History, art and tcchnology converged with the grand opening of the new History Colorado Center, located at 1200 Broadway in Denver, on April 28. Photo courtesy of History Colorado Center The 40-ft-by-60-ft terrazzo Great Map of Colorado is imbedded into the museums atrium floor. Replacing the former Colorado History Museum, the new 200,000-sq-ft History Colorado Center celebrates 10,000 years of Colorado and its people. The museum is a Smithsonian affiliate, one of only three organizations to achieve such an association in Colorado.Opening exhibits that incorporate high-tech, multimedia experiences combined with historic collections show and tell the story of the state,
Five of the nation’s largest construction trade associations have teamed up to form the Construction Coalition for a Drug- and Alcohol-Free Workplace (CCDAFW). The coalition’s mission is to create a drug-and-alcohol-free construction industry by providing companies and organizations with the resources to implement those policies into their business practices. CCDAFW recently launched a nationwide effort urging construction-related firms and organizations to sign an online pledge signifying they will create and maintain a workplace free from substance abuse. In addition to listing current pledge signatories, the CCDAFW website includes educational materials and state-by-state policies for substance-abuse testing.The CCDAFW is comprised of
After five straight months of gains, the Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) slipped to 55.1 from the March reading of 56.2 and just slightly above the January reading. The decline is not drastic and, excluding February and March, the CMI is higher than the months since April 2011 when it stood at 55.8. The CMI had been the one economic bright spot for much of the year, at least up to now. April has not been good, and for the last few weeks, analysts have been trying to decide whether the economy is on the edge of another spring swoon, which
The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), which is the workers’ compensation rating organization for 41 states in the U.S., has filed to triple the “split point” over the next few years, with the first adjustment in 2013. The filing will increase the split point from $5,000 to $15,000 over a three-year period to catch up with claim inflation. The first stage will take effect in 2013 and double the split point to $10,000. What Is the ‘Split Point’?Each workers’ compensation claim is divided into a “primary” and “excess” portion. Currently, the first $5,000 of every claim is the primary
The design-build project delivery system, which dates back to the master builders of ancient Greece, continues to gain in popularity. The appeal of design-build is that it provides the project owner with a single point of contact for both design and construction. This can lead to both lower costs and compressed construction schedules. A recent study by the Federal Highway Administration determined that on average, design-build projects were completed 14% faster than traditional design-bid-build projects. Design-build projects, however, expose contractors to risks that they don't have under the traditional delivery method. The additional exposure arises out of what is known
Construction spending inched up in March to an annualized rate of $808 billion, up 0.1% compared to the previous month and is now 6% above year ago levels, according to a new analysis of federal data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. The overall gains mask divergent trends, however, as public-sector construction activity continues to decline while private-sector demand for new construction continues to strengthen. “Private- and public-sector demand for construction appear to be heading along two distinct directions,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “While it is great to see private-sector activity coming back to
The construction industry lost 2,000 jobs in April, following similar declines of 3,000 in March and 1,000 in February, but still added 63,000 jobs over the past year as the industry unemployment rate shrank to 14.5%—the lowest April level in four years, according to an analysis of new federal employment data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said that lack of long-term federal highway and transit funding, along with other infrastructure budget cuts, threatens to limit construction job growth. “The plunge in the unemployment rate for former construction workers from 17.8% in April 2011 and
The new DaVita World Headquarters, located at 2000 16th St. in Denver, was designed around a “community first, company second” theme that dominates the design of the building and places people at the top of its corporate priorities. Related Links: Saunders Tops Off New DaVita Headquarters in Denver DaVita is a fortune 500 company and one of the leading providers of kidney care in the United States. The DaVita World Headquarters was designed by the Denver-based team of MOA ARCHITECTURE and Acquilano Leslie to reflect DaVita’s corporate culture, enhance the employee experience and promote the firm’s core mission and values.
Spring temperatures are turning up the heat on crews working to reopen Utah’s State Road 14 through Cedar Canyon in Central Utah after an October landslide sent nearly 1.5 tons of debris down onto the road. The highway has been closed following the slide, which broke apart and closed nearly 2,000 ft of the road, burying it in up to 100 ft of debris in some sections. The two-lane highway connects Interstate 15 and State Highway 89, passing near Cedar Breaks National Monument. Tourists, the owners of summer cabins, and ranchers looking to move livestock to summer ranges are pressing
After several years of annual declines in U.S. construction work, the 2012 construction forecasts, ranging from flat to slight increases in work, appear more promising. However, the ongoing credit crunch that plagues construction financing is still creating some uncertainty across the construction community. Faced with the ongoing slow recovery, a growing number of construction businesses have realized more direct financial benefits through tax incentives. Commonly unknown or misunderstood, perhaps the most powerful tax incentive available to most constructors is the R&D (research and development) tax credit, which is applicable to many construction jobs. For the vast majority of constructors who
RSS
