At SmithGroupJJR's Phoenix office, design excellence and sustainability are synonymous. The office has been responsible for 11 LEED-certified projects and has 12 more pending, but the firm's design philosophy has also brought some of the same sustainable features that SmithGroupJJR would employ on a LEED-Platinum project—high-performance building envelopes, energy modeling, daylight analysis and natural ventilation—to most of their other projects.. Related Links: ENR Southwest's Top 70 Design Firms Other Top Southwest Firms "I joke with clients [that] if you don't want a sustainable building, you're going to get one regardless because that's who we are and how we think about
Nevada's recent population boom means congested roads across the state. Traffic nearly tripled during the last 15 years, making management of the highway system a daunting task.
After enduring several years of revenue declines, construction firms finally saw an increase in work during 2011, reflected in the $10.4-billion project value among the 25 projects ranked on ENR Southwest's Top Starts list. It was more than triple the total of 2010's top 25 starts, when only $2.9 billion of new work was generated for contractors and design firms in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Related Links: See the ranking of the Top 25 Starts of 2011 in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico The biggest single project start in 2011 was the $5-billion Intel Fab 42 Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility,
While other Southwest subcontractors have struggled during these challenging economic times, Corbins Electric has prospered. The Phoenix-based company saw revenue rise 22% in 2010 to $42.8 million, one of the best performances by any regional subcontractor. The total includes $37.2 million from Arizona projects. Related Links: Corbins, which also has an office in Albuquerque, N.M., anticipates an increase of 28.5% in 2011 to $55 million, says Mark Fleming, president and CEO. In those roles since 2001 and a 25-year company veteran, Fleming estimates 2012 revenue of about $50 million.Despite the industry doldrums, the 268-employee company has thrived by effectively partnering
In an all-cash deal, Moon Township, Pa.-based Michael Baker Corp. purchased Nevada's largest architecture firm, JMA. Financial terms were not disclosed. Image courtesy of JMA JMA's current projects include the $146.2-million, 308,990-sq-ft Las Vegas City Hall, under construction now in downtown. Photo courtesy of JMA JMA owner Thomas Schoeman will stay on board as company president. Schoeman hopes the acquisition will help double the size of JMA within five years. Michael Baker Corp. (BKR) stock was valued at $24.95/share on June 9, down 38.6% from a 52-week high of $40.64. The 71-year-old engineering, design and survey firm had $499.4 million
Article toolbar Because laboratory buildings can consume up to 10 times more energy than office buildings, Arizona State University needed efficient systems to achieve its sustainability goals for the new seven-story Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building IV on its Tempe, Ariz., campus. Photo: Sundt Construction Stout Building Nearly 18,000 cubic yards of concrete have been placed in the seven-story ISTB IV building to date. Science lab experiments will require a building with low vibration transfer. Using strategies such as variable exhaust and intelligent sensors, the structure, now under construction, is modeled to use 41% less energy than a typical research
The steady slide in revenue among the Southwest's leading design firms continued for the fourth straight year in 2010, according to figures provided by the firms participating in this year's survey. Design revenue from projects located in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico totaled $1.24 billion in 2010, down 5% from the previous year and 29% below the peak of $1.74 billion in 2006. “The economic downturn has been a sobering experience and has reinforced our focus on being a company that provides diverse service offerings across a range of sectors,” says Tim Lines, managing vice president of the desert/mountain regions
To industry giant AECOM, one is an important number. Not only is it the company's rank on ENR's 2011 list of top U.S. design firms, it also is part of the firm's new mantra, “One AECOM,” which represents its efforts to unite employees under a single identity. photo by Patti Reznik Photography Wrapping Up Crews finish the exterior skin of the 14-story, $263-million Maricopa County Court Tower, which AECOM co-designed. Photo by Daniel Watts Dominated by an amoeba-like art piece, Civic Space packs a wide array of functions and sustainable design principles into 2.5 acres in downtown Phoenix. Related Links:
Article toolbar Solar module manufacturer First Solar Inc., Tempe, Ariz., has selected Mesa, Ariz. as the site of a new fabrication plant. The $300-million first phase is scheduled to break ground later this year, with operations beginning third quarter 2012. Photo courtesy First Solar The plant will produce 250 MW of thin-film photovoltaic modules per year, to be used in numerous solar generating facilities throughout the world. Photo courtesy First Solar First Solar�s manufacturing plant in Mesa will have a 3-MW rooftop solar array to generate power, similar to this one atop the company�s Perrysburg, Ohio plant. Photo courtesy First
Article toolbar The building teams of the largest 25 project starts in 2010 moved forward during the height of one of the worst recessions to hit the U.S. The Southwest was especially hard hit, as the total value of the largest starts makes clear. The value of projects on the list in 2008 was $14.8 billion; in 2010 it was only $2.9 billion. Photo Courtesy Of Visions In Photography Public Work Publicly funded projects dominate the Top Starts list, from the $84.7-million Santan Freeway design-build project in Chandler and Gilbert. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
RSS
