The renovated 180,000-sq-ft Cesar Chavez Memorial Building, located at the edge of the Golden Triangle neighborhood near downtown Denver, has been awarded LEED-Gold certification as a result of the $42.7-million modernization project completed last year. The project team was initially targeting LEED Silver. Photo by Fred Fuhrmeister, Time Frame Photography The Chavez Building no longer sits in isolation at the end of the city block but rather serves as a gateway into Denvers Civic and Justice Center and the Golden Triangle neighborhood. Photo by Fred Fuhrmeister, Time Frame Photography The project created a new state-of-the-art building exterior, an aluminum-and-glass curtain
The unemployment rate for construction workers fell to the lowest July level in five years, even though employment has stagnated in the past four months, according to a recent analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. “Although the unemployment rate for experienced construction workers came down to 9.1% in July, many of those workers have left the industry for other jobs, school or training programs, or retirement,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “While the industry has added workers in the past year, employment growth has been negligible recently.”The unemployment rate for workers who
Total construction spending cooled in June as residential building hit the pause button, while private nonresidential and public construction also declined, according to a recent analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Associated General Contractors of America. “New single-family and multifamily construction both had rare slowdowns in June, while private nonresidential construction remained stuck in neutral as it has all year and the long slump in public construction worsened,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “For the rest of 2013, private construction appears likely to grow again but public spending is showing no signs of a recovery.”Construction put
The Regional Transportation District and northwest metro area communities took a major step forward in the Northwest Area Mobility Study at the end of July. The group agreed to focus the study on a specific set of transit alternatives that could bring commuter rail and/or other transit improvements to northwest communities sooner than current projections for when RTD can complete the Northwest Rail Line to Longmont. The alternatives include options for phasing construction of the 41-mile Northwest Rail corridor in segments, options to determine whether extending the North Metro commuter rail line to Longmont is better than serving Longmont via
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in June, pulled back slightly in July. The index now stands at 80.3 (1985=100), down from 82.1 in June. The Present Situation Index increased to 73.6 from 68.7. The Expectations Index decreased to 84.7 from 91.1 last month. Consumers’ appraisal of current conditions continues to improve. Those stating business conditions are “good” increased to 20.9% from 19.4%, while those stating business conditions are “bad” decreased to 24.5% from 24.9%. Consumers’ assessment of the job market was also more positive.Those claiming jobs are “plentiful” increased to 12.2% from 11.3%, while those claiming
Construction employment increased in 191 out of 339 metropolitan areas between June 2012 and June 2013, declined in 97 and was flat in 51, according to an analysis of federal employment data recently released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials welcomed the construction employment gains but cautioned that demand remained spotty amid continued efforts to cut federal investments in vital infrastructure projects, including for clean water systems.“Although construction activity remains extremely spotty, with strong residential activity offsetting lackluster private nonresidential investment and shrinking public construction spending, workers are being hired in more and more metro areas,” said
The Colorado economy continues to grow in 2013 at a rate that exceeds previous expectations going into the year, says economist Richard Wobbekind of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business. Midway through the year, Colorado’s job growth rate is up by about 2.3%, a gain of about 52,400 jobs from May 2012 to May 2013. Job growth is expected to continue to rise to about 2.5%, a figure revised from estimates last December when the projection was about 1.8%. “The performance of the Colorado economy has modestly exceeded our December 2012 forecast,” says Wobbekind, executive director of the
The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) remained positive again in June after the first decline in 10 months in April. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine- to 12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. The American Institute of Architects reported the June ABI score was 51.6, down from a mark of 52.9 in May. This score reflects an increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 62.6, up sharply from the reading of 59.1 the previous month. “With steady
The Colorado Dept. of Transportation and the city of Grand Junction are partnering to bring the state its first diverging diamond interchange. The DDI is an innovative interchange design that improves efficiency by eliminating some of the wait time for left-hand turns. Map courtesy of CDOT A DDI eliminates traditional left-hand turns by crossing lanes and shifting drivers to the left side of the road. This gives drivers direct access to a left-hand ramp to access the interstate without waiting at a traffic signal. The project represents a partnership between CDOT and the city of Grand Junction to improve safety
New construction starts in June receded 1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $489.5 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. Nonresidential building lost momentum in June after strengthening during the previous two months, and housing experienced a pause from its recent upward trend. Meanwhile, nonbuilding construction advanced in June, lifted by the start of several large bridge projects. For the first six months of 2013, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $233.8 billion, down 2% from the same period a year ago. The 2013 year-to-date decline for total construction
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