Yearly Archives: 2016

Working with partners around the world, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have completed five years of work toward helping establish an international quality standard for manufacturing photovoltaic (PV) modules

The 2016 National Institute of Building Sciences Board of Directors is now in place. The Executive Team includes Stephen T. Ayers, FAIA, LEED AP as chair; Joseph Donovan as vice chair; Joy Marshall Ortiz, AIA, NCARB as secretary; and Wally E. Bailey as treasurer. New members to the Board include Paul R. Bertram, Jr., FCSI, CDT, LEED AP BD+C, GGP, and Anne M. Ellis, PE, FACI, FASCE.

On December 18, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a proposed rule that would implement the long delayed “Duty to Serve” rules for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs). The proposal requires them to adopt plans to improve mortgage financing for residential properties that serve very low-, low-, and moderate-income families in three underserved markets: manufactured housing, affordable housing preservation and rural markets.

The Census Bureau today released three additional reports from its 2012 Economic Census Subject Series. The first, Retail Trade — Establishment and Firm Size, presents sales, payroll and employment data for the United States by various categories. For establishments, the categories are sales size, employment size and legal form of organization. For firms, the categories are sales size, employment size, concentration by largest firms and number of establishments operated (single units and multiunits)

Researchers at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the BioEnergy Science Center (BESC) say better understanding of a bacterium could lead to cheaper production of cellulosic ethanol and other advanced biofuels.

Mortgage credit availability decreased in January according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool.

The Boulder Group, a net leased investment brokerage firm, has completed the sale of a trophy single tenant LA Fitness property located at 6107 North Broadway in Chicago, IL for $9,500,000. The Boulder Group has once again set a new CoStar record with the closing of this trophy LA Fitness property. According to CoStar, the 5.63% cap rate represents the lowest sold cap rate ever recorded for a single tenant LA Fitness property.

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was recently issued a patent for a novel method that rapidly characterizes specialized materials during the manufacturing process. This approach significantly improves on standard quality control techniques by allowing for complete monitoring of materials without interrupting workflow

The Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was recently issued a patent for a novel method that rapidly characterizes specialized materials during the manufacturing process. This approach significantly improves on standard quality control techniques by allowing for complete monitoring of materials without interrupting workflow.

Despite various global and domestic hurdles hindering economic growth, steady job gains and stable leasing demand should help keep commercial real estate activity expanding in 2016, according to the authors of an annual report published jointly by Situs Real Estate Research Corporation (RERC)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Council on Foundations (COF) launched the 2016 HUD Secretary's Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships. HUD and COF are seeking nominations from charitable foundations working with the public sector to improve the neighborhoods and the quality of life for low- and moderate-income residents.

The metric, Fair Market Rents, is set each year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The most prevalent use of Fair Market Rents is to establish payment standards, which are local ceilings for rent assistance provided by the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) and Southside Bank have awarded a $14,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant to Habitat for Humanity of Smith County (HFHSC). The funds will help pay for the construction of two new homes in Tyler

Mortgage applications decreased 2.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 29, 2016. The previous week's results included an adjustment for the Martin Luther King holiday.

On February 2, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 3700(link is external) (the Housing Opportunities through Modernization Act), making a number of basic administrative changes to public housing, housing choice vouchers and project-based rental assistance. The changes are similar to those proposed in the Section Eight Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA) and the Affordable Housing and Self-Sufficiency Improvement Act (AHSSIA) in years past

Each year, the National Institute of Building Sciences hosts an Awards Reception and Dinner to recognize individuals and organizations that have provided outstanding service to the Institute, the building community and the nation. On Thursday, January 14, Institute board, staff and members honored the 2015 award winners during an annual awards ceremony atBuilding Innovation 2016: The Institute’s Fourth Annual Conference and Expo, held at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View in Arlington, Virginia.

In January, during Building Innovation 2016: The National Institute of Building Sciences Annual Conference and Expo, the Institute’sAcademy for Healthcare Infrastructure (AHI) released five white papers addressing some of the most important issues affecting the infrastructure of the nation’s healthcare facilities

Housing Partnership Network, a national business collaborative of leading affordable housing and community development nonprofits, is pleased to announce that Chuck Wehrwein has joined the organization as president of member engagement and business collaboration. In his new role, Chuck will lead and oversee membership, policy, governance, and the International Housing Partnership. He will serve as a member of HPN’s Executive Leadership Team and play a key role in managing collaboration among HPN programs and member-driven social enterprises. Chuck begins his role with HPN in March.

Building on the Obama Administration’s goal to expand high speed broadband to all Americans, today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro and Google Fiber Vice President, Dennis Kish, announced that the West Bluff Townhomes in Kansas City, Missouri will be the first public housing development to be connected to Google Fiber’s ultra-high speed (gigabit speed, or up to 1000 mbps) internet through the ConnectHome Initiative.