At a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $495.7 billion, new construction starts in May advanced 5% from the previous month, according to McGraw Hill Construction, a division of McGraw Hill Financial. Much of the upward lift came from nonresidential building, which registered moderate growth for the second month in a row after its sluggish performance at the outset of 2013. Smaller gains in May were reported for housing and nonbuilding construction (public works and electric utilities). During the first five months of 2013, total construction starts on an unadjusted basis were reported at $187.6 billion, down 3% from the same
Home furnishings retailer IKEA will increase the solar array atop its Denver-area store, which opened two years ago in Centennial. Installation of panels on the roof’s remaining space will begin in July, with completion expected by this fall. Already the state’s largest single-use rooftop array on a commercial building, the project will become Colorado’s largest rooftop array of any use. The 83,700-sq-ft solar addition will consist of a 623-kW system built with 2,492 panels and will produce 961,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store.Including the existing system, the total 1,121-kW solar installation of 4,704 panels at IKEA Centennial’s store soon
Construction employment increased by 7,000 in May, helping to push the industry’s unemployment rate down to the lowest May level in five years, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said the relatively positive jobs report for the sector underscores the need to address potential shortages of skilled workers. “Although the monthly job gain in May was modest, both residential and nonresidential construction have been adding workers at roughly double the rate of the overall economy in the past year,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “At the same
Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper recently signed into law a measure to expand and improve the state’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES) statute to drive clean-energy investment, jobs, and project development in rural Colorado. “A year ago, the market outlook for renewable energy in Colorado was bleak,” said Sarah Propst, executive director of the Interwest Energy Alliance. “Implementation of SB 252, combined with Xcel’s recent announcement that it will buy 550 MW of wind based on low price alone, means a complete turnaround for the Colorado market. Now we expect roughly 1,000 MW of market opportunity for clean energy over the next
Justin Cooper has been named a vice president at GE Johnson Construction, Denver and Colorado Springs. Since joining the firm in 1998, Cooper has led preconstruction, team integration and development on more than 5 million sq ft of health care projects, including five new hospital campuses. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Shannon Rogers has also been named a vice president at GE Johnson. Starting in 2006, Rogers developed the firm's in-house building information modeling team and systems integration group, which now includes nine design and construction professionals.Jim Starling, a veteran Regional Transportation District project manager who oversaw the
Following the first reversal into negative territory in 10 months in April, the Architecture Billings Index bounced back in May. 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 May ABI score was 52.9, up dramatically from a mark of 48.6 in April. 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 59.1, up slightly from the reading of 58.5 the previous
Aircraft manufacturer MSC Aerospace has announced a major expansion in southern Utah. The company, and its subsidiaries Metalcraft Technologies (MTI) and SyberJet Aircraft (SJA), plan to expand their current Cedar City facilities to create more manufacturing capabilities in a 20-year agreement with the state of Utah. MTI is an aircraft parts and aero-structures manufacturer. MTI fabricates, processes and assembles parts, sub-assemblies and aircraft tools according to customer specifications using aluminum, titanium and stainless steel. MTI’s customers include Boeing, Bombardier’s Learjet, General Electric, Gulfstream, Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, SyberJet, Vought and others.MSC and its subsidiaries will invest millions into the Iron County
Salt Lake City’s Wheeler Machinery Co. is partnering with CHOICE Humanitarian to help eradicate extreme poverty in Mexico. Fourteen Wheeler Machinery Co. employees journeyed this spring to the small mountain village of Tixmadeje in Mexico’s Acambay region. Located 9,200 ft high, the village is in a remote location with little access to modern amenities. Photo courtesy of Wheeler Machinery While in Tixmadeje, Wheeler employees and villagers worked side-by-side building cisterns for four village families. While in Tixmadeje, Wheeler employees and villagers worked side-by-side building cisterns for four village families. Cisterns are cylinder-shaped waterproof receptacles for harvesting rain water and protecting
According to the results of a recently released survey, the United States is undergoing a parking revolution as the industry embraces a variety of new technologies that make it easier for people to find and pay for parking, and for parking authorities to better manage it. Denver is among the cities leading the nation in parking innovations. Other notable municipalities include San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Portland, Miami, Houston, Boston, Pittsburgh and Tampa. Dozens of other cities were also identified. Clearly, parking technology is becoming mainstream.These findings come from the “2013 Emerging Trends in Parking” survey
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in April, increased again in May. The index now stands at 76.2 (1985=100), up from 69.0 in April. The Present Situation Index increased to 66.7 from 61.0. The Expectations Index improved to 82.4 from 74.3 last month. Consumers’ appraisal of present-day conditions also improved in May. Those saying business conditions are “good” increased to 18.8% from 17.5%, while those stating business conditions are “bad” decreased to 26.0% from 27.6%. Consumers’ assessment of the labor market was also more positive. Those claiming jobs are“plentiful” increased to 10.8% from 9.7%, while those claiming
RSS
