Banner Estrella Medical Center broke ground today on a new $151-million patient tower. Designed to accommodate 175 beds, the new six-story patient tower is the second on the campus located on the southeast corner of the Loop 101 Freeway and Thomas Road. Image courtesy Banner Health The six-story patient tower addition at the Banner Estrella Medical Center in Arizona will provide 175 beds and expanded emergency room services. Related Links: A Banner Year for Hospitals: Banner Health Injects Vigor into the Valley's Health Care Sector New MD Anderson Banner Cancer Center Becomes a Beacon of Hope for Patients in Arizona With nearly 100,000
Intel Corp. plans to add one more facility to its growing crop of buildings in Chandler, Ariz. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based manufacturer announced that construction is already underway on a new $300-million research and development facility at the Chandler Blvd. campus. Photo by Patti Reznik Photography Intel's new $300-million R&D facility is in addition to the already underway $5-billion Fab 42 manufacturing facility in Chandler, seen here. Related Links: Top 25 Starts of 2011 Inject $10.4 Billion Into Southwest Economy Solar Project Heats Up Intel Site The new building will be used to expand Intel’s packaging operations. “The innovation set to take place within the
A decade ago, Pima County's Regional Wastewater Reclamation Dept., or RWRD, was facing a problem: The Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality had ruled that the levels of nitrogen coming from RWRD's network of 10 wastewater-stripping and treatment plants were too high. As a result, RWRD embarked on a $720-million Regional Optimization Plan (ROMP) to improve the quality of its effluent. Related Links: DAF Placement Saves on Capital Costs Archeological Discoveries Coexist With Construction Crews at Pima County Project The ROMP program is using innovative techniques as it expands and upgrades the 37.5-million-gallons-a-day Ina Road plant to 50 mgd and replaces
Bill Doelle groans every time he reads a newspaper headline that says “Archeology Find Halts Construction Project.” As the president of Tucson-based Desert Archaeology Inc.—consultant to Pima County on the cultural preservation efforts during the Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department’s $720-million Regional Optimization Plan—Doelle and his team were just as attentive to the present day needs of construction crews as they were to investigating the past. Related Links: Nitrogen Diet Reduces Arizona Drinking Water Threat Scientific Discoveries at the Panama Canal “The county has been developing for 25 years a pretty standardized procedure of assessing what’s in the ground and taking
More than 40 million passengers fly in and out of Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix every year. City officials couldn't risk stifling this sizable economic engine during construction of a much-needed passenger train project. Related Links: PHX Sky Train Phase 1 Takes Flight - ENR Southwest (June 2010) Phoenix Airport Sky Train Project Performs First Test Run To stay out of the way of planes, PHX Sky Train's guideway design takes it 90 ft over an active taxiway—billed by airport officials as a worldwide first—and then dips underneath two more taxiways before rising up to pass over a passenger
ALLREDChristian Allred was hired as a senior low voltage designer for the Phoenix office of Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm. Allred has more than 10 years of experience, predominately in upgrading systems at detention facilities. He will be responsible for expanding Dewberry's services to justice architecture clients in the Southwest on projects that include security electronics, telecommunications and detention equipment. Allred attended ITT Technical College, where he majored in computer-aided design. Related Links: ENR Southwest's People Page Southwest People Showcase Gallery J.B. Henderson Construction Co. Inc., Albuquerque, added numerous personnel to its microelectronics, government and commercial construction sectors.
Okland Construction Co.'s Tempe, Ariz., office notched a stunning 98% increase in revenue in the Southwest region during fiscal-year 2011 at a time when many of its competitors saw plunging bottom lines. Okland was able to bring in $185.8 million in the region between October 2010 and September 2011. Related Links: Southwest Top Lists Rio Salado Audubon Center Wins Best Green Building Award But it was the firm's commitments to client service and sustainability that cinched its selection as ENR Southwest's 2012 Contractor of the Year."For sure, 2009 and 2010 were lean years for us, as with many companies," says
ENR Southwest's annual survey of general contractors shows that 2011 was a transition year for the industry. Many firms were still feeling the effects of the recession, while others saw revenue jump dramatically. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 82 General Contractors GC of the Year: Building Relationship Gives Okland a Boost Contractors in Arizona fared best, with 2011 revenue climbing to $4.7 billion, a rise of nearly 16% over 2010.Sundt Construction, Tempe, Ariz., saw revenue rise 28%. "The key to success has been our diversity of market sectors," says Eric Hedlund, chief operating officer at Sundt. The company performs civil,
The heat wave afflicting much of the U.S. claimed a construction worker near Tucson—a stark reminder of the danger heat poses to those in the building trades. Mark Geise, 44, died of apparent heat-related illness on June 19 while constructing a propane filling station at a Costco store. A resident of Indiana, Geise was employed by Seese Construction, Monrovia, Ind., according to his obituary. Photo by Aileen Cho/ENR Workers should take refuge in a shady, relatively cool spot and rehydrate if heat-related illness symptoms occur. Related Links: Arizona Workers Are Old Pros At Sweating In The Southwest Hot or Cold,
Construction firms in several states are closely watching how Arizona will implement the provisions of its immigration law left standing after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidated three of the statute's sections. Photo Courtesy Office of the Arizona Governor: Jan Brewer Gov. Jan Brewer addresses the media following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the heart of SB 1070. Related Links: High Court Issues Split Ruling in Immigration Case Oral Arguments in Arizona Immigration Law Case The high court on June 25 struck down three key sections of Arizona S.B. 1070 but left intact one of its most controversial provisions,