A Minnesota-based miner's $350-million investment in a new taconite pellet plant in Reynolds, Ind., is giving a much-needed boost to central Indiana's economy after a painful downturn that sent skilled tradespeople bolting across the state line, employers say. The project also forecasts further labor crunches in the region as employers continue to seek skilled labor amid upticks in activity. Related Links: Planned Projects Could Drive Up Craft Demand in Great Lakes and Midwest ENR Midwest Regional Forecast 2014 "This particular project has opened up a lot of jobs in the construction field," says Scott Potter, project manager for Logansport, Ind.-based

The newly renovated Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Cat Canyon is the venue's seventh facility and first animal exhibit to receive LEED-Gold certification, furthering the zoo's quest to become the most sustainable facility of its kind in the U.S.

Scaling of the 13-story, 532-room Hilton Columbus Convention Center Hotel not only responds to pedestrians but also nearby low-rise vintage structures and taller glass and steel-clad buildings that serve as a backdrop for the hotel.

Planners spent more than a decade preparing to rehabilitate the 100-year-old, 200,000-sq-ft St. Louis Library, an undertaking that encompassed full restoration of its Great Hall, foyer and large historic rooms and the refurbishing of the structure's exterior.

Expansion of the University of Michigan's Crisler Center, home to the NCAA's Michigan Wolverines, went into overtime, requiring double shifts and armies of tradesmen to complete the $38-million project in just 11 months, in time for a new basketball season.

Sediment remediation of the Sheboygan River required extensive coordination among regulatory agencies, consultants, private stakeholders, municipal and county governments and contractors.

A zoo habitat, an arts center, an art museum and a pair of federal buildings are among the construction work that captured top honors in ENR Midwest's Best Projects competition, an annual program recognizing outstanding design and construction in a variety of categories.

Months after a scrapped groundbreaking date for Michigan State University's Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum had come and gone, its postponement the result of extended design delays, The State News, the university's student paper, reported the $40-million project had hit another potential snag.

After sitting out much of the nation's economic recovery, the construction industry in hard hit states such as Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan began to see conditions ease this year, stemming the flow of job losses that curtailed thousands of workers year in and year out. Industry members in manufacturing-rich Indiana and Ohio, both star performers earlier in the recovery, weren't as lucky, as global demand for manufactured products slowed and construction job losses mounted. Photo Courtesy of Jim Finch Growth in construction is expected to be more uniform across the region next year. Related Links: Dodge Lead Center McGraw-Hill Construction

The University of Chicago's $91-million, 175,000-sq-ft Reva and David Logan Center consolidates visual arts, film, music and theater within a single complex housing a three-story, 450-seat auditorium, a two-story podium and an 11-story tower.