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Abby Hornacek

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Facilities for Hire

Standards Wales (BSI Group) | Welsh Language Commissioner

“Our stunning location, combined with the wide range of facilities spread across 40 acres of grounds, makes Christ College Brecon the ideal venue for residential stays, sporting events, conferences, and special functions.  Nestled in the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park, the site also offers opportunities for a wide range of exciting activities, including climbing, gorge walking, mountain biking, and pony-trekking within the local area.”

Facilities for Hire

Sacred Spaces

Ædificare & Utilization

New Construction Release Schedule: https://www.census.gov/construction/c30/release.html

Reports are usually released at 10 AM EST the first day of every month.

There’s been a significant redesign of the look and feel of the monthly Census Bureau reports construction activity. Today we sort through the rather more granular statistics that inform our recommendations for facility spend.

December 1, 2025

It has been 20 years since we began tracking educational settlement facility spend.  Starting this month we will examine federal government data together with the best available data about space utilization to enlighten our response to the perfectly reasonable question: “Are we over-building or under-building or building ineffectively”.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

United States: Schools of Architecture

The Society for College and University Planning (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

National Center for Education Statistics

The Financial Impact of Architectural Design: Balancing Aesthetics and Budget in Modern Construction

 

Homeschooling

2022 International Existing Building Code 

  • University College London

As reported by the US Department of Commerce Census Bureau the value of construction put in place by August 2025 by the US education industry proceeded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $137.604 billion.  This number does not include renovation for projects under 50,000 square feet and new construction in university-affiliated health care delivery enterprises.   Reports are released two months after calendar month.  The complete report is available at the link below:

MONTHLY CONSTRUCTION SPENDING August 2025 (released two months after calendar month)

 

 


This spend makes the US education facilities industry (which includes colleges, universities, technical/vocational and K-12 schools, most university-affiliated medical research and healthcare delivery enterprises, etc.) the largest non-residential building construction market in the United States after commercial property; and fairly close.  For perspective consider total public + private construction ranked according to the tabulation most recently released:

$137.604 billion| Education Facilities

$155.728 billion | Power

$69.625 billion | Healthcare

Keep in mind that inflation figures into the elevated dollar figures.  Overall — including construction, energy, custodial services, furnishings, security. etc., — the non-instructional spend plus the construction spend of the US education facilities is running at a rate of about $300 – $500 billion per year.

LIVE: A selection of construction cameras at  US schools, colleges and universities

Architectural Billings

We typically pick through the new data set; looking for clues relevant to real asset spend decisions.  Finally, we encourage the education facilities industry to contribute to the accuracy of these monthly reports by responding the US Census Bureau’s data gathering contractors.

Reconstruction of Ancient Agora

 

As surely as people are born, grow wealthy and die with extra cash,

there will be a home for that cash to sustain their memory and to steer

the cultural heritage of the next generation in beautiful settings.

More

National Center for Educational Statistics

AIA: Billings Index shows but remains strong May 2022

National Center for Education Statistics

Sightlines: Capital Investment College Facilities

OxBlue: Time-Lapse Construction Cameras for Education

Architectural Billing Index

IBISWorld Education Sector

US Census Bureau Form F-33 Survey of School System Finances

American School & University

New Report from Occuspace Finds U.S. Campuses Face Significant Underutilization

Global Consistency in Presenting Construction & Life Cycle Costs

Carnegie Classifications

Beef & Sour Cream

Standards Nebraska

Beef Stroganoff originated in 19th-century Russia, named after the wealthy Stroganov family (likely Count Pavel Alexandrovich or a relative). It first appeared in cookbooks like Elena Molokhovets’s “A Gift to Young Housewives” around the 1870s, featuring sautéed beef strips in a simple sauce of mustard, bouillon, and sour cream (smetana)—no mushrooms or onions in the earliest versions.

Russian aristocrats often employed French chefs, blending French techniques (like mustard seasoning and sautéing) with Russian ingredients (heavy sour cream). Legends claim it was created for a toothless count or due to frozen Siberian beef, but it’s likely a refined take on older Russian beef dishes. It spread globally after the 1917 Revolution via émigrés (so-called White Russians) that settled in Nebraska.

Thesis: The History of the German-Russian Colony in Lincoln (June 1909)

Beef Stroganoff over egg noodles

CLICK IMAGE FOR RECIPE

Standards Nebraska | Nebraska Extension


Iowa Variant

Cornish Pasties

Michigan Upper Peninsula

Dining Services Recipe  | MTU Alumni Recipe

2024 Financial Report: Net Position $479,190,705

 

Today, February 23, 2026, marks the start of Cornish Pasty Week in the UK — an annual celebration of the iconic Cornish pasty, Cornwall’s most famous traditional food.

This year’s event runs from February 23 to March 1, 2026, organized by the Cornish Pasty Association. It highlights the protected status of the genuine Cornish pasty (which must be made in Cornwall to traditional recipes: beef, potato, swede/rutabaga, onion, and seasoning in shortcrust pastry, hand-crimped) and encourages pasty makers, bakeries, and sellers across Cornwall (and beyond) to promote it.

Key highlights happening right now:

  • It’s kicking off with promotions, special offers, and events at local bakeries and shops.
  • The week builds excitement toward the Global Pasty Championships on Saturday, February 28, at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. This competition brings together bakers for a chance at a “global title,” featuring pasty-making, music, and Cornish pride — it’s positioned as a big finale to the week, just before St Piran’s Day (Cornwall’s patron saint day on March 5).
  • Pasties are being celebrated as a cultural staple, with mentions of fundraising (the event has raised over £35,000 in past years for school cooking programs in Cornwall).
  • Social media and news outlets are buzzing about it — BBC Cornwall shared a fun post calling it “any excuse for an oggy” (a common nickname for a pasty), and butchers/bakeries are posting their versions and specials.

It’s a lighthearted, food-focused week emphasizing tradition, community, and enjoying (or baking) these hearty handheld pies. If you’re in the UK, especially Cornwall, look out for local deals or events — or just grab a proper one to join in! No major controversies or breaking scandals today; it’s all positive vibes around this beloved British classic.

Michigan Technological University

❤️Homophily Michigan ❤️

Cornish Pasty Association | Truro Cornwall

 

Welsh rarebit

What started as a tongue-in-cheek 18th-century English jest about Welsh poverty and cheese-loving habits has since found its way onto college town pub-fusion menus. Not a bit of rabbit in it.  The phylogenetic origin of Domino’s Stuffed Cheesy Bread.

Best Coffee Spots in Cardiff

LIVE: KAFA 97.7 FM | THE ACADEMY

Broadcast Club • United States Air Force Academy

 

Guinness Shepherd’s Pie

 

The Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie is an traditional meal in the United Kingdom featuring a savory meat filling topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Traditionally made with ground lamb or beef, the filling is cooked with onions, carrots, peas, and a rich gravy, often flavored with herbs like thyme or rosemary. The mixture is then layered into a casserole dish and crowned with a generous spread of mashed potatoes, sometimes sprinkled with cheese. Baked until golden and bubbling, it’s a hearty, comforting meal, perfect for cold days. Its origins trace back to resourceful shepherds using leftover meat, making it a staple of home cooking.

 

Ibid.

Sweet Apple Pork Chops

Cornbread & Coffee

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

The Science Behind Brewing Beer

Standards for Craft Beer

Roast Beef Dinner

Cooking on a Budget: Learn how to make a flavourful dish for less than £1.70

Food Standards Agency UK: Meat and slaughter

Trump’s children all turned out so well

 

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