A highly visible campus-wide project is under way at the University of Colorado Boulder that will further the university’s reputation as a leader in sustainability and an innovator in reducing carbon emissions. Rendering by LOA Architecture The campus' new East District Energy Plant will be located near the Coors Events Center and will serve as a showcase for energy-efficient concepts. CU Boulder is upgrading the utility infrastructure that serves the entire main campus. It will also greatly improve energy efficiency and slash carbon emissions. The multi-phased project is anticipated to be fully operational by winter 2014 and is comprised of
Members of the construction industry who have been involved in litigation, either in court or arbitration, have learned the valuable lesson that attorney’s fees are a major component of their cases.
Billings at architecture firms in September increased at their fastest pace since late 2010. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the Architecture Billings Index reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the September ABI score was 51.6, up from the mark of 50.2 in August. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 57.3, compared to a mark of 57.2 the previous month. “Going back to the third quarter
There are a few bright spots on the horizon for the construction industry, though growth continues to be slow, according to the “2012 Construction Industry Report” from national insurance giant Aon Risk Solutions. The decline in the housing market has been so devastating that it will be a difficult recovery. The commercial market is a little better; however, a strong surge in spending in this area is still somewhat in the future.More spending is evident in areas such as health care, energy, infrastructure, mining and natural gas. Natural gas exploration investment depends on the price of oil, which has been
Denver Parks and Recreation has made its final selection from three design teams for the “Re-imagine Play” project at Denver’s City Park. The selected team of PORT Architecture + Urbanism/Indie Architecture developed the “City Loop” concept, which was presented in a public meeting in July. The City will now work to put a contract in place with the PORT/Indie team and begin organizing a broad stakeholder group to move the project forward. Design for the selected concept will begin in the spring and include several opportunities for public input.“The PORT/Indie team was selected by the steering committee for their strong local presence,
Construction employment declined in 28 states from September 2011 to September 2012 even as 30 states added jobs during the past month, according to a recent analysis of Labor Dept. data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials noted that the monthly gains, while welcome, were too small to offset the larger annual declines in many states. “Even though a good number of states added jobs in September, most states have a smaller construction work force than they did a year ago,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Between the fiscal cliff, unset tax rates and declining
At a national meeting of the BIMForum in Tacoma, Wash., on Oct. 11, McGraw-Hill Construction presented highlights of its new research showing the rapid advance of building information modeling (BIM) usage by architects, engineers, contractors and owners in North America. Comparing results from similar research in 2007 and 2009, McGraw-Hill Construction finds:• The percentage of companies using BIM jumped from 17% in 2007, to 49% in 2009 to 71% in 2012;• For the first time ever, more contractors (74%) are using BIM than architects (70%);• All users report increased business benefits from BIM, including better profits, more accurate documentation, less
New construction starts in September climbed 16% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $507.2 billion, says McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. The nonbuilding construction sector (public works and electric utilities) led the way, helped in particular by a massive natural gas plant and several large electric utility projects. Meanwhile, nonresidential building retreated after its improved performance in August, and residential building eased back slightly. Through the first nine months of 2012, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis came in at $349.6 billion, up 5% compared to the same period a year ago.The latest month’s data
The real estate recovery is set to advance in 2013, as modest gains in leasing, rents and pricing will extend across U.S. markets from coast to coast and improve prospects for all property sectors. Those are some of the findings of the “Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2013” report, released in mid-October by PwC US and the Urban Land Institute. ULI hosted its annual fall meeting in Denver Oct. 16 – 18. According to survey participants, despite a slower-than-normal real estate recovery, U.S. property sectors and markets will register noticeably better prospects compared to last year. Recent job creation should be enough
2012 Award of MeritHigher Education/Research CategoryJames L. Sorenson Molecular Biotechnology Building, A USTAR Innovation CenterSalt Lake CityThe 208,000-sq-ft building opened in April 2012, ushering in a new era of interdisciplinary research at the University of Utah. Strategically located between the university’s engineering department and its medical school and hospital, the USTAR facility has been designed to encourage cooperation among researchers. Photo courtesy of Layton Construction Co. The USTAR facility has been designed to encourage cooperation among researchers. A key feature of the building is the state-of-the-art nanofabrication and imaging facility, which includes 18,000 sq ft of cleanroom space, a biobay and
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