The New York City Department of Buildings issued building permits for 576 residential units in 133 buildings citywide in January and February of 2009, 20 percent of the total reached for the same period in 2008, when permits were issued for 2,878 units in 344 buildings and 13 percent of the units that were permitted in January and February of 2007, when permits were issued for 4,476 units in 621 buildings throughout the five boroughs. This steep decline is partially explained by seasonal factors, regulatory changes and unique financial circumstances but the numbers also signal the end of a residential

Hill International has received construction management contracts for two publicly funded performing arts centers on two college campuses located in the tri-state area. The first is a $69 million, 30-month contract from the City University of New York to provide construction management on a performing arts center at Brooklyn College. The project will include the partial demolition of the existing Gershwin Theater, which along with the Whitman Theater is part of the original Brooklyn College Theater Complex built between 1953 and 1955 and the construction of a new 60,000-sq-ft multi-purpose theater. The new theater will consist of music rehearsal space,

The New York City Center has unveiled plans to modernize and restore its historic midtown theater with a project designed by Polshek Partnership Architects who was careful to respect its original Moorish-accented design. Originally constructed in 1923, the building was dedicated by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia 20 years later as Manhattan’s first performing arts center. Now, the center will undergo a series of upgrades including improved seating and sightlines and new amenities. A new canopy with additional exterior lighting and signage will also be added, subject to the approval of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. In the interior, the

As professional sports teams in dozens of markets around the nation built 63 new stadiums and arenas since 1990, the New York metropolitan area stuck to its aging facilities � until now. But the sudden surge of projects raises capacity questions. Related Links: The Stadium Specialists New York sports fans have been living in the past. While baseball fans across the country have been treated to trendy new stadiums over the last 15 years, Yankees and Mets fans have continued to watch paint peel at their aging, outdated ballparks. As state-of-the-art venues popped up around the National Football League, Jets

As sports fans in the New York City area have watched new stadiums and arenas pop up all over the country, they may not have known that many of the new baseball, football, and basketball venues – including major and minor league, as well as collegiate – were designed by Kansas City’s HOK Sport + Venue + Event. Related Links: Prime Time: New York Region Finally Kicks Off New Generation of Sports Facilities The architecture firm, which spun off in 1983 as a stand-alone affiliate of its parent firm, St. Louis-based Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum, has dominated sports venue design

Like many large U.S. cities, Newark has spent the better part of the last 40 years struggling with unemployment, crime, and a flight of residents to the suburbs. The once-thriving metropolis mirrored the freefall that stalled similar-sized cities such as Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. But Newark’s advantageous geographical position – near the heart of the greater New York City region and with one of the nation’s largest international ports – may give the city a leg up on the rest of the country’s struggling metropolitan areas that are attempting to revive themselves. In fact, the city of

New Jersey Department of Transportation recently broke ground on the second phase of a major replacement project on the Route 52 causeway near Atlantic City, improving a key link to the southern Jersey Shore tourist region. NJDOT spokesman Tim Greeley says  the $251 million project has been boosted by $70 million in AARA funds and will create 500 new construction jobs throughout its three-year duration. The project will replace two existing lift bridges at each end of the causeway with fixed spans, as well as make additional improvements to linking roads. The second phase will also eventually create a new

Construction employment in New York City is expected to drop by 8.3% this year, but, according to the most recent report from the New York Building Congress, that number represents a significant shift from last year’s doomsday prediction. The Building Congress’ annual Construction Outlook predicts that despite a 20% drop in construction spending for 2009 – down to $25.8 billion from $32.4 billion in 2008 – the number of jobs lost this year will top out around 11,000. A year ago, the same report anticipated the industry would lose 30,000 in 2009. “What we found in terms of employment was