Construction industry faithful who thought 2009 was painful should stop thumbing through this year's calendar. Most observers say the region's market is going to get worse. At least in 2009, many contractors had backlogs to finish, even if they were lighter than normal, says Mike Kolakowski, CEO of KBE Building of Farmington, Conn. “I think 2010 will be a challenging year for a lot of companies,” he adds. “I believe that we’ll start to see some positive signs in 2011 but not feel the effects until the middle to end of that year and into 2012.” Related Links: Fit for
As the demand for information technology has exploded, so, too, has the need for data centers housing servers, storage devices and networking gear. And though the financial crisis and ensuing credit crunch severely constrained data center construction with many projects put on hold or canceled, the sector is still seeing plenty of activity and is expected to surge as the recovery gains strength. Photo: Gilbane Building Work underway on an HVAC system for a recently completed data center project. Related Links: Buffalo Roost Despite the slowdown, 2 million-sq.-ft. of data center development is underway in New Jersey, says Michael Pembroke,
The storm clouds over the New York region’s construction industry had formed in late fall 2009 as project backlogs emptied and new jobs were few on the horizon. But that bleak juncture is when some general contractors and construction managers geared up for investments – even some that escaped them during the dizzying market boom of recent years. Related Links: Contractors Stretch for New Markets Crystal Ball Blues Top Contractors For Structure Tone, a decision to diversify its expertise was part of a long-term strategy – one the market bust didn’t deter, says Robert Mullen, CEO of the New York-based
Since their inception in 1996, the New York Red Bulls soccer club has been a team without a real home. The Major League Soccer franchise has been forced to play at Giants Stadium, a sprawling, cavernous facility built for American football that never gave off that “home field” advantage you look for in a permanent home. Photo: New York Red Bulls After nearly 15 years playing on turf at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, the New York Red Bulls’ new $200 million facility in nearby Harrison will allow them to play on natural turf - Kentucky Blue Grass. Photo: New
The construction market in North Jersey is not unlike most in the Tri-State region. Private jobs are hard to come by – and even harder to find – and most firms, large and small, find themselves pitted against steep competition for every small health care, education and transportation project that goes out to bid. Photo: Turner Construction Co. Turner Construction Co. is building the $447 million University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro. Photo: Turner Construction Co. Turner will finish the 630,000-sq-f, 237-room Princeton medical facility in 2011 Related Links: New Home “There’s a fairly significant amount of work on
There is an old engineering adage that says you can’t have faster, better and cheaper all at the same time. Yahoo is out to prove this adage wrong with its new data center under construction in upstate New York. The facility, located 30 miles northeast of Buffalo in Lockport, N.Y., is being billed by the company as one of the greenest and most energy efficient building of its kind in the country. Powered by renewable energy from Niagara Falls, the data center’s design takes advantage of the region’s climate to cool the facility using 100 percent outside air. Photo courtesy
Many contractors may face increased scrutiny and risk associated with using “independent contractors” to perform work on their jobs. While hiring subcontractors is an appropriate selection, some businesses attempt to save payroll taxes and withholdings by designating individuals who are, in essence, employees as independent contractors. Given the current tax and funding shortfalls, various federal and state regulatory entities are focused on closing these loopholes and enforcing regulations designed to present false or fraudulent classifications. Regulatory and Statutory Action Abuse of independent contractor status continues to get significant regulatory and legislative attention. Critics of this practice argue that misclassifying employees
Mid-Atlantic Construction’s Best of 2009: April 01, 2010 Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine honored the region’s best projects and the teams who built those projects at a ceremony in Baltimore, Md., Dec. 11, 2009. Ted Wolf (left) of Forrester Construction and Nancy Penn of CH2M Hill accept an Award of Merit in the Cultural category for the Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site project. The build team from The Walter L. Rice Education Building at the VCU Inger & Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences accepts its award for Overall Project of the Year. The project also won the Green Projects category.
Skanska USA announced that its building unit in San Antonio was the recipient of multiple health-care construction awards at the 2009 Annual Excellence in Construction Competition hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors of South Texas. Skanska won the Mega Projects Award, the Healthcare Award, the Institutional Award and the Gold S.T.E.P. Award for Safety. Skanska USA also announced it has completed construction on the Texas Southmost College Arts Center Building in Brownsville. MIYAKODA MENDENHALL LONG TBG Partners promoted employees at three of its four Texas offices. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Kent T. Mendenhall was promoted to principal; in Houston, Yan
CHEVY CHASE, MD—The JBG Companies has been selected by the General Services Administration to develop the $200-million National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md. The 575,000-sq-ft NCI Shady Grove Campus will be located on site in the Life Sciences Center owned by Johns Hopkins University near Rockville. The JBG Companies has been selected by the General Services Administration to develop the $200-million 575,000-sq-ft National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md. Related Links: More Stimulus Ahead Whiting Turner to Build $107-Million Law Center Gilbane Manages Eisenhower Memorial Project Branch & Associates Breaks Ground on Liberty Stadium Oak Contracting to Oversee Herbert Hoover Middle
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