What we're reading, following & covering

Wind energy is supposed to help fight climate change; it turns out climate change is fighting back

December 11 | The Washington Post

A changing climate is beginning to change wind energy's potential to provide power in key regions, part of what could be a broader diminishment of a key renewable energy source in part of the world, according to two scientific studies. The world is turning more and more to renewable sources of energy — wind, solar power, and in some cases energy from flowing water, to fight climate change. But what if climate change itself alters the distribution of wind, or sunlight falling on the Earth's surface, or river flows, and so changes or even shrinks the potential of these energy sources? Read more.

Lives at risk inside a senior complex in Puerto Rico with no power

December 10 | The New York Times

Altagracia Rodriguez de Jesus woke up on a recent morning and cranked open the aluminum shutters along one wall of her small, eighth-floor apartment overlooking the capital. She took a cold shower and kept the bathroom door open to let in the sunlight. Her cockatiel, Precious, sat in a cage on the toilet. Ms. Rodriguez de Jesus, 80, sang to the bird. She and other residents at the subsidized apartment tower where she lives could not switch on lights, cook on electric stoves, turn on bedroom air-conditioners or use washing machines. Read more.

Houston ISD proposes demolishing, rebuilding 4 storm-damaged schools

December 13 | The Houston Chronicle

Houston ISD officials are proposing to tear down four elementary schools ravaged by Hurricane Harvey and rebuild them, a plan that would keep students out of their home campuses until at least 2020. Students at Braeburn, Kolter, Mitchell and Scarborough elementary schools would return to new, elevated campuses on the same sites as the current facilities, according to a plan unveiled Monday. The district's board of trustees is scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to approve funding for the $126-million proposal. Read more.

How California can mitigate future wildfire damage

December 11 | Pacific Standard

In the midst of the many wildfire emergencies that have faced California this year, it can often seem that the way houses burn, or don't, is random. The thing is, though, it's not. Firefighters and researchers alike have a pretty solid understanding of why some houses are more vulnerable to wildfire than others. The real challenge ultimately lies in whether those with the power to act on that knowledge will do so. Read more.

Global warming boosted Hurricane Harvey's rainfall by at least 15 percent, studies find

December 13 | The Washington Post

There's a theme lurking under the giant science meeting here along the Mississippi River: Extreme weather really is getting more extreme because of climate change. The human influence on hurricanes and wildfires is increasingly obvious. For years this has been a subject clouded in uncertainties. But now scientists say they have hard numbers. Wednesday morning two independent research teams, one based in the Netherlands and the other in California, reported that the deluge from Hurricane Harvey was significantly heavier than it would have been before the era of human-caused global warming. Read more.

Another deadly blaze strikes Beijing as evictions draw fury

December 13 | Star Tribune

Five people died in an east Beijing fire, underscoring the challenges for the Chinese capital as it struggles to balance building safety with providing housing for its poor. Local media reported that the residents of Chaoyang district died before dawn Wednesday after electric bike batteries plugged into a home-rigged charging system caught fire and belched noxious fumes into a three-story apartment building. The accident came a month after an inferno killed 19 in south Beijing's Daxing district, prompting a controversial safety campaign that included the sudden eviction of thousands of migrant workers from unregulated slums. Read more.

Louisiana state board OK's new construction rules; impact big in new Orleans

December 12 | The Advocate

A new set of standards for constructing buildings were approved Tuesday after the governor withdrew his opposition, which had delayed for six months the codes going into effect. After receiving word that Gov. John Bel Edwards would rescind his June 14 order, the Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council voted again to enact the new rules that regulate everything from the thickness of materials used to how the plumbing is done. Now that the process has restarted, builders likely will have to start following the new construction codes in February. Read more.

Building code debate rages on

December 12 | Coeur d’Alene Post Falls Press

The Great Debate on Kootenai County building codes is far from being settled. Three county commissioners have three different opinions on offering voluntary compliance with the codes. "You can make an ideological argument (about cutting bureaucracy), but I come at it from practical standpoint," Commissioner Chris Fillios told fellow board members Marc Eberlein and Bob Bingham on Monday. "The question I have is, 'Why are we doing this?' I believe this opens us up to a lot of abuse (of shoddy construction)." Read more.

Gas Light intensifies fight against order to enclose decks

December 13 | Sea Coast Online

The owners of Gas Light Co. Restaurant are asking judge to resolve a lawsuit in their favor, related to a city order that they enclose their outdoor decks, and to pay their lawyers' fees for taking the case to court. Attorney Jonathan Flagg represents the Gas Light and said he's asked for attorney's fees because "even though the city has known all along they could not force enclosure of outdoor decks, they knew that because they just passed an ordinance allowing that, they nevertheless pushed this case forward in the ultimate combination of arrogance and bullheadness." Read more.

