Charles Keyes, a structural engineer with Martin/Martin Inc., is the 2013 recipient of the ENR Mountain States Legacy Award, given to an individual who has contributed significantly to the regional architecture-engineering-construction sector and the community. Photo courtesy of Martin/Martin Inc. Chuck Keyes stands on the construction site of Denver's Currigan Hall in 1967, where he led the structural engineering design for its patented space-frame system. Related Links: AIA Colorado Honors 2011 Award Winners ACEC Scholarships Keyes, 72, is beginning a "phased retirement" after 45 years at the Lakewood, Colo., firm and its predecessors. He is best known for his structural
Construction was among the industries that reported increased employment levels in September, according to the latest employment statistics from the Dept. of Labor — released nearly three weeks after originally scheduled thanks to the federal government shutdown. But due to the delay, regional reporting for most states and regions has not yet been compiled. The U.S. Department of Labor’s monthly employment report for September, released Oct. 22, found that overall, total non-farm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in September, and the unemployment rate was virtually unchanged at 7.2%.The entire Southwest region including Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico were eagerly awaiting
We're at a watershed moment in American cultural life. Libraries, books and colleges are losing ground to iPads, Twitter feeds and online courses. Great newspaper empires are being reduced to rubble at the feet of Gen-Y bloggers. Related Links: Colorado's Built-Environment Leaders Express Optimism Designing Senior Living Environments for Tomorrow And nowhere is this shift more evident than in our colleges and universities, with the rise of online education. Why would parents want to spend $50,000 a year to ship their kids off to a four-year college in some city to talk to a professor and read a book when
Brahma Group conducted a six-month execution and safety analysis to prepare for the rebuild of the flash-converting furnace at the Rio Tinto Kennecott Utah Copper facility near Salt Lake City. While planning, the contractor says it paid particular attention to the design, removal and reinstallation of its copper water-cooling elements. Photo courtesy of Brahma Group Brahma designed a system that allowed crews to move elements inside the confined furnace space without using heavy equipment. Photo courtesy of Brahma Group The customized system can be replicated for similar rebuilds, with minor modifications. Related Links: Safety Programs Yield Business Results South Platte
The Hotel and Hospitality Learning Center is home to the Hospitality, Tourism and Event Dept. at Metropolitan State University in Denver. It combines an education classroom building, teaching laboratory, commercial hotel and conference center. Photo courtesy of Mortenson Construction The hotel is a short walk from the Pepsi Center and Denvers Lower Downtown. Photo courtesy of Mortenson Construction Only 10 other universities in the U.S. have an operating hotel attached to their hospitality programs. Related Links: New Hotel on MSU Campus Opens for Business Metro State Tops Off HLC The 162,000-sq-ft facility unites commercial and academic spaces in the hotel
The design profession and construction industry recently lost a valued and distinguished member when engineer Richard Weingardt died on Sept. 24 at the age of 75. Courtesy of ACEC Colorado Richard Weingardt Weingardt started his own structural engineering firm, Richard Weingardt Consultants Inc. (RWC) at the age of 27. To date, he and his firm have completed engineering for more than 5,000 projects. They include major engineering work on Denver International Airport, the Jefferson County Courthouse and projects throughout the United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Korea. RWC continues its practice as one of Colorado's leading structural engineering firms.Weingardt served
The Colorado Dept. of Transportation recently completed inspections of the 491 bridges on the state highway system that were potentially damaged by recent flooding in northern and northeastern Colorado. Of the 491 bridges, 120 were determined to be stable but in need of repair. The remaining 291 are currently open with no need for repairs. After further inspection, some bridges were reported to have “notable damage,” but none were in need of replacement.“Early in the flooding it had initially appeared as though some of the bridges may have been destroyed when viewed by aerial photography,” said CDOT State Bridge Engineer Josh Laipply. “Once
New construction starts in September advanced 13% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $556 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. Nonresidential building bounced back after losing momentum in August, and the nonbuilding construction sector was lifted by the start of several large power plants, which ran counter to the sharply downward trend for electric utilities that’s been present during 2013. For the first nine months of 2013, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $379.3 billion, up 2% from the same period a year ago. If electric utilities were excluded
Showing a steady increase in the demand for design services, the Architecture Billings Index continues to accelerate, as it reached its second highest level of the 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 September ABI score was 54.3, up from a mark of 53.8 in August. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 58.6, down from the reading of 63.0
Gov. John Hickenlooper and Colorado Dept. of Transportation Executive Director Don Hunt announced 44 partnership projects on Oct. 17 as part of the state’s Responsible Acceleration of Maintenance and Partnerships (RAMP) program. The projects total $580 million to expand the statewide transportation system. The RAMP program was created in December 2012 as a new approach to budgeting and planning to accelerate completion of transportation projects. “The innovative RAMP program will allow us to make critical improvements to our state’s transportation system,” Hickenlooper said. “These transportation improvements will increase the safety and access of our roadways. Also, these projects will boost
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