Archinect - News

White House announces initiatives to boost manufactured housing

2024-03-01T11:03:00-05:00

The White House has announced a series of moves to increase the production of manufactured housing in the United States. The initiatives are intended to both preserve and rehabilitate existing manufactured home communities and ease barriers to the construction of new units.

The moves include a $225 million funding opportunity for existing communities, overseen by HUD. The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) will support the preservation and revitalization of manufactured housing communities, including the replacement of dilapidated homes, assistance for repairs and upgrades, and improvement of infrastructure such as stormwater systems.

In response to the growing trend of corporate investors buying manufactured housing at the expense of longtime residents, the White House has also announced the ongoing creation of a Mortgagee Letter that, once finalized, will...

U.S. Department of Transportation awards $6.1 billion in funding for high-speed rail projects in the American West

2023-12-06T14:36:00-05:00

The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced $6.1 billion in funding for two high-speed rail projects in Nevada and California that will make history upon their respective completions at the end of the decade.

Both the $8 billion Brightline West plan connecting Southern California to Las Vegas and the California High-Speed Rail project between Los Angeles and San Francisco will receive a total of $3 billion and $3.07 billion each.

The funding will help propel the former towards a formal project announcement that is expected by Friday, according to Reuters. The latter will aid in the development of a pared-down version of the larger California project that has been plagued by funding challenges for several years.

Brightline’s chairman Wes Edens told Reuters the funding marks a “historic moment that will serve as a foundation for a new industry and a remarkable project that will serve a...

U.S. General Services Administration will spend $2 billion on low embodied carbon construction projects nationwide

2023-11-10T16:26:00-05:00

The Biden Administration has announced a new investment of $2 billion into 150 different federal building projects meant to minimize carbon emissions in 39 states.

The funding will be dispersed through the U.S. General Services Administration and used to purchase low embodied carbon materials in furtherance recommendations produced by the previously-established Buy Clean task force agenda. It is sourced from the Inflation Reduction Act and supports the reduction of 41,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions while creating over 6,000 jobs annually, according to a press release.

"The U.S. government has a huge share of the market -particularly of concrete and asphalt- and that I think helps drive the industry towards meeting an ever-increasing level of innovation when it comes to decarbonizing," White House Senior Advisor for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation John Podesta told Reuters.

According to the GSA on November 6, the breakdown of procurements is: $384 million f...

White House announces new guidebook to funding office conversions nationwide

2023-10-28T08:00:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has announced a new initiative aimed at financing office conversions in an effort to combat the growing problem of high vacancy rates and housing affordability in markets large and small across the country.

The announcement comes as vacancy rates have skyrocketed to 30-year highs, according to the White House. Some cities like Washington, D.C. have seen rates as high as 50% in their CBD areas, prompting desperate appeals from politicians to enact wholesale changes to the built environment that’s backed up by funding from the federal level. Now, in unison with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Transportation (DOT), the government has officially published its guidelines for obtaining available funding through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing, and other programs.

The White House press release says: “Converting commercial real estate to housing a...

The looming Federal Government shutdown could impinge on infrastructure projects for years

2023-09-27T12:00:00-04:00

Concerns over the possible Federal Government shutdown next month are causing headaches for contractors of much-needed infrastructure projects across the country who fear a chain reaction in the construction industry could leave lasting setbacks that would take years to overcome.

A stop-work on October 1st would exacerbate the industry's sustained backlog of infrastructure builds and threatens to imperil important areas in the now two-year-old Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that are, in many cases, tethered to a multilayered compendium of different funding sources.

“Most projects these days have lots of different funding sources, they maybe have local and state and federal, maybe a private component, maybe an authority,” the President of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Maria Lehman, explained to Construction Dive this week. “So a shutdown has a much bigger impact than it might have been in the past as far as the number of projects potentially that could g...

California's high-speed rail project receives $202 million in federal funding for critical juncture

2023-09-26T13:28:00-04:00

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has been awarded more than $200 million from the Biden Administration in what is one of the largest pieces of federal funding awarded to the project in its history. The $202 million grant was made by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program — part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021.

The latest funding reduces some of the $128 billion burden incurred by the project, which had been teetering on the edge before the state allocated enough funding to complete a critical 171-mile stretch in California’s Central Valley. The federal money will be put specifically towards six grade separations needed to create a clear path for motor vehicles in Kern County.

