Health, Safety and Wellness

    In the News: Wastewater Agriculture, Rural Broadband, NIMBY Energy

    Wastewater Agriculture Urban farming may have just taken a big step toward scaleable reality. According to Hortidaily, researchers from Clemson University and South Korea’s Gyeongsang National University have developed a low-impact method for growing produce in cities. The system researchers are developing would use an anaerobic membrane bioreactor to filter harmful contaminants out of wastewater while leaving behind nutrients that fertilize plants. The treated water would be used on crops, such as lettuce, that are growing in an indoor, soil-free… Read More »In the News: Wastewater Agriculture, Rural Broadband, NIMBY Energy

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      How Is the Construction Industry Translating Talk About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Into Action?

      There’s been a great deal of attention paid lately to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the building industry. The Associated General Contractors of America has its Culture of Care initiative, for instance, and the American Institute of Architects its monumental Guides for Equitable Practice. But for all the position statements and policy-setting, just how robust is DEI in actual industry practice? A new study, commissioned by the U.S. General Services Administration from the Dodge Construction Network, examines architecture firms… Read More »How Is the Construction Industry Translating Talk About Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Into Action?

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        How Downtowns Are Faring in the Post-COVID Era

        Downtowns across the country are struggling to recover from COVID-19, Bloomberg columnist Justin Fox reports. A recent study from the University of California, Berkeley used cell phone data from cities across the country to compare business district activity in the spring of this year with activity prior to the outbreak. The slowdown is worse in San Francisco than any other city, with only activity at only 31% of pre-pandemic levels. Since the onset of the pandemic, San Francisco has been the… Read More »How Downtowns Are Faring in the Post-COVID Era

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          Will Florida Build Differently After Hurricane Ian?

          The damage wrought by Hurricane Ian has already prompted conversations about a rebuilding boom in Florida as well as concerns about construction labor shortages in the state. The recovery effort certainly will be colossal: The storm took more than 100 lives and left behind private-market insured losses of between $53 billion and $74 billion, according to risk modeling company RMS. Sarasota County has already announced its intention to expedite all storm-related permits. What’s less clear is precisely how Florida will… Read More »Will Florida Build Differently After Hurricane Ian?

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            Hurricane Sandy Recovery: Lessons Learned

            Hurricane Sandy devastated the East Coast in 2012, causing an estimated $65 billion in damages to New York and the surrounding region. The official response was equally unprecedented: a design competition, called Rebuild by Design, that identified several demonstration projects to promote economic, environmental, and social resilience in the affected communities. The competition was organized by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Municipal Art Society, the Regional Plan Association, NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, and The Van Alen Institute, with support from The Rockefeller Foundation,… Read More »Hurricane Sandy Recovery: Lessons Learned

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              ANDERSEN INVESTS IN SOLAR TECH

              Window and door manufacturer Andersen Corporation is doubling down on solar power with an investment in Ubiquitous Energy, a company whose transparent photovoltaic technology converts light into electricity using semiconductor materials while maintaining visual transparency. Ubiquitous Energy’s UE Power™ technology is the only patented photovoltaic glass coating that harnesses solar power to generate electricity, while remaining almost indistinguishable from traditional windows. The renewable energy generation can be used for self-contained, on-board power and smart-home functionality, or to offset energy consumption elsewhere.… Read More »ANDERSEN INVESTS IN SOLAR TECH

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                The Impact of Technology and Digital Processes on Safety in Construction

                By Stephen Jones, Senior Director, Industry Insights Research The Industry Insights Research team at Dodge conducts dozens of quantitative surveys every year on key trends in the global AEC industry and publishes the findings in free reports. Regardless of the topic, we always try to determine its impact it on construction safety, ranging from jobsite processes and performance tracking to culture and technology. That last element is particularly important because often technology tools focus primarily on productivity and efficiency. We… Read More »The Impact of Technology and Digital Processes on Safety in Construction

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                  Environmental Design Trends and Research 2021: Healthy Home Rising Demand

                  The health of our families depends on the health of the home, since most Americans spend about 90 percent of every day indoors and about 35 million homes in U.S. metropolitan areas have one or more health hazards, according to the National Center for Healthy Housing. While the interest in healthy homes had been steadily on the rise, a 2021 survey from YORK found that indoor air quality is the home improvement priority for 81 percent of homeowners. The essential… Read More »Environmental Design Trends and Research 2021: Healthy Home Rising Demand

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                    Redefined Priorities: Environmental Design Trends and Research 2021

                    The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the way Americans use their homes. According to the National Association of Home Builders study, 25 percent of home buyers say that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their housing preferences. As work-from-home and virtual school attendance numbers grew, and as opportunities for in-person leisure activities vanished, many were forced to spend much more time at home than usual. Household demands changed and the priorities for homeowners and home buyers also changed. They began to rethink how… Read More »Redefined Priorities: Environmental Design Trends and Research 2021

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