Panasonic Eco Solutions recognized for its sustained leadership to protect the environment, 7th year in a row Newark, NJ (March 28, 2016) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Panasonic Eco Solutions North America with a 2016 ENERGY STAR ® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency achievements. Panasonic’s accomplishments will be recognized in Washington, D.C. on April 13, 2016. Panasonic Eco Solutions, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2010, will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency. An ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2010 and 2011, and Sustained Excellence Award recipient every year since 2012, Panasonic Eco Solutions North America will again be honored in 2016 with the EPA’s most prominent award for its long-term commitment to innovation and sustainability. With the highest efficacy (up to 18.6 CFM/Watt) of any ENERGY STAR rated ventilation fan, Panasonic continues to exceed standards with virtually every product in its lineup where guidelines exist. Panasonic consistently demonstrates a tireless commitment to efficiency through offering high-performance, low cost solutions such as the new 2015 WhisperFit EZ, a fast and easy to install ENERGY STAR rated retrofit ventilation fan that is ideal for remodeling applications. Panasonic also collaborates with ENERGY STAR and various other organizations to educate consumers about the importance of energy efficiency and indoor air quality. “It’s hard to overstate the value Panasonic places on our partnership with ENERGY STAR,” said Patricia Monks, Product Manager, Panasonic Eco Solutions North America. “We are so incredibly proud to be recognized by the EPA for the seventh consecutive year. This award is emblematic of our shared vision to create a healthier, more energy efficient environment through our commitment to sustainable products and innovation. We are dedicated to providing a comprehensive line of high-performance, low-cost ventilation solutions that respect the environment and reduce costs for our customers.” Since its inception in 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners have helped prevent a total of more than 2.4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2014 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners provided more than $11 billion in societal benefits due to reducing damages from climate change. By continued collaboration with ENERGY STAR, Panasonic is helping Americans save money, save energy, and do their part to reduce our nation's greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate climate change,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “I’m proud to recognize Panasonic Eco Solutions with the highest form of ENERGY STAR recognition, as the winner of the 2016 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award. Panasonic Eco Solutions demonstrates a strong commitment to energy efficiency and to preserving a healthy planet for future generations.“ The 2016 Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a variety of organizations to recognize their contributions to reducing harmful carbon pollution through superior energy efficiency efforts. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors. For a complete list of 2016 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR's awards program, click “READ MORE“ below.

Annual holiday tradition yields more than 80 gifts for Lewisville cause LEWISVILLE, Texas (December 10, 2015) – The employees at Metl-Span's corporate headquarters and Lewisville manufacturing plant have again stepped up to generously support a program organized to provide Christmas gifts for underprivileged children in the area. The Lewisville Fire Department works directly with the school district to distribute the toys to area families. This is the sixth year Metl-Span has been a supporter of this holiday project.

The new office supports Hayward Baker customers in Connecticut, providing enhanced services and learning seminars. Middletown, CT, March 17, 2016 - Hayward Baker Inc., North America's leader in geotechnical construction, announces the opening of a new office location in Middletown, CT. The new office is conveniently situated between Hartford and New Haven. The office supports customers and projects in Connecticut, led by Brian Eastman, P.E., Project Manager with oversight from Kevin Dawson, P.E., New England Area Manager. Eastman is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst with a Bachelor's degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering as well as a Master's degree in Civil Engineering with a focus on Geotechnical Engineering, and has been employed by Hayward Baker for five years in the New England office. He has worked on a wide range of projects, including ground improvement techniques, structure foundation support, and temporary support of excavations. Eastman is joined by Ray Smith, Superintendent, who brings more than 15 years of project experience including drilled shafts, shotcrete earth support, micropiles, and ground improvement. According to Dawson, the opening of the Middletown office represents a commitment to serving Connecticut's diverse market of general contractors, geotechnical consultants, and commercial property developers. “We are excited to strengthen our focus in Connecticut. The new office location will enable us to offer enhanced service to our clients and expand our business in New England,” he stated. Recent local projects illustrate the wide range of foundation work Hayward Baker already performs in the region. These include aggregate pier ground improvement and drilled micropiles to support the new Earth Tower Hotel and Sky Connector at Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncaseville, CT. In addition, approximately 4,000 LF of steel sheetpile temporary earth support with internal bracing and grouted tiebacks are being installed for the MDC Wet Weather Expansion Project in Hartford, CT. For the Connecticut State DOT's recent Contract E project, in New Haven, Hayward Baker designed and installed over 60,000 SF of shotcrete and soil nail temporary earth support, approximately 70 drilled micropiles plus 30 drilled shafts. To kick off the opening of the new office, Hayward Baker will be hosting two seminars in the New England region for developers, contractors, architects, and engineers. Each seminar will be a full-day event from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, with refreshments and lunch included. Engineers will have the opportunity to earn PDH credits for these events. The first seminar will be on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at the Greenberg Center at Yale University in New Haven, MA. The following day - Thursday, April 14 - the seminar will be presented at Rachel's Amphitheater at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, MA. These seminars will focus on geotechnical construction and ground improvement, offering a wide overview of projects and techniques such as aggregate piers, rigid inclusions, jet grouting, temporary earth support, geotechnical instrumentation, and driven piles. For more information about the seminars, or to schedule a lunch-and- learn meeting, please contact David Finocchio at dwfinocchio@HaywardBaker.com. The new Middletown office of Hayward Baker is located at 515 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 116. For more information on the services offered by the office, contact Brian Eastman, Project Manager, at 401-626-0534. For a complete listing of Hayward Baker's 31 regional and local offices in North America, vist the link below by clicking “RED MORE”.

