News Briefs: Design firms say they need more project management training... Jones named director of GSA's Design Excellence program... Carbon prices running out of gas in Northeast cap and trade market

Design firms say they need more project management training. Nearly one-third (32%) of design and environmental firms report that project management training is their biggest training need, according to a survey in The Zweig HR Letter. Next in importance: marketing and business development training (19%) and leadership training (16%).Carbon prices running out of gas in Northeast cap and trade market. The price of carbon permits plummeted 8% for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which requires utilities in the Northeast to purchase carbon permits for each ton of carbon they emit. Lower demand for electricity as a result of the recession was the cause of the price plummet. More than 30 million permits (or allowances) had cleared at $3.23 each in a sale on June 17, 8% lower than the auction price in March.First green roof professionals certified. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities announced the first wave of accredited green roof professionals. These individuals have successfully completed a multidisciplinary exam encompassing five areas of concentration, including pre-design, design, contract management, quality assurance and support, and maintenance.Jones named director of GSA's Design Excellence program. Casey Jones, a principal at jones¦kroloff, has been named the next director of the General Services Administration's Design Excellence program, according to sources at the GSA. Jones will replace Thomas Grooms, the program's current head. As director of Design Excellence, Jones will oversee the architect selection and design process for the GSA.

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.