Monthly Archives: January 2019

Registration Open for LEED v4.1; USGBC Seeks Volunteers

The Green Building Council’s (USGBC) newest version of the LEED green building program, LEED v4.1, is open for registration for both new construction projects, as well as interior spaces.

The goal of the new version is “to make the rating system more accessible to more projects based on lessons learned from LEED v4 project teams,” according to the USGBC. This newest beta version updates performance thresholds and referenced standards. The changes also advocate for improved performance throughout the life of buildings, reward leaders based on performance and incorporate performance reporting so that building owners can track progress toward environmental, social and governance goals.

The USGBC is also currently looking for volunteers for its LEED for Cities and Communities working group. The organization is looking for experts with technical knowledge across the rating system to serve on the inaugural LEED for Cities and Communities Working Group to advise on global, city-scale and urban sustainability issues across the organization’s programs, policies and products and support development, deployment and evolution of the LEED for Cities and Communities standard and program.

Murphy Focuses on Infrastructure; NJDOT, NJTA Advance More Than $1B in Contracts for 2019

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Construction will play a big part in New Jersey governor Phil Murphy’s plans for the future. The governor is focused on fixing the state’s crumbling infrastructure, among other core issues. In this week’s state of the state address, he spoke repeatedly about investing in _infrastructure as a way to bring jobs to the state now and in the future.

The state had already put money behind those priorities. In December, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and New Jersey Turnpike Authority announced it was advancing more than $1.1 billion in construction contracts for 2019.

NJDOT will issue over $500 million in construction contracts between now and March 2019 and the NJTA will issue more than $600 million, adding over $400 million in new projects currently under design, according to the press release.

Murphy isn’t only focused on roads and rails. At one point during his speech, he specifically called out the water infrastructure issues:

“Let us use this year to also turn our attention to our aging water infrastructure. More than 1.5 million residents – north, central, and south, rural and urban – are currently serviced by water with elevated lead levels. We must leverage every opportunity to build a modern water infrastructure network that ensures the delivery of clean water to every child, and every family. We have inherited water infrastructure that is, in some places, a century old, if not older. … Outdated infrastructure is a national problem, and it requires a federal solution. I will continue working with our Congressional delegation to press the federal government for greater support and assistance — whether it pertains to clean water, or getting the Gateway Tunnel built,” he said.

Government Shutdown Stalls Infrastructure Projects

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The government shutdown is impacting transportation and road construction projects across the country, but exactly how much depends on the state, according to a story in The Washington Post.

Every state is feeling the impact, but not all are being hit the same. The percentage of federal funding states receive varies from one jurisdiction to the next and not every state is in the same funding situation. Depending on the climate, for instance, while some states would be taking bids for spring projects, others would be in mid-construction on projects.

The more this goes on without a resolution, the more of a problem it will be for contractors and the construction workforce, not to mention the nation’s infrastructure.

“If this continues to drag on it will have real impacts, not only on a state’s ability to build new projects but also on their ability to operate the system that they currently have,” said Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials told the Post. “Eventually it’s going to have an impact on operations and maintenance.”

Read the full story for more of a breakdown on the situation’s impact on the industry.

Women Still Outnumbered, But Making Bigger Strides in Construction Industry

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Like so many other industries, construction continues its efforts for greater gender and racial representation in its workforce.

Construction has long been, and remains, a male-dominated industry. Nationally, women make up less than 10 percent of the workforce. But there has been a recent 15 percent growth of women in the industry, as more and more companies are recruiting women and promoting them to senior roles, according to a report on industry trends in Fora Financial.

Women in construction are even getting documentary film attention. A feature-length documentary is in post-production. Hard Hatted Women follows five female construction workers through their daily life on and off the job where they break down barriers in the blue collar world, according to the filmmakers, who hope to secure enough funding to get screenings on the film festival tour in 2019.

The project has received support from companies like Turner, Dragados USA, SMACNA and Structure Tone, according to a story in enr.com, which adds that if the push of recruiting attention alone isn’t enough to attract more women to the industry, maybe the industry’s growth and opportunity will be.