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.

The editors of Building Design+Construction present 10 “Great Solutions” that highlight innovative technology and products that can be used to address some of the many problems Building Teams face in their day-to-day work. Readers are encouraged to submit entries for Great Solutions; if we use yours, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate. Look for more Great Solutions in 2012 at: www.bdcnetwork.com/greatsolutions/2012.

Rainscreen system installed at the west building envelope expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Energy performance starts at the building envelope

Rainscreen system installed at the west building expansion of the University of Arizona’s Meinel Optical Sciences Center in Tucson, with its folded glass wall and copper-paneled, breathable cladding over precast concrete.

| Dec 10, 2011

Turning Balconies Outside In

Operable glass balcony glazing systems provide solution to increase usable space in residential and commercial structures.

| Dec 10, 2011

BIM tools to make your project easier to manage

Two innovations—program manager Gafcon’s SharePoint360 project management platform and a new BIM “wall creator” add-on developed by ClarkDietrich Building Systems for use with the Revit BIM platform and construction consultant—show how fabricators and owner’s reps are stepping in to fill the gaps between construction and design that can typically be exposed by working with a 3D model.