The Utah Science Technology and Research building—USTAR—is an interdisciplinary scientific hub, generating collaboration between research and industry. Located on the Innovation Campus of Utah State University in Logan, the new 110,000-sq-ft, LEED-Gold laboratory is a model of sustainable design. Photo courtesy of Gramoll Construction The new 110,000-sq-ft, LEED-Gold USTAR laboratory is a model of sustainable design and construction. Designed by ajc architects, Salt Lake City, and built by Gramoll Construction, North Salt Lake, the $55-million, three-story building with mechanical penthouse is a steel-frame, cross-brace structure with 7.5-in.-thick, cast-in-place concrete floors that help ensure vibration control, a critical component of high-tech
McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Cos., recently released its annual construction forecast for 2102, which predicts that overall U.S. construction starts for next year will remain essentially flat. The level of construction starts in 2012 is expected to be $412 billion, following the 4% decline to $410 billion predicted for 2011. The construction industry has struggled to see recovery take hold over the past couple of years. After plunging 24% in 2009, new construction starts leveled off in 2010 and have hovered within a set range during 2011, said Robert Murray, vice president of economic affairs, McGraw-Hill Construction.“The backdrop
The new owner of Denver’s landmark Emerson School, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, kicked off the property’s $3.2-million sustainable renovation on Oct. 13. Courtesy of SLATERPAULL Architects The Emerson School, completed in 1885, is located at 1420 Ogden St. in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. A major part of the project is the geothermal heating and cooling field being installed under the old elementary school’s rear parking lot. Colorado Geothermal Drilling recently started boring thirty 300-ft-deep holes for the geothermal and expects to finish in a week or so.“We want to demonstrate how to make an older building sustainable,” said
With plans for 18 million sq ft of commercial space and 37,000 homes, Albuquerque's master-planned sustainable community, Mesa del Sol, was selected as an ideal test site for a collaborative U.S.-Japanese demonstration project to examine emerging technologies that digitally control and balance power generated by various energy sources, including renewables. Photo courtesy of Mesa del Sol Designed by Antoine Predock, Albuquerque's Aperture Center will be the site of a U.S.-Japan study of smart grid technology. Upon completion of Mesa del Sol's $6-million retrofit in spring 2012, the community's centerpiece, the Antoine Predock-designed Aperture Center, will be home to the three-year
RTA Architects McGraw-Hill Dodge Construction outlook for Colorado Springs area for the near future. McGraw-Hill Dodge Colorado Springs is likely to see a flat construction market next year. 19 S. Tejon St.Colorado SpringsPresident:Randy ThorneEmployees: 24Founded: 1975What's New: The firm is working on a $20-million OR/OB expansion at Parker Adventist Hospital and a $7.5-million renovation and addition at the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind.City GrillSteve BachMayor Colorado Springs“We have an abundance of assets in Colorado Springs, from unsurpassed outdoor recreational opportunities and a diverse cultural landscape to strong business and military institutions,” Bach says. “We are also a very
The parallel, three-mile stretches of frontage road crossing what used to be farmland west of the Utah County city of Lehi might seem simple enough, but they are the key first portions of the Mountain View Corridor to open for public use. The project is an ambitious 35-mile freeway, transit and trail system connecting 13 municipalities along the western edge of the Salt Lake Valley. Courtesy of UDOT This is one of two bridges over the Jordan River that are part of the recently completed first portion of the Mountain View Corridor highway project in Salt Lake Valley, Utah. The
At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $424.7 billion, new construction starts in August advanced 8%, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, a division of The McGraw-Hill Cos. The gain followed a 10% decline in July, and continued the fluctuating pattern that’s been present in recent months. The pickup for total construction in August was the result of greater activity for each of construction’s three main sectors. For the first eight months of 2011, total construction on an unadjusted basis was reported at $274.8 billion, down 6% from the same period a year ago.The August statistics lifted the Dodge Index to 90 (2000=100),
Colorado business leaders’ outlook on the economy has turned negative heading into the fourth quarter, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released earlier this month by the University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business. Confidence decreased in all six economic categories measured by the index, with hiring plans leading the decline. For the fourth quarter of 2011, the LBCI posted a reading of 47.3, down from 51.6 in the third quarter, according to Richard Wobbekind, Leeds School economist and executive director of the Business Research Division, who conducts the quarterly survey. “Unfortunately, this quarterly
In Colorado there are two types of mechanic’s liens, and understanding the difference between them is critical for both owners and contractors. One type provides for mechanic’s lien remedies to those who supply labor, materials, services and other lienable benefits for the improvement of property, under contract with a property owner or the owner’s agent. We will call that a “Section 101” lien—the section of the Colorado mechanic’s lien statute that creates the remedy. The other lien type arises when construction work is contracted by someone other than the property owner (for example, a tenant) and when the owner fails
Construction spending increased by 1.4% between July and August and was up 0.9% compared to August 2010, the Associated General Contractors of America in a recent analysis of new Census Bureau data. Association officials noted that despite this month’s increases, public-sector activity has declined even as private-sector demand has steadily increased this year. “There is no doubt that declining public-sector demand for construction is dragging down the entire construction industry,” AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr said. “If it wasn’t for the modest increase in private sector demand, the hard-hit construction industry would be in much worse shape this year.”Sandherr noted that
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