Buildings & Design: Page 3

  • The Seattle skyline, featuring the Space Needle and skyscrapers.
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    George Dodd via Getty Images
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    Seattle requires large buildings to zero out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

    As building performance standards gain traction nationwide, Seattle’s policy is the city’s most ambitious plan ever to reduce building emissions, the City Council said.

    By • Dec. 13, 2023
  • The Statue of Liberty stands in the foreground as Lower Manhattan is viewed at dusk, September 8, 2016 in New York City
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    NYC overhauls zoning to boost renewables, electrification

    The “City of Yes” initiative, which took effect Dec. 11, is among the most significant zoning changes in New York City's history, the city's chief climate officer said.

    By Joe Burns and Ysabelle Kempe • Dec. 12, 2023
  • 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
  • Young businessman working alone at his desk on desktop computer in an open space modern coworking office.
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    .shock via Getty Images
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    Fully remote work plummets, EY finds

    The move away from full-time remote work is welcome news for the corporate real estate sector, but organizations face challenges in optimizing office space for their needs, the consulting firm said.

    By Nish Amarnath • Dec. 12, 2023
  • A Resideo smart thermostat mounted on a wall of a home.
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    Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
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    Ford, Resideo to study how EVs can power homes

    The automaker and smart home product company will test how Ford’s future electric vehicle batteries can reduce home energy costs.

    By Eric Walz • Dec. 12, 2023
  • A technician connects cable on a solar rooftop array.
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    Wichien Tep via Getty Images
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    Warehouse roofs house New Jersey’s largest rooftop community solar project to date

    The two installations will provide more than 1,400 nearby homes with discounted solar energy.

    By Joe Burns • Dec. 11, 2023
  • Interior renovation of an existing building
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    mniebuhr via Getty Images
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    Existing building stock challenges decarbonization goals

    New construction codes that don’t align with performance standards for existing buildings pose a “serious problem,” said Sustainable Energy Partnerships’ managing director at an ASHRAE conference.

    By Joe Burns • Dec. 8, 2023
  • Closeup of a sign reading "United Nations Climate Change COP28 UAE" with blurred groups of people standing in the background
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    Sean Gallup/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    HUD announces new building decarbonization efforts at COP28

    As the U.S. pledges to make near-zero-emissions buildings the “new normal” by 2030, the housing agency is teaming up with other departments for access to the best available data and research.

    By • Dec. 7, 2023
  • A person on a ladder reaches over to repair an air conditioning unit on a house
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Cooling cities while reducing emissions: 3 takeaways from UN report

    Increasing air conditioning and refrigeration needs threaten to drive up greenhouse gas emissions, pushing experts to recommend more passive solutions in a Dec. 5 report.

    By • Dec. 6, 2023
  • Silhouette of hills and light emanating from faraway buildings under starry night sky
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    Nazar Rybak via Getty Images
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    3 communities turning to the dark side with dark-sky retrofits

    Reducing light pollution has tourism, sustainability, safety and health benefits, proponents say.

    By Kalena Thomhave • Dec. 4, 2023
  • A sustainable green coworking office space
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    Imaginima via Getty Images
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    Demand for sustainable buildings outstripping supply, JLL says

    Rising demand has led to an over 7% rental premium on green-certified office buildings across major U.S. and Canadian markets, with significant variations from city to city.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 30, 2023
  • Rendering of Mutual of Omaha's $600 million tower in downtown Omaha, Nebraska
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    Courtesy of Mutual of Omaha
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    Office construction may never return to pre-pandemic levels

    Despite some massive office towers breaking ground, the chief economist for a construction analytics firm expects starts in the sector to continue to tumble.

    By Sebastian Obando • Nov. 29, 2023
  • A view of tall buildings with a solar panel outside.
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    Zu-kuni via Getty Images
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    As building performance standards gain steam, noncompliant owners face business risks

    Some cities respond to policy violations with financial penalties, but green lease clauses and submetering provide other levers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says real estate firm CBRE.

