May 31, 2007

INDUSTRY ACCESS*

BHMA Issues Revised Standard For Power Assist and Low Energy Doors

The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) announces the publication of ANSI/BHMA A156.19 2007 American National Standard for Power Assist and Low Energy Power Operated Doors. This publication is an update of an earlier 2002 version of the standard.

ANSI/BHMA A156.19 covers requirements for swing door operators. The operator types are power assist, and low-energy power operators for pedestrian use, and some small vehicular use. Included in the standard are provisions intended to reduce the chance of user injury or entrapment.

Among the minor editorial changes made to the previous version, A156.19 2007 improved the definition of "knowing act" and enhanced details for opening and closing requirements. Also, an informational note on how the weight may affect the door speed was added.

For more information, or to purchase copies of the ANSI/BHMA A156.19-2007, please visit BHMA's Web site at www.buildershardware.com. Purchased standards are available as printed documents or as electronic files (PDF) for immediate download. You can also order standards by phone by calling 800-699-9277.

Click here for more Industry Access news including recent new hires, merger & acquisition activity and who's offering new products.

* DHI Members may submit news releases to be considered for inclusion in DHI's IndustryWatch. Send to: jmadden@dhi.org.

BUSINESS UPDATE

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), a leading economic indicator of construction activity, continues to reveal solid demand for nonresidential design activity. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the April ABI rating was 52.7 (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings), nearly identical to the 52.6 mark in March. Inquiries for new projects shot up a full two points to 63.8, up from 61.8 the previous month. Full Story

The value of new construction starts fell 5% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $565.1 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. Both nonresidential building and residential building experienced a slight loss of momentum. Nonresidential building in April slipped 3% to $191.8 billion (annual rate). For the commercial structure types, moderate declines were reported for stores, down 4%; and offices, down 9%. Full Story

With the exception of engineering work in the Midwest (-18.8%), construction starts in the non-residential categories of construction have been quite strong in all four major geographic regions, January through April of this year versus the same period last year. According to the latest starts statistics from Reed Construction Data, the West (+32.0%) is leading in terms of percentage gain in non-residential buildings, with the Midwest (+27.6%) and South (+21.5%) also recording strong advances. Full Story

Grainger President and COO Jim Ryan told analysts that the competitive landscape for distributors has shifted thanks to growing consolidation, reported Modern Distribution Management. "Small regional and local distributors still command the overwhelming share of this market — more than 75%," he said. "But they're under attack from larger regional and national players. The billion-dollar plus players are growing at a disproportionate rate to the market and to their smaller competitors." Full Story

Miami Valley Hospital and Springboro (OH) Community Schools embarked on an $11 million partnership to construct a 40,000-sq.-ft. building for school and hospital use behind the newly named CareFlight Field. The hospital will repay the school loan, financed through a state fund for school construction, in annual payments rising from $720,000 this year to $1.1 million in 22 years. The money will fund improvements, such as installing artificial turf and 1,000 new seats at the high school football stadium, to which the hospital also gained naming rights, reported The Middletown Journal. Full Story

A coalition of 16 of the world's biggest cities, five banks, one former U.S. president and companies and groups that modernize aging buildings has pledged to invest billions of dollars to cut urban energy use and releases of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. Under a plan developed through the William J. Clinton Foundation, participating banks would provide up to $1 billion each in loans that cities or private landlords would use to upgrade energy-hungry heating, cooling and lighting systems in older buildings. The loans and interest would be paid back with savings accrued through reduced energy costs, organizers of the initiative said at a news conference in New York. Typically, such upgrades can cut energy use and costs from 20% to 50%, reported Building Design & Construction. Full Story

CONSTRUCTION & DESIGN

Construction.com offers a supplement on how windows and doors can contribute to green design and LEED credits. Full Story

Nearly 300 schools are on a waiting list for certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which sets nationally recognized standards for environmentally friendly buildings. So many schools are going green that the council, which previously certified schools based on commercial building guidelines, just came out with benchmarks specifically for schools. So far, 27 schools have received the green certification. The Council of Educational Facility Planners International estimates that schools will spend $53 billion this year on construction alone and that green building will comprise up to 10% of the school construction market by 2010, a rapid growth from almost nothing a few years ago, reported The Baltimore Sun. Full Story

The Health Guidelines Revision Committee (HGRC), with the support of the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA), seeks proposals from the public for the development of the 2010 edition of the Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. More than forty states use the Guidelines document to regulate the design and construction of health care facilities. Architects, engineers and health care professionals also use it on a daily basis as a guideline or reference. The Guidelines recommend minimum program, space, and equipment needs for clinical and support areas of hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, rehabilitation facilities and nursing and other long-term care facilities. Full Story

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the International Code Council (ICC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that forges a stronger relationship between the two organizations in order to further green building practices. Full Story

A proposed new standard that will provide minimum guidelines for green building practices is nearly complete and has been released for public review and comment. Comments will be accepted through July 9, 2007 at www.ashrae.org/publicreviews. The standard is being developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and will be the first of its kind in the U.S. Full Story

SECURITY & SAFETY

Louisiana is set to ramp up security on college campuses with training for faculty, staff and students and updating of physical and electronic safeguards. The efforts are part of Louisiana's "culture of preparedness," said Mike Abbiatti, Board of Regents associate commissioner for information and learning technology. The implementation of the statewide campus security plan is pending state funding. It would include addressing emergency alert system needs and would provide grants for faculty members to incorporate emergency preparedness training into curriculum, reported The Daily Advertiser. Full Story

