New construction starts in April settled back 1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $473.0 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of McGraw-Hill Financial. The public-works sector retreated from its elevated pace in March, and housing experienced a slight loss of momentum. Meanwhile, nonresidential building in April showed some improvement after its lackluster performance during the previous two months. On an unadjusted basis, total construction starts in the January-April period of 2013 came in at $141.1 billion, down 5% from the same period a year ago. The 2013 year-to-date amount for total construction was pulled down by a
Construction employment declined in 32 states and the District of Columbia in April even as 29 states added jobs between April 2012 and April 2013, according to a recent analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of Labor Dept. data. Association officials noted that construction demand in a number of states appears to be slackening amid federal construction spending cuts and relatively weak private-sector demand. “The industry shows signs of recovering but employment growth continues to be uneven, with some areas seeing stronger gains even as others continue to contract,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “In addition,
With some of the Southwest's larger design firms experiencing flat or slight growth in 2012, several mid-size firms found an opening to expand dramatically. But both groups, in responding to this year's top design firms survey, are hopeful that economic conditions will continue to improve in 2013 and beyond. Related Links: View All of ENR Southwest's Annual Top Lists Design Firm of the Year: Dekker/Perich/Sabatini "The commercial lending market seems more willing to put their liquidity to work, which in turn has spurred construction projects which would not have been considered a couple of years ago," says Jason Bush, principal
Ariela Rivera RIVERAhas joined Albuquerque-based Van H. Gilbert Architect PC as an interior designer. She received her bachelor's degree from the Southwest University of Visual Arts. Related Links: Upload Your Firm's People Announcements to ENR Southwest's People Gallery View Past ENR Southwest People Articles In addition, two former employees rejoined the firm. Kevin deGraauw is now senior project architect, and Michael Nothwang is senior project designer.Robert Lara has been named the new architecture department manager for GLHN Architects & Engineers in Tucson. He has more than 35 years of experience in architectural design and project management, primarily in the
Around 15 years ago, Dale Dekker, Steve Perich and Bill Sabatini didn't just merge their firms; the architects also brought together their professional dreams to develop a regional design studio that would provide unsurpassed service to customers in the Southwest and opportunities for a top-notch and ever-growing staff. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record A decade and a half later, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini has become a key player in the region, a culmination of hard work and customer outreach that could be a model for other medium-size firms that want to knock on the door of international recognition.Dekker and Perich first
The Colorado Dept. of Transportation has selected the team of Felsburg Holt & Ullevig (FHU) and Edward Kraemer and Sons Inc. for the U.S. 6 design-build project. It will reconstruct 6th Ave. (U.S. 6) from Knox Court to just east of I-25, replace five bridges that are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete and improve the Federal Boulevard-U.S. 6 interchange. “We are extremely excited to have a team selected for this critical transportation improvement project,” said Kevin Sullivan, CDOT Project Director. “This project will provide many benefits to the Denver metro area and for the state of Colorado. We will
Federal, state and local dignitaries gathered in Idaho Springs on May 3 to mark the next major milestone in the Colorado Dept. of Transportation’s Interstate 70 Twin Tunnels Project—the beginning of major rock blasting and removal activities to widen the eastbound tunnel bore. “The major rock blasting marks the beginning of this critical transportation project that will improve safety and provide some travel savings, all of which we can enjoy by the end of the year,” said CDOT Executive Director Don Hunt. “This is not only a significant milestone for CDOT, but for our transportation partners as well. We wouldn’t
A much-anticipated new fire station in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood, designated as Fire Station 18, moved into the construction phase with an early May groundbreaking led by Denver city officials. Attending the ceremony were Mayor Michael Hancock, Denver City Council President Mary Beth Susman, Manager of Safety Justice Alex Martinez, Denver Fire Department Chief Eric Tade, and Better Denver Bond Implementation Manager George Delaney of Denver Public Works. Photo courtesy of City and County of Denver Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (left) joined city and fire dept. officials for the groundbreaking of the citys newest fire station in Lowry. The voter-approved 2007
Design and preconstruction are under way on a project to consolidate two existing campuses and create a single PK-12 school in the Platte Valley School District in northeastern Colorado 40 miles east of Sterling. Photo courtesy of Platte Valley School District The Platte Valley School District will renovate and preserve key elements of its historic, 1921 Art Deco-style school in a facilities-consolidation project that will begin this summer. Rendering by SLATERPAULL Architects Renovations will restore the building to its original grandeur and provide functional spaces, a 21st Century learning environment and a safe and secure facility. The district consists of
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in March, increased in April. The index now stands at 68.1 (1985=100), up from 61.9 in March. The Present Situation Index increased to 60.4 from 59.2. The Expectations Index improved to 73.3 from 63.7 last month. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions improved moderately in April. Those saying business conditions are “good” increased to 17.2% from 16.4%, while those stating business conditions are “bad” decreased to 28.1% from 29.1%.Consumers’ assessment of the labor market was mixed. Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” edged up to 9.8% from 9.5%, however those claiming jobs
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