Soldiers Turn Brickies as U.K. Homebuilders Seek Workers
May 20, 2015 —
Neil Callanan – BloombergAfter 21 years in the British Army that included tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, Ross Wilson was offered a buyout. Britain’s shortage of construction workers allowed him to trade desert sand for muddy building sites in the north of England.
Wilson, 38, is working as an apprentice bricklayer for homebuilder Persimmon Plc, which will train more than 300 former soldiers this year because of the country’s shortage of skilled workers.
The government formed after next month’s national election will have to urgently address the lack of new homes, according to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Persimmon’s Combat to Construction program is the latest effort by the industry to increase output as the shortage sends asking prices to record highs.
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Neil Callanan, Bloomberg
Code Changes Pave Way for CLT in Tall Buildings and Spark Flammability Debate
May 13, 2019 —
Sam Barnes - Construction ExecutiveAlthough nothing new, the debate over which is better as a building material—wood or concrete—intensified in December following the preliminary approval of new codes for cross-laminated timber and mass timber in tall structures.
The discussion among industry professionals has been less about CLT’s structural capabilities and more about its perceived flammability, with either side offering decidedly different perspectives. Comparatively new to the United States, CLT and mass timber products are constructed of several layers of pressed lumber board stacked in alternating directions.
In December, the International Code Council released the unofficial voting results on several code change proposals, including passage of the entire package of 14 tall mass timber codes. The proposals were presented by the ICC’s Ad Hoc Committee on Tall Wood Buildings, comprised mostly of engineers, architects, building and fire code officials, fire service, materials and testing lab representatives.
Reprinted courtesy of
Sam Barnes, Construction Executive, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. All rights reserved.
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Real Estate & Construction News Roundup (10/16/24) – Chevron Ruling’s Impact on Construction Industry, New Kind of Public Housing and Policy Recommendations from Sustainable Building Groups
November 11, 2024 —
Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team - Gravel2Gavel Construction & Real Estate Law BlogIn our latest roundup, Hurricane Helene affects infrastructure, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs bills aimed at renter protections, Federal Reserve kick-off rate-easing cycle, and more!
- Hurricane Helene illustrates how communities and infrastructure across the U.S. are unprepared for the extreme weather driven by climate change. (Julie Strupp, Construction Dive)
- The Supreme Court’s June Chevron ruling will likely have a seismic impact on laws that pertain to the construction industry. (Julie Strupp, Construction Dive)
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed three bills changing renter protection practices in the state last month including new requirements for security deposit deductions and restrictions on certain fees. (Mary Salmonsen, Multifamily Dive)
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Pillsbury's Construction & Real Estate Law Team
A Win for Policyholders: California Court of Appeals Applies Vertical Exhaustion for Continuous Injury Claims
August 24, 2020 —
Celia B. Waters - Saxe Doernberger & VitaFresh off the heels of the California Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Montrose Chemical Corp. v. Super. Ct. of L.A. Cty. (“Montrose III”),1 policyholders scored another victory as another California court rejected horizontal exhaustion in the context of continuous injury cases. The Court of Appeal of the State of California, First Appellate District, Division Four, in SantaFe Braun Inc. v. Ins. Co. of N. Am., adopted a rule of vertical exhaustion, holding that “[absent an explicit policy provision to the contrary] the insured becomes entitled to the coverage it purchased from the excess carriers once the primary policies specified in the excess policy have been exhausted.”2
The dispute in SantaFe Braun began in 1992 when asbestos-related claims were first filed against Braun. In 1998, Braun’s three primary insurers agreed in writing to defend and settle the underlying claims against Braun while resolving allocation among themselves. In 2004, Braun filed the current suit against its excess insurers, seeking a declaration that the excess insurers were obligated to help cover the costs of the underlying asbestos-related lawsuits.
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Celia B. Waters, Saxe Doernberger & VitaMs. Waters may be contacted at
cbw@sdvlaw.com
Plaza Construction Negotiating Pay Settlement for Florida Ritz-Carlton Renovation
August 31, 2020 —
Scott Van Voorhis - Engineering News-RecordLionstone Development, owner of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Miami Beach's South Beach section, began a $90-million renovation in 2017 after damage by Hurricane Irma forced the property's closing. The company reopened the hotel this past January to considerable acclaim in the hospitality industry press.
