Local HBAs tackle labor shortage; Architects see more amenities and size; CPWR snapshot of construction industry profiles an older workforce; Detroit joins the company of Turnaround Towns
Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined 13.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 394,000 units in July as higher mortgage rates prompted a temporary pause in buying activity.
The new building code in Prescott, Ariz., will foster new energy efficient solutions and will require new conformance inspections and testing to specified limits.
The California master building code, set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014, includes a few changes that could push automated, open-standards-based demand response into the mass market.
A Portland, Ore.-based nonprofit group recently showcased 13 extremely energy-efficient homes in four Northwest states. The homes were designed to use 30 percent less energy than a traditional house.
The unemployment rate in the construction sector in May was the lowest it has been in five years, which could signal a coming worker shortage, according to the Associated General Contractors of America.