On July 2, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the results of the member ballot for the newest version of its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system for green buildings.  With 67 percent of the overall vote needed to pass the changes, LEEDv4 received 86 percent if the membership’s vote.  USGBC will launch LEED v4 this fall at its annual conference, Greenbuild, in November 2013.

Green Globes®, used for the environmental assessment and certification of commercial buildings, has recently undergone revisions.  The Green Building Initiative (GBI), the administrator of the program in the U.S., announced the availability of an updated version of Green Globes for New Construction (NC), which is also used for major renovations. The recent changes to Green Globes NC are based on an ANSI standard, ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings. GBI intends this update to improve technical rigor and enhance ease of use.

According to Bureau of Labor statistics construction safety is slowly improving.  The construction industry consistently lands among the most dangerous jobs, but the safety numbers are improving. The BLS reported a drop in on-the-job fatalities from 802 in 2010 to 781 in 2011. Looking at a wider range, the numbers are even more promising; in 2008 the number of fatalities was 1,016.  It's not just fatality numbers that are improving, either. Over the same four-year period, the total number of recordable injuries dropped from 4.7 per 100 workers in 2008 to 3.9 per 100 in 2011.

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) is the leading economic indicator of construction activity, with approximately a nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.  The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the April ABI score was 48.6, down from a mark of 51.9 in March.  After eight straight monthly gains in design activity, revenue at architecture firms fell in April.

Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has been challenging for many employers. To offer assistance to construction employers, AGC has dedicated a page on its website to providing compliance resources on the ACA. The members-only page includes links to white papers, a webinar and government resources. AGC will update the page routinely as new and relevant information becomes available.

This AGC Project Delivery Resources document was created to serve as a quick reference of construction industry resources related to construction project delivery. The chart encompasses all of the resources that AGC offers including white papers, online resources, and webinars and textbooks available in the AGC Store.

Construction employment increased by 7,000 in May, helping to push the industry’s unemployment rate down to the lowest May level in five years, according to an analysis of new government data by AGC of America. Association officials said the relatively positive jobs report for the sector underscores the need to address potential shortages of skilled workers.

Through the month of May, AGC is offering a 30% discount on AGC nationally developed curriculum Instructor's Guides! AGC brings programs to you for early-career superintendents and project managers, and those looking to get involved with green construction, Building Information Modeling, and now Lean Construction. Each of these programs can be customized to fit your particular location, type of construction, or even company. Check out each overview to find your best match.

In the May/June 2013 issue of AGC’s Constructor Magazine, there is an article, Strategies for Success – Paving Your Way to Better Fortunes, that highlights the findings from the AGC-FMI 2012 Business Development survey.  In this article, the author of the AGC-FMI survey and current AGC Construction Marketing Forum chair, Cynthia Paul (FMI Corp.), and other AGC Construction Marketing Forum members share business development strategies that have made their businesses successful and align with the findings of the survey.  Successful business development strategies that are highlighted throughout the article include planning, cultivating repeat business, networking to build contacts and implementing strategies. Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Today, AGC celebrates green construction efforts on Earth Day, along with its chapters and members.  While AGC debuts a new online toolkit for building energy code information, AGC chapters and members celebrate Earth Day through building green, recycling, carpooling, planting trees, cleaning up rivers and sponsoring awareness events.