through August 31st. Similar to GAF’s 2011 truck promotion, professional roofing contractors or builders/remodelers in the U.S. can enter to win a Ford F-150 truck--but this time, the company is giving away five trucks and each is filled with a GAF Lifetime Roofing System.

Those eligible can enter simply by texting GAFTRUCK to 41411 from their mobile phone, visiting http://gaftextforatruck.com, by scanning a code that can be found on the promotional flyer, or by visiting http://m.gaftextforatruck.com from their mobile browser. A grand prize winner will be selected from each of GAF’s five sales areas, so each part of the U.S. will have a winner. In addition to the trucks, GAF will be awarding 10 Visa gift cards for $500 each and 25 worksite radios.

GAF is taking the contest even further this year by sponsoring events at distributor locations across the country to support the promotion. Contractors who attend these events will be treated to a lunch from GAF and be eligible to win lots of local prizes, including gift cards, hats, and t-shirts. One lucky contractor at each location will leave the event with a flat-screen television. The events will also feature a Ford F-150 truck so contractors can get a closer look at the prize.

Participating distributors will reach out to invite local contractors and will feature signage announcing the events. Contractors should also check the GAF Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gafroofing to find out when events are coming to their area. +

Earlier this month, my colleague and I presented a session to a group of civil engineers and transportation agencies about the tech trends in the AEC space. Along with advice on how to prepare your plan for controlled collaboration, we also talked through some practical use cases. One such use case was especially interesting, as it outlined a challenge not unfamiliar to government agencies who are contemplating the leap from paper to digital processes: how to securely migrate workflows.

For an 1893 academic building in the Collegiate Gothic style at Bryn Mawr (Pa.)

| Apr 16, 2014

Upgrading windows: repair, refurbish, or retrofit [AIA course]

Building Teams must focus on a number of key decisions in order to arrive at the optimal solution: repair the windows in place, remove and refurbish them, or opt for full replacement.

Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, East Lansing, Mich. Photo credit: Justin Macono

| Apr 15, 2014

12 award-winning structural steel buildings

Zaha Hadid's Broad Art Museum and One World Trade Center are among the projects honored by the American Institute of Steel Construction for excellence in structural steel design.

| Apr 15, 2014

First look: Zaha Hadid reveals designs for dreamy sculptural hotel - CORRECTED

Hadid's design, which will become the fifth hotel tower in the City of Dreams entertainment hub, features a latticed exoskeleton enveloping the building's exterior. The 40-floor, 150,000-square-foot space is envisioned as a monolith with voids carved throughout.

David Chipperfield Architects has won the Nobel Center architectural competition

| Apr 15, 2014

Chipperfield's sparkling brass-clad scheme selected to be new home of Nobel Prize

The distinctive building, with its shimmering vertical brass elements and glass façade design, beat out two other finalists in the Nobel Center architectural competition.