Illinois added 11,100 construction jobs (+5.8%) in August, trailing only Florida, California and Texas in year-over-year comparisons, according to data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Indiana (7,600 jobs, +6.2%), Michigan (3,400 jobs, + 2.6%) and Wisconsin (3,000 jobs, +3.0%) also logged solid gains for the same period, while Ohio (-1,500 jobs, -0.8%) and Missouri (-400 jobs, 0.4%) logged declines. The region didn't perform as well in month-to-month comparisons, with most states posting declines or modest gains. Illinois (2,300 jobs, 1.2%) made the strongest showing for the period, followed by Wisconsin (500 jobs, 0.5%), Missouri (200
Columbus, Ind.-based engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. has selected New York City-based Deborah Berke Partners to design its $30-million distribution headquarters in downtown Indianapolis.The firm has Women's Business Enterprise certification and was selected as part of a global design competition. Other contenders included SHoP Architects and Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, both of New York City. Berke will team with RATIO Architects Inc., Indianapolis, the project's architect of record. Wilhelm Construction, Indianapolis, is construction manager. “Cummins has a long tradition of embracing inspiring architecture," Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard indicated in a statement. “People are looking for distinctive places to live and
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. on Tuesday broke ground on the $450-million, 32-story Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons in downtown Milwaukee. The 1.1-million-sq-ft complex will replace a 16-story, 35-year-old facility Northwestern Mutual demolished earlier this year due to structural problems. When completed, the complex will be Milwaukee's largest building, but not its tallest. Six-hundred-foot-high U.S. Bank Center will stand about 50 feet taller than a 700,000-sq-ft prow-shaped tower anchoring the complex. The structure will join three other buildings on Northwestern Mutual's downtown campus, sited near Lake Michigan. Extending two blocks, the three-story, 435,500-sq-ft Commons will connect new and existing structures
Midwest construction backlogs hit their highest mark since December 2012 in the second quarter, rising from 6.16 months to 6.42 months in quarter-to-quarter comparisons, according to data compiled by Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors. Though the region still trails the Northeast, South and West by up to three months, ABC anticipates greater activity in the energy and industrial sectors will propel Midwest backlogs higher. After tumbling earlier this year, the probable result of harsh winter weather, the nation's backlogs rebounded to an all-time high between first and second quarters. Backlogs rose 5.4%, to 8.5 months. “The long-awaited brisk non-residential
Illinois and Indiana trailed only Florida in monthly construction employment gains in June, adding 3,500 jobs (1.8%) and 2,700 jobs (2.2%) respectively, according to data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).Both states also posted gains in year-over-year comparisons, with Illinois adding 7,300 jobs (3.8%) and Indiana adding 3,800 jobs (3.1%). Other Midwest states didn't fare as well. While Michigan saw solid year-over-year gains (3,300 jobs, 2.5%), it lost 1,600 jobs (-1.2%) jobs in month-to-month comparisons. Missouri (-1,000 jobs, -0.9%), Ohio (-700 jobs, -0.4%) and Wisconsin (-200 jobs, -0.2%) logged more modest losses during the same period.
Filmmaker George Lucas announced Monday he has selected Chinese designer MAD Architects and Chicago-based Studio Gang Architects to design his Museum of Narrative Art on Chicago's museum campus, located along the city's lakefront. MAD will design the building and Gang its landscaping, in addition to a bridge linking the museum to Northerly Island, a nearby peninsula. Chicago-based VOA Associates will serve as executive architect on the $1-billion project. “We are bringing together some of the top architects in the world to ensure that our museum experience begins long before a visitor ever enters the building,” Lucas indicated in a statement
Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday signed a $1.1 billion bill to repair and upgrade state roads and bridges in the wake of one of the region's harshest winters in decades. Quinn also signed a bill to fund the program with general obligation bonds. In all, the funds will bankroll more than 200 “shovel ready” projects statewide while creating more than 14,000 jobs. Major projects in metropolitan Chicago include $48 million in repairs to bridges linking I-55 to Chicago's Lake Shore Drive and $86 in repairs and upgrades to bridges linking I-55 to I-171 in southwest suburbia. Plans also call
Navy Pier Inc., the non-profit operator of Chicago's Navy Pier, is seeking proposals from private developers to finance, construct and operate a 150- to 225-room hotel on the 30-acre property, currently Illinois' largest tourist attraction. As planned, the five-story hotel would be sited atop a two-story facility currently housing restaurant and entertainment uses. The hotel also would be sited adjacent to an existing 170,000-sq-ft exhibit hall. Pier officials at a community meeting last week indicated a hotel and other planned renovations would help transition the 98-year-old-property from a seasonal “carnival”-like attraction to a year-round venue more focused on landscaping and
The nation's mighty industrial engine is beginning to rev up. The problem is that much of the activity, construction included, is occurring outside the Midwest, putting a drag on regional recovery.
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