Construction employment declined in 111 out of 337 metropolitan areas between January 2011 and January 2012, increased in 169 and stayed level in 57, according to new analysis of federal employment data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. The new construction employment data comes out amid growing concerns within the business community about Washington’s failure to enact a number of long-term infrastructure measures. “The mixed construction employment results reflect the conflict between slowly rebounding private sector demand for construction and declining public sector investments,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “For every metro area that is
At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $376 billion, new construction starts in February dropped 7% from the previous month, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. The nonbuilding construction sector, comprised of public works and electric utilities, lost considerable momentum in February, and diminished activity was also reported for nonresidential building. Meanwhile, residential building in February was able to register modest growth. For the first two months of 2011, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis came in at $52.9 billion, down 14% from a year ago. For the 12 months ending February 2012 versus the
ICON Venue Group has been retained as a consultant by Colorado State University to help study the feasibility of an on-campus stadium at the university and to coordinate additional public engagement opportunities. Denver-based ICON’s portfolio includes 30 stadium and arena projects around the globe, including Colorado venues such as the Pepsi Center, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, 1st Bank Center and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The firm will serve as a consultant to CSU’s Stadium Advisory Committee on issues such as design, funding, site analysis, stakeholder engagement and more.“ICON has deep experience overseeing complex stadium projects, including landmark venues
The International Center for Afghan Women’s Economic Development will become the new home for the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, several other nongovernmental organizations and a university program focusing on women’s economic development. The center, designed by Denver-based Burkett Design, will be located on the new campus of the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF). Courtesy of Burkett Design From left: Lee Sanderson of the U.S. Dept. of Defenses Task Force for Business and Stability Operations, Leslie M. Schweitzer from Friends of the American University of Afghanistan, and Amy Burkett of Denvers Burkett Design attend the groundbreaking for the International Center for Afghan
The Colorado Dept. of Transportation recently selected the Ames-Granite joint venture team as the design-build contractor for the U.S. 36 Express Lanes. The $310-million project is led by CDOT, the Colorado High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE), and the Regional Transportation District. It will reconstruct the existing U.S. 36 pavement and widen the highway to add one express lane in each direction. It also includes other transportation improvements from Federal Boulevard to beyond the Interlocken Loop interchange along U.S. 36.The Ames/Granite proposal successfully addressed all five goals outlined in the request for proposals and provided the best value by beating the
The Denver Housing Authority has started demolition for a major phase of redevelopment at the former South Lincoln Homes site near the West 10th Avenue & Osage Street light rail station. Courtesy of Denver Housing Authority Six two-story buildings totaling 38 residential units will be demolished over the next three weeks at the South Lincoln Homes neighborhood in Denver. Six two-story buildings totaling 38 residential units will be demolished over the next three weeks. Built in 1953 as part of DHA’s second housing development, the buildings are now functionally obsolete. Concrete will be salvaged and recycled and interior appliances reused. The
Following more than a decade of dreaming, drawing and fundraising, officials of the Tony-award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival, housed on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, have announced plans to begin construction of a new $26-million theater. Rendering by Eaton Architecture The new $26-million Shakespeare theater will be patterned after the Globe Theater in England, where many of the Bards works were performed during his lifetime. The new facility will follow the Elizabethan-era design cues of the festival’s current Adams Theater, which has staged classic productions since 1971. The Adams Theater itself is patterned after the Globe Theater
Lakewood’s Pinkard Construction Co., with BURKETTDESIGN Architects and owner’s representative UGL Services, has completed the 66,000-sq-ft office and analytical laboratory build-out and addition for Environmental Resource Associates (ERA). Courtesy of Pinkard Construction ERAs new lab space includes hazardous material storage, fume hoods and services for advanced analytical equipment. The $5.2-million project on Table Mountain Parkway in Golden consolidates and expands upon ERA’s former 27,000-sq-ft facility in Arvada. ERA provides proficiency-testing standards and quality-control standards for the EPA, municipal treatment and waste facilities, and the pharmaceutical industry. ERA’s parent company, the Waters Corp., is a worldwide leader in liquid chromatography, mass
The Southern Idaho Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently released the 2012 Report Card for Idaho’s infrastructure, which gives the state an overall grade of C-. Related Links: The vast majority of Idaho’s infrastructure lacks proper maintenance funding and is poorly equipped to deal with the increasing demands it’s faced with as the state continues to grow, the report says. While grades for aviation, road and bridge infrastructure have improved, funding remains inadequate to meet future capacity and funding needs. “As civil engineers in the state of Idaho, we have a responsibility to safeguard the life, health,
Colorado transit agencies provided more than 10 million trips to get Coloradans and visitors to work, medical appointments, shopping, school and other critical destinations in 2010, according to the National Transit Database. Earlier this month, the Senate Banking Committee passed the Federal Public Transportation Act, which will become part of the larger surface transportation bill. Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet (D) sits on the Banking Committee and pioneered a proposal to modify the rural transit formula that will benefit the state’s rural transit agencies. The provision was included in the bill passed by the Banking Committee.If this modified formula passes both
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