FEMA Strengthens Construction Standards for Disaster Recovery

The Federal Emergency Management Agency released an update on Dec. 20, 2019 to its Recovery Interim Policy FP-104-009-11, Consensus-Based Codes, Specifications and Standards for Public Assistance, Version 2.1, adding several International Codes developed by the International Code Council, to the list of required Consensus-Based Codes, Specifications and Standards. The I-Codes requirements aim to advance national resiliency and reduce community risk before and after a disaster. The Public Assistance Program is FEMA’s largest grant program averaging $4.7 billion in assistance each year to state and local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations. Through the PA program, following a federal declaration, FEMA … Read more

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New ‘Insight’ Feature to Help Green Building Projects Prioritize Sustainability Strategies, Improve Performance

The U.S. Green Building Council recently launched Insight, a new data-driven tool that highlights building project design features that can lead to better performance. Insight is available as a feature of the Arc platform and provides information on the design attributes of LEED-certified buildings within a specified geographic region. Project teams can then compare and rank potential sustainability strategies to see how they stack up against the performance of other buildings. Insight leverages the depth of the existing LEED data to aid designers and builders in adopting smart, practical and achievable sustainability strategies. Insight can be leveraged by LEED and … Read more

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Builder Launches Dedicated Service Pledge to Sacred Heart Community Service

Commercial builder Blach Construction is ringing in 2020 with plans to commemorate 50 years in business. Founded in 1970 by Michael S. Blach, the company will be hosting a series of celebrations and has kicked off a year-long giving program at Sacred Heart Community Service in San Jose, California. “When we polled our colleagues on how they would like to celebrate our first 50 years, the results were overwhelmingly in favor of performing community service,” stated Chairman Mike Blach. “This response was very gratifying and would have made my dad, our founder, very happy. He loved working with nonprofits and … Read more

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Houston Community Supports Career Exploration

Lift & Move USA, hosted by Liebherr USA in Houston, Texas, received one of the largest ever groups of students at its recent event. Nearly 550 high school juniors, seniors, technical college students, teachers and administrators from 17 schools were in attendance. An outpouring of support from the Houston community included the presentation of a Certificate of Congressional Recognition from Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. The certificate was presented to Daniel Pitzer, managing director of Liebherr USA Co., by Ivory Mayhorn, CEO and founder of Launch Point Community Development Center. Liebherr was recognized for its “commitment to shape technological advances … Read more

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2019 Design-Build Project/Team Award Winners Announced

From university buildings to office transformations, this year’s 2019 Design-Build Project/Team Award winners are the best Design-Build projects in the nation and demonstrate how Design-Build Done Right continues to deliver project innovation and savings to communities from coast to coast. This year’s winners were announced at the 2019 Design-Build Awards Dinner during the Design-Build Conference & Expo. Design-Build Project of the Year Sharp Chula Vista Ocean View Tower Design-Build National Awards of Excellence Excellence Award winners are the best in their category or excelled in one of the key components vital to Design-Build success including design, process and teaming. DBIA … Read more

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