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Ryland Announces Second Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - July 2, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. , will release its second quarter results on Wednesday, July 28, 2010, after the market closes. The conference call will be held on Thursday, July 29, at 9:00 a.m.

Rob's Wrap: S&P 500, SVR, MDC (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - July 2, 2010
The S&P could rebound this month, Syniverse sends bullish signals, and MDC has short-term momentum.

Looking Behind the Scenes at Ecolabels' Green Claims - GreenerDesign - July 1, 2010
Ecolabelindex.com  allows consumers and companies to compare green certifications side-by-side on their performance, organizational structure and verification systems.

David Dillon, Prominent Architecture Critic, Dies - Architectural Record - July 1, 2010
A leading architecture critic and RECORD contributor, David Dillon died June 3 of a heart attack at his Massachusetts home. He was 68.

Interactive Project Delivery Critical to Success of Serpentine Cliff-Hanger - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
Design-builder tames wild laboratory architecture set on steep site in high seismic zone.

The Top Green Design Firms - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
Sustainable design shows strength despite the recession as energy cost savings and federal initiatives spur growth.

University of Alabama Debuts Disaster Response Study Track - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
More than a year ago, Martha Bidez, a University of Alabama-Birmingham engineering professor, envisioned a new online master’s-degree track to focus explicitly on disaster prevention and systems safety.

Scientists Eye Tropic Storms As Oil Spreads Across Gulf - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
As scientists begin to assess the impact of the first tropical storm of the 2010 hurricane season on a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the fight to seal the leaking well and protect the coastline continues.

Speedy Runway Paving Job Means Millions in Bonuses - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
Acontractor has won a $5-million bonus for repaving 10,925 ft of runway in 120 days at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Virginia Takes Steps To Propel Two Transportation Projects - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
he Virginia Dept. of Transportation has OK’d preliminary engineering on its latest public-private initiative—a proposed new tunnel linking Norfolk and Portsmouth—while again seeking proposals on another such project that failed to generate an adequate response the first time.

Public-Private Deal Approved For Denver Commuter Rail - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
The board of directors of Denver’s Regional Transportation District approved last month a public-private partnership consortium’s $2.085-billion proposal to build and operate 44 miles of new commuter rail, including a line serving Denver International Airport.

Court OKs Columbia U.’s Controversial Expansion - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
The second major eminent domain decision in 13 months for the New York State Court of Appeals has Columbia University poised to move ahead on its $6.3-billion expansion in Harlem in upper Manhattan.

Seattle School, Contractor Get Chemistry Lesson - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
A Seattle K-8 public school built under state sustainability protocols had to be shut down after staff and students complained of annoying odors.

South Texas Powerplant Plan Both Praised and Damned - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
Amid political and environmental conflicts over Texas air quality, International Power announced on June 14 a long-awaited powerplant expansion in south Texas.

Higher Ed Sets Power Goals - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
The “greening” of U.S. colleges and universities is presenting opportunities for engineering and construction firms.

Fast-Track Process Hopes To Replace Bridge in Two Years - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
Indiana and Kentucky are seeking to fast-track a new bridge over the Ohio River between Madison, Ind., and Milton, Ky.

Seattle Sues Contractor Over Delayed Sewer Project - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
King County has sued contractor Vinci, Parsons, Frontier-Kemper (VPFK) for $74 million in damages as part of its $1.8-billion Brightwater sewer project.

Positive Signs Start To Pop Up in Market Statistics - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
In May, the dollar value of total construction starts rose 3%, according to McGraw-Hill Construction’s latest report on construction activity.

URS and CH2M Hill in Bidding War for U.K. Engineering Firm - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
URS Corp. said on June 29 it is “considering” increasing its $242-million bid to acquire U.K.-based engineer Scott Wilson Group plc, following a $286-million offer from a rival suitor, CH2M Hill Cos., Denver.

High Court Expands Eligibility for Patent Protections - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
In a decision with implications for software vendors and construction firms, the U.S. Supreme Court on July 28 ruled business methods, such as formulas or strategies for improving efficiency, are patentable.

Pension Plans Get Help, ‘Extenders’ Bill Blocked - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
Single-employer and multi-employer pension plans that suffered losses when financial markets plunged in 2008 and 2009 have gained some relief under legislation enacted on June 25.

Financial Bill May Tighten Construction Credit - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
An apparent agreement between House and Senate conferees on a rewrite of federal financial regulations itself underwent an emergency revision on June 29 as the lead Senate negotiator, Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), won approval for an amendment he hopes will get the bill through the chamber.

L.A. Begins Major Extension - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority broke ground on June 26 on the Metro Gold Line’s $690-million Foothill extension.

Haiti: Senate Report Finds Evidence Rebuilding Is ‘Stalled’ - ENR.com - July 1, 2010
A Senate report sees troubling indications that Haiti’s post-earthquake reconstruction has “stalled.”

Moving Beyond Baby Steps on Sustainable Packaging - GreenerDesign - July 1, 2010
Often times we all overlook the easiest sustainability “R” of all and that is reduce. Packaging reduction opportunities are usually very simple to identify and almost always even easier to correct.

HP Adds Three Green Patents to Public Domain 'Commons' - GreenerDesign - July 1, 2010
Hewlett Packard has become the latest company to release some of its intellectual property to the public good, with three green patents added to the Eco-Patent Commons today.

Cisco's New Control Tool Can Manage Entire Building Portfolio - GreenerBuildings - July 1, 2010
Networking powerhouse Cisco announced major product updates this week that extend the reach and scope of solutions offered by the company's Smart Connected Buildings initiative. 

Enviro Group Sues FDA for BPA Inaction - GreenerDesign - July 1, 2010
An environmental group has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for not taking action on bisphenol A (BPA) in the 18 months since the group filed a petition demanding BPA be banned in food packaging.

Beyond the Smart Meter - GreenerBuildings - July 1, 2010
Feedback gadgets alone are unlikely to maximize energy savings, says a new report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Smart Meters Alone Won't Reduce Energy Use, Study Says - GreenerBuildings - July 1, 2010
Utilities need to go beyond the smart meter and use a range of energy-feedback tools to achieve significant reductions in customers' power consumption and their electricity bills, new research shows.

[audio] Foreclosed homes now one in three sales [7.3 min] (at MarketWatch) - Yahoo! - July 1, 2010
Attention bargain hunters! Buying a foreclosed home can save you up to 27%. RealtyTrac's Rick Sharga also tells MarketWatch News Break foreclosed homes accounted for one-third of sales during the first quarter.

Can the GSA Really Achieve a 'Zero Environmental Footprint'? - GreenerBuildings - July 1, 2010
President Barack Obama's Executive Order that set sweeping green requirements for federal agencies could have a longer lasting impact on green building than the Recovery Act. Consider the GSA's new goal of "eliminating the impact of the federal government on our natural environment." 

IBM Racks Up Nearly $27M in Energy Savings - GreenerBuildings - June 30, 2010
IBM saved $26.8 million in energy expenses in 2009 as a result of 1,900 conservation and efficiency projects at 270 facilities around the world, the firm said in annual reports that chart progress toward corporate responsibility and environmental goals. 

Ford Expands Soy Foam Use, with an Eye on Compostables - GreenerDesign - June 30, 2010
Ford is expanding the use of bio-based foams through nearly all of its vehicle lineup this year -- with an eye toward the possibilities of compostable plastics.

Ford Expands Soy Foam Use, with an Eye on Compostables - GreenBiz.com - June 30, 2010
Ford is expanding the use of bio-based foams through nearly all of its vehicle lineup this year -- with an eye toward the possibilities of compostable plastics.

Home prices rise 0.8 pct. in April from March (AP) - Yahoo! - June 30, 2010
Home prices in April rose for the first time in seven months as government tax credits bolstered the housing market. But the rebound may be short-lived now that the incentives have expired.

New Meritage Community Offers Affordable Energy Efficiency - Builder - June 30, 2010
Lyon’s Gate in Gilbert, Ariz., illustrates benefits of trade partner cooperation in green building initiatives.

Interface Raises the Curtain on Its Carpets' Impacts - GreenerBuildings - June 29, 2010
InterfaceFLOR has released Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for three of its modular carpet tile lines, sharing the details of the lifecycle impacts of those products.

Pension-Plan Relief Bill Is Signed Into Law - ENR.com - June 29, 2010
President Obama has signed legislation that aims to help pension plans cope with losses they sustained when financial markets tumbled in 2008 and 2009.

DOT Sets Aug. 6 Deadline For New Rail-Grant Applications - ENR.com - June 29, 2010
Talk about "fast track." Applications for the next round of federal high-speed-rail grants, totaling more than $2.3 billion, are due by Aug. 6, and winners will be announced by Sept. 30, the U.S. Dept. of Transportation says.

Affordable Housing Goes Green in the Bronx - Architectural Record - June 29, 2010
Construction finally has begun on Via Verde, a sustainable, mixed-income housing project in the South Bronx designed by Grimshaw Architects and Dattner Architects.

200-Foot-High Living Wall Proposed for Portland Federal Building - Architectural Record - June 29, 2010
Home to an expanding light-rail system, a thriving bike culture, a citywide recycling program, and a large number of LEED-certified buildings, Portland, Oregon, has long been known for its green sensibility.

Electrolux Turns Ocean Garbage Into New Vacuums - GreenerDesign - June 29, 2010
Electrolux is raising awareness of plastic waste in the oceans by putting plastic collected from waters around the world in peoples' homes.

Electrolux Turns Ocean Garbage Into New Vacuums - GreenBiz.com - June 29, 2010
Electrolux is raising awareness of plastic waste in the oceans by putting plastic collected from waters around the world in peoples' homes.

Fireman's Fund Offers Insurance Discount to Energy Star Buildings - GreenerBuildings - June 29, 2010
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company is offering a 5 percent discount to policyholders with Energy Star buildings in the latest expansion of the firm's green insurance coverage.

S&P revises D.R. Horton outlook to 'stable'(AP) - Yahoo! - June 29, 2010
Standard &Poor's Ratings Service on Monday revised its outlook for D.R. Horton Inc., to "stable"from "negative, saying it expects the homebuilder will be profitable in its fiscal year which ends Sept. 30.

Lennar maintains dividend of 4 cents per share (AP) - Yahoo! - June 29, 2010
Lennar Corp. said Monday its board of directors has maintained the company's quarterly dividend of 4 cents per share on both Class A and Class B common stock.

Lennar appoints Tig Gilliam to board (AP) - Yahoo! - June 29, 2010
Homebuilder Lennar Corp. said Monday it has appointed Tig Gilliam, regional head of North America at Adecco Group, an employment services company, to serve as an independent member of its board of directors.

Lennar Appoints Tig Gilliam to the Board of Directors (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - June 29, 2010
Lennar Corporation , one of the nation's largest homebuilders, announced that the Company's Board of Directors has appointed Tig Gilliam, Regional Head of North America at Adecco Group, to serve as an independent member of the Board of Directors.

Toll names John McDonald as general counsel (AP) - Yahoo! - June 29, 2010
Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. said Monday it names John K. McDonald senior vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer, effective July 1.

Climate Corps 2010: Do CEOs Care About Energy Efficiency? - GreenerBuildings - June 28, 2010
How does the view of sustainability differ between the C-level and facilities managers (and others on the ground)? The EDF Climate Corps fellow at SAP compares the approach taken by soft giant to that of general industry.

Cash for Caulkers - The Definitive Guide To The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 - Site Headlines - June 28, 2010
"Cash for Caulkers” is nearly here. Last month the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5019 – also known as the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 or “Cash for Caulkers” – to kick-start construction, create jobs and cut back carbon emissions. While the bill still needs to clear the Senate, supporters predict it will pass this summer.In the meantime, homeowners and contractors need to do their homework. There are 13 types of retrofits eligible for funding under the Home Star bill. Each has unique requirements and rebate amounts. Fortunately Software Advice makes it very easy to wade through the legislation...In their post, "Cash for Caulkers - The Definitive Guide to the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010", Software Advice explains how homeowners can qualify for Home Star bill rebates. They have created an easy-to-read table that breaks down the 13 retrofits of the bill, along with the requirements and rebate amounts for each. But first, let's review the program details.

Reiser + Umemoto Designs a Temple to Tai-Pop - Architectural Record - June 28, 2010
If all goes as planned, Taiwanese pop will get an expansive home where musical culture meets high design.

Energy Efficiency Must Be a Household Need Like TV, Internet: U.K. Minister - GreenerBuildings - June 28, 2010
Energy Minister Chris Huhne criticized the British government and citizens for failing to take action on energy efficiency in homes and businesses, and said the new 'Green Deal' bill would make it easier to boost efficiency in the U.K.

The View from the C-Suite: P&G's Len Sauers - GreenerDesign - June 28, 2010
The VP of Sustainability at the world's largest household and personal products company talks about Procter & Gamble's 9,000-member innovation team, how it impacts chemical giants like Dow and Dupont, and what it takes to get people to do their washing in cold water.

Building a Greener Tastykake - GreenerBuildings - June 28, 2010
The Tasty Baking Company has moved its operations into what it is calling the world's largest green bakery.

KB Home loss wider than expected (Reuters) - Yahoo! - June 26, 2010
KB Home , the fifth-largest U.S. homebuilder, reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss on Friday as pressure on home prices offset the company's first rise in home deliveries in three and a half years.

60 Years of Innovation in Homebuilding: PulteGroup Marks Anniversary (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 26, 2010
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.----Fresh out of high school in 1950, 18-year-old William J. “Bill” Pulte followed his passion for home building and hand-built his first house in Detroit. Using a plan bought from the newspaper and a lot acquired from a relative, the house sold before construction was even completed.

KB Home 2nd-quarter loss narrows (AP) - Yahoo! - June 26, 2010
The homebuyer tax credit party is over and the hangover may be just beginning. KB Home on Friday became the latest homebuilder to report a sharp drop in new home orders in the three months ended in May as federal tax incentives aimed at spurring home sales expired.

Summary Box: KB Home 2nd-quarter results (AP) - Yahoo! - June 26, 2010
SMALLER LOSS: KB Home trimmed its fiscal second-quarter loss from a year ago, when the homebuilder recorded nearly $50 million in charges related to land and other assets. It didn't book any such charges this time.

On the Call: KB Home CEO Jeffrey Mezger (AP) - Yahoo! - June 26, 2010
Earlier this year, California lawmakers enacted a law extending a state tax credit of up to $10,000 for first-time homebuyers and buyers of newly built homes. Is it motivating buyers in California now that the federal homebuyer tax credit has ended?

Business Highlights (AP) - Yahoo! - June 26, 2010
The toughest financial regulations since the Great Depression are headed for final votes in Congress next week, covering everything from debit card swipes at Starbucks to the most complex securities, in an election-year salve for public anger over the Wall Street risk-taking that cost millions their jobs, homes and nest eggs.

20 Ways Your Independent Contractor Might Be an Employee - Site Headlines - June 25, 2010
Last month, the IRS began its first comprehensive audit of employment tax issues in over 25 years. The IRS will audit 6000 companies in total over the next three years. The main issues to be examined in these audits are worker classification, executive compensation and taxable fringe benefits.

New Rule Implements Executive Order Encouraging Project Labor Agreements for Federal Contractors - Site Headlines - June 25, 2010
Shortly after President Barack Obama took office in 2009, he signed an Executive Order authorizing federal government agencies to require every contractor or subcontractor on a large-scale construction project to negotiate or become a party to a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) with one or more labor organizations.  The Defense Department, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which together maintain the Federal Acquisition Regulation council, have published a final rule, amending the FAR, to implement the Executive Order. 

From Green to Seeing Red - Site Headlines - June 25, 2010
There seem to be four stages (so far) of the green building movement in the U.S. First there was Green for Green’s sake: the altruistic goal of environmental improvement. Then there was Green for Greenbacks: when it became stylish to be green and there was a market premium in selling green.

Site Data Disclaimers - Site Headlines - June 25, 2010
Owners commonly provide subsurface soil data and other site conditions reports as part of the bid documents provided to prospective bidders. Fearful of assuming liability for the accuracy of plans, borings, and other subsurface data provided to contractors, owners traditionally include exculpatory clauses that purport to shift the risk of inaccurate data away to the contractor.  These clauses typically state that the data is provided for information only, the owner makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the data, and the contractor expressly assumes all risk that the conditions encountered differ from the conditions described in the reports.

NYC Launches Urbancanvas Design Competition - Architectural Record - June 25, 2010
In an attempt to decorate the thousands of temporary protective structures that surround construction sites across the city, the New York City Department of Buildings is launching a design competition that invites artists and designers to use these structures as a way to display their art.

Updated Packaging Tool Adds Impacts From Shipping, Refills - GreenerDesign - June 25, 2010
A new version of a web-based packaging impact tool allows companies to see how single-use packaging compares to refills. Users can also figure out the transportation-related impacts of different types of packaging.

What LEED is All About - GreenerBuildings - June 25, 2010
In sorting out the controversy about the first third-party challenge to LEED, the first order of business is to understand what LEED is and how it works. Because the dispute about the certification award seems to come down to these questions: When is a LEED building a LEED building, when is it not, how do you know -- and if it's not, what do you do with it?

Design Roundup: Plastic Made From Algae, Chargers Smarter Than Humans - GreenerDesign - June 25, 2010
Bioplastics made from algae, shoes and sandals designed for disassembly, more efficient BMW painting and more are included in this design news roundup.

Fitch raises outlook on Lennar (AP) - Yahoo! - June 25, 2010
Fitch Ratings on Friday raised its outlook on homebuilder Lennar Corp. and affirmed several of its debt ratings, citing the company's strong cash position, improving operating results and moderately stronger prospects for the housing sector.

Trading Opportunities in Homebuilding Stocks (at Minyanville) - Yahoo! - June 25, 2010
DR Horton, Lennar, and others look compelling in this beat-down sector of the market.

The Buzz: Home builder stocks stable despite bad data. Why? (at CNNMoney.com) - Yahoo! - June 25, 2010
Some investors seem to think that the bleak May housing results are once again a sign of the long-awaited bottom. Even if they're right, a recovery will be sluggish at best.

Lennar reverses loss in 2nd quarter, sales slump (AP) - Yahoo! - June 25, 2010
Lennar Corp. said Thursday it bounced back from a year-ago loss in its fiscal second quarter, but the end of federal homebuyer tax credits hurt the homebuilder's new home orders and contributed to a 9 percent drop in revenue.

Summary Box: Lennar 2nd-quarter results (AP) - Yahoo! - June 25, 2010
LOSS REVERSED: Lennar Corp. reversed its prior-year loss in its fiscal second quarter as the homebuilder slashed costs. WEAK ORDERS: Lennar's new home orders tumbled 10 percent in the March-May period, with the entire decline coming in May.

On the Call: Lennar CEO Stuart Miller (AP) - Yahoo! - June 25, 2010
Homebuilders are buying land at a discount again, looking to build homes they can sell for a higher profit margin. Lennar Corp. has gone further, launching a division dubbed Rialto Investments to go after other types of distressed real estate assets, including loans.

Seattle Living Building breaks ground - Sustainable Industries - June 25, 2010
Washington's first effort to meet the Living Building Challenge gets underway.

Getting Down To Business - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Managing agency for Navy, Marines and others commands skill in contracts, design and outreach.

With Stimulus Spending Running Out Recession Will Keep Grip on Costs - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The recession is expected to keep its grip on costs through the second half of this year, despite a shift in what is affected.

Soaring Asphalt and Fuel Prices Spike Highway Paving Costs - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
All eyes are on asphalt prices this summer as highway and paving contractors vie for dwindling opportunities amid rising materials costs.

Industry Firms Begin To Believe The Worst May Soon Be Over - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The recession everyone hoped would end quickly has now lasted for two years, at first causing fear and concern that now has turned to grit and determination to hold on until better times.

Recession Squeezes Salaries - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
With revenue continuing to be a significant struggle for many contractors, salaries for construction staff are languishing at levels not seen in decades.

Weak Demand Undercuts Prices - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
A mid high unemployment and a credit freeze that has delayed or eliminated construction plans, a dip in cement consumption drove down prices during the first half of 2010.

Student Teams Strive To Build Best Emergency Shelter - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
New York City’s Urban Assembly School of Design and Construction, a public high school, hosted its first “Iron Designer” competition on June 18 on the roof of its midtown building.

Widening Huey P. Long - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Long-running, multiphase project to expand deck of massive New Orleans bridge hits milestone as series of truss lifts begin.

Precast Bridge Segments Are Shaken and Stirred in Lab - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Prefabricated segmental bridge designs not only help shave time and money off construction but also may perform well in seismically active regions, according to recent tests conducted by the University of Buffalo’s Dept. of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering and its Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research.

Labor Dept. Considering Worker-Classification Rule - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
As part of an effort to crack down on companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, the U.S. Dept. of Labor is working on a proposed rule that would set additional record-keeping and notification requirements for employers concerning their workers’ status.

Investigations Expand List Of BP’s Drill-Program Failures - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Congress, engineers and oil industry executives have identified a list of flawed decisions made by BP and others—made under pressure to speed up work and reduce cost—that may be behind the April 20 fatal explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig.

Mentoring Group Benefits Students - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Data from the first survey of graduates of the 15-year-old ACE Mentor Program of America, a non-profit organization that introduces high-school students to architecture, construction and engineering, indicates that more than 65% of ACE alumni are pursuing design and construction majors.

Variety of State Energy Codes Makes Compliance Daunting - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The building energy-use reporting tool released this month by the American Institute of Architects may help firms get a handle on how their designs compare to others regarding predicted energy consumption, but it won’t help designers comply with myriad statewide energy codes.

Planning To Punish Structures With Rain, Hail, Wind and Fire - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
A hurricane is rising in the farmland of northwestern South Carolina, and it is going to stay there for the foreseeable future, ripping off roofs, driving rain through walls, shattering windows and shredding buildings.

U.S. Highway, Safety Officials Note Trends at Industry Forum - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The new administrator of the Occupation Safety and Health Administration spoke out earlier this month against measures that lead workers to hide workplace injuries.

Sewer Upgrades in Florida Keys Need More Funding - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Despite Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s (I) authorization this month of as much as $200 million for a long-term effort to provide upgraded sewer systems for the Florida Keys, the prospects are poor for funding in total the estimated $937-million project.

Open-Shop Wants Lending Restored - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Associated Builders and Contractors members are lobbying Congress to stimulate construction, not with stimulus funds but by pushing financial regulators and banks to restore lending to private-sector projects and firms.

Judge Halts Drilling Moratorium, While U.S. To Probe BP Drill Site - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman on June 22 ordered an injunction against the federal government’s six-month moratorium on deepwater oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, issued one month after the April 20 explosion of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil platform.

CDM and Wilbur Smith Confirm Corporate-Link Discussions - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Environmental giant CDM, Cambridge, Mass., is in talks about a possible link with Columbia, S.C.-based transportation engineer Wilbur Smith &Associates.

U.S. Firm Wins Job To Design Landmark China Development - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The SWA Group, a landscape architecture, planning and urban design firm based in Houston, has been selected by Nanjing Hexi New Town Development Authority, which is a public-private partnership, to design a 7-km-long, 460-acre stretch of Yangtze River waterfront as a new cultural destination in Nanjing.

Toyota Will Finish Construction Of Halted Mississippi Plant - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
Toyota Motor Corp. said on June 17 it is resuming construction of its $1.3-billion manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, Miss. Work, which had been indefinitely suspended since December 2008 at the 1.9-million-sq-ft factory, was mostly completed.

California Agencies Start Work on $328-Million Connector Job - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
On June 14, construction broke ground on the $328-million West County Connectors Project, which will link carpool lanes at a three-highway convergence in Orange County, Calif.

Senate Aims for New Vote on ‘Extenders’ Package - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The Senate was expected at press time to try again to vote on a revised package of tax-break extensions for companies and individuals.

EPA Wants To Revive Polluter Tax - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
To provide financing for the Superfund program, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants Congress to reinstate the tax on polluters that expired in 1995.

Embassy Program Charts New Directions - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
As the State Dept. tackles U.S. embassy construction needs around the world, it is moving ahead on a set of new priorities.

High Court Deals a Blow To the NLRB - ENR.com - June 24, 2010
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the National Labor Relations Board lacked authority to issue decisions when it had just two members.

Polshek Partnership Changes Its Name to Ennead - Architectural Record - June 24, 2010
Polshek Partnership, which has been named for its founder, Jim Polshek, in one form or another for almost five decades, is now Ennead Architects.

IBM, Esty Form All-Star Business Team to Develop Green Innovations - GreenerDesign - June 24, 2010
The newly formed Sustainability Innovators Working Group will develop new management systems and sustainability tools. Members include Boeing, CH2M Hill, Coca-Cola, Delhaize Group, Disney, Diversey, Dow Chemical Company, FedEx, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc., Shaklee, Unilever, and Xerox. 

U.K. Environmental Secretary Sets Sights on Toy Packaging - GreenerDesign - June 24, 2010
Comments made by the U.K.'s new Environment Secretary hint at an expansion of the country's packaging waste efforts to go beyond food to include toys and general retail items.

Hasbro Keeps Tabs on Energy Use and Savings with Hara System - GreenerBuildings - June 24, 2010
Hasbro, the company behind Mr. Potato Head, G.I. Joe, Transformers and a legion of other popular toys, is rolling out Hara Environmental and Energy Management software to monitor the firm's use of resources and its environmental impact.

Earnings Preview: Lennar Corp. (AP) - Yahoo! - June 24, 2010
Homebuilder Lennar Corp. reports its fiscal second-quarter results before the stock market opens Thursday. WHAT TO WATCH FOR: An increase in home orders fueled by home buyers racing to qualify for tax credits before the end of April and any word on how order trends are holding up now that the tax credits have expired.

New-home sales plunge 33 pct with tax credits gone (AP) - Yahoo! - June 24, 2010
Sales of new homes collapsed in May, sinking 33 percent to the lowest level on record as potential buyers stopped shopping for homes once they could no longer receive government tax credits.