LEWISVILLE, Texas (December 16, 2015) – Metl-Span LLC has posted a white paper on its website detailing the many benefits and advantages of Insulated Metal Panel (IMP) Systems as building components, specifically walls and roofing. The white paper cites IMPs as a pre-manufactured version of a "universal wall" or "perfect wall." It also discusses the physics of insulated metal panels, thermal bridging and compares IMPs with alternative building systems. Installed as roofing, the white paper states, "With insulated metal roof systems, the vapor profile is identical to that of ‘site built’ compact roofs, insulated metal panel roof systems also work for refrigerated and cold storage facilities in all climates." The white paper also illustrates the superiority of IMPs in regard to water control, air control, vapor control and thermal control in a variety of applications. The white paper is authored by Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.E., ASHRAE Fellow, a principal of Building Science Corporation. He is a building scientist who investigates building failures and is internationally recognized as an authority on moisture-related building problems and indoor air quality. To view or download this white paper on Insulated Metal Panel (IMP) Systems, click "READ MORE" below.

Multifunctional facility will serve as a center of expertise for industry events, training seminars, customer visits and product demonstrations PEACHTREE CITY, Georgia, March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rinnai, the number-one selling brand of tankless water heaters in the United States and Canada, has launched a state-of-the-art customer experience facility at its U.S./Canada headquarters in Peachtree City, Georgia. The facility will be an engaging, multifunctional space designed to enhance customer knowledge and contractor expertise through meetings and demonstrations, selling and technical training sessions, industry events and customer visits. "We are constantly creating innovative solutions through teamwork and technology for our dealers, installers, customers and consumers. Naturally, we wanted to create a versatile physical space to generate and display those solutions," said Susan Mittelbrun, Vice President of Marketing at Rinnai America Corporation. "The space is designed with bright materials and an open concept to nurture inventive thinking for bold products." The new multifunctional facility serves as one open space for larger gatherings or can be split to serve multiple functions allowing for live installs and product teardowns. The room is comprised of state-of-the-art technical and AV equipment and live fire for demonstrating the entire Rinnai residential and commercial portfolio, including tankless and hybrid water heating solutions, boilers, direct vent wall furnaces and vent free heaters. The demonstration area showcases working Rinnai product for commercial and residential applications fully equipped with multiple fixtures to demonstrate product capabilities. "In addition to being a multipurpose area for people to come together, our facility will allow customers to experience Rinnai's story of the inspiration that goes into engineering highly efficient water heating and heating solutions that provide enhanced comfort, enduring quality and peace of mind," added Mittelbrun.

A range of looks, from soft, graceful patterns to bold, jewel-inspired furnishings, highlight the leading style preferences in 2016. The Delta Faucet Company industrial design team highlighted the looks in its 2016 interior design trend report, capturing a range of looks that homeowners, designers and builders can use as they seek ways to reinvent their living spaces.

The World Architecture Festival Awards is now open for entries in 30 categories. Submit your work to put your project on a global platform and open the door to international media coverage and new clients. If you are new to WAF or simply need a reminder on how the awards work, download our 2016 entry guide for information on deadlines, prices and the rigorous judging procedure.

