TOP OF THE NEWS:

Danish architect Bjarke Ingels Group and Texas tech firm Icon have been selected by NASA to create a 3-D printed potential Martian habitat for astronauts.

POLITICAL:

The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, but it also needs to clear the House, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. has stated it won’t take up unless the Senate also provides its $3.5 trillion budget resolution alongside it, Construction Dive writes.

Groups such as Plumbing Manufacturers International and the International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials Group are applauding the House Science, Space and Technology Committee for forwarding legislation that would allow for reauthorizing these National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as for requesting the formation of a premise plumbing-focused research program, Contractor Magazine reports.

ECONOMIC:

According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and analyzed by the Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry returned 79.6% of jobs that were lost during the pandemic and 11,000 jobs on net in July, LBM Journal writes.

Steel and building material stocks rise, as well as construction firm stocks, with the passing of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill through the Senate, Seeking Alpha reports.

SOCIAL:

The Surfside condo collapse in Miami has led contractors and engineers to call for more intensive scrutiny of older buildings, Engineering News-Record writes.

Building and city designers and planners are working to adjust their thinking, their layouts, and their buildings to an intriguing side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic – an increased amount of cars on the road, Smart Cities Dive reports.

TECHNOLOGY:

Drone data collection company DroneDeploy has acquired New Zealand robot management software Rocos, a move that will allow DroneDeploy to offer total automation solutions to construction clients, ZDNet writes.

LEGAL:

Another legal battle over building moratoriums unfolds in St. Francisville, Louisiana, Business Report explains. This current one focuses on a developer suing over alleged improper public notice of the zoning hearing where it extended the moratorium while feeling that moratoriums were more made to keep large buildings and multi-family out of the area.

Four Native Hawaiians were found not guilty for obstructing the mountain access road to the Mauna Kea telescope construction site, Hawaii Public Radio writes. The judge presiding over the case, Judge M. Kanani Laubach, said in her verdict that because the access road was closed and there were no permits issued for oversized vehicles, there was nothing for protestors to obstruct, thus leaving the state failing to meet its burden of proof.

ENVIRONMENTAL:

The Department of Energy has released a pre-publication Federal Register notice regarding their updated model building energy codes, Building Design + Construction Network reports.

Green data center construction is expected to increase roughly 10% in the coming year, Construction Global writes.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

Has the Delta variant thrown off your organization’s return-to-office plans? Harvard Business Review has some tips on how to adjust accordingly.