Fireman's Fund Expands Green Insurance Coverage - GreenerBuildings - June 24, 2010
Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, the first carrier to broadly offer green insurance to the U.S. commercial marketplace, is expanding its coverage of property owners' energy efficiency and other environmental upgrades.

The 'Living Principles' for Designing Our World - GreenerDesign - June 24, 2010
A new framework, "The Living Principles," aims to help bring sustainability to design in all its many forms, from products to companies to systems of commerce.

How to Handle Challenges to LEED Certification - GreenerBuildings - June 24, 2010
The controversy over the LEED certification of Northland Pines High School case brings the gaps in the policy for handling such challenges into sharp focus. Here are some constructive suggestions on how to improve the process.

Solar's Strange Bedfellows - GreenerBuildings - June 23, 2010
Not long ago, it would have been unthinkable for a big utility company to encourage customers to put solar panels on their roofs. That’s changing, as evidenced by a deal announced this week by PG&E Corp., the $13.4 billion a year utility company based in San Francisco, and SunRun.

Haiti Rebuilding Is "Stalled," Says New Report - Architectural Record - June 23, 2010
Five months after a severe earthquake devastated parts of Haiti, a Senate report, released June 22, says there are troubling indications that the process of reconstructing the country has "stalled."

Green Programs Gain Ground in College Sports Departments - GreenerBuildings - June 23, 2010
Like major league sports teams, college athletic departments are putting more muscle into energy efficiency, recycling and other environmental programs at their facilities.

NeoCon: Where's the Green? - GreenerBuildings - June 23, 2010
One of the world's largest design gatherings touted environmental concepts around every corner, but real green goods were few and far between.

NeoCon: Where's the Green? - GreenerDesign - June 23, 2010
One of the world's largest design gatherings touted environmental concepts around every corner, but real green goods were few and far between.

FTC's 'Lighting Facts' Label Highlights Bulbs' Energy Efficiency - GreenerBuildings - June 23, 2010
A new rule from the Federal Trade Commission aims to make it easier for consumers to compare types of bulbs by making lumens, not watts, the most prominent figure on packaging.

FTC's 'Lighting Facts' Label Highlights Bulbs' Energy Efficiency - GreenerDesign - June 23, 2010
A new rule from the Federal Trade Commission aims to make it easier for consumers to compare types of bulbs by making lumens, not watts, the most prominent figure on packaging.

Analyst: Higher 2Q home orders for Lennar, KB Home (AP) - Yahoo! - June 23, 2010
Solid operating margins should help homebuilder Lennar Corp. turn a slight profit during the March-May quarter, while high costs will keep rival KB Home in the red in the same period, a JMP Securities analyst said Tuesday.

Beazer Homes closes note buyback (AP) - Yahoo! - June 23, 2010
Homebuilder Beazer Homes USA Inc. has completed a debt buyback of 4.625 percent convertible notes due in 2024. The company said Tuesday it used the proceeds from a recently completed public offering of 12.5 million shares of common stock and 3 million of 7.25 tangible equity units to fund the debt buyback.

Top 10 Green Building Products of 2010 announced - Sustainable Industries - June 23, 2010
Sustainable Industries announced its Top 10 Green Building Products for the year.

EPA Kicks Off Nationwide 'Green Capitals' Initiative - GreenerBuildings - June 22, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is offering comprehensive technical assistance to state capitals for the design and development of more sustainable neighborhoods -- ones that incorporate green building and infrastructure to foster social, economic and environmental benefits.

What's That Smell? - GreenerDesign - June 22, 2010
This report looks at the human health impacts of common fragrance ingredients in cleaning products, presenting current scientific findings on allergens, synthetic musks and phthalates 

Fuel from CO2, Safer Pesticides Earn Green Chemistry Awards - GreenBiz.com - June 22, 2010
The latest Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards recognize waste-cutting chemical production methods and genetically engineered microorganisms that produce fuels and chemicals.

Fuel from CO2, Safer Pesticides Earn Green Chemistry Awards - GreenerDesign - June 22, 2010
The latest Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards recognize waste-cutting chemical production methods and genetically engineered microorganisms that produce fuels and chemicals.

Starwood Sets 2020 Goals for Energy, Water Use - GreenerBuildings - June 22, 2010
Starwood Hotels and Resorts plans to slash energy use in each of its 1,000 hotels by 30 percent by 2020, in addition to a 20 percenty drop in water consumption.

All State Properties Holdings Signs Letter of Intent to Purchase Mineral Rights Including Gold and Platinum Located in Utah (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 22, 2010
MEMPHIS, Tenn.----All State Properties Holdings, Inc. today announced that they signed a Letter of Intent to purchase certain mineral rights and/or leases in Utah from a company with mining claims and existing mined ore including gold and platinum already on the ground.

E-Waste Could Be Reused in Medical Cures - GreenerDesign - June 21, 2010
A research team has found ways to reused materials in LCD televisions for anti-microbial compounds, which could take a polluting material and turn it into a sterilizing agent for hospital settings.

Haitian Government Launches Housing Design Competition - Architectural Record - June 21, 2010
As Haiti rebuilds after its cataclysmic earthquake, the government there has launched a first-of-its-kind design competition to help replace the country’s decimated housing stock.

Composters Warm to Plant-Based Packaging - GreenerDesign - June 21, 2010
Most composting facilities accept compostable packaging and products, but many also say a consistent method for labeling and identifying compostable items is needed, according to a survey. 

Labor Dept. Mulls Proposing Worker-Classification Rule - ENR.com - June 21, 2010
As part of an effort to tighten up on companies that misclassify employees as independent contractors, the U.S. Dept. of Labor is considering proposing a rule that would set additional record-keeping and notification requirements for employers concerning their workers' status.

Dow, JCI, Philips and More Share $76M in Green Building Stimulus Funds - GreenerBuildings - June 21, 2010
The U.S. Department of Energy is awarding more than $76 million in Recovery Act funds to 58 projects that will develop advanced energy efficiency technology for buildings and training programs for commercial building operators, technicians and energy auditors.

EPA's New Stormwater Effluent Limitation Rules - Site Headlines - June 21, 2010
On December 1, 2009 the U.S. EPA issued a longanticipated final stormwater rule, which impacts nearly every construction and development project in the United States. EPA promulgated the rule, titled “Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category”, pursuant to authority delegated it under the federal Clean Water Act.  Now, for the first time, construction professionals are faced with an enforceable numeric limit on stormwater discharges from largeconstruction sites, and must monitor stormwater discharge to ensure compliance with the numeric limit.

Unit Price Adjustments - Site Headlines - June 21, 2010
Contracts based on unit prices typically contain provisions for adjustment of those prices if actual quantities differ substantially from those estimated. These so-called “variations in quantities” clauses afford some measure of protection to both the contractor and the owner if quantity estimates are off and the actual costs incurred are either higher or lower than anticipated. It is important that the parties to the contract understand and follow the procedures set forth in such provisions or they may not be able to enjoy that protection. Pavers, Inc. v. Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska, 276 Neb. 559, 755 N.W.2d 400 (2008), provides a cautionary tale of what can happen if such a contractual procedure is not followed.

Federal Contractors and Subcontractors: Hang 'Em High! - Site Headlines - June 21, 2010
Federal contractors and subcontractors are now required to post information in the workplace regarding workers' rights under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), according to Executive Order (EO) 13496 issued by President Obama in January 2009, and implemented into a Final Rule by the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) on May 20, 2010.

Sector Snap: Housing stocks drop on analyst note (AP) - Yahoo! - June 19, 2010
Shares of several homebuilders fell Friday as an analyst projected fewer sales and said most companies will not be profitable before next year.

Cathay Bank's Green HQ Gets An Energy Boost From Solar - GreenerBuildings - June 18, 2010
The Cathay Bank Corporate Center, a green renovated building that enables deep cuts in energy and water use, is now adding a solar photovoltaic system to supply about a third of the site's electricity.

William Mitchell, Former MIT Architecture Dean, Dies - Architectural Record - June 18, 2010
William Mitchell, a longtime technophile and booster of the idea that computers could aid designers, died on June 11 in Boston of complications from cancer.

Starbucks' Cup Competition Rewards Innovations for Reuse - GreenBiz.com - June 18, 2010
The winner of a competition sponsored by Starbucks to gather ideas for reducing paper cup use isn't a cup at all, but a concept for encouraging customers to bring their own cups for possible free drinks. 

Starbucks' Cup Competition Rewards Innovations for Reuse - GreenerDesign - June 18, 2010
The winner of a competition sponsored by Starbucks to gather ideas for reducing paper cup use isn't a cup at all, but a concept for encouraging customers to bring their own cups for possible free drinks. 

Ahead of the Bell: Leading indicators seen rising (AP) - Yahoo! - June 18, 2010
Economists expect a gauge of future economic activity rose in May after a surprise drop in April. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters expect the Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators rose 0.5 percent in May.

Fitch lifts Ryland outlook to 'Stable'(AP) - Yahoo! - June 18, 2010
Fitch Ratings on Thursday upgraded its outlook on Ryland Group Inc. and affirmed other ratings for the homebuilder, citing the company's strong balance sheet, improved operating results and moderately stronger prospects for the housing sector.

Input Welcome to Make Buildings Greener - GreenerBuildings - June 17, 2010
I had a great day Wednesday . . . just learning. This welcome input-heavy respite came courtesy of the two-day GreenBuildingsNY conference.

Canada Expands Mercury Emissions Regulations - GreenerDesign - June 17, 2010
The Canadian government wants to add mercury compounds to it toxics law in order to broaden its reach for regulating mercury releases.

Eastman Bets on Bigger Profits from Greener Chemicals - GreenerDesign - June 17, 2010
Eastman Chemical Company wants two-thirds of revenue from new products to come from items that are more sustainable than alternatives.

Eastman Bets on Bigger Profits from Greener Chemicals - GreenBiz.com - June 17, 2010
Eastman Chemical Company wants two-thirds of revenue from new products to come from items that are more sustainable than alternatives.

Energy Efficiency Forum 2010: How Companies Put Tech to Work - GreenerBuildings - June 17, 2010
At the Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Forum yesterday in Washington, business leaders at the forefront of technological innovation showcased their roadmaps to energy efficiency.

10 Innovations Changing the Way Products Are Packaged and Shipped - GreenerDesign - June 17, 2010
We've seen no shortage of packaging improvements by companies over the past decade, but these 10 packages and concepts represent some of the most innovative, far-reaching and promising efforts we've come across.

Redesign Launches Canadian Crossing - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Construction is set to begin this month on a 1,045-meter-long bridge over the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence in Canada’s Northwest Territories—a project that required a substantial redesign, adding $18 million to the total cost. The new superstructure design had to be integrated with the original approved substructure design.

Nigeria Secures Chinese Agreement for Refineries - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Nigeria's state-run oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., signed a memorandum of understanding in June with the China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. to create three oil refineries and a petrochemical plant. Each refinery in the $23.8-billion deal would have a production capacity of 250,000 barrels per day, according to Xinhua, China's official news agency.

Hong Kong's Booming Top 10 - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Hong Kong's construction industry is gearing itself up for a boom as work on some of the "10 Major Infrastructure Projects," announced by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang in the 2007 Policy Address, finally begins.

Rail Projects Proliferate in Denmark - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
A green transportation policy combined with years of underinvestment is spurring a boom in Denmark's railroad infrastructure. Among projects steaming ahead is a $3-billion installation of new signaling technology across the Scandinavian nation's 2,300-kilometer network.

Massive Indian Corridor Work To Start Soon - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The first phase of the $90-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), a collaboration between India and Japan, is expected to begin late this year and be completed in 2018, say officials.

Key African Maritime Project Is Delayed - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Construction work on what will be west Africa's deepest port has been pushed back to the third quarter of this year.

Peru Project Spans One River, Three Decades - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The effort to build the longest bridge in Peru began in 1978, and, if all goes as planned, the 722-meter-long span over the Madre de Dios River in the Peruvian Amazon will be completed in December.

Canadian Crews Control Runaway Piles - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Testing didn't reveal it, but reality showcased it when crews started drilling piles for a new $3.2-million Lax Kw'alaams ferry dock in Port Simpson, British Columbia, completed last month.

Despite Cuts, London Station Will Be Built - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The U.K.'s new government has begun slashing public budgets, but enough cash remains for a $1-billion upgrade of London's Victoria subway, or tube, station. Construction is due to begin next year, with a 2018 completion deadline.

Global Opportunities Grow for U.S. Architects - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Licensed U.S. architects working globally, a group that is growing, need support from the American Institute of Architects in several ways, including promoting and endorsing a strategic plan that enables U.S. architects to gain professional practice licenses in foreign jurisdictions.

Non-Profit Study on USGBC’s LEED Ranking System: Weak on Human Health - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
A new study by the Hartford, Conn.-based non-profit organization Environment and Human Health Inc. took aim at the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification process, saying the program does not adequately address human health needs, particularly those relating to indoor air quality.

Indian Runways Examined After Fatal Crash - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Following the crash of an Air India Express plane in Mangalore on May 22, a report by the civil aviation ministry has identified 11 critical runways for extension.

Michigan Measure Would Support Second Detroit Span - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Michigan Legislature watchers say the state’s Senate could vote within the next few weeks on a bill that would let the state enter into public-private partnerships for the first time in history.

Tibetan Teacher Claims China Plans Massive Dam - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The Chinese government is considering building a 38-GW hydroelectric project on the Brahmaputra River in the Himalayas

Water Filtration Unit Is Off-Grid Performer - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The Essential Element, a Hopewell, N.J.-based company, has put “off the grid” on the radar. The company’s combination of new technologies in water purification and energy generation has led to the creation of HYDRA, a 20,000-gal-per-day water purifier the company claims is the first self-sustainable, portable water filtration system.

Dredge Armada Converging on Louisiana - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The Shaw Group Inc. is working to pry loose and draw in a large portion of the nation’s dredging fleet­—potentially seven cutterheads, five large hoppers and a dozen scows—for the emergency delivery of 128 miles of barrier berm on the Louisiana coast that state officials hope will protect inland marshes from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Bouygues of France Starts $1-Billion Miami Port Tunnel - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The Florida Dept. of Transportation and concessionaire Miami Access Tunnel officially broke ground in late May on the $1-billion Port of Miami Tunnel project, designed to ease traffic congestion in downtown Miami.

Temporary Stadium From Kit of Reused Parts - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Vancouver, B.C., residents better not fall too deeply in love with the 27,500-seat Empire Field, which is on course for a June 20 completion.

Earthquake Code Presentations Go Live - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
A June 8 panel discussion at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., on the state of seismic building codes, couched in presentations of lessons learned from recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti, is a fine example.

SNC-Lavalin Chosen To Build Chemical Complex in Jordan - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Canada-based SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a $625-million engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract to build a grassroots sulphuric-phosphoric acid complex in Eshidya Jordan.

Major Sustainable Energy Initiative Announced - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Brazil has announced 478 sustainable energy projects it will put up for bid later this year that, if approved and completed, will add more than 14,500 MW to the country’s electricity production capability, according to Brazil’s Energy Research Corp.

Samsung Chips in $3.6-Bil Boost to Texas - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Texas’ capital city is living up to its reputation as the U.S. city most poised to quickly recover from the economic downturn

European Central Bank Headquarters Project Under Way - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Construction began in May on a new headquarters complex for the European Central Bank in Frankfurt’s Ostend district, flanking the Main River.

Stalemate Over Country’s Largest Dam Project Ends - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Construction on Ecuador’s 1,500-MW Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project is slated to begin by the end of the month after a months-long stalemate between the country and the Chinese groups financing 85% of the effort.

Obama Taps Former Federal Prosecutor To Head Minerals Management Service - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
President Obama has named Michael R. Bromwich, a former federal prosecutor and Justice Dept. Inspector General, to oversee a restructuring of the Interior Dept.'s Minerals Management Service.

Outlook Still Murky for Energy Bills - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
As the Gulf oil-spill disaster worsens, there appears to be growing support in the Senate for a slimmed-down energy bill that would hold BP accountable and may also include many elements of a measure the Energy and Natural and Resources Committee cleared last summer, industry sources say.

Taxes: Industry Groups Seek To Strike ‘S-Corp.’ Proposal From Senate Bill - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
Design and construction organizations are lobbying to get a proposed tax increase for certain professional-services firms—including architecture and engineering firms—stripped from a bill now pending in the Senate. But the groups face hurdles.

Tennessee Officials Fine TVA $11 Million Over 2008 Coal-Ash Pollution Incident - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The Tennessee Dept. of Environment and Conservation on June 15 assessed a $11.5-million fine against the Tennessee Valley Authority in connection with the December 2008 spill that released 5.4 million cu yds of coal ash from TVA’s Kingston, Tenn., coal-fired plant onto surrounding land and into the Emory River.

U.S. Energy Dept. Earmarks $760 Million To Fund New Geothermal and CO2-Capture Projects - ENR.com - June 17, 2010
The U.S. Energy Dept. gave a boost to new alternative-energy projects on June 10 by announcing a $102-million conditional loan guarantee for a 22-MW geothermal plant in Oregon, the first for that technology.

New California Residential Building Initiatives Challenge Builders - Builder - June 17, 2010
BIM software can help builders be more efficient and meet these challenges.

NAHB Research Center Certifies 1,000th Green Project - Builder - June 17, 2010
Smyrna, Del.-based Bestfield Homes holds the distinction of having the 1,000 certificate under the National Green Building Certification Program.

10 Tips for Operating Buildings More Efficiently - GreenerBuildings - June 17, 2010
Here are 10 ways to make your buildings operate more efficiently and more cost effectively.

Getting Solar Power Off the Sidelines and into the Game - GreenerBuildings - June 17, 2010
What will it take to make solar power a major player in the energy game? The Rocky Mountain Institute and others striving to break down the barriers to PV market growth will convene this month to rethink the installation processes for large-scale rooftop and ground-mounted PV systems for commercial buildings and utilities. 

Citigroup reiterates 'Buy'rating on Beazer Homes (AP) - Yahoo! - June 17, 2010
A Citigroup analyst on Wednesday reiterated his "Buy"rating on Beazer Homes USA Inc., saying he optimistic about company following a meeting with management.

Home construction fails to lift recovery (AP) - Yahoo! - June 17, 2010
Homebuilders are sending a message: They won't be able to contribute much to the economic recovery now that government home-buying incentives have vanished.

Ryland's Presentation at the Deutsche Bank Industrials Conference to be Webcast Live (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 17, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. , one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, will present at the Deutsche Bank Industrials Conference in Chicago, IL on Wednesday, June 23, at 9:20 a.m.

Stocks end flat; BP agrees to $20B victim fund (AP) - Yahoo! - June 17, 2010
BP's agreement to put $20 billion into a fund for victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill lifted the stock market off its lows and sent the major indexes to a narrowly mixed finish.

Toll Brothers sees choppy demand after tax credit (AP) - Yahoo! - June 17, 2010
Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. said Wednesday demand for its homes in recent weeks has been choppy, blaming lagging consumer confidence more than the recently concluded government tax credit program for homebuyers.

Energy Efficiency Forum 2010: Finding the Formula for Progress - GreenerBuildings - June 16, 2010
On the heels of President Obama’s Oval Office speech marrying the BP oil spill with American’s fossil fuel dependency, energy cognoscenti gathered in Washington to discuss the state of play on the most near-term, cost-effective step the country can take to cut that dependence -- energy efficiency.

Ford Cuts Vehicle CO2 Emissions, Inches Up Fuel Economy - GreenerDesign - June 16, 2010
Last year, Ford cut its new vehicles' carbon dioxide emissions by 12 percent, slightly improved fleet fuel economy, exceeded its water and landfill waste goals, saved $15 million with energy efficiency efforts and increased its use of recycled, renewable and lightweight materials.

Climate Corps 2010: Searching for Energy Savings at News Corp. - GreenerBuildings - June 16, 2010
The EDF Climate Corps fellow assigned to News Corporation in New York begins his hunt for energy savings at the facility that prints almost 1 million copies a day of the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

New Burger King Restaurant Powered By Wind and Solar Energy - GreenerBuildings - June 16, 2010
A new Burger King restaurant in Germany features wind, solar, lighting, heating and cooling systems that are expected to produce whopping cuts in energy use and costs.

Global Opportunities Grow for U.S. Architects - Architectural Record - June 16, 2010
Licensed U.S. architects working globally, a group that is growing, need support from the American Institute of Architects in several ways, including promoting and endorsing a strategic plan that enables U.S. architects to gain professional practice licenses in foreign jurisdictions.

Will Synthetic Biology Lead to Truly Living Buildings? - GreenerBuildings - June 16, 2010
The creation of the world's first artificial life form (a new type of bacteria cell) promises to make synthetic biology a permanent part of our world and the possibility of growing live buildings.

Will Synthetic Biology Lead to Truly Living Buildings? - GreenerDesign - June 16, 2010
The creation of the world's first artificial life form (a new type of bacteria cell) promises to make synthetic biology a permanent part of our world and the possibility of growing live buildings.

KB Home Names Mark Boastfield Vice President of Land Acquisition for Washington, D.C. Metro Division (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C.----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, today announced that Mark Boastfield has joined KB Home’s Washington, D.C. Metro division as its vice president of land acquisition.

Ahead of the Bell: Builder Sentiment (AP) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
Builders are feeling slightly less confident about the housing market now that tax incentives have expired, a reading of the industry is likely to show.

Got Bieber Fever? KB Home Has the Cure (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
LAS VEGAS----Pop star Justin Bieber’s July 24th concert at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino may be sold out, but you can still enter to win tickets at any Las Vegas area KB Home community.

New Toll Brothers CEO optimistic about market (AP) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
Douglas Yearley was just a child when the man he's replacing as the chief executive of Toll Brothers Inc. launched what would become the nation's largest luxury homebuilder.

Bio Box: Toll Brothers CEO Douglas Yearley (AP) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
NAME: Douglas C. Yearley Jr. OCCUPATION: Chief Executive of Toll Brothers Inc. AGE: 50 HOME: Westfield, N.J. FAMILY: Married with five kids, ages 3, 4, 13, 17 and 20.

KB Home's 2010 Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call to Be Webcast Live on KBHome.com (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, announced today that it will release earnings for the second quarter ended May 31, 2010 before the market opens on Friday, June 25, 2010.

Homebuilders less confident in recovery (AP) - Yahoo! - June 16, 2010
Homebuilders are feeling less confident in the recovery now that government incentives for buyers have expired. Their pessimism could drag on the economy, which may not benefit so much from the job creation that construction typically generates throughout various sectors.

Seattle forms 2030 district - Sustainable Industries - June 16, 2010
Building owners in Seattle are joining forces to meet the 2030 Challenge.

Net Zero Homes Produce as Much as Energy as They Use - Builder - June 16, 2010
Four projects strive to produce as much energy as they use.

10 Products, Technology, and Systems for the Future - Builder - June 16, 2010
In home building's future, new products and technologies will focus on water, energy, and sustainability.

European Tech Firms Team Up to Redesign IT for Energy Efficiency - GreenerDesign - June 15, 2010
A number of electronics companies, design firms and universities have launched a new research project today to develop a green-from-the-ground-up overhaul for the electronics industry.

Lutron Illuminates the Past - Architectural Record - June 15, 2010
A significant contribution to modern building design and science was celebrated on April 29 in the daylit halls of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History [recently renovated by Skidmore, Owings &Merrill] in Washington, D.C.

National Trust Names Stephanie Meeks Its New President - Architectural Record - June 15, 2010
Yesterday the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) named a replacement for longtime president Richard Moe, who announced his pending retirement in late 2009 and left earlier this month.

U.S. Mayors Tell Manufacturers to Pay Up for Product Recycling - GreenerDesign - June 15, 2010
 The U.S. Conference of Mayors has thrown its weight behind the concept of expended producer responsibility, calling on Congress to support state governments in making the producers and consumers of certain products responsible for the products' disposal.

How Johnson Controls Powers Its Way through the Cleantech Revolution - GreenerBuildings - June 15, 2010
While cleantech often conjures an image of the lone entrepreneur struggling to bring new technology to market, companies like Johnson Controls are changing that view. "Cleantech" no longer equals "startup," as old-line companies increase their green profile.

Citigroup upgrades PulteGroup to 'Buy'from 'Hold'(AP) - Yahoo! - June 15, 2010
A Citigroup analyst on Monday upgraded homebuilder PulteGroup Inc., saying additional bad news on the housing front isn't likely to drag the price of the stock significantly lower at this point.

M/I Homes Announces New Credit Facility (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - June 15, 2010
M/I Homes, Inc. announced that it entered into a new three-year $140 million secured revolving credit facility with a group of nine banks led by PNC Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent.  The new credit facility replaces the Company's previous $150 million secured revolving credit facility that was scheduled to mature in October, 2010.

Lennar Corporation's Second Quarter Earnings Conference Call to be Broadcast Live on the Internet (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - June 15, 2010
Lennar Corporation , one of the nation's largest homebuilders, announced today that the Company will release earnings for the second quarter ended May 31, 2010 before the market opens on June 24, 2010.  Additionally, the Company will hold a conference call on June 24, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

M/I Homes gets $140M credit facility (AP) - Yahoo! - June 15, 2010
M/I Homes Inc. said Monday that it has obtained a three-year, $140 million secured revolving credit facility from nine banks.

Cleantech meets green building - Sustainable Industries - June 15, 2010
A new consortium plays matchmaker between cleantech and green building.

Shining a Light on Greater Building Efficiency - GreenerBuildings - June 14, 2010
Lighting upgrades are just one element of a larger process that can yield greater savings and better energy performance in buildings. Philips Lighting's Steve McGuire, GreenerBuildings.com Executive Editor Rob Watson and GreenBiz.com Chairman and Executive Editor Joel Makower provide details in their webcast on "Bringing Building Efficiency to Light."

Greener Pampers Allegedly Cause Rashes, Definitely Lawsuits - GreenerDesign - June 14, 2010
 Since introducing redesigned, thinner Pampers diapers, Procter & Gamble has been on the receiving end of consumer complaints about severe rashes, an investigation from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and class-action lawsuits. 

