TORONTO, Canada —Green jobs are now firmly established in the design and construction workforce, according to a new study released by McGraw-Hill Construction at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo this week in Toronto. According to the study, 35 percent of architects, engineers and contractors (AEC) report having green jobs today, representing 661,000 jobs and one-third of the industry workforce. That share is expected to increase over the next three years, with 45 percent of all design and construction jobs being green by 2014. “Green jobs are already an important part of the construction labor workforce, and signs are that … Read more

Crews have always been a huge part of World of Concrete every year — and in 2012, WOC wants to show the world what great things these crews of the commercial construction/masonry industries have accomplished. WOC will host a “Crews that Rock!” competition sponsored by BASF. Crews will submit stories online along with images capturing projects completed in 2011. Projects can be a large mega-sized project, a small community-based endeavor, or a volunteer/humanitarian effort. These stories will be shared with WOC website visitors that will then vote for their favorite entries. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 14. For more … Read more

Turner Construction Company announced that the Third Quarter 2011 Turner Building Cost Index has slightly increased over the Second Quarter of 2011. The index measures costs in the nonresidential building construction market in the United States. The cost index of 814 reflects a 0.37 percent increase from the Second Quarter 2011 and 2.01 percent increase from the Third Quarter 2010. Karl F. Almstead, the Turner vice president responsible for the Turner Building Cost Index said, “Commodity and material prices have stabilized on decreasing global demand. Structural Steel and Reinforcing Bar prices are remaining stable for the near future. Although the … Read more

MT. VERNON, IOWA — The Concrete Foundations Association (CFA) — a North American association dedicated to improving the quality and acceptance of cast-in-place concrete foundations — has announced the newest terms for its Board of Directors. This past August, the membership of the Concrete Foundations Association assembled at Wintergreen Resort in Wintergreen, Va. for the CFA Annual Convention. During that event, the following individuals were elected for three-year terms to the Board of Directors both returning experience and bringing new energy. Those elected to serve another term included Tom Brown of TJ Construction in Ely, Iowa and Van Smith of … Read more