The recently passed $1 trillion infrastructure bill, part of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan, has about $5 billion set aside for a wide range of programs to boost energy efficiency in buildings.
The money is geared to reduce electricity use in buildings, improve the materials used to build them, and train people to design, build, and maintain energy-efficient buildings. The funds are crucial for accelerating innovation in deep energy retrofits and building electrification, which are critical steps to reducing carbon emissions, green advocates say.
The lion’s share of funding focused on buildings is a $3.5 billion injection into the weatherization assistance program. Geared to dwellings owned or occupied by people with low incomes, the program provides money to upgrade residences with better insulation, windows, roofing, and heating and cooling devices.
A $225 million grant program is being established to help understaffed and underfunded local governments upgrade building codes. In the long run, this provision may be one of the bill’s most impactful measures.
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| Sep 8, 2011
Water Safety in Buildings Guide Published by World Health Organization (WHO)
This WHO book provides guidance for managing water supplies in buildings where people may drink water, use water for food preparation, wash, shower, swim or use water for other recreational activities or be exposed to aerosols produced by water-using devices, such as cooling towers.
| Sep 7, 2011
NFPA Fire & Life Safety Conference in December
Presentations on recent Fire Protection Research Foundation projects, how September 11th and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire affected high rise design, and a panel discussion on emerging code issues will be featured at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)’s Fire & Life Safety Conference on December 12-14 in Orlando, FL.The meeting will include more than 60 educational sessions in which participants can earn continuing education units (CEUs). Presentations will be led by NFPA staff experts and technical committee members, and will be organized in four tracks – building and life safety, detection and alarm, fire suppression, and codes and standards. For more information, visit www.nfpa.org/FLSCONF.
| Sep 1, 2011
Project Aims to Automate Code Compliance Assessment
FIATECH, a consortium of owners from the industrial, power, and retail markets that build large structures, launched a project this year to validate the use of automation technology for code compliance assessment, and to accelerate the regulatory approval process using building models. Long-term objectives include the development of an extensive, open-source rule set library that is approved by industry and regulatory bodies for use by technology developers and code officials.
| Sep 1, 2011
EPA Says Additional Lead Paint Cleaning Rules Not Necessary
The EPA has concluded that current Lead: Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program (LRRP) cleaning requirements and lead-safe work regulations are sufficient to protect the public from lead dust hazards. “Our members have been instrumental in contacting legislators to detail the detrimental impact of the current LRRP," says Richard Walker, American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s president and CEO. “This collective industry voice has prompted the EPA to make the responsible decision to refrain from adding further, unnecessary costs to homeowners under the current economic climate."http://www.aamanet.org/news/1/10/0/all/603/aama-commends-its-members-congress-for-vacating-lrrp-clearance-rule
| Aug 11, 2010
Best AEC Firms of 2011/12
Later this year, we will launch Best AEC Firms 2012. We’re looking for firms that create truly positive workplaces for their AEC professionals and support staff. Keep an eye on this page for entry information. +
