In filing a motion on May 16 for a new trial against HDR Engineering over cracks at its Lithia, Fla., reservoir, Tampa Bay Water attorneys asserted judicial errors involving the exclusion of evidence and the failure to allow a jury site visit of the facility. Related Links: Jury Verdict for HDR Delivers Setback for Tampa Bay Water Slideshow: The Case HDR Made at Trial In a May 17 memo to the utility’s board of directors, Tampa Bay Water general counsel Barrie S. Buenaventura stated: “We believe Tampa Bay Water should be granted a new trial because the jury’s verdict is
A new law signed May 1 by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) banning state and local governments from hiring firms with business activity in Cuba or Syria has put Odebrecht's Coral Gables office in the spotlight over its work in the Caribbean nation. Image courtesy Odebrecht Odebrecht is the developer and builder for the estimated $800-million Airport City project at Miami International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration is currently reviewing plans for the mixed-use development. Image courtesy Odebrecht Airport City will include two hotels and office space, along with retail. Odebrecht's responsibilities include financing for the project. No public funding
By building a research laboratory to develop technologies to reduce the earth's carbon footprint, the Georgia Institute of Technology hopes both to help solve a nagging environmental issue and to provide a construction industry model for the production of "no-frills" net-zero energy-use buildings. Related Links: Clemson Architecture Building Schools Contractors in the Art of Net Zero Apple Gets Boost From Sun for iCloud Data Center The $22.4-million Carbon Neutral Energy Solutions Laboratory in Atlanta, targeting completion this fall, will develop technologies aimed at reducing global warming, such as carbon sequestration. From the start, though, the university faced an ironic twist.
There's a new giant in the No. 1 position of ENR Southeast's annual Top Design Firms ranking this year, and even though it's the firm's first time atop the charts, the company's success is anything but a big surprise. AECOM Technology Corp. soared past its Southeast competition in 2011 by grabbing a big share of the major projects throughout the region. Related Links: Perkins+Will Envisions New Future for Design More Southeast Firms While many other Southeast firms struggled over the past year to eke out a mild increase, or else suffered a decline, AECOM surged, posting a gain of roughly
Designers in the Southeast are continuing to face market uncertainty, but as 2012 unfolds, more of them are starting to see some light at the end of the proverbial tunnel as the region's owners move more project plans off the shelf and into the field. It's not a boom, but architects and engineers seem ready for any kind of improvement. Related Links: Southeast Design Firm of the Year: AECOM Technology Corp. The cause for optimism starts with a look back at the recent past. A year ago, ENR Southeast's Top Design Firms ranking revealed that 2010 revenue had declined again
Reacting to regulators' concerns over new sinkhole activity near Tampa Bay Water's regional reservoir, utility general manager Gerald Seeber has advised the agency board that he is moving to cancel the planned $42-million expansion of the facility. The pending $121-million renovation of the existing 15.5-billion gallon reservoir may still proceed, although the schedule will likely be delayed. Image courtesy Tampa Bay Water A team of Kiewit Infrastructure Group and Gannett Fleming is design-builder of the planned $121-million renovation of Tampa Bay Water's 15.5-billion gallon C.W. "Bill" Young Regional Reservoir. Photo courtesy Tampa Bay Water Tampa Bay Water's $121-million "permanent fix"
The value of contracts in two of South Carolina’s three broad construction categories declined sharply in March, resulting in a 40% overall monthly decline in activity, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. Related Links: Tar Heel State Contracts Kick Up in March Nuclear Project Boosts Georgia Contracts Total Again in March In Florida, March Sees Building Markets Soar, Infrastructure Sour Overall, projects totaling about $462.4 million moved ahead in March. Residential proved the only positive sector for the month, as housing contracts totaled $344.5 million, or 17% better than the previous March.Nonresidential fell 81% in March. This category’s
North Carolina contractors saw a 50% increase in the value of new construction contracts during March, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. The company estimated the state’s new contracts at nearly $1.5 billion, well ahead of the year-ago figure of $990 million. Related Links: In Florida, March Sees Building Markets Soar, Infrastructure Sour Nuclear Project Boosts Georgia Contracts Total Again in March All three construction categories posted solid gains. Most notable was the nonresidential sector, which totaled $528.4 million for the month—or more than double the amount tallied last March.Nonbuilding—which includes infrastructure projects—jumped 47% during the month, for an estimated total of
Two Florida high-school teams won the world championships of robotics engineering at an international competition held April 25-28 in St. Louis, Mo. The competition is sponsored by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), an organization founded by Segway inventor Dean Kamen. Related Links: Blog: Robotics Engineering's World Championships ENR's Workforce News A team comprised mostly of engineering students from Middleton High School in Tampa, Fla., won the division in which robots were required to collect balls, place them into crates and then elevate them as high as possible. The Hillsborough County engineering magnet school is a certified
Despite strong improvement in Florida’s building markets, the state’s March total for new construction contracts fell 24% overall due to a sharp drop in the pace of infrastructure project starts. McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge, publisher of ENR Southeast, estimated the value of new March construction contracts at just over $2 billion. Despite the sizeable decline, builders had plenty to cheer in March. Nonresidential contracts tallied $692.2 million for the month, or 45% better than last March’s $477.8 million. And residential contracts roared to life as well, increasing by 43% to totally nearly $1.1 billion.The nonbuilding sector—which includes infrastructure—dropped considerably, however. March’s