Industry news, analysis and trends: Week in review

The latest construction industry news covering building and fire safety, resiliency, mitigation, energy efficiency, design, building science and technology and more that we’re reading, following and covering for the week of September 16.

A surge in architect compensation

Architect Magazine

Firms across the U.S. are expanding their staffing to keep pace with an increase in nonresidential construction. READ MORE

National Labor Relations Board’s independent contractor ruling called ’employer friendly’

Construction Dive

While misclassification of workers as independent contractors is not a violation of the National Labor Relations Act, employers still need to classify their workers correctly. READ MORE

Podcast: What is progressive architecture?

Architect Magazine

Listen to the jury of the 66th Annual P/A Awards—Paul Andersen, J. Frano Violich, and Claire Weisz—discuss what progressive architecture means to them, and how that definition is changing design. READ MORE

Jury delivers mixed verdict in Ghost Ship warehouse fire

Washington Post

A jury delivered a mixed verdict in the trial to determine responsibility for a warehouse fire that burned through an artist collective known as the Ghost Ship and killed 36 people during a nighttime concert nearly three years ago, acquitting one defendant of involuntary manslaughter and deadlocking over the fate of the second. City officials knew about the dangerous conditions but failed to act. READ MORE

World’s largest Starbucks to open in Chicago

Chicago Tribune

The highly anticipated, Starbucks Reserve Roastery Chicago is scheduled to open Nov. 15, 2019, on the Magnificent Mile. The four-story emporium is in a glassy 43,000-square-foot space that preserves numerous architectural details of the bright, window-filled building, constructed in 1990. READ MORE

Nonresidential construction spending down in July

Associated Builders and Contractors

According to an ABC analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, national nonresidential construction spending declined 0.3% in July, totaling $776 billion on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, and a 0.1% increase compared to July 2018. The June 2019 estimates were revised upward from $773.8 billion to $778.5 billion. READ MORE

OSHA steps up use of drones for inspections

EHS Today

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is stepping up its use of drones to inspect worksites. As it does so, the practice places employers in an uncomfortable position between the proverbial rock and a hard place. READ MORE

300,000-plus comments come in on federal proposed apprenticeship rule

Engineering News-Record

The Department of Labor’s inbox has been swamped by more than 300,000 comments — the vast majority from construction workers — weighing in on the department’s proposal to revamp the federal program for apprenticeships. READ MORE

Home construction in manufacturing areas declines

NAHB Eye on the Economy

Economic data for the manufacturing sector have weakened, raising macroeconomic concerns about the health of the economic expansion. Moreover, recent estimates from the NAHB Home Building Geography Index indicate that home construction has slowed significantly since 2017 in those areas of the country with the largest shares of manufacturing jobs. READ MORE

“I can accept pie in the sky, but bamboo on Mars?”

Dezeen Magazine

Designers Warith Zaki and Amir Amzar have envisioned using bamboo grown and harvested on Mars to build the first colony on the red planet. READ MORE

How to specify rigid insulation

Architect Magazine

A quick primer on the basics and best applications of EPS, XPS, and PIR on buildings. READ MORE

Upgraded college stadiums kick off football season

Construction Dive

With more comfortable seating, high-speed wireless access and other new amenities, construction projects at these seven venues have given fans even more reason to cheer. READ MORE

This land is my land, this land is your land

HIVE

States across the country are rezoning for accessory dwelling units as a measure to create more affordable housing. READ MORE

Overseas off-site innovation breaks through in the U.S.

