courtesy of Vertico
If you didn’t know, the Netherlands loves pedestrian and biking bridges. Perhaps because of that, they seems to have become a leader in 3D printing bridge technology.
Read moreI’ve been very fortunate over the course of my relatively short career in construction to spend time focusing on many different aspects of construction. I recently spent about two and a half years working in site development and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) compliance on a national scale and I wanted to share some of the insights that I gained from that experience.
Read moreIn 2016, Elon Musk and Tesla announced that they had developed an innovative solar roofing tile that looks almost identical to traditional roof shingles currently on the market. Standard solar panels look be large and clunky on a roof, which made many excited about a nearly “invisible” solar tile option. After 3 years, we recently got a major update into how the installations of the product is going.
Read moreOn Thursday, April 18th, the New York City Council passed what they are calling “NYC’s Green New Deal,” which legislators hope will greatly reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. In order to achieve those results, several mandates included in the legislation will have major effects on the construction and real estate industries.
Read moreAlmost 7 years ago, construction began on the west side of Manhattan’s $20 billion mixed-use development. On March 15, 2019, Hudson Yards, as the development is known, has officially opened.
Read moreMercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, was completed in late 2017. The impressive structure had a hefty price tag of $1.4 billion, but it has already played host to several of the biggest events in sports, including the 2018 College Football National Championship and the recent 2019 NFL Superbowl. In addition to playing a large role in the sports world, it’s also playing a large role environmentally for the area surrounding the stadium.
Read moreA new 21-story apartment building proposed for Milwaukee, Wisconsin as received unanimous approval from the City Plan Commission. If built, the new tower could possibly be North America’s tallest mass timber building.
Read moreThe USGBC recently released their 2018 ranking of the Top 10 US States for LEED construction, which is sorted by Gross Square Footage per Capita. That ranking system allows them to get a fair comparison of states, despite differences in population and number of buildings.
Read moreAfter being informally announced at the Global Climate Action Summit earlier this year, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has officially launched LEED Zero to address net zero operations in buildings.
LEED Zero will be open to all LEED projects that are certified under the BD+C, ID+C, or O+M rating systems, as well as projects that are registered to pursue LEED O+M certification. In order to achieve LEED Zero, the project must meet one of the following characteristics:
Net zero carbon emissions
Net zero energy use
Net zero water use
Net zero waste
In addition to meeting one or more of the characteristics above, 12 months of performance data also has to be submitted for verification. By definition, “net zero” means to produce at least as much as you use. Examples of net zero include producing renewable energy using solar panels, harvesting rainwater, or keeping waste out of landfills.
“Net zero is a powerful target that will move the entire industry forward,” said Melissa Baker, senior vice president of technical core at USGBC, in a press relase. “For years, LEED projects around the world have aspired to net zero milestones. We are recognizing the leadership of these projects—and formalizing our commitment to focusing on carbon and net zero across the entire LEED community. These new certification programs will encourage a holistic approach for buildings and places to contribute to a regenerative future and enhance the health and wellbeing for not only building occupants, but all of humanity.”
Tall buildings made with structural timber have been on the rise in Canada and European countries in recent years, but the United States has been slower to adopt the method due to code restrictions. The state of Oregon recently released an addendum to their building code to allow taller mass timber buildings in the state and an upcoming International Code Council (ICC) vote could encourage more states to follow suit.
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Like most of the other electric machines that have been announced previously, Volvo promises that this midsized, 14 metric ton excavator will have the same performance as a similarly sized diesel version. The X03 is currently in the concept stage, so Volvo does not have immediate plans to bring it to market, but it shows the possibilities that electronics on heavy machinery can allow for.