Church of Scientology Set to Open Renovated LEED-EB Church - GreenerBuildings - June 14, 2010
The church of Scientology, which has been buying and refurbishing historic buildings around the world, plans to open later this summer its first LEED-certified center.

AIA Releases Tracking Tool For Sustainable Design - Architectural Record - June 14, 2010
The American Institute of Architects has released an Excel-based tool that generates a report on predicted energy use and project modeling.

NAHB Research Center's Product Qualification Program - Builder - June 14, 2010
This green-approved program is designed to identify and qualify products and systems specifically for the National Green Building Standard.

Wind Power for Homes - Builder - June 14, 2010
It May be the Next Step in Home Energy Efficiency

Design of Community Helped Spur Sales - Builder - June 14, 2010
NorthWest Crossing in Bend, Ore., takes sustainability beyond building green.

Fannie and Freddie question PACE - Sustainable Industries - June 13, 2010
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac say they might not buy loans with PACE financing.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. Announces Termination of Best Efforts Offering by Shareholders (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - June 12, 2010
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. , a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced that it has been advised that the three selling shareholders named in the preliminary prospectus supplement filed by the Company with the SEC on June 4, 2010 , Blue Ridge China Partners, L.P., EI Fund II China, LLC and Ms.

PACE financing faces questions - Sustainable Industries - June 12, 2010
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac say they might not buy loans with PACE financing.

Design Roundup: Gucci's Sustainable Packaging, Toothbrush Recycling Made Easy - GreenerDesign - June 11, 2010
Read on for news on Gucci's greener packaging, Preserve's new program to make it easier for consumers to recycle its toothbrushes, and a new company getting into the carpet recycling game.

A (Green) Prison Made of Shipping Containers - GreenerBuildings - June 11, 2010
Rimutaka prison in New Zealand is using recycled shipping containers to house prisoners as a way to cut costs and accomodate a growing prison population.

Federal Bid Bond - Fatal Discrepancy - Site Headlines - June 11, 2010
In the current economy many contractors seek new business opportunities and a primary target is federal government construction contracting. Upon closer inspection, contractors quickly learn that competing in the government contracting arena can prove difficult as many projects require a commitment of resources and surety bonding capacity that exceeds the capability of a single firm. As such, contractors have sought avenues such as teaming agreements or joint ventures to pool resources to increase their opportunities.

DOJ Outlines Environmental Enforcement Priorities - Site Headlines - June 11, 2010
Last week, on the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day, the United States Department of Justice highlighted the accomplishments of its Environment & Natural Resources Division (ENRD or Division) during fiscal year 2009 by issuing the Division's Summary of Litigation Accomplishments (Summary). The Summary features enforcement cases won or resolved by the Division where civil penalties were imposed, corrective measures were required or criminal convictions were obtained.

Another State Joins Ranks on "Pay-to-Play" Law for Government Contractors - McDonnell Signs Legislation - Site Headlines - June 11, 2010
April 15, 2010 – Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell today signed Senate Bill 506, a "pay-to-play" law which prohibits political contributions and gifts from government contractors in certain situations. With this new law, Virginia joins a growing national trend of state and local regulation of the political activities of government contractors, including not only their political contributions and gifts, but also their business-to-government sales programs and their compensation agreements.

How Green Roof Systems Save Your Business Money on Heating and Cooling - Site Headlines - June 11, 2010
There are many advancements in building materials that assist in saving money and energy. Though research on this topic was initially launched for energy preservation purposes, it also helps in saving money as well as preserving the environment.

Fitch affirms 'Stable'outlook on Toll Brothers (AP) - Yahoo! - June 11, 2010
Fitch Ratings on Thursday affirmed its credit ratings and "Stable"outlook on Toll Brothers Inc., citing the luxury homebuilder's strong balance sheet, track record in homebuilding and overall debt position.

Consultancy Offers Tuition Discounts For Green Job Training - Builder - June 11, 2010
Firm reaches out to veterans, contractors, remodelers, and building inspectors interested in becoming home energy-efficiency inspectors.

High School Targeted in the First Appeal of a LEED Certification - GreenerBuildings - June 10, 2010
Northland Pines High School in Wisconsin, the first public high school to receive a LEED-Gold rating, will go down in the annals of green building history as the target of the first third-party appeal of LEED certification. Are the parties disputing the certification needling naysayers or constructive critics?

German Agency Raises Red Flag on BPA - GreenerDesign - June 10, 2010
The German Federal Environment Agency recommends that manufacturers use alternatives to bisphenol A and that product-related regulations should be considered. 

EPA Releases Previously Secret Ingredients of Oil Dispersants - GreenerDesign - June 10, 2010
The EPA quietly published this week the formulas for Nalco's Corexit chemical oil disperants, which have been used in unprecedented amounts to try and fight BP's gulf oil spill.

Beazer Adds Solar Leasing Option to Homes in Phoenix - Builder - June 10, 2010
A new option for the builder’s eSMART green-home program allows buyers to reap some of the utility-saving benefits of solar power without paying the upfront installation costs.

Building Efficiency Calculator - GreenerBuildings - June 10, 2010
This easy-to-use tool is among the free resources Johnson Controls provides at its new microsite, www.MakeYourBuildingsWork.com.

Johnson Controls Offers Free Tools and Tips for Greener Buildings - GreenerBuildings - June 10, 2010
Property owners and managers can find an array of complimentary tools, tips, case studies and other information to help them make their buildings greener at a new microsite created by Johnson Controls Inc.

Ahead of the Bell: PulteGroup, DR Horton upgraded (AP) - Yahoo! - June 10, 2010
Shares of homebuilders PulteGroup Inc. and DR Horton Inc. rose Wednesday after an analyst upgraded the two companies because of a recent drop in their stock prices, while cautioning that the housing sector remained weak.

Seattle buildings forming 2030 district - Sustainable Industries - June 10, 2010
Building owners in Seattle are joining forces to meet the 2030 Challenge.

Starwood Launches Green Meeting Guidelines for All Hotels - GreenerBuildings - June 10, 2010
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. has introduced green meeting guidelines at its North American properties and plans to roll out the practices globally next year.

NY Conference Offers Strategies to Help Heal 'Ailing' Buildings - GreenerBuildings - June 10, 2010
Strategies to make buildings greener will abound at the upcoming GreenBuildingsNY conference -- a gathering that's designed to help owners, managers, architects and contractor stay competitive in these challenging times.

Marks &Spencer Puts GreenPrint to Work in UK Headquarters - GreenerBuildings - June 9, 2010
Retailer Marks & Spencer will soon put GreenPrint Technologies' print management software to work at corporate headquarters in London in an effort to reduce use of paper, ink and energy.

Jawbone Talking a Better Packaging Game - GreenerDesign - June 9, 2010
 The new packaging for the Jawbone headset has switched to recyclable plastic and more than halved the amount of plastic it contains. 

Diebold Taps Hara in Drive to Increase Energy Efficiency - GreenerBuildings - June 9, 2010
ATM maker Diebold Inc. has enlisted environmental and energy management software firm Hara to help chart progress toward environmental goals of increasing efficiency and reducing emissions.

Seeking New Directions By Raising the Bar on CM - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Vanir Construction Management Inc. and CEO Mansour Aliabadi elevate the parent firm's growth and the profession's image.

Hospital Owner's Digital Mandate Gives Builders A Dose of Reality - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Contractors building one of the largest and tallest pediatric research hospitals, hemmed in on a tiny site in Chicago, say they are several months ahead of schedule in part due to the owner's requirement that designers and contractors collaborate using building information modeling, a digital tool that helps prevent errors.

Top 100 CM-for-Fee Firms &Top 50 Program Management Firms - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
CM firms find demand for professional management services strong even in a weak market.

Safety Concerns Close Historic Baltimore Monument - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
The Washington Monument in Baltimore has been closed to the public in light of a recent engineering study that found its parapet to be unsafe.

Nevada Toughens Safety Laws In Response to Work Fatalities - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Nevada lawmakers on June 7 agreed on proposals for increased workplace safety penalties and enforcement after a string of construction deaths in 2007 and 2008 along the Las Vegas Strip grabbed national headlines.

Unemployment at Record Levels Despite Seasonal Declines - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Construction’s unemployment rate continued downward in May, its third-straight monthly improvement, as seasonal construction labor markets started to kick in, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Industry Associations Launch Career Website in Water Niche - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
As part of a campaign to boost recruitment and stem an expected 30% retirement rate, the Water Environment Federation and the American Water Works Association announced on June 7 the launch of a new joint website, www.WorkForWater.org, which focuses on careers in water-related industry sectors.

Housing Rebound Masks Non-Residential Work Drop - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
The total dollar value of new construction starts through the first four months of this year were $125 billion, which was the same amount as a year ago.

EPA Infrastructure Cost Estimate Climbs - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
In a new report to Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that $298.1 billion in capital investment is needed for the nation’s wastewater and stormwater treatment and collection systems over the next 20 years.

EPA Toughens Standards For SO2 Emissions - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
In a final regulation announced on June 3, EPA is jettisoning the current standard, which is 140 parts per billion over 24 hours, in favor of a one-hour, 75-ppb level.

Oil Spill May Give Senate Energy Bill a Boost - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is pushing for a new, potentially wide-ranging energy bill.

New Process Shows Dollar Value of Building Green - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
A new process that measures the value of the social and environmental benefits of projects is generating buzz among academics, the private sector, public entities and government agencies.

Economic Worries Grow With Oil Spill - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
As contractors mobilized to berm Louisiana’s shoreline to protect its wetlands from oil gushing out of a ruptured well in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation focused on the plan’s chances for success, the disaster’s economic and environmental consequences, and the future of the region’s offshore oil industry.

Public Firms Tell Wall Street Of Return to ‘Rational’ Markets - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Hyper-competitiveness in the industry seems to be abating somewhat as world economies recover. However, wary customers and unclear government policies still restrain contract awards, public engineering and construction-firm executives told investors on June 3 at a conference sponsored by New York City-based investment firm Credit Suisse.

Long Setup for Fast Implosion of Second-Largest Cooling Tower - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Last month, more than 1,100 lb of strategically placed explosives brought down the 24,000-ton, 455-ft-tall cooling tower at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Savannah River site in Aiken, S.C., the second largest such structure to be imploded, says the firm.

FAA Chief Touts Satellite-Based Revamps, Multimodalism - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
A massive effort to revamp the American air-traffic-control system from land-based to satellite-based equipment, dubbed NextGen, could result in greater flight efficiency and fuel cost savings at all major hubs by 2014, says Randolph Babbitt, Federal Aviation Administration chief.

Transportation Secretary Promises Diversity Efforts - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has pledged to work with an influential industry group to encourage more girls and young women to embark on transportation careers.

Coal Power for Mississippi, But $2.9-Billion Cost Cap Set - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
In an otherwise troubled time for new coal-fired projects, the Mississippi Public Service Commission has approved Gulfport, Miss.-based Mississippi Power's plans to build a new 582-MW integrated gasification/combined-cycle plant in Kemper County-but with a $2.88-billion cost cap.

Fiscal Squeeze To Continue in 2011 - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
A new survey by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) says one area likely to be trimmed in some states is transportation.

National Inspector Exam To Come in '11 - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
Two groups have aligned to develop a nationally accredited exam for a construction professional called by many names: crane inspector, crane certifier, crane surveyor and so on.

Despite Bumpy Bid Process, Texas Span Work Is Under Way - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
The U.S. Coast Guard declared the rolling-lift single-leaf bascule causeway bridge connecting Galveston Island with Texas a navigational hazard in 2001.

Test Pontoon Prepares Team For Real-Time Construction - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
The Washington State Dept. of Transportation is creating a list of best construction practices for floating bridges, based on results of tests conducted on a pontoon built at one-sixth the typical size.

Rating Controversy Heats Up - ENR.com - June 9, 2010
The U.S. Green Building Council is defending its decision to uphold the highest certification to be granted a public high school under its green-building rating system, called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Winners of 2010 AIA/HUD Awards Revealed - Architectural Record - June 9, 2010
The recipients of the annual AIA/HUD Secretary Awards have been announced.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co. Announces Update Regarding Jiantou Xinyuan Joint Venture (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - June 9, 2010
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. , a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced that the Company did not bid at the June 8, 2010 auction for the 55% of the shares of Jiantou Xinyuan that it does not already own.

Could Saudi Arabia See the Next Housing Boom? (at Minyanville) - Yahoo! - June 9, 2010
With uncertainty here at home, Blumberg Capital Partners looks to an unexpected market.

HUD Grants to Require LEED for Neighborhood Development - Builder - June 9, 2010
The newly released LEED-ND will be used to score the location efficiency of HUD grant applications.

GSA Names First Chief Greening Officer - GreenerBuildings - June 8, 2010
The U.S. General Services Administration has tapped the sustainability director for Cushman & Wakefield to become the first chief greening officer for the agency and lead efforts to make government buildings greener.

Dr Pepper to Upgrade 60K Vending Machines for Energy Efficiency - GreenerDesign - June 8, 2010
 Dr Pepper Snapple Group released its first corporate social responsibility report since becoming a public company in 2008, setting energy, carbon dioxide, water, recycling and packaging goals.

Aga Khan Aims to Set a Good Example in a Threatened Historic District - Architectural Record - June 8, 2010
The Old City of Damascus, in Syria, might be a UNESCO World Heritage site, but in recent years money has poured in for new hotels and restaurants.

New Domino Plan Wins Key Approval - Architectural Record - June 8, 2010
A plan by Rafael Viñoly to transform New York’s former Domino sugar refinery into homes, offices, and shops has cleared a major regulatory hurdle, even if a few tweaks are required.

Experts Convene in NYC for Haiti Symposium - Architectural Record - June 8, 2010
Haiti is beginning to fade from the headlines, five months after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the impoverished island country.

The Triple Threats of Our Coming Water Crisis - GreenerBuildings - June 8, 2010
I know that talking about infrastructure isn’t a sexy blog topic. But we have to do it. According to a recent report, there is no greater infrastructure challenge facing the country today than water.

Analyst: Homebuilders seeing pickup in sales (AP) - Yahoo! - June 8, 2010
Publicly traded homebuilders are seeing sales recover after slowing in the weeks following the end of two homebuyer tax credits, according to an analyst report Monday.

Coach Wooden's words of wisdom (at Fortune) - Yahoo! - June 8, 2010
My friend Sam Courtney turns 21 tomorrow. I didn't go to his celebration in Washington this weekend, but I sent some advice--from John Wooden. As I told Sam, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, who died on Friday at age 99, carried these words from his father wherever he went: "Be true to yourself.

South Africa, Host of 2010 World Cup, Ready for Its Big Debut - Architectural Record - June 7, 2010
This Friday, the 2010 FIFA World Cup gets under way in South Africa, marking the first time an African nation has hosted the global sporting event since it began in 1934.

KB Home to Webcast Presentation at the Credit Suisse 2010 Homebuilding and Building Products Conference (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 5, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, today announced that senior management will present at the Credit Suisse 2010 Homebuilding and Building Products Conference on Thursday, June 10, 2010, at 5:45 a.m.

Homebuyer Demand Spurs Increase in PulteGroup Solar Communities (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 5, 2010
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.----The nation’s largest homebuilder is expanding its offering of solar power in its new home communities in response to consumer interest and demand. PulteGroup’s renewable energy strategy is unique, in that its solar offerings span the homebuilder’s diverse brand portfolio: from first-time Centex neighborhoods; to homes for move-up Pulte Homes buyers; to those in 55+ active adult Del Webb communities.

Builder Loan Bill Has Hypocritical Bent (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - June 5, 2010


PulteGroup expanding solar power option (AP) - Yahoo! - June 5, 2010
PulteGroup Inc., the nation's largest homebuilder, said Friday that it will make home solar power systems available at more of its communities.

Hovnanian continues slide after quarterly report (AP) - Yahoo! - June 5, 2010
Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. fell for a second day in a row on Friday as investors'disappointment over the homebuilder's latest quarterly home sales was compounded by an analyst reports highlighting concerns over the company's balance sheet.

A Three-Pronged Approach to Solving Free Parking's High Costs - GreenerBuildings - June 4, 2010
When it comes to the smart design of green buildings and cities, parking is an overlooked factor that can have a huge environmental and economic impacts.

McDonald's Recalls 12 Million Toxic Shrek Cups - GreenerDesign - June 4, 2010
McDonald's has recalled 12 million drinking glasses tied into the new Shrek movie because the paint on them contains the toxic metal cadmium. 

[$$] Hovnanian Orders Disappoint (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - June 4, 2010


KB Home Makes Major Land Purchase in Southern California from Lewis Operating Corp. (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 4, 2010
WILDOMAR, Calif.----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, and Lewis Operating Corp., today announced their entry into agreements in which KB Home will purchase 664 home sites from the Lewis Group of Companies.

Hovnanian CEO: Jury still out on tax credit impact (AP) - Yahoo! - June 4, 2010
The CEO of Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. said Thursday a final push by homebuyers in April to qualify for a government tax credit didn't give the homebuilder's sales as big a boost as he'd hoped.

KB Home inks deal to buy 664 SoCal land parcels (AP) - Yahoo! - June 4, 2010
KB Home said Thursday it has agreed to buy 664 home sites in Southern California and plans to use some of the land parcels to open eight new communities this year.

Ryland's Presentation at the Credit Suisse 2010 Homebuilding and Building Products Conference to be Broadcast Live (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - June 4, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. , one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, will present at the Credit Suisse 2010 Homebuilding and Building Products Conference in New York on Thursday, June 10, at 10:25 a.m.

The Anatomy of a Green Building Suit - GreenerBuildings - June 3, 2010
Just because a legal dispute arises about a unit in a green building doesn't qualify the case as green litigation. What would? Here's what legitimate claims about green construction defects could look like.

Levi Strauss Contest Aims to Build a Better Clothesline - GreenerDesign - June 3, 2010
Levi Strauss & Co. is looking for innovative ideas for air drying clothing in an effort to slash the amount of energy used around the country to dry clothing. 

Johnson Controls' Energy Efficiency Indicator Goes Global - GreenerBuildings - June 3, 2010
Energy efficiency investments around the world have remained strong despite the global recession, commercial building executives told Johnson Controls in the company's first international energy efficiency survey.

CEO John Fish Has 'Big, Audacious' Goals For Suffolk Construction - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Suffolk Construction Co.’s hardcharging CEO and owner, John Fish, wants to lead his company from success in three regions to the status of a national brand.

The Top 100 Construction Management-At-Risk and Design-Build Firms - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Firms providing alternative project delivery find new markets to cushion the overall downturn

Spill In Gulf Brings New Limits - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Oil industry engineers remained in hope-and-pray mode June 1 as they prepared for another try at controlling the geyser of oil spewing from the seabed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Tunnel-Boring Machines Are On the Move in New York City - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Carrying both commuters and water, tunnels have long snaked through the bedrock beneath New York City, but now the labyrinth is growing: Multiple projects are under way totaling nearly $2.5 billion, with several other tunneling jobs on the horizon.

Maglev Proponents Demand Answers, Money From Feds - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Advocates for a 269-mile magnetically levitated rail line between Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif., are pressing the Federal Railroad Administration for $45 million originally appropriated in the six-year federal transportation bill in 2005.

Indian Tribes Put $3 Billion In Stimulus Funds To Work - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has buoyed high-profile sectors such as transportation and energy, in Indian Country—the sovereign lands of 562 American Indian tribes across the United States—$3 billion in stimulus funding quietly has moved into development backlogged road improvements, hospitals, correctional facilities and schools.

Work Starts on Portugal-Spain Link, But Bridge Bids Delayed - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Despite the financial crisis in southern European Union countries, the Portuguese government has launched construction of a $1.9-billion high-speed railroad to the Spanish border. But it has delayed bidding for a 13-km-long bridge that would carry the line north into Lisbon over the Tagus River.

Gov. Crist Circumvents Raid On Florida Highway Trust Fund - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) wielded his veto on May 28, returning $160 million in funds to the state Transportation Trust Fund and $19 million to the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority.

Virginia NAACP Targets Richmond - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Upset with a perceived lack of opportunities for Richmond, Va.’s minority contractors, the executive director of the NAACP’s Virginia state conference has threatened “direct action” against current and planned city construction projects.

Green ‘SITES’ Rating Program Picks 175 Pilot Projects - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
The nation’s first voluntary rating system for sustainable landscapes, called SITES, has selected 175 pilot projects to test its green-landscape design, construction and maintenance program.

Opening Up Mechanical Spaces at Showroom, McQuay Demonstrates HVAC Technology - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Heating, ventilating and air- conditioning systems are often invisible to the occupant. Hidden behind walls and snaking through ceilings, HVAC is noticed only when it breaks down.

GAO Report: Excess Space Built For Judicial Facilities - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
Federal courthouses built in the recent construction push appear to have been overbuilt, according to a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in May 25 testimony before the House public buildings subcommittee.

New York City Group Approves Downtown Muslim Facility - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
A Lower Manhattan community board in late May approved a planned mosque and Muslim cultural center near the site of the 9/11 attacks.

Great Lakes Would Host First Freshwater Offshore Turbines - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
A regional economic development corporation in Ohio seeks to install the first freshwater offshore wind turbines in the U.S., in the Great Lakes.

Florida Agency Countersues Contractor On Expressway Job - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
The Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority on May 25 filed a countersuit at the Hillsborough County Circuit Court in Tampa, Fla., against locally based PCL Civil Contractors Inc.

House-Passed Tax Bill Has Pluses, Minuses - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
A $112-billion tax package that the House approved on May 28 is a mixed bag for the design and construction industry. Construction groups like some of the provisions, including an extension for the popular Build America Bonds program.

DOE Proposes Green Regulation For Federal Buildings - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
The U.S. Dept. of Energy has proposed a rule that would require new and renovated federal buildings to incorporate sustainable design, siting and construction methods.

DOT Releases First ARRA Funds For High-Speed Lines - ENR.com - June 3, 2010
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $8 billion for high-speed rail (HSR) has begun to flow to states. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation said on May 27 it had disbursed the first $79.6 million of the ARRA aid.

New Study Explores Value of 'Recycling' Old Buildings - GreenerBuildings - June 3, 2010
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Cascadia Green Building Council based in Seattle and the Green Building Services sustainable development consultancy have launched a study project to quantify the economic and environmental value of reusing existing buildings.

Pharma and Medical Supply Leaders' Rx for Greener Operations - GreenerBuildings - June 3, 2010
As the healthcare industry strives to reduce its environmental footprint, the makers of pharmaceuticals and medical devices are working to curb their use of energy and water and run their facilities more responsibly. Thera Kalmijn examines their efforts in Part 2 of her series on green initiatives in the healthcare industry.

Envisioning the High Performance Hospital - GreenerBuildings - June 3, 2010
By redesigning the way they use energy, hospitals can reduce consumption by 60 percent, and a newly built, code-compliant facility can save about $730,000 a year, according to new research.

Hovnanian Enterprises Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 Results (GlobeNewswire) - Yahoo! - June 3, 2010
RED BANK, N.J. -- Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. , a leading national homebuilder, reported results for its second quarter and six months ended April 30, 2010.

Sector Snap: Housing stocks rise on housing report (AP) - Yahoo! - June 3, 2010
Shares of several homebuilders jumped Wednesday after a report showed pending home sales surged in April to the highest level since October.

Summary Box: Hovnanian cuts loss in 2Q (AP) - Yahoo! - June 3, 2010
TRIMMED LOSS: Homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. cut its loss in the three months ended in April compared with a year ago thanks in part to a sharp reduction in land-related write-downs.

Hovnanian trims loss in Q2 (AP) - Yahoo! - June 3, 2010
Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. said Wednesday it trimmed its loss in the fiscal second quarter as the homebuilder saw write-downs on land and other assets decline sharply versus a year ago.

New Challenges, Hopes on the Green Job Front - GreenerBuildings - June 2, 2010
Gritty realism has tempered but not daunted hopes on the green job front. Advocates concede the ramp-up of stimulus-funded initiatives, such as the weatherization program, has been slower than anticipated. But they point to the 2 million jobs that have been saved or created and investment in renewal energy projects as signs of success

NYC Designer Aims to Build in Rural Haiti - Architectural Record - June 2, 2010
While the bulk of the Haiti rebuilding effort has been focused on Port-au-Prince in the wake of the devastating January 12 earthquake, one architect-led nonprofit group is turning its attention to outlying areas.

Camouflaging Construction Litigation in a Green Suit - GreenerBuildings - June 2, 2010
There's a difference between construction claims and green building litigation, and a dispute about a unit in a luxury Manhattan condo development -- where Leonardo DiCaprio and Tyra Banks are among the buyers -- may become famous for pointing out that distinction.

Carbon Dioxide Used to Make BPA-Free Plastic - GreenerDesign - June 2, 2010
Researchers have found a way to pull carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the air and use it to make plastics that do not contain bisphenol A (BPA). 

Winner of 2010 Bucky Challenge Announced - Architectural Record - June 2, 2010
A controversial plan to use grazing animals to reverse the process by which grassland turns into desert has won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge, an annual competition focused on solving sweeping global problems.

Green Roofs Defy Economy, See Double-Digit Growth in 2009 - Builder - June 2, 2010
Chicago leads the nation in number of green roofs installed.

Economy benefiting from building and manufacturing (AP) - Yahoo! - June 2, 2010
The economic recovery is gaining strength from the biggest rise in construction spending in nearly a decade and the 10th straight month of expansion for manufacturers.

Sector Snap: Housing stocks sink on analyst report (AP) - Yahoo! - June 2, 2010
Shares of several homebuilders slipped Tuesday as investors absorbed new construction data and an analyst report that offered a mixed outlook for the housing sector.

Nike, Walmart Top US Buyers of Organic Cotton - GreenerDesign - June 1, 2010
Global sales of organic cotton apparel and textiles grew 35 percent while organic cotton production increased 20 percent in 2009, says the Organic Exchange.