Scott Van Voorhis, Engineering News-Record
ENR may be contacted at ENR.com@bnpmedia.com
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New Orleans Drainage System Recognized as Historic Civil Engineering Landmark
May 29, 2023 —
The American Society of Civil EngineersNEW ORLEANS, La. – The
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) today recognized the New Orleans Drainage System in New Orleans, Louisiana as a
Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The project was innovative and largely unprecedented for its time, and the first portions came online in the year 1900. The system now consists of 22 drainage pumping stations and 1,200 miles of network drains, as well as green infrastructure elements to manage stormwater runoff. The infrastructure is largely credited for making the existence of New Orleans possible, and the improved drainage and reduction in standing water contributed to better public health and reduced the number of malaria and typhoid deaths in the early 20th century.
New Orleans' position near the mouth of the Mississippi River made it a vital city for trade and commerce in the U.S. economy since the early 1800s, despite its problematic natural environment. The city was perched along the banks of the Mississippi River and next to Lake Pontchartrain, surrounded by swamps. Improvements to levee systems prevented the city from being inundated with flooding from the river, but rainfall became a pervasive issue as the city's population grew in the 1870s.
The drainage system was first proposed in 1876 to replace primitive "drainage machines," steam-powered paddle wheels that moved water runoff into canals that led to Lake Pontchartrain. The existing system was inefficient and could not handle the frequent, heavy tropical rain New Orleans experiences and could not lift water sufficiently to drain the city. After several proposals, construction on the current drainage system started in 1897, and the first portions of the system came online in 1900. The system drains stormwater through pipes and canals to reach drainage pump stations which expel the water into several bodies of water surrounding the city. Engineers have repeatedly expanded and enlarged the drainage system, including a massive investment in the drainage system authorized by the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project and approved by Congress in 1996. The Sewerage and Water Board's green infrastructure plan is a critical partner and complement to the drainage system today.
The New Orleans Drainage System's design has inspired water management system design in communities around America and worldwide. In Southeastern Florida, water management systems using pumps and canals divert excess water away from heavily populated areas during heavy rain, including tropical storms and hurricanes. Engineers in Kolkata, India and Shanghai, China have also used drainage and pumping systems like the ones in New Orleans to assist with water management.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.
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Preventing Costly Litigation Through Your Construction Contract
August 17, 2011 —
Douglas Reiser, Builders Council BlogIt’s Tuesday, which means it ’s the middle of your work week. Tuesday is a great time to take an hour to look over your contracts, while the crews are pushing through their scheduled work. Today’s food for thought: How do you use your contract to reduce your litigation burden?
Your contract should do many things. It should discuss the scope of work, scheduling of work, quality of work, coverage for liabilities and conditions and timeliness for payment. But often overlooked is how your contract can lend to dispute resolution.
Commonly, you will see a simple provision that covers governing law, venue for disputes and the awarding of attorneys’ fees. But you can do better. Remember, a contract is enforced to the maximum extent possible in Washington state.
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Reprinted courtesy of Douglas Reiser of Reiser Legal LLC. Mr. Reiser can be contacted at info@reiserlegal.com
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The Economic Loss Rule and the Disclosure of Latent Defects: In re the Estate of Carol S. Gattis
January 15, 2014 —
Brady Iandiorio - Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLCIn a recent case of first impression, the Colorado Court of Appeals determined that the economic loss rule does not bar a nondisclosure tort claim against a seller of a home, built on expansive soils which caused damage to the house after the sale. The case of In re the Estate of Carol S. Gattis represents a new decision regarding the economic loss rule. Because it is a case of first impression, we must wait to see whether the Colorado Supreme Court grants a petition for certiorari.
Until then, we will analyze the decision handed down on November 7, 2013. The sellers of the home sold it to an entity they controlled for the purpose of repairing and reselling the home. Before that purchase, Sellers obtained engineering reports including discussion of structural problems resulting from expansive soils. A structural repair entity, also controlled by Sellers, oversaw the needed repair work. After the repair work was completed, Sellers obtained title to the residence and listed it for sale.
Sellers had no direct contact with Gattis, who purchased the residence from Sellers. The purchase was executed through a standard-form real estate contract, approved by the Colorado Real Estate Commission: Contract to Buy and Sell Real Estate, to which no changes were made. Several years after taking title to the residence, Gattis commenced action, pleading several tort claims alleging only economic losses based on damage to the residence resulting from expansive soils.
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Brady Iandiorio, Higgins, Hopkins, McLain & Roswell, LLCMr. Iandiorio may be contacted at
iandiorio@hhmrlaw.com
