Enter today! BD+C's 75 Top Building Products for 2024

BD+C editors are now accepting submissions for the annual 75 Top Building Products awards. The winners will be featured in the November/December 2024 issue of Building Design+Construction.

Resiliency

Controversy erupts in Florida over how homes are being rebuilt after Hurricane Ian

The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently sent a letter to officials in Lee County, Florida alleging that hundreds of homes were rebuilt in violation of the agency’s rules following Hurricane Ian. The letter provoked a sharp backlash as homeowners struggle to rebuild following the devastating 2022 storm that destroyed a large swath of the county.

Mass Timber

British Columbia changing building code to allow mass timber structures of up to 18 stories

The Canadian Province of British Columbia is updating its building code to expand the use of mass timber in building construction. The code will allow for encapsulated mass-timber construction (EMTC) buildings as tall as 18 stories for residential and office buildings, an increase from the previous 12-story limit.

Standards

Design guide offers details on rain loads and ponding on roofs

The American Institute of Steel Construction and the Steel Joist Institute recently released a comprehensive roof design guide addressing rain loads and ponding. Design Guide 40, Rain Loads and Ponding provides guidance for designing roof systems to avoid or resist water accumulation and any resulting instability.

Engineers

Engineering goes hand-in-hand with design, putting a practical lens on the architect’s vision and finding the best way to make it happen. Without a talented engineer, the project will never reach completion, and certainly will not reach the standards of functionality and sustainability that the architect and client are seeking.

AEC Tech | David Barista | May 9, 2016

Is the nation’s grand tech boom really an innovation funk?

Despite popular belief, the country is not in a great age of technological and digital innovation, at least when compared to the last great innovation era (1870-1970).

Big Data | May 5, 2016

Demand for data integration technologies for buildings is expected to soar over the next decade

A Navigant Research report takes a deeper dive to examine where demand will be strongest by region and building type.

Urban Planning | May 4, 2016

Brookings report details how different industries innovate

In the new report, “How Firms Learn: Industry Specific Strategies for Urban Economies,” Brookings' Scott Andes examines how manufacturing and software services firms develop new products, processes, and ideas.

Architects | May 3, 2016

Study finds engineering, architecture among the best entry-level jobs

The results balanced immediate opportunity, job growth potential, and job hazards.

Government Buildings | Apr 22, 2016

Public-private partnership used to fund Long Beach Civic Center Project

Arup served as a lead advisor and oversaw financial, commercial, real estate, design, engineering, and cost consulting.

Building Tech | Apr 12, 2016

Should we be worried about a tech slowdown?

Is the U.S. in an innovative funk, or is this just the calm before the storm?

Green | Apr 4, 2016

AIA report analyzes 20 years of the best green projects

"Lessons from the Leading Edge" is a study of the 200 Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award winning projects since 1997.

Engineers | Mar 31, 2016

Stantec expands into water infrastructure with acquisition of MWH Global

The combination would boost Stantec’s revenue by nearly 60% and its workforce by 45%.

G/BA releases 2015 Hospital Benchmarking Survey

Healthcare Facilities | Mar 11, 2016

Report: Hospitals’ fossil fuel use trending downward, but electricity consumption hardly declining

A new survey from engineering firm Grumman/Butkus Associates examines electricity, fossil fuel, water/sewer, and carbon footprint of healthcare facilities.