All three of Florida’s construction categories improved in April, combining for a 17% overall gain in the value of new contracts, compared to a year ago, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. In total, Florida contractors gained nearly $2.4 billion in new business during the month. Related Links: In March, Florida's Building Markets Soared, But Infrastructure Soured More ENR Southeast News The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure projects, jumped 27% and was the largest category for new work in April, with just over $1 billion in new contracts moving forward.At roughly half the volume, Florida’s nonresidential market generated an estimated $503.1 million
A 41% drop in the value of new nonresidential contracts pulled down North Carolina’s April total for new projects by 13% overall, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. In all, the company estimated the Tar Heel State delivered nearly $851.4 million in new contracts during the month. Related Links: Florida Contracts Keep Building Momentum in April Despite Housing Bump, Georgia Contracts Tumble 11% in April The nonresidential sector was the leading culprit for the state’s April decline. Its 41% drop resulted in nearly $196.8 million in new work, compared to the $335.4 million reported a year ago.North Carolina’s nonbuilding sector, which includes
An $8.5-billion nuclear powerplant project in Jenkinsville greatly boosted South Carolina’s April construction contracts total to nearly $9.4 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. By comparison, the monthly figure beat the state’s entire total for 2011, which had been estimated at $7.8 billion. (McGraw-Hill reports the full value of new contracts at the start of construction.) Related Links: North Carolina's Nonresidential Slump Continues in April Despite Housing Bump, Georgia Contracts Tumble in April Florida Contracts Keep Building Momentum in April Other infrastructure projects added more than $200 million to the nonbuilding category's total, for a final April tally of more than
Bowing to state concerns over the increased potential for sinkhole activity near Tampa Bay Water's C.W. "Bill" Young Regional Reservoir in Lithia, Fla., the water utility has scuttled its $41-million, 3-billion-gallon planned expansion of the facility.
Related Links: Odebrecht Helps Reopen Haiti Airport A new law signed on 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 in the spotlight over its work in the Caribbean nation.Set to take effect on July 1, the law faces potential legal action. Though Scott has since said the state would enforce the law, he also issued a signing statement that indicated congressional action would be required first. The governor cited the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Crosby v. National Federal Trade Council,
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
