CertainTeed Corp. announced it has secured third-party GreenCircle certification for 20 of its ceilings products. In addition, the company also unveiled new, more environmentally friendly packaging for its ceilings products.

Marino\WARE has announced that some of its product line has meet code ICC code requirements. Viper25, Viper20S (Select) and Viper20D (Deluxe) received an evaluation report (ESR#2620) from ICC Evaluation Service, providing evidence that the ViperStud Drywall Framing System meets these requirements.

BASF and Pepper Viner Homes have announced the Pepper Viner/BASF High-Performance Home-a model for near-zero energy construction for production builders nationally. Located in the Tucson, Ariz.’s Civano North Ridge community, the test home, which is 81 percent more energy efficient than a typical home, is currently open for public tours.

Insulspan has received the Excellence in Design Award in the Green Panelized Home category of the 2010 BSC Excellence in Home Design and Marketing Awards program. The awards are given annually by the Building Systems Councils, a trade association that represents the concrete, log, modular, and panelized building system industries, and is an arm of the National Association of Home Builders

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in October that injury and illness rates among private industry employers are down from a total case rate of 4.2 in 2007 to 3.9 in 2008. The bureau also reported a decline in non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses from 4 million cases in 2007 to 3.7 million cases in 2008.

Brady Construction Innovations’ ProXHeader received an evaluation report ESR-1765 from ICC Evaluation Service, providing evidence that the Engineered Header System meets IBC 2006 and CBC 2007 code requirements, the company announced in a press release.

Developed by the International Masonry Institute, the Sustainable Masonry Certification Program educates union masonry contractors on the nuts-and-bolts of sustainability practices and their role in the LEED certification process, making contractors a valuable part of LEED project teams.

Royal Concrete Concepts announced the delivery of two Category 5 hurricane resistant homes that can protect new homeowners from rising insurance rates, not just rising sea levels.

A newly renovated home in Phoenix has become the first remodeling project in the nation to receive Emerald certification, according to a press release from the NAHB.

The federal government has joined a growing list of groups that allow for the use of template construction contract documents prepared by a coalition of building, owner and surety groups known as ConsensusDOCS. The decision by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service opens the way for key template documents to be used in water construction projects worth up to $20 billion each year.