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Hamilton Academical FC (otherwise known as Accies) is about to further improve its facility. Expanding parking is one of the plans on the table, and that includes an engineer's recommendation for geotextile separation under the lot to best stabilize the soil and guarantee long-term performance. Learn more here.;

From March 2010, a new set of European structural design codes for building and civil engineering works, conceived and developed over the past 30 years, will replace the existing national standards in the United Kingdom. These standards, broadly, cover the requirements for mechanical resistance, stability and resistance to fire. Learn more here.;

The Association of General Contractors (AGC) reports that only five out of 337 metropolitan areas saw an increase in construction employment between October 2008 and October 2009 according to a new analysis of metropolitan area employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Meanwhile, construction employment nationally tumbled by 1.1 million jobs over the past 12 months alone, with 328 metro areas reporting losses. Construction employment was unchanged in four metros. Learn more here.;

The Woodland Landfill in South Elgin, Illinois is profiled in the Chicago Tribune. The 103-acre site owned by Waste Management was closed in 2002 after reaching its storage capacity, and has since become not only a part of the natural scenery, but a viable source of natural energy, responsible for providing electrical power to an estimated 1,500 homes throughout Kane County. Learn more here.;

Former senior partner at Davis Langdon, Paul Morrell, has been confirmed as the government’s construction Tsar, beating a slim field to claim the top job. The Chief Construction Adviser will guide the government’s construction procurement strategy, and promote innovation and sustainability in the industry. Learn more here.;

The Senate put the heat on the Obama administration to take a more active role when it comes to highway funding during an 80-minute session on infrastructure on November 18. However, the U.S. DOT’s undersecretary for policy, Roy Kienitz, did not indicate that the White House was ready to desert its call for an 18-month extension of SAFETEA-LU in favor of a six-month extension. Right now states are more concerned about the cancellation of $8.7 billion in contracting authority, which is forcing a 30% cut in local spending power. Learn more here.;

Checkmate Geosynthetics Inc. introduces PosiLok to its family of products. Manufactured in British Columbia, Canada, PosiLok is a Wire Grid Faced System used as a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) Wall. Read more in the release.

Saudi Arabia-based multi-disciplinary engineering and architectural firm, SaudConsult has signed a memorandum of understanding with Technip France to set up a 50-50 joint-venture firm aimed at developing a new engineering centre in Saudi Arabia. Located in Al Khobar, the new company will focus on front end engineering design, detailed engineering, procurement and construction management services. Pending regulatory clearance, the new joint-venture is expected to begin operations by mid 2010. Learn more here.;

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a US$ 700 million loan to India to help the country implement its programme of public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure construction. The funds follow a similar US$ 500 million loan made in 2007. Learn more here.;

NOVA Chemicals Corporation, has signed a sales and representative agreement with Propex Concrete Systems, a business unit of Propex Operating Company, LLC, for Elemix® concrete additive. Under the agreement, Propex Concrete Systems will be responsible for increasing sales of Elemix concrete additive in the U.S. ready mix and precast markets, while providing customer service and marketing support to accelerate commercial use of Elemix additive in project specifications. Propex provides Elemix additive with an additional channel to market through a targeted, national sales force and gives Propex another innovative product offering to enhance the performance of concrete.

Ian Peggs of I-CORP International responds to an August/September 2009 article from Geosynthetics magazine on spark testing. Peggs writes, "Note that there are two types of spark testing equipment—AC and DC. The latter is recognized as more accurate. It requires the conductive wire be grounded. The AC does not. It simply requires a highly conductive medium under the weld bead." Read more from the Geosynthetics online article. Learn more here.;

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has announced that the third "Advanced Textiles" event will take place in Paris, France, 16-17 June 2010. The first two in this annual series of Europe- and technology-focused discussions took place in Germany (2008) and Belgium (2009). One of the key topics for Advanced Textiles 2010 is "Construction." Learn more about the event and about submitting an abstract to the conference organizers. Learn more here.;

An interesting first in the construction market: a Chinese firm has opened the first China-owned construction manufacturing facility in India. Both countries have breathless construction markets, and both are well-known for hosting foreign investment, but never one another's. China's economy has advanced to the point it can now leave its borders and open facilities elsewhere, as Liugong's plant shows. Learn more here.;

The U.S. Green Building Council today announced Roger Platt as the Senior Vice President, Global Policy and Law, a new position in the organization effective 1 September 2009. Platt joins USGBC after a very successful 15 years as senior vice president and counsel with the Real Estate Roundtable, which represents the leaders of America's top public and privately owned real estate entities on public policy issues. Read more in the release.

International builders are increasingly adopting the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Green Building Rating System -- the United States' primary tool for green building -- with international projects now comprising 27 percent of LEED certified and registered projects. LEED projects are underway in 114 nations, with a particularly strong presence in Norway, Finland Sweden and Denmark. Read more.

The Green Walls Group (GWG) of the non-profit association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities – North America, Inc. (GRHC), has announced an extension to its request for proposals (RFP) for green wall research projects. The new deadline is 13 October 2008. Green walls are the next stage in construction following the growing success of green roofs. Read more in the PDF release. Learn more here.;

The Fort Halifax Dam in Winslow, Maine is being taken down by its owner, FPL Energy. The company wants to allow the passage of fish again, but residents are upset over the destabilization of the river bank as the water level changes. Engineers are pushing for the installation of geotextile fabric and riprap to save the banks. Learn more here.;

ProcessingTalk has published a look at some of the companies involved in November's Waterproof Membranes 2008 event in Cologne, Germany. The piece includes notes on issues and applications related to waterproofing (durability of geomembranes, tunnel lining, etc.) and companies such as Agru and GSE. Geosynthetica.net is a cooperating organization with the conference. Learn more here.;

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda has unveiled a seven-point agenda to prioritize water investments in the Asia-Pacific region. He has said that the institution is committed to helping countries in the region boost new water investments to $20 billion to improve water security. Read more.

Over at Defense Industry Daily is a piece on the use of geotextile-walled, gabion-style collapsible forms that may be used in lieu of sandbags and concrete barriers. For examples of gabions, check out what Maccaferri has to offer. Learn more here.;

geosynthetica welcomes its newest member: David Cabrera. David is a talented graphic designer with experience in both print and web design. He'll help us fill the void as our colleague Lara Costa departs. David will work with the site's design and function and geosynthetica's extensive database of product data, specifications, industry personnel, etc. For those who would like to send David a welcome, he can be reached at David@geosynthetica.net.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is renowned for its research work. One of their recent discoveries that may interest materials developers in the geosynthetics field is a membrane material that can absorb 20 times its weight in hydrocarbons like oil. It's also reusable. The material uses a mesh of nanowires and is reported to feel something like paper. Learn more here.;

The Indian economy is one of the world's premier boom economies, and to support that growth the country needs to vastly (and quickly) improve its infrastructure. The use of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) is growing. The country has one major bentonite company, a new clay-processing plant is opening, and information about GCLs is being extended. Learn more here.;

The City of Angola, Indiana and Tri-State University will offer a free half-day workshop on erosion and sediment control techniques, materials and issues in construction. Builders, contractors, developers, engineers, municipal officials and employees are among those who will find the workshop useful. To register, call J.D. Smith at 888 262 2214 or Eric Henion at +1 260 624 2663. Learn more here.;

W. Allen Marr Jr. (GeoComp Corporation) has been inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. He was recognized for "innovative applications of numerical methods, risk analysis, advanced laboratory techniques, and field instrumentation in the fields of geotechnical engineering and construction." From ASCE News. Learn more here.;