The High-Speed Rail Authority’s Northern California Director Boris Lipkin said recently that the project can only be completed faster than is currently projected with the help of increased federal support given its engineering complexities.

The state, which finally began the two-step procurement process for the “first-in-the-nation” 220 mph electrified high-speed trainsets last month, said its full realization is on track for 2033 in their latest Project Update Report from March of this year.

AIA announces $20 billion in grant funding made available for adaptive reuse and decarbonization projects

2023-08-01T11:22:00-04:00

The American Institute of Architects has announced that nearly $20 billion of the $27 billion allocated by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) under the Inflation Reduction Act has been released by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA has introduced two funding opportunities: the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund (NCIF) and the $6 billion Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA), targeted at decarbonization projects and adaptive reuse projects.

Described by AIA as a “pivotal sustainability strategy,” the grant funding is available for nonprofits that meet the recipient criteria noted in Section 134(c)(1) of the Clean Air Act, with an application submission deadline of October 12, 2023.

"It is essential that we prioritize investments in existing buildings that will reduce emissions while also creating jobs, promoting health equity and supporting vulner...

Mass timber, clean energy, biotech, and Indigenous communities are among the biggest winners of the $1 Billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge

2022-09-02T17:17:00-04:00

The Biden Administration has announced 21 winners of its $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge funded through last year’s American Rescue Plan and administered by the U.S. Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Five-year capital grants ranging between $25 million and $65 million were awarded to transformative projects in 24 different states with demonstrated potential to rebuild regional economies, promote inclusive and equitable recovery, and create jobs.

The Brookings Institution today commented that the funding “represents a critical test for key assumptions of the broader Biden administration economic framework” and said it will critically deliver infrastructure investments with a mind for integrating marginalized groups and communities into the post-pandemic economic recovery nationwide. A survey of the projects seems to signal an interest in things like clean energy, advanced and next-gen manufacturing, biotechnologies, and a host of others...

A look at the Inflation Reduction Act’s potential impacts on the Landscape Architecture community

2022-08-16T12:45:00-04:00

A new report from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has outlined the potential impacts and trade benefits of the provisions included in the Biden Administration’s recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, that is set to be signed into law in the coming days.

The $369 billion bill includes many grants and other types of funding for a host of green GSA-owned properties, Federal Highway Administration projects, and affordable housing developments. Over on the ASLA’s The Dirt blog, Roxanne Blackwell and Caleb Raspler broke down what it might entail for the landscape architecture community in separate practice and client areas.

Among the relevant provisions included in the overall package are:

More than $4.5 billion to be directed toward water infrastructure (dams, water treatment facilities, etc.). This includes the $4 billion in drought relief funds, another $15 million to "provide technical assistance for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and r...

New York State passes bill allowing NYCHA to acquire funding from private investors

2022-06-06T14:47:00-04:00

City leaders and lawmakers say thousands of public housing residents in New York City who have been forced to live with leaks, mold, broken elevators, and busted boilers may finally see better living conditions in what could amount to a fundamental shift in how public housing is funded in the city.

Last Thursday, the state Legislature passed a bill that would allow the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to establish a public-benefit corporation that could raise billions for much-needed renovations across 25,000 apartments. Called the Public Housing Preservation Trust, the entity would allow NYCHA to issue bonds and borrow money from private investors to pay for repairs. Under the program, the Authority would move away from direct federal subsidies, converting housing units from public housing under Section 9 of the U.S. Housing Act to the voucher-based system known as Section 8 that allows access to additional federal funding. Through Section 8, eligible low- and moderate-income families are provided assistance to rent housing in the private market.

Previously on Archinect: Private developers to renovate 1,673 NYCHA public housing units in East New York

Many tenants and some legislators oppose the plan, however, citing concerns that the legislation could threaten certain ...

Nowhere fast: California's High-Speed Rail project is now twice the size of its originally proposed budget

2022-02-16T20:50:00-05:00

The cost to build California’s ambitious but long delayed high-speed rail line has once again risen, with rail officials now estimating it could take up to $105 billion to finish the line from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The project’s price tag has steadily risen since voters first approved nearly $10 billion in bond money for it in 2008, when the total cost was pegged at $40 billion.

