Flood maps used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are out-of-date and understate the risks to homes and businesses from flooding and extreme rain triggered by climate change. One study came to the same conclusion: a 2020 evaluation of flood risk by the non-profit group First Street Foundation, which analyzed every property in the... Continue Reading →
Our last post focused on the first step in digital practice: creating a BIM Exhibit. Once the contracting parties attach that exhibit to the design and construction contract forms, they have to expand the agreement on model sharing and reliance issues through a project-specific BIM Execution Plan (“plan”). The AIA Contract Documents program created G203-2022,... Continue Reading →
The recently published AIA Digital Practice Documents involve three interrelated components that clearly define the procedures for sharing models, the permitted uses of the shared information, and the level of reliability on the model elements. The documents, therefore, provide the parties to the design and construction process with a straightforward methodology to share information without... Continue Reading →
On July 20, the AIA Contract Documents program released new documents in its series of Digital Practice Documents (or BIM documents). The first significant revisions since the 2013 edition include simplified documents and forms, as well as recognition that as the industry increasingly uses project-specific BIM execution plans, it would benefit from the creation of... Continue Reading →
Recent surveys show a significant demand for professionals skilled in design and related construction disciplines. While the demand by architecture firms to add staff is intense at this time, it is likely to cool significantly in the next year because of the realities of inflation and the fears of recession. Within a few years, this... Continue Reading →
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will flood states with financial grants to develop projects that many states would never be able to accomplish otherwise. Without federal funding, low-tax states or those with tremendous needs for remedial and new infrastructure projects would be unable to pay for developments that create jobs and economic growth.... Continue Reading →
Solar panels are essential in reducing carbon in US energy production, but there is a clear understanding that the global solar panel supply chain relies heavily on forced labor from China. Polysilicon is a key raw material in the solar photovoltaic supply chain and China is its major producer. Now, the US solar industry and... Continue Reading →
As design firms know, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is an enormous source of funding for capital projects, allocating $1.2 trillion to a wide variety of programs ranging from environmental remediation to bridge repair to addressing cybersecurity in state, local, and tribal governments. According to the Federal Funds Information for States (an organization... Continue Reading →
It has been 26 months since we first blogged about the effect of COVID-19 on design firms. The dangers to employees, their families, and design firm productivity are still with us. So firms might want to use, or suggest to employees, the CDC Quarantine and Isolation Calculator. The calculator is geared toward the general public and... Continue Reading →
On March 30, the US Department of Energy (DOE) announced new building energy code requirements for federal buildings. Beginning in April 2023, all new buildings and major retrofits constructed by the federal government must comply with the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and the 2019 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers Standard 90.1 building energy... Continue Reading →
