I will be out of the office until the New Year so I’m opening up the blog to you. Below are a few suggestions for conversation…

What are some positive moments that happened to you or your business in 2008?

Are you optimistic for 2009?

How do you plan to re-energize your group for the New Year?

How was 2008 unique to your time in the industry?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

-Maureen

Almost every news item lately is negative whether it’s about the stock market, unemployment rates, housing starts or international relations. It doesn’t seem possible to read a report that isn’t peppered with bad news. The editors at RD&B feel it’s important to provide you with breaking and industry news … but when does the news get to be too much?

At some point does all the bad news start to effect your vision of the future. The housing market is one industry that can help us turn everything around. But if the builders, designers and architects feel discouraged, how can they turn it around. At what point, do you say enough is enough? Or maybe I’m assuming too much… maybe the trades don’t need positive news to get them motivated. Maybe all the negative news is enough for you to take a stand. You tell me.

Are you sick of hearing about the bad economy and housing market? (Participate the poll) 

Or… do you want to hear about it, but you also want to hear about possible solutions? (Participate the poll) 

RD&B magazine sent a survey to readers in November 2008 to get insight into the industry. The results were interesting - some surprising and some expected. One statistic that wasn’t necessarily surprising was that 72% of respondents said their green practices will increase in 2009. And with that, only 1.5% of respondents said they don’t use green practices at all.

Codes and laws regulating green/energy-efficiency seem to becoming the standard. EPA now has its WaterSense program to regulate water-saving products; LEED helps builders certify their projects as green; and more associations are providing resources on green topics. But at some point does green building simply mean good building?

I met an architect on my flight home from the American Institute of Architects Conference this past May who believes strongly in building sustainably. This architect builds mostly commercial structures which can be found in Dubai, China, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S., just to name a few. He doesn’t think that designing green or sustainable structures means they have to be small. He also doesn’t believe that you have to make people live in communal societies. This architect felt strongly that you can still design and build the buildings you want, but it just requires more thinking and engineering involved. One thing he said that stayed with me is that you can’t tell Americans they can’t have their dream home just because you want to design or build green. You can give them their dream homes as well as do good for the planet.

-Maureen

In this article from the Chicago Tribune on Sunday, Dec. 7th, Ken Love, chief executive of Kimball Hill Homes expresses the disconnect between the auto bailout and the struggling housing market. He’s quoted as saying, “It’s unlike the automotive industry, where there’s three companies and on one day they can meet with Congress and say, ‘Can you help us?’” Granted this story is about a production builder filing for bankruptcy but it still brings to light that the housing market is just as valuable to the economy as the auto industry.

If anything, you could say the housing decline was the start of the decline everywhere else, including Wall Street and the auto industry. After reading this article, it’s painfully aware to me that builders are being left out in the cold when it comes to their struggles. While Congress is willing to provide support to three major corporations who refused to have foresight that there was a need for innovative auto technology, they are ignoring the builders who provide homes for its citizens.

As builders stick together, gather to brainstorm ideas, and rely on each other to move forward during this unique time, they are definitely proving that it’s possible to solve problems with the help of each other … not necessarily the government’s money.

~Maureen