Gamma, a 40-year-old curtain wall construction company with headquarters in New York, Miami and Quebec will be acquired by Far East Global Group, a Hong Kong-based building facade group. Far East Global Group has acquired a 55% equity interest in Gamma and together, the companies are expected to rank among the top two or three curtain wall companies in the United States and around the world, according to Gamma which will operate under the Gamma name as a division of Far East Global Group in North America and continue to maintain its headquarters. Far East Global Group said it expects

SPEARS Frank Spears was hired as president of Balfour Beatty Construction's Georgia division in Atlanta. From 2004-2010, Spears served as president of SG Contracting. Previously, he spent 30 years with The Beck Group, where he worked as managing director and executive vice president. Kimberly Riehn was promoted to the position of chief financial officer for Miller Construction Co. in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Riehn joined the firm in 2010 as controller. BARRY Thomas F. Barry , a senior vice president with Atkins in Orlando, Fla., was appointed director of operations for transportation in North America. Barry most recently served as business

A replacement design for the century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus, N.J., will receive $38.5 million in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The replacement of the two-track bridge is intended to lessen delays on Northeast Corridor commuter rail service and increase capacity and reliability. Approximately 420 passenger trains use the current bridge each weekday. “The Portal Bridge is a major chokepoint for thousands of commuters every day and an obstacle in the way of our efforts to improve regional rail transportation,” said U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) in a statement. The replacement

Rendering courtesy of The Port Authority Of New York And New Jersey Upon its completion, the solar canopy will be the second of its kind on the Livingston Campus. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The Board of Governors of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, approved the construction of a $40.8-million, 32-acre solar canopy energy system that will be the largest in the nation. Rutgers will install more than 40,000 high-efficiency solar panel canopy structures that will generate 8 MW of power, or about $1.2 million in electricity, over two large parking areas on the university's Livingston Campus.

SnapShot  May 9, 2011 Submitted By : Jedd Heap, Associate Architect, Carlson Studio Architecture, Sarasota, Fla. Columns supporting the “Bridge of Hope” covered archway at the LEED Gold-certified Cancer Support Community facility in Sarasota, Fla., are made from Florida heart pine timber recovered from the bottom of the Suwannee River and estimated to be more than 200 years old, according to Jedd Heap, architect with Carlson Studio Architecture. Resistant to decay, the heart pine is the center portion of these large, ancient trees. Photographer: Dick Dickinson

Construction on the first two phases of the five-phase, multi-use Hindu American Religious Center located on 33 acres in Robbinsville, N.J., is currently under way. The center broke ground in September 2010, and upon its completion in 2016, it will total 262,000 sq ft. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" The first two phases of the project include a main atrium building that will enclose a 9,000-sq-ft, 36-ft- high Hindu prayer building, known as a mandir. The mandir has been designed by PS&S, Warren, N.J. PS&S is also the engineer on the project, in collaboration with local and India-based artisans.

Image courtesy of Solaire Generation Inc. Oculus Building Skanska will fabricate and erect approximately 11,000 tons of steel for the Oculus building at the new WTC Transportation Hub. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" Skanska has won a $204-million contract from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to fabricate and erect approximately 11,000 tons of structural steel for the Santiago Calatrava-designed transit station at the new 800,000-sq-ft World Trade Center Transportation Hub, currently under construction. Skanska USA Civil's operating unit Skanska Koch will construct the so-called “Oculus” building that will frame the hub's main concourse. The structure

New York City union carpenters' rank and file members rallied at union headquarters in Manhattan on April 12, protesting proposed changes to wages and mobility rules and calling for reform of council leadership. The “Rally for Solidarity” came as heated bargaining continues between local unions and contractor groups. Photo by David Buccola Rally For Solidarity Members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters gathered to protest proposed changes to wages and mobility rules. div id="articleExtrasA" div id="articleExtrasB" div id="articleExtras" John Musumeci, Local 157, likened the conflict to the union battle in Wisconsin earlier this year. “We are in that same fight,

On The Scene   May 9, 2011 Our editors are everywhere�at all the industry events that matter most. When They're not speaking on panels, they're busy taking notes�and snapping photos�so they can inform their readers about what was said and who was there. ACE Mentor Program ACE Mentor Program On April 9, representatives of the Balfour Beatty/James A. Cummings Inc. joint venture that is constructing Florida Atlantic University’s new football stadium in Boca Raton hosted a project tour for about 40 local high-school students participating in the ACE (architecture-construction-engineering) Mentor program.Above, Balfour Beatty Construction’s Steve Jordan shows the students some of

Rendering: Manhattan Neighborhood Network A 124-year-old firehouse building in East Harlem is currently undergoing a $6 million transformation into a media center on behalf of Manhattan Neighborhood Network, an organization who administers the four Public Access cable TV channels in Manhattan. The 5,000-sq-ft media center is located at East 104 Street and upon its completion in   will provide the community with full access to new communications technology.   Mc Gowan Builders of East Rutherford, N.J. is the construction manager on the project. Work includes the renovation of the firehouse’s landmarked masonry exterior walls, the construction of a new penthouse, elevator