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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the winners of the first phase of the Building Envelope Innovation Prize. The prize targets high-performance, cost-effective secondary glazing systems to improve efficiency of commercial windows.
All eight manufacturers in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Residential Cold Climate Heat Pump Challenge completed rigorous product field testing to demonstrate energy efficiency and improved performance in cold weather.
While natural disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires can destroy buildings in minutes, other factors exacerbated by climate change degrade buildings more slowly but still cause costly damage.
A new construction industry CEO Advisory Council dedicated to addressing the issue of suicide in the construction industry recently took shape. The council will guide an industry-wide effort to develop solutions targeting the high rate of suicide among construction workers.
The General Services Administration, which manages a portfolio of almost 10,000 buildings, is using the Green Proving Ground program to test technological advances in energy efficiency.
Roofs painted white can reflect heat and reduce warm-weather energy use, but in cooler regions like Minneapolis or Chicago, the issue of energy-efficiency is less straightforward.
NSF International, an independent global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products, has published the first in a series of American National Standards for Ground-Source Geothermal Piping Systems – NSF/ANSI 358-1.
The ANSI A10 Accredited Standards Committee for Construction and Demolition Operations recently approved amendments to the ANSI A10.9 Concrete and Masonry Standard.
Congress recently passed the Drywall Safety Act; President Barack Obama is expected to sign it soon.
A developing technology could begin to have an impact on sustainable standards over the next few years.
Updating of local zoning and building codes is one of nine low-tech steps that can boost sustainability and storm resiliency, according to this article.
Public.Resource.Org released 10,062 public safety documents including building codes covering 24 countries and 6 regions.
The Montana Department of Administration is developing a single building standard for all state facilities, and hopes to have a plan in place this spring.
The deal in Congress to avoid going over the so-called fiscal cliff "should encourage many businesses to go ahead with projects they have held in reserve," said Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America.
