Five teams have prequalified to bid the third and final contract, estimated at $500 million, that is part of an $8.7-billion rail link under the Hudson River between New Jersey and Manhattan. The contract, to be awarded next fall, will involve building 14,600 feet of soft-ground tunnels that run 110 feet under the river. There are some new names on the list that hadn’t bid the project’s previous two hard-rock tunneling contracts on either side of the river. Both of those were recently awarded. Set to vie for the soft-ground contract are: a joint venture of J.F. Shea Construction, Schiavone
With new legislation passed in New York City late last year, all of New York's buildings totaling more than 50,000 sq ft are required to submit to benchmarking and retro-commissioning, essentially putting those buildings' efficiency ratings up against other buildings across the country. The Empire State Building is undergoing one of the largest commercial green retrofits in the United States. Benchmarking essentially ranks a building’s energy and water efficiency against similar buildings. The legislation specifies the use of the U.S. EPA’s Portfolio Benchmarking tool as the standard for calculating the ranking. The process is very simple. Data on a building’s
The Board of Yonkers Industrial Development Agency has advanced plans to build two downtown affordable housing projects which will provide 392 apartments to low-income residents combined. The agency passed two resolutions this week which will present the plans at public hearings and to negotiate economic development packages for the projects. Rendering courtesy of Perkins Eastman The first project, called the Warburton Riverview project was proposed by the Greyston Foundation and consists of a new 12-story building encompassing seven lots totaling 22,587 sq ft located at 54-56 Warburton Avenue, within walking distance to public transportation and the core of downtown Yonkers.
Skanska USA and EMCOR Group, two of the region�s largest contracting firms, have offered separate $50,000 donations to help with relief efforts in Haiti, while other firms and associations are gathering cash and food donations. Skanska’s donation was made to the United Nations, while EMCOR donated $25,000 to the American Red Cross’ Touching Lives Program, with an additional $25,000 from a double matching program with EMCOR employees. “We know that this donation can only do so much in an area where the need is so great,” said Mike McNally, President and CEO of Skanska USA. “But we know that if
Walking past New York City construction sites may soon be a much more pleasant visual experience. Slide Show Images courtesy of urbanSHED International Design Competition Urban Umbrella design by Young Hwan Choi, with Andr�s Cort�s, AIA, and Sarrah Khan, PE, of Agencie Group. Related Links: Video: Shedding Inhibitions: Rethinking New York Sidewalk Protection Unhappy with the current appearance of sidewalk sheds – the uninviting scaffolds that surround the city’s construction sites to provide protection from falling debris – New York’s Department of Buildings partnered with the AIA, Alliance for Downtown New York, New York Building Congress, Illuminating Engineering Society New
Harkins Builders of Marriottsville, Md., received a big boost to its multi-family residential business recently, thanks to a mix of government stimulus and tax credits. Between Dec. 1, 2009 and Jan. 15, 2010, the company saw loan closings and subsequent construction starts on six projects in the Mid-Atlantic. Harkins officials point to the use of federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the Tax Credit Assistance Program and Section 1602 Exchange funds, which are part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Many of the deals closed in order to meet end-of-the-year deadlines, according Harkins officials. Using a combination
Boston-based Suffolk Construction is looking to firm its footing in the Mid-Atlantic States with the acquisition of The Dietze Construction Group of Ashburn, Va. Suffolk, which opened its Mid-Atlantic Division in 2007, aims to leverage Dietze’s experience managing construction of secure government facilities, which is a sector that has remained strong through the recession especially around the nation’s capital. Recent Dietze projects include the one million square-foot interior construction of the Securities and Exchange Commission headquarters. Other Dietze projects currently under construction include a new 100,000 square-foot clubhouse for the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va.; design-build construction of a
The GCA of New York Holds Conference for Disadvantaged, Minority- and Women-Owned Firms January 2010 Also, LEED Gold-certified affordable housing complex opens. The General Contractors Association of New York held a networking conference in a Midtown hotel for disadvantaged, minority and women owned business enterprises that specialize in the heavy construction industry, allowing them to build relationships with public works general contractors and public agencies. Pictured from left are: Joe Argette, President of Queens Village based JMA Concrete Construction, Denise Richardson, General Manager of the General Contractors Association of New York, Michael Jones-Bey, Executive Director of the Empire State Development Division
The New York City Capital Resource Corporation recently approved $2.2 million in Recovery Zone Facility Bonds to assist in the development of a cultural and arts center at the Kalahari Condominium in Central Harlem. Photo courtesy of the New York City Economic Development Corp Dedicated to the African and Hispanic cultural heritage of the residents, the approximately $9.6 million, 18,000-sq-ft MIST at the Kalahari cultural center will consist of an African/Latino fusion restaurant, a conference and performance area, three screening rooms, and film and digital media studios for training students to participate in the post-production film industry. The cultural center
The number of fatal construction-related accidents in New York City decreased in 2009 by 84 percent over the previous year, city officials have reported. Three fatalities were reported in 2009 compared to 19 in 2008, 12 in 2007 and 18 in 2006, according to the New York City Department of Buildings. Though DOB reports show that permits issued for major construction decreased 33 percent in 2009, fatal construction-related accidents decreased by a far greater margin thanks to the department’s expanded enforcement powers, increased oversight of high-risk construction operations and a slew of new safety awareness programs and initiatives. “We have
RSS
