Construction Site Health and Safety: An Overlooked Concern

    Claire Smith, editor of the British media brand New Civil Engineer, offered an unusual but important message in her latest editorial. She draws the connection between worksite conditions and workers’ risk of cancer, following her own diagnosis with skin cancer. In researching this month’s article with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and Amey, I was stunned to learn that one in two people born after 1960 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Worse, only half of those diagnosed will… Read More »Construction Site Health and Safety: An Overlooked Concern

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      Architects’ Organization Commits to Equity

      The American Institute of Architects made history in June with the election of Kimberly Dowdell, FAIA, as 2024 president-elect. The architect, who is marketing principal in HOK’s Chicago office, will be the first black woman to lead the organization since its founding in 1857, Engineering News-Record reports. In her campaign for election, Dowdell proposed an “alphabet platform” consisting of advocacy for architects in practice, belonging, climate action and designing the future.  AIA hired its first black CEO, Lakisha Woods, late… Read More »Architects’ Organization Commits to Equity

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        The Interest Rate Hike Is Slowing Construction

        Following the Federal Reserve’s recent increase in interest rates, consumer confidence has plummeted, manufacturing imports have decreased, and housing markets are cooling. The rate hike is the largest since the 1980s, CNBC reports. A corresponding decline in consumer sentiment and spending has been followed more recently by a slowdown in purchases of home appliances, DIY products, and construction materials. On the flip side, demand for clothing and sporting goods remains strong, perhaps due to vacation, return-to-work, and back-to-school shopping. Spending… Read More »The Interest Rate Hike Is Slowing Construction

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          Executive Order Requires Labor Agreements on Contracts of $35 million or Higher

          In February, President Joe Biden signed an executive order with considerable ramifications for the construction industry. The order (EO 14063) requires project labor agreements on stateside federal construction contracts of $35 million or more. An article about the order, published in the National Law Review, characterizes project labor agreements as “a collective bargaining agreement between a contractor and the building trade union on a specific construction project.” Among the provisions in EO 14063, the National Law Review notes that the… Read More »Executive Order Requires Labor Agreements on Contracts of $35 million or Higher

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            Proposed Changes in Labor Regulations Could Significantly Increase Worker Pay

            A flood of money is about to hit the construction industry, thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that President Joe Biden signed into law late last year. Perhaps not surprisingly, then, the U.S. Department of Labor is updating the rules determining worker pay on federal construction jobs, first set by the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act, which tied the size of paychecks to prevailing local wage rates. Labor law firm Fisher & Phillips outlines some of the major changes in… Read More »Proposed Changes in Labor Regulations Could Significantly Increase Worker Pay

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              Connected Construction: The Owners’ Perspective

              This SmartMarket Brief is the first in a series that reveals how the industry is capitalizing on digital workflows to improve connections within organizations and across project teams in order to have improved project outcomes and experience benefits to their organization. This Brief focuses on owners and demonstrates that they are critical to help drive the use of these workflows across the rest of the design and construction industry.

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                GSA Cuts the Carbon in Asphalt and Concrete

                The U.S. General Services Administration is one of the nation’s biggest landlords. As part of its sweeping mandate, the agency maintains thousands of government properties and constructs federal court houses, office buildings, border stations, and other structures nationwide. So when GSA adopts new construction standards — usually after exhaustive study and participation by the private sector — the building industry as a whole takes notice. In March, GSA announced new standards for asphalt and concrete used in construction. Why target… Read More »GSA Cuts the Carbon in Asphalt and Concrete

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                  Dodge Momentum Index Recovers in February

                  The Dodge Momentum Index increased 4% in February to 158.2 (2000=100), from the revised January reading of 151.9. The Momentum Index, issued by Dodge Construction Network, is a monthly measure of the initial report for nonresidential building projects in planning, which have been shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year. In February, institutional planning rose 9%, and commercial planning moved 1% higher. The Dodge Momentum Index rebounded from three consecutive monthly declines that followed a 14-year high… Read More »Dodge Momentum Index Recovers in February

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                    Where Have All the Workers Gone?

                    By Scott Shurtleff Although the outlook for the civil construction industry in the foreseeable future is quite sunny in terms of projects and prospects, a few clouds linger. Variables like supply chain uncertainty and more competitors chasing civil work are making the terrain tougher to navigate. But another layer of weather looms in the sky; finding and retaining skilled workers to meet this growing demand.  With a robust job market amid an economic recovery, companies across all sectors are scrambling… Read More »Where Have All the Workers Gone?

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                      Andersen Invests in See-Through Solar Technology

                      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 See-Through Solar Technology

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