Recession Stalls One in 10 Skyscraper Projects
from Reuters
Construction on more than 10 percent of 1,306 planned skyscrapers was on hold at the end of June, and there were 11 percent fewer such projects under way compared with six months ago, a recent report said. More

Europe Mulls Mandating Energy Efficiency
from the Energy Tribune
The European Commission is mulling a rule designed to increase energy efficiency as part of its plan to cut energy demand by 20 percent by 2020. The idea was raised during an informal gathering of European energy and environmental ministers in Sweden and it follows an EU Parliamentary report questioning the EU members' commitments to energy efficiency. More

Solar Forest Changing System for Parking Lots
from Inhabitat
Although electric vehicle use is on the rise, we’re certainly not out of the woods yet in terms of providing them with a steady supply of clean energy—that’s why designer Neville Mars has conceived of an incredible EV charging station that takes the form of an evergreen glade of solar trees. His photovoltaic grove serves a dual function, acting as a go-to source for clean renewable energy while providing a shady spot for cars to park as they charge. More

Workplace Tardiness on Rise, Survey Says
from Reuters via the Ottawa Citizen
One in five U.S. workers say they are late to work at least once a week, according to a recent survey. The most common excuse is traffic, followed by a lack of sleep and getting children ready for school or day care, said the survey conducted for CareerBuilder.com, an online job site. More

A go-to guide for FM products and services both local and worldwide! If you have not yet received your 2009 FM Resource Guide—contact kim.coffey@ifma.org
from The Korea Times
More skyscrapers in Seoul will have sky lounges where people can enjoy an urban view over a cup of coffee. Seoul City is promoting a plan to open up skyscraper top floors with good views to the general public, it said recently. More

Cheaper Solar Thermal Power
from Technology Review
Stirling Energy Systems (SES), based in Phoenix, has decreased the complexity and cost of its technology for converting the heat in sunlight into electricity, allowing for high-volume production. It will begin building very large solar-power plants using its equipment as soon as next year. More

Wind Power Industry in Vietnam
from the VietNamNet Bridge
Surveys show that around 28,000 square kilometers of Vietnam’s land has an average wind speed of more than seven meters per second at the height of 65 meters above sea level. This speed is considered suitable by international experts, who offered an assessment potential of over 110,000 megawatts (MW). More

Bank of America's Earnest Eco-Tower Rises from New York Slump
from Bloomberg
The cocked-hat silhouette of Bank of America Corp.'s new Manhattan skyscraper pokes a few stories higher than its Times Square neighbors, a testament to the aspirations of the Charlotte, North Carolina, bank when the design was unveiled in 2004. More

Fast, Flexible and Strong: Building Better Automated Workplace Assistants
from Science Daily
To compete worldwide, European manufacturers have to compensate for an older, higher-paid and better-protected workforce. A European research program has prototyped an automated workstation to safely boost worker productivity. More

Shedding a New, Electricity-Saving Light on Retail Outlets
from The New York Times
A Wal-Mart parking lot in Leavenworth, Kan., is for all intents and purposes a giant laboratory. The company is testing out new light-emitting diode (LED) lights to illuminate the area as part of an energy efficiency project involving a score of other retailers and the U.S. Energy Department. The goal is to see whether it can successfully implement a new form of lighting that could give the shopping malls of America a stark new look. More