a Better Bubble™

ConstructionForum 🕸

Jefferson County Eyes “Tiny Home” Development

1 month ago
From Leader Publications:  Father and daughter duo Justin and Joanna Bondurant want to bring a new, affordable housing style to Jefferson County. They hope to build 22 tiny cottage-style homes, ranging from 400-800 square feet, on approximately 2.7 acres off Miller Road just outside Arnold. The development would be called Scenic View Cottage Community. The […]
Rachel Finan

College Trustees Award Almost $900,000 in Construction Contracts

1 month ago
From Leader Publications:  Jefferson College officials have agreed to spend nearly $900,000 on two construction projects at its Hillsboro campus. For one of the projects, an addition will be built at the new veterinary technology building, which opened Jan. 20. The other project calls for renovations to space inside the Career & Technical Education building, […]
Rachel Finan

EPA Revisiting Dozens of Climate, Environment Rules in ‘Day of Deregulation’

1 month ago
From Waste Dive:  The U.S. EPA announced 31 actions taken across the agency on Wednesday, potentially clearing away or limiting rules that affect the permitting and operation of thousands of industrial facilities across the country, including waste and recycling facilities. In a release published Wednesday, EPA said the proposed changes would “roll back trillions in regulatory costs.” […]
Rachel Finan

Bipartisan Bill Seeks Deadlines for Union Contract Agreements

1 month ago
From Construction Dive:  New bipartisan legislation with union backing could amend the National Labor Relations Act and force labor and employer parties to negotiate faster to create and ratify a collective bargaining agreement once workers vote to form a union. The legislation, introduced March 4 by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., would require parties to begin negotiations within 10 […]
Rachel Finan

The 10 Best Works of Public Architecture in St. Louis

1 month ago
From St. Louis Post Dispatch:  St. Louis architecture has a style all its own. You can look at many St. Louis houses and instantly know that they are from here. The deep red brick, sometimes accented with white glazed brick. The arches around the windows or doors. The long, narrow layouts — these are all […]
Rachel Finan

DOT Removes Equity, Environmental Factors From IIJA Funding Decisions

1 month ago
From Construction Dive:  Dive Brief: The U.S. DOT has rolled back a Biden-era policy that included environmental and social considerations in federally funded infrastructure projects, according to a Monday memo from the agency. The move rescinds two Federal Highway Administration memos, issued in 2021 and 2023, both titled “Policy on Using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Resources to Build […]
Rachel Finan

Most Workers Don’t Believe HR Will Address Toxic Behavior

1 month ago
From Human Resources Director:  Nearly half of employees in the United States don’t trust their HR leaders to address toxic behaviour in the workplace, according to a new report. Findings from iHire showed that 45.9% of employees said ‘no’ when asked if they trust HR to address toxic behaviours within their current or most recent […]
Rachel Finan

City Offers $16M=Plus in 2025 Neighborhood Transformation Grants

1 month ago
From St. Louis MO-Gov:  City of St. Louis’ Community Development Administration (CDA) is launching the third year of Neighborhood Transformation Grants, with more than $16 million in available funding for projects that support affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and public space improvements. Since its inception, Neighborhood Transformation Grants have directed millions of dollars toward new housing construction, […]
Rachel Finan

PERSPECTIVE: The Beauty of Compromise

1 month ago
From TAO+LEE on Medium by Peter Tao, Principal, Tao+Lee:  In our current times of being so divided, with blinders on and earplugs in place, not to mention so full of hatred, I felt I had to bring forth a Story……from, me. Just and Architect. A Moment of Awakening and Discovery on how to Think: When […]
Rachel Finan

VIDEO: Why Many in Gen Z Ditch College for Trades

1 month ago
From PBS News:  As the average cost of college in the United States soars, more young people are being drawn to skilled trades. It’s part of a career rethink among members of Gen Z, who have been called the “toolbelt generation.” Special correspondent Christopher Booker reports. John Yang: As the average cost of college in […]
Rachel Finan

VIDEO: Why Gen Z Is Ditching College for Trades

1 month ago
From PBS: As the average cost of college in the United States soars, more young people are being drawn to skilled trades. It’s part of a career rethink among members of Gen Z, who have been called the “toolbelt generation.” Special correspondent Christopher Booker reports. Thomas Stewart, Westchester Community College: There’s seven different types of […]
Tom Finan

Design-Build Team Chosen for Facility Providing EV Copper/Alloys

1 month ago
From ENR Midwest: Wieland, a supplier of copper and the copper alloys used in electric vehicles, has hired contractors Graycor and Helmkamp Construction Co., as the design-build contractor for construction of a $500-million expansion and modernization of its manufacturing facility in East Alton, Ill. Vestal Corp. will provide civil, structural, architectural, and building M/E/P design services […]
Rachel Finan

U.S. Migration Shifts Continue Southward

1 month ago
by Ali Wolf, Chief Economist, Zonda Where are people moving to? The South, still… We know this, thanks to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau tracking migration patterns nationwide. I love this data because where people move to gives us a sense of what they value (weather, taxes, affordability, job market, etc). It also […]
Tom Finan

Ameren Illinois Offers Financial Incentives to Designers Integrating Energy Efficiency

1 month ago
Architecture, engineering and design-build firms can now receive a financial incentive as compensation for time spent helping non-residential Ameren Illinois customers integrate energy efficiency into their new construction projects through the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program. To be eligible, projects must include custom efficiency measures beyond standard lighting. The New Construction Design Team Incentive is […]
Tom Finan

Seminar Addresses Masonry Site Wall Detailing

1 month ago
Exterior masonry site walls are often detailed and constructed poorly, leading to unsightly masonry failures such as stains, cracks, and spalling. While masonry site walls do not enclose occupied space, you still must follow masonry codes and industry standards to prevent deterioration and staining. The Masonry Institute is offering a free workshop, “Masonry Lessons Learned: […]
Tom Finan

History Buff Showcases Built STL on Social Media

1 month ago
From St. Louis Public Radio:  Erica Threnn needed to get out of the house. In 2020, when COVID-19 forced Threnn into depressed isolation, she began walking — then running — through her then neighborhood, Benton Park. “I kept running past a mansion,” Threnn, 41, said. “It looked very haunted, very dark and dirty and dingy. […]
Tom Finan

Modernizing Construction Industry Worker Training With Interactive 3D Technology

1 month ago
by Nate Henderson, Chairman & CEO, BILT The construction industry is facing imminent challenges posed by a changing workforce. There is a deficit of 300,000 construction workers, 250,000 welders, 80,000 electricians, 50,000 plumbers and approximately 40,000 HVAC technicians in addition to regular annual turnover. In the meantime, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the overall need […]
Tom Finan