Johns Manville recently supported the National Insulation Association (NIA) in developing their new Thermal Insulation Inspection Certification Program. This is a robust program designed to help fill a growing need in the insulation industry. We recently sat down with Ron King, one of the principle developers of NIA’s new program, for an interview to learn a little bit more about the Thermal Insulation Inspection Certification Program, who it’s for, and how it can help. Can you give us a brief bio of your job history and explain what you do for NIA today? I am a Past President of the National…

Cities and countries around the world are adopting building energy codes as tools to reduce energy consumption. Mexico City recently joined this wave, when, in June, the city updated its building regulations to include energy efficiency for the first time. On paper, building codes have reduced energy use by over 30 percent in the last two decades. But building codes don’t achieve energy savings if they are not effectively implemented and enforced. The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) found that staggering rates of noncompliance, as high as 100 percent in some jurisdictions of the United States, have eroded the gains…

The US economy is amid one of the longest expansions on record, with June marking 108 months of sustained economic growth. The June employment report recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) revealed a 4.0% unemployment rate, which is up slightly from 3.8% in May. However, this is down remarkably from nine years earlier at the outset of the current recovery in June 2009, when unemployment rose to 9.5%. Employers have added to payrolls for 93 consecutive months, extending the longest employment expansion on record. As a result of this streak, labor market conditions have tightened in recent…

Analysis of 6 million pieces of data has revealed that the knowledge framework underpinning the construction industry is no longer fit for purpose. Practitioners do not have easy access to critical knowledge, and so it is inevitable that mistakes will be made. Designing Buildings Wiki, the construction industry knowledge base, has undertaken the first ever comprehensive mapping of construction industry knowledge. The startling results have been published today (21 September 2017) in a major new report “Fit for purpose? Big data reveals the construction knowledge gap.” https://news.jm.com/blog/mechanical-insulation/fit-purpose-big-data-reveals-construction-knowledge-gap