Business events scheduled for the coming week (AP) - Yahoo! - May 29, 2010
MONDAY, May 31 Markets closed for Memorial Day. TUESDAY, June 1 WASHINGTON -- Commerce Department releases construction spending for April, 10 a.m.

Business events scheduled for the coming month (AP) - Yahoo! - May 29, 2010
TUESDAY, June 1 WASHINGTON -- Commerce Department releases construction spending for April, 10 a.m. NEW YORK -- The Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for May, 10 a.m.

Data Starts Coming In For Supply Chain GHG Standards Testing - GreenerBuildings - May 28, 2010
Data is beginning to roll in for the pilot test of an eagerly anticipated new standard for supply chain greenhouse gas accounting from the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Piano Conceives a Respectful Addition to Kahn's Kimbell Masterpiece - Architectural Record - May 28, 2010
The Kimbell Art Museum expansion project is finally moving forward.

Design for Lightest Glass Wine Bottle Online for Free - GreenerDesign - May 28, 2010
The design for the lightest glass wine bottle developed in the U.K. has been made available for free online. 

Microsoft Hohm Lets Users Compare Energy Use with Neighbors - GreenerBuildings - May 27, 2010
The Hohm website, Microsoft's home energy management application, now provides users with energy efficiency scores for their properties that can be compared with scores for neighbors and households elsewhere in the country.

As Gulf Spill Drags on, Chemical Use Remains a Big Question - GreenerDesign - May 27, 2010
Amid new questions about the safety of the chemicals used to break up the oil already in the environment, BP officials say that its latest attempt to stop the flood of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico is working.

A New Sustainability Standard for Business - GreenerBuildings - May 27, 2010
Today, the veil of secrecy is being lifted on a project in which my colleagues and I have been engaged for several years: The creation of a global sustainability standard for business.

A New Sustainability Standard for Business - GreenerDesign - May 27, 2010
Today, the veil of secrecy is being lifted on a project in which my colleagues and I have been engaged for several years: The creation of a global sustainability standard for business.

SAGE's Smart Green Glass is Showcased at California College - GreenerBuildings - May 27, 2010
SAGE Electrochromics Inc.'s smart glass, has been chosen as the centepriece of a $280 million sustainability initiative at Chabot College and is expected to help the campus's new student center reduce energy consumption by 42 percent.

Putting the Spotlight on a Trailblazing African-American Architect - Architectural Record - May 27, 2010
Paul Revere Williams is synonymous with Golden-Age Los Angeles, helping to transform the Western outpost into a glamorous metropolis.

Eco-LCA Adds Ecosystem Services to Life Cycle Assessment - GreenerDesign - May 27, 2010
A new life cycle assessment (LCA) tool developed by the Ohio State University Center for Resilience brings a new dimension to LCA by taking into account ecosystem services like soil erosion, pollination, flood prevention and cropland. 

DuPont Packaging Awards Highlight Plant-Based Bottles and Bags - GreenerDesign - May 27, 2010
DuPont has recognized bottles and chip bags made from plants and packaging made with fewer materials for its 22nd DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation 

Three Steps to Keeping Your Green Toilets Clean - GreenerBuildings - May 27, 2010
Why are waterless urinals popular in some places and not others, even in the same building? Despite the many green benefits of no-flow toilets, if you don't keep them clean, no one cares if they're green.

Home sales at 2-year high (Reuters) - Yahoo! - May 27, 2010
Sales of new U.S. homes scaled their highest level in nearly two years in April, while orders for long-lasting manufactured goods surged, giving the economy a firmer foundation to resist possible contagion from Europe's debt crisis.

Toll Brothers takes smaller fiscal 2Q loss (AP) - Yahoo! - May 27, 2010
Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. posted a narrower loss in its latest quarter and saw a surge in orders for new homes, trends the company said were holding steady despite the end of two homebuyer tax credits.

Factory orders and new-home sales rise in April (AP) - Yahoo! - May 27, 2010
The economic recovery got a lift in April as orders for large manufactured goods surged while sales of new homes benefited from homebuyer tax credits.

Rush to claim credits boosts US home sales (at Financial Times) - Yahoo! - May 27, 2010
New home sales rose by 14.8 per cent in April, government data showed on Wednesday, as more US citizens rushed to purchase new residential property, partly to take advantage of an expiring tax credit.

On the Call: Toll Brothers EVP Douglas Yearley (AP) - Yahoo! - May 27, 2010
Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. recently announced that co-founder Robert Toll will step down as CEO next month but stay on as chairman.

Summary Box: Toll Brothers 2nd-quarter results (AP) - Yahoo! - May 27, 2010
SMALLER LOSS: Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. said its loss shrank in the fiscal second-quarter on lower write-downs.

'LEED for Landscapes' Put to the Test - GreenerBuildings - May 27, 2010
Landscape architects and experts have launched a sweeping test of a sustainability rating and assessment system for greenspaces in the built environment with a pilot that involves more than 150 sites in 34 states, Canada, Iceland and Spain.

5 "Green" Retrofits Electricians Should Be Pitching to Drive Business - Site Headlines - May 26, 2010
A fast growing segment of the green construction market is building retrofits. Numerous reports indicate retrofitting will become a huge market over the next three to four years. To take advantage of upcoming opportunities, electricians will need to “green” their skill-set.

Seismic Seminar Aimed at Haitian Engineers - Architectural Record - May 26, 2010
Some 200 Haitian engineers and engineering students gathered in Port-au-Prince on May 20-22 under a tent in plus-90°F heat to learn about seismic-resistant design and construction.

Congress Moving on Aid for Haiti, But Little Rebuilding in Country - Architectural Record - May 26, 2010
More than four months after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, Congress is stepping up efforts to provide funds for disaster relief and start rebuilding the country.

MIT Taps Local Utility for 'Bold' Energy Efficiency Program - GreenerBuildings - May 26, 2010
With the help of its local utility, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will launch a three-year energy efficiency project that will trim electricity use 15 percent and save the university $50 million.

Highway Paint Is in Short Supply - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Already scrambling for highway funding, state departments of transportation and road contractors now are stymied by a nationwide shortage of pavement-marking paint.

Louisiana Starts Pushing Sand To Block Oil - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
As oil from the April 20 Deepwater Horizon explosion began spreading into Louisiana’s marshes, state and local leaders moved ahead on plans to protect the state’s shores with a massive sand-berm project­—even without the approval of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Coast Guard.

BP Considers Options To Plug Gusher, Investigates ‘Complex Accident’ - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
BP began conducting the first pressure and diagnostic tests on a five-story blowout preventer (BOP) atop its Macando well bore on May 25 in preparation for a “top kill” attempt to stop the oil that has been gushing from the well and into the Gulf of Mexico since the April 20 explosion.

Website Channels Oil-Spill Info - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
As the consequences unfold of the Deepwater Horizon oil-rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the flow of information has become as critical as the movement of the oil slick.

BP Cleanup Subs Were Using Undocumented Workers - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
After receiving tips, Bay County, Fla., sheriff’s deputies arrested 11 undocumented workers at the Panama City Marina on May 19, 2010, for using stolen Social Security numbers to obtain employment cleaning up the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Congress Moving on Aid for Haiti, But Little Rebuilding in Country - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
More than four months after a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, Congress is stepping up efforts to provide funds for disaster relief and start rebuilding the country.

Q&A With Haitian-American Architect- Engineer Yves François - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
We recently spoke to François about practicing architecture in Haiti, dealing with corruption and how he is playing a role in the reconstruction effort.

U. of Buffalo Seismic Seminar Aimed at Haitian Engineers - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Some 200 Haitian engineers and engineering students gathered in Port-au-Prince on May 20-22 under a tent in plus-90°F heat to learn about seismic-resistant design and construction.

Engineers Ponder Chile’s Quake Lessons - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Valuable lessons can be learned and possibly applied to modify U.S. seismic design codes and practices from the behavior of structures during the magnitude-8.8 earthquake that rocked Chile on Feb. 27, said the leader of a team representing the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which visited Chile from April 5-12.

Ten Minutes With OSHA Chief David Michaels - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Construction safety, including safety of crane operations, is a priority for David Michaels, the chief of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Areva Snags $2-Billion DOE Loan For Uranium-Enrichment Plant - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
The Dept. of Energy has awarded Paris-based Areva Corp. a $2-billion conditional loan guarantee for a greenfield uranium-enrichment plant in Idaho Falls, Idaho—one of the plants needed to help supply the U.S. market with enriched uranium for nuclear powerplants.

TVA Will Keep New Plant Ash Waste On-Site - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
The Tennessee Valley Authority will permanently store on-site coal ash that is recovered during the second phase of its cleanup of a failed dredge cell at its Kingston powerplant in Harriman, Tenn.

Arizona Passes ‘Prompt Pay’ Law - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Arizona officials have enacted new “prompt pay” rules to keep cash flowing to struggling contractors, caught by banks and developers that have been withholding project payments in tough times.

Nashville Restoring Full Service At Water and Wastewater Plants - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
A memorable date for Nashville’s water department will be Memorial Day Weekend, when it expects to put back online the K.R. Harrington Water Treatment Plant, which was under water after the city’s May 1-2 flooding.

Connecticut Blast Prompts New Concern - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Almost four months after a deadly explosion halted work on a nearly $1-billion Connecticut powerplant under construction, developer Kleen Energy Systems LLC, Middletown, Conn., says the 620-MW gas-fired facility may be repaired and ready for operation next spring.

Doyle Drive Replacement Would Use Public-Private Partnership - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
In a board hearing on May 20, the California Transportation Commission approved a request from Caltrans and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority to use a public-private partnership on phase two of the Presidio Parkway project.

ASHRAE Study Finds Energy-Efficiency Guides Help Designers Make 30% Energy Savings - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
A series of guides written by leading building organizations to advance energy efficiency are on target, helping designers achieve 30% energy savings over the minimum code requirements of Standard 90.1-1999, developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and others, according to a market assessment released on May 20 by ASHRAE.

OSHA Backs NCCER’s Certification Program - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration now has four crane-operator certification programs it formally recognizes, following an agreement with the National Center for Construction Education and Research, Gainesville, Fla.

Aggregates Giant Settles Road-Damage Suit With Illinois DOT - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Birmingham, Ala.-based Vulcan Materials Co. has agreed to pay the Illinois Dept. of Transportation $40 million to settle a 2001 lawsuit contending the aggregates producer damaged a former major artery that bisects an operating company quarry in McCook, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.

Deere’s Positive Second-Quarter Numbers Hint at Recovery - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Construction equipment vendor Deere &Co. posted a second-quarter net income of $547.5 million, jumping 16%, on sales of $7.1 billion, up 6%, over the same period last year.

Work Begins on $1-Billion Miami Tunnel Project - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Work on the $1-billion Port of Miami Tunnel project, long delayed and nearly cancelled due to financial reasons, has finally begun.

Jobs Bill Includes S-Corp. Tax Hike - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
Democrats in both chambers of Congress are hoping to pass a bill the week of May 21 they say would create jobs and extend expiring tax benefits.

White House, Congress React to Oil Spill - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
As the fallout from the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues, the Obama administration is making policy and organizational changes, and lawmakers in Congress are trying to move legislation to address the spill and prevent future accidents from occurring.

Obama Orders Fuel-Economy Standards for Big Trucks - ENR.com - May 26, 2010
President Obama has directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to create a first-ever national policy to increase fuel economy and likewise decrease greenhouse-gas emissions for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics: May 2010 - GreenerDesign - May 26, 2010
The latest quarterly rankings of the greening of the electronics industry finds a number of firms losing ground for failing to meet deadlines to phase out toxic chemicals from their products.

Missed Toxics Deadlines Hurts Tech Firms in Latest Greenpeace Guide - GreenerDesign - May 26, 2010
Toshiba, Samsung and Dell have all taken a hit in the latest quarterly rankings on green electronics for failing to meet their self-imposed deadlines on removing toxic chemicals from their products.

How 'Energy Sleuths' Pursue the Ideal Green Building - GreenerBuildings - May 26, 2010
The practice of commissioning, in which an engineer monitors the efficiency of a structure from its design through its initial operation, may be the most effective strategy for reducing long-term energy usage, costs and greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. So why is it so seldom used?

Most Americans Have Never Heard of the Smart Grid - GreenerBuildings - May 26, 2010
Nearly 70 percent of Americans have never heard the phrase "smart grid," but once they learn more, they come to expect it to carry significant benefits and save them money.

Military Housing Deploys Solar Power - Builder - May 26, 2010
Marine Corps taps renewable energy on a massive scale at Fort Lejeune.

Business events scheduled for Wednesday (AP) - Yahoo! - May 26, 2010
Major business events and economic events scheduled for Wednesday: WASHINGTON -- Commerce Department releases durable goods for April, 8:30 a.m.

Lennar Corp. repays $289 million in debt (AP) - Yahoo! - May 26, 2010
Home builder Lennar Corp. said Tuesday that it has repaid $289.4 million of its outstanding debt. The payments went for senior notes that were coming due this year, next year and in 2013.

KB Home Names Jeff Kaminski Chief Financial Officer (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 26, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, today announced that Jeff Kaminski has been named executive vice president and chief financial officer effective June 7, 2010.

Lennar Repurchases $289 Million of its Senior Notes (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 26, 2010
Lennar Corporation announced that it has repurchased $289,398,000 principal amount of its outstanding senior notes through a debt tender that expired today.

Toll Brothers Reports FY 2010 2nd Qtr and 6 Month Results (GlobeNewswire) - Yahoo! - May 26, 2010
HORSHAM, Pa. -- Toll Brothers, Inc. , the nation's leading builder of luxury homes, today announced results for earnings, revenues, contracts and backlog for its second quarter ended April 30, 2010.

New LEED water efficiency goals create big impacts - Sustainable Industries - May 26, 2010
Alex Spigler explains the potential impact of changes to the LEED rating system.

Comstock Homes’ California Solar Community Takes Off - Builder - May 26, 2010
More than 60 residences have been completed and 25 sold in The Villages at Heritage Springs, one of the country’s largest solar-powered communities.

U.K. Milk Industry on Track to Meet Packaging, Water Goals - GreenerDesign - May 25, 2010
The U.K. milk industry says it is on its way to meet its Milk Roadmap goals for packaging, water and waste. 

Finalists for 2010 Aga Khan Award Announced - Architectural Record - May 25, 2010
The 19 finalists for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture are to be announced this afternoon during an event at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

NYC Skyscraper Is First U.S. Commercial Tower to Earn LEED Platinum - Architectural Record - May 25, 2010
Last week, two years after its first occupants moved in, the owners of the 55-story office tower at New York City’s One Bryant Park celebrated the building’s official opening with a reception in the lobby.

New Blog Author Houston Neal - Site Headlines - May 25, 2010
Houston Neal is the director of marketing at Software Advice, a free online resource with reviews and comparisons of construction software.

The Many Facets of Green Building Innovation - GreenerBuildings - May 25, 2010
The process and adoption of innovation are the result of several forces at work, not all of them necessarily aligned: The need to customize the product to fit the specific needs of the client and the need for scope, scale and speed. You also must understand the group for which you are innovating.

PulteGroup Chief Financial Officer Named CFO of the Year (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 25, 2010
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.----PulteGroup, Inc. today announced that Roger A. Cregg, executive vice president and chief financial officer, was named Public Company CFO of the Year in Crain’s Detroit Business fourth annual CFO of the Year Awards.

Subdivided - Sustainable Industries - May 25, 2010
James Howard Kunstler says the end is night for the suburban lifestyle.

In Praise of Factory-Built Green - Builder - May 25, 2010
Surprisingly beautiful and “intrinsically green,” modular houses are easy and fast to construct.

The Science Behind the Phthalates Ban - GreenerDesign - May 24, 2010
With bans on certain phthalates in place in the U.S. and European Union, and the EPA's recent listing of phthalates as "chemicals of concern," CBS News takes a look at the science behind the bans in a recent 60 Minutes report.

White House Picks Architect to Head Preservation Board - Architectural Record - May 24, 2010
On May 18, President Obama named Milford Wayne Donaldson, FAIA, to head the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).

Innovation Only the First Step to Building a Green Business - GreenerBuildings - May 24, 2010
"Everything's up for reinvention," says Serious Materials CEO Kevin Surace, who with other business innovators urged building operations executives to find new, green ways to address old problems -- a strategy that can produce substantial reductions of impact and returns on investment.

Honeywell, DuPont Team Up on More Climate Friendly Auto Refrigerant - GreenerDesign - May 24, 2010
DuPont and Honeywell are teaming up to manufacture an automobile air conditioning refrigerant that has a miniscule amount of the global warming potential (GWP) of current refrigerants.

Beazer Homes closes $300M public note offering (AP) - Yahoo! - May 22, 2010
Home builder Beazer Homes USA Inc. on Friday closed its public offering of $300 million of 9.125 percent senior notes due June 15, 2018.

Dietze Seeks Bankruptcy Protection As Suffolk Deal Remains Undone - ENR.com - May 21, 2010
The Washington, D.C.-based contractor had planned to sell itself to Boston’s Suffolk Construction Co. at the beginning of the year.

Design Roundup: Reusable Beer Cans, Biodegradable Pens, Toxic Soaps - GreenerDesign - May 21, 2010
Read about beer cans than turn into reusable cups, two types of biodegradable pen, lighter paint cans, greener hand sanitizer and more in this roundup of product and packaging design news. 

Dell, HP Call for European Ban on Toxics in Electronics - GreenerDesign - May 21, 2010
Major electronics companies and environmental groups are encouraging the European Union to ban polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and all types of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from all electronic products. 

Sharkskin Inspired Paint Helps Planes, Boats Cheat Friction - GreenerDesign - May 21, 2010
Paint inspired by the scales on sharks aims to reduce the amount of fuel used by airplanes and ships by cutting down on the resistance they face in the air and sea. 

Ford to Streamline Supply Chain Emissions, Energy Use - GreenerDesign - May 21, 2010
Ford Motor Company is asking for energy use and greenhouse gas emissions data from 35 of its top global suppliers to better understand its supply chain's footprint and begin sharing practices. 

An Experimental Early Work by Renzo Piano Threatened - Architectural Record - May 20, 2010
A small, little-known building by a young Renzo Piano may soon fall victim to the wrecking ball, reports the Italian newspaper La Stampa.

OSHA Recognizes NCCER Program To Certify Crane Operators - ENR.com - May 20, 2010
OSHA has similar agreements with three other certification programs.

DLR Group Goes Back to School By Putting a Classroom in its Office - Architectural Record - May 20, 2010
Last year the Blue Valley School District of Overland Park, Kansas, had a problem: Its new Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) building wouldn’t be finished for a year and a half.

Cradle to Cradle Enters Public Domain, Eyes Mainstream Acceptance - GreenerDesign - May 20, 2010
Cradle-to-Cradle design is going into the public domain and worldwide with the launch of the Green Products Innovation Institute (GPII), a nonprofit that will develop standards for individual products, intended to accelerate the transition to safer materials and advance California Green Chemistry Initiative.

Corps Finishes Big Surge Barrier In Time for Hurricane Season - ENR.com - May 20, 2010
With worries about the Gulf oil spill running high, a 1.8-mile-long surge barrier should make hurricanes less scary in New Orleans.

IFC HQ Scores LEED-Platinum Rating with Leonardo Academy's Assist - GreenerBuildings - May 20, 2010
The headquarters of the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank member that provides financing for private sector investment in developing countries, has earned a LEED-Platinum rating, the most prestigious of the U.S. Green Building Council certifications. 

LEDs Poised to Outshine All Others in $4.4B Lighting Market - GreenBiz.com - May 20, 2010
Philips, Osram Sylvania, and GlacialTech Inc. are among the firms recently introducing products for an LED market that's expected soar in the next decade. New research forecasts that LEDs will account for almost half of a $4.4 billion market for lamps in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors by 2020 -- and the rivalry is heating up among lighting companies trying capture the lion's share of the business.

LEDs Poised to Outshine All Others in $4.4B Lighting Market - GreenerBuildings - May 20, 2010
Philips, Osram Sylvania, and GlacialTech Inc. are among the firms recently introducing products for an LED market that's expected soar in the next decade. New research forecasts that LEDs will account for almost half of a $4.4 billion market for lamps in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors by 2020 -- and the rivalry is heating up among lighting companies trying capture the lion's share of the business.

LEDs Poised to Outshine All Others in $4.4B Lighting Market - GreenerDesign - May 20, 2010
Philips, Osram Sylvania, and GlacialTech Inc. are among the firms recently introducing products for an LED market that's expected soar in the next decade. New research forecasts that LEDs will account for almost half of a $4.4 billion market for lamps in the commercial, industrial and outdoor stationary sectors by 2020 -- and the rivalry is heating up among lighting companies trying capture the lion's share of the business.

Why Are You Still Renting a Home? KB Home Hosts Special Events across the Country to Educate Renters on the Homebuying Process (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 20, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, is hosting a nationwide “How to Buy a Home” event this Saturday, May 22. The educational event will take place at 12 noon local time at various KB Home locations across the country.

Standard Pacific Corp. Announces Expiration and Final Results of Its Tender Offer for Any and All of Its 7 3/4% Notes Due 2013 (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 20, 2010
Standard Pacific Corp. today announced the expiration and final results of its previously announced cash tender offer for its 7 3/4% Notes due March 15, 2013 .  

[video] Toll Bros. on a land buying spree (at CNNMoney.com) - Yahoo! - May 20, 2010
Robert Toll and Doug Yearley, Jr., of the homebuilding giant say they are taking advantage of good deals on land to grow the company.

Sector Snap: Housing stocks sink after report (AP) - Yahoo! - May 20, 2010
Homebuilder stocks declined Wednesday after a report showed that mortgage delinquencies hit a high in the first quarter, signaling that the foreclosure crisis is not over.

Hovnanian Enterprises Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 Earnings Release and Conference Call (GlobeNewswire) - Yahoo! - May 20, 2010
RED BANK, N.J. -- Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. , a leading national homebuilder, will release financial results for the second quarter ended April 30, 2010 after the close of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, June 2, 2010.

Haworth says 'no' to RECs, 'yes' to offsets - Sustainable Industries - May 20, 2010
Furniture maker Haworth used offsets to meet LEED's green power requirement.

Philadelphia Adopts Cool-Roof Law - Builder - May 20, 2010
City will work with Dow Chemical to retrofit an entire city block of 39 homes.

Walmart Yanks Miley Cyrus Jewelry After Report of Cadmium Threat - GreenerDesign - May 19, 2010
Walmart agreed to pull a line of toxic cadmium-laced jewelry from its shelves on Wednesday within hours of a press report suggesting the company sold the wares despite knowing they were tainted as early as February.

Material for Milk Containers Now Supports Railroad Traffic - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Like any railroad crossing, the two short bridges completed this month at Fort Bragg, N.C., will be expected to support 130 tons. Unlike typical crossings, however, they are made almost entirely of materials that once were used to contain milk and detergent.

Dozens of Test Projects Later, Advocates Still Have Durable Dreams - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Ten years ago, after a lengthy period of being tested on bridges throughout the country, fiber-reinforced polymer composites—touted for their lightness, longevity and resistance to corrosion compared with traditional materials—seemed poised to enter the U.S. mainstream bridge-building market.

Oil-Spill Battlefront Spreads From Gulf to Washington, D.C. - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The rig owner is claiming progress on capping a deepsea well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, but, as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) said on May 17, “We are nowhere close to the finish line.

Bridge-in-a-Backpack Tech ‘Blows Up’ Next-Gen Bridges - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
In Maine, contractors are “blowing up” bridges: They are inflating hollow carbon-fiber tubes on-site, bending them into arches and infusing them with resin. Filled with concrete, the bridges are ready to be decked, backfilled and paved.

Lawmakers Unveil Climate-Change Bill - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
While a variety of groups from utilities to environmental organizations are clamoring for a climate-change bill that can pass the Senate, construction industry sources say prospects for the bill—rolled out on May 12 by Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I- Conn.)—look slim.

Texas Weighs Expanding Controversial State Disposal Facility - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Vast mounts of low-level radioactive waste could be transported to a new West Texas disposal site if a two-state commission, largely appointed by Gov. Rick Perry (R), allows it to accept waste shipments from 36 or more states.

Navy Contracts Say: Sayonara, Okinawa. Buen Binidu, Guam - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Even as the U.S. Navy awarded seven U.S. and Guam-based joint-venture teams on May 10 a $4-billion indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for design-build work on the Pacific island and nearby sites over five years, it also started to compete the first major task order under the contract.

Congressman Calls for ‘Natural Defense’ Policy To Spur Effective Land-Use Plans - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
While natural disasters may be inevitable, disastrous consequences are not, if policy-makers, designers and builders plan successfully.

Contractor Offers Limited Fix For Troubled Seattle Tower - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
In the latest round of a heated dispute between McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. and the owner of the distressed McGuire Apartments, a 25-story tower in Seattle, the St. Louis-based contractor maintains the concrete frame’s corroding post-tensioned slab system can be fixed for less than $2 million.

Series of Rock-Bursts Throws Peruvian Tunnel Job Offtrack - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
An ambitious project to bore a tunnel through the Continental Divide in the Andes of northern Peru has stalled after a powerful rock-burst severely damaged the tunnel-boring machine drilling the underground passage.

Boston Water Officials Close In On Coupling Key to Pipe Break - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Officials of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority have identified two “hot spots” close to the site of a major water supply pipe break in Boston on May 1 that may be where a critical 10-ft-dia coupling is buried after being forced loose by the rupture.

Granted Modest Rate Hikes, Utilities Delay Construction - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Delays in developing large power projects in Florida are bad news for contractors in a state already hurt by sharp construction downturns, says the Greater Florida Chapter of Associated General Contractors president.

Structural-Design Documents Aiming for Simplification - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Writers of standards—both for general structural design and, in particular, structural steel design—rolled out their 2010 versions this month, completed in time to be referenced in the upcoming 2012 edition of the model “International Building Code.”

Whales Blamed for Port Delay - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The $800-million Port of Anchorage expansion project is more than a year behind schedule because of rules that limit crews from working in the water when any of the roughly 300 local beluga whales are within a mile of the construction zone.

