Buildings & Design

  • An aerial view of a climbing wall and stands in an urban park.
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    Retrieved from Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024
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    Let the games begin: A glimpse at Paris’ new Olympic venues

    Despite hosting 10,000 athletes competing in 329 medal events at the Summer Games, the city has seen the construction of only a few new sports facilities.

    By Zachary Phillips • July 26, 2024
  • A facade of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signage on the wall of its building
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    Joe Cicak via Getty Images
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    EPA announces nearly $160M to cut construction emissions

    Grant recipients will help disclose the environmental impacts of manufacturing construction materials as some cities eye ways to reduce buildings’ embodied carbon.

    By Matthew Thibault • July 24, 2024
  • 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

    From worsening climate change to a shifting transportation landscape and the housing affordability crisis, cities have their work cut out for them in 2024.

    By Smart Cities Dive staff
  • Teal and orange color of NYC midtown view and the East river from Roosevelt Island
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    Tanaonte via Getty Images
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    Building performance standards are likely not preempted by federal law, attorney says

    Such policies are likely safe even after a federal appeals court struck down Berkeley, California’s first-in-the-nation gas ban in new construction, said Daniel Carpenter-Gold, staff attorney at the Public Health Law Center.

    By • Updated July 24, 2024
  • A view of the facade of New York City Hall and Manhattan Municipal Building in lower Manhattan, New York City.
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    Mark Zhu via Getty Images
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    600+ NYC facilities pledge to cut energy use as part of expanded demand response program

    The city also plans to install over 1,150 real-time meters in municipal buildings to help manage electricity use, according to its Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 23, 2024
  • A row of electric vehicle chargers is seen from one end with a dark red vehicle parked and plugged in to the nearest charger.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    How cities are using Biden’s $4.3B climate pollution reduction grants

    The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions,” a federal official said. Cities and counties plan to use the money for electrification, bike-sharing, solar power and more.

    By • July 23, 2024
  • A low angle of tall buildings in Manhattan
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    franckreporter via Getty Images
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    New York wants tall commercial, multifamily buildings to test low-carbon heating retrofits

    Seven finalists in a $10 million competition will develop heating and distribution systems that can be installed without displacing occupants, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last week. 

    By Nish Amarnath • July 22, 2024
  • Sun sets in the clouds over the Interstate Bridge across the Columbia River, which connects Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington.
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    Long_Strange_Trip_01 via Getty Images
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    DOT rolls out $5B in bridge infrastructure grants

    The grants will fund 13 economically significant projects to address traffic and freight bottlenecks.

    By Colin Campbell • July 18, 2024
  • A person looks at a flooded highway with a partly submerged white pickup truck.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    FEMA tightens flood resilience rules for federally funded infrastructure

    Projects like schools, fire and police stations, sewers, roads and bridges will be affected by the new Federal Emergency Management Agency policy. 

    By Julie Strupp • July 15, 2024
  • An elevated shot of a street lined with high-rise buildings. One person walks across a crosswalk.
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    John Moore/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Seattle encourages office-to-residential conversions with new law

    The city's mayor said Seattle needs to take advantage of every tool available to fend off a housing shortage as downtown buildings sit empty.

    By • July 15, 2024
  • Aerial view of Las Vegas strip in Nevada
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    f11photo via Getty Images
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    Sports tourism drives meetings growth in Las Vegas: report

    The sports entertainment category isn’t just driving leisure tourism. It’s also boosting meetings travel for events related to the industry, according to Knowland.

    By Noelle Mateer • July 11, 2024
  • Close-up of a pipeline in a trench dug in the ground
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    ImagePixel via Getty Images
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    The movement to get neighborhoods off natural gas gains momentum

    For years, cities have pursued ways to get buildings off fossil fuels, one structure at a time. Now, some leaders and advocates are eyeing a newer approach: neighborhood-scale decarbonization.

    By • July 10, 2024
  • A large skyscraper under construction in an urban area
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    Gerenme via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Changes coming to NYC construction safety, permitting

    The code update will affect the definition of a major building and how many permits a superintendent can be involved with at one time, according to former DOB assistant commissioner Peter Amato.

    By Jennifer Goodman • July 10, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in dense urban setting
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    AerialPerspective Works via Getty Images
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    NYC Council approves legislation requiring proactive building inspections

    If signed into law, the bill would require the Department of Buildings to use predictive analytics to identify and address hazardous structures before they become dangerous.

    By Nish Amarnath • July 1, 2024
  • A view of the Chicago skyline.
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    JMSilva via Getty Images
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    Chicago buildings department still needs to fix broken inspection process: report

    The city's watchdog agency said the department has “not implemented corrective actions” to issues discovered during an August 2022 audit.

    By Matthew Thibault • June 28, 2024
  • People in coats and masks stand in line against a building behind a metal fence. Many have large backpacks and bags.
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    Spencer Platt/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    What US mayors want from the next president, Congress

    The creation of a first-ever city mental health block grant, affordable housing investments and gun safety legislation are among the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ requests.

    By • June 27, 2024
  • A rendering of the exterior of a sports complex.
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    Permission granted by PBK Sports
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    Q&A

    Upping the luxury quotient: How stadium construction is evolving

    From kids’ teams to pro franchises, sports fans and athletes have higher expectations for stadium design, according to an architect.

    By Zachary Phillips • June 25, 2024
  • A rendering of new construction on the Merchant Building in Columbus, Ohio, at night.
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    Retrieved from NAI Ohio Equities on June 13, 2024
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    Merchant Building to add 174 residential units to downtown Columbus, Ohio

    Gilbane is building the 32-story mixed-use structure, which is scheduled to open in 2026.

    By Matthew Thibault • June 24, 2024
  • An HVAC worker is seen to perform heat pump maintenance
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    welcomia via Getty Images
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    Electrifying neighborhoods could save California billions on gas line replacements

    Utilities could save around $20 billion in gas pipeline replacement costs by 2045 while only affecting about 3% of current gas customers, says a new analysis prepared for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

    By • June 20, 2024
  • New York City Mayor Eric Adams fields questions during a press conference.
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    Adam Gray via Getty Images
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    NYC approves second set of zoning changes

    The changes aim to boost commercial corridors, promote life sciences activity and bolster manufacturing in the city. One ends a decades-old rule that barred certain commercial building uses.

    By Joe Burns • June 13, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in a downtown. A tree-covered hill sits in the background.
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    Davel5957 via Getty Images
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    Tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California

    A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said. 

    By • June 10, 2024
  • A facade of a Department of Energy building
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    MingzheZhang via Getty Images
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    5 states, DC get $45M to finance energy efficiency retrofits

    The revolving loan funds established with the federal awards can unlock millions in private capital for energy efficiency improvements, says the U.S. Department of Energy.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 10, 2024
  • U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm holds a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    DOE releases zero-emissions building definition, part 1

    The definition will bring clarity to the public and private sectors, supporting their efforts to decarbonize buildings and ramp up clean energy, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 7, 2024
  • A person wearing a tee shirt, sneakers and shorts walks out of a public toilet.
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    Stephen Chernin/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Finding public bathrooms in New York City just got easier

    The city this week unveiled a Google Maps layer showing the locations of its public restrooms. 

    By • June 7, 2024
  • A person in a blue shirt and black pants and shoes wears a surgical face mask and walks past a window. In the window, a sign reads "Retail for Lease."
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    5 US cities prime for office-to-residential conversions

    An Urban Institute analysis names the cities that could benefit most from adaptive reuse projects based on office real estate markets and housing supply needs.

    By • June 6, 2024
  • A worker in a hard hat and yellow vest lays a large pipe in the ground. On the side of the pipe, the word "geothermal" is written three times.
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    Permission granted by Ania Camargo
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    Geothermal system is a US first

    A networked, utility-owned system in a Massachusetts community's pilot could replace fossil fuel for heating and cooling across entire neighborhoods.

    By • June 5, 2024