Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino was a guest speaker recently at the 140th Annual American Society of Civil Engineers Conference in Las Vegas, Nev. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Andolino was invited to share the CDA’s sustainable initiatives on a panel entitled “Vision 2025 - Civil Engineers Innovating a Sustainable Future.” She was joined by panelists Fran Eide, city engineer, Olympia, Wash.; and Rutherford Platt, professor of geography emeritus and director, Ecological Cities Project. The panel was moderated by ASCE 2010 President Blaine D. Leonard. The session was attended by approximately 125 domestic and international civil
With most of 2010 in the books, it looks as though experts who predicted a long, slow recovery from the nationwide recession have accurate crystal balls. The University of Illinois’ Flash Index for October showed that the Illinois economy appears headed in the right direction. The October reading rose to 93.8, up from 93.5 in September. Unemployment is still high, home sales are still slow and money is still hard to borrow for all but those with the highest credit ratings. But in talking with contractors and architects, there are faint glimmers of hope that 2011 will be another small
Flad Architects of Madison, Wis., has climbed one spot, to finish fourth, in Midwest Construction’s 2010 listing of top design firms, ranked by revenue, with $52.0 million in regional earnings. Last year, Flad ranked fifth, with $56.6 million. In addition, the architectural and engineering firm stands 163rd on Engineering News-Record’s 2010 national ranking of top design firms, up from 170th in 2009; and ranks 37th on ENR’s 2010 list of top green design firms, up from 48th last year. ENR and Midwest Construction are both published by McGraw-Hill Co. Flad’s secret to success is “creating environments that enhance the user’s
More than $1.1 billion worth of construction is under way on federal government buildings in the Midwest. The figure includes regularly scheduled projects as well as renovations funded by the federal Recovery Act. Photo Courtesy Of GSA Returning to its original location, a half-ton panel of granite is moved precisely into place by workers at Chicago’s Federal Plaza. Photo Courtesy Of GSA After installing a new waterproofing underlayment, workers prepare to replace 950-lb. granite pavers as part of a total restoration of Chicago’s Federal Plaza. Through July, the General Services Administration had obligated more than $981 million for 120 stimulus
Even in the toughest economy the U.S. has seen in decades, leading design firm HNTB has managed to not only survive but flourish. Photo Courtesy Of HNTB About 77% of HNTB’s Midwestern work comes from transportation-related projects. Photo Courtesy Of HNTB Bridges remain a major focus for HNTB. The Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge is a 3,000-ft footbridge across the Missouri River linking Iowa and Nebraska. Related Links: Midwest's Top 80 Designers List Profile: Flad Architects Wisconsin firm grows revenue in tough times. In 2010, HNTB has repeated at No. 2 among Midwest Construction’s top design firms, with reported revenue of
It’s certainly not the “same old, same old” for Robert Peck, a two-time manager in the U.S. General Services Administration, one of the world’s biggest development databases. This time, new floodgates of revenue, labor and cheaper materials have converged to allow the massive updating and greening of an aging inventory of buildings. During the Clinton years, Peck oversaw public buildings for the GSA at a time when big government construction projects attracted little attention. High wage rates and material costs also made it tough to stretch an approximately $1-billion annual capital expenditures budget over hundreds of millions of square feet.
Matthew Chalifoux, principal with EYP Architecture & Engineering, based in Albany, N.Y., is hopeful that when the ongoing “greening” and fire safety project at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Indianapolis is completed, “you won’t be able to tell what we’ve done.” The $69.3-million Birch Bayh Federal Building project, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is providing work for nearly two dozen companies. Much of the work is being performed behind the scenes. It’s a primarily behind-the-scenes project, which is why Chalifoux won’t mind if the general public doesn’t notice. The $69.3-million project, funded
Museum director Russell Panczenko says the new 86,000-sq-ft, three-story addition to the Chazen Museum of Art now being built at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., will be “a work of art in itself.” Its attention to detail includes a variety of exterior finishes that include copper and bronze cladding, limestone, curved concrete tiles, smooth and sandblasted concrete and two-story structural glass walls. The inside will have even more attention to detail in finishes. For example, copper used inside the lobby and visible through the glass curtain wall will be brought onsite to “weather” outdoors so it will match
Seattle-based architecture and urban design firm Mithun has been selected by Wenk Associates as part of a consulting team for its Great River Park Master Planning project in St. Paul, Minn. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Mithun will be responsible for urban design and sustainable strategies – identifying opportunities for architectural interventions as well as assess opportunities to positively impact energy, water use and the ecosystem of the Great River Park on the Mississippi River. “This project is essentially about redefining the relationship between the Mississippi River and the city of Saint Paul,” says Mark Shapiro, Mithun urban designer.
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