With the training of 8000 construction workers the guild seeks to improve the quality of the workforce and prepare to meet the demand from projects announced by the government and private industry.
The worker training sessions will be conducted jointly by the Nicaraguan Chamber of Construction (NCC) and the Technological Institute (Inatec), and will begin with the training of 8000 workers over a period of 4 months.
The union of construction companies has estimated at the close of 2014 that investments made during the year on construction projects in the country will be worth about $5.6 billion.
McGowen Roderick, president of the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (CAPAC), said during the inauguration of the construction fair CAPAC Expo, "... according to the most conservative projections sector investment for this year will amount a total of approximately $5.65 billion. "
The industry claims that the law streamlining procedures is not being implemented in all institutions involved in the permitting process.
The law which aims to reduce the time it takes to gain authorization for medium and long term real estate projects from 880 days to 175 days, is not being applied equally by state entities.
Carlos Guerrero, president of the Salvadoran Chamber of Construction (Casalco) said in an article on Laprensagrafica.com ".... 'Importance has not been given to this law. There are many (government) institutions that are not complying with it.'"
Lack of private sector confidence in the government and excessive bureaucracy prevented greater investments being made in this industry during 2013.
The construction industry describes 2013 as a year of stagnation, it is estimated that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the sector will be 0% even though the previous year it closed at -2.4%. "We are closing the year without any growth," said Carlos Guerrero, president of the Salvadoran Chamber of the Construction Industry (Casalco).
The rule is effective immediately for municipalities included in Fomilenio II and for housing projects.
"... After six months of its entry into force it can be used by project developers of any kind nationwide, explained Ismael Nolasco, executive director of CASALCO. "
Carlos Guerrero, president of the Salvadoran Chamber of the Construction Industry (CASALCO) said the Special Act for Streamlining Paperwork for Building Construction Projects will help boost the economy and create more jobs.
It is expected that its entry into force will accelerate the procedures for granting permits for construction projects.
From a press release issued by the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador:
During the plenary session, the deputies approved with 70 votes, the Expediting Act on Procedures for Construction Project Development, which aims to promote economic and social development, by streamlining processes and procedures relating to the granting of administrative permits and approvals for the development of construction projects and its subdivisions.
In Costa Rica half of the municipalities do not have a master plan that establishes conditions for urbanization.
Currently the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (Mideplan) has approved six projects to develop these plans in the municipalities of Montes Oro, Poás, Pérez Zeledón, Siquirres, Orotina and Naranjo. Others such as Desamparados, Hojancha, Coto Brus and Grecia are under study.
About 25 construction projects are stalled because the Environmental Technical Secretariat does not have enough personnel to carry out environmental studies.
These projects have been lodged with the Environmental Technical Secretariat (Setena) since the first half of this year "... without having been even given a the green light to go ahead with the study on environmental impact," noted an article in Elfinancierocr.com.
Keeping pace with growth in demand for modern workspaces, in the last three years construction of luxury office buildings has increased in Managua .
High rise luxury buildings for offices and roads built using reinforced concrete are saving up to 40% on electricity bills and saving up to 15% in fuel consumption.
According to Marco Amador, executive director of Discover Construcciones in Managua there are about 15 office buildings with an occupancy of 90%.
There is a need for monitoring compliance with building regulations, the use of suitable materials and suitable labor, and carrying out soil studies in advance.
Laprensa.com.ni reports that "less than 25% of the artisanal, semi-industrial and industrial blocks sold in Managua meet current building standards in the country. While steel only responded satisfactorily to one of the tests required by good construction practices. "
The Government of Costa Rica is preparing a third plan for land ordnance in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM by its initials in Spanish).
This was announced by Guido Monge, Minister of Housing and Settlements (MIVAH)."It is called Plan GAM 2013, and will be built on the remains of its two predecessors: the Regional Urban Plan for the Greater Metropolitan Area (PRUGAM) and the Land Use Plan (POTGAM) (the latter introduced in January this year) which never, because of their designs, reached the approval stage, " noted an article in Elfinancierocr.com.
A draft bill aims to update the regulatory framework for the development of plans, specifications, and for the execution of all works of engineering and architecture.
A press release issued by the National Assembly of Panama reads:
Construction in the country will be regulated in order to protect the life and physical integrity of its occupants with the provision of a hierarchy of the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture (JTIA) as the regulatory body for safety and construction.
The destruction caused by the recent earthquake has raised questions about the lack of a unified seismic building code.
An article in Prensalibre.com reports that Luis Alvarez Valencia, vice president of the Institute of Cement and Concrete in Guatemala (ICCG), a member of the Guatemalan Association of Structural Engineering and Earthquakes (Agies), said "There is no building code combining all the rules in the country. "
An act to streamline procedures intends to reduce the bureaucratic time delay to 120 days, so that construction companies can dynamize the economy with new buildings.
Currently the number formalities required for a construction project is 18.
Elmundo.com.sv reports that "Carlos Guerrero, president of the Salvadoran Chamber of the Construction Industry (Casalco), who also served as environment minister between 2004 and 2009, indicated that this delay makes the country less competitive and will increase costs unnecessarily. "
Latin American construction chambers are demanding from their governments a level playing field between foreign construction companies and domestic ones.
A statement from the Costa Rican Chamber of Construction reads:
FOREIGN AND NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANIES ON EQUAL TERMS
• A joint statement was made in the Twenty-Eighth Congress of American Building Industry in Lima, Peru.