https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/9-future-of-work-trends-post-covid-19 The employee value proposition (EVP) must change for hybrid work and respond to shifts in employee expectations. The last two years have had a lasting impact on the  future of work. It’s imperative that HR leaders evaluate the immediate and longer-term impact of these trends and the degree to which they will change strategic goals…

https://www.aia.org/articles/6438118-three-winning-strategies-for-smart-buildin Today a growing number of architects recognize the advantage of winning more work through smart building design. According to the 2021 Hinge Report,* nearly half of architects surveyed cited smart buildings as a topic they plan to research in the coming year. Smart buildings use automation to optimize processes that occur inside a building,…

Imagine plunking a city the size of Paris or Los Angeles onto the map of North Texas. With our current infrastructure, we’d need to add a million homes or more. And then we’d have to address traffic, water supply, and other utilities. If current projections are accurate, we will add another four million people to…

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to an architect about a new development in our local area. He was explaining the orientation of his proposed buildings and how it would reduce summer heat. Buildings in Britain haven’t traditionally needed air conditioning, but he observed that it was increasingly common. It might be different…

https://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/real-estate/what-millennials-really-think-about-todays-real-estate-market/ The pandemic shook up the housing market more than any other corner of the economy just as the millennial generation was entering peak homebuying age. So is homeownership still the cornerstone of the middle-class dream, and are today’s young people willing to take on decades of debt to achieve it the way their parents…

https://www.archdaily.com/945290/interior-design-trends-that-will-shape-the-next-decade Interiors are taking center stage in 2020, as more people are spending more time at home. Architects and designers are increasingly aware of their responsibility in improving their clients’ well-being and even helping them in the prevention of diseases, as they search for the best solutions for their interior design projects. ArchDaily’s featured monthly…

The cost to build or improve a home since the start of the pandemic has skyrocketed because of the rising prices of lumber, and lumber prices haven’t settled after returning to pre-pandemic levels during Summer 2021. Futures contracts fell to $536 per thousand board feet of lumber as of July 16, 2021 — a 68%…