Category: Building Material

Owners of businesses tied to blast in L.A. strike plea deals

by Wei Fullmer on November 23, 2020 in Building Material

The owners of two smoking and vaping supply stores in downtown Los Angeles where a large explosion left several firefighters seriously injured struck plea deals with prosecutors Thursday that call for their businesses to pay more than $100,000 to the city.

As part of the agreement with the Los Angeles city attorney’s office, the retail businesses, Smoke Tokes and Green Buddha, must pay the Los Angeles Fire Department roughly $127,000 to compensate the agency for the investigation into the May 16 blast, which rocked downtown L.A. In addition, Raheel Lakhany and Shafaq Sattar, who each owned one of businesses, agreed

Georgia boy, 12, is college sophomore aerospace engineering major

by Wei Fullmer on November 21, 2020 in Building Material

Like many other 12-year-old boys, Caleb Anderson enjoys collecting action figures, watching Netflix and playing with Beyblades. He also happens to be a sophomore in college majoring in aerospace engineering.

Caleb is currently enrolled as a student at Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia, where he’ll graduate with a bachelor’s degree in two years. He hopes to continue his education at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute for Technology and eventually get an internship working for Elon Musk.

“When I

Largest Four-Month Lumber Price Increase in 70 Years Outweighs Other Price Declines in August

by Wei Fullmer on November 19, 2020 in Building Material

Prices paid for goods used in residential construction continued their upward trend in August, increasing 0.9% (not seasonally adjusted) according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is the fourth consecutive monthly increase since the index declined three months straight and brings the index back to its pre-pandemic level. Prices of excluding energy increased 1.0% over the month.

The four-month increase is almost exclusively due to the dramatic rise in softwood lumber prices, which advanced 14.9% in August. Prices have increased nearly 50% since April, the largest four-month gain in the

Building materials come alive with help from bacteria — ScienceDaily

by Wei Fullmer on November 17, 2020 in Building Material

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have developed a new approach to designing more sustainable buildings with help from some of the tiniest contractors out there.

In a study that will appear Jan. 15 in the journal Matter, engineer Wil Srubar and his colleagues describe their strategy for using bacteria to develop building materials that live and multiply — and might deliver a lower carbon footprint, to boot.

“We already use biological materials in our buildings, like wood, but those materials are no longer alive” said Srubar, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering (CEAE).

Presidential election, mixed economic outlook to affect builders in 2020

by Wei Fullmer on November 11, 2020 in Building Material

Last week, corporate leaders and business owners breathed a collective sigh of relief as 2019 ended with no sign of the economic slowdown that was predicted to hit the U.S. last year.

As 2020 begins, the new year looks strong for the commercial building industry, according to Anirban Basu, chief economist of the Associated Builders and Contractors. He told attendees listening to the association’s December economic forecast webinar that the sector’s strong average backlog — nine months as of August — “seems consistent with the notion that America’s economic expansion, now in its 11th year, is not on the