Upgrade Will Create Largest Single-Unit Nuke in the Country - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The Shaw Group, Baton Rouge, La., was awarded a $197-million contract from New Orleans-based Entergy Corp. to provide engineering, procurement and construction services to add 178 MW of power to two nuclear units at Entergy’s Grand Gulf Nuclear plant in Port Gibson, Miss

Neff Rental Files for Bankruptcy - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Construction equipment supplier Neff Rental Inc. and its affiliates have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to wipe more than $400 million in debt from its balance sheet.

Government Looks To Cut Costs - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The United Kingdom’s new coalition government is pledging that the Olympics will not be given special protection from public spending cuts promised by the new government.

Work Gets Under Way on Utah’s Largest-Ever Highway Job - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Construction is under way on the largest and most expensive highway project in the state of Utah, the $1.725-billion Interstate 15 CORE project.

Infrastructure Bank Idea Is On Back Burner - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The idea of a national infrastructure bank has prominent advocates who see it as a way to turn a modest federal stake into much bigger dollars for public works.

Strategy For Chesapeake Bay Has Teeth - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The Environmental Protection Agency on May 12 released a strategy for restoring the Chesapeake Bay that includes developing a tough, new total maximum daily load (TMDL) for pollutants.

Senate Confirms Ayers As Capitol Architect - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
Stephen T. Ayers, acting Architect of the Capitol since 2007, was confirmed on May 12 by the Senate for a 10-year term as head of the Capitol architect’s office.

EPA Issues Greenhouse-Gas ‘Tailoring’ Rule - ENR.com - May 19, 2010
The EPA announced a final rule on May 13 to require large powerplants and other “stationary sources” of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions to get additional Clean Air Act permits.

Gen Y's Green Demands for the Workplace - GreenerBuildings - May 19, 2010
The 18- to 25-year-olds just entering, or poised to enter, the workforce aren't likely to be satisfied with shared "hotel-style" desk assignments, drab cubicles or windowless spaces that have characterized offices in the past, according to new research that could strongly influence space and energy efficiency strategies in the corporate world.

Stern's Museum for African Art Set to Open in 2011 - Architectural Record - May 19, 2010
From an Upper East Side townhouse to a SoHo storefront to a Long Island City warehouse, New York City’s Museum for African Art has had three different homes since opening to the public in 1984.

Size Doesn't Matter in Reducing Environmental Impacts - GreenBiz.com - May 19, 2010
A seasoned lifecycle assessment engineer recently pointed out differences between big-impact elements and small ones, and suggested they must be big enough to be worth an effort in an LCA-driven impact reduction exercise. That's where he lost me.

Size Doesn't Matter in Reducing Environmental Impacts - GreenerDesign - May 19, 2010
A seasoned lifecycle assessment engineer recently pointed out differences between big-impact elements and small ones, and suggested they must be big enough to be worth an effort in an LCA-driven impact reduction exercise. That's where he lost me.

Plastic Bottles Good for Wine Footprint, Bad For Quality - GreenerDesign - May 19, 2010
Wine companies and retailers have been switching away from glass bottles in order to lighten the environmental footprint of their packaging, but in doing so they are shortening the lives of some wines. 

Ahead of the Bell: Beazer rises after Citi upgrade (AP) - Yahoo! - May 19, 2010
A steep sell-off in shares of Beazer Homes USA Inc. has left the stock cheap for investors, said a Citi Investment Research analyst Tuesday as he upgraded the homebuilder.

Home construction up, building permits fall (AP) - Yahoo! - May 19, 2010
Construction of new homes rose more than expected in April but new building permits fell sharply, signaling the industry's rebound could be short-lived.

Urban League and KB Home Host Educational Homebuying Event (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 19, 2010
DALLAS----The Urban League of Greater Dallas and North Central Texas and KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, have partnered to host a “How to Buy a Home” event on Saturday, May 22, from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. at the KB Home Studio, 2845 West Airport Freeway in Dallas.

Ahead of the Bell:Housing Starts (AP) - Yahoo! - May 19, 2010
New home construction is expected to rise for the fourth consecutive month in April. If the report comes in as expected, it's likely to raise hopes that the building industry will help sustain the economic rebound.

Beazer stock up after analyst note, share purchase (AP) - Yahoo! - May 19, 2010
Shares of Beazer Homes USA Inc. jumped Tuesday after a Citi Investment Research analyst upgraded the homebuilder, and billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson bought a stake in the company.

Energy Star faces scrutiny - Sustainable Industries - May 19, 2010
A report finds the Energy Star certification process can be gamed.

Building Intelligence for Greener Buildings - GreenerBuildings - May 18, 2010
It's been awhile since I've written about some of the big picture stuff and my inspiration to do so comes from Tom McKeag's immensely thought-provoking piece, "Giving Green Buildings a Smarter Skin." 

Influence of Packaging on Wine Preservation - GreenerDesign - May 18, 2010
During a one-year study, the Institute of Vine and Wine Sciences (ISVV) of Bordeaux examined how different types of packaging affected the amounts of certain gases in wine packaging and the wines' taste and color.

Laborers' Union Launches Infrastructure Campaign - ENR.com - May 18, 2010
The public awareness program includes billboards near structurally deficient bridges.

No Silver Lining: An Investigation into Bisphenol A in Canned Foods - GreenerDesign - May 18, 2010
This study shows that eating common canned foods is exposing consumers to levels of bisphenol A (BPA) equal to levels shown to cause health problems in laboratory animals.

BPA Contamination of Food Five Times Higher Than Previous Tests - GreenerDesign - May 18, 2010
Green beans, peas, soup, even food labeled "healthy" or "organic" are all some of the canned foods found to be contaminated with bisphenol A (BPA) in a report released today by the National Workgroup for Safe Markets, a coalition of U.S. public health and environmental health groups. 

Get Your Green Message Out - Builder - May 18, 2010
Customers need to hear about the benefits of high-performance houses many times and in many different ways, a marketing pro told attendees at the NAHB Green Building Conference.

Toll Bros CEO resigns, Yearley to replace (Reuters) - Yahoo! - May 18, 2010
Bob Toll, co-founder and CEO of the U.S. luxury homebuilder bearing his name and best known for its "McMansions,"announced his resignation on Monday, and will be replaced by a non-family member who has worked for the company for 20 years.

Toll Brothers board elects Yearley new CEO (AP) - Yahoo! - May 18, 2010
Luxury homebuilder Toll Brothers Inc. said Monday co-founder Robert Toll will step down from his long-held post as chief executive next month, but will retain his title of executive chairman.

FDA Approves Mirel Bioplastic for Food Packaging, Utensils - GreenerDesign - May 17, 2010
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two forms of Mirel bioplastic, a material made from corn sugar, for use in products that come into contact with food. 

Building the Next Big Thing: Int'l Standards for Green Labels - GreenerBuildings - May 17, 2010
Environmental product declarations, though in their infancy in the U.S., are becoming must-haves in the German building industry. As the demand for transparency in product design and manufacturing grows, can standardized environmental labels be far behind?

Building the Next Big Thing: Int'l Standards for Green Labels - GreenerDesign - May 17, 2010
Environmental product declarations, though in their infancy in the U.S., are becoming must-haves in the German building industry. As the demand for transparency in product design and manufacturing grows, can standardized environmental labels be far behind?

This Stinks: What Perfume Makers Won’t Tell You - GreenerDesign - May 16, 2010
A new report reveals a slew of popular perfumes on the market include secret ingredients not disclosed on the label. Is it a reason for alarm?

Drug Companies Send Rejects to EPA to Improve Chemical Safety Tests - GreenerDesign - May 14, 2010
Four major pharmaceutical companies have given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency more than 100 drugs that never entered the marketplace in order to help the EPA improve its chemical screening process. 

Seven Teams Picked For $4 Bil in Guam Milcon Work - ENR.com - May 14, 2010
The Navy’s Pacific Command says its largest-ever contract will support a transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa.

Senate Bill Would Implement Pacific Coast Oil-Drilling Ban - ENR.com - May 14, 2010
Democrats from California, Oregon, Washington sponsor the proposal.

Secret Chemicals in Popular Perfumes Fail the Smell Test - GreenerDesign - May 14, 2010
Perfumes, colognes and body sprays from American Eagle, Chanel, Old Spice and others contain undisclosed chemicals that are linked to hormone disruption and allergic reactions, according to recent tests. 

The Value of Reverse Innovation in Greening Business and Buildings - GreenerDesign - May 14, 2010
This game-changing concept represents a radical shift in thinking, but smart companies are already applying this principle to satisfy needs of emerging markets in which sustainability issues are increasingly important.

The Value of Reverse Innovation in Greening Business and Buildings - GreenerBuildings - May 14, 2010
This game-changing concept represents a radical shift in thinking, but smart companies are already applying this principle to satisfy needs of emerging markets in which sustainability issues are increasingly important.

How To Tap Banks For Real Estate Loans (at Forbes) - Yahoo! - May 14, 2010


Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. to Present at Oppenheimer Conference (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 14, 2010
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. , a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced that the Company will participate in the Oppenheimer 4th Annual China Dragon Call Conference, to be held May 18-20, 2010 at Oppenheimer's offices located at 300 Madison Avenue in New York.

Healthcare Heavyweights Back IT Purchasing Standards - GreenerDesign - May 13, 2010
Kaiser Permanente, Catholic Healthcare West, supply chain solutions provider Broadlane and the performance-oriented hospital group Premier are endorsing  environmental standards for purchasing and managing IT equipment used in their industry.

Sprint Packaging is Low on Plastic, Promotes Recycling - GreenerDesign - May 13, 2010
Sprint has introduced almost-plastic-free packaging for the new Samsung Sleek phone, and the box can also be used to mail in old cell phones and accessories for reuse or recycling. 

Green Cement Startup Wins MIT $100K Entrepreneur Contest - GreenerBuildings - May 13, 2010
A startup company comprised of MIT graduates that has created an emissions-reducing, nanoengineered cement won $100,000 in funding to get its business off the ground.

10 Tips for More Efficient Landscape Irrigation - GreenerBuildings - May 13, 2010
ET Water offers ideas on how to shore up water waste when caring for landscaping.

Italy's Green Builders Adopt LEED Rating System - GreenerBuildings - May 13, 2010
The Green Building Council Italia has become the first organization in the European Union to implement the LEED green building rating system.

Small Firms Land Big Bucks in EPA Funding for Green Technologies - GreenBiz.com - May 13, 2010
The EPA has awarded funds to 11 companies working on everything from green buildings to nanotech, with the goal of helping the firms bring their technologies to market.

Small Firms Land Big Bucks in EPA Funding for Green Technologies - GreenerDesign - May 13, 2010
The EPA has awarded funds to 11 companies working on everything from green buildings to nanotech, with the goal of helping the firms bring their technologies to market.

Historic Hartford Building Earns a Green Rating - GreenerBuildings - May 13, 2010
The highrise housing the Phoenix Companies' headquarters has become the first historic building in New England to be certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED system.

AIA Announces 18 Winners of 2010 Housing Awards - Architectural Record - May 13, 2010
The American Institute of Architects has announced the 18 winners of the 2010 Housing Awards.

The Growth of 'Energy-Harvesting' Wireless Building Controls - GreenerBuildings - May 13, 2010
For the past few years, self-powered wireless technology has been gaining traction in building automation applications. Self-powered wireless technology allows a faster response to changes in how a building is internally configured -- cutting cost by saving time and expense in needed retrofits.

Architect Wins Green Innovation Prize for Unique Brick Formula - GreenerBuildings - May 12, 2010
An American architect in Abu Dhabi has won a prize for innovative design with a plan to produce green bricks by using sand, common bacteria, calcium chloride and urea (that's right, the compound in urine) in a process called microbial-induced calcite precipitation.

Architect Wins Green Innovation Prize for Unique Brick Formula - GreenBiz.com - May 12, 2010
An American architect in Abu Dhabi has won a prize for innovative design with a plan to produce green bricks by using sand, common bacteria, calcium chloride and urea (that's right, the compound in urine) in a process called microbial-induced calcite precipitation.

Architect Wins Green Innovation Prize for Unique Brick Formula - GreenerDesign - May 12, 2010
An American architect in Abu Dhabi has won a prize for innovative design with a plan to produce green bricks by using sand, common bacteria, calcium chloride and urea (that's right, the compound in urine) in a process called microbial-induced calcite precipitation.

The Top 400 Contractrors - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
For the past year, construction firms have been searching for signs that the recession, which began over two years ago, was abating.

Britain’s Huge Offshore Wind Farm Faces An Array of Challenges - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
With steelwork fabrication about to start, designers for the world’s largest offshore wind farm are scrambling to redesign the first 175 turbine foundations. A generic foundation fault at several European wind farms is the latest squall the U.K.’s 1,000-MW London Array must navigate.

Building Cape Wind Won’t Be a Breeze - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
The U.S. offshore wind market, which has lagged behind Europe for 20 years, has made significant strides in the past month as the controversial Cape Wind project near Cape Cod, Mass., received the first-ever approval from the U.S. Dept. of Interior to build such a wind farm.

China Pushes Wind Capacity Domestically and Abroad - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
Despite last year’s economic downturn, global wind power capacity kept growing—particularly in China, which has squeaked past Germany to become the world’s second-largest wind power market behind the U.S.

TVA Mulls Strategies For 2020 Generation - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
As the Tennessee Valley Authority reviews options for its power generation network, it soon will decide whether to shut down old coal-fired units and determine how many nuclear units to build, says Tom Kilgore, the federal power producer’s CEO.

Out-of-Work Fishermen Hired By BP To Help Clean Up Its Spill - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
As BP struggles to cap a leaking oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, the company is signing up fishermen onshore to help with cleanup.

Closed-Loop Cooling Mandate May Cost California Plants - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
The owners of 19 California coastal powerplants—including two nuclear facilities—may have to spend billions to install closed-loop cooling towers to protect marine life.

Scathing Auditing Report Greets New Transit Chief - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
As the California High Speed Rail Authority gains a new chief operating officer, a May report released by the state auditor warns of potential delays in the authority’s planned $45-billion project due to inadequate planning, oversight and contract management.

Designer, Contractor Save Millions on Idaho Interchange - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
A contractor’s value-engineering suggestion shaved $2 million off Idaho’s first single-point urban interchange (SPUI), now nearing completion over Interstate 84 near the Boise airport.

Aggregates Firms Start Rocky But See Some Stability Ahead - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
The first quarter was tough for two leading U.S. construction aggregates producers, with high diesel fuel costs, record bad weather and slow-moving stimulus work combining to hammer revenue and profits for Vulcan Materials Co., Birmingham, Ala., and Martin Marietta Materials Inc., Raleigh, N.C.

Oil Leak in Gulf Continues As Situation Starts To Get Sticky - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
As oil company and government task-force teams struggled futilely for another week to control an offshore oil leak spewing an estimated 5,000 barrels per day into the Gulf of Mexico, forces on land prepared to mitigate the damage when the toxic spill comes ashore.

Nashville’s Waters Receding, But Damage Estimates Rising - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
Even as the rivers of Middle and West Tennessee are returning to their pre-flood levels, damage estimates are rising rapidly.

Coal Ash Keeps Green Status, But Regulating It Will Cost - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
While environmental groups are cheering a May 4 Environmental Protection Agency proposal to regulate fly ash, utilities are concerned that potential designation of the material as a hazardous waste could prove costly.

Key Clue to Boston Pipe Burst Continues To Elude Authorities - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
More than a week after a May 1 pipe break disrupted water supply in metropolitan Boston and forced two million residents to boil drinking water for 53 hours, authorities and contractors are trying to retrieve a critical pipe connector—which likely may manifest clues as to what caused the break—as well as documents detailing how upgrades to the affected pipe section were designed and installed more than a decade ago.

State Loan-Fund Bill Stalls Under Davis-Bacon Questions - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
Some industry groups are concerned the Environmental Protection Agency’s interpretation of the fiscal 2010 law appropriating funds for the drinking- and clean-water State Revolving Loan Fund programs could jeopardize attempts to pass a long-awaited five-year SRF reauthorization bill in the Senate.

Prison Builder Helps Inmates Go To Work - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
You might think Bill Dunn Sr., who heads up one of the nation’s largest prison builders, is trying to undo a part of the family business by starting a jobs program for ex-cons.

House Passes ‘Cash for Caulkers’ Legislation - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
The House has approved the “Cash for Caulkers” bill, which seeks to stimulate construction and manufacturing jobs and boost energy efficiency in homes.

DOT Seeks To Alter DBE Regulations - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has proposed changes to its requirements for disadvantaged-business enterprises (DBEs), which include firms owned by women and minorities.

Senate Panel Taking Requests For New WRDA Projects - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee leaders have asked colleagues to submit by May 18 Corps of Engineers projects to be included in the bill. House Republicans have taken a no-earmark pledge, which includes WRDA.

Stimulus Funding Is Winding Down - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
As a flurry of new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act updates makes clear, opportunities for construction firms seeking to win ARRA-funded work are waning.

Turner Adds Muscle to Its Heavy Construction by Buying Cruz - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
German-based construction giant Hochtief AG announced on May 11 that two of its U.S. subsidiaries—Turner Construction, New York City, and Flatiron Construction, headquartered in Longmont, Colo.—have entered into a joint venture to acquire E.E. Cruz and Co., a Holmdel, N.J.-based heavy and civil contractor that works in the New York metropolitan area.

French Firm Wins $2.3-Billion Moroccan High-Speed-Rail Job - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
Morocco’s state railroad company, ONCF, has awarded a design management and supervision contract for 49 months of civil construction of the estimated $2.3-billion, 200-kilometers Tangiers-Kentira high-speed line to Paris-based Systra S.A., with local partners.

New Bill Proposes Stiff Penalties For Willful Safety Violations - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
A new bill proposed in the U.S. Congress would give the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration the power to request up to 20 years of prison time for construction company executives, project managers and safety directors for willful safety violations resulting in serious injury or death.

AECOM Buys Spanish Firm, Increasing European Footprint - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
AECOM Technology Corp., Los Angeles, announced on May 10 that it had acquired INOCSA Ingenieria, a 550-person professional technical and management support services and engineering firm based in Madrid, Spain.

San Francisco Short-Lists Architects for Museum Project - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has selected four leading architectural firms—Adjaye Associates, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Foster + Partners and Snø-hetta—as finalists following a comprehensive international search for a firm to expand the museum’s facilities and design a new wing.

Construction Unemployment Drops But Still Tops 20% - ENR.com - May 12, 2010
Construction’s unemployment rate posted its second consecutive monthly decline, even as the industry added 14,000 jobs in March, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.

P&G Launches the Latest Supplier Sustainability Scorecard - GreenerDesign - May 12, 2010
Procter & Gamble has launched a scorecard to measure the environmental impacts of hundreds of suppliers, share practices and encourage improvements. 

Lennar Increases Amount of Notes It Will Purchase (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 12, 2010
Lennar Corporation announced that it has amended its offer to purchase three issues of its outstanding senior notes to increase the total principal amount of senior notes it will purchase to $288,365,000.

Hospital Group Says ORs Need a Heavy Dose of Green - GreenerBuildings - May 11, 2010
With a membership of more than 1,000 healthcare institutions, industry group Practice Greenhealth is taking aim at one of the bigger waste-generating centers  in hospitals: operating rooms

Announcement: New Architectural Record iPad App Available - Architectural Record - May 11, 2010
McGraw-Hill Construction announced today that Architectural Record is now available as an iPhone and iPad app through a partnership with the online magazine distributor Zinio.

American Institute of Architects Announces Changes - Architectural Record - May 11, 2010
Today the American Institute of Architects announced that beginning in January 2011 Hanley Wood LLC, will be its new media partner.

Dell Laptop Packaging Ready for the Compost Bin - GreenerDesign - May 11, 2010
The bamboo packaging that Dell is using to cushion laptops has been certified compostable. 

Shigeru Ban Aims to Build Waterproof Shelters in Haiti - Architectural Record - May 11, 2010
When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake jolted Haiti in January, Shigeru Ban’s knee-jerk reaction was to get on a plane and go help. A veteran relief worker, the Japanese architect has built shelters at disaster sites around the globe.

Barrier Islands May Get Build-Up As Result of Spill - ENR.com - May 11, 2010
A years-old dream may come true If BP embraces dredge/build-up concept.

Corps Continues To Explore River Diversions to Block Oil - ENR.com - May 11, 2010
Army Corps studies river manipulation to deflect oil spill.

How Walmart's Green Goals Will Impact Chemical Supply Chain - GreenerDesign - May 11, 2010
Walmart's sustainability goals might mean an added cost burden all the way up to the chemical supply chain. But so far, the chemical industry as a whole is giving its approval to the U.S. retailing giant's various green initiatives.

Clinic Made of Freight Containers Heads to Haiti - Architectural Record - May 11, 2010
As the efforts to rebuild Haiti after its devastating January 12 earthquake inch along, a medical clinic is headed to the island nation that can be set up quickly and opened straight away.

Aim, Ready, Fire: Creative Disruption at Ceres Conference - GreenerDesign - May 11, 2010
With companies setting ambitious environmental goals before the technology exists to make them achievable, speakers at Ceres' annual event called for businesses to create the disruptive step-change needed to save the planet.

The Importance of Working in Concert to Green Buildings - GreenerBuildings - May 11, 2010
One of my favorite books on leadership is “The Art of Possibility” by Rosamund and Benjamin Zander. Ben, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, writes about how the energy from any musician in the orchestra can inspire others to step up and perform their best. So too is it in the greening of buildings.

Beazer Homes Announces Closing of Offerings of Common Stock and Tangible Equity Units (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 11, 2010
ATLANTA----Beazer Homes USA, Inc. announced today the closing of its concurrent underwritten public offerings of 12.5 million shares of its common stock and 3.0 million 7.25% tangible equity units.

Avatar Reports First Quarter Results of Operations (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 11, 2010
Avatar Holdings Inc. today reported a net loss of $10,136,000 on revenues of $9,623,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, compared to a net loss of $8,594,000 on revenues of $15,347,000 for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

Toll Brothers'Website to Broadcast Its May 26, 2010 "Second Quarter 2010 Earnings"Conference Call Live (GlobeNewswire) - Yahoo! - May 11, 2010
HORSHAM, Pa. -- Toll Brothers, Inc. , the nation's leading builder of luxury homes, will broadcast live on its website, www.tollbrothers.com, a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2010 earnings results.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 11, 2010
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. , a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2010.

Trial by Fire - Builder - May 11, 2010
An Orlando, Fla., builder comes to the rescue of a woman whose house burned down.

Giving Green Buildings a Smarter Skin - GreenerDesign - May 10, 2010
New research inspired by principles from nature aims to make buildings smarter and more efficient. A proposed new building membrane would monitor and use moisture and sunlight to control humidity, light and temperature without using electrical power or mechanical equipment. 

Giving Green Buildings a Smarter Skin - GreenerBuildings - May 10, 2010
New research inspired by principles from nature aims to make buildings smarter and more efficient. A proposed new building membrane would monitor and use moisture and sunlight to control humidity, light and temperature without using electrical power or mechanical equipment. 

General Motors Revs Up Zero-Waste Program Worldwide - GreenerBuildings - May 10, 2010
Sixty-two General Motors plants are now zero waste facilities by recycling or reusing more than 97 percent of the materials left from the manufacturing process that would otherwise be sent to landfills, the company said.

In Safdie's New Satire, Architecture Has Tragic Consequences - Architectural Record - May 10, 2010
Not much rankles like large-scale urban development.

Gulf Fishermen Training for Cleanup,As Spill Darkens Their Future - ENR.com - May 10, 2010
BP is signing up hundreds of fishermen to help with cleanup, but the long-term prospects have been clouded by the spill from the deepwater Horizon spill, which continues unabated.

Green Home Building Guidelines Fade Out - Builder - May 10, 2010
As the National Green Building Standard moves in, the Green Home Building Guidelines move out.

New House or 'Used'? (at The Wall Street Journal Online) - Yahoo! - May 8, 2010


Design Roundup: Milk Bags 2.0, Upcycling Ziplocs, Bottle Box in the Wild - GreenerDesign - May 7, 2010
This roundup of design stories includes TerraCycle's new project of collecting and upcycling Ziploc bags, Marks & Spencer's switch to plastic bottles for its wine, compostable chip bags made from wood pulp, and more.

White House Cancer Report Urges Chemical Law Overhaul - GreenerDesign - May 7, 2010
The President's Cancer Panel says in a new report that the U.S. needs to drastically change how it regulates chemicals and recommends that consumers avoid products that contain certain substances in order to lower cancer risks. 

Corps Speeds Up Permitting For Gulf Coast Cleanup - ENR.com - May 7, 2010
The normally lengthy permitting process is being cut to a day or two for districts in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

U.S. DOT Seeks Changes in Disadvantaged-Business Rules - ENR.com - May 7, 2010
The proposed rule would increase the ceiling on a DBE owner's net worth to $1.3 million.

The World's Greenest Superyacht? - GreenBiz.com - May 7, 2010
Design plans for the Soliloquy include up to 600 square feet of photovoltaic surfacing that can propel the 58-meter (190-foot) vessel to nearly 8 knots during a 12-hour period, Solar Sailor Holdings Ltd. has announced.

The World's Greenest Superyacht? - GreenerDesign - May 7, 2010
Design plans for the Soliloquy include up to 600 square feet of photovoltaic surfacing that can propel the 58-meter (190-foot) vessel to nearly 8 knots during a 12-hour period, Solar Sailor Holdings Ltd. has announced.

Lower Costs Drive U.K. Packaging Changes, Green Impacts Secondary - GreenerDesign - May 7, 2010
Lightweighting will continue to be the main strategy packaging suppliers and buyers use to lower the impacts of their packaging, and companies are mainly making such changes to cut costs, according to a new survey. 

Alaskan Tower Demotion Starts LORAN System Decommissioning - ENR.com - May 7, 2010
Coast Guard begins to dismantle navigation net by felling 1,375-ft-tall antenna.