Salem to reapply for sidewalk funding

December 14 | Salem News

A recent report on economic development activities said plans call for the city to reapply for state funding to repair sidewalks in the downtown. The report presented by Michael Mancuso, executive director of the Sustainable Opportunity Development Center, which oversees economic development for Salem, said the city lost its original bid for a Transportation Alternatives Program grant through the Ohio Department of Transportation. In the report to city council's Economic Development Committee, he said he was working with the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association to try again, but with an idea to scale down the project into three or four segments. Read more.

Water access hindered response to Seymour apartment fire

December 13 | WBIR-TV

After an apartment fire destroyed a building in Seymour, fire officials say they dealt with a common issue, water access. The fire began early Wednesday morning at Countryside Apartments. One of the four buildings was destroyed. Fire had topped the roof by the time residents called 911. "It wasn't long, just poof," said Jack Mctyre, who has lived there for two years. Mctyre lost everything in his apartment, and spent Wednesday afternoon sifting through the wreckage. Read more.

SG Blocks contracts with major professional sports league to design and fabricate the first ever container-based athletic facility in West Africa

December 14 | KPLC 7

SG Blocks, Inc. (NASDAQ: SGBX), a premier designer, innovator and fabricator of container-based structures, has been engaged by a major professional sports league to design and fabricate a 19,940 square-foot athletic facility in West Africa. The containers will be fabricated in the USA and shipped to West Africa with expected completion in the second quarter of 2018. The new customer cited the company's newly achieved ESR rating, sustainability, strength and efficiency as key factors for choosing SG Blocks maritime-grade structures for this project. Read more.

Drowning in decisions; choosing how to build your new custom home

December 11 | Active Rain

When you build a new custom home today there are hundreds, if not thousands of decisions you will need to make. Most home buyers are ready to focus on the fun ones; picking kitchen cabinets, flooring colors, bathroom tile, and even developing or finding their new homes floor plan. However, there is an even more fundamental decision that has to be made: how will you actually build your new home? Gone are the days where you have to build it outside using the old, traditional methods. Modern construction techniques now exist that offer you a better, healthier, more efficient way to build. Read more.

How Canadians are constructing North America's biggest green buildings

December 11 | CBC news

In January, tenants will move into a six-storey Vancouver apartment building designed to be so energy efficient, you could heat each bedroom with a 100-watt light bulb. Boasting a total of 85 studio, one- and two-bedroom units, The Heights at 388 Skeena St. will be the largest "passive house" building in Canada. But it won't hold that distinction for long. Others are under construction and many more are at the rezoning stage, including a residence that will house 750 students at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus and two 40-plus highrise towers in Vancouver that aim be the tallest passive house buildings in the world. Read more.

Creating the greenest of green homes is an art form

December 13 | Unique Homes

Colorado is well-known for being a leader in green residential building in America. In Boulder, the professional building community (engineers, architects, builders, et cetera) passionately adheres to one of the most progressive and strict energy building codes in the country. Here, the bar for sustainability in luxury homes is reached, and raised, regularly, without compromising on beauty and livability. Architect Scott Rodwin, founding principal of Rodwin Architecture and president of Skycastle Construction, is an ambassador for this art form, educating everyone from his clients seeking the green homes of their dreams, to architects, builders, and Realtors across the country. Read more.

Shelter from the storm

December 8 | The Construction Specifier

This year is shaping up to be a record-breaking one for tornadoes and severe weather. In just the first nine months, nearly 1300 tornadoes swept across the country, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service. States like Georgia, Texas, and Missouri have experienced the most severe weather, reporting more than 390 tornadoes since January, while 42 states have experienced at least one. Read more.

Commercial energy codes: Top tips for ensuring code compliance

December 17 | Building Design & Construction

As a commercial energy code specialist, I am often asked the same questions by contractors: "How do I get my next project to meet code? What are my local energy code requirements? Where do I begin?" To help you get started, I've compiled a list of my top commercial energy code compliance tips. Here are some of the major components of energy codes and how to guarantee your next project is up to code. Read more.

Heights and areas calculator

December 8 | ZD Net

Wood construction offers distinct design options typically not found in a single structural material. It is inexpensive, readily available, easy to work with, strong and adaptable. The economic, environmental and energy-efficiency advantages account for more buildings being constructed of wood than any other structural material. Read more.