A new book published by the Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction examines two progressive and influential projects by Daniel Pearl of Montréal firm, l’OUEF. It examines the redevelopment of the first Global Holcim Awards Bronze winner from 2006, Benny Farm—the world’s first government-subsidized, large-scale, community-driven neighbourhood renewal project combining affordability, green building technologies, rehabilitation, and new construction.

The Technical Guide for the Design and Construction of Tall Wood Buildings in Canada—released by FPInnovations and funded by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)—is now available for design and construction teams. The resource provides concepts and background information regarding wood design accepted by the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), in addition to peer-reviewed articles and information on constructing multi-storey wood buildings.

The Copper Development Association (CDA) has released two free publications offering information on installing copper wire and using speciality cables to meet requirements and codes. Available at www.copper.org, Recommended Practices for Designing and Installing Copper Building Wire Systems examines various aspects of design, installation, and maintenance practices for copper conductors and wires. The topics include electrical system cost and efficiency, fire-resistive cable systems, and temperature effects on wiring systems.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, the second edition of Sustainable Commercial Interiors has been revised for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) v4 information. The book is a guide to sustainable design practices for commercial interiors. Authors Penny Bonda, Katie Sosnowchik, and Summer Minchew offer the sustainable and technical information required to improve indoor environments, as well as the outdoor.

The Marble Institute of America (MIA) has released an updated “Health and Safety in the Stone Business” technical module. The revised version includes Ontario-specific information and came as a result of collaboration between the MIA Safety Committee and the province’s Infrastructure Health and Safety Association. Based on the U.S. version, revisions include references to Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Building information modelling (BIM) specification software and services provider, InterSpec, has launched a new website with architecture, engineering, and construction professionals in mind. The site provides intuitive landing pages for various construction sectors including links to relevant resources and access to the company’s specification information.

The SpecText master guide by ARCOM has been expanded to include water and wastewater specification sections. Now, the Water/Wastewater Utilities Library features 101 sections, while the Water/Wastewater Equipment Library has 129. This is a 40 per cent increase from the beginning of this year.

CSC and CSI have released MasterFormat 2014 Update, which includes several significant revisions from the previous edition of the design/construction industry’s organizational standard. One of the new additions is the inclusion of a “selective demolition” section in most divisions. These sections provide information on incorporating demolition into building plans.

The International Firestop Council (IFC) has developed a free online inspection training and education program for code officials, inspectors, and other building trades professionals involved with firestopping in commercial buildings from design to installation.

The International Parking Institute has released Sustainable Parking Design and Management: A Practitioner’s Handbook. The text provides information and 20 case study examples of creating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified parking facilities. Topics covered include sustainable parking operations and management, facility operation, accommodation of electric vehicles, and landscaping.