The City of Chicago and the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago (BOMA/Chicago) announced new and vital communications and logistics protocols in the event of a large scale emergency in the central business district (CBD). These new emergency preparedness measures are the result of an ongoing collaboration between the City and BOMA/Chicago leading up to and following the large-scale evacuation exercise conducted in the CBD on September 7, 2006. Full Story

GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Gov. Linda Lingle signed into law a bill establishing Hawaii's first statewide unified building codes, part of a package of laws designed to aid the state's disaster preparedness. The legislation, which standardizes construction statewide under national and international standards, will help make buildings safer and make constructing them more efficient and easier to insure. The new law establishes a nine-member state building code council that will be charged with establishing a state building code based on the International Building Code, the Uniform Plumbing Code and the latest edition of the state fire code, reported MSN Money. Full Story

Wisconsin is close to becoming the nation's 25th state to require fire sprinkler systems in all new apartment and condo complexes. Officials at the state Department of Commerce said that they are completing rules to make that happen by adopting the 2006 International Building Code. All that's needed is legislative approval, reported The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. Full Story

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will make unannounced inspections of about 4,150 work sites that have high injury rates, reported Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. Full Story

SMALL BUSINESS NEWS

Important Issues in the Iraq War Funding Bill

Congress has passed, and sent to the President for signing, a bill to increase the minimum wage. The increase was included in the Iraq war funding bill. The measure also includes some small business tax relief and "pay-go" revenue increases.

The minimum wage will increase to $5.85 an hour 60 days after the President signs the bill into law. It increases to $6.55 one year later and to $7.25 a year after that.

The principal highlight of the tax relief is that the temporary increase in the direct expensing allowance is pushed up to $125,000 and extended through 2008.

On another subject, for those of you who represent retailers the Fed has issued proposed changes to the Truth and Lending Act regulations. If promulgated the proposal would change a lot of the disclosure statements. Many retailers have gotten out of the credit game and they just take third party cards. But if your folks are in the open credit game you need to take a look at the fed proposal at www.federalreserve.gov.

DHI's Jerry Heppes sits on the board of the Small Business Legislative Council. If you'd like more information on these or other issues affecting small businesses, feel free to contact him at jheppes@dhi.org.

FOUNDATION NEWS

U.S. House Hearing Addresses Campus Security

Members of the Foundation for the Advancement of Life Safety and Security and DHI were present for the U.S. House of Representatives hearing on campus security held on May 18th.

The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) addressed "Protecting our Schools: Federal Efforts to Strengthen Community Preparedness and Response."

The witnesses included representatives of both government and private sector organizations.

"It is very clear from these hearings that government organizations are looking for best practices and guidelines that will help them as they address school and campus related security concerns," said William Johnson, managing director of the Foundation.

The hearing was one of several that have been held in response to recent events at institutions of learning.

"Between the work of the Door and Hardware Institute and the foundation, I believe that there is a void to fill in this quest for increased security and we are certainly in a position to fill that void, and give these agencies the information they are looking for," said Jerry Heppes, CEO of the Door and Hardware Institute.

To view a recording of the hearing or view transcripts please click here.

Foundation Attends College Campus Security Summit

The 2007 National Campus Security Summit: Practical Measures for Campus Security was held May 30 in Edmond, OK.

The summit was attended by nearly 500 campus administrators, safety and law enforcement personnel and association executives representing over thirty-four states.

The Foundation was in attendance to hear about issues ranging from physical security to mental well being. Breakout sessions were designed to demonstrate and discuss solutions that have already been implemented and best practices yet to be tried.

"This was a worthwhile event for the Foundation to be represented," said Bill Johnson, managing director of the Foundation. "We have a lot to accomplish and the interaction at this type of event helps us to facilitate that work. I look forward to following up with the individuals I spoke with to help us spread our message of safety and security."

Companies Committed to Making a Difference

Thank you to the following companies for their increased and continued financial support of the Foundation’s activities this year: Colorado Doorways and VT Industries.

It is with this type of commitment that the foundation is able to continue to advance our important message of life safety and security.

Your support continues to make a difference. Thank you. For a list of other contributors this year, click here.

Donate Online at Foundation’s Website

To make an online donation, please visit www.lifesafetyandsecurity.org, click on 'Support Us'. You will see a button for 'Make a Donation'. You can use your credit card or your PayPal account.

Thank you for your consideration of support.

Keep up-to-date with the latest Foundation news and programs, please visit www.lifesafetysecurity.org

DHI NEWS

Make Your Plans to Attend DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition!

Continue your education, hone your technical skills and develop your career at DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition, October 13 – 20, 2007 in Nashville, TN! Take advantage of the largest course offerings in one location combined with the extensive networking opportunities available at the Conference and Exposition. This is YOUR industry and YOUR event—stay connected and be empowered! Go to www.dhi.org for more details.

Become a Certified Fire Door Assembly Inspector!

Don’t miss the launch of the Fire Door Assembly Inspection Class (FDAIC), offered for the first time at DHI’s 32nd Annual Conference and Exposition. Interested in taking the class? Make sure you have completed the mandatory pre-requisites prior to the class:

Self-Study Course: Fundamentals of Architectural Doors and Hardware
COR110 Basic Hardware
COR115 Hardware Applications
COR140 Using Codes and Standards

Individuals certified as Architectural Hardware Consultants (AHCs), Certified Door Consultants (CDCs), Electrified Hardware Consultants (EHCs) and/or Architectural Openings Consultants (AOCs) are already eligible to enroll in the FDAIC.