At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $486.7 billion, new construction starts in February were essentially the same as January’s amount, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. After the strong finish to last year, the construction start statistics have shown lackluster activity during the first two months of 2014. The flat pace for total construction starts in February was due to a mixed performance by major sector—less nonresidential building but more housing and public works. For the first two months of 2014, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $66.7 billion, down
The American Council of Engineering Cos. of Colorado (ACEC/CO) recently presented top engineering awards to outstanding Colorado engineers who have demonstrated exemplary leadership and commitment to advancing consulting engineering. The honorees are: Karen Maestas, URS Corp., was honored as ACEC/CO ‘s 2014 Outstanding Woman in Engineering. The award recognizes an outstanding woman in a leadership position for professional achievements in the engineering profession who is also a visible role model for young engineers.Maestas manages a complex portfolio of mine reclamation projects that has grown annually from $500,000 in 2007 to more than $8 million in 2013. The projects involve many
Construction employers added 15,000 workers to payrolls in February despite harsh winter working conditions, raising industry employment to the highest level since June 2009, according to a recent analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. However, association officials noted that as the industry adds jobs, many firms report they are already having a hard time finding skilled workers. “The rate of construction hiring has outpaced job growth in the overall economy for the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “During that time, all construction segments have added workers.”Construction employment totaled 5,941,000 in
The University of Colorado is more than a year into a bold academic transition. Starting in spring 2013, the university moved its undergraduate program in architecture from the Boulder campus to CU Denver. Administrators and faculty sought a better alignment with the existing master’s degree program in architecture in Denver and stronger connections with the city’s professional design firms. Photo by Jesse Kuroiwa, courtesy of CU Denver CU Denvers undergraduate architectural program had 119 students enrolled as of the spring 2014 semester. “We expected in the first two years that most of the program’s undergrad students would be transfers from
The PeopleForBikes Green Lane Project has selected Denver as one of six new U.S. cities to join its intensive two-year program to build better bike lanes. Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create low-stress streets and increase vitality in urban centers through the installation of protected bike lanes. The six cities were chosen from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program. Launched in 2012, the Green Lane Project works with U.S. cities to speed installation of protected bike lanes around the country. These on-street lanes
The Colorado Dept. of Transportation recently issued two draft reports summarizing the feasibility of high-speed transit systems in both the Interstate 70 Mountain Corridor and I-25 Front Range Corridor. Both studies—conducted by CDOT’s Division of Transit and Rail (DTR) and a team of outside experts—confirmed that high-speed transit is technically feasible in both corridors, but not financially feasible in either corridor at this time. Map courtesy of CDOT A trip from C-470/I-70 in Golden to Breckenridge would take just over a half hour and travel to Vail would take 50 minutes. “It is clear that we currently lack the financial
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in January, fell moderately in February. The index now stands at 78.1 (1985=100), down from 79.4 in January. The decline was driven by the Expectations Index, which dropped to 75.7 from 80.8. The Present Situation Index, by contrast, climbed from 77.3 to 81.7. Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions improved for the fourth consecutive month. Those claiming business conditions are “good” increased to 21.5% from 20.8%, while those claiming business conditions are “bad” declined to 22.6% from 23.4%. Consumers’ assessment of the labor market also improved. Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” increased
The value of new construction starts fell 13% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $485 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. The downturn followed a healthy performance in December, which was the third highest month for total construction starts during 2013. January’s retreat encompassed all three main construction sectors, with moderate declines reported for nonresidential building and housing, as well as a more substantial loss of momentum for nonbuilding construction (public works and electric utilities) after a particularly robust December. On an unadjusted basis, total construction starts in January came in
Prices for materials used in construction and for nonresidential building construction both increased more than overall prices for “final demand” in January, according to a new analysis of retooled federal data on producer prices released by the Associated General Contractors of America. As a result, margins remain very tight for most construction firms even as private-sector demand for construction continues to grow. “Although contractors on average were able to raise bid prices in line with materials cost increases, the results varied widely by commodity, building type and specialty trade,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Several key construction materials,
After consecutive months of shrinking demand for design services, there was a modest uptick in the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) in January. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lead-time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the January ABI score was 50.4, up from a mark of 48.5 in December. This score reflects an increase in design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 58.5, down a bit from the reading of 59.2 the previous month.“There is
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