Construction's April Jobless Rate Gets a Bit Brighter - ENR.com - May 7, 2010
Industry's rate falls to 21.8% in April, for second-straight monthly decline.

Cleveland Indians Take a Swing at Major Leagues' Eco Challenge - GreenerBuildings - May 7, 2010
Major League Baseball is making big strides in reducing its environmental impact, and the Cleveland Indians have taken that goal deeply to heart.

Bailed out homebuilders collect fat paychecks (Reuters) - Yahoo! - May 7, 2010
No one rode the U.S. housing bubble higher than the company that calls itself "America's Builder,"D.R. Horton Inc .

KB Home to Webcast Presentation at the Ninth Annual JMP Securities Research Conference (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 7, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, today announced that senior management will present at the Ninth Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on Monday, May 10, 2010, at Noon Pacific Daylight Time; 3:00 p.m.

Green Design-Build Model Crafted for Buildings To Achieve Net-Zero Energy Use - Architectural Record - May 6, 2010
While some are testing the waters of integrated project delivery, a group within the U.S. Dept. of Energy is tilling greener pastures by devising a new design-build project-delivery model for fast-tracked, net-zero-energy buildings, public and private.

Integrated-Project-Delivery Boosters Ignore Many Flashing Red Lights - Architectural Record - May 6, 2010
More than five years into a collaborative building-production movement called integrated project delivery, warnings abound: Don’t try this with strangers.

Hanesbrands Donates Pantyhose to Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup Effort - GreenBiz.com - May 6, 2010
The company announced that it is donating 50,000 pairs of pantyhose to groups that collect hair clippings from salons for use in oil-absorbing booms, as part of the effort to address the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Hanesbrands Donates Pantyhose to Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup Effort - GreenerDesign - May 6, 2010
The company announced that it is donating 50,000 pairs of pantyhose to groups that collect hair clippings from salons for use in oil-absorbing booms, as part of the effort to address the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

EPA Powers Up Building Performance with New Energy Star Program - GreenerBuildings - May 6, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is partnering with utilities and states in a new pilot program that's designed to help improve commercial building energy efficiency.

Green Design Takes Flight at San Francisco International Airport - GreenerBuildings - May 6, 2010
Designers are tapping advanced building technology as well as concepts dating to ancient times to green a terminal at San Francisco International Airport that will be the new home for Virgin America and American Airlines domestic flights.

Pulte pares 1Q loss and now expects profit in 2010 (AP) - Yahoo! - May 6, 2010
PulteGroup Inc., the nation's largest homebuilder, said Wednesday it slashed its loss in the first quarter and forecast it would be profitable this year.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. to Report First Quarter 2010 Financial Results on May 10, 2010 (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 6, 2010
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. , a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced that it plans to release first quarter financial results on Monday, May 10, 2010, before the market opens.

Pulte results beat Street, but orders disappoint (Reuters) - Yahoo! - May 6, 2010
No. 1 U.S. homebuilder PulteGroup Inc posted a far narrower-than-expected quarterly loss on Wednesday, but shares fell as orders fell short of Wall Street's expectations.

Summary Box: PulteGroup trims loss in 1Q (AP) - Yahoo! - May 6, 2010
SMALLER LOSS: The homebuilder PulteGroup Inc. reported a much smaller loss in the first quarter of $12.5 million thanks to a sharp reduction in charges related to write-downs on land and other assets.

Fitch upgrades homebuilder Beazer to B- from CCC (AP) - Yahoo! - May 6, 2010
Fitch Ratings upgraded its outlook for Beazer Homes USA Inc. Wednesday, citing the recovering housing market and Beazer's successful debt restructuring.

Staples, Entrepreneur Team Up to Spur Greening of Small Businesses - GreenerBuildings - May 5, 2010
Staples Inc. and Entrepreneur.com are offering a $10,000 green office makeover gift pack to the small business that presents the best case -- and game plan -- for making its workplace more eco-friendly.

Integrated-Project-Delivery Boosters Ignore Many Flashing Red Lights - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Owners, designers, contractors and lawyers provide insight and advice about the legal and business issues raised by the no-fault environment of integrated project delivery.

Green Design-Build Model Crafted for Buildings To Achieve Net-Zero Energy Use - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
The U.S. Dept. of Energy has plans to disseminate its new design-build model for large-scale, net-zero-energy buildings.

Arizona’s Immigration Law Troubles State’s Contractors - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Arizona’s newly enacted immigration law, which was meant to stem human trafficking and drug-related border violence, could have long-term consequences for the state’s flagging construction industry, in which employment is down 20% from a year ago.

Crucial Intermodal Terminal Design Unveiled in Bay Area - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Unveiled on April 22, the final design for the $1.5-billion Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco will feature high-level seismic and environmental elements.

With Retainage Mandate Gone, A/Es Look Forward to Payday - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Federal contracting officers will no longer be required to withhold 10% of fees for architectural and engineering services, following a four-year effort of industry lobbying.

‘Cape Wind’ Offshore Project Gets Go-Ahead, After Review - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
After nearly a decade of review, the Dept. of the Interior gave the go-ahead on April 28 for the nation’s first offshore wind farm—the $1 billion Cape Wind project, located off the coast of Nantucket.

Costs Cut for Three Trinity River Spans - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
New designs, unveiled April on 27 for three bridges, shaves $45 million off Fort Worth’s Trinity River Vision project costs. The $909-million urban waterfront plan aims to connect 88 miles of the river and its surrounding communities.

U.S. Green Building Council on Sustainable Opportunities - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
A new report from the U.S. Green Building Council highlights more than 30 existing federal programs worth $72 billion that could enhance efficiency in commercial buildings and multifamily housing.

Massive Environmental Remediation Begins After Gulf Oil Leak - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Like a hurricane menacing the Gulf Coast, the full damage from the destroyed deepwater oil well in British Petroleum’s Mancando field in the Gulf of Mexico won’t be known for many days.

Drilling Crews in Washington Sought Cherries, Got the Pits - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Project managers are struggling with how to remove “Rainier,” a tunnel-boring machine that is stuck 330 ft underground since last year. Until the rig is moved, the area’s $1.8-billion Brightwater treatment plant can’t be finished.

Cloth Hubcaps Help Truckers Reduce Drag, Burn Less Fuel - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
A Minnesota entrepreneur’s lightweight, aerodynamic wheel covers promise to save trucking companies millions of dollars in fuel costs every year by boosting big-truck fuel economy by 1%.

Installation of Massive Doors Is Key to Hanford Waste Plant - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Crews at the U.S. Energy Dept.’s Hanford nuclear-waste site in Washington state have placed the first of six massive, 50-ton shield doors at the site’s high-level waste treatment facility.

GSA Criticized for Lack of FY11 Court Projects - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
House appropriators aren’t happy that the General Services Administration’s $676-million fiscal 2011 budget request to construct new federal buildings doesn’t include money for any courthouse projects.

DOT: New Round Of ‘TIGER’ Grants Set To Start - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has launched what surely will be a tough competition for the second round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants to help fund projects that aim to produce major regional or national transportation benefits. DOT has $600 million in fiscal 2010 appropriations for the new batch of grants.

Airports: Thirteenth FAA Extension Signed Into Law - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Airport construction grants will flow through July 3 under a Federal Aviation Administration extension enacted on April 30.

EPA Stiffens Coal-Ash Rules, But Proposal Allows Recycling - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on May 4 unveiled a draft rule to regulate coal ash, for the first time, under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Five Major Multi-Lateral Banks Sign Cross-Debarment Pact - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Five large international lenders have agreed to honor each other’s debarments of companies and individuals found to have engaged in fraudulent or corrupt practices on bank-funded construction projects.

Florida Raids Transportation Pot To Fill Gaps in New 2010 Budget - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
Florida lawmakers passed a $70-billion 2010 budget on the final day of the legislative session on April 30, but raided the state Transportation Trust Fund of $160 million to help fill a revenue gap.

DOE Seeks $9 Billion More In Loan Authority for New Nukes - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
The U.S. Energy Dept. is seeking an additional $9 billion in loan-guarantee authority from Congress for nuclear powerplants so it could approve before Sept. 30 three leading applications that have been submitted by large utilities, according to an agency spokeswoman.

Demolition Firm Takes Down 1,375-Ft-Tall Steel Radio Tower - ENR.com - May 5, 2010
With cracks as sharp as the frozen Arctic air, a 1,375-ft-tall steel communications tower in Port Clarence, Alaska, was demolished on April 28, the first step in the decommissioning of the U.S. Coast Guard’s network of LORAN radio navigation facilities.

How to Avoid Litigation Risks from Greening Your Products - GreenerDesign - May 5, 2010
Riding the green wave has quickly become table stakes for companies looking to remain competitive in the marketplace. But without careful planning, companies can open themselves up to serious risks in going green.

Kickstarting the Green Economy with Building Energy Efficiency - GreenerBuildings - May 5, 2010
What isn't getting enough play in our green technology economy is work we can and need to undertake right away: A serious coordinated effort to deploy network-based portfolio-management energy efficiency strategies and measures across our buildings and fleet transportation systems as rapidly as possible.  

Gafisa Reports Results for First Quarter 2010 (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
Gafisa S.A. , Brazil's leading diversified national homebuilder, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

Earnings Preview: PulteGroup (AP) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
PulteGroup Inc., the nation's largest homebuilder, reports first-quarter results before the stock market opens Wednesday.

Lennar Completes Sale of $526.5 Million of Debt Securities (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
Lennar Corporation announced today that it has completed the sale of $250.0 million principal amount of 6.95% Senior Notes due 2018 and $276.5 million principal amount of 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 to initial purchasers, who resold the Notes to qualified institutional buyers in transactions that are exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, under Rule 144A, or, as to the 6.95% Senior Notes due 2018, to non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S.

Beazer shares fall after stock offering announced (AP) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
Shares of Beazer Homes USA Inc. fell sharply Tuesday, a day after the homebuilder announced a stock and equity offering.

S&P raises Beazer Homes rating to 'B-'(AP) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
Standard &Poor's Ratings Services on Tuesday raised its corporate credit rating for Beazer Homes USA Inc. on a recent increase in orders for new homes, but kept the company's rating non-investment grade, or junk.

PulteGroup, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2010 Financial Results (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich.----PulteGroup, Inc. : First Quarter Loss of $0.03 Per Share, Compared With Prior Year Loss of $2.02 Per Share Improvements in Quarterly Financial Results Reflect Continued Expansion of Gross Margins, Increased SG&A Leverage and Significant Reduction in Land-Related Charges Closings Increase 77% to 3,795 Homes, as Total Revenue Climbs to $1 Billion First Quarter Impairments and Land-Related Charges Drop to $8 Million from $410 Million in 2009 Backlog Value Doubles Over Prior Year to $1.7 Billion, Representing 6,456 Homes Company Ends Quarter with $2.6 Billion Cash Balance; Net-Debt-to-Total- Capitalization Ratio Drops to 35% Improved Q1 Results Put Company in Position to be Profitable for 2010

Beazer Homes Announces Pricing of $447.6 Million Aggregate Offerings of Common Stock, Tangible Equity Units and Senior Unsecured Notes (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 5, 2010
ATLANTA----Beazer Homes USA, Inc. announced today that it priced its previously announced offering of 12.5 million shares of its common stock at $5.81 per share, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $68.5 million.

EPA Moves on Proposed New Rule For Coal Ash - ENR.com - May 4, 2010
Under the proposed rule, coal plants would be required to retrofit existing impoundments, with composite liners.

JCPenney Applies Energy Efficiency to GHG Reduction Goals - GreenerBuildings - May 4, 2010
The retailer has announced a goal of reducing energy use per square foot of real estate by 20 percent in the next five years through building controls, lighting retrofits, and efficient HVAC systems.

Beazer Homes turns profit on higher sales (AP) - Yahoo! - May 4, 2010
Beazer Homes USA Inc. says it turned a profit in its second quarter, reversing a loss from a year earlier as completed sales rose.

Beazer Homes Announces Proposed Public Offerings of Common Stock, Tangible Equity Units and Senior Unsecured Notes (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 4, 2010
ATLANTA----Beazer Homes USA, Inc. announced today that it is commencing concurrent underwritten public offerings of common stock, tangible equity units and senior unsecured notes. The offerings are anticipated to cover the issuance of 12,500,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, 3,000,000 tangible equity units, which units are comprised of a prepaid stock purchase contract and a senior amortizing note due 2013, and $300 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2018.

Beazer Homes Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 Results (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 4, 2010
ATLANTA----Beazer Homes USA, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010. Summary results of the quarter from continuing operations are as follows:

Kaiser Applies New Green Scorecard to $1B Medical Supply Chain - GreenerDesign - May 3, 2010
In move affecting more than $1 billion in goods each year, Kaiser Permanente is now requiring its suppliers to provide environmental data on all medical equipment and products purchased by the largest managed care organization in the U.S.

Kaiser Applies New Green Scorecard to $1B Medical Supply Chain - GreenBiz.com - May 3, 2010
In move affecting more than $1 billion in goods each year, Kaiser Permanente is now requiring its suppliers to provide environmental data on all medical equipment and products purchased by the largest managed care organization in the U.S.

Edison Award Winners Cover the Whole Spectrum of Green - GreenerDesign - May 3, 2010
Kohl's Department Stores and hip upcycler TerraCycle are among the winners of the inaugural Edison Green Award Winners, the latest category to be added to the 23-year-old award competition that honors innovative new products and the companies that make them.

Edison Award Winners Cover the Whole Spectrum of Green - GreenerBuildings - May 3, 2010
Kohl's Department Stores and hip upcycler TerraCycle are among the winners of the inaugural Edison Green Award Winners, the latest category to be added to the 23-year-old award competition that honors innovative new products and the companies that make them.

Huf Haus Luxury Pre-Fab Homes Combine Green Design With German Engineering - Builder - May 3, 2010
Contemporary post-and-beam designs now available in the U.S.

D.R. Horton posts surprise profit, shares rally (Reuters) - Yahoo! - May 1, 2010
No. 2 U.S. homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc reported a quarterly profit and a sharp increase in orders on Friday, surprising Wall Street and sending shares up across the sector.

Ryland Announces Final Results of Tender Offer for Debt Securities (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - May 1, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. announced today the expiration of its previously announced offer to purchase for cash up to $300 million of its outstanding senior notes listed in the table below as specified in the Offer to Purchase dated April 1, 2010 and the related Letter of Transmittal , and as amended by the press release issued by Ryland on April 14, 2010.

On the Call: D.R. Horton CEO Donald Tomnitz (AP) - Yahoo! - May 1, 2010
D.R. Horton Inc. said Friday it turned a profit in its fiscal second quarter, as a flurry of first-time homebuyers led to increases in new orders and sales.

Ryland Group accepts for purchase $255M in notes (AP) - Yahoo! - May 1, 2010
Ryland Group Inc., a homebuilder and mortgage finance company, said Friday its offer to purchase up to $300 million in outstanding senior notes has expired.

D.R. Horton reports 2Q profit (AP) - Yahoo! - May 1, 2010
D.R. Horton Inc. said Friday it turned a profit in the fiscal second quarter, as active first-time homebuyers led to spikes in new orders and sales.

Obama Already Has $72B on Tap to Green Buildings, Study Says - GreenerBuildings - April 30, 2010
President Obama and his administration have an arsenal of more than 30 existing programs worth $72 billion at their finger tips that can be used to increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings and multifamily housing.

Yamasaki Archives Saved from Destruction - Architectural Record - April 30, 2010
A last-minute rescue effort has saved from destruction the company archives of famed mid-century modernist Minoru Yamasaki.

Expanding Use of Bioplastics Poses End-of-Life Challenges - GreenerDesign - April 30, 2010
The global bioplastic industry is expanding due to wider product ranges and improved product performance, but faces challenges from lack of funds for projects and sparse recycling infrastructure. 

Ten Ways to Make Your Business Bike-Friendly - GreenerBuildings - April 30, 2010
Spring is here, as well as the start of Bike to Work Day events across the country. Biking to work makes for happier, healthier and greener employees -- and here's how to make it easy.

Ryland Announces Closing of Senior Notes Offering (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 30, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. announced today that it has closed its previously announced public offering of $300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 6.625% Senior Notes due 2020 .

Builder stocks up after Ryland, Meritage earnings (at MarketWatch) - Yahoo! - April 30, 2010
The broader home-builder sector trades higher as shares of Ryland Group Inc. and Meritage Homes Corp. move in opposite directions after their quarterly financial reports.

The Ryland Group Declares Second-Quarter Dividend (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 30, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The board of directors of The Ryland Group, Inc. , has declared a second-quarter dividend of $0.03 per share, payable on July 30, 2010, to common stock shareholders of record on July 15, 2010.

Haiti's Plan Includes New Ports, Highways - Architectural Record - April 29, 2010
Engineering News-Record’s Senior Editor Tom Sawyer, and Jenna McKnight, deputy news director for McGraw-Hill Construction, spent a week in Haiti in mid-April staying with a local family and traveling throughout the Port-au-Prince area to meet with Haitian refugees and others already engaged in the start of reconstruction, as well as with representatives of foreign aid organizations and U.S. officials.

Brewing Up Chairs from Discarded Coffee Grounds - GreenerDesign - April 29, 2010
A U.K. design group developed a material made of coffee grounds and recycled plastic that it's currently using to make chairs. 

Demolished Bucky Fuller Dome Subject of New Documentary - Architectural Record - April 29, 2010
How could a building that combined the genius of Buckminister Fuller and the power of the Union Tank Car Company become obsolete in little more than ten years?

The Revolution in the Laundry Room - GreenerDesign - April 29, 2010
Over the past several years, the look of the laundry detergent aisle of your supermarket has completely changed, driven largely by Method, and followed by the sector's biggest players.

LEED for Neighborhood Development Launches - Builder - April 29, 2010
The USGBC has kicked off its initiative for green community planning, LEED for Neighborhood Development.

U.S. Office Buildings Need to Get Smart, New Study Says - GreenerBuildings - April 29, 2010
Despite rapidly developing technology to support and manage facilities, office buildings in the U.S. are falling behind the curve when it comes to adopting smart solutions that can ramp up energy efficiency and other aspects that affect costs, occupants'comfort and productivity, according to new research from IBM.  

M/I Homes Reports First Quarter Results (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 29, 2010
M/I Homes, Inc. announced results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

Ryland Reports Results for the First Quarter of 2010 (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 29, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. today announced results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2010. Items of note included: Net loss per diluted share was $0.33 for the quarter ended March 31, 2010, compared to a net loss of $1.76 per diluted share for the same period in 2009.

Saudi University, Yale's Kroon Hall Among AIA's Top 10 Green Building Picks - GreenerBuildings - April 29, 2010
The 5.3 million-square-foot King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the net zero energy Kroon Hall at Yale, a science center at a California school and a house designed for New Orleans'hurricane-devasted Lower Ninth Ward are among the Top 10 green building projects selected this year by The American Institute of Architects and its Committee on the Environment.

USGBC Launches LEED Rating System for Neighborhood Development - GreenerBuildings - April 29, 2010
After almost three years of pilot testing, the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system for Neighborhood Development launches today as a national benchmark for sustainable community design.

Benedictine Nuns, Mormons Build to a Higher (Green) Standard - GreenerBuildings - April 28, 2010
A monastery in Madison, Wisconsin, that earned LEED-Platinum certification and a solar-powered Mormon meetinghouse in Utah are the latest examples of houses of worship that adhere to principles of sustainable design.

Has Corporate America Reached a Tipping Point on BPA? - GreenerDesign - April 28, 2010
Is BPA safe? Neither scientists, government regulators, nor corporations can come to an agreement. But recent news from General Mills and Coca-Cola suggest that a resolution is drawing close.

Mattel Granted Permission to Self-Test for Lead - GreenerDesign - April 28, 2010
Mattel will be allowed to use an addition two of its in-house laboratories in place of third-party labs to meet federal toy testing regulations. 

Haworth Turns to Offsets Over RECs to Earn LEED Green Power Credits - GreenerBuildings - April 28, 2010
In what may be a first, the U.S. Green Building Council granted LEED-NC Gold certification to a project that used carbon offsets, rather than RECs, to earn green power points.

Haworth Turns to Offets Over RECs to Earn LEED Green Power Credits - GreenerBuildings - April 28, 2010
In what may be a first, the U.S. Green Building Council granted LEED-NC Gold certification to a project that used carbon offsets, rather than RECs, to earn green power points.

Models for Scaling Up Green Chemistry - GreenerDesign - April 28, 2010
Two landmark private sector initiatives are models for the development green chemistry -- and demonstrate how a robust federal initiative could speed the realization of  a green chemistry future.

Models for Scaling Up Green Chemistry - GreenBiz.com - April 28, 2010
Two landmark private sector initiatives are models for the development green chemistry -- and demonstrate how a robust federal initiative could speed the realization of  a green chemistry future.

Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. to Present at the JMP Securities Research Conference (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 28, 2010
Xinyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd. , a residential real estate developer with a focus on high growth, strategic Tier II cities in China, today announced that the Company will be presenting at the Ninth Annual JMP Securities Research Conference on Tuesday, May 11, 2010 at The Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, California.

Lennar Sells $500 Million of Debt Securities (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 28, 2010
Lennar Corporation announced today that it has agreed to sell $250 million principal amount of 6.95% Senior Notes due 2018 and $250 million principal amount of 2.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 to initial purchasers, who resold the Notes to qualified institutional buyers in transactions that are exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, under Rule 144A, or, as to the 6.95% Senior Notes due 2018, to non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S.  The Senior Notes due 2018 were priced to yield 7.125%.  The Notes are expected to be delivered and paid for on May 4, 2010.   The initial purchasers of the Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 will have the option to purchase up to an additional $37.5 million principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 solely to cover over-allotments.

Sustainability Reporting and Greenhouse Gas Management - Sensing Market Trends and Evolution in U.S. Manufacturing - GreenerDesign - April 27, 2010
Despite economic conditions over the past year and the failure of the Climate Accord to reduce uncertainty at the international level, the manufacturing industry continues to internalize carbon as a compliance focus and a cost of doing business. Sustainability is also increasing in significance across the manufacturing community in response to multiple stakeholders and regulators.

Regulation Eclipses Innovation as Main Driver in Sustainability - GreenerDesign - April 27, 2010
Companies say that regulatory requirements are now a more important factor driving corporate sustainability initiatives while the competitive advantage provided by such initiatives are viewed as less important, according to a new report.

EPA Contest Seeks the Biggest (Kilowatt) Loser - GreenerBuildings - April 27, 2010
Looking to tap into the popularity of contest-based reality shows, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is staging its version of "The Biggest Loser" -- a competition to see which commercial building can shed the most energy waste and be declared the most efficient in the country.

A Historic Exhibition on Many Levels - Architectural Record - April 27, 2010
After being on view for three months at the NYC Center for Architecture, a show about contemporary architecture in historic districts recently traveled to AIA’s national headquarters in D.C.

Walmart to Start Testing Toys for Toxic Cadmium - GreenerDesign - April 27, 2010
Walmart has started testing products it will sell to see how much of the toxic chemical cadmium they contain. 

Apps for Architects - Architectural Record - April 27, 2010
Architects cannot design an entire building on a smart phone just yet.

How Policy Change Can Spur Green Chemistry - GreenBiz.com - April 27, 2010
Changes in regulatory policy can go a long way to speed transition to a future of green chemistry. Today's post, Part 3 of a four-part series on green chemistry, looks at moves to strengthen laws on toxic chemicals.

How Policy Change Can Spur Green Chemistry - GreenerDesign - April 27, 2010
Changes in regulatory policy can go a long way to speed transition to a future of green chemistry. Today's post, Part 3 of a four-part series on green chemistry, looks at moves to strengthen laws on toxic chemicals.

Lennar to Tender for Senior Notes (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 27, 2010
Lennar Corporation , one of the nation's largest homebuilders, announced that it is commencing a tender offer for a total of $200 million aggregate principal amount of its 5.125% senior notes due 2010, its 5.95% senior notes due 2011 and its 5.95% senior notes due 2013.  The tender offer will be conditioned, among other things, on completion of a $250 million offering of senior notes that is expected to close on May 3, 2010.  The terms and conditions of the tender offer are described in the Offer to Purchase and accompanying Letter of Transmittal that is being distributed to the holders of the notes.

Lennar Proposes to Sell Senior Notes and Convertible Senior Notes (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 27, 2010
Lennar Corporation , one of the nation's largest homebuilders, announced that it proposes to offer, in separate private offerings under SEC Rule 144A, $250 million principal amount of Senior Notes due 2018 and $250 million principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes due 2020.  The initial purchasers of the Convertible Senior Notes are expected to have the option to purchase up to an additional $37.5 million principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes solely to cover over-allotments.  The Convertible Senior Notes due 2020 will be offered only to qualified institutionalbuyers.

Lennar to sell $500M debt, buy back $200M in notes (AP) - Yahoo! - April 27, 2010
Homebuilder Lennar Corp. said Monday it plans to sell $500 million worth of senior debt and use part of the proceeds to buy back $200 million in other notes in a move to reduce its interest payments.

California Outlines Plans to Prioritize, Regulate Toxic Chemicals - GreenerDesign - April 26, 2010
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control has completed an outline for how the state's Green Chemistry Initiative will declare chemicals to be chemicals of concern, how it will deal with products that contain those chemicals and when it will restrict or ban chemicals. 

Germany's Insights on Green Building - GreenerBuildings - April 26, 2010
Green building is a growing staple of international commerce, and German-American collaboration is a theme that's gaining resonance on the green building and products front.

Blending the Virtual with the Physical in Green Conference Hopping - GreenerDesign - April 26, 2010
Two conferences and a visit to the California Academy of Sciences show how new ideas can be generated from diverse sources and why aspiring innovators need to mix it up in different venues.

A Game Plan for Accelerating Green Chemistry - GreenerDesign - April 26, 2010
The case for increased, organized, public and private sector investment in green chemistry is compelling. This post, the second of a four-part series, lay out a game plan for accelerating acceptance and development of green chemistry.

