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Lower interest rates boost home sales, prices

Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

Bucking the more common seesaw pattern of recent years, home sales in August rose for the second month in a row, buoyed by a decline in mortgage interest rates. Both new and existing homes posted gains, reaffirming analysts’ indications that there is a high level of pent-up demand for homes, but that many prospective buyers have been deterred by tight inventories and high prices. Sales levels had been lagging behind those of 2018 during the first half of the year but now are up 2.6% from the same period last year.

View from Europe: HVAC and Brexit

Andrew Gaved Manufacturing

As U.S. readers are no doubt aware, the U.K. is still in the throes of trying to leave the European Union, a process we now universally describe in a single word: Brexit. It is not my place here to go into the political machinations that have been going on for the last three years as the country has attempted to negotiate a legal exit from the EU. My purpose, instead, is to report on the challenges that the HVAC industry faces because of the threat of Brexit. What the industry fears is the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

Remodeling activity to ease, then dip in 2020

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Contrary to earlier forecasts, demand for residential remodeling services increased during the second quarter of 2019. Industry experts have adjusted their growth projections for the year upward. At the same time, however, they now foresee a steeper decline in growth for the year ahead. Mark Boud, chief economist at Metrostudy, noted that continued weak home sales and construction rates were expected to continue into 2020, resulting in “some loss of remodeling activity."

Community revitalization: 10 tips to get people to come downtown

Terri Williams Civil & Government

The heart of any city or town is its downtown area. While the lure of the suburbs has seduced many to put down roots in the outlying areas, there are ways to coax residents back to the city — if not permanently, then at least for shopping, eating, and entertainment. Once they’ve experienced a fun, walkable downtown, they’re more likely to want to live there. But how can you get people to come downtown? Programming. "Essentially, programming means creating activities that drive people downtown," explains Quint Studer, a community revitalization expert.

Fixing the bugs in activity-based work environments

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Companies with high concentrations of knowledge workers have been gravitating toward activity-based work (ABW) environments in recent years to address employees’ complaints about the shortcomings of open-plan office spaces. Although employee response has been generally favorable, recent research indicates that ABWs can present their own set of problems if not carefully designed. In lieu of a single, dedicated office or cubicle, ABWs offer employees a wide variety of space types in which to work, each designed to support different types of work and interpersonal activities.

Older designers need to flaunt their strengths

Lloyd Princeton Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

Some readers of a certain age may object to my labeling them as "older." I get that. "Old" and "older" are pejoratively loaded terms in our society and in a profession that thrives on creativity, innovation and novelty. The reality, though, is that, like it or not, "old" is how others perceive you. For that reason, it is crucial that you not take your past success for granted. If you want to stay competitive or employable, you need to reinforce your value to your clients or your firm.

US economy adds 130,000 new hires as unemployment rate holds at 3.7%

Seth Sandronsky Business Management, Services & Risk Management

In August, U.S. nonfarm payrolls added 130,000 total new hires versus 164,000 in July as the unemployment rate held at 3.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 6 million unemployed workers in August compared with 6.1 million in July. In August, there were scant or no changes to the jobless rates for men, women, blacks, Hispanics, whites, adults and teens from July. The employment-to-population ratio rate edged up to 60.9% versus 60.7% in July, the BLS reported.

How machine learning helps important industries

Joseph Zulick Science & Technology

In 1952, IBM's Arthur Samuel created a program to play checkers. Samuel played with the program so often that it was able to improve with each consecutive game. It was Samuel who first coined the term "machine learning." Today, machine learning has become embedded technology many of us take for granted in our daily lives. There are many industries that currently use machine learning to help improve their daily processes. Through machine learning, businesses can move ahead of descriptive and predictive analytics to prescriptive analytics without a hitch. Keep reading to learn more.

3 post-natural disaster safety checks for facility managers

Scott E. Rupp Facilities & Grounds

When a natural disaster strikes, there's usually little to do except wait until it's safe to return. Preparing in advance provides facility managers the best outcome to nail down any property needs. But lack of preparation is no excuse for a sudden storm to catch you unawares. Facility managers are in a unique situation when planning for post-storm returns and assessments. While many are on the evacuation path, facility managers are a bit like first responders regarding the health of their buildings. As you inspect your buildings, there are a few things to consider.

The problem with heritage railroads

Lucy Wallwork Transportation Technology & Automotive

I have always thought of heritage railways, or "preserved railways," as a peculiarly British phenomenon. But they are perhaps an affection that has come to America, too. These nostalgic locomotives might seem harmless, but might they be encouraging an image of railways as a ghost from the past rather than as the future of sustainable transport? Heritage railways may make a fun family day out. But here is the problem. In the U.K., heritage railways are booming, while investment in new rail infrastructure has crippled key transport routes and caused the country to fall far behind the rest of Europe.

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