Guide on electrifying space heating for large commercial buildings with boilers released

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a guide on electrifying space heating for large commercial buildings with boilers. The guide summarizes key considerations for people seeking to retrofit existing large commercial and multifamily buildings, particularly those that currently heat spaces using fossil fuel-fired boilers.

Codes and Standards

Specification for field testing newly installed storefronts, curtain walls, sloped glazing systems updated

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) updated a specification establishing requirements for field testing newly installed storefronts, curtain walls, and sloped glazing systems.

Mass Timber

Portland's Timberview VIII mass timber multifamily development will offer more than 100 affordable units

An eight-story, 72,000-sf mass timber apartment building in Portland, Ore., topped out this winter and will soon offer over 100 affordable units. The structure is the tallest affordable housing mass timber building and the first Type IV-C affordable housing building in the city.

Products and Materials

Top building products for April 2024

BD+C Editors break down April's top 15 building products, from CLiC On-demand Privacy Glass to NovaCore Thermal Insulated Sheathing.

Aug 11, 2010

Vinyl Institute to move to Alexandria, Va., on July 1

As of July 1, The Vinyl Institute headquarters will be at 1737 King Street, Suite 390, Alexandria,…

Aug 11, 2010

Jacobs, HDR top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 100 largest institutional building design firms

A ranking of the Top 100 Institutional Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants

Aug 11, 2010

Whiting-Turner, EMJ Corp. top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 40 largest retail contractors

A ranking of the Top 40 Retail Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants

Aug 11, 2010

How AEC firms are using collaborative tools to solve client problems

PERKINS EASTMAN’S ‘ORCHARD’ Perkins Eastman’s intranet, called ORCHARD (…

Aug 11, 2010

New CertainTeed Gypsum drywall compound reduces airborne dust by more than 70%

CertainTeed Gypsum launches two new revolutionary drywall compounds that significantly reduce the amount of dust traditionally associated with finishing gypsum walls and ceilings. The products—Dust Away Reduced Airborne Dust Drywall Compound and Renovation Mud—join CertainTeed’s Easi-Fil and ProRoc brands of finishing products currently available throughout Canada.

Aug 11, 2010

Suffolk Construction Company acquires William A. Berry & Son

Suffolk Construction Company, New England’s largest construction company announced today that they have acquired William A. Berry & Son (Berry), the second largest construction company in the region. The two companies, both with deep New England roots and successful track-records, combined will have more than 1,200 employees and projected revenues of $2 billion.

Aug 11, 2010

University of Florida aiming for nation’s first LEED Platinum parking garage

If all goes as planned, the University of Florida’s new $20 million Southwest Parking Garage Complex in Gainesville will soon become the first parking facility in the country to earn LEED Platinum status. Designed by the Boca Raton office of PGAL to meet criteria for the highest LEED certification category, the garage complex includes a six-level, 313,000-sf parking garage (927 spaces) and an attached, 10,000-sf, two-story transportation and parking services office building.

Aug 11, 2010

Nonresidential construction will be down 14% in 2009; 17% in 2010, according to FMI report

FMI released its Construction Outlook: Second Quarter 2009 Report, and the outlook isn't good for the nonresidential market. FMI forecasts the market to decline 14% this year, followed by a 17% slide in 2010. FMI says that while the economy is showing some signs of improvement, it is just the beginning of the downfall for nonresidential construction.

Aug 11, 2010

GSA celebrates 60th anniversary

The U.S. General Services Administration today is commemorating its 60th anniversary as it engages in one of its its most challenging assignments ever—helping to achieve the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Aug 11, 2010

Draft NIST report on Cowboys practice facility collapse released for public comment

A fabric-covered, steel frame practice facility owned by the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys collapsed under wind loads significantly less than those required under applicable design standards, according to a report released today for public comment by the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).