Instead of focusing on merely surviving the Southeast's vicious downturn, Skanska USA's Southeast operation has used the slower times to improve its capabilities and people. It has been adopting new approaches to construction, accelerating field adoption of emerging technology and diversifying and deepening its talent pool. It is even expanding into new geographic markets. Related Links: Skanska USA Named "Contractor of the Year" ENR Southeast: Features on Firms It is a strategy borne of necessity that has turned into a survival tactic, says Scott MacLeod, co-chief operating officer for the Southeast in Skanska USA's Raleigh office. "We were concerned about
George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. president, made his mark in Texas earlier in his career through oil exploration. Now under construction, the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas seeks to become a landmark of energy efficiency. Dedicated to preserving the artifacts and history of the Bush presidency, the $250-million library complex is designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, a rare honor in the state. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record "We opted to go for platinum, partly because we wanted to do it as a challenge and due to the high profile
Despite a strong assortment of megaprojects around the region, most top design firms continue to struggle in a soft market. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Combined revenue for the top 75 design firms in Texas and Louisiana dipped 7.7% last year to $2.571 billion from $2.786 billion in 2010. Still, a few top firms have found success in troubled times.Energized Market The booming oil and gas sector, fueled largely by development in the Eagle Ford shale areas of south Texas, is providing a wide range of opportunities for designers.Hatch Mott MacDonald built its presence in the region in
Continued expansion at the Tower 55 site in Fort Worth and other improvement projects are part of BNSF Railway Company’s $199-million maintenance and expansion plan in Texas this year. BNSF announced its 2012 capacity enhancement projects May 23. The planned capital investments in Texas are part of BNSF's total 2012 capital commitment of $3.9 billion. The plan includes expansion of rail capacity at Tower 55, the realignment of its mainline for the extension of the Alliance Airport runway just north of Fort Worth, replacement of the Galveston Causeway Bridge, installation of wheel detectors in Galveston, improvements to BNSF's Amarillo car
The Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas awarded a contract to Skanska to construct a hotel and expand and renovate its existing casino in Eagle Pass, Texas. The $46.5-million project includes the addition of about 183,000-sq-ft, 250-room hotel facility with restaurants, retail space, meeting rooms and a fitness center. The project also includes an 80,000-sq-ft renovation and expansion of the existing casino facility. Construction will begin in June and is expected to complete by August 2013.
North Carolina's sprawling upgrade of the Interstate 85/485 interchange near Charlotte, N.C., is proving that a bigger design can actually deliver significant cost savings. Image courtesy of STV A rare 'turbine' configuration features sweeping ramps that should be easier to build and maintain than those in standard stacked interchanges. Related Links: Owner of the Year: North Carolina DOT 2011's Southeast Top Starts Ranking Part of the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation's (NCDOT) program to fill the last six-mile gap in the 65-mile I-485 outer loop around Charlotte, the interchange uses a two-level "turbine" configuration rarely found in the U.S. Also
A consortium of Baton Rouge-based Petroplex International, Macquarie Group and Harley Franco, CEO and founder of Harley Marine Services, announced May 9 that it has raised capital to move ahead with development of a $600-million multi-modal bulk liquid terminal in St. James Parish. The facility has a projected initial storage capacity of 4-million to 6-million barrels. Construction is expected to commence during the first half of 2013, and the facility is expected to begin commercial operations during 2014. Petroplex will build a storage and distribution terminal for crude oil, refined petroleum products, fuel oil, chemicals, agrichemicals, renewable fuels, and other commercial liquid
BASF plans to build a production plant for formic acid at its integrated “Verbund” site in Geismar, La. The new plant will have an annual capacity of more than 50,000 tons. Start-up of the new plant is expected in the second quarter 2014. When completed, the project would be the only formic acid production plant in North America. BASF currently operates two formic acid production plants located in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Nanjing, China, with a total annual capacity of more than 255,000 tons. Both formic acid and potassium formate are used in the oil field industry as part of the drilling
Hatch Mott MacDonald expanded its footprint in Lousiana with the aquisition of New Orleans-based Lambert Engineers, May 14. The deal enables Hatch Mott MacDonald to bolster it suite of engineering services, covering the transportation, environmental, coastal, oil & gas, and water sectors. Company executives noted that the acquisition also adds experienced staff, who are members of the local community and understand its needs. “Joining Hatch Mott MacDonald offers our local staff the expertise and resources that we need to undertake significant engineering and environmental projects in southern Louisiana,” said Dennis Lambert, a principal owner of Lambert Engineers, in a statement.
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