The Chicago chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) has named Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay Penney Architects, Ltd. (Nagle Hartray) as its firm of the year for 2009. Photo: Nagle Hartray Nagle Hartray employees and AIA Chicago offi cers pose after Nagle Hartray was named 2009’s firm of the year. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership Great Lakes Design-Build Institute Elects Officers Two Midwestern Firms Earn National Honors from

Somerville, Inc., an integrated architecture, engineering and construction services company in Green Bay, Wis., has won the Best Existing Building award in the Great Spaces, Great Places (GSGP) contest. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership AIA Chicago Names Nagle Hartray 2009 Firm of the Year Great Lakes Design-Build Institute Elects Officers Two Midwestern Firms Earn National Honors from AIA Northeast Indiana Building Contractors Name Officers for 2010 American Society of Safety Engineers

Only a few months after Muchin College Prep and the Illinois Holocaust Museum had held their respective grand openings, high school students from the Noble Network of Charter School’s Muchin College Prep high school visited the new Illinois Holocaust Museum & Educational Center in Skokie, Ill. Related Links: 2010 Conex Wisconsin/Northern Illinois Show Attracts Fewer Exhibitors but More Attendees Sixty freshman students visited the museum at the invitation of Bulley & Andrews, LLC. As the general contractor that built both Muchin College Prep and the Illinois Holocaust Museum, Bulley & Andrews was pleased to sponsor the event. It provided an

The world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa (formerly Burj Dubai), officially opened Jan. 4 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Related Links: Streeter Place 54-Story Luxury Apartment Tower Completed in Chicago Major Eye Institute is Going from Vision to Reality in Indianapolis Metea Valley High School Completed in Aurora, Ill. Building in Orland Park, Ill., Earns LEED Gold Certification St. Louis Metro System’s New Paint Facility Opens Six Months Early and 10% Under Budget Building Now Houses HQ of Company that Made its Windows R.A. Smith Provides Multiple Services on New Wis. DMV Office Project Green Building Initiative Certifies 100th Green Globes

The Construction Industry Service Corporation (CISCO) honored its project-of-the-year winners for 2009. The awards are part of CISCO’s Pride in Construction award program, which recognizes the top union construction projects in four categories. The program also honors an area educator, Illinois public body, and a labor conciliator. Related Links: William Bast Named President of National Structural Engineers Council AIA Chicago Names Vitale Young Architect of 2009 Lean Construction Institute Forms Ohio Valley Chapter AGC of St. Louis and OSHA Form Partnership AIA Chicago Names Nagle Hartray 2009 Firm of the Year Great Lakes Design-Build Institute Elects Officers Two Midwestern Firms

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McGraw-Hill Construction, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, has released the 2010 Chicago Construction Outlook. After enduring a 46% decline in 2009, Chicago construction starts are projected to rebound 18% to $11.5 billion in 2010, helped by a recovery in all major construction types. Highlights of the report conclude: Residential construction starts will advance 38% in 2010 to $2.9 billion, led by a 70% gain in single family housing. As state programs and federal ARRA stimulus funding provide aid, nonbuilding construction starts will increase 17% to $4.5 billion in 2010, with the largest benefit seen in highways and bridges. Nonresidential construction starts

Purdue University researchers in West Lafayette, Ind., are working with Westinghouse Electric Co. to ensure that a new design for nuclear power plants will stand up to strong earthquakes. Photo: Purdue University Purdue University associate professor of civil engineering Amit Varma stands atop a specimen being tested as part of work with Westinghouse Electric Co. to ensure that a new design for nuclear power plants will stand up to strong earthquakes. Engineers are testing components of an "enhanced shield building" that will contain a plant's main system components. The work focuses on testing structures like those to be used in

Continuing tight credit, an overabundance of retail and office space, and excess manufacturing capacity will keep non-residential construction in the doldrums during 2010, despite more stimulus-funded projects starting. Bob Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill Construction. Chart shows value and percentage change of non-residential construction starts over the past 10 years. After three years of declines, the residential-construction market may be eyeing a rebound in 2010. But for designers and contractors in other building segments, it could be too soon to celebrate. McGraw-Hill Construction, of which Midwest Construction is a unit, is forecasting that total construction starts will

Industry indicators show that the construction industry’s decline has slowed and many industry experts expect the upturn to start sometime in 2010. Although many factors can affect the recovery, nearly every expert we interviewed thinks the industry faces a long slow climb back to prosperity. The outlook for 2010 in the Midwestern construction industry calls for a bottoming out early in the year, followed by slow growth through year’s end. Although 2010 will represent a slight improvement over 2009, it will not be anywhere near as good as 2008, and industry experts seem to agree that the recovery will be