Facebook broke ground on a new $188 million data center in Prineville. The 147,000-sq-ft facility is expected to create more than 200 jobs during its 12-month construction phase, led by the joint venture general contractor team of Redwood City, Calif.-based DPR Construction Inc. and Portland-based Fortis Construction. Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners Photos courtesy Sheehan Partners For its first building of this type, Facebook found that Prineville offered “a suitable climate for environmental cooling, renewable power resources, available land, talented regional workforce and supportive business environment,” says Tom Furlong, the company’s director of site operations. The custom
Texas Construction presents its thirteenth annual Best Of awards issue, which honors projects completed in our region between Sept. 1, 2008, and Sept. 1, 2009.
As the 28,000 attendees of the Greenbuild 09 conference depart from Phoenix today, I’m struck by how active and vibrant our green building community is in the Southwest. While some in other regions may question how green Phoenix could possibly be given our sprawl and heat, the fact is we are one of the leaders in green building. Photo: Adolfson & Peterson Construction Seeking LEED platinum, the Tempe Transportation Center embodies a holistic sustainable approach. Located next to a new Light Rail station (right), the building�s green building features benefit the aesthetics, the community and teamwork among the project participants.
This month, Greenbuild 09 will occupy much of downtown Phoenix, centered around the new, LEED-certified Phoenix Convention Center. The conference will kick off with keynote speaker Al Gore on Nov. 11 and continue through the 13th. While attendance has swelled since the conference started in 2002, peaking at 28,224 registrants in Boston last year, most analysts expect those numbers to drop off somewhat given the economy. Related Links: Chandler Green Green Las Vegas UNM Takes LEED Maricopa Court Tower Organized by the national USGBC, Greenbuild also involves the local chapter to a large degree. “Greenbuild has been a galvanizing event
Crews have begun steel erection at the Maricopa County court tower, which is being built to meet or exceed LEED-NC v2.2 silver in downtown Phoenix. Photo: Patti Reznik Photography Crews have begun steel erection on the 14-story building, which is aiming to meet or exceed LEED-NC v2.2 silver. Related Links: Green Building Chandler Green Green Las Vegas UNM Takes LEED Topping off for the 14-story building is expected by May, with the $350-million project due for completion in 2012. The design calls for two additional levels below grade. Todd McMillen of Gilbane Building Co. of Phoenix, the construction manager at
Last month, the University of New Mexico received LEED gold for Castetter Hall Phase I on the Albuquerque campus. Photo courtesy of SMPC Architects Castetter Hall became the first LEED-certified building on the University of New Mexico�s Albuquerque campus. The LEED gold building will consume 31.5% less energy overall than traditional buildings on campus. Related Links: Green Building Chandler Green Green Las Vegas Maricopa Court Tower As the 110-year-old school’s first LEED-certified project, it was a satisfying moment for campus officials. Though other campuses have reached similar milestones, UNM has dramatically accelerated its green building program, with $220 million in
Competition among bidders for stimulus funded projects such as Interstate 10 from Sarival Avenue to Verrado Way means that nearly one third of the $350 million in stimulus funds provided to the Arizona Dept. of Transportation has been reallocated in a second round of projects. Phoenix, Ariz. Photo: Southwest Asphalt Paving Interstate 10, Arizona DOT’s second-largest ARA project, will be widened west of Phoenix from two lanes to three. Related Links: Stimulus: A Snapshot of Top Shovel-, Wrench- and Pencil-Ready Projects “The current economic conditions have created a trend toward lower-than-estimated bidding and a higher number of bids,” says ADOT
Want to achieve a 50% boost in construction craft productivity? The Construction Industry Institute aims to fulfill this ambitious goal with a six-year craft-productivity research program. The first phase, focused on mechanical trades, was one of CII’s seven research projects wrapping up in 2009, according to CII Chairman John Dalton, who also is COO for Mustang Engineering, Houston. “The study gives us the benchmarking and metrics to check that craft construction productivity is properly planned and implemented.” Image + Source: Construction Industry Institute On a scale of one to 10, the study compared projects with higher and lower implementation of
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) has withdrawn from his nomination as Dept. of Commerce Secretary in President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet. In a Jan. 5 news conference, Richardson stated that an ongoing federal grand jury investigation into a state contract related to Governor Richardson’s Investment Partnership (GRIP) won by Beverly Hills, Calif.-based CDR Financial Products “would have forced an untenable delay in the confirmation process.” The investigation centers around a $1.48-million consulting contract CDR won in 2004 with the New Mexico Finance Authority, a state instrumentality that finances infrastructure projects by providing low-cost funds and technical assistance. CDR was part
The Arizona Dept. of Transportation has identified over $1.2 billion in projects that would be ready to go in under 180 days if they were funded by a proposed federal economic recovery package. Projects include the 7-mile, $146-million Loop 303 from Lake Pleasant Road to Interstate 17, the $50-million widening of I-10 from I-8 to State Route 87, and the $50-million Cordes Junction Traffic Interchange on I-17, which would include a construction-manager-at-risk contract. Related Links: Arizona Projects Questions Swirl On Stimulus Plan �Ready to Go� May Be The Stimulus Ticket “We have critical needs in our state and can quickly