The additional need for money stems from necessary sound barrier upgrades and repositioning of the train away from the Central Valley’s Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, according to project officials. The state is confident it can raise the necessary funds from the new federal infrastructure bill, which includes about $55 billion in allocations for transit grants over the next four years.

The 500-mile-long project is still severely lagging in the area of public funding but has nevertheless managed to acquire about 90% of the land parcels needed to complete the project, according to an updated 2022 budget plan released by the California High Speed Rail Authority. A portion of the project is also being funded by the state’s cap-and-trade program, which has been itself been under-resourced as a partial result of the reduction in travel caused by the coronavirus.

AIA applauds new building-specific provisions in the Senate infrastructure bill

2021-08-12T12:33:00-04:00

The AIA is applauding Congress as the latest iteration of the bipartisan infrastructure bill that passed the Senate this week includes for the first time key provisions that it says will help modernize the built environment at a critical junction for building safety and adaptability nationwide.

Speaking in a press statement, AIA President Peter Exley said that “to meet the challenges of the 21st century, our nation’s infrastructure funding needs to move beyond roads and bridges to include schools, hospitals, homes and more, especially as buildings contribute nearly 40 percent of worldwide carbon emissions.”

He added: “This bipartisan legislation represents an important step toward improving our nation's buildings. However, we urge lawmakers to ensure greater funding for building improvements is included in the Budget Reconciliation package. By doing so, we can make meaningful progress on reducing the built environment’s impact on climate change."

Previously on Archinect: The deadli...

Facial recognition technology would be banned from public housing per new bill

2019-07-31T16:35:00-04:00

The legislation, dubbed the “No Biometric Barriers to Housing Act,” was introduced by Congresswoman Yvette Clark whose district borders the Atlantic Plaza Towers in Brownsville where tenants made headlines this spring with their fight to keep a facial recognition system out of their apartment complex.

Back in May, residents of the Atlantic Plaza Towers in Brooklyn opposed the installation of facial recognition technology proposed by their landlord. Now a bill has been introduced that would prohibit "facial, voice, fingerprint, and DNA identification technologies" within federally funded public housing.

Amid $12 billion maintenance backlog, Parks Service diverts funding for Trump's July Fourth parade

2019-07-03T13:03:00-04:00

The National Park Service is diverting nearly $2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks across the country to cover costs associated with President Trump’s Independence Day celebration Thursday on the Mall, according to two individuals familiar with the arrangement.

The move from the National Parks Service (NPS) comes as the department works to find funding to help ease its nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog.

NPS estimates that it needs over $2 billion to repair its building stock, as well as over $186 million to improve NPS-administered housing, for example. The department also estimates it would take $6 billion to fully repair the paved roads maintained across the National Parks System.

Congress is currently debating a plan to help provide some of this funding by directing royalties from energy development that occurs on federal lands and waters toward the backlog.

A Conversation with Rusty Long, State Architect, Furloughed by the Government Shutdown

2019-01-25T15:59:00-05:00

On this week's episode of Archinect Sessions, Ken, Donna, and I share our conversation with Rusty Long, an architect based in Cary, North Carolina. Rusty’s private practice focuses on sustainability and community engagement with a style that bridges modernism and the history of the the American South.

Rusty’s day job, however, is a State Architect for the USDA Rural Development office. As a federal employee, Rusty is one of approximately 800,000 individuals currently furloughed by the Government Shutdown. On this 34th day of the historic shutdown, as he and many others remain unpaid after two pay cycles, Rusty sits down with us to share his story. We talk about how and why he entered public service, the work he typically undertakes as a state architect, and the problems that this shutdown are causing for him, his colleague and the US taxpayers in general.

Listen to episode 134 of Archinect Sessions, “A Conversation Rusty Long, State Architect, Furloughed by the Government Shutdown”...

Is a decline in U.S. government spending hurting infrastructure?

2018-09-10T16:14:00-04:00

In the second quarter of this year, investment spending by the federal government dropped below 1.4 percent of gross domestic product for the first time since the 1940s, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. OK, at 1.397 percent, it wasn’t much below, and federal government investment as a share of GDP isn’t exactly a closely watched economic indicator. But the decline through the decades is still pretty striking...

