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August 20, 2009

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

Hampden Holdings, Inc. Acquires New England Door Supply

The companies of New England Lumber, New England Drywall Supply, New England Door Supply, and New England Capitol Wood Floor Supply have been acquired by Hampden Holdings, Inc. The 26-year-old operating companies supply doors, windows, lumber, flooring, and drywall materials to building contractors. Full Story

Click here for more Industry Access news including recent new hires, merger & acquisition activity and who's offering new products.

* DHI Members may submit news releases to be considered for inclusion in DHI's IndustryWatch. Send to: jmadden@dhi.org.

BUSINESS UPDATE

The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announced the availability of two new personnel certification programs for green building practitioners. The certifications, Green Globes Professional (GGP) and Green Globes Assessor (GGA), will help expand the knowledge base around accepted sustainable building best practices including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), as well as extend the reach of the Green Building Initiative as it responds to growing demand for Green Globes certification, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) was up almost 6 points in July. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the July ABI rating was 43.1, up noticeably from 37.7 the previous month. This score, however, still indicates a decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry score fell to 50.3 from 53.8, but it was the fifth straight month with a score in above 50. Full Story

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, or ASHRAE, is planning to unveil a new program that would provide buildings with a sort of report card, or label, of their energy use. The program would give buildings a rating from A+ to F, reported the New York Times on the Web. The labels would provide an easy-to-understand metric for owners and tenants to compare with other, similar buildings, such as office buildings in downtown San Francisco, for example. ASHRAE hopes the labels will help spur more energy-efficient design by making energy use a more visible characteristic of buildings, said Bruce Hunn, director of strategic technical programs for ASHRAE, a research and standards writing organization. Full Story

Charter schools are providing a minor but growing niche for the building and design industries in the New York City area. According to the city, 21 new charter schools will open in September, though only two of them will be in new buildings. The state has 141 charter schools in operation, and about 100 are in the city, reported the New York Times on the Web. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

Canadian builders unexpectedly took out more permits in June than in May as a rebound in the housing market continued and more plans for commercial buildings were drawn up, Statistics Canada said. The value of permits climbed 1% in the month, outperforming market expectations of a 3.5% decline and adding to a massive 17.5% gain in May, according to Statscan's revised figures. Full Story

Construction on the first of two new classroom buildings that will replace the troubled Arjona and Monteith buildings at the University of Connecticut should start in October, reported the Hartford Courant. The budget for both buildings is $95 million. The new buildings were part of the $1 billion UConn 2000 program, but construction was delayed because the buildings were in such demand that they could not be closed for replacement. Full Story

Anne Arundel County, MD has almost $462 million of the capital budget allotted for school projects ranging from renovations to revitalization, additions, upgrades and even complete rebuilds. More than 20 schools in the county are currently in some phase of planning or construction, reported the Maryland Gazette. Full Story

A $200 million bond issue was approved by the Valley Health Board of Directors in West Virginia to support construction and expansion projects at Winchester Medical Center, Morgan County War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs and Hampshire Memorial Hospital in Romney. Some $140 million will finance a major expansion project at Winchester Medical Center. Another $40 million would be used to build replacement hospitals for Morgan County War Memorial and Hampshire Memorial, which will receive $20 million each, reported the Morgan Messenger. Full Story

With the encouragement of Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the American Institute of Architects (AIA) conducted a study to determine how many jobs in the design and construction industry could be created if the American Clean Energy Security Act (H.R. 2454; also known as the Waxman-Markey Bill) is enacted. The study analyzes two provisions included in the House-passed Act, the State Energy and Environment Development (SEED) program and the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) program. Using studies that measure the extent of job creation in the building industry, the findings estimate that as many as 270,000 jobs could be created or saved if the building-related provisions in H.R. 2454 become law. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

Security System News discusses security software stability. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

The Texas Facilities Commission is requiring a BIM model for all state design and construction projects. The state agency oversees all real estate development for the state including state buildings and all state University systems. Currently, the Facilities Design and Construction division is managing 125 projects valued at over $500 million, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

California's green building code, the first of its kind in the nation, takes effect this month. The code standardizes practices for reducing the environmental impact of buildings in a variety of ways, from cutting water and electricity consumption to using less resource-intensive building materials. Application of the code is currently voluntary, reported the Sacramento Bee. Full Story

Contractors across the nation will be watching the Mississippi Supreme Court Oct. 5 to see if it upholds a Rankin County circuit court decision that ruled the insurer is not responsible for subcontractor performance under a contractor's Commercial General Liability policy. In Architex Association Inc. v. Scottsdale Insurance Co., Architex alleges that "an unintended construction defect by a subcontractor constitutes an occurrence that triggers coverage under a contractor's CGL insurance policy," according to a statement from the law firm of Burr & Forman LLP of Jackson, MS, representing Architex. The lawsuit alleges that Scottsdale has a "duty to investigate and defend" Architex in the matter, reported Engineering News-Record. Full Story

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the Obama administration was honoring its pledge to cut red tape and speed the flow of rebuilding aid to the Gulf Coast, with more than $895 million in infrastructure funds set aside for Louisiana since President Barack Obama took office. The latest pledge of money - $32 million - was announced during her second visit in five months to Southern University at New Orleans, which was virtually wiped out by Hurricane Katrina nearly four years ago. Only a few buildings have been renovated to date, and some classes and school activities are still held in trailers at a nearby campus, reported The Miami Herald. Full Story

DHI NEWS

DHI’s 34th Annual Conference and Exposition UPDATE:
September 16 – 25, 2009 in Orlando, FL

Didn’t Register in Time for the Advance Registration Deadline? Don’t worry! You can STILL pre-register for DHI’s 34th Annual Conference and Exposition until Friday, September 4, 2009. After that date all registrations will need to be made on-site.

Click here to see all that this year’s event has to offer and to register online!

DHI’s Housing Bureau is STILL accepting reservations on an as available basis ONLY. A limited number of rooms are still available within DHI’s Housing block in the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center and the Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration.

Secure your room online by clicking here or contact the Housing Bureau directly at 866-578-8809, Monday – Friday from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm EST.

Early Bird Pricing Deadline for National Education: Monday, August 31, 2009!
Don’t Miss Your LAST DHI National Education Opportunity This Year!
September 18 – 25, 2009 in Orlando, FL!

With over 25 different classes being offered, there is something for EVERYONE! Classes are beginning to fill up, so ACT NOW TO SECURE YOUR SPOT! For a complete list of course offerings and to register online click here or contact Member Services at 703-222-2010.