HIVE

Technology, robots and software that have been used for decades across the globe are now making a mark here. READ MORE

Building the next generation of skilled trades workers starts with women

USA TODAY

This young woman is proof that passion and talent are foundational to opportunities in the skilled trades. READ MORE

AIA announces climate action initiative

Architect Magazine

Approved by AIA’s board of directors, the resolution seeks to engage the architecture profession in actions against climate change. READ MORE

Four rules for high-performance homes

Code Watcher

This builder and HERS rater offers useful advice on how to meet more stringent energy efficiency codes. READ MORE

The massive cost of not adapting to climate change

Bloomberg

The world must invest $1.8 trillion by 2030 to prepare for the effects of global warming. A new report said the payoff could be four times that. READ MORE

Enhancing design through robotic fabrication

Architect Magazine

Participating in the development of a fabrication tool enables architects to introduce a more generative and integrative design process than ever before. READ MORE

How building codes stack up against tropical weather

Forbes

Many states have building codes that are reflective of the extreme weather that can be found in that area. Florida, for example, has had by far the most hurricanes make landfall of any state in the U.S. and its strict building codes reflect the threat of those storms. READ MORE

New resiliency-based safety standard for structures: Positive influence

Buildings

Environmental disasters are on the rise and property owners, lenders and insurance companies are paying the price. READ MORE

Trump administration releases billions in disaster resilience funding

Scientific American

The federal government is giving more than $7.5 billion to 15 states and localities hit by major disasters in recent years to help protect against the effects of climate change, one of its largest single investments in disaster mitigation. READ MORE

The potential of prefab: How modular construction can be green

Building Green

Offsite modular construction not only cuts costs and construction times but also benefits people and the planet. READ MORE

Officials warn about property repair scams after Hurricane Dorian

WLTX 19

Officials with the department of labor, licensing and regulation want to warn South Carolina property owners about scams following Hurricane Dorian. READ MORE

How to specify impact-resistant curtainwalls

Architect Magazine

When designing a building at risk of becoming a target of terrorism, architects must be particularly attentive in detailing its envelope. READ MORE

U.S. House passes bill to fund carbon monoxide detectors in public housing

CBS Chicago

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Jesus “Chuy” García (D-Illinois), which will provide funds for carbon monoxide detectors in federally subsidized public housing. READ MORE

Innovation through the building code process

Building Enclosure

The development process for U.S. building codes is rigorous and deliberative. Because the process results in the best thinking of a large group of experts, building codes can help drive innovation in design and construction. READ MORE

Adaptive Reuse: Create Place, Build Community

Architect Magazine

How do adaptive reuse projects engender social equity? What role can these transformations play in the revitalization of urban communities? READ MORE

A new old way to vent a kitchen island

Fine Homebuilding

The combination waste and vent system is a simpler alternative to island fixture vents and air-admittance valves, and a recent code change may make it more popular. READ MORE

Nonresidential Construction Employment Expands in August

Associated Builders and Contractors

The construction industry added 14,000 net new jobs in August, according to ABC’s analysis of data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On a year-over-year basis, industry employment has expanded by 177,000 jobs, or 2.4 percent. READ MORE

Home fire sprinklers are important for people with disabilities

Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition

Could your family members survive a home fire? Some of us are at greater risk than others. Watch this short video to understand why you should ask for home fire sprinklers. READ MORE

The hidden ways that architecture affects how you feel

British Broadcasting Corporation

As more of us flock to urban living, city designers are re-thinking buildings’ influence on our moods in an era of “neuro-architecture.” READ MORE

Should architecture be taught in grade school?

Big Think

Few students will become architects, but architecture may be able teach them more about real-life problem-solving than geometric proofs. READ MORE

How will construction solve its skilled labor crisis?

Journal of Light Construction

Technology will no doubt be part of the solution, but we have a much deeper, older problem to solve first. READ MORE

Astronauts make concrete in space for the first time

CNN

You could say things are getting a little more concrete on the International Space Station. As humankind continues to explore the heavens, we’ll have to figure out how to build stuff out there. Well, astronauts just made concrete in space. READ MORE

Building codes nail public’s safety

Cape May County Herald

Modern, regularly updated building codes and a strong system of code enforcement ensure that individuals and communities are safe in the buildings where they live, work and play, according to industry and local officials who develop and enforce the codes. READ MORE