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Contracts and collaboration: Can they co‑exist?
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsBetter, faster, cheaper is the mantra for today's building industry. Constraining costs and schedules while improving building performance and safety has placed additional pressure on builders and the design community to find more efficient, productive and profitable ways of working together.
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Innovations in corrosion prevention presented at EuroCorr 2014
Stephanie McKenzie EngineeringThe European Federation of Corrosion just wrapped up its annual conference, EuroCorr 2014, held from Sept. 8-12 in Pisa, Italy. Some important new innovations in corrosion prevention were presented that will have implications for corrosion engineers all over the world.
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Immigrants boosting sales in the US housing market
Bambi Majumdar Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesAn eye-opening report released by Fannie Mae revealed new and rather unprecedented developments in the housing horizon. It seems that the homeownership gap between native-born Americans and immigrants has been steadily narrowing in the past decade.
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Narrowing the ‘green gap’ for homeowners
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesMarketing researchers call it "the green gap" — the difference between the universe of consumers who say they care about conservation and protecting the environment and the universe of those who act on those values when making purchases.
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Researchers: Graphene dramatically affects corrosion resistance
Alan Kelsky EngineeringA likely revolution in a corrosion protection is almost ready to launch, according to researchers of graphene at the University of Manchester. Their latest research shows that this thin coating protects substances coated with it from corrosion.
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The critical importance of warehouse floors
Ken Ackerman Distribution & WarehousingThe single most important element of warehouse construction is the quality of the floor. As stacking heights have increased, floor quality has become even more critical. Imperfections in floors are magnified when product is stored up to 30 feet high.
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Active design: A trend with legs
Michael J. Berens Construction & Building MaterialsAlong with ways to make buildings more sustainable and healthier, researchers, professionals and governments are looking at how building design can promote physical activity as well. Growing concern about the health risks and high cost of obesity, overly sedentary lifestyles and poor ergonomics has pushed active design to the forefront of emerging trends in the building industry.
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Getting paid when your customer goes bankrupt
Scott Wolfe Jr. Construction & Building MaterialsEvery company has concerns that a customer will file for bankruptcy protection with open receivables, leaving the company high and dry. The dread of receiving a bankruptcy notification is hard to understate. Not only is the form itself dreadful and complicated to manage, but so too is the fear that the account will eventually get written off.
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US housing market hitting slowest period of year
Bambi Majumdar Construction & Building MaterialsAs per the latest Trulia report, the U.S. housing market is headed for its slowest period of the year. Online search indicators have shown that the peak the housing industry enjoyed until early summer has shown signs of decline. Since July, the market has dwindled to below-average sales.
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Design insights for more livable kitchens
Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesKitchen renovations top the list of home remodeling projects, and for good reason. The kitchen is the hub of the household, the place where families and friends come together, the place where meals are transformed into wonderful memories of tempting aromas and tasty, comforting cuisine. Above all, though, the kitchen is a work space.
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