A Game Plan for Accelerating Green Chemistry - GreenBiz.com - April 26, 2010
The case for increased, organized, public and private sector investment in green chemistry is compelling. This post, the second of a four-part series, lay out a game plan for accelerating acceptance and development of green chemistry.

House Committee Approves Green Building Bill - Builder - April 26, 2010
AIA report says GREEN Act could create or save as many as 140,000 design and construction jobs.

Is 'Satino Black' the World's Greenest Toilet Paper? - GreenerDesign - April 26, 2010
Claiming carbon neutrality, 100 percent recycled content, a Cradle to Cradle certification, and manufactured using 100 percent renewable energy, the new Satino Black may be marking new territory for green consumer products.

Sector Snap: Builder stocks leap on home sale data (AP) - Yahoo! - April 24, 2010
Shares of homebuilders surged Friday after the government said sales of new homes rebounded strongly in March from the slowest pace on record in February, thanks to improving weather and federal tax credits.

New home sales, orders for most durable goods rise (AP) - Yahoo! - April 24, 2010
Sales of new homes took the biggest monthly jump in 47 years in March, while orders for most large manufactured products rose by the largest amount since the recession started.

John Carl Warnecke, Known for Contextualism and Charisma, Dies - Architectural Record - April 23, 2010
John Carl (“Jack”) Warnecke, FAIA, died of pancreatic cancer at his ranch in Healdsburg, CA, on April 17.

AIA's Committee on the Environment Announces Annual Awards - Architectural Record - April 23, 2010
The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) recently announced its 14th annual Top Ten Green Projects.

UNR Holdings, Inc. Reports $64.9 Million in Revenues and $14.3 Million in Net Income for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2009 (GlobeNewswire) - Yahoo! - April 22, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. -- UNR Holdings, Inc. announced that total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2009 was $64.9 million, a decrease of 27.3% as compared to $89.3 million during the comparable period of 2008.

NVR, Inc. Announces First Quarter Results (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 22, 2010
NVR, Inc. , one of the nation's largest homebuilding and mortgage banking companies, announced net income for its first quarter ended March 31, 2010 of $32,087,000, $5.01 per diluted share.  Net income and diluted earnings per share for its first quarter ended March 31, 2010 increased 78% and 66%, respectively, when compared to the 2009 first quarter.  Consolidated revenues for the first three months of 2010 totaled $590,214,000, a 6% increase from $558,599,000 for the comparable 2009 quarter.

Hovnanian hits high after agreeing to penalty (AP) - Yahoo! - April 22, 2010
Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises spiked to a 52-week high a day after the homebuilder settled with the government for $1 million over alleged Clean Water Act violations.

Standard Pacific Corp. Announces Pricing of $300 Million Senior Notes Due 2018 (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 22, 2010
Standard Pacific Corp. today announced the pricing of its previously announced public offering of senior notes due 2018 and the increase in the amount of the offering to $300 million aggregate principal amount of notes.  J.P.

Developer tries cohousing in the suburbs - Sustainable Industries - April 22, 2010
A planned green development in the suburbs is looking to buyers for ideas.

Volcano Disrupts Bauma Exhibition - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
As invisible as the global recession, dust from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano cast a cloud over the April 19 opening of Bauma in Munich.

New Orleans-Area Levee Bolstered by Deep-Soil Mixing - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
A massive, 1.7-million-cu-yd, deep-soil-mixing project is powering up in eastern New Orleans, and veterans of the technique say it’s probably the largest such project ever undertaken.

The Top 500 Design Firms - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
In 2009, design firms looked for a turnaround this year, but so far there has been little relief. Industry companies now await a bounce back in 2011.

Four Construction Groups Sue New York DOT Over Pay Freeze - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Four New York State trade associations representing heavy-construction contractors are suing the state over Gov. David Paterson’s announcement in March that the New York Dept. of Transportation would halt payments on all capital construction projects not funded by federal stimulus dollars.

Trades Vow To Keep Political Status Quo - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Between the Obama administration and Democratic majorities in Congress, construction unions have had the political wind at their backs for more than a year.

Feds Study Fuel-Economy Standards for Work Trucks - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
A recent report from the National Research Council will help guide the federal government as it develops fuel-economy and carbon regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

Solar Project To Harness More of Sun’s Power in Hawaii - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Solar developer Albiasa Corp., the San Francisco unit of a Spanish firm, has teamed with Hawaii-based developer Pacific Light and Power to build a small but more reliable utility-scale project on Kauai.

Final Design Decisions On Horizon for Seattle Corridor - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Washington state Dept. of Transportation (WsDOT) officials hope to finalize designs this summer for a 2.3-mile section of the $4.65-billion, 12.8-mile state Route 520 corridor improvement project, in Seattle, which includes the world’s longest floating pontoon bridge.

‘Link’ Beam With Steel Fibers Needs No Diagonal Rebar - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
A recent successful load test on a steel-fiber-reinforced-concrete beam, free of congestion-causing diagonal reinforcing steel, promises to positively impact constructibility of tall, moment-resisting frames in seismic zones

Firms’ Finances Raise Questions - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Some alternative-energy developers that could gain millions in federal energy loan guarantees under the stimulus program may have shaky finances, according to financial filings and outside reviews.

Wind, Water Power For New York State - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York Public Service Commission awarded $204 million in contracts on April 9 that will support the development of 318 MW of renewable electricity at eight sites.

Yucca Mountain Shutdown Halts After Washington State Lawsuit - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
The legal battle over the U.S. Energy Dept.’s nuclear-waste storage program took a turn on April 14, when the agency halted closure of Nevada’s Yucca Mountain repository following a legal challenge by Washington state.

New Jersey Firm Seeking Power From Oregon’s Waves - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
It may not be the biggest job nor the most important, but workers at Clackamas, Ore.-based Oregon Iron Works are clamoring to work on one of the company’s most unusual projects: Ocean Power Technologies’ PowerBuoy 150, a device designed to capture 150 kW of wave energy off Oregon’s coast.

Contractor Plans To Offer Fix For Troubled Seattle Tower - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
On April 15, opposing sides in a debate over the fate of a deteriorating, nine-year-old Seattle apartment tower presented their positions regarding the building’s future safety to Seattle’s Dept. of Planning and Development (DPD).

British Columbia Pushes Ahead On $6.6-billion Hydro Project - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
British Columbia will move forward with the development of a new, 900-MW, $6.6-billion hydroelectric project on the Peace River in the province’s eastern section, Premier Gordon Campbell announced on April 19.

Growth Down for Design Firms, 100 CFOs Say in Annual Survey - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Results for 2009 among 102 engineering firms monitored by an industry financial advisory firm showed a revenue decline for the first time in 20 years of annual tracking, says the survey’s sponsor, the Environmental Financial Consulting Group.

Big Southern Contractors Merge - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Anderson Cos., a Gulfport, Miss.-based general contractor, announced on April 16 it has acquired Brice Building Co., Birmingham, Ala. Anderson, the parent of Roy Anderson Corp. and Harrell Contracting Group.

New Water-Resources Bill Slowly Takes Shape - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Early work has begun in the House on a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which would authorize new Corps of Engineers civil-works projects and mandate changes in Corps policies.

French Firm Wins Two Large Peruvian Powerplant Contracts - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
French energy company GDF Suez has won two long-term energy-supply contracts worth $600 million for Peruvian powerplants.

Equipment Prices Rise, But Values Still Remain Depressed - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Used construction-equipment values are creeping up after bottoming out last summer, a sign that credit is looser and fewer firms are ditching their fleets.

Skanska Submits Low Bid On Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Whitestone, N.Y.-based Skanska USA Civil was the apparent low bidder to replace the southernmost 1-mile leg of Seattle’s state Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct—the first portion of a larger project.

Procurement: White House Mulling Changes to Policy - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
Some construction industry groups are concerned about a potential proposal from the White House they say would allow federal procurement officers to “blacklist” contractors based on an new pre-screening scoring system.

Judge to EPA: Step Up Everglades Enforcement - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
A federal judge has slammed the Environmental Protection Agency, threatening to hold the agency in contempt of court for failing to curb nutrient pollution in the Florida Everglades.

Democrats Seek Funding Source For High-Speed Lines - ENR.com - April 21, 2010
More than 100 House Democrats have asked President Obama to help find a “dedicated revenue source” for the high-speed-rail program.

Sunny Delight Stops Sending Waste to Landfill - GreenerDesign - April 21, 2010
Sunny Delight Beverage Co.'s Texas manufacturing plant is the company's final site to complete its goal of sending zero waste to landfills. 

Standard Pacific Corp. Announces Proposed Offering of $200 Million of Senior Notes Due 2018 (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 21, 2010
Standard Pacific Corp. today announced the proposed public offering by the Company of $200 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2018.  J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. is acting as sole bookrunning manager and Broadpoint.Gleacher as co-manager for the proposed offering.  

Standard Pacific Corp. Announces Tender Offer for Any and All of its 7 3/4% Notes Due 2013; Redemption Planned to Follow (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 21, 2010
Standard Pacific Corp. today announced the commencement of a cash tender offer for its 7 3/4% Notes due March 15, 2013 .  The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 18, 2010 , unless extended.  The Company is offering to purchase the Notes validly tendered at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on May 3, 2010 , for $1,015.00 per $1,000 principal amount, a premium of $2.08 above the redemption price of the Notes of $1,012.92 per $1,000 principal amount.  If the conditions to the Tender Offer, including the financing condition, are satisfied at or prior to the Early Tender Time, promptly thereafter, the Company intends to accept for purchase, and pay for, the Notes validly tendered at or prior to the Early Tender Time.  The Company is offering to purchase the Notes validly tendered between the Early Tender Time and the Expiration Time for $1,012.92 per $1,000 principal amount, and intends to accept for purchase, and pay for, such Notes, if any, promptly after the Expiration Time.  

Meritage says early tender period on notes expires (AP) - Yahoo! - April 21, 2010
Meritage Homes Corp. on Tuesday said the early tender period has expired on offers to buy two sets of notes worth up to $195 million.

Fitch upgrades Standard Pacific ratings (AP) - Yahoo! - April 21, 2010
Fitch Ratings raised the issuer-default and other ratings for homebuilder Standard Pacific Corp., saying the company paid down debt and performed better than expected in recent quarters.

Ryland Announces Redemption of 5.375% Senior Notes Due 2012 (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 21, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. announced today that it will redeem for cash its outstanding 5.375% Senior Notes due 2012 on May 25, 2010 to the extent that the Notes are not tendered in connection with the previously announced offer to purchase pursuant to the amended Offer to Purchase dated April 1, 2010.

KB Home to Build WaterSense-Labeled Houses - Builder - April 21, 2010
Production builder plans to implement the initiative, in which homes use 20% less water, in select communities at no added cost.

The Princeton Review, USGBC Publish Guide to the Greenest Colleges - GreenerBuildings - April 20, 2010
The Princeton Review and the U.S. Green Building Council have released a free online guide to the 286 greenest colleges and universities in the United States.

The Princeton Review's Guide To 286 Green Colleges - GreenerBuildings - April 20, 2010
This free online resource lists the nearly 300 U.S. colleges and universities that scored in the 80 percentile or better in The Princeton Review's Green Ratings.

Hilton Trims Excess Waste, Saves Millions with LightStay Program - GreenerBuildings - April 20, 2010
Hilton Worldwide has reduced water, energy, waste and carbon at 1,300 of its locations with a new resource-tracking systems.

Five Years Later, the First LEED Data Center has Saved Millions - GreenerBuildings - April 20, 2010
Fannie Mae's 247,000 square foot data center, which was the first certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2005, has saved the agency $1.7 million in energy use.

A Big Picture Look at the Goldman Sachs Case - GreenerBuildings - April 20, 2010
If the details of the SEC's charges against Goldman Sachs made your eyes glaze over, I'm here to explain them in clear (well, clearer) English -- and venture an opinion or two on the implications for real estate finance, including green and energy efficient properties.

Standard Pacific Corp. Reports 2010 First Quarter Results (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - April 20, 2010
Standard Pacific Corp. today announced operating results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2010.  

Standard Pacific 1Q loss narrows on lower costs (AP) - Yahoo! - April 20, 2010
The homebuilder Standard Pacific Corp. reported a narrower first-quarter loss Monday on higher average sale prices and lower overhead costs as well as a comparison to year-ago results weighed down by hefty write-downs.

Recurve releases efficiency tool - Sustainable Industries - April 20, 2010
Recurve says its new software will streamline home energy auditing.

General Mills to Pull BPA from Organic Tomato Cans - GreenerDesign - April 19, 2010
Muir Glen, a subsidiary of General Mills, will be switching to metal can packaging that does not contain bisphenol A, a chemical that numerous food and product makers have moved away from. 

CEO Christine McEntee Exiting American Institute of Architects - Architectural Record - April 19, 2010
The American Institute of Architects announced today that its executive vice president and CEO Christine McEntee is stepping down as of July 23, 2010.

Sweet on the Waterfront - Architectural Record - April 19, 2010
A sweeping design by Rafael Viñoly to convert New York’s former Domino sugar refinery into homes, stores, and parks has been fully unveiled to the general public, at the same time that the city considers whether to let the controversy-prone project go forward.

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. to Webcast Its Second Quarter Fiscal 2010 Financial Results Conference Call on May 4, 2010 (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 19, 2010
ATLANTA----Beazer Homes USA, Inc. has scheduled the release of its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2010 on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 before the open of the market. The Company will hold a conference call on the same day at 10:00 AM EDT to discuss the results.

GE's New 40-Watt LED Bulb Will Last 25,000 Hours - GreenBiz.com - April 9, 2010
General Electric will start selling a 40-watt LED bulb later this year that will last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, which are being phased out in the U.S. 

GE's New 40-Watt LED Bulb Will Last 25,000 Hours - GreenerDesign - April 9, 2010
General Electric will start selling a 40-watt LED bulb later this year that will last 25 times longer than incandescent bulbs, which are being phased out in the U.S. 

Scorpion Venom Strikes at Pain Without Morphine's Addictive Sting - GreenerDesign - April 2, 2010
Scorpion venom could lead the way to morphine alternatives without side effects like addiction, according to research at Tel Aviv University. 

Siemens, Metrus Help Defense Contractor BAE Green a Campus - GreenerBuildings - April 2, 2010
Metrus Energy Inc. and the Building Technology Division of Siemens Industry Inc. have forged an agreement with BAE Systems that will enable the defense contractor to retrofit a New Hampshire facility for energy efficiency -- and pay for the upgrades based on the savings that result.

San Francisco Tops U.S. Cities as Best Market for Green Buildings - GreenerBuildings - April 2, 2010
Los Angeles may have the most green buildings in the U.S., but San Francisco has the best market conditions across a range of considerations, according to new research.

Energy Star Program Honors Builders - Builder - April 2, 2010
Ivey Residential and Winton/Flair/Accent Homes receive awards for sustained excellence; larger home builders also noted for their efforts.

Eduardo Catalano, Argentine Innovator, Dies - Architectural Record - April 2, 2010
Eduardo Catalano, an inventive Argentine architect and longtime professor, died on January 28 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Hope Floats in New Orleans - Architectural Record - April 2, 2010
In 2007, actor Brad Pitt’s organization, Make It Right, unveiled its plan to build new homes in New Orleans’ devastated Lower Ninth Ward and hired a roster of modern architects to conceive the designs.

Davis-Bacon Rules Hit Agencies, Says GAO - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Prevailing wage rules required by the federal stimulus program may drive up costs and cause some projects to miss their goals, according to a new study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Chile Considers Concrete Code Changes - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
The good news for Chileans is that less than 1% of the 10,000 buildings three stories or taller, constructed since Chile’s 1985 earthquake, will have to be demolished as a consequence of the magnitude-8.8 Maule earthquake that struck on Feb. 27.

Feds Expand Probe of Nevada Bridge Crack - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
The government is widening a whistle-blower probe into the safety of northern Nevada’s 8.5-mile-long Interstate 580 extension between Reno and Carson City, following the discovery of a hairline crack in one of its bridges.

Germany-Denmark $7.3-Billion Link Planned - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Municipalities and ports in northern Germany and across Denmark have started competing to host construction sites for the planned 19-km fixed crossing across the strait, Fehmarn Belt, between the two countries. Construction lasting six years is forecast to cost up to $7.3 billion.

Wind Turbines Coming on Two More Towers - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Three, 9-meter-dia wind turbines are due to be installed this month atop London’s new, 148-m-tall Strata SE1 building in the Elephant &Castle district.

Haiti Seeking $3.9 Billion for First Reconstruction Phase - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
As potential donors gather at the United Nations to assemble a fund to help rebuild earthquake-battered Haiti, the White House is asking Congress for additional spending to contribute to the reconstruction effort.

New Method Tested To Sharpen Work Measure - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Large contractors are putting a new standard for productivity measurement to the test in the hope of producing better project process controls.

Growing Transit System in Lima, Peru Bringing Order to 'Chaos' - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Public transportation in Peru’s capital of Lima can be an intimidating affair. A bewildering cacophony of privately operated buses, minibuses and vans crisscross the city with men hanging out the doors, cajoling pedestrians to hop aboard.

British Columbia Plans for a Green Future - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Clean energy is at the top of British Columbia’s latest major-projects inventory.

Chinese Reach Extends to African Materials Market - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Four state-owned, multinational Chinese construction companies have been short-listed for a tender to construct an $80-million major cement factory in Ethiopia, at a time when China’s dominance in Africa’s construction industry is growing.

Underwater Line Is Wet Kiss for U.S. Supply - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Independent transmission developers in both the northeastern and northwestern U.S. looking to bring Canada’s renewable electricity resources to power-hungry regions south of the border are installing hundreds of miles of line by using the path of least resistance—underwater.

In South America, Trouble on the Line - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
A transformer failure at a critical substation in Chile on March 14 plunged the earthquake-hit nation into darkness, leaving 80% of users without power for hours.

English Crossing Project Reaches Milestone - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
With the fourth and last 10,000-tonne concrete element sunk, the U.K.’s new, 1.5-km-long River Tyne Tunnel crossed a major milestone late last month, but a missed dredging window, imposed to protect salmon migration, will cost a delay of two months.

Deal Reached To Rebuild World Trade Center Towers - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Developer Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have agreed in principle on a plan that would bring an end to the bitter stalemate that has kept much of the World Trade Center rebuild on the shelf.

Hydropower Project Funding Completed - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Colombia’s state-controlled power-generation company Isagen announced this week it had finalized financing for a $1.74-billion, 820-MW hydroelectric plant under construction on the Sogamoso River in the Dept. of Santander.

Second Pipeline to Tierra del Fuego Completed - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Argentina has completed a $314-million, 37.7-km natural-gas pipeline across the Strait of Magellan.

Obama Appoints Controversial Nominee to NLRB - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
President Obama’s recess appointment of nominee Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board has drawn objections from industry groups and praise from labor unions.

Health-Care Overhaul Becomes Law - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Now that legislation revamping the nation’s health-care system has been signed into law, construction companies and unions are poring over its provisions, trying to determine the impact of its sweeping changes.

House Votes to Extend ‘Build America’ Bonds - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
The House has approved an extension of the popular “Build America” Bonds program but with a cut in the federal subsidy.

FAA Gets 12th Short-Term Extension - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Congress has approved another stopgap authorization for airport construction grants and other Federal Aviation Administration programs.

IronPlanet Files for IPO - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Online auction company IronPlanet Inc. is going public after little more than 10 years in the e-business.

Start-up Automaker Denied DOE Loan For Louisiana Plant - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
The stunning rejection of a $321-million loan by the U.S. Dept. of Energy has start-up automaker V-Vehicle Co. weighing its next move.

Former NYC Crane Inspector Pleads Guilty To Falsifying Safety and Exam Records - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
James Delayo, a former inspector for the New York City Dept. of Buildings, has pleaded guilty to taking cash payments in exchange for falsifying paperwork relating to crane inspections and certifying crane-operator exams.

Perini Sues MGM Mirage Over CityCenter Hotel-Casino Project in Las Vegas - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
CityCenter, the country’s largest private development, is being sued by Perini Building Co., a unit of Tutor Perini Corp., Sylmar, Calif., over work disputes on the $8.5-billion, 18 million-sq-ft Las Vegas Strip complex of hotels, homes and entertainment.

This year’s Pritzker Award for Architecture Goes to Japan’s Sejima and Nishizawa - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, partners of the Tokyo-based Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates, better known as SANAA, have been awarded this year’s Pritzker Prize.

U.K. Arrest Three Alstom Directors for Bribes - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
Suspected of paying bribes to secure overseas contracts, three directors of the U.K. subsidiary of France’s power-equipment and rolling-stock maker Alstom S.A., Paris, have been arrested by the British Serious Fraud Office.

ZGF Architects Wins $61M Homeland Security Contract - ENR.com - April 2, 2010
The contract covers major portion of new DHS headquarters complex in Washington, D.C.

Emerging Stock Report Initiates Independent Research Coverage on Comstock Homebuilding Companies, Inc. (GlobeNewswire) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010


KB Home First National Builder to Partner with EPA's WaterSense Program (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® program, announced today plans to be the first national homebuilder to construct homes to meet the WaterSense specification.

KB Home Declares Second Quarter 2010 Dividend (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010
LOS ANGELES----The board of directors of KB Home has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.0625 per share on the Company's common stock, payable on May 20, 2010 to stockholders of record on May 6, 2010.

S&P lifts Beazer Homes corporate credit to CCC+ (AP) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010
Standard &Poor's Ratings Services raised its corporate credit rating for Beazer Homes USA Inc. on Thursday to reflect improved demand for homes and the company's improved financial status.

Ryland Announces Debt Tender Offer (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. announced today that it has commenced an offer to purchase for cash up to $225 million of its outstanding senior notes listed in the table below .

Ryland Announces First Quarter Earnings Release and Conference Call (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010
CALABASAS, Calif.----The Ryland Group, Inc. , will release its first quarter results on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, after the market closes. The conference call will be held on Thursday, April 29, at 9:00 a.m.

Ryland Group to buy back $225M worth of bonds (AP) - Yahoo! - April 2, 2010
Ryland Group Inc., a homebuilder and mortgage finance company, on Thursday launched an offer to buy back as much as $225 million of its outstanding bonds.

Honeywell Oversees $4.6M Lighting Retrofit in California Town - GreenerBuildings - February 19, 2010
Honeywell is helping the San Francisco Bay Area town of Antioch transform the lighting in city buildings, streets, parks and parking lots in a $4.65 million retrofit project.

Online Broadband Mapping Tool May Help Local Governments Land Stimulus Funds - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Mapping existing broadband service is a requirement for states angling for a piece of the roughly $4.2 billion in matching American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for high-speed Internet expansion.

Unemployment Hits 25% - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Construction’s unemployment rate soared to 25% in January, up from 18% the previous year, 11% in 2008 and 9% in 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jacobs Buys Southeast U.S. Water-Wastewater Engineer - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
In its latest step on the acquisition trail, Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Pasadena, Calif., said on Feb. 15 it had purchased Norcross, Ga.-based Jordan, Jones &Goulding Inc. (JJG), a 500-person engineering firm specializing in water and wastewater markets.

Feds Back Big Construction Program With Big Bucks - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
The Obama administration announced on Feb. 16 the first of what it hopes will be several loan guarantees for the construction of new U.S. nuclear facilities.

Texas Takes a New Direction With DFW Connector Project - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
An innovative, Texas-style highway contract will be put to the test as construction starts this month on the $1.02-billion DFW Connector project. It is designed to relieve congestion and double traffic capacity near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Advocates Call For Composites Codes - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Thanks to an increasing national awareness of infrastructure maintenance issues and the environment, composite materials are gaining support.

Operations and Maintenance Tools Join Design Portfolio - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Two companies with industrial- strength software for handling data for infrastructure operations and management have been bought by a vendor known for design and engineering software. The firm has its eye on delivering cradle-to-grave facilities-information management solutions.

Delaying California Diesel Rule Offers Builders Little Relief - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
California’s Air Resources Board downshifted this month by offering contractors “relief.” The regulatory board says it will delay enforcement of its emissions regulations—which were set to go into effect on March 1—for existing off-road diesel machinery until it receives a waiver from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Clean-Air Costs Will Come In Stages, Caterpillar Execs Say - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Prices for Caterpillar construction equipment will rise by about 12% over the next four years as the company rolls out new and revised models that meet the next level of worldwide clean-air standards.

Post-Recession Strategy for Firms Is the New Turning Point - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Engineering and construction firms are charting new courses for corporate survival and growth as the recession takes hold. Time will tell if it’s the right path for each.

The Senate Floats A Pared Back Jobs Bill - ENR.com - February 19, 2010
Reid’s surprise proposal would extend SAFETEA-LU and bolster the Highway Trust Fund, but it wouldn’t increase federal infrastructure spending beyond current levels

Bentley Offers Free Data Exchange Tools - Architectural Record - February 19, 2010
In an effort to ease the exchange of structural information among construction project participants and between applications, Pennsylvania-based software developer Bentley Systems has released two tools, making them available to users without charge.

Biodegradable Toys Explored by Spanish Institute - GreenerDesign - February 19, 2010
The Technological Institute for Toys is running a project called BIOTOY to find biodegradable materials suitable for use in toys. 

Mountainsmith Weaves Recycled Content Into More Outdoor Gear - GreenerDesign - February 19, 2010
Outdoor bag and pack maker Mountainsmith has added recycled content to almost 40 percent of its products over the past five years, and with the right circumstances, it could double that amount in the coming years. 

KB Home to Webcast Presentation at the 2010 Wells Fargo Securities Housing and Building Products Conference (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - February 19, 2010
LOS ANGELES----KB Home , one of America’s premier homebuilders, today announced that senior management will present at the 2010 Wells Fargo Securities Housing and Building Products Conference on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.

