SAN FRANCISCO — Kayenta Township (Ariz.) is the first tribal community in the U.S. to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC), a building code designed to reduce the environmental impact of construction projects, while keeping safety measures intact and enforceable. EPA's Pacific Southwest Green Building Team worked with Kayenta and works with other tribes and federal agencies to support the development of sustainable building codes that meet tribal priorities. In addition, Kayenta will be working with EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities to pilot community Smart Growth Guidelines for Sustainable Design and Development. “As one of the first communities to … Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The 39th SIA Annual Conference and Exposition will take place July 17-20 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, 1300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, Minn., 55403. The conference is the one of the largest gatherings of scaffold and access professionals within the entire industry. It features scaffold- and access-focused educational sessions and showcases the nation's top scaffold and access exhibitors. The conference will cover topics relevant to the scaffold and access industry and its segments. Some of the planned educational topics include roof top hazards and anchors for suspended scaffolds, safety preparations for building maintenance at heights, what an Occupational Safety … Read more

Company Recognized for Excellence for its Work on the Middle Tennessee Medical Center NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Turner Universal, a subsidiary of Turner Construction Company, announced that the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) recognized the company’s work on the Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn. with the Pyramid Award in the Mega-Project category of ABC’s Excellence in Construction Awards. The Middle Tennessee Medical Center is a 286-bed, 555,000-square-foot facility, which includes 12 operating rooms, 40 emergency department exam rooms, 32 intensive care units, 11 labor and delivery rooms and 16 neonatal intensive care units. The project has received significant cost … Read more

Guide to Provide Design, Construction Industry with Roadmap for Working on Sustainable Projects WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced that it will release AIA Document D503â„¢-2011, Guide for Sustainable Projects, including Agreement Amendments and Supplementary Conditions(“Guide”), in May 2011. The guide is free and was developed to assist users of AIA Contract Documents in understanding contractual considerations unique to sustainable design and construction projects. It also provides model language that can be used to amend or supplement key AIA Contract Documents in the A201 Family for use in these types of projects. Developed by the AIA's … Read more

First-of-its-Kind Green Healthcare Rating System Distinguishes Construction of High-Performance Healthcare FacilitiesThe U.S. Green Building Council recently introduced its latest green building rating system, LEED for Healthcare, or LEED-HC, at the CleanMed conference held in Phoenix, Ariz. The rating system guides the design and construction of both new buildings and major renovations of existing buildings, and can be applied to inpatient, outpatient and licensed long-term care facilities, medical offices, assisted living facilities and medical education and research centers. “Research has shown that when we are treated and heal in a green healthcare facility — one that has a healthy indoor environmental … Read more