The Suzanne and Walter Scott, Jr. Bioengineering Building, the newest addition to the Colorado State University campus, celebrated its grand opening on Sept. 12. The Scott Building is the second engineering building on the Fort Collins campus. Courtesy of CSU The building includes ample research space, teaching labs, design studios and a 24-hour study space. The $75-million, 122,000-sq-ft building occupies the southeast corner of Laurel Street and Meridian Avenue in Fort Collins. The building contains classroom and high-tech research space for about 40 faculty members in biomedical engineering; bioanalytic devices—sensors to detect a host of organic agents; synthetic biology, which
The city of Golden, Colo., will move significantly closer to its renewable-energy goals with a new solar photovoltaic (PV) project managed and delivered by HVAC specialty contractor McKinstry. The project was approved at the Aug. 22 city council meeting. Coupled with earlier work by McKinstry, around 10% of the city’s energy use will come from renewable energy. “Golden is a leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency in Colorado,” said Phillip Saieg, McKinstry’s project lead. Solar panels will be placed at nine city facilities including the Tony Grampsas Gymnasium, the city’s maintenance shops, Splash at Fossil Trace, the 1250 Jackson Street Parking
Nearly three-fourths of construction firms across the country report they are having trouble finding qualified craft workers to fill key spots amid concerns that labor shortages will only get worse, according to the results of an industry-wide survey recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials called for immigration and education reform measures to help avoid worker shortages. “Many construction firms are already having a hard time finding qualified workers and expect construction labor shortages will only get worse,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. “We need to take
Colorado will receive $10 million in a U.S. Dept. of Transportation TIGER grant to add a fixed fire-suppression system at the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels (EJMT) on I-70 west. The system is one of 52 projects in 37 states across the nation selected to receive funding. Photo courtesy of CDOT The Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, 11,158 ft in elevation and 50 miles west of Denver, will get a new fire-suppression system. The fire suppression system would not completely extinguish a vehicle fire in the tunnels but rather buy critical time needed for first responders to safely approach the scene and take action. Historically,
The Colorado State University System is moving ahead with plans to launch a significant presence in Denver’s South Metro area early next year. The CSU-South Metro project is part of a strategic effort to showcase a new model for higher education that caters to both students and the business community, demonstrating how graduate and undergraduate programs can be delivered in a scalable, innovative and collaborative format. “This is something being driven by business leaders in the South Metro region, and we’re honored that they approached the CSU System as their first choice for a higher education partner,” CSU System Chancellor
Total construction spending hit a four-year high in July as private residential and nonresidential activity increased while public spending declined, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. “The patterns seen earlier this year reappeared in July, with strong year-over-year gains in single- and multifamily building, a range of results for private nonresidential categories, and deepening downturns in most public segments,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “These trends are likely to hold for the remainder of 2013.”Construction put in place in July, $901 billion, was the highest mark since June
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in July, increased slightly in August. The index now stands at 81.5 (1985=100), up from 81.0 in July. The Present Situation Index decreased to 70.7 from 73.6. The Expectations Index increased to 88.7 from 86.0 last month. Consumers’ assessment of current conditions moderately declined. Those stating business conditions are “good” decreased to 18.4% from 20.8%, while those stating business conditions are “bad” was virtually unchanged at 24.8%. Consumers’ appraisal of the labor market was mixed. Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” decreased to 11.4% from 12.3%, while those claiming jobs are “hard
As part of its effort to enhance safety on the state highway system, the Colorado Dept. of Transportation has installed a pilot system to monitor the structural behavior of its bridges. CDOT installed the equipment in early Steptember under the Williams Canyon Bridge on U.S. 24 at the west end of Manitou Springs. With the technology in place, CDOT will be able to monitor the structure’s movements from its Denver headquarters. It is the first bridge in the state to have this technology. “We’re in the testing phase at this point but it’s important to find out how well it works in
Construction employment stagnated in August, while the industry unemployment rate fell and a majority of companies reported difficulty finding workers, according to a recent analysis of new government data and an industry survey by the Associated General Contractors of America. “After a strong rebound in 2012, construction hiring and spending have been stuck in neutral through most of 2013,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “Yet the unemployment rate for former construction workers hit the lowest August level in five years, suggesting that experienced workers are leaving the industry rather than returning to it. As a result, firms are
Two upcoming hot tickets in Las Vegas both will feature the Harmon Hotel—once the planned showstopper of the huge CityCenter development, but now unfinished and unopened. Image: ENR The abandoned Harmon Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. Related Links: Court Drama Over Harmon Hotel Defects to Continue into 2014 MGM Aims To Bulldoze Unfinished Harmon Tower in Vegas The $279-million hotel soon faces court-approved demolition and also is the subject of a construction-defect trial set for next February that pits co-owner MGM Resorts International against general contractor Tutor Perini Building Corp. Both events will be closely watched.Still unclear, however, is what
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