Toxics Become a Strategic Issue: The State of Green Business 2010 - GreenerDesign - February 12, 2010
The toxicity of products and manufacturing processes has been a concern ever since Silent Spring was published 48 years ago, but a confluence of events and trends in 2009 pushed toxics further into the public spotlight -- and further up the corporate ladder.

Commercial Building Portfolios Rake In Savings with Energy Star Certifications - GreenerBuildings - February 12, 2010
Groups that have earned recognition as "Energy Star Leaders" saved more than $48 million last year in energy costs, four times as much as in 2008.

Lack of Awareness About Water Risks Threatens to Sink Global Firms - GreenerBuildings - February 12, 2010
The vast majority of large publicly companies are failing to adequately manage and disclose risks they face from water stress and scarcity, an issue that will likely become more acute as the world's population increases and the future impacts of climate change come to pass, according to new Ceres research. 

DC Keeps PACE to Support Energy Efficiency - GreenerBuildings - February 12, 2010
As the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) bond program is poised to begin San Francisco, green building attorney Chris Cheatham recaps efforts to establish the plan in Washington, D.C.

Time To Hammer Into The Homebuilders? (at Investopedia) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010


KB Home Debuts Martha Stewart Built to Order Kitchens in Florida (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010
TAMPA &ORLANDO, Fla.----KB Home and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have announced the debut of Martha Stewart™ Built to Order™ Kitchens in two Florida markets. For the first time, homebuyers will have the exclusive opportunity to choose a Martha Stewart-inspired kitchen as a feature in their new Built to Order KB home.

[audio] Blizzards could damage spring real estate market [5.0 min] (at MarketWatch) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010
All the snow hitting the eastern part of the U.S. could dampen the spring housing season. So says Steve Kerch, an editor at MarketWatch. He joins John Wordock to talk about next week's housing reports, the spring housing season, and the role of Old Man Winter.

Lennar scoops up distressed loans from FDIC (at MarketWatch) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010
The home builder has positioned itself to benefit further from a real estate recovery through a distressed-land deal with the FDIC to purchase a 40% stake in bank loans with a combined unpaid balance of about $3 billion.

Pulte Homes (PHM) To Pickup By End Of 2010 And Aggressively Perform, According To President Of P.R. Herzig And Co. (Wall Street Transcript) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010


Lennar shares jump on FDIC loan portfolio deal (AP) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010
Shares of Lennar Corp. surged Thursday, a day after the homebuilder disclosed a deal with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to resolve about 5,500 distressed real estate loans.

Don't Get Hosed by Home Builders (at Barrons.com) - Yahoo! - February 12, 2010
Don't Get Hosed by Home Builders By Steven M. Sears Jefferies tells clients to sell out-of-the-money calls on housing stocks.

Home-builder stocks rise ahead of Pulte earnings (at MarketWatch) - Yahoo! - February 8, 2010
After losing ground for the previous three sessions, home-builder stocks are among the market's strongest performers Monday ahead of quarterly results from Pulte Homes.

Earnings Preview: Pulte Homes (AP) - Yahoo! - February 8, 2010
Pulte Homes Inc., the nation's largest homebuilder, reports its fourth-quarter results before the stock market opens Tuesday.

Can IT Solve the World's Problems? - GreenerDesign - February 8, 2010
These tools and resources from some of the world's largest IT companies serve as a companion to the discussion at the State of Green Business Forum 2010, looking at how technology can address  the 98 percent of the world's CO2 emissions it is not directly responsible for.

Builders Start to Look Up (at The Wall Street Journal Online) - Yahoo! - February 8, 2010


Looking for Value in Homebuilders (at Seeking Alpha) - Yahoo! - February 8, 2010


Majority of Americans Still in the Dark About Federal Phaseout of Traditional Bulbs - GreenerBuildings - January 29, 2010
More Americans are buying energy efficient lighting and are aware of the energy-saving benefits -- but most are clueless about the phaseout of incandescent bulbs that starts in two years.

Lighting: A Path to a Greener Bottom Line - GreenerBuildings - January 29, 2010
Companies must not only survive the "Great Recession" of today, but must strategically position themselves for the green economy of tomorrow. More than even before, sustainability objectives are converging with profitability expectations. 

How Our Bones Inspire Architecture, Chairs and Cars - GreenerDesign - January 29, 2010
Material is expensive and so is the energy used to make it. You should put the material where it is needed and take it away from where it is doing no good. Living bone is actually doing this all the time, and some designers have mimicked this process. 

Global Packaging Definitions, Metrics Approved - GreenerDesign - January 29, 2010
Leaders from major consumer goods companies and retailers have agreed on a suggested set of definitions, principles and metrics (which will be tested in the coming months) regarding sustinability in packaging.  

Online Directory Links Plastic Waste Buyers and Sellers - GreenerDesign - January 29, 2010
PlasticsMarkets.org, an online directory for buyers and sellers of plastic scrap, has been expanded with a wider scope of materials, scrap pricing and an improved search feature. 

New York City Transit Chief Cites Worsening Budget Problems - ENR.com - January 29, 2010
One of the biggest capital construction programs in the country faces a crisis as Obama vows spending limits.

California, Midwest, Florida Lead Winners of High-Speed Rail Grants - ENR.com - January 29, 2010
California is the top winner but Midwest states and Florida also scored big in states' fierce competition for $8 billion in federal grants to build high-speed-rail lines around the country.

U.S. Embassy in Haiti Stood Up to Quake's Shaking - ENR.com - January 29, 2010
The U.S. embassy in Haiti is one of the rare significant structures in Port-au-Prince to have survived the Jan. 12, 7.0 magnitude earthquake with only minor damage, none of it structural.

[audio] Housing falls to second-tier on Obama's agenda [7.5 min] (at MarketWatch) - Yahoo! - January 29, 2010
Housing has "clearly"fallen to the second-tier on Washington's agenda. So says Rick Sharga at RealtyTrac. Of the 77,000 words in President Obama's State of the Union address, Sharga notes only 30 dealt with housing.

A Once Eminent Firm Meets a Bitter End - Architectural Record - January 29, 2010
The legacy firm of famed midcentury Modernist Minoru Yamasaki has closed its doors amid a sea of recriminations and debts.

What Does the FDA's BPA Decision Mean for Companies? - GreenerDesign - January 25, 2010
When the Food and Drug Administration earlier this month expressed for the first time some concern about bisphenol A, it no doubt caused some panic among potentially impacted firms -- but it also opened the door of opportunity for early movers.

What’s Your Biggest Green Accomplishment of 2009? - GreenerDesign - December 29, 2009
Everybody’s got one, but some years even our loved ones — not to mention our bosses — fail to ask. But we did.

World’s Tallest Buildings Reconsidered - Architectural Record - December 29, 2009
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has changed the way it measures building height.

Bond Would Leverage Money For California’s Needs - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
The California legislature last week approved a series of bills designed to address water issues facing the state, including an $11.4-billion bond that will leverage another $30 billion if passed by voters next November.

Wells Fargo Bank Questions Schwing’s Financial Viability - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
Construction lender Wells Fargo &Co. has called into question the viability of concrete-pump supplier Schwing America Inc. in a recent bankruptcy filing.

Q&A: Ten Minutes With Pennsylvania Governor Rendell - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
On eve of expected release of Obama's jobs-bill proposal, Rendell seeks to see the plan include $100 billion for infrastructure.

Brazil Seeks Bids for Continent’s First High-Speed Rail Line - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
The government of Brazil has announced it is seeking bid proposals for a 317-mile high-speed rail line linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Offshore ‘Oyster’ Wave-Powered Generator Undergoing Testing in the U.K. - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
An unusual wave-power system that pumps high-pressure water to an onshore hydroelectric plant recently began feeding electricity into the U.K.’s national transmission system.

Builders Don’t Like Stormwater Rule - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
The anticipated costs to contractors to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule addressing stormwater runoff on construction sites outweigh any benefits to water quality, say industry representatives.

845-MW Wind Farm To Be World’s Largest - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
Wind energy from north-central Oregon will power homes in Southern California when an 845-MW wind farm is completed in 2012.

Washington and EG&G Brands Disappear in URS Move - ENR.com - December 29, 2009
URS Corp., the San Francisco-based engineering-construction giant, announced on Dec. 22 it will “rebrand and integrate” its Washington Group and EG&G divisions into the firm.

Cushman &Wakefield Helps SF Highrise Attain Record-Setting LEED-Gold Certification - GreenerBuildings - December 21, 2009
With help from property management firm Cushman & Wakefield, the 38-story First Market Tower in San Francisco has earned LEED-Gold certification and become the largest existing building on the U.S. West Coast to receive such a rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Homebuilder M&A 2010: A Big Land Grab? (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - December 21, 2009


Homebuyers Are Settling for Smaller Houses (at Seeking Alpha) - Yahoo! - December 21, 2009


Bond Would Leverage Money For California’s Needs - ENR.com - December 21, 2009
The California legislature last week approved a series of bills designed to address water issues facing the state, including an $11.4-billion bond that will leverage another $30 billion if passed by voters next November.

Q&A: Ten Minutes With Pennsylvania Governor Rendell - ENR.com - December 21, 2009
On eve of expected release of Obama's jobs-bill proposal, Rendell seeks to see the plan include $100 billion for infrastructure.

Brazil Seeks Bids for Continent’s First High-Speed Rail Line - ENR.com - December 21, 2009
The government of Brazil has announced it is seeking bid proposals for a 317-mile high-speed rail line linking São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Offshore ‘Oyster’ Wave-Powered Generator Undergoing Testing in the U.K. - ENR.com - December 21, 2009
An unusual wave-power system that pumps high-pressure water to an onshore hydroelectric plant recently began feeding electricity into the U.K.’s national transmission system.

Builders Don’t Like Stormwater Rule - ENR.com - December 21, 2009
The anticipated costs to contractors to comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final rule addressing stormwater runoff on construction sites outweigh any benefits to water quality, say industry representatives.

845-MW Wind Farm To Be World’s Largest - ENR.com - December 21, 2009
Wind energy from north-central Oregon will power homes in Southern California when an 845-MW wind farm is completed in 2012.

Green Teams: Engaging Employees in Sustainability - GreenerDesign - December 8, 2009
The latest in our series of GreenBiz Reports explores and outlines the 10 best practices for bringing all your employees on board with your company's sustainability projects.

Sustainable Packaging Indicators and Metrics Framework Version 1.0 - GreenerDesign - December 8, 2009
The Sustainable Packaging Indicators and Metrics Framework Version 1.0 is the outcome of an 18-month project that the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) undertook to develop a set of common indicators and metrics to help companies measure progress against the criteria articulated in the SPC Definition of Sustainable Packaging.

New Guide Points the Way to Sustainable Packaging - GreenerDesign - December 8, 2009
The Sustainable Packaging Coalition has publicly released its all-encompassing framework of indicators and metrics that should be used to determine the sustainability of packaging, from materials to energy to how workers are treated. 

AT&T Creates New Post to Marshal Efficiency Efforts Companywide - GreenerBuildings - December 8, 2009
AT&T has established a corporate post for a director of energy to take the reins of the firm's energy management drive -- and named its first appointee to the job.

All State Properties Holdings Forms Oklahoma Subsidiary (Business Wire) - Yahoo! - December 8, 2009
MEMPHIS, Tenn.----All State Properties Holdings, Inc. today announced the launch of a new wholly owned subsidiary company, All State Energy of Oklahoma, Inc. The new company will focus on the acquisition, exploration, and development of crude oil and natural gas reserves in Oklahoma.

Orleans Homebuilders Announces Notice from the NYSE Amex LLC (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - December 8, 2009
Orleans Homebuilders, Inc. announced today that on December 1, 2009 the Company received a written notice from NYSE Amex LLC stating that the Company is not in compliance with certain of the Exchange's continued listing criteria.

Homebuilder Gets De-Listing Notice (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - December 8, 2009


The No-Maintenance Home Myth - Builder - December 8, 2009
Virtual home designer and building scientist weigh in on defining true sustainability.

Energy-Efficient Mortgages - Builder - December 8, 2009
Despite the growth of green building, EEMs can't gain a foothold.

Factory-Built Green Housing - Builder - December 8, 2009
New World Homes offers traditional house styles that combine off-site building with high-level performance.

Richard Rogers Wins Stirling Prize for Maggie’s Centre - Architectural Record - December 8, 2009
It’s unlikely that Prince Charles heads the Richard Rogers fan club, but Lord Rogers recently received validation from another luminary when the Royal Institute of British Architects named the Rogers Stirk Harbour–designed Maggie’s Centre the winner of its RIBA Stirling Prize 2009.

Why the Architecture Profession Needs the AAO - Architectural Record - December 8, 2009
In early November, more than 150 representatives of architecture and design organizations came to Chicago to hold the inaugural meeting of the Association of Architecture Organizations (AAO).

Cubellis, One of Boston’s Largest Firms, Shuttered - Architectural Record - December 8, 2009
Cubellis, a top-earning international architecture and engineering firm headquartered in Boston, has closed.

Construction Jobless Rate Climbs To 19.4% in November - Architectural Record - December 8, 2009
Construction's unemployment rate continued to to rise in November, climbing to 19.4% from October's 18.7%, while the nation's overall jobless rate declined slightly, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported.

Masdar City Offers $150,000 Prize for Sustainable Concrete Mix - Architectural Record - December 8, 2009
In an effort to accelerate the development of cost-effective, sustainable concrete, Masdar, the developer of the planned carbon and waste-neutral Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, is holding a concrete mix design competition.

Bond Would Leverage Money For California’s Needs - ENR.com - December 8, 2009
The California legislature last week approved a series of bills designed to address water issues facing the state, including an $11.4-billion bond that will leverage another $30 billion if passed by voters next November.

Wells Fargo Bank Questions Schwing’s Financial Viability - ENR.com - December 8, 2009
Construction lender Wells Fargo &Co. has called into question the viability of concrete-pump supplier Schwing America Inc. in a recent bankruptcy filing.

An Updated Benchmark for Corporate Green Chemistry Practices - GreenerDesign - November 30, 2009
This tool allows companies to develop an initial assessment of where they stand on the use of toxic chemicals in their operations, and discover and implement safer alternatives.

L.F. Driscoll Acquisition Boosts Structure Tone’s Reach - ENR.com - November 30, 2009
Philadelphia firm’s healthcare expertise would bolster the big New York City-based interiors contractor.

Custom Builder Squares Off with Production Builder Over Green Construction - Builder - November 20, 2009
At the Greenbuild Conference last week, Tedd Benson chastised builders for not crafting high-quality homes.

Richard Rogers Wins Stirling Prize for Maggie’s Centre - Architectural Record - November 20, 2009
It’s unlikely that Prince Charles heads the Richard Rogers fan club, but Lord Rogers recently received validation from another luminary when the Royal Institute of British Architects named the Rogers Stirk Harbour–designed Maggie’s Centre the winner of its RIBA Stirling Prize 2009.

Projects Will Cement Southwest’s Lead in Renewable Energy - ENR.com - November 20, 2009


Bond Would Leverage Money For California’s Needs - ENR.com - November 20, 2009
The California legislature last week approved a series of bills designed to address water issues facing the state, including an $11.4-billion bond that will leverage another $30 billion if passed by voters next November.

Corps Failed to Protect New Orleans From Katrina Flooding, Court Rules - ENR.com - November 20, 2009
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to blame for massive flooding in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina and is liable for damages, a federal court judge in New Orleans ruled Nov. 18.

Sen. Boxer Seeks DOT Help To Push Six-Month Transport Bill - ENR.com - November 20, 2009
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has urged top U.S. Dept. of Transportation officials to weigh in to help end what she termed a "standoff" with the House over the length of a surface transportation bill.

Ford Mixes Wheat Waste With Plastic in 2010 Flex - GreenerDesign - November 13, 2009
The 2010 Ford Flex will include the auto industry's first use of wheat straw, a waste byproduct from wheat production, expanding Ford's use of bio-based and alternative materials. 

Vetrazzo Gets a Green Audit to Back Its Product Claims - GreenerDesign - November 13, 2009
The manufacturer of recycled-glass surfaces announced during Greenbuild 2009 that it had published an Environmental Product Declaration, allowing customers to verify the reduced impacts of its product line.

Nanotube Sponge Promises Improved Pollution Mop-up - GreenerDesign - November 13, 2009
Chinese researchers say new carbon nanotubes will make oil spill clean-ups quicker and easier.

Marriott to Launch Prototype for Green Design of Courtyard Hotels - GreenerDesign - November 13, 2009
In the latest move to expand its sustainability efforts, Marriott International Inc. says its green hotel portfolio will grow tenfold in the next five years with the introduction of a design prototype for new green properties. 

Scenes from My 15th Greenbuild Expo - GreenerBuildings - November 13, 2009
The sights and sounds of this year's conference show just how far the gathering -- and the green building as an industry -- has changed since the first, tiny outdoor gathering in Big Sky, Montana in 1994.

Starbucks Expands Green Building Projects with LEED Volume Certifications - GreenerBuildings - November 13, 2009
During Greenbuild 2009, the coffee giant announced its membership in a U.S. Green Building Council program that will allow it to rapidly certify new stores as green buildings around the world.

Autodesk Brings Its High-Tech Toolbox to Greenbuild - GreenerBuildings - November 13, 2009
Amidst the drumbeat of news coming from Greenbuild, it's been impossible to ignore the multitude of announcements unleashed by Autodesk -- and our sources tell us there are more on the way.

Rates on 30-year loans remain below 5 percent (AP) - Yahoo! - November 13, 2009
Rates this week for 30-year home loans stayed below 5 percent for the second week in a row. The average rate fell to 4.91 percent from 4.98 percent a week earlier, mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Homebuilders slide on mortgage applications report (AP) - Yahoo! - November 13, 2009
Shares of homebuilders slid Thursday after the Mortgage Bankers Association said the volume of mortgage loan applications filed to purchase homes dropped last week to the lowest level in nine years.

Adrian Smith Develops “Decarbonization” Plan for Cities - Architectural Record - November 13, 2009


At Last, A Green Light for Foster’s 980 Madison Avenue Scheme - Architectural Record - November 13, 2009


Supporting University’s Glass Dome Tests Foundation Crew - ENR.com - November 13, 2009


Projects Will Cement Southwest’s Lead in Renewable Energy - ENR.com - November 13, 2009


By 2020 China Will Pass U.S. As Pre-Eminent Construction Market - ENR.com - November 13, 2009
China will push the U.S. into second place as the world's biggest construction market before the end of the next decade, according to a new forecast of the next decade called Global Construction 2020 (CG2020).

Beyond the Black Cloud: Looking at Lifecycles - GreenerDesign - November 6, 2009
Looking at the full impact of any type of product or device -- rather than, say, the cloud of exhaust in front of you on the highway -- opens the door to a whole new understanding of how design affects the environment.

Nike Debuts Latest Collection of 'Considered Design' Products - GreenerDesign - November 6, 2009
Nike will debut a new collection of athletic footwear Saturday made with environmentally preferred materials. A portion of revenue from the N7 line will support Native American youth sports through the N7 Fund.

The Green Building Market and Impact Report 2009 - GreenerDesign - November 6, 2009
This second annual report, by Rob Watson and the GreenBiz.com editorial team, explores the impacts that LEED-certified buildings have already had on energy, water, waste and employee productivity -- and projects those impacts for the next 20 years.

A Regional Green Building Case Study Project - GreenerBuildings - November 6, 2009
This report from the U.S. Green Building Council's Chicago Chapter is the first to provide detailed post-occupancy performance data on a regional level.

Johnson Controls: The Quiet Company Raises Its Voice and Its Profile - GreenerBuildings - November 6, 2009
Though a giant in the buildings and automotive industries, Johnson Controls Inc. was long considered a quiet company — seldom a major presence outside its lines of business. That's changing as the firm increasingly raises its voice and its profile to spread its mantra of "Efficiency Now."  

Diversey Ups Emissions Reductions Investments, Earns Bigger ROI - GreenerBuildings - November 6, 2009
One year after setting a goal to cut corporate emissions by 8 percent before 2013, Diversey CEO today announced the company had already surpassed that target, and upped the goal to a 25 percent reduction in the same time frame.

Green Buildings Continue Impressive Growth, New Market Study Finds - GreenerBuildings - November 6, 2009
The Green Building Market and Impact Report, released this morning by GreenerBuildings.com, measures the beneficial impacts that LEED-certified buildings have on energy, water, worker productivity and more, and charts the growth of the green marketplace in the coming years.

The Green Building Market and Impact Report 2009 - GreenerBuildings - November 6, 2009
This second annual report, by Rob Watson and the GreenBiz.com editorial team, explores the impacts that LEED-certified buildings have already had on energy, water, waste and employee productivity -- and projects those impacts for the next 20 years.

YKK Boosts Green Product Line with Window Additions to enerGfacade Line - GreenerBuildings - November 6, 2009
Just in advance of the Greenbuild conference, YKK AP America this week unveiled a new aluminum window designed to boost energy efficiency by as much as 30 percent over standard windows.

[$$] Shaky Foundation for Home Builders (at Barrons.com) - Yahoo! - November 6, 2009
Shaky Foundation for Home Builders Investors are best advised to avoid the group through year end, says Fox-Pitt Kelton.

Orleans Homebuilders Announces Limited Waiver and Amendment Extension (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - November 6, 2009
Orleans Homebuilders, Inc. announced today that on November 4, 2009, but effective as of October 30, 2009, the Company had received from the lenders under the Company's $375 million Credit Facility a limited waiver and amendment extension letter related to the Company's Second Amended and Restated Revolving Credit Loan Agreement dated September 30, 2008 .

At Least 50 Tall Buildings Now on Hold - Architectural Record - November 6, 2009


Seattle fund fuels efficiency - Sustainable Industries - November 6, 2009
An investment fund focused on energy efficiency launches.

A Regional Green Building Case Study Project - GreenerBuildings - October 30, 2009
This report from the U.S. Green Building Council's Chicago Chapter is the first to provide detailed post-occupancy performance data on a regional level.

Has The Real Estate Market Bottomed? (at Forbes.com) - Yahoo! - October 30, 2009


Standard Pacific reports smaller 3Q loss (AP) - Yahoo! - October 30, 2009
Homebuilder Standard Pacific Corp. on Thursday reported a much narrower third-quarter loss as it booked fewer charges to write down land values amid the housing slump.

Adrian Smith Develops “Decarbonization” Plan for Cities - Architectural Record - October 30, 2009


Repair Crew Back on Bay Bridge As New Failure Raises Questions - ENR.com - October 30, 2009


Deirdre Imus's Mission to Green up Toxic Hospitals - GreenerDesign - October 29, 2009
<p>The head of the Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center talks about how she developed and promotes her line of green cleaning products, the lessons all ecopreneurs can take from her story, and how her success is a system, not a secret.</p><img src="http://www.greenerdesign.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/wide_small/091029-clark-w.jpg" alt="" title="" width="100" height="75" /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/greenerdesign/~4/FK_qCxt445E" height="1" width="1"/>

Life Cycle Assessment 101: Why Does it Matter? - GreenerDesign - October 29, 2009
<p>Understanding life cycle assessment is important for product engineers and designers, as it is a tool that uses quantifiable analysis to evaluate sustainability metrics. As these tools and skills develop over time, they also lead themselves to ever more sustainable future products.</p><img src="http://www.greenerdesign.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/wide_small/1010LCAH.jpg" alt="" title="" class="imagecache imagecache-wide_small" /><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/greenerdesign/~4/3w5yj9wW5sk" height="1" width="1"/>

New Home Sales Dip in September (at Seeking Alpha) - Yahoo! - October 29, 2009


Democrats and Republicans Agree to Keep Juicing the Housing Market (TechTicker) - Yahoo! - October 29, 2009


Supporting University’s Glass Dome Tests Foundation Crew - ENR.com - October 29, 2009


"First-Time Homebuyer"Credit May Cost Government up to $96,000 Per Home (at Seeking Alpha) - Yahoo! - September 21, 2009


Mound Technologies Continues to Complete Key Projects and Win New Contracts (PR Newswire) - Yahoo! - September 11, 2009
Heartland, Inc. , a diversified company with businesses in steel warehousing and fabrication and petroleum retail and wholesale operations, today announced that Mound Technologies, its steel fabrication subsidiary, has completed a number of projects, continues to win new contracts and grow a healthy backlog and is becoming a stronger key player for fabricated and value-added steel products and services in the region it serves.

Going Green? Windows Matter. - Builder - September 11, 2009
Choosing the right windows and placing them properly can make a big difference in a home's overall energy efficiency.

[video] Real Estate Buyers Are Back (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - August 31, 2009


Home run - Sustainable Industries - August 31, 2009
A new market segment focused on home energy performance could spark the economy and save homeowners millions.

Home Prices Up for First Time Since '06 (Updated) (at TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - August 26, 2009


[$$] These Three Banks Are the Best Play on Housing (at RealMoney by TheStreet.com) - Yahoo! - August 26, 2009


Homebuilders up as index shows higher home prices (AP) - Yahoo! - August 26, 2009
Shares of homebuilders got a boost Tuesday after a report showing a rise in home prices -- the first quarterly increase in three years -- was the latest sign of an incipient recovery in housing.

Ahead of the Bell: New Home Sales (AP) - Yahoo! - August 26, 2009
Government data are expected to show that new home sales rose in July for the fourth consecutive month, another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back.

Educating Tomorrow's Green IT Workforce - GreenerBuildings - August 26, 2009

This white paper from Cisco lays out why green IT is growing in importance, as well as case studies of schools that are helping students get out ahead of the green wave in IT.

The Carbon Chasm - GreenerBuildings - August 26, 2009

This report utilizes the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) dataset to analyze how the world’s largest companies currently set emissions reduction targets and whether planned reductions are sufficient to combat long term climate change.

10 Strategies to Increase the Energy Efficiency of Your Homes - Builder - August 26, 2009
Discover tactics that are guaranteed to work and won’t break the bank.

Billings Index Jumps Nearly Six Points - Architectural Record - August 26, 2009


Portland firm designs Passive House - Sustainable Industries - August 26, 2009
A Portland firm brings the German Passive House design to Oregon.