Steel in the News

The U.S. Energy Administration (EIA) released the Early Release Overview of its Annual Energy Outlook 2012 on January 23, projecting that residential and commercial building energy use is expected to decline more rapidly in the next couple of decades than originally thought. EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projections since 2005 illustrate that estimates for energy consumption to 2030 have dropped by nearly 70% due to considerable movement within the building sector to improve building design and efficiency.

The final Annual Energy Outlook 2012 will be issued later this spring.

Saving Costs
The 2011 AEO forecasts that American consumers will spend $3.66 trillion less on energy between 2012 and 2030 than was originally projected in 2005. If, by 2030, we embrace efficient building technologies, these savings will top $6 trillion.

More Buildings, Less Energy
In 2005, the AEO forecasted an increase in total U.S. building floor area of 51.9% from 2005 to 2030, with energy consumption and CO2 emissions increasing by 44.4% and 53.1% respectively. While the AEO 2011 projects a slightly lower building floor area increase of 38.6% over this same time period, the projected energy consumption and related carbon emissions from the building sector are dramatically less than projected in 2005.

A movement that is making strides to reduce building energy consumption in the building sector is the 2030 Challenge. Developed by Architecture 2030, a non-profit organization dedicated to slowing and reversing the growth rate of greenhouse related emissions in the building sector, the program encourages the global architecture and building community to adopt various building energy reduction targets to achieve industry-wide zero net energy use by 2030.

To learn more about the 2030 Challenge, visit http://architecture2030.org/2030_challen
ge/the_2030_challenge.

The latest version of Tekla’s free construction collaboration tool, Tekla BIMsight 1.4, is now available for use on the job site. The software offers a dedicated user interface for Windows tablet computers and features enhanced presentation tools. You can choose which interface is best suited for your working environment, desktop or tablet.

"We developed this version from conversations with our users and the industry and we will continue this practice in the future,” said Stephen Jones, Tekla BIMsight product manager. "Tablet computers are becoming an integral part of construction industry workflows and BIM creates huge opportunities for more effective interaction between the construction site and the office."

Want to learn more?
Join Tekla’s free webinar tomorrow, January 26. This one-hour introductory presentation on BIMsight 1.4 will be hosted twice from Paris at 9 a.m. CET and 3 p.m. CET. You can search for which times the webinar begins in your time zone by visiting the registration site at http://bit.ly/z32Tsj. (ie 9 a.m. Eastern Time)

Learn more about the latest version of Tekla BIMsight and download the software for free at www.teklabimsight.com. Video tutorials and a customer support forum are also available on the website.

Daniel R. DiMicco, chairman and chief executive officer of Nucor Corporation, is the recipient of AISC’s prestigious Robert P. Stupp Award for Leadership Excellence. The award, presented on a selective basis by AISC, honors individuals who have provided unparalleled leadership in the steel construction industry. It will be presented to DiMicco at the 2012 NASCC: The Steel Conference at the Gaylord Texan Convention Center in Dallas, April 18-20.

“Dan is an exemplary leader in the steel construction industry and a strong advocate for domestic manufacturing jobs,” said Roger E. Ferch, P.E., AISC’s president. “He served as an instrumental ambassador of producer support on the AISC Board of Directors and has championed technological advancements in steelmaking and environmental leadership in the industry.”

For more information, you can read the press release on the AISC website at http://bit.ly/wiFLym.

Recently work on an innovative steel building project? Remember to enter it in AISC’s IDEAS2 Awards Program. Entries are being accepted through Tuesday, January 31, 2012, and there is no entry fee for AISC members.

More information about the program and how to enter can be found in our previous news post.

Phoenix-based Schuff Steel Company, an AISC member, has opened an office in Murray Hill, N.J., to provide steel fabrication and erection expertise to the metropolitan New York construction market. Executive vice president Stephen Isaacson is overseeing the new sales and management office, which was opened in December. Isaacson has been in the steel construction industry in the New York area for more than 35 years. A subsidiary of Schuff International, Inc., Schuff Steel plans to self-perform erection services in the New York City market, while providing fabricated steel from its existing facilities in the Midwest and Southeast regions.

For more information, you can read the press release on the Schuff Steel website at http://bit.ly/ze0TZh.