Buildings & Design


  • Cars parked in a lot
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    Fahroni via Getty Images
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    Unused parking adds over $2M to typical multifamily projects: study

    New Jersey should adopt new parking ratio standards that better align with usage, a Rutgers University white paper proposes.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 27, 2023
  • U.S. capitol building with stormy skies
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    Douglas Rissing via Getty Images
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    ‘Everybody’s going to be impacted’: Fed shutdown would delay civil work

    Infrastructure projects will be held up if the government is not funded by Sunday, according to the White House and the American Society of Civil Engineers’ president.

    By Julie Strupp • Updated 14 hours ago
  • smart city, smart cities Explore the Trendline
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    jamesteohart via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Top 5 Stories from Smart Cities Dive

    Flying taxis and expanding high-speed rail promise to transform the urban transportation landscape, as cities increasingly harness the natural and built environments to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • View of the Statue of Liberty in front of the New York City Skyline
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    OlegAlbinsky via Getty Images
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    NY sets first-in-the-nation concrete emissions limits for state agencies

    Set for January 2025, the state’s Buy Clean Concrete rules establishing greenhouse gas emission limits will cover all agency projects.

    By Sebastian Obando • Sept. 25, 2023
  • Workers walk among solar panels at the construction site of a new solar energy park as wind turbines spin behind on April 06, 2023 near Prenzlau, Germany.
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    Sean Gallup via Getty Images
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    White House launches clean energy youth workforce program amid labor shortage concerns

    The American Climate Corps aims to put more than 20,000 people to work in its first year. The plan “harkens back” to the New Deal, said International District Energy Association CEO Rob Thornton.

    By Diana DiGangi • Sept. 22, 2023
  • A template of a building operations overview
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    Permission granted by Schneider Electric
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    Retrofits can cut office building emissions by up to 70%: Schneider Electric

    New research from the company says its digital building and power-management tools can slash up to 42% of operational carbon emissions, while eliminating fossil fuels can cut an additional 28%.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 21, 2023
  • A clip from an animated Airbnb ad showing three people showing up for a hotel pool day to see a slew of kids running around during what is meant to be their vacation.
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    Retrieved from YouTube on September 13, 2023
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    Airbnb’s marketing touts short-term rental benefits as local restrictions tighten

    Restrictions such as New York’s Local Law 18 may have a greater impact on the city’s residents and tourism economy than on the company.

    By Aaron Baar • Sept. 20, 2023
  • An investigator views building data in NREL's visualization lab.
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    Schroeder, Dennis. (2023). [Photograph]. Retrieved from U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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    NREL tool models how building upgrades can reduce energy use, carbon emissions

    Before the federal research center released its free, publicly available data, options for representing buildings’ energy use were limited and expensive, an NREL researcher said.

    By Joe Burns • Sept. 19, 2023
  • A curved beige building with rows of square windows.
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    Highsmith, Carol M. (2011). "Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, headquarters of HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    To improve multifamily housing energy efficiency and resiliency, HUD offers $4.8B for retrofits

    The first round of the $4.8 billion GRRP covers upgrades for 28 rent-assisted properties.

    By Mary Salmonsen • Sept. 18, 2023
  • Three people in winter gear walk through the burn-out remains of a building partly coated with snow. Blue mountains are in the background.
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    Michael Ciaglo via Getty Images
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    Building codes aren’t climate ready, but changes are coming

    Risk is growing from flooding and wildfires, said National Institute of Building Sciences panelists, and builders are relying on outdated guidance.

    By Julie Strupp • Sept. 15, 2023
  • EY building in New York City
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    NYC proposes leeway for building owners falling behind on net-zero emissions compliance

    Building owners who demonstrate a “good-faith effort” to rein in emissions could get a two-year reprieve to comply with a climate law that kicks in next year.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 13, 2023
  • An aerial view depicts acres of homes and land burned and destroyed by wildfire.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Older homes contributed to Hawai’i fire’s destruction

    Buildings constructed under older codes helped last month’s wildfire spread quickly, a new report finds.

    By Zachary Phillips • Sept. 11, 2023
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    FotoCuisinette via Getty Images
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    California must ban gas in new buildings, local officials tell governor

    With a federal appeals court overturning Berkeley, California’s landmark gas ban, the state needs a unified standard to remain a climate policy leader, 26 local leaders told Gov. Gavin Newsom.

