After having spent more than a year as agency construction manager for Ohio State University's (OSU) planned $126-million Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building (CBEC), Gilbane Building Co., Columbus, learned that OSU was terminating its contract. Soon after, in the summer of 2011, Gov. John Kasich signed the most sweeping reform for procurement of public construction projects in Ohio in 134 years, freeing the Columbus-based university to pursue alternative delivery methods. Shortly thereafter, OSU invited Gilbane to compete for the 235,000-sq-ft project as CM-at-risk. In March 2012, it awarded Gilbane the contract. Related Links: Digging Deeper: Indy's Deep Rock

Here's news that seemingly defies logic: Despite Detroit's economic implosion, Michigan currently is adding jobs at the same rate as the rest of the nation. Among the reasons? A resurgent auto sector and humming economies in Detroit's suburbs. Photo Courtesy of Boldt Construction Co. Construction employment is improving in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin. Related Links: ENR Midwest Top Design Firms for 2012 ENR Midwest Top Contractors for 2012 After years of sitting on the sidelines, other Midwest states also are participating in the nation's economic recovery, tentative though it may be. Likewise, leading indicators ranging from employment data to

The tunnel boring machine looks fairly modern, but it is actually more than 35 years old. Rebuilt shortly after churning its way through the Second Avenue Subway in New York City, the 450-ft-long Robbins main-beam TBM is now taking a spin through subterranean Indianapolis as part of the Circle City's $1.6-billion, 20-year plan to control its combined sewer overflows.

When a new $90-million classroom and lab facility at University of Illinois is completed next year, the sum of its sustainable parts will total net-zero. Put another way, the 230,000-sq-ft College of Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECE), currently under construction in Urbana, will only consume as much energy as it harvests. To date, the Department of Energy has classified only a handful of U.S. facilities as net-zero energy buildings, the majority of them no larger than 15,000 sq ft. Related Links: Owner of the Year: University of Illinois Sets Aggressive Sustainabiltiy Schedule Blue Cross Raises a Green Shield The

The health care sector showed surprising strength in a year that held too few surprises for most Midwest builders. Image Courtesy of Indiana Dept. of Transportation The $763-million East End Crossing will span the Ohio River to connect I-265 in Indiana and I-265 in Kentucky. Related Links: ENR Midwest Top Starts for 2012 In 2012, health care providers were said to have shelved large building initiatives until the full effects of health care reform were known. Instead, many in the Midwest broke ground on major projects. “It's unusual and may be a sign that providers are working harder to attract

Some 450 construction workers are converging on a site in Pardeeville, Wis., to convert the state's largest source of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and mercury pollution into a poster child for cleaner, greener emissions. Peak periods will push the number of workers on site past 600 as crews assemble an air-quality control system and the facilities required to house it at Columbia Energy Center, a coal-fired electrical station undergoing $627 million in upgrades, including construction of SO2 and mercury-reduction systems. Related Links: ADM Moves to Advance Carbon Storage Efforts Power Company Goes Lean to Build Clean "There isn't time to complete

The health care sector showed surprising strength in a year that held too few surprises for most Midwest builders. Image Courtesy of Indiana Dept. of Transportation Related Links: Midwest Top Project Starts for 2011 A Rocky Road Back To Regional Recovery In 2012, health care providers were said to have shelved large building initiatives until the full effects of health care reform were known. Instead, many in the Midwest broke ground on major projects."It's unusual and may be a sign that providers are working harder to attract privately insured patients, now that reimbursements from Medicare and Medicaid are being squeezed,"

John Watson, who spent most of his career revamping existing buildings, had technically retired from the real estate business. Serving as a volunteer board member of Indiana Landmarks, a nonprofit preservation group, helped reignite the Indianapolis developer's passion for transforming old into new. Related Links: Brooklyn's Controversial Atlantic Yards Sports Village Chicago's Soldier Field Adaptive Reuse Over Budget The spark came in the shape of Bush Stadium, a ballpark built in 1931 for the minor-league Indianapolis Indians. The team used the Art Deco park until 1996, when it moved into a new stadium downtown.Located in an industrial wasteland near the

Though chosen for its proximity to a new children's hospital, the site for this Ronald McDonald House posed significant challenges to its builders.

Because refineries are among the most hazardous sites that builders encounter, ConocoPhillips' safety and project management team for the Wood River Refinery Stormwater Upgrades coordinated daily and employed such safety-related measures as using hydro-vacuum excavation to locate utilities and using excavators rather than cranes to place large precast sections.