A pproximately $62.24 billion in projects started in Texas and Louisiana in 2013, up nearly 15% from $54.36 billion in 2012, according to McGraw Hill Construction Dodge. The corresponding increase in the number of jobs across both states bodes well for the region's economy in 2014. Photo by Patrick Quigley, Gulf Coast Air Photo Crowd Pleasers: Construction is under way on Tulane University's Yulman Stadium. The boom in stadium construction will continue in 2014. Photo by Patrick Quigley, Gulf Coast Air Photo LLC/courtesy of PCCP Constructors, a Joint Venture Infrastructure: An aerial view of the Permanent Canal Closures and Pumps

Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record  PEASEOrla Pease was promoted to vice president of Urban Engineers, Philadelphia. She leads the firm's traffic consulting division in Pennsylvania. Ed Fronczkiewicz, the firm's assistant counsel, and John Holak Jr., who leads the firm's risk assessment practice, were also promoted to vice president.Thomas Chicca joined engineering firm Soltesz as vice president and general manager in Rockville, Md. Most recently, he was an office director of Pennoni Associates. In addition, Jim Soltesz, president and CEO of Soltesz, has been inducted into the Montgomery County, Md., Business Hall of Fame.David Steigler was elevated to office

Photographer: Shane Boyer Submitted By: Turner Construction Co.Philadelphia Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record On Sept. 3, 2013, Turner held its ninth annual safety "stand down." Work paused on the contractor's jobsites in the U.S. as safety managers delivered the safety message "Personal Health and Well Being On and Off the Job" to more than 40,000 workers and project team members.This shot of a stand down at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Buerger Center for Advanced Pediatric Care jobsite won a competition among Turner employees for best stand down photo.

Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record When a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the Eastern Seaboard in summer 2011, it jolted engineers of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) into action. Within two days, agency engineers and a team led by structural engineer Tipping Mar, Berkeley, Calif., were at the Washington Monument, assessing damage to one of the nation's most iconic landmarks. Since then, NPS and its engineers and contractors have worked to tap available resources, leverage lessons learned and expedite repairs. After nearly $15 million of work, the marble obelisk, more than 555 ft tall, is on track to

Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record The Fort Detrick chiller replacement and new chiller plant design-build project included the demolition and subsequent replacement of an existing chiller plant for the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. To complete the mission-critical project, the team faced strict security requirements and worked within a tight location. Two ongoing and concurrent construction projects were located adjacent to the chiller project.The chiller job included extensive work in the facility's interstitial spaces and its penthouse, which were located directly above fully operational, high-containment laboratories.Turner, the general contractor, recorded daily safety inspections and tracked

Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Archstone 1st & M, also known as Square 673, is one of Washington, D.C.'s newest—and already one of its most popular—high-end apartment properties. The $100-million residential development features 469 rental units outfitted with high-end fixtures. The complex also has upscale amenities, including indoor and outdoor movie theaters, a sports club and lounge, a pet salon, a Starbucks, and a rooftop pool and spa.Constructing some of these amenities proved challenging. The outdoor movie-projection system, for instance, took extensive planning and coordination. After trying out several options, the project team opted to locate the projector

Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record The Citron Apartments, a five-level, four-building residential complex located in Silver Spring, Md., illustrates the cost-effective use of wood-frame construction for commercial developments. The 222-unit apartment complex, which features 31 affordable housing units, earned LEED-Silver certification.Using high-density wood-frame construction brought significant cost savings, according to the project team. However, it also provided some challenges.For instance, the apartment complex, which featured a brick exterior, included two curved elements located at prominent corner elevations. The contractors' challenge was to build the desired architectural curve while maximizing the size of the interior units and allowing for

An applied-research facility located in Prince George County, Va., the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) is a 63,000-sq-ft facility housing engineering and computational laboratories with integrated data-acquisition systems.

The 11-story, LEED Platinum-certified Rockville Metro Plaza II added 323,000 square feet of Class A space to Rockville, Md.'s commercial building inventory.

As a signatory to the American College and University Presidents' Climate commitment, the University of Baltimore is pursuing strategies to help eliminate global-warming emissions and achieve climate neutrality.