Building & Construction Industry News & Analysis

Hyundai Plans to Expand in Alabama

New manufacturing technologies will support operations to make new models of the company's Sonata and Elantra sedans.

SRP Adds Energy Storage Battery to Help Meet Peak Demand

The 10 MW, 40 MWh energy storage array, to be supplied by Fluence, will provide peaking capacity to the grid during high energy demand periods.

Amazon and Home Depot Add More Rooftop Solar

Companies like Target, Kohl's, Amazon, Home Depot and Costco are investing in solar in record amounts.

Kinder Morgan Sells Controversial Pipeline to Canadian Government

A planned $7 billion expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline has drawn protests in recent years and helped spur what will be a two-part sale.

Researchers Find Environmental Cost in Tearing Down Homes in Vancouver

Although the newly constructed homes will operate using less energy, their construction is expected to result in one to three million tonnes of additional emissions between 2017-2050.

Snakes Help Engineers Better Understand Friction

Through evolution, snakes have adapted to move efficiently and survive in their various habitats immediately. “These environments can be brutal on even our most advanced machinery, so applying what we know about snake texturing could help our technology adapt as well,” reasoned Hisham Abel-Aal, an associate teaching professor from Drexel University’s College of Engineering.

NIST Roadmap for Reducing Fire Hazards from Materials

The roadmap provides guidelines for developing science-based approaches to solving numerous fire problems for multiple materials and prioritizes the most urgent fire hazards to which they can be applied.

Work Starts on $250m Electric Transmission Line

Much of the transmission line will be co-located on existing rights of way in northeastern Missouri.

Rethinking the Centrifugal Fan Selection

A very common type of centrifugal fan, typically referred to as a centrifugal blower, uses a squirrel cage type wheel with many forward-curved blades. The blades are shallow with a substantial curvature in the direction of rotation that results in a higher blade tip speed than a backward-curved blade.

Report Stops Short of Calling for Cladding Ban After Grenfell Fire

Inflammable cladding is thought to have contributed to the spread of a fire in London's Grenfell Tower. A total of 72 people died as a result of the blaze, including a 74-year-old who died in January.

13 Reasons Graphene Is a 'Wonder Material'

Graphene has been called a “wonder material” thanks to its many unique properties. Here’s a list of 13 areas where this wonder material is being put to wondrous use.

NIST to Study Maria's Impact on Puerto Rico's Critical Infrastructure

Lessons learned will help improve codes, standards, and practices in order to strengthen buildings and infrastructure, and reduce property losses from future storms in hurricane-prone areas.

Bridge Cracks Were Found Earlier Than First Reported: Miami Herald

Independent engineers who looked at photos, records and bridge blueprints at the newspaper's request agreed the cracks were a red flag signaling potentially critical structural problems.

Chicago, San Francisco Expected to get Amazon Go Stores

Amazon's cashierless store scheme is expected to expand to two other U.S. cities, according to recent reports.

A Non-Metallic Alternative to Structural Steel

Although steel will continue to dominate the realm of structural building materials for the foreseeable future, pultruded fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) is an attractive alternative that offers superior corrosion resistance and higher strength-to-weight ratios.

Building and Construction