• Energy-efficient retrofits eyed as job creator in NYC
  New York City has passed measures that will require owners of buildings of more than 50,000 square feet to audit the facility's energy consumption every 10 years in a bid to promote energy-efficient building upgrades. Every $1 million that's spent for green building upgrades generates more than two jobs and 10 indirect jobs, according to a 2009 study from the U.S. Green Building Council. Many in the construction industry have found that honing their knowledge of green building has furthered their business. Crain's New York Business (2/26)     

Products, Innovation & Technology

• Panama Canal: "A triumph of engineering"
  The size of the Panama Canal expansion and the extent of the organization and infrastructure that goes into supporting the widening are making it a great feat of engineering, William Gurstelle writes. "The 20th century saw dozens of huge civil engineering achievements," Gurstelle adds. "But to me, the Panama Canal stands alone as a triumph of engineering, a project that improves the quality of life for nearly everyone on Earth." Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.) (2/25)     

• Lessons learned from Burj Khalifa to pave way for faster construction
  Saudi Arabia's estimated $1.2 billion Kingdom Tower -- if built -- will rise as a three-legged structure in continuous slopes that end at different heights, which helps stabilize the building against winds. The structural-concrete superstructure will have a simpler skin and foundation than Dubai's Burj Khalifa, according to its design team. The lessons learned from building Burj Khalifa would pave the way for improved buildings that are much quicker to construct, said Adrian Smith of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture. Engineering News-Record (3/5)     

• Nevada's DesertXpress project now costs $6.5B
  Some are questioning the wisdom of building a 188-mile high-speed train from Las Vegas to Victorville, Calif. DesertXpress Enterprises would own the line, but because the cost to build it has risen to $6.5 billion -- an 85% jump in four years -- the company is seeking a 35-year loan of $5.5 billion to $6.5 billion from the Federal Railroad Administration. Las Vegas Review-Journal (2/26)     

• Other News

• $2.5B modernization plan for Mo. city's sewer system advances
  American City Business Journals/Kansas City, Mo. (2/23)     

• N.Y. university launches design contest for new $375M medical school
  BuffaloRising.com (N.Y.) (2/24)     

• Calif. transport agencies collaborate to get $1B in bullet train funds
  San Diego Union-Tribune (2/24)     

Sustainability & Green Building

• European researchers developing self-cleaning, de-polluting concrete
  Europe's Photocatalytic Innovative Covering Applications for De-pollution Assessment project seeks to create products that would improve urban air quality on a large scale and can be applied to building facades. PICADA researchers have been working to develop self-cleaning and de-polluting cement or concrete using titanium dioxide that interacts with water in the air and captures and breaks down air pollutants. "The PICADA project proved that the photo catalytic cement-based products are useful for depollution and self-cleaning," according to Arnaud Plassais, an engineer with the project. Nanowerk/Youris (2/23)     

• Other News

• Seismic safety spurs $1.8B rebuild of Salt Lake City airport
  The Deseret News (Salt Lake City) (2/21)     

Featured Content

Advancing Your Career

• How to find a job you love
  Become a savvier job seeker by learning to use online tools that can help you connect with hiring managers, notify you of job openings and aid you in finding companies that mesh well with your goals, says Alexandre Douzet, president of TheLadders. "What you really need to do is find the five to 10 companies that you really feel like you want to work for, then pursue those openings," he says. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (2/24)     

• Other News

• Study: Short messages, questions drive Facebook engagement
  ClickZ (2/23)     

• How cautious leaders can learn to make confident decisions
  CBS MoneyWatch (2/21)     

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by CSI NewsBrief readers in the past week.

• Which proposed stadium will score in Los Angeles? (ConstructionDigital.com)

• Floating solar panels provide power, conserve land space (Google)

• Slideshow: The ascent of the World Trade Center towers (TribecaTrib.com (New York City))

• 83-year-old, 1,255-foot Ohio River bridge imploded (WTOV-TV (Steubenville, Ohio))

• 5 reasons why building pros should be using LinkedIn (The Foundation Works (U.K.))

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

News from CSI

• FREE CDT 101 webinar
  Feb. 28, 2 p.m. ET
  In this FREE webinar, speaker Lee Orosco, FCSI, CCS, will advise exam candidates on the benefits of CSI’s Construction Document Technologist (CDT) certificate program, and how to successfully prepare for it! The CDT 101 webinar is an opportunity for individuals to learn about the benefits of the CDT, and is designed to advise CDT exam candidates about the requirements and resources for successful exam preparation and study. Orosco will answer your questions and help you make the right decision about the CDT. This webinar will be accompanied by a tweetchat on Twitter. Use hashtag #CSICertified during the webinar to chat with CSI members who have passed the CDT exam! Learn more, or register now.     

• CSI Academies -- Time is running out!
  March 1-3, San Diego
  For more than 60 years, CSI has focused on improving construction communication between architects, specifiers, contractors, product reps and others to save money, time and stress for all the parties. The CSI Academies teach construction industry skills that can improve your performance. The CSI Academies include three tracks:
  • Product Representative Academy (PRA) 
  • Construction Specifier Academy (CSA) 
  • Contract Administrator Academy (CAA) 

  See a list of sessions and speakers.  Learn more, or register now!

      

SmartQuote

One will rarely err if extreme actions be ascribed to vanity, ordinary actions to habit, and mean actions to fear." --Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher