The Gila River Indian Community in Arizona awarded an $82-million contract to Henderson, Nev.-based Tutor Perini Building Corp. to construct the new Vee Quiva Casino & Hotel. Located in Laveen—just outside of Phoenix—the project will include a new 70,000-sq-ft casino and a 90-room hotel. Construction is expected to start in June. Related Links: Read about Gila River's previous project, Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino The new casino will be built just to the south of the existing Vee Quiva Casino, which will remain operational until the new project opens in summer 2013.“Rebuilding Vee Quiva Casino is part of a
This week marked a major milestone on the $1.5-billion PHX Sky Train project, as Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton sent Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s new automated train on its first official—albiet short—journey on Monday. Photo courtesy Sky Harbor The PHX Sky Train performed its first short test run on Monday on track running between the East Economy Station and the maintenance facility. Photo by Scott Blair Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton praised Sky Train as the key to future success at Sky Harbor Airport. “Built during the worst economy since the Great Depression, this project has put a lot of people to
The Colonel Smith Middle School in southern Arizona intends to preach what it practices. Built on Fort Huachuca, the U.S. Army's leading intelligence-training post about 90 miles southeast of Tucson, the $22-million school will demonstrate sustainability to students and the surrounding community. It will also likely become Arizona's first—and the nation's 12th—net-zero energy use school. Related Links: Arizona's Other Net-Zero Project ENR Southwest Projects Page The Phoenix office of construction manager-at-risk Turner Construction Co. expects to deliver the one-level, 88,700-sq-ft building on schedule by the first week of August. Approximately 375 sixth- to eighth-grade students within the Fort Huachuca Accommodation
Five straight years of revenue declines for the Southwest's top design firms have taken a toll. Design revenue from projects located in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico for the top 70 survey respondents fell another 19% to $817.7 million in 2011, compared with the previous year. But many firms began laying the groundwork to jump out of the gate once design work picks up—and in some market sectors, it already has. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 70 Design Firms Ranking Design Firms Ranked by State & Market Sector The year "2011 was another ... where our revenues were lower than
Mel Lawson LAWSONwas appointed mining principal at Stantec's Tempe, Ariz., office. Lawson's 40 years of industry experience include a concentration in underground/surface mining operations and project and construction management. He has 20 years of experience in senior operations and project management. Prior to joining Stantec, he served as the owner's engineering manager for a multibillion-dollar international mining project and most recently served as vice president for project development at a North American copper project. He is a graduate of Michigan Technological University and has a degree in mining engineering. Related Links: ENR Southwest Post Your Own People Announcements In the
At SmithGroupJJR's Phoenix office, design excellence and sustainability are synonymous. The office has been responsible for 11 LEED-certified projects and has 12 more pending, but the firm's design philosophy has also brought some of the same sustainable features that SmithGroupJJR would employ on a LEED-Platinum project—high-performance building envelopes, energy modeling, daylight analysis and natural ventilation—to most of their other projects.. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 70 Design Firms Other Top Southwest Firms "I joke with clients [that] if you don't want a sustainable building, you're going to get one regardless because that's who we are and how we think about
The City of Mesa and Chicago Cubs this week announced plans to break ground on their new spring training baseball facility on July 11. The stadium will become the western headquarters for the Chicago Cubs. In addition, the City and Cubs are in final stages of an agreement that will make the complex the new home for the Arizona State University baseball program. Image courtesy City of Mesa The new spring training facility for the Chicago Cubs in Mesa, Ariz. will provide space for 15,000 fans. Image courtesy City of Mesa The stadium design features shaded seating. Arizona State University is in
The United States Department of Labor has begun to interpret the Davis-Bacon Act to require an employer to reimburse employees’ lodging expenses while away from home on prevailing wage jobs. This can create a substantial unanticipated assessment to an employer unaware of this interpretation. Photo courtesy Jennings, Haug & Cunningham Lough specializes in construction litigation matters, including construction industry employment issues. Contractors and subcontractors performing work on federally funded projects are subject to the prevailing wage requirements of the Davis-Bacon and Davis-Bacon Related Acts. When those projects are in a remote location or small rural community, a contractor may find
ENR’s annual Best Projects award program is dedicated to honoring the best construction projects and the companies that designed and built them in all 50 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Photo by Patrick Coulie 2011 Cultural Regional Winner: V. Sue Cleveland High School Orchestra Hall Projects compete in 18 specialized categories, ranging from transportation to higher education. Independent juries of industry leaders in design and construction from each of ENR’s 10 regional editions will judge the projects using five criteria, including safety, innovation and teamwork. The winners will be honored at awards ceremonies held in each region in
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