The largest solar power generating project of its kind in the world, Ivanpah uses emerging technology to produce electricity through 173,500 heliostats connected to a dual-axis tracking system, allowing the mirrors to move on a pylon 360° for optimal reflection.
On the surface, the $230-million Silver Lake Reservoir Replacement Project in Burbank—which resembles a big concrete warehouse—looks like a simple project.
The construction industry revved up significantly in 2013, with the respondents to ENR California's annual survey of contractors reporting a 16.4% gain in revenue over the previous year.
Twin earth-pressure-balance tunnel-boring machines Mom Chung and Big Alma emerged into a water-filled retrieval pit in the heart of San Francisco in June, having raised the bar for cutting through variable soils without affecting existing infrastructure.
In earthquake-prone San Francisco, crews are digging the city's deepest foundation piles for an 802-ft-tall office-residential tower that is on course to be the city's second-tallest structure, if only temporarily. The 55-story 181 Fremont tower, sited on land reclaimed from the San Francisco Bay after the 1906 earthquake, will be founded on 42 piers that plunge an average of 255 ft—with the deepest down 264 ft—to bedrock. Related Links: Megaproject Starts Propel $16.7B of Work in Calif., Hawaii Wolffkran Plans Towering U.S. Comeback, Including at 181 Fremont Because of the tight site, which is less than 140 ft square and bordered by
The newest addition to the UC Merced campus challenged the project team to put sustainability front and center. But a complex curtain wall system and other green building elements required careful BIM coordination to keep subcontractors from butting heads while working on Science and Engineering Building 2. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record The exterior of the $88-million project incorporates "pretty much every type of skin system available," says Nathan Long, assistant project manager of St. Louis-based construction manager McCarthy Building Cos. "We have composite metal panels, insulated metal panels, plaster, curtain wall systems, precast panels and columns, and
Revenue from design work continues its modest upswing, according to an annual survey of top design firms conducted by ENR California and McGraw Hill Construction. The 109 participating firms collectively produced $3.66 billion of design work on projects located in California during 2013, an increase of 5% over the previous year. But design firms will face an increasing level of difficulty in finding the staff needed to meet the demands of California's infrastructure and water needs, say respondents. Related Links: View Other ENR California Top Firms Rankings ENR California Top 100 Design Firms "The state's aging infrastructure, current drought conditions
Megaprojects are keeping construction crews hopping in California and Hawaii. Five projects on ENR California's 2013 Top Starts list are valued at more than $1 billion; in 2012 only one project exceeded the $1-billion level. Related Links: View a Ranking of the 35 Largest Starts in California & Hawaii ENR California's 2014 Owner of the Year: L.A. Metro The current ranking, which highlights the 30 largest projects to break ground in California during 2013, features a broad mix of project types, including health care, highway, transit, commercial and water/infrastructure. New this year, Hawaii's active construction market is represented in a
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