Author: Constructech Editors
The construction of asphalt pavement has a significant impact on the environment, in both energy use and emissions. When talking GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions from asphalt pavement construction have been receiving increasing attention in recent years. The results of research show that the greenhouse gas emissions from the mixture mixing phase are the highest, and account for about 54% of the total amount. Companies in the field are testing and developing various methodologies to reduce those GHG factors found in asphalt. Ingevity Corp. received an EPD (environmental product declaration) for its Evotherm M1 WMA (Warm Mix Asphalt) technology showing them to…
The U.S. Dept. of HUD (Housing and Urban Development) is putting money on the line–$10.3 billion in Fiscal Year 2022. These formula grants will go to communities across the United States for housing and community development activities ranging from affordable housing developments to public housing modernization to economic opportunities for people with low and moderate incomes. The grants include $6.3 billion in allocations to eligible applicants through the CPD Formula Grant Program. Among the distributions are: $3.3 billion for the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) program. These provide annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to…
Once the building is finished, the managing of the building begins. And that means technology. One of the go-to systems for construction and real estate managers has been Sage 300 CRE (Construction and Real Estate) and Sage has enhanced it with Sage Intacct cloud financial management system. The solution combines the long-trusted, solid foundation of Property Management with Sage Intacct’s proven multi-tenant cloud platform. Sage Intacct Real Estate allows for full lease abstract tracking and provides automatic reminders of important dates, including renewal options, lease expirations, and more. Additionally, users can automate management fee calculations, as well as expense recoveries…
In case you have forgotten, there was a massive movement towards remote “work-at-home” during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first two years. Everything slowed down while people learned how to get their home computers to act like their office computers. High-speed Internet connections became the gold standard. Childcare for those students locked out of their school, and “how to Zoom” classes were even more valuable. But for the most part, we survived and learned from those inconveniences. The global pandemic shift to hybrid workforces has had time to shake out and the result looks to be a long-term impact on the future…
The MC of the Kit Kat Klub in “Cabaret” famously sang, “Money makes the world go around, money, money, money….” Set in 1929, the musical’s lyrics are just as pointed today. Money is the source of resources for people and businesses alike and funding the future developments of tech firms especially depend on getting investments. These days, there are a variety of ways to find that funding. Following the more traditional route, Dusty Robotics, a robotic solution provider for the construction industry, closed a $45 million Series B round of investment led by Scale Venture Partners and joined by returning…
Site built 3D printed buildings are a growing market in vast parts of the globe. Several 3D printers for buildings are currently on the market or under development. What has been a concern, the material or “ink” used for the printing, is also under development and new materials are being used in commercial applications. For example, MAPEI Corp., a familiar name in concrete, mortar and other construction materials, and Black Buffalo 3D Corp., a provider of large-scale 3D construction printers, have announced a strategic, research, development, and manufacturing partnership for 3D construction-printing. The first collaboration from this partnership, Planitop 3D, is…
Yes, the supply chain for many products, materials, and even components is fractured. The combination of lockdowns, deaths, and illness during the two formative years of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum among other materials, has disrupted the availability of many critical building resources. To keep pace, supply chains must now become living, fluid ecosystems coordinated by central platforms. Many of the companies that contractors depend upon are making the necessary changes to repair the flow of both material and tools of the trade. A familiar name on the jobsite is Hilti and they are…
Among the newer acronyms in business, EH&S (environmental, health, and safety) can be both a cost center and a benefit. There is no doubt that environmental, health and safety programs can save companies money once implemented as these areas are often the biggest internal cost centers, and as the COVID-19 pandemic has shown EH&S affects employees and customers alike. Getting started can be a bit difficult, however, and firms that make that less challenging are coming into their own. For example, a collection of online videos called EHS Mindset was begun in 2021 with a discussion on Process Improvement. These…
In a hyperconnected world powered by the IoT (Internet of Things), transportation planners and policymakers have access to unprecedented volumes of data. Let’s continue our deep dive into transportation and how the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, also known as the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) has caused a renewed interest in modernizing transportation modes across the nation. Today, planners and policymakers use advanced modeling and simulation capabilities to put this data to use to test new transportation solutions in digital environments that duplicate real-world conditions. For example, one city is using its Activity-Based Model and “sketch planning” tools to…
For all the talk about the Metaverse and how it will change just about everything, CEO and Senior Executive level managers don’t see it being a factor yet. But artificial intelligence, that’s got their attention. According to Gartner, for the first time CEOs have placed environmental sustainability in their top ten list of business priorities and AI, for the third year in a row, at the top of their technologies to watch. The annual Gartner 2022 CEO and Senior Business Executive Survey was conducted between July 2021 through December 2021 among over 400 CEOs and other senior business executives in…