Legislative Issues

NRCA release photovoltaic guidelines... click here to read full Press Release

NRCA's roofing manual and construction details CDs are available... click here to read full Press Release

NRCA Completes latest roofing manual... click here to read full Press Release

South Carolina Mechanic Lien Code
view the changes here!

LEED Training and How to Obtain LEED AP Certification
General Information
LEED AP information
Local USGBC Chapter information and classes

NEW Bill S 803... amendements to the lien law proposed by Senator Rand
click here for more information

SC Department LLR - Potential Increase of Licensing Fees
Click here for full article

NRCA... February 10 @ 10... click here for report

NRCA INFO, WEEK OF MARCH 08, 2010:

Glass pyramids could rotate to capture sun's rays
Researchers at the Center for Architecture Science and Ecology in New York have developed grids of clear glass pyramids to capture solar power. Each glass pyramid focuses solar energy onto a solar cell and can rotate to capture the sun's rays throughout the day. "The reason we're interested in windows is because they have the largest surface areas, typically, in buildings -- especially in tall, urban buildings," said Anna Dyson, head of the research consortium. MSNBC/The Associated Press

Low public bids may win, but at what cost?
John Poole opened a new contracting business and, in his blog, explores the process of responding to public RFPs -- and the need to find the lowest subcontractor estimates and mark up his services a slight 5%. However, Mark Buckshon's company blog explains why this strategy may be a bad idea, and he references the Brooks Act. It suggests not bidding unless the relationship is already there. Constructonomics.com (3/3) ConstructionMarketingIdeas.com

Alcatraz prison to capture solar energy
The infamous Alcatraz federal prison in San Francisco Bay will be fitted for solar power to make it "a showplace for green energy." The island facility, now a tourist attraction, will install 1,360 solar panels in a project funded by the National Park Service. "The long-term goal is to create a fully sustainable island that uses 100% renewable energy," said Michael Feinstein, a spokesman for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. San Jose Mercury News (Calif.)

Experts give homeowners tips on when to replace roof
Homeowners should keep an eye out for roof damage, leaks and poor ventilation, even if the roof is guaranteed for 40 years. "No matter what kind of shingles you have, the roof won't last as long as it should with poor ventilation," said Mark Gargas, owner of New Jersey-based Gargas Roofing. NorthJersey.com (Hackensack, N.J.) (free registration)

Train station roof damaged from hail, rain
A train station in Australia suffered roof damage when ice and water poured through the waved roof. Passengers fled from the Southern Cross Station in Melbourne as water deluged the train tracks during a severe storm. According to station manager Peter Keating, the station will be closed for several days while the roof is repaired. The Age (Melbourne, Australia)

Canada museum sponsored eco-design contrast for students
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is expecting to build a new structure in the future and, to that end, sponsored a design contest among students. The winning design that emerged from the one-day Ottawa Eco-Logical Competition included plans for gray-water recycling and temperatures controlled by geothermal exchange. Ottawa Citizen (Ontario)

U.S. construction at lowest ebb since Great Depression
The American construction industry has fallen on its hardest times since the Great Depression, shedding 75,000 jobs last month and single-handedly dragging February U.S. national employment figures into the red, according to data. Construction-sector unemployment rates remained near 25%, with desperate contractors forced to place low, and even below-cost, bids for public-work projects. "It's just dog-eat-dog right now," says one contractor. "People are just in survival mode." Chicago Sun-Times/Gannett News Service (3/6) The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)

World Center Hotel touts proximity to WTC site to lure tourists
The recently opened World Center Hotel overlooks the cavity of the World Trade Center -- where heavy construction that has been under way for years continues -- and hotel executives see the proximity as a key marketing point. "People choose to be here because they want to be close to it," said Cheryl Palmer, vice president of hotel operator Club Quarters Inc. "They want to feel it, they want to celebrate. They want to remember." The Sun (Baltimore)/The Associated Press

Businesses must begin preparations for GHG regulations, experts say
Businesses need to plan ahead of federal regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions, even though climate legislation is unlikely to clear Congress this year, experts said. "Nobody wants to be blindsided, so be aware that [climate legislation is] not dead yet," said an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

OSHA will hold Latino worker safety conference
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold a National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety April 14-15 at the Hilton Americas Hotel in Houston. Co-sponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the conference primarily will target construction; Latino immigrant workers make up almost 25% of the construction industry work force. It also will showcase innovative partnerships, demonstrate successful education and training strategies and develop effective enforcement and communication strategies. Learn more.

NRCA will host international roofing symposium
NRCA will host the 2011 International Symposium: Emerging Technologies and Roof System Performance Sept. 7-9 in Washington, D.C. The symposium provides a forum for formally presenting roofing industry research and the latest information about the science of emerging technologies, including reflective roof surfaces, vegetative roof systems and rooftop photovoltaic systems. Learn more.