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The project was a seismic retrofit of a 15-story, 750,000 sq. ft. office building constructed in 1991. The steel portion of the project consisted of systematically strengthening the moment connections throughout the building and installing over 200 dampers without interrupting the operation of the tenants. The contract dictated that the work would start in the basement, progress through the ground floor and the parking garage (floors 2-5), and then continue through the occupied office floors (6-15). The contractor could only occupy three half-floors at any one time. Although my team was extremely experienced, with over 20 years of seismic experience and over 50 years of steel work experience, this project provided us with some significant lessons to take with us to our next project.

Information on low-flow plumbing fixtures abounds, and low-flow and waterless urinals are now in widespread use. Flush volume for toilets has evolved to 1.6 gallons per flush, or less than half of the 1980s' standard of 3.5 gallons. The fact that low-flow fixtures can save money in utility costs is clear and easy to calculate with a review of a water bill and an estimate of each fixture’s cycles per month. An enticing payback period for a new fixture purchase can be calculated based on water use alone. However, some facility managers argue that the utility savings offered by these plumbing fixtures are not matched by the unforeseen maintenance and repair costs that they generate. The question of whether low-flow plumbing fixtures offer a good return on investment (ROI) arises.

It’s no fun to spend money on something you can’t see. Therefore, some green homebuilders are giving you a peek inside their homes’ walls via full-scale "deconstructed" models in order to showcase their energy-saving features.

Homebuilders are finding that green homes, which save owners money in addition to helping the environment, are a powerful differentiator in today’s real estate market. However, buyers may be more motivated to invest in goods that they can actually see. Companies such as Central New York builder Miller Homes and Utah’s Garbett Homes are using deconstructed models to show prospective buyers – as well as building industry professionals and members of the general public – actual sustainable products located inside their buildings’ walls. Miller Homes was awarded a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to implement high-performance building practices, with a focus on tightening the building envelope, and then partnered with Dow Building Solutions and CDH Energy to build an educational, deconstructed duplex. Garbett Homes has built several deconstructed models to reach out to their target market, first-time home buyers. Referring to a Garbett deconstructed model, Rene Oehlerking, director of marketing at Garbett Homes, says, “Nothing is mocked up. We built the home and we stripped the walls, basically taking parts of the home and peeling them back so people can see the actual application. Everything in our deconstruct is a standard feature.”

SPACE Architects + Planners in Chicago prove that lot size and shape need not determine a home’s design or layout.

In President Obama’s State of the Union address on January 27^th, he mentioned Tampa’s upcoming high-speed rail (HSR) project and his subsequent trip there on January 28th. As was mentioned in his speech, Tampa’s new HSR line is not the only rail project addressed in the recent American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). Several other states are slated to receive federal funding for rail line improvements, totaling $8 billion. The Florida project will receive $1.25 billion to connect Tampa to the Orlando International Airport. California will receive $2.25 billion to begin a HSR line between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Three recessed ceiling light fixtures flood the fireplace in our family room. Sometime after we moved in, the dimmer switch that controls the lights stopped functioning properly. It turned the lights on and off, but did not dim them. We were not concerned with our inability to dim the lights and affect the mood of the room because the light bulbs' brightness at that time was not an issue. Recently, we started replacing our incandascent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL). The CFL bulbs we purchased have a higher lumen output than the incandescents, resulting in a brighter light. It was now time to solve our dimming problem.

Do you know what to do if you have a frozen pipe -- or even how to tell if that is the problem? Learn how to identify and remedy frozen pipes or, better yet, prevent them from freezing in the first place.

According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, this upcoming winter will be a season of unusually cold and stormy weather. While homes in the north are more likely to experience longer durations of cold temperatures, homeowners in the south shouldn’t ignore the potential for one or two cold spells. During the cold winter months, frozen pipes are a serious risk to your health and home. With Old Man Winter right around the corner, now is the time protect your home and prevent frozen pipes.

By implementing BIM, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver found a way to shorten construction schedules as well as to achieve better communication with volunteers and partner families.

BIM improves efficiency and thereby improves the bottom line: Companies that were early adopters of BIM have been educating us on this fact for several years. What may not be as immediately apparent is that improving efficiency can sometimes improve more than just the bottom line. When non-profits implement new technologies with the result of achieving greater efficiencies, it can enable them to improve the lives of more people -- and do so more quickly -- than was ever before possible.

Knowledge and regular maintenance can enhance the function and increase the lifespan of your home cooling system, and it can also save you money.

The continued development of the high-speed rail (HSR) infrastructure in the United States will enable people to quickly travel from city to city, and companies to ship freight in significantly less time. However, what makes HSR unique goes beyond the offering of a new mode of transportation or shipping. Developing the HSR infrastructure in the U.S. will require consideration of various construction approaches and technology options.

Ted Kokenos is a veteran construction cost estimator. He initiated a transition from pencil and paper cost estimating to computer-based while working for a construction company employing about 60 people. His experience might inspire some construction firms that have been thinking about making the leap to computer estimating to finally go for it!

Jimmy Prokopeuff, like many Alaskans, needs to replace his outdated wood-frame home, which is ill suited to the rigors of Alaskan weather conditions. The Cascadia Green Building Council, in partnership with the Aleutian Housing Authority, plans to help.

The Living Aleutian Home Design Competition challenges architects and engineers to design a “creative, livable, affordable” three-bedroom, one-bath, single-family home. The home must be between 1,150 and 1,350 square feet and must have a construction budget of $400,000 or less. The challenge may sound simple enough to a seasoned architect or engineer, but there is a catch—the home must be environmentally sound and be able to withstand Alaska’s roughest conditions.