LEWISVILLE, Texas (February 16, 2016) – Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y., is a historic co-ed college preparatory school, educating students from Nursery through 12th grade. Products from Metl-Span were specified for the Novogratz Center for Athletics, the school‘s fieldhouse/gymnasium. “We went with Metl-Span‘s CF30 insulated metal panels for their aesthetics and cost effectiveness compared with another manufacturer’s product, initially chosen by the architect,” says Victor Weisberg, R.A., LEED AP, project executive for West Rac Contracting Corp. in Hauppauge, N.Y. Approximately 4,785 square feet of Metl-Span CF30 Architectural Flat insulated metal panels were installed on the walls of the Poly Prep Field House, as specified by Jack Gordon Architects of New York. The 3-inch panels featured an exterior face of 22-gauge Galvalume/G90 in Silver Metallic SG, un-embossed, while the interior face was 26-gauge Galvalume/G90 in Igloo White SG, non-directional embossed. Since 1854, the school has graduated thousands of our nation’s leaders in the arts, athletics, business, science, medicine, law, government, education and philanthropy. The school’s mission “is to prepare and inspire the next diverse generation of leaders and global citizens to act with intelligence, imagination and – above all – character.” The Novogratz Center for Athletics hosted its first events in December, the inaugural Poly Prep Invitational Squash Tournament. More than 80 students from nine boys and girls varsity high schools from four states competed on the nine courts. On the same day in the facility’s wrestling center, the University of North Carolina edged U.S. Military Academy at West Point, 18-14. “The overall appearance is excellent,” Weisberg says.

Position offers platform to advocate for IFC and OpenBIM standards Columbia, MD (March 8, 2016)—Jeffrey W. Ouellette, Assoc. AIA, IES, senior product specialist – architecture industry at global design software developer Vectorworks, Inc., has been appointed as Chair for buildingSMART International’s Implementation Support Group (ISG). Created to support the various implementation and certification activities for buildingSMART standards, ISG discusses and promotes the use of Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) and the BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) for the exchange and sharing of Building Information Model (BIM) data among different software products. Well-known to the buildingSMART community and a longtime ISG member, Ouellette began attending meetings on behalf of Vectorworks in 2009, becoming deputy chair in the fall of 2011. Together with buildingSMART colleagues, he has created and maintained the IFC-Compatible Implementations Database. Since joining ISG, Ouellette has been an advocate for openBIM standards among end users and the vendor community, trying to mediate the needs of all the parties. According to Ouellette, the future of the global building industry depends on the cooperation of all sides to create, implement and use solutions that ultimately make everyone’s work more effective and result in greater value. As Chair, Ouellette’s roles will include leading all group meetings and forums and representing the group during other buildingSMART discussions and events. Additionally, he will work with buildingSMART International’s leadership on objectives to increase group membership and improve communication with end users. "One major goal is to expand ISG membership and participation to include more vendors that claim support for IFC in their products. This ensures that their implementations are of the highest quality and compatible with the work of those who have been part of the ISG and its efforts for some time," said Ouellette. ISG membership is open to all software companies that are members of a local or regional chapter or alliance of buildingSMART. Currently, ISG organizes regular in-person meetings during the spring and fall seasons, as well as conducts telephone or web virtual conferences to discuss implementation and support strategies. Representatives of large software companies, such Nemetschek brands including Vectorworks, Allplan, Scia, DDS, Solibri and GRAPHISOFT, as well as Autodesk, Bentley and Trimble, and smaller independent vendors including Progman Oy, IES Ltd. and Arkey Systems BV, regularly attend ISG meetings. "The group’s highest priority for 2016 is to foster the implementation and certification of IFC4 support across the range of products that have been involved in the previous IFC2x3 certification process," said Ouellette. "As ISG Chair, I want to encourage uptake of IFC4 by even more software vendors as it significantly improves data exchanges for project coordination, as well as important parametric data to enable more advanced downstream modeling workflows. Additionally, we want increase the support for BCF to improve communications between collaborators about the model data."