Justin Fox tracks the decline in U.S. government spending over the years, noting infrastructure investments have largely been replaced with spending on social insurance programs. With private investors taking the lead, Fox argues U.S. infrastructure suffers as there are many vital projects which private investors will never touch.

National Museum in Rio De Janeiro suffers massive fire after reported neglect

2018-09-05T13:50:00-04:00

Hours after an immense fire consumed the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, a crowd of protestors gathered in front of the wrecked institution on last night (3 September) to protest the financial neglect that led to its demise. The 200-year-old historical building lacked an efficient sprinkler system—a result of years of incremental budget cuts by the Brazilian government—and was quickly gutted when the blaze erupted shortly after the museum closed to visitors on Sunday (2 September).

Current Brazilian president Michel Temer and former president Rousseff are being blamed for a failure to properly maintain the National Museum in Rio De Janeiro after a consuming fire broke out 3 days ago. In the aftermath of the flames the museum's facade has mostly survived, yet aerial shots reveal most of the roof has collapsed with interiors full of rubble.

Only 40 days prior to the fire, an architect wrote to federal authorities reporting the buildings neglect such as exposed wires and other structural issues asking for immediate measures to be taken.

HUD head Ben Carson thinks creature comforts are not for those on Section 8

2017-05-09T13:22:00-04:00

As he toured facilities for the poor in Ohio last week, Mr. Carson, the neurosurgeon-turned-housing secretary, joked that a relatively well-appointed apartment complex for veterans lacked “only pool tables.” He inquired at one stop whether animals were allowed. At yet another, he nodded, plainly happy, as officials explained how they had stacked dozens of bunk beds inside a homeless shelter and purposefully did not provide televisions.

In a recent visit to a public housing facility in Columbus, Ohio, HUD head Ben Carson reiterated his stance that anyone receiving Section 8 housing vouchers or federal assistance should not get too comfortable, as this would lead them to simply want to stay in their federally provided digs. Ironically, studies have shown that for the chronic homeless population, remaining in one place is actually much cheaper for the state than having them constantly bouncing between shelters and the street once emergency room visits and legal fees are added into the mix. Carson did make allowances for those who are mentally ill or unable to provide for themselves, but in his view there is to be no rest for who he defines as the able-bodied.

$26M shortfall of Milan Expo U.S. Pavilion calls for change in funding process

2016-03-18T14:51:00-04:00

Since the 1990s, the U.S. State Department has been barred from spending public funds on world expo pavilions. The result has been a series of disasters...Last year, the U.S. made a strong showing at the Milan Expo...But now comes a denouement that may cripple chances of there ever being a successful U.S. pavilion again: the architect, the exhibition designer, and the contractor have been paid only a fraction of what they are owed for work on the pavilion.

"According to sources who participated in a recent conference call between the [Friends of the USA Pavilion Milan 2015] group and the creditors [which includes Biber Architects and Thinc Design], there was discussion about whether federal departments other than State, such as the Department of Agriculture, could make up the shortfall. Another conference call is scheduled for March 24."

Previous coverage about this project on Archinect:

Hot Dogs Around the World: James Biber, architect of US Pavilion "American Food 2.0" at EXPO Milan, joins us for Episode #31 of Archinect Sessions

The now-open Milan Expo U.S. pavilion salutes to the future of food, the American way

Identity Parade: The USA Pavilion and its Neighbors at Expo Milano 2015

Thinc Design's USA Pavilion exhibition presents America's role in the future of food for Milan Expo 2015

U.S. House approves bill that will make it easier for smaller communities to get FEMA relief

2016-03-01T17:14:00-05:00

the federal government’s disaster declaration formula has been broken for years, making it nearly impossible for smaller communities to get help. [...] The FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act requires the feds give greater consideration to the localized impact of a disaster [...] rural parts of the state ... must meet an arbitrarily high threshold in order to qualify for a disaster declaration. Enacting this language into law will level the playing field

Known as HR 1471, the FEMA Disaster Assistance Reform Act of 2015 (passed by the House on February 29 of 2016) includes input from architects and members of the building industry to review and update FEMA's policies. In a press release issued earlier today, AIA President Russell Davidson FAIA expressed his gratification that legislation included architects: "HR 1471 represents a major opportunity for our profession to have a say in developing proposals which could have an immediate impact on federal resilience policy.”

More on the difficulties of disaster relief funding: