USACE districts across the Southeast Construction region are busy delivering a long list of military and civil projects. While these projects often have the intent of supporting either today’s soldiers and their families, or another critical natural resource, the environment, the magnitude of projects being delivered by today’s Corps is also giving a much-needed boost to the region’s construction and design industries.
Baseball, transportation and education have become the top construction markets in Miami, an area where residential condominium work has hit a wall and public work has taken precedence. Photo: Odebrecht Construction Miami International Airport and the surrounding area is one of the areas in Miami where construction activity is robust. Projects include MIA’s North Terminal, an extension of Miami’s light-rail line (pictured here) and the Miami Intermodal Center. Image: Turner Construction Co. Miami Dade College is constructing a hospitality management building in downtown Miami. Related Links: Game Changer Image: Suffolk Construction Suffolk Construction expects to complete Florida International University’s School
Image courtesy Populous A rendering of the Florida Marlins' new ballpark, which was designed by Populous (formerly HOK Sport). A joint venture of Hunt Construction Group and Moss & Associates is leading the construction effort. Photo by Smith Aerial Visions/Courtesy Moss & Associates This aerial photo of the project shows the super-columns taking shape. Related Links: Miami Report: Public Projects are Metro's Saving Grace In September, Hunt-Moss JV, conducted the first vertical concrete pour for the super columns of the new Florida Marlins ballpark. The pour constituted the first estimated 16 ft of the nearly 40-ft tall rebar cage. The
Hanging more than 200 ft over a jobsite in downtown Kansas City, Mo., James Hague doesn�t seem to notice the tiny people and equipment below his feet. The senior technician is intently fiddling with a dial gauge that measures the amount of play in a crane turntable�the giant gear that rotates the jib. �A bearing could go bad,� says Hague, suspended from a full-body harness. �And that�s something we want to know before the top falls off.� Photo by Tudor Van Hampton A J.E. Dunn tower crane stands at about 240 ft above the site of the Kauffman Center for
Snapshot January 5, 2010 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. The restoration of the Coweta County Courthouse in Newnan, Ga. The restoration of the Coweta County Courthouse in Newnan, Ga., included a complete replacement of the dome’s copper cladding to match historical details, says the architect, Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Atlanta. The courtroom was also restored to its original colors and finishes. Selective demolition helped reveal many of the building’s
Georgia: Peachy Again? There’s no doubt that 2009 was a tough year for Georgia contractors and design firms. McGraw-Hill Construction estimates the value of new 2009 contracts tallied just $12.2 billion, or 30% lower than 2008’s $17.5 billion—and less than half the amount generated during 2007. Related Links: 2010 Southeast Construction Outlook Florida 2010 Outlook North Carolina 2010 Outlook South Carolina 2010 Outlook The coming construction season should offer some relief. According to McGraw-Hill Construction, the total value of new Georgia construction contracts should jump by 24% overall and tally $15.2 billion. That’s still a historically modest figure, but likely
North Carolina: Mild Upturn The past year wasn’t anything to celebrate in the Tar Heel State, either. By McGraw-Hill Construction’s estimates, the value of new contracts fell 26% for a 2009 total of almost $14.2 billion, with residential (-39%) and nonbuilding (-27%) the most impacted construction types. Related Links: 2010 Southeast Construction Outlook Florida 2010 Outlook Georgia 2010 Outlook South Carolina 2010 Outlook An expected 5% uptick should equate to nearly $14.9 billion in new 2010 contracts in North Carolina, says McGraw-Hill Construction. As elsewhere, 2010 will be a mix of good news and bad news for North Carolina firms.
South Carolina: Surging? Boeing’s selection of South Carolina for its new final assembly plant for the 787 Dreamliner has this state feeling positive. Related Links: 2010 Southeast Construction Outlook Florida 2010 Outlook Georgia 2010 Outlook North Carolina 2010 Outlook McGraw-Hill Construction expects that to continue in 2010, as it predicts South Carolina to have the second-strongest percentage improvement in new contracts for states in the Southeast Construction region. The company forecasts a 16% overall increase, for a total value of about $8.4 billion for 2010. Again, however, that increase will only partially offset last year’s larger decline of about 30%.
Contractors are normally an optimistic breed. But with 2009 firmly cemented as the fourth straight year of declining prospects, they seem to finally be feeling a little down. Industry representatives interviewed for this story have apparently exchanged their normal cockeyed optimism for a more realistic perspective. Slide Show Southeast Construction posted a one-click online poll in November, with readers asked to classify their opinions about the coming construction season. The highest percentage, 30%, chose “declining slightly” to sum up their expectations for 2010. Overall, 49% predicted a downturn of some kind, while only 27% foresee an uptick in their business
The new year will likely bring considerably more pain to contractors and designers working in the Southeast Construction region, especially as firms focused on a still-declining commercial sector work off their thinning backlogs. Companies fortunate enough to be working in publicly funded markets should start to see some improvement in 2010, however. Related Links: Florida 2010 Outlook Georgia 2010 Outlook North Carolina 2010 Outlook South Carolina 2010 Outlook Southeast Industry Outlook National Outlook 2010 That’s the opinion of McGraw-Hill Construction, publisher of Southeast Construction, in its forecast for the four-state region of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. The
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