‘Masterpieces’ on hold, waiting for better times

By Kyle Almond, CNN http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/06/15/architecture.economy/index.html (CNN) — Some stunning buildings have appeared in American cities the past four years — buildings, like the Aqua skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, that attest to the creativity of 21st-century architecture. But there might be fewer of them in the near future, because the recession has forced many architects to…

DOE Rule Change Could Ban Multiple Outlet Shower Systems

A newly issued draft interpretive rule from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that changes the definition of “shower heads” to “shower valves” has sparked significant concern among NAHB members, members of the Plumbing Manufacturers Institute and other groups. The problem is that this change in definition, which was published in the Federal Register on May 19, may conflict…