Texas is showing a friendlier attitude toward subcontractors. The American Subcontractors Association named Texas the state with the most improved public-policy environment for construction subcontractors in 2011. Related Links: The Policy Environment in the States Drawing from the American Subcontractors Association's (ASA) report, "The Policy Environment in the States," Texas’ ranking among states rose to No. 10 from No. 29 in terms of the public-policy environment in all 50 states.“Texas succeeded in driving legislative reforms in five major areas: electronic reverse auctions, payment bonds on public-private partnerships, risk allocation, lien claims for retainage and statutory lien forms,” said 2011-12 ASA
Hurricanes and the sail effect dominated the thinking of the design team for the nation's first retractable-roof baseball park engineered to withstand 146-mph winds. To keep the lid on the 36,000-seat new Miami Marlins Ballpark during severe storms, without adding too much extra weight, the roof's structural engineer called for parking the roof panels 10 ft apart, in an almost-closed position. The gap-mode strategy, which reduces the sail effect, lightened up the roof by some 1,000 tons of steel, the engineer says. "Putting a big sail on top of this stadium in a hurricane-prone region was the [project's] biggest challenge,"
ROTHSteven Roth is a new project executive for KM/Plaza Construction in Miami. Roth has more than 25 years of construction industry experience. Robert Fish is also a new project executive for KM/Plaza. He has more than 18 years of industry experience. Joshua Salazar has joined HDR in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as a project manager. He is working in the field of transportation planning and project development. A professional engineer, Salazar previously served for seven years with the Florida Dept. of Transportation's District 4. HAMESFred Hames was recently named general manager and executive vice president for Skanska USA Building's Florida operations
A big jump in the value of new infrastructure contracts pushed South Carolina’s overall total for November construction well above the year-ago figure, virtually guaranteeing a positive 2011 for the state, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. The company estimated the state’s November contracts total at nearly $1.4 billion, or more than double the year-ago pace of roughly $510.2 million. Nonbuilding contracts, which include infrastructure projects, totaled nearly $1.1 billion—nearly $1 billion ahead of last year’s November total of $140.1 million for this category. The residential category also registered some positive momentum, gaining 14% compared to a year ago, for a $229.7-million
An across-the-board improvement in new construction contracts, along with a surge of infrastructure projects, propelled Florida’s November total for new contracts to nearly $1.7 billion, or 35% better than a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. Nonbuilding contracts led the way, with the month’s total of more than $700.3 million equaling more than twice that of last November, when this category tallied $330.3 million. The nonresidential market was up, too, with the latest month’s total of nearly $294.3 million representing an 8% gain over the same period of a year ago. The residential sector increased by 7% overall, recording $675.5
The volume of new Georgia construction contracts continued to escalate in November, as McGraw-Hill Construction reported the overall value of new projects improved by 10%, compared to the same period of a year ago. The latest data marked Georgia’s sixth straight month of improving construction contract totals. In November, all of the gains were in the nonresidential category, however. That sector tallied more than $529.5 million, for a 50% increase compared to last November. The nonbuilding category, which includes infrastructure work, fell 29% compared to a year ago, for a monthly total of $197.8 million. Residential contracts slid 4% for
At the end of October, McGraw-Hill Construction’s data showed that North Carolina’s 2011 total volume of new contracts was 6% ahead of 2010. A disastrous November changed all of that, wiping out the year’s gains and sending the state’s total back down into negative territory for the year. The volume of North Carolina’s construction contracts fell 52% overall in November, compared to the same period of a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill. The value of all new contracts was just over $1 billion for the month.The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure projects, experienced the steepest decline. It fell 76% compared
For the Southeast's construction industry, 2011 wasn't much to write home about. In fact, one could say that 2011 "wasn't" a whole lot of things. It wasn't the year that high-speed rail headed down the track in Florida. It wasn't the year of significant recovery, as some prognosticators—including McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR—predicted it would be. Though, in their defense, things started to look up in the latter half of the year. It also wasn't the year when commercial building construction started to come back to pre-bust levels. Though there were rumblings out of South Florida in the latter half
A $146-million reservoir project in Florida that was once the pride of utility Tampa Bay Water and engineer HDR Engineering is now the focus of a high-stakes, increasingly public legal battle between the two parties.
SnapShot December 12, 2011 Submitted By: Richard M. Miller Principal Perkins+Will, Dallas Smith, a licensed architect and professional photographer (csphoto.net), aimed to showcase the extensive sunshading on the LEED-Platinum University of Texas at Dallas Student Services Building. "We waited for the long shadows to cast across the floor and the back wall," he says. "We took other shots in the building, but we kept a close eye on this spot." Smith used a Canon 1D Mark III at 24mm, f/22 and 1/5 sec. Photographer: Charles Davis Smith, AIA
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