A recently completed rehabilitation of the 1911 Silverton School in Silverton, Colo., has earned LEED-Gold certification. Silverton School is one of a small number of historic K-12 schools worldwide to achieve that designation. Photo courtesy of Anderson Hallas Architects The $9-million rehabilitation transformed the 1911 school building into a modern, functional learning center. Photo courtesy of Anderson Hallas Architects The main hallway of the school was preserved and restored to its historic character. The new school is a big turnaround from the aging building whose 98-year-old, coal-fired boiler gave out in November 2008. Now it is a carefully restored historic
After three months of accelerating demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index reflected a somewhat slower pace of growth in October. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lead time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the October ABI score was 51.6, down from a mark of 54.3 in September. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 61.5, up from the reading of 58.6 the previous month.“There continues to
In Colorado there is a major difference between remedies available to contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and others in the construction industry depending upon whether the project is privately or publicly owned. Subcontractors and suppliers (and rental companies) on Colorado public projects have three ways to get paid:• Sue and get a judgment against the contractors they worked for or supplied to• Sue on the general contractor’s bond posted at the project if the general contract is over $50,000, or• Apply through the verified claim/withholding process.Here are each of these remedies considered separately.From the contractor. If a contractor on a Colorado public
FMI says that construction put in place at the end of 2013 is expected to be at $909.6 billion. FMI researchers further predict CPIP growth rates to be slightly ahead of the GDP in 2014. Those predictions are included in the recent release of the firm’s “2014 U.S. Markets Construction Overview.” FMI is a provider of management consulting and investment banking information to the engineering and construction industry. Other predictions in the overview include:• Residential CPIP is anticipated to grow from $338.2 billion in 2013 to $379.6 billion in 2014.• Health care CPIP is expected to grow 6% in 2014
The Energy Systems Integration Facility on the campus of the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., has earned a LEED-Platinum certification for new construction. Photo courtesy of NREL Natural light enters deep into ESIF through 15-ft-long skylights and large expanses of clerestory glazing. The 182,500-sq-ft ESIF is an Energy Department User Facility that is the nation’s first to help both public and private sector researchers scale up promising clean-energy technologies and test how they interact with each other and the grid at utility scale.ESIF houses more than 15 experimental laboratories and several outdoor test beds,
As the economy gradually recovers, nonresidential construction spending remains unchanged—possibly one good sign that the downturn in the industry has stopped. That may be one way to interpret the latest Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) produced by Associated Builders and Contractors, which remained nearly unchanged between the second and third quarters of 2013. “The most recent CBI reading suggests much of the growth next year is likely to occur after the first quarter of 2014, and only if a successful resolution to lingering federal budgetary issues emboldens decision-makers,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu.“Even with successful negotiations in Washington, D.C., ABC
National construction employment expanded by 11,000 jobs in September, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Nov. 8 jobs report. Nonresidential construction employment gained 6,400 positions. The national construction unemployment rate stood at 9% in October on a non-seasonally adjusted basis, down from 8.5% in September and 11.4% at the same time last year. Since October 2012, the construction industry added 185,000 jobs (3.3%). Of that total, 35% is attributable to nonresidential activities, down from 37% in September 2013.“It is encouraging to see nonresidential employment continue to rebound,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Every major segment
The value of new construction starts increased 5% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $585.6 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The gain followed a 13% jump for total construction starts in September, and during both September and October much of the upward push came from groundbreaking for several very large projects. By sector, nonresidential building surged in October, aided by the start of three massive manufacturing plants, and residential building resumed its upward track after a September pause. Although nonbuilding construction in October settled back from its elevated September pace,
Birgitta Foster has joined ACAI Associates Inc. as the director of facilities integration and will manage the firm's new Albuquerque office. She has served as the assisting director of the buildingSMART alliance for the past two years and is currently a representative for buildingSMART International. Related Links: Upload Your New Hires or Promotions to ENR Southwest's People Gallery ENR Southwest People Brock Grayson has joined Layton Construction in Phoenix as vice president of the Arizona business unit. Grayson spent 16 years at Ware Malcomb Architects and was architect-of-record for Layton's build-out of the Fender Musical Instruments headquarters in Scottsdale. He
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined moderately in September, decreased sharply in October. The Index now stands at 71.2 (1985=100), down from 80.2 in September. The Present Situation Index decreased to 70.7 from 73.5. The Expectations Index fell to 71.5 from 84.7 last month. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions declined moderately. Those claiming business conditions are “good” decreased to 19.0% from 20.7%, however, those claiming business conditions are “bad” edged down to 23.0% from 23.9%.Consumers’ appraisal of the job market was less favorable than last month. Those saying jobs are “plentiful” was virtually unchanged at 11.3%
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