The U.S. Green Building Council’s next update to the LEED green-building program, LEED 2012, will include various updates to credits within the LEED Pilot Credit Library. As a flexible, interactive mechanism for testing proposed credits in the marketplace, the Pilot Credit Library gathers real-time feedback on credit usability and ability to meet a credit's intent. The Pilot Credit Library was established to facilitate the introduction of new prerequisites and credits to LEED through stakeholder engagement and collaboration on the testing and analysis of proposed requirements. This process allows USGBC to refine credits through LEED project evaluations before being introduced into
The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado honored Jeanne Sharps of Denver's Felsburg Holt & Ullevig as the 2012 Outstanding Woman in Engineering at a special ceremony on Feb. 29. The award recognizes an outstanding woman in a leadership position for professional achievements in the engineering profession who is a visible role model for young engineers. Sharps was among 12 women who were nominated for the award this year by their peers. Sharps is among those who have made meaningful inroads for women seeking a career in civil engineering over the past three decades. Throughout her career, she has
Salt Lake City’s Hunt Electric recently reached two million man-hours worked without a lost-time accident. Hunt Electric employees have worked More than four consecutive years without any job-related injuries resulting in time off. Hunt Electric Human Resource Manager Cathy Stoehr says that employees have been extremely supportive of the company’s efforts to maintain a strong safety culture. Hunt emphasizes continuous safety training, hosts skill development classes and insists upon safety in the field.“We have provided our employees with an opportunity to take responsibility for their work behavior and be an example to other trades around them. It turns around as
Sergio Aguayo, senior photogrammetrist at Aurora’s Merrick & Co., recently won first place in the International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) “LiDAR as Art” contest, announced by GeoDigital International. The awards program, recently established, held its first competition at the end of 2011. Contestants were required to take airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) images and create art from the data. Courtesy of Merrick & Co. Aguayos inspiration for the picture came from imagining driving on a road under a dramatic night sky with a light source illuminating his way home. Aguayo’s submittal entitled “Lighting Up the Night” consists of five
Greeley-based Roche Constructors received an Eagle Award in the Commercial $10-25 million category of Associated Builders and Contractors’ national Excellence in Construction Awards for its work on Target Store No. 2717 in Lakewood. The award was presented to Dale Cook, director of safety and health for Roche, on Feb. 22 in Phoenix. Photo courtesy of Roche Constructors Roche built the retail store 20 ft above ground to provide under-store parking for nearly 300 vehicles. Roche incorporated space-saving elements to make the most out of a 5.64-acre site, including building the retail store 20 ft above ground to provide under-store parking
As the construction industry continues a slow recovery, federal tax credits can help make a financial difference for both construction contractors and investors. When evaluating the financial viability of a project, there are three federal tax credits worth considering. The federal Rehabilitation Credit, the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit and the Research and Development Credit can provide income tax savings – and improved return on investment. Federal Rehabilitation CreditConstruction companies can take advantage of the Rehabilitation Credit and the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit (discussed below) by participating in the ownership or tax credit equity-investing group of the entity that
The value of new construction starts dropped 2% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $402.2 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. Both nonresidential building and housing settled back from December, while the nonbuilding construction sector managed to register a modest gain with the help of a rebound for new electric utility starts. On an unadjusted basis, total construction starts in January were reported at $27.0 billion, down 14% from the same month a year ago. For the 12 months ending January 2012 versus the 12 months ending January 2011, which lessens the volatility
Wang Shu, a 48-year-old architect whose architectural practice is based in Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China, will receive the 2012 Pritzker Architecture Prize. Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, which sponsors the prize, announced the award this week. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be in Beijing on May 25. Shu is best known for designing sustainable public buildings, especially campus buildings, that respect their environments and use ample recycled materials.In announcing the jury’s choice, Pritzker said, “The fact that an architect from China has been
On the heels of consecutive months of strengthening business conditions, the Architecture Billings Index has now reached positive territory for three months in a row. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the January ABI score was 50.9, following a mark of 51.0 in December. This score reflects a slight increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 61.2, down just a notch from
Many construction contracts, particularly on public projects, have liquidated damages provisions. Typically, those contracts fix daily amounts of damages for construction completion delays in their bid documents. They are then non-negotiable. However, most American courts do not look favorably upon liquidated damages provisions. They question whether they are true estimates of costs the owner will incur because of delays in completion or are actually penalties for late completion or are merely incentives for contractors to work quickly. Courts do not like penalties. So they look at liquidated damages contract provisions with careful scrutiny when asked to do so.So how do
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