March 8, 2016 Lanham, Md. — To help build the next generation of leaders for the asphalt pavement industry, the National Asphalt Pavement Association is launching the IMPACT Leadership Group. Evolving from the NAPA Young Leaders Program established in 2004, IMPACT will focus on providing education, leadership development training, and networking opportunities designed to support the personal and professional growth of emerging leaders in our industry. “The IMPACT Leadership Group is the best place for someone to develop the skills, connections, and knowledge needed to make a difference in the asphalt pavement industry,” said David White of Superior Paving Corp. in Virginia and Chairman of the IMPACT Leadership Group. “This group is designed for proven company leaders and for those who are still working their way up the ranks, and we are all focused on making our companies, our industry, and ourselves better.” Embodied in the IMPACT name are six attributes that describe members of the group: Innovative, Motivated, Passionate, Active, Connected, and Teachable. “The IMPACT Leadership Group provides companies in the asphalt pavement industry a place to send promising talent to help them grow as individuals and learn how to make an impact in their workplace,” White said. The IMPACT Leadership Group meets twice a year at NAPA’s Annual and Midyear Meetings. The group also organizes an annual conference focused on technological innovations, legislative issues, leadership training, and networking opportunities. The 2016 IMPACT Leadership Group Conference and Tour will be held Sept. 22–24, 2016, at theWit Hotel in Chicago, Ill.

OTTAWA, March 1, 2016 /CNW/ - Engineers Canada is proud to once again kick-off March as National Engineering Month, Canada's largest annual celebration of engineering. Organized by the provincial and territorial engineering regulators, and with support from countless volunteers, over 500 events will take place throughout March from coast to coast to coast for young Canadians to learn about the exciting, fun and rewarding world of engineering. To mark this year's celebration, Engineers Canada has launched a new National Engineering Month website that includes an interactive "Chart Your Course" feature that allows visitors to discover which types of engineering may appeal to their interests most. The website also features the events happening across Canada in each province and territory, and allows visitors to truly discover the engineering profession through descriptions of the various engineering disciplines and profiles of everyday engineers. "National Engineering Month is a great time for Canada's youth to discover their place in engineering," said Engineers Canada Chief Executive Officer Kim Allen, FEC, P.Eng, FCAE, MBA. "Engineering is the foundation of a fulfilling career if you like being creative, working with great people, travelling, solving problems and being rewarded for your work. Take the opportunity in March to explore what engineering has to offer." Events such as design competitions, robotics demonstrations, and science and engineering fairs will teach young Canadians how to use math, science, technology and creativity to generate things that were once only in our imaginations. Participants will discover that with engineering's many disciplines and uses, they can find something that speaks to them. Whether they'd like to stay close to home or explore far and wide, they have choices along their engineering path. Engineering is a place for them; a place where they can find their niche.

Wausau, WI – Major Industries, a leading manufacturer of skylights, wall systems and canopies, recently expanded their product line with the release of IlluminPC™ polycarbonate multi-wall glazed wall systems. With this new addition, Major Industries is now the only daylighting manufacturer in the U.S. to offer distinct lines of FRP structural translucent panel systems, glass systems, and polycarbonate multi-wall glazed systems. IlluminPC™ is a lightweight and versatile wall system that features aluminum framing and 40mm polycarbonate multi-wall panels. Polycarbonate multi-wall is a tough, dependable glazing material that offers built-in light diffusion, excellent thermal performance, and an easy to install tongue-and-groove panel design that snaps together with ease. With its multiple wall construction providing panel U-factors of .19, and numerous color options that allow for unique design opportunities and control of light transmission, IlluminPC™ is a terrific daylighting system choice for both new and retrofit applications.

Fairview Architectural Blog, February 24, 2016 This is probably one of the most confused topics in the ACM/MCM industry, so I hope that this short post will help clarify the difference between the Manufacturer and Fabricator of Metal Composite Material (also known as Aluminum Composite Material or ACM). MCM consists of two skins of metal sandwiching a core material, which provides greater rigidity and superior flatness than sheet metal or plate. The MCM Manufacturer is the one that makes sheets of MCM, in a process where the skins and core are fused together in a continuous coil process. There are also some manufacturers that press skins to a core one sheet at a time, however this is generally known to be a lower quality bond, which is important when you consider the harsh conditions an exterior building envelope is required to withstand. The MCM Fabricator cuts, routs, folds and otherwise processes the MCM to fabricate panels to mount on the building. These fabricators can either have their own tested installation system using aluminum extrusions, or they can use a third party’s installation system. So which one should I specify? The MCM Manufacturer or the Fabricator? The answer is BOTH! There are many testing requirements, some of which apply to the Manufacturer and some to the Fabricator. Anything related to the MCM itself, such as fire rating and surface finish belong to the Manufacturer. Tests that require panel fabrication generally apply to the Fabricator, such as wind loads and water penetration. Jerry Fossey is the General Manager at Fairview Architectural USA, manufacturer of Vitrabond Metal Composite Material.