    By Sept. 11, 2023
  • Close up of looping layers of concrete.
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    Courtesy of RCAM Technologies
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    Is 3D-printed concrete the future of infrastructure projects?

    A Canadian building giant bets the construction industry will increasingly use the material. But it isn’t covered by many building codes, and technical challenges remain.

    By Julie Strupp • Sept. 8, 2023
  • A lone piece of heavy machinery looms on a flat construction site. It's evening, and the ground is paved tile.
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    Permission granted by Indiana Convention Center
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    Indianapolis downtown redevelopment project breaks ground

    The city took over the $625 million hotel and convention center project this year after nearly a decade of planning, a pandemic and financial issues.

    By Matthew Thibault • Sept. 6, 2023
  • A cityscape with sustainable buildings that include solar panels, wind turbines and green roofs
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    Eoneren via Getty Images
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    ICC launches climate-resilience program to support community building and energy code changes

    The initiative aims to help leaders implement and enforce new rules as buildings’ operational carbon emissions and energy use reach an all-time high.

    By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 5, 2023
  • Aerial shot of street with sun mural and sports courts
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    Permission granted by GAF
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    Cool pavement covers this LA neighborhood. Does it make a difference?

    Project partners released their findings a year into what they described as “one of the most comprehensive studies of an urban cooling intervention.” 

    By Sept. 5, 2023
  • A person walks past the entrance the PS 179 school building on November 19, 2020 in New York City.
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    Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    NYC earmarks record $19.4B for school-related construction

    Funding from the School Construction Authority, which maintains 1,400 buildings and serves 1 million students, ranks as the largest investment ever for city schools.

    By Sebastian Obando • Sept. 1, 2023
  • Aerial view of a long bridge with triangular arches spanning a large body of water.
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    The image by Komzet is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Q&A

    IIJA just the beginning of infrastructure remediation, civil engineering group president says

    ASCE's Maria Lehman says the infusion of federal funding will help address long-neglected upkeep across the country, but states and the private sector must also pitch in.

    By Julie Strupp • Aug. 30, 2023
  • Aerial shot of waterfront parks and city skyline
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    SEASTOCK via Getty Images
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    Seattle’s downtown revitalization push continues with waterfront parks overhaul

    The project will be entirely funded with philanthropic donations and is expected to be completed by 2026, when Seattle hosts World Cup matches.

    By Aug. 29, 2023
  • Two people install rooftop solar on a building. One person is holding the panel and the other person is holding a drill.
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    Joe Raedle/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    On clean energy tax credits, mayors want clearer federal guidance

    New incentives could turbocharge local climate action, but resource-limited cities need clarity on how to use them, over 50 mayors said in a letter to the Treasury Department.

    By Aug. 28, 2023
  • Twin multi-lane, open bridges filled with cars span a bright blue body of water.
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    The image by Tobias Haase is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Nearly 7% of US bridges in poor condition

    Bridges in Dallas, Seattle and New York City were newly rated in poor condition this year, according to a report.

    By Julie Strupp • Aug. 28, 2023
  • A rendering of a two story building with a glass facade at sunset.
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    Courtesy of Skanska | Emersion Design
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    Cincinnati’s first mass timber project breaks ground

    The $32-million public radio headquarters will also be the Midwest's first two-story mass timber building.

    By Zachary Phillips • Aug. 23, 2023
  • The Colorado flag waves in the breeze in front of an American flag.
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    rarrarorro via Getty Images
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    Colorado mandates new building energy performance standards despite criticism

    The ruling unfairly burdens existing buildings, operators and owners say. The state Air Quality Commission touts the rules’ flexibility.

    By Joe Burns • Aug. 22, 2023
  • A photo of people dining outside.
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    Byron Smith/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
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    New York mayor signs permanent outdoor dining program into law

    Dining Out NYC will address previous concerns over sanitation and quality-of-life issues related to outdoor dining structures and provide a more streamlined process for restaurants to participate. 

    By Julie Littman • Aug. 17, 2023
  • Housing on a residential street with city skyline in background.
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    DenisTangneyJr via Getty Images
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    Boston grants aim to lower carbon footprint of affordable housing

    Building owners can get up to $10,000 each for comprehensive energy assessments.

    By Aug. 16, 2023