Transit, Amtrak cuts advance in House appropriations bill

A House appropriations subcommittee passed a one-year bill on May 21 to fund the Department of Transportation for the 2027 fiscal year. Current funding for the DOT expires on Sept. 30. The bill passed on a party-line 9-7 vote. It cuts public transit funding by 22% and Amtrak funding by 69%, compared to FY 2026 […]

The brick matching challenge – Construction Specifier

Figure 1: Original bricks salvaged from the garden wall were used to repair the building facade (at right), and the garden wall was rebuilt with new bricks similar to the original (at left). Repair of existing brick masonry must address a seemingly simple yet often difficult conundrum: finding new brick. Matching the size, color, and […]

Low-carbon design shapes agricultural education center

The center replicates the design of Maine barns. Photos by Trent Bell A new agricultural education center in Maine uses mass timber and low-carbon building systems to reduce embodied carbon while reflecting the design of traditional local barns. The design was tailored to meet the Smith Center for Education and Research’s commitment to sustainable land […]