Design firms in California are feeling a renewed—though cautious—sense of optimism. The top firms posted $3.49 billion in billings during 2012, an increase of just 1% over the previous year, but many company executives expect the pace of growth to pick up in the rest of 2013 and beyond. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record "We started 2013 with the largest backlog in our firm's history, and while the market remains somewhat unsettled, we're seeing much more enthusiasm in our clients and they are embarking on new developments," says Rick Emsiek, partner at architectural firm MVE & Partners Inc.,
For 20 years, the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) has advanced the study of the genetic code through innovative research and policymaking to improve human health and further environmental sustainability. Related Links: New Bayside Museum Seeks Net-Zero Energy Goal David and Lucile Packard Foundation Designed for Net-Zero Energy Consumption The research institute now is applying its vision of sustainability to its new 45,000-sq-ft Western headquarters in La Jolla, being constructed by McCarthy Building Cos., San Diego. When completed in the fall, the $39-million campus will be on track to become the world's first net-zero energy use biological laboratory."We realized that
Tina Moschetti MOSCHETTIwas promoted to principal at Stantec's Irvine transportation practice. She will lead project and operational performance there, including budget management and quality control. Moschetti also will support such clients as LA Metro and the Orange County Transportation Authority. Related Links: Upload Your Firm's New Hires and Promotions in the ENR California People Photo Gallery! ENR California People News Lisa Alzona has joined the Irvine office of design firm EwingCole as senior medical planner. She has more than 10 years' experience in the health care market, having worked for HOK and HDR. Alzona has a bachelor's degree in architecture
Southern California Edison (SCE) is closing down the troubled San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California. The plant’s two reactor units have been shut down since 2012 after a small leak was detected in a steam generator manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Related Links: Nuclear Resurgence Dims Due to Rising Costs, Low Demand The California utility originally submitted plans to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to restart the reactors, but uncertainty about whether the plan would be accepted and the length of time involved during which SCE would need to maintain the plant in a state of readiness led to the
The final segments of Governor Brown’s proposed $24.5-billion Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) were released May 29 at a news conference in the Silicon Valley. The administrative drafts of chapters 8–12 address issues of cost, funding and general need for the controversial 50-year project which would create new water intakes and tunnels and restore habitats in the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area, the largest estuary in the U.S. Image courtesy Delta Stewardship Council The 50-year project which would create new water intakes and tunnels and restore habitats in the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area. Related Links: UCLA Researchers Return to
The Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee, or TBPOC, says it has a plan in place to fix broken bolts on the $6.4-billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project. It was revealed in March that 32 of the 96 anchor bolt rods on the structure's eastern span broke when crews tightened them. Photo courtesy TBPOC Crews will bypass broken bolt rods (above) by installing custom-made steel saddles containing hundreds of concrete-encased post-tensioned wires that will cover the shear keys attached to the rods (rendered below). Image courtesy of TBPOC Related Links: Corrosion Plagues New Bay Bridge Span The plan calls for the
The Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif. is renowned for classic Beaux-Arts structures and lush, sprawling lawns. So when the 96-year-old museum recently decided to build a new $60-million Education and Visitor Center, a major landscaping component was naturally part of the project. Image courtesy ARG Entrances to the new buildings are shaded by transitional trellises which blend into the landscaping. Related Links: Read About Other California Projects "This is the construction of a garden, not just of buildings," says Laurie Sowd, vice president for operations at The Huntington Library. "And that dictates very different construction techniques and sequencing."The project,
Crews are rapidly placing track sections in advance of the spring 2014 opening of the Oakland Airport Connector. Conceived in the early 1970s and started in 2010, the $484-million project will connect the Bay Area Rapid Transit system to the airport. The project is about two-thirds complete, with system testing commencing later this year, a BART spokesperson says. Related Links: Video: Oakland Airport Connector Nighttime Crane Lift Flatiron/Parsons JV Awarded Contract for Oakland Airport Connector Bigge Crane and Rigging, San Leandro, Calif., is providing and operating the cranes on the 3.1-mile project. Several of the lifts have occurred during overnight
The California High-Speed Rail Authority's $68-billion high-speed-rail project recently announced a probable joint-venture team to construct its first phase, but that doesn't mean trains will be leaving the station soon. The embattled project still faces lawsuits and questions, even from former supporters. Related Links: Bid Results Announced for First Leg of Calif. High-Speed Rail Calif. High-Speed Rail Backers Push 'System Blend' "High-speed rail is at a crucial point," says Quentin Kopp, former chairman of the authority. Over the past 18 months, "missteps and violations" of the 2008 Proposition 1A bond measure have changed public opinion, he says.Kopp, who co-authored the
RSS