    By Joe Burns • Updated Dec. 11, 2023
  • The Department of Energy (DOE) sign is seen at its headquarters, the James Forrestal Building, nicknamed the Little Pentagon, in Washington, DC.
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    hapabapa via Getty Images
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    DOE releases $31M+ in grants for retrofits, infrastructure upgrades

    Some cities will use the funds for resilience hubs, while others plan to conduct energy audits and upgrade facilities. Local governments can continue applying for the grants through April 2024.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 28, 2023
  • A view of windows that show renovation work in an office of a commercial building
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    FangXiaNuo via Getty Images
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    Without significant interventions, US building emissions will continue to increase

    Federal, regional and local government bodies must collaborate to create “consistent and stringent building standards,” a new report says.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 27, 2023
  • Aerial shot of colorfully painted plaza with people sitting on benches
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    Courtesy of Sander and Arber Marra
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    How 7 cities transformed asphalt with art in 2023: photos

    Bloomberg Philanthropies recently announced which 25 cities will receive Asphalt Art Initiative grants to undertake projects in 2024.

    By • Nov. 27, 2023
  • A rendering of a remodeled office / modern apartment
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    Mirror Image Studio via Getty Images
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    Office-to-residential conversion costs can be 30% lower than new construction: Gensler

    However, only 25% of the office buildings the firm assessed for adaptive reuse were deemed suitable for conversion, according to the analysis. 

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 21, 2023
  • Aerial shot of homes in a city
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    Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    Plans to get an entire block off the natural gas system take shape in one California city

    Albany, California, wants to lay the groundwork for widescale adoption of this emerging building decarbonization approach.

    By • Nov. 20, 2023
  • President Joe Biden, dressed in a dark suit with white hair, stands behind a podium in front of a brick tunnel and train.
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    2 years in, infrastructure law has funded 40,000 projects

    The largest portion of 2021 infrastructure law money is flowing to road and bridge construction, according to White House data analyzed by CNBC.

    By Julie Strupp • Nov. 17, 2023
  • Scorched and crumbling columns stand beneath a section of I-10 damaged by an intense fire.
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    Caltrans District 7/AP

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    LA’s I-10 to reopen in 3 to 5 weeks after intense blaze

    No demo is needed to repair the freeway, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. He called the damage "substantially greater” than a portion of Interstate 95 that collapsed on the East Coast in June.

    By Joe Bousquin • Nov. 15, 2023
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    Scott Eisen/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Boston ends efforts to ban fossil fuels in new buildings through state program

    Massachusetts’ largest city pursued inclusion in the state climate pilot program, but the mayor reported she got “clear indications” that Boston would not be selected for the last of 10 spots.

    By • Nov. 15, 2023
  • The U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse in Ft. Lauderdale
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    Felix Mizioznikov via Getty Images
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    23 federal properties on the chopping block to ‘right-size’ government’s real estate

    The U.S. General Services Administration said it will engage with local communities to “maximize the benefits of new uses and minimize any potential adverse impacts."

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 13, 2023
  • Interior of a coworking office space with computers and laptops in desks. Modern open plan office with no people.
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    alvarez via Getty Images
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    75% of companies plan to cut office space in 2024

    Of more than 500 business owners and facilities managers surveyed, 82% are concerned about their ability to retain current office space, according to a report from workspace platform provider Robin.

    By Nish Amarnath • Nov. 10, 2023
  • A shift to remote work has softened the demand for office space, accelerating the need for commercial-to-residential conversions.
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    Fang Xia Nuo via Getty Images
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    White House advances office-to-residential conversions with new resources

    The guidance, financing and technical assistance aim to address a 30-year high in office vacancies and ease the affordable housing crisis.

    By • Oct. 30, 2023
  • New York CIty tall buildings at night.
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    Yongyuan via Getty Images
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    Debate swirls at NYC hearing on proposed delays to building emissions enforcement

    Participants weighed in on whether “good-faith efforts” toward compliance should delay penalties and whether renewable energy credits provide a worrisome loophole.

    By Joe Burns • Updated Oct. 30, 2023
  • A city skyline beneath a cloudy, orange sky.
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    Kruck20 via Getty Images
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    Is Phoenix’s construction market hot? It depends on who you ask.

    With few natural disaster risks, a stable climate and business-friendly practices, the Arizona metropolis has experienced a burst in industrial building.

    By Matthew Thibault • Oct. 26, 2023