Eco-Friendly Office Space Awarded Highest “Green” Honor CHICAGO — McGuire Engineers today announced that its office space was officially awarded LEED Platinum Status, the highest designation awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council.   Recently completed this past summer, the office was designed to showcase a wide variety of ideas that an average office can implement to lessen its carbon footprint and create a healthier, more productive environment for employees.   Everything from the paint to the flooring was carefully selected including sustainable, re-used, and recycled materials, efficient lighting fixtures and controls to monitor and adjust energy usage. A virtual … Read more

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has significantly updated its compact excavator safety manual and now offers a new Spanish/English version of the material. The AEM Compact Excavator Safety Manual was developed under the guidance of the association's Attachment Manufacturers Council and Compact Loader/Compact Excavator Council. AEM safety manuals illustrate typical worksite and equipment hazards as well as safe practices in equipment preparation, operation, maintenance and transport. They are ideal for group safety sessions on the job or in the classroom as well as individual usage. The AEM Compact Excavator Safety Manual expanded from 40 to 52 pages. Enhancements include … Read more

WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Institute of Architects unveiled its top four legislative priorities with the 112th Congress that convenes January 5. Each initiative focuses on creating jobs in a design and construction industry that accounts for one in nine dollars of Gross Domestic Product. “When architects work, the nation builds,” said AIA President Clark Manus, FAIA. “By following these four core principles, Congress has a chance to enact policies that unleash the entrepreneurial spirit of America's design professionals, create economic growth and rebuild our struggling communities and aging infrastructure.” The AIA's top legislative priorities are: >       … Read more

Power Construction, Residential Improvements Offset Declines in Most Private Categories; Public Construction Continues to Rise but Change in Congress; State and Local Budget Woes Augur Downturn Ahead Construction spending increased by 0.4 percent in November, the third straight rise in the total, the Associated General Contractors of America noted today in an analysis of new Census Bureau data. Private residential and public construction each gained 0.7 percent compared with October's totals, while private nonresidential construction edged down 0.1 percent. “It is heartening to see three increases in a row for the total,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “But … Read more