Five tips for meeting the 2030 Commitment

The AIA 2030 Commitment provides a considerable challenge for any firm willing to sign on. This is especially true for larger firms, which must find ways to reduce predicted energy use across a wide spectrum of clients, building types and climate zones. LPA was an early supporter of the 2030 Commitment, but energy efficient design…

How America’s largest African American-owned firm is planning for the future

How America’s largest African American-owned firm is planning for the future

In January 2020, Jonathan Moody, AIA, officially became CEO of Moody Nolan. They were big shoes to fill. His father, Curtis Moody, FAIA, was awarded the Whitney M. Young Jr. award in 1992 and AIA Ohio’s highest honor, the Gold Medal, in 2007 — among other honors. Today, Moody Nolan is the largest African American-owned…

First African-American woman appointed to Port of Houston Authority board

Mayor Turner and City Council approved historic nomination   HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston City Council voted yesterday to approve the nomination of Cheryl Creuzot to serve as a member of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. Creuzot, a highly respected business and civic leader, will be the first…

RHCA’s Mission to Give Contractors the Skills for Success

RHCA’s Mission to Give Contractors the Skills for Success

The Regional Hispanic Contractors Association was founded on the principle of helping the little guy and on being the helping hand that young businesses need to excel, and 25 years later, RHCA is still holding strong to that foundation. What started out as a committee of the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has grown…

Houston’s Hobby Airport Starts 2020 With New Airline, Maintenance Facility

Houston’s Hobby Airport Starts 2020 With New Airline, Maintenance Facility

Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport is marking the start of the new year with a couple of big announcements. Earlier this week, Allegiant announced it added Houston as one of a few cities it’ll begin serving in 2020. According to its press release, the new seasonal nonstop routes from Hobby Airport include Knoxville, TN, Asheville, NC, Savannah,…

OSHA letter: Portable headphones could be “safety hazard”

OSHA issued a letter of interpretation in response to an employers question regarding the use of headphones to listen to music on construction sites. The employer stated that some headphones are advertised as “OSHA approved” and asked whether OSHA had any specific regulation that prohibits the use of headphones to listen to music on a construction site….

The PEER Initiative: Protecting Employees, Enabling Reemployment

The PEER Initiative: Protecting Employees, Enabling Reemployment

Each year, Federal civilian employees sustain work-related injuries and illnesses. In 2018, Federal workers filed almost 107,000 new claims and received approximately $3 billion in workers’ compensation payments. Many of these work-related injuries and illnesses are preventable, and executive departments and agencies can and should do more to improve workplace safety and health, improve efficiencies,…

ConsensusDocs Publishes New Standard Public-Private Partnership Agreement

ConsensusDocs Publishes New Standard Public-Private Partnership Agreement

ConsensusDocs announced the publication of a new industry standard public-private partnership (P3) agreement. The ConsensusDocs 900 Standard P3 Agreement and General Conditions is a pioneering document from ConsensusDocs that represents a vast improvement of P3 agreements. Consistent with the ConsensusDocs philosophy, the document provides a fair and balanced standard for a P3 project to design,…

Misapplication of Construction Trust Funds

Misapplication of Construction Trust Funds

In the construction industry, the contract between parties is the principle source for determining the parties’ respective obligations. Project managers, superintendents, and other project-related personnel are routinely trained to review and understand contracts and administer projects in accordance with an industry understanding of the Contract. When juggling multiple projects, contractors are required to properly manage…

5G: Houston’s Next Leap in Innovation

5G: Houston’s Next Leap in Innovation

5G technology has been touted as the next leap forward in the digital technology arena, and Houston is one of the first cities to roll out the new tech, but what does this mean for Houston’s economy? Well, it could mean a lot.  5G networks need smaller and more closely deployed antennae that can attach…

Dallas recognized for ‘Deal of the Year’ award

Dallas recognized for ‘Deal of the Year’ award

The City of Dallas Office of Economic Development has won Business Facilities’ 2019 Deal of the Year Bronze Award for Uber Technologies’ U.S. Administrative Hub. Uber’s new hub, based at The Epic in Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood, will create 3,000 new jobs and more than $75 million in capital investment. Uber will provide a new…

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT RISES BY 1,000 IN NOVEMBER AND 146,000 IN 12 MONTHS; SLOWING JOB GAINS MAY BE SIGN OF LABOR SHORTAGES, NOT SLUMPING DEMAND

CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYMENT RISES BY 1,000 IN NOVEMBER AND 146,000 IN 12 MONTHS; SLOWING JOB GAINS MAY BE SIGN OF LABOR SHORTAGES, NOT SLUMPING DEMAND

Construction employment increased by 1,000 jobs in November and by 146,000, or 2.0 percent, over the past 12 months, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said recent modest monthly increases in industry employment likely reflect the difficulty contractors are having in finding workers rather…

World’s largest hard rock water tunnel boring machine debuts in Dallas

World’s largest hard rock water tunnel boring machine debuts in Dallas

The City of Dallas unveiled the Big Tex tunnel-boring machine (TBM)  at the Mill Creek Drainage Relief Tunnel. The 38-ft by 230 ft long machine is the largest hard rock water tunnel boring in the world at the time tunneling begins. Big Tex will be used to dig a tunnel designed to provide flood protection for east…

Generational Diversity and Its Impact on the Construction Industry

Generational Diversity and Its Impact on the Construction Industry

Family-owned businesses are the heart of the construction industry. Literally. It is the most frequently encountered ownership model in the world and impacts the global economy significantly. The generational leadership of a family business is credited for developing entrepreneurial talent, a sense of loyalty to business success, long-term strategic commitment, and corporate independence.   According…

Three firm leaders describe how to survive an economic downturn

What can architects do to prepare for financially turbulent times? The last several years have seen a major boom in the architecture business, but now a period of slower growth indicated by the Architecture Billings Index is pointing toward an impending downturn. In preparation, three firm leaders—Tim Dufault, FAIA, president and CEO at Cuningham Group; Carole Wedge, FAIA,…