New “Building to LEED for New Construction” Designed to Help Contractors, Designers and Developers Navigate Green Building Certification Process, Maintain LEED Accreditation The Associated General Contractors of America today unveiled a new green construction education program designed to make it easier to build and renovate green, LEED-certified buildings. The new program, called Building to LEED for New Construction, Second Edition is designed to help contractors, designers and developers successfully navigate the green building certification process and keep their green accreditations current. “Green building is rapidly changing from a niche market to the industry norm,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the association's … Read more

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — An estimated 30 billion square feet of gypsum wallboard is manufactured each year in North America. According to waste management specialists, approximately one pound of waste is generated for every square foot of construction area. That translates to about a ton of wasted scrap per home. Now imagine how much scrap wallboard is created when building a seven-story, 235,000-square-foot hospital building. To re-use the gypsum, while addressing the enormous wasted scrap, Veit Companies and Kraus-Anderson Construction Company (KA) have partnered to create an innovative drywall recycling program for the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital construction project … Read more

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Taking safety to the next level, Clayco Inc. has announced a new partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to create unparalleled safety standards during construction of the Missouri Baptist Medical Center West Pavilion project in Town & Country, Mo. In a signing ceremony held August 3, 2010, the project teams — including Clayco Inc., Legacy Building Group, Murphy Company, Sachs Electric, and the OSHA-St Louis Area Office — pledged support of a continued commitment to safety on the jobsite. The subcontractors involved in the project will also be incorporated into the partnership upon … Read more

Team of Solar PV Energy Service Providers on ‘Short List’ for California Department of General Services Solar Power Purchase Program SAN DIEGO — Reno Contracting announced its collaboration with Atlas Project Support to provide energy conservation/renewable energy solutions for clients interested in creating energy efficient buildings. These services include providing solar PV energy systems. As part of that work, a four-member team of companies including Atlas and Reno Contracting, has been selected to be on a short list of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy service providers for the California Department of General Services Solar Power Purchase Program. The other team members … Read more

SCHAUMBURG, IL — In response to the increasing implementation of sustainability rating systems, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute's (CRSI) Board of Directors approved a position on LEED credits for reinforcing steel at a meeting at the 86th Annual Conference in Naples, Florida. There has been considerable debate among the architectural and engineering communities regarding submittal information required for the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED certification relating to Materials and Resources credits MR4 (Recycled Content) and MR5 (Regional Materials). It is the position of the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) that the following information and guidance be used when … Read more