Hours after Chicago's Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority announced plans Tuesday to construct a $400-million hotel near McCormick Place, the city's largest convention center, the site's owner indicated it had invested millions of dollars to locate an alternative project there. In a written statement, JRM Technology President James R. McHugh said his firm, an affiliate of James McHugh Construction Co., planned to develop a $400-million data center on the site. “The plan has already received City Council approval and we would start construction as soon as a building permit is issued,” said McHugh.McHugh said the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority,

  Mcgraw Hill Construction Winners of ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40 Competition are selected on the basis of their contributions to their profession and community. Related Links: ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40 for 2012 ENR Midwest's Top 20 Under 40 for 2011 Among the youngest are a 31-year-old entrepreneur from Des Moines, a project manager who at age 31 already serves as mentor to younger colleagues and a 32-year-old designer who is president of the American Institute of Architects Illinois Chapter. Among the oldest: a 38 year old serving as general manager of Turner Construction Co.'s Cincinnati operations,

John Watson, who spent most of his career revamping existing buildings, had technically retired from the real estate business. Serving as a volunteer board member of Indiana Landmarks, a nonprofit preservation group, helped reignite the Indianapolis developer's passion for transforming old into new. Related Links: Brooklyn's Controversial Atlantic Yards Sports Village Chicago's Soldier Field Adaptive Reuse Over Budget The spark came in the shape of Bush Stadium, a ballpark built in 1931 for the minor-league Indianapolis Indians. The team used the Art Deco park until 1996, when it moved into a new stadium downtown.Located in an industrial wasteland near the

  Related Links: ENR Midwest ENR Midwest Greg Osborne has been named director of civil engineering with Chicago-based design and construction firm Epstein. Osborne previously was senior project engineer with the firm. In his new role, Osborne is spearheading business in the areas of site development, transportation and infrastructure engineering. DownsJoe Downs has been named senior director of real estate development with Opus Development Corp.'s newly opened St. Louis office. Among other activities, Downs is responsible for pursuing business opportunities across a variety of sectors in the region, including office, industrial, multifamily, retail, higher education and government. A LEED-accredited professional,

After failing to win support for taxpayer-funded improvements to Wrigley Field, home to baseball's Chicago Cubs, franchise owners have agreed to bankroll $300 million in improvements to the landmark structure in exchange for concessions involving signage and additional night games. Should the city agree to those terms, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts say's he'll sweeten the deal by constructing a hotel on an adjacent parcel in Wrigleyville, the north side home of the Cubs. Ricketts indicated that management has reached an agreement with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, whose brands include Westin and Sheraton.Plans for the 99-year-old ballpark include larger concourses,

Growing evidence not only suggests the climate is rapidly changing, but that extensive burning of fossil fuels is the primary culprit, according to the draft third National Climate Assessment, authored by more than 200 scientists, in addition to representatives from government and business. "While some changes will bring potential benefits, such as longer growing seasons, many will be disruptive to society because our institutions and infrastructure have been designed for the relatively stable climate of the past," the assessment reads.While the 1,146-page study doesn't include policy recommendations, it indicates “the amount of climate change will largely be determined by choices

Although they lack an an anchor tenant, Canadian developer Ivanhoe Cambridge and co-investor and developer Hines broke ground Tuesday on a 45-story office tower in Chicago's West Loop, the largest commercial project to rise in the city in five years. Named River Point, the $300-million project will add 850,000 square feet to Chicago's financial district when completed in 2016. It also will add a 1.5-acre park and plaza to the city's riverfront, where the project is sited.“This is a momentous day for the City of Chicago,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who attended the  groundbreaking. “River Point is an example of

The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Aviation Administration have approved construction of a $3.6-billion Illinois tollway intended to improve access from Chicago suburbs to O'Hare International Airport. The tollway, part of a 15-year, $12-billion capital program named Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, will replace the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, a corridor that doesn't connect local roads to O'Hare Airport.Plans call for construction of an all electronic tollway that will bypass O'Hare on its western border and connect to the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Highway (I-294), a pair of existing corridors. The Elgin-O'Hare Expressway will be

The Federal Highway Administration and Federal Aviation Administration have approved construction of a $3.6-billion Illinois tollway intended to improve access from Chicago suburbs to O'Hare International Airport. The tollway, part of a 15-year, $12-billion capital program named Move Illinois: The Illinois Tollway Driving the Future, will replace the Elgin-O'Hare Expressway, a corridor that doesn't connect local roads to O'Hare Airport.Plans call for construction of an all electronic tollway that will bypass O'Hare on its western border and connