The June Census Bureau report on nonresidential construction spending did not just offer good news about April, it also supplied upwardly revised spending data for both February and March. Nonresidential spending expanded 3.2% on a monthly basis in April and spending totaled $646.7 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis, according to the government’s initial estimate.Nonresidential construction is up by a solid 8.8% over the past year, consistent with the forecast from the Associated Builders and Contractors of high single-digit growth. The Census Bureau also revised March’s nonresidential spending figure from $611.8 billion to $626.7 billion and February’s figure from
Work on the troubled VA hospital replacement project in Aurora, Colo., will likely not stop this weekend as many insiders had feared, if a hastily scheduled U.S. House vote set for late Thursday succeeds in raising the funding cap for the project, currently set at $800 million. The project will reach that cap by this Sunday. A bill introduced Thursday by U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.)—HR 2496, the Construction Authorization and Choice Improvement Act—will help keep the hospital project from shutting down over the weekend by raising the authorization cap to $900 million.Recent estimates by the VA and Army Corps
The value of new construction starts in April increased 10% from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $698.7 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The nonresidential building sector came in particularly strong, lifted by the inclusion of two massive projects as April starts—an $8.1-billion petrochemical plant in Louisiana and a $1.2-billion office/retail high-rise in New York City. Meanwhile, residential building slipped in April, and nonbuilding construction lost momentum as the result of a pullback by public works.Through the first four months of 2015, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $208.2 billion,
Stargate School in Thornton, Colo., recently broke ground on a new $51-million, 43-acre educational campus. It is the largest charter school project in Colorado and the second current largest one in the nation. Rendering by SLATERPAULL | Hord Coplan Macht The new charter campus will include two academic buildings, a fieldhouse and an amphitheater. The new campus will include two academic buildings, a fieldhouse and an amphitheater to cater to the school’s 750-plus gifted and talented student population.The expansion includes a high school and a total enrollment goal of 1,600 students in grades K-12. The new school will include a quad-style
Originally built as a school in 1909, the Mission Revival-style building in Breckenridge, Colo., had served many uses. As is the case with many historic buildings, it was “remuddled” along the way, and by 2010 was in dire need of revitalization. Photo courtesy of Anderson Hallas Architects The former schoolhouse, built in 1909, was transformed into the Breckenridge Grand Vacations Community Center. Photo courtesy of Anderson Hallas Architects The center's Main Reading Room features large open spaces, a mezzanine level and a high ceiling with exposed steel and wood trusses. As the steward of the building, the town of Breckenridge
The new Metro Caring Hunger Relief Center in Denver’s North Capitol Hill neighborhood has been serving clients since mid-March, but its “official” opening in late April was a celebration for the community, volunteers and supporters. Photo courtesy of GH Phipps The first floor includes a upscale reception desk, a waiting area, private offices for consultations with clients, a warehouse space and a market area. Photo courtesy of GH Phipps At 16,000 sq ft, the new building is triple the size of the old one, a deteriorating structure built in the 1950s. At 16,000 sq ft, the new building is triple
Riding a stretch of increasing levels of demand for 13 out of the last 15 months, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped in April for the second month this year. 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 April ABI score was 48.8, down sharply from a mark of 51.7 in March.This score reflects a decrease in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 60.1, up from a
As I had predicted, the construction industry’s efforts to have the Colorado legislature pass a revised construction defects law has failed. The bill was intended to assure that construction defects claims initiated by condominium homeowners associations be arbitrated before going to court. But all is not lost because developers and contractors of condominium projects have other avenues available to achieve the same result. It appears that a local developer, an affiliate of Metropolitan Homes, may have a solution.The construction industry’s fear that juries are likely to favor condominium owners and their associations in defects lawsuits has prompted the industry to
The federal legislation that currently funnels federal aid for highway and bridge construction to the states is entitled “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (or “MAP-21”). This legislation was passed as a two-year bill designed to authorize spending for FY 2013 and FY 2014. The legislation was due to expire October 31, 2014, but was extended last summer through May 31 of this year. The extension continued federal aid for highway, highway safety and public transportation programs at status quo funding levels. Not only did Congress need to deal with the expiration of this authorizing legislation last year,
Forty-six percent of highway contractors reported that motor vehicles had crashed into their construction work zones during the past year, according to the results of a new highway work zone study recently conducted by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged summer travel motorists to stay alert while driving through work zones, noting that drivers and passengers are more likely than highway workers to be hurt or killed in work zone accidents.“If the thought of saving someone else’s life isn’t enough to get you to slow down, just remember that you and your passengers are more likely to
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