flexiblefullpage -

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.


billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Resiliency | Jan 24, 2022

Norshield Products Fortify Critical NYC Infrastructure

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration. 

Building Technology | Resiliency | Jan 24, 2022

Blast Hazard Mitigation: Building Openings for Greater Safety and Security

Increasingly, explosive blast concerns are driving the design of sites, structures, façades and…
Codes and Standards | Jan 24, 2022

N.Y. governor calls for ban on natural gas in new buildings

Action follows New York City’s ban.

Codes and Standards | Jan 19, 2022

EPA may expand product lineup that can earn WaterSense label

Would include systems that enhance water quality at the tap.

Codes and Standards | Jan 19, 2022

Canada’s Trudeau seeking building codes changes, net-zero emissions building strategy

Prime minister also wants net-zero electricity grid by 2035.

Codes and Standards | Jan 18, 2022

Greater emphasis on building materials needed to achieve net-zero carbon offices

Engineered wood, straw, and bamboo can be keys to achieving goal.

Codes and Standards | Jan 17, 2022

AISC seeks comments on draft earthquake standard for steel buildings

Includes new limits for cross-sectional slenderness of steel columns based on latest research.

Codes and Standards | Jan 12, 2022

California’s wildfire building code significantly reduces structural loss

As other states consider upgrading their codes, Golden State provides useful model.

Codes and Standards | Jan 12, 2022

Regulator holding back climate-friendly, energy-saving equipment deployment, critics say

Heat pumps, solar power could be made more accessible for low-income communities in Massachusetts.

Codes and Standards | Jan 11, 2022

Cost hikes drive nearly one million renters out of homeownership qualification in 2021

Household income needed to pay a mortgage rose to $62,872 from $55,186.

leaderboard1 - default