The city of Denver opened in mid-March its first compressed natural gas fueling station. The station has 70 CNG pumps that will be utilized by city vehicles. Photo courtesy of City of Denver The citys new CNG fueling station cost $2.5 million to build. CNG is a cleaner-burning fuel that generates less carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular diesel. Denver has already purchased 19 CNG vehicles and is anticipating having 40 vehicles, or about 40% of its trash and recycling fleet, running on CNG before the end of 2014, the city says.In addition to the
There are currently about 15,000 apartment units but only 300 condominium units under construction in metropolitan Denver. Why? The answer is simple: Homeowners association lawsuits.For several decades there has been a cottage industry composed of lawyers, engineers, architects and homeowner association management companies who have collaborated in bringing lawsuits against condominium developers, design professionals and contractors claiming defects in design and construction. Some of those lawsuits have been meritorious, some borderline and others without foundation.The result of these lawsuits has been to discourage developers, design professionals and contractors from doing any new condominium projects, despite what many believe to be
Construction materials prices expanded 0.7% in February and are up 0.6% over the past year, according to the March 14 producer price index release by the U.S. Dept. of Labor. More specifically, nonresidential construction materials prices are up 0.7% for the month and are 0.4% higher than the same time one year ago. “February marks the second consecutive month in which construction materials prices expanded briskly,” said Associated Builders and Contractors Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Construction materials prices experienced a remarkable lack of volatility during the last three quarters of 2013; however, that trend appears to be firmly behind us.”Overall,
At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $486.7 billion, new construction starts in February were essentially the same as January’s amount, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. After the strong finish to last year, the construction start statistics have shown lackluster activity during the first two months of 2014. The flat pace for total construction starts in February was due to a mixed performance by major sector—less nonresidential building but more housing and public works. For the first two months of 2014, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $66.7 billion, down
Hispanic Contractors of Colorado presented its major awards to two Latina leaders at the association’s 24th Annual Banquet on March 8 at the Denver Grand Hyatt. Photo courtesy of HCC Judy Montero (right), Denver City Council, District 9, is presented with the Public Achievement Award by HCC 2014 President Lloyd Herrera, HCL Engineering & Surveying; and Maja Rosenquist, vice president and general manager of Denvers Mortenson Construction. Photo courtesy of HCC Angie Rivera-Malpiede (right), RTD director, District C, was presented with the Community Advocate Award by HCC 2014 President Lloyd Herrera, HCL Engineering & Surveying; and Maja Rosenquist, vice president
Gains in the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Construction Confidence Index (CCI) indicate that contractor confidence expanded as 2013 wound to a close, particularly with respect to near-term industry profit margins and staffing levels. The CCI measures construction prospects along three dimensions—revenues, profit margins and hiring. All three indices remained above the threshold value of 50, which indicates growth, and each is up on a year-over-year basis, as follows:• Sales expectations rose from 63 to 63.2.• Profit margin expectations surged from 55.3 to 57.5.• Staffing level intentions grew from 60 to 62.2.“Brutal winter has wrought havoc upon many major markets and
Denver-based developer Continuum Partners, one of the master developers of Union Station, is planning a high-profile, mixed-use development that will be a key piece of Denver’s new Union Station neighborhood. Rendering by Semple Brown Design and BOKA Powell, courtesy of Continuum Partners A view of the new development from 16th Street shows both the hotel (left) and the office building. Rendering by Semple Brown Design and BOKA Powell, courtesy of Continuum Partners View from the Union Station: The Kimpton-operated hotel is the taller building on the right, with the office building and ground-floor retail and restaurants on the left. The
The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado (ACEC/CO) recently presented top engineering awards to outstanding Colorado engineers who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to advancing consulting engineering. The honorees are: Karen Maestas, URS Corp., was honored as ACEC/CO ‘s 2014 Outstanding Woman in Engineering. The award recognizes an outstanding woman in a leadership position for professional achievements in the engineering profession who is also a visible role model for young engineers.Maestas manages a complex portfolio of mine reclamation projects that has grown annually from $500,000 in 2007 to more than $8 million in 2013. The projects involve many
Construction employers added 15,000 workers to payrolls in February despite harsh winter working conditions, raising industry employment to the highest level since June 2009, according to a recent analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. However, association officials noted that as the industry adds jobs, many firms report they are already having a hard time finding skilled workers. “The rate of construction hiring has outpaced job growth in the overall economy for the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “During that time, all construction segments have added workers.”Construction employment totaled 5,941,000 in
The University of Colorado is more than a year into a bold academic transition. Starting in spring 2013, the university moved its undergraduate program in architecture from the Boulder campus to CU Denver. Administrators and faculty sought a better alignment with the existing master’s degree program in architecture in Denver and stronger connections with the city’s professional design firms. Photo by Jesse Kuroiwa, courtesy of CU Denver CU Denvers undergraduate architectural program had 119 students enrolled as of the spring 2014 semester. “We expected in the first two years that most of the program’s undergrad students would be transfers from
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