AGC releases decarbonization playbook to help assess, track, reduce GHG emissions

The Associated General Contractors of America released a new, first-of-its-kind, decarbonization playbook designed to help firms assess, track, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions on projects. The AGC Playbook on Decarbonization and Carbon Reporting in the Construction Industry is part of the association’s efforts to make sure construction firms play a leading role in crafting carbon-reduction measures for the industry.

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.

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.

Building Materials

Tacoma, Wash., investigating policy to reuse and recycle building materials

Tacoma, Wash., recently initiated a study to find ways to increase building material reuse through deconstruction and salvage. The city council unanimously voted to direct the city manager to investigate deconstruction options and estimate costs.

Jul 26, 2012

New NRCA photovoltaic roof systems guidelines released

The National Roofing Contractors Association’s update of its Guidelines for Roof Systems With Rooftop Photovoltaic Components is now available.

Jul 26, 2012

DOE/ASHRAE design guide aims to cut energy use at hospitals, schools, retail stores

The Advanced Energy Design Guidelines from the Department of Energy and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers aims to provide ways for hospitals, schools, and large retail buildings to trim their energy consumption by 50%.

Jul 19, 2012

Glass ‘biodome’ helps Parkview Green FangCaoDi project in Beijing achieve LEED Platinum

A glass envelope acting as a kind of biodome encapsulates four mixed-use towers at Parkview Green FangCaoDi, an 800,000 sf mixed-use development in Beijing. The glass structure helped the development to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Jul 19, 2012

UMass-Boston's Bevington: 'Financing alternatives crucial to energy-efficiency upgrades'

It’s conceivable that innovation in project finance can do for building efficiency in the coming century what 30-year mortgages did for home ownership in the last, this article asserts.

Jul 12, 2012

New York’s One Bryant Park Bank of America tower is first new high-rise to achieve LEED Platinum

The new One Bryant Park Bank of America tower in midtown Manhattan is the first new commercial high-rise to achieve LEED Platinum certification.

Jul 5, 2012

Roof membrane could have prevented roof parking deck collapse, specialist says

The collapse of a section of a roof parking deck at the Algo Centre Mall in Elliot Lake in Ontario, Canada could have been prevented if the structure had a membrane, according to a concrete expert and specialist in structure analysis at McMaster University.

Jul 5, 2012

New Joplin, Mo. hospital being built to withstand tornado that destroyed predecessor

After the May 22, 2011, EF-5 tornado destroyed St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., architects and engineers analyzed how the nine-story structure reacted to the storm.

Jul 5, 2012

Continued tax breaks necessary for widespread adoption of net zero buildings

Tax breaks passed by the U.S. government to encourage construction of green buildings are set to expire in 2012 and 2013.

Jun 28, 2012

Six buildings now recognized under Living Building Challenge

The Living Building Challenge (LBC), a green ratings system for design and construction that judges a building based on its actual performance, not just its projected performance at the design stage, has recognized six buildings to date.

Jun 28, 2012

Label for building products will have ‘global warming number’

The director of the 2030 Challenge for Products says that the organization is aiming to place a label on building products that will list what’s in it, and how much embodied carbon each product represents.