2020 is finally in the rear view mirror – although many of its battles are still being fought – but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some good things. Over the next few days, I’ll be sharing the biggest and most interesting stories from the past year, but I’ll first be starting with those that interested you, the reader, the most.
Read moreSmithsonian Channel Premieres New Show about Construction, 'How Did they Build That?"
via Smithsonian Channel
With the large amount of people that work in the construction industry and the high visibility of many of these projects, I’m always amazed that television networks never spent any time developing shows about it. The Smithsonian Channel, however, is about to premiere a new show, dedicated to the design and construction of some of the world’s most fascinating structures and the first episode will air on Sunday night, January 3rd, 2021.
Read moreUS Cuts Canadian Lumber Tariffs from 20% to 9% Amid Soaring Prices
Throughout the pandemic, contractors throughout the US saw lumber prices skyrocket for a variety of different reasons, including a huge increase in DIY and home remodeling projects, sawmill shut downs, and wildfires. In September, there wasn’t a lot of positivity about the situation getting better any time soon, but prices have slowly started to come back down to earth since then – though still much higher than normal.
Read moreAutodesk Construction Cloud Releases 3 New Products: Build, Takeoff, & BIM Collaborate
At last year’s Autodesk University, the company’s yearly AEC technology conference, Autodesk announced the release of Autodesk Construction Cloud, which unified their in-house and recently acquired construction software under a single unified platform. Announced today, Autodesk will be expanding the Construction Cloud to include 3 new products: Build, Takeoff, and BIM Collaborate.
Read moreThe 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Violations in 2020 in Construction
Each year, OSHA releases a list of the most commonly cited Federal OSHA standards at the end of their fiscal year, which runs from October of the previous year to September. The list gives a glimpse into what contractors struggle the most with and also what OSHA inspectors focus the most on.
Read more7 of the Spookiest Things Found on Construction Sites
Construction work can unearth some pretty interesting items. Think about it, many project begin with a piece of previously undeveloped land or land that hasn’t been touched for decades. Sometimes the discoveries can be pretty awesome, like 1300 pounds of Ancient Roman Coins, but other times, the discoveries can be downright SPOOKY. Since today is Halloween, the spookiest of all the days, we’re going to take you through 7 spooky things found on a construction jobsite.
Read more3 Construction Workers Killed, 1 Injured After Partial Building Collapse in Houston
In what seems to be an all-too-common occurrence recently, a partial building collapse yesterday has sadly cost the lives of 3 construction workers and injured one additional worker.
Read moreNew Documentary Examines the Plight of Immigrant Construction Workers in the Southwest
via Latino Public Broadcasting
When I worked in the construction industry in Texas a few years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the hardest working, most intelligent, and nicest people I’ve ever met in the construction industry, many of whom happened to be first and second generation immigrants from Mexico and South America. Thankfully, those people were treated fairly by the companies they worked for, but the unfortunate reality is that it isn’t the case for all of the immigrants working throughout the state or country.
Read moreLumber Prices Expected to Remain High Amid COVID-19, Wildfires
As difficult as it has been navigating through the past 6 months of site shutdowns and additional safety precautions caused by the Coronavirus Pandemic, it has also had some additional side effects that no one had planned for, especially for lumber. Add some devastating wildfires in the Northwest and imported lumber tariffs to that and it’s a recipe for continued challenges.
Read moreSurvey Reveals the Impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Contractors
For the past six months, we’ve known the construction industry In the US has been highly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, but how much? A new survey conducted by Autodesk and AGC of America is giving us a deeper look into the impacts so far.
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