The University of Colorado is more than a year into a bold academic transition. Starting in spring 2013, the university moved its undergraduate program in architecture from the Boulder campus to CU Denver. Administrators and faculty sought a better alignment with the existing master’s degree program in architecture in Denver and stronger connections with the city’s professional design firms. Photo by Jesse Kuroiwa, courtesy of CU Denver CU Denvers undergraduate architectural program had 119 students enrolled as of the spring 2014 semester. “We expected in the first two years that most of the program’s undergrad students would be transfers from
The PeopleForBikes Green Lane Project has selected Denver as one of six new U.S. cities to join its intensive two-year program to build better bike lanes. Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create low-stress streets and increase vitality in urban centers through the installation of protected bike lanes. The six cities were chosen from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program. Launched in 2012, the Green Lane Project works with U.S. cities to speed installation of protected bike lanes around the country. These on-street lanes
Kenneth Bowyer of All Crane Rental of Florida won the 2014 MCM & CIC Crane Operator Skills Championship last week in Las Vegas, Nev., beating out other operators from throughout the U.S. and Canada, including two entrants who qualified at CONEXPO-CON/AGG. By John Guzzon An operator navigates a barrel through a slalom course during the MCM & CIC Crane Operator Skills Championship last week in Las Vegas, Nev. By John Guzzon James Tom of Bakers Welders and Crane, Zanesville, Ohio measures his skills against a simulator at the CIC booth at CONEXPO-CON/AGG March 3. First runner-up is Bruce Gay, a
The Colorado Dept. of Transportation recently issued two draft reports summarizing the feasibility of high-speed transit systems in both the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor and I-25 Front Range Corridor. Both studies—conducted by CDOT’s Division of Transit and Rail (DTR) and a team of outside experts—confirmed that high-speed transit is technically feasible in both corridors, but not financially feasible in either corridor at this time. Map courtesy of CDOT A trip from C-470/I-70 in Golden to Breckenridge would take just over a half hour and travel to Vail would take 50 minutes. “It is clear that we currently lack the financial
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in January, fell moderately in February. The index now stands at 78.1 (1985=100), down from 79.4 in January. The decline was driven by the Expectations Index, which dropped to 75.7 from 80.8. The Present Situation Index, by contrast, climbed from 77.3 to 81.7. Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions improved for the fourth consecutive month. Those claiming business conditions are “good” increased to 21.5% from 20.8%, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” declined to 22.6% from 23.4%. Consumers’ assessment of the labor market also improved. Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” increased
The value of new construction starts fell 13% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $485 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The downturn followed a healthy performance in December, which was the third highest month for total construction starts during 2013. January’s retreat encompassed all three main construction sectors, with moderate declines reported for nonresidential building and housing, as well as a more substantial loss of momentum for nonbuilding construction (public works and electric utilities) after a particularly robust December. On an unadjusted basis, total construction starts in January came in
Prices for materials used in construction and for nonresidential building construction both increased more than overall prices for “final demand” in January, according to a new analysis of retooled federal data on producer prices released by the Associated General Contractors of America. As a result, margins remain very tight for most construction firms even as private-sector demand for construction continues to grow. “Although contractors on average were able to raise bid prices in line with materials cost increases, the results varied widely by commodity, building type and specialty trade,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Several key construction materials,
After consecutive months of shrinking demand for design services, there was a modest uptick in the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) in January. 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 January ABI score was 50.4, up from a mark of 48.5 in December. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 58.5, down a bit from the reading of 59.2 the previous month.“There is
The $51-million upgrade and expansion of the 40-year-old University of Colorado Boulder Recreation Center has been a real workout for contractors, led by Centennial, Colo.-based Saunders Construction Inc. Crews gutted the original 235,242-sq-ft building on the Boulder campus and are replacing electrical and mechanical systems as well as adding 70,000 sq ft of new space. The project's mechanical upgrades include one of the most sophisticated, sustainable air-displacement systems ever used in a university rec center. Working as the project's general contractor, Saunders is building the project to net-zero LEED Platinum standards and says it expects to achieve the Platinum rating.
Who and what will you be watching across the industry this year? In this, the first 2014 issue of ENR Mountain States, we are launching a new feature called "Things to Watch." The use of the generic word "thing" is intentional because we are not limiting our choices to projects or companies or people—although those certainly will be included. We will also highlight trends, issues, industry milestones and even some cautionary tales. Related Links: CDOT Opens New I-70 Eastbound Twin Tunnel AIA Colorado Presents Young Architects Awards We're looking across the industry to see who is making an impact—an above-and-beyond
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