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Housing slips as market tightens
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsA strengthening economy and steady employment figures were not enough to combat market pressures last month in the housing industry. Indicators for both home sales and home construction dropped, following positive gains in March. Despite high demand, low inventories, high prices and rising interest rates are making it difficult for many would-be buyers to find a desirable, affordable home.
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Waterless and low-flow toilets save more water than money
Scott E. Rupp Facilities & GroundsWaterless urinals and low-flow toilets are an increasingly pervasive investment being made by facilities managers and building owners throughout the world, mostly because they help save water. However, there are arguments about the amount of money they save. The waterless units really do operate without water, but when making the case for their investment, the best argument might be a green one — as in the environment and not cash — as a corporate responsibility effort.
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Simple ways to save energy and money at your business
Sam Radbil Facilities & GroundsEvery month, you face a multitude of bills. These expenses will inevitably take a toll on business owners. For most of those providers — your grocery store that sells office snacks, your lenders, your phone and internet company — you can shop around. But when it comes to utilities and the cost of keeping your office building or your home office up and running, there are no coupons or sales that can help you.
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Urban design gone wrong: Parks
Lucy Wallwork Facilities & GroundsEver since someone described parks as the "lungs of the city," cities have been competing to declare themselves as "green" by allocating space for public parks in urban redevelopment initiatives. This race to boost the percentage of green space for city brochures is typical of this age of "competitive cities." In many ways it is welcome — parks have even been shown to not only make us healthier but even make us smarter. But parks should not be judged on quantity, but quality.
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Kilauea eruptions pump dangerous mercury into Hawaiian air
Lawrence Lichtenfeld Waste Management & EnvironmentalAs Hawaiian residents scramble to save important mementos from molten lava flows, Kilauea is putting on a spectacular display of Earth’s grandeur. But the red spray of liquid stone and bursts of natural glass shards erupting from the corona of the volcano hint at the dangers the latest activity holds. In addition to the volcano’s visible destruction, the chasm is a bubbling cauldron of chemicals and toxins.
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California’s new home construction law embraces solar power
Michelle R. Matisons Waste Management & EnvironmentalThe year 2020 marks a sunny turn for solar enthusiasts in California. That is the year that solar panels are required for all newly constructed single-family homes and small multifamily apartment-style buildings of three stories or less. When the California Energy Commission recently voted unanimously to make solar panels mandatory for these construction projects, the room was packed to capacity. But there was little debate that this is a good idea.
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GIS-savvy surveyors muster political will to lobby at multiple levels of…
Bill Becken Construction & Building MaterialsSurveying is daytime work — especially if it invokes today’s remarkable high-tech geospatial mapping and navigational tools, known collectively as geographic information systems (GIS). Nighttime or off-hours duties aren’t usually associated with it. Yet those are exactly what many land surveyors have shouldered lately — as members of one or more of their professional associations — as they attempt to cogently address the legislative and political issues facing the profession.
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Generation Z is reshaping the rental market
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsBelieved to be the largest birth cohort in U.S. history, Generation Z, also referred to as post-millennials, has now breached the boundaries of young adulthood and are starting to strike out on their own. For the oldest, that includes renting their first apartment. And while they currently make up only a small portion of the rental market, Gen Z renters have already gained the attention of property owners eager to attract them as tenants.
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Surveillance technologies key to increasing student safety
Bambi Majumdar EducationData from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 75 percent of public schools use security cameras to monitor their buildings. With school shootings dominating headlines, it is not a surprise to see a rise in safety measures. As a result, many districts are investing in high-tech digital surveillance systems to keep students and staff safe from harm. These new surveillance technologies will complement teacher and student training programs.
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Urban design gone wrong: Density
Lucy Wallwork Construction & Building MaterialsThere is perhaps no more divisive term in our cities than that of urban density. Often measured in "dwellings per hectare" or "people per hectare," for some it can evoke our greatest fears about what our neighborhoods might become. For others, higher density is an environmental imperative to manage the environmental crisis. For yet others, higher densities hold the key to "happier cities." But there is less consensus than we might think about density. Where does "density" end and "overcrowding" begin?
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