Trends: The New Wave in Conference Center Design
from Contract Magazine
It has become increasingly beneficial for organizations of all kinds to invest in their own conference and training centers. Most conference centers respond to a fairly typical set of requirements and constraints: location within or in proximity to the client's offices, flexibility and adaptability to varying functions, sophisticated technologies, and a variety of amenities. More

Taking Upscale Retail on the Road
from Cool Hunting
Taking the temporary retail concept to a mobile level, hip-hop artist and entrepreneur Jay-Z recently collaborated with architect David Ashen of D-ash on a tricked-out 50-foot trailer to house the Rocawear line. The pop up shop's upscale interior is outfitted with mohair sofas, suede walls, custom zebra wood cabinetry, a 46-inch flat screen TV, stereo system and a custom gaming zone. More

Optimism Among Small Business Owners Drops, but Long-Term Outlook Brighter
from The Builder Online
Two recent surveys show differing levels of optimism from small business owners about their companies and the economy. Small business optimism fell to the second-lowest level in the 35-year history of the National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index, which surveys 800 small businesses. However, 75 percent of respondents to a survey conducted by FedEx Office believe they will be in business a year from now. More

New Construction Starts for 2009 Down 15 Percent
from PR Newswire
New construction starts for 2009 are estimated at $463.1 billion, down 15%, but cushioned by support provided by the recently enacted stimulus legislation, according to McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2009 spring outlook report. "The construction industry is facing divergent forces in 2009," said Robert Murray, vice president of economic affairs, McGraw-Hill Construction. More

America’s Greenest Skylines
from Forbes
A new study released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ranks cities with the highest number of energy-efficient buildings. The number of Energy Star-certified buildings is up 130% from last year, reports the EPA. The majority of spaces that make the green mark are office buildings with low-use occupants. More

Embassy Suites Is Among First in Country Built with Energy-Saving Design
from Interiors & Sources
175-room Embassy Suites Hotel is set to open later this month in Brooklyn Center — the first hotel in about 10 years for the city, and one of the first in the country in a new design for the hotel chain. The hotel, which is connected to the Earle Brown Conference Center, is owned by Brooklyn Hotel Partners LLC and managed by the Oliver Cos. It brings the number of hotel rooms in Brooklyn Center to almost 1,000, according to Gary Eitel, community development director. More

How Green Is My Purchase?
from Fast Company
A graduate student in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University hopes to create a labeling system that would make it easy for consumers to see how sustainable a product is. More

Vancouver Convention Center’s Six-acre Green Roof
from The Dirt
The newly-completed Vancouver convention center features a six-acre green roof, the largest in Canada, and the largest non-industrial green roof in North America. More