Photo courtesy of Blue World Crete Green concrete startup has developed a cement that forms at low temperatures. MaterialsA Florida company's new geopolymer binder, which promises to enable eco-friendly materials that compete with portland cement, is undergoing testing in the U.S. and the Middle East.Blue World Crete, whose eponymously named firm is based in Pompano Beach, Fla., is one of many ongoing efforts to lower concrete's carbon footprint. Even so, experts are skeptical it can offer an alternative to the world's most popular building material: portland cement.The startup claims to have developed a synthetic alternative to traditional cement. Inorganic chemicals
As the clock ticked closer to the Aug. 2 deadline for raising the federal debt limit, the focus shifted to dueling plans from Senate Democrats and House Republicans. Both proposals, unveiled on July 25, would raise the debt cap and cut deeply into federal spending, but the plans themselves differed sharply on the timing and structure.Lawmakers on each side maintained they did not want to see the U.S. default, but they remained at odds and continued to blast the other's proposals. Construction industry and state officials also hope lawmakers can avert default, which economists say could drive up interest rates
While the news from this year's Southeast Top Contractors survey wasn't completely upbeat, green building construction was one market definitely on the upswing. Image courtesy of The Foram Group Going Platinum Brickell World Plaza is part of Miamis 600 Brickell, set to be Floridas first LEED Platinum high-rise when it debuts in August. Related Links: The Southeast's Top Green Contractors Ranking Despite the overall decline in regional revenue reported by this year's respondents—the number of which was also down considerably—income from green projects increased notably.Collectively, contractors reported slightly more than $5 billion in regional revenue from projects registered with a
The previous year was yet another downer for many Southeast contractors, as the combination of declining opportunities and hyper-competitive conditions made for tough going in 2010, according to ENR Southeast's most recent Top Contractors survey. Photo by Aerial Photography Inc. Hunt Construction Group, Indianapolis, in a joint venture with Moss & Associates, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is leading the construction of the Florida Marlins Ballpark project in Miami. Related Links: Southeast Top Contractors Ranking Market Sector Breakout Rankings Cumulative 2010 regional revenue from respondents to this year's survey totaled slightly above $16.9 billion, or just about $7 billion below the amount
With an appetite for technically complex and otherwise demanding projects, and several recent, high-profile wins in both the building and civil sectors, PCL Construction Enterprises is flying high when other Southeast contractors are lying low. From the recent success of its building division delivering the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for Universal Orlando, to its civil unit's lead on the bid-build-finance of a nearly $400-million interchange project in Tampa for the Florida Dept. of Transportation, PCL has a momentum uncommon in today's economy.The latest evidence of its hot streak came in April, when the Orlando-based Southeast building unit, PCL Construction
Florida Secretary of Transportation Ananth Prasad announced July 1 that Gov. Rick Scott (R) has decided to allow Central Florida’s planned, nearly $1.3-billion commuter rail project, SunRail, to proceed to construction. The governor’s office issued a brief statement: “Today, Gov. Rick Scott authorized Florida Dept. of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad to sign the Full Funding Grant Agreement to continue the process of implementing the SunRail project, as approved in the 2009 Special Legislative Session.”Scott had suspended the project shortly after taking office earlier this year when he placed a hold on all state contracts valued at more than $1 million.
Nearly $1.7 billion in new Florida construction contracts moved forward in May, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, but that was 11% behind last year’s pace, as all three sectors declined during the month. Both the nonresidential and nonbuilding sectors were 13% lower than a year ago. New nonresidential contracts totaled $570.4 million for the month, while nonbuilding starts tallied roughly $432.9 million. The value of new residential contracts was estimated at $683.6 million, or 8% below last May’s pace.For the year to date, McGraw-Hill Construction estimates the value of 2011 Florida contracts at nearly $8.8 billion, or 23% below the $11.4
The pace of new nonresidential and residential construction starts in Georgia accelerated in May, with both sectors experiencing 10% increases, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of ENR Southeast. However, a major slide in the nonbuilding sector caused Georgia’s overall monthly total for new contracts to drop 3%, for a $913.1 million total. The residential sector’s 10% gain resulted in an estimated $295.4 million total for the month. Nonresidential contracts totaled slightly more than $496.7 million. The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure contracts, fell 46% compared to the same period of a year ago, registering $121 million in new work.For the
The pace of new North Carolina construction contracts slowed slightly in May, according to McGraw-Hill Construction. The state’s nearly $1.1 billion in new contracts was 5% behind the pace set last May. Residential contracts improved slightly during the month, with the $528.5 million in new starts equaling a 2% gain compared to a year ago. Nonresidential’s total of nearly $394.9 million was 6% behind last May’s pace. The nonbuilding sector, which includes infrastructure projects, experienced a 24% decline, with about $128.6 million in new starts.The slight May decline was actually an improvement of sorts. For the year-to-date, new North Carolina
Rather than shutting down its cracked Crystal River Nuclear Plant 3 in Citrus County, Progress Energy Florida will seek approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state of Florida for up to $1.3 billion in additional repairs to the out-of-commission facility, likely keeping it offline until 2014. Photo courtesy Progress Energy Progress Energy plans to remove and replace the steel-reinforced concrete in the remaining five bays of its Crystal River 3 nuclear power plant's containment building. Photo courtesy Progress Energy It was in the course of making repairs to the previously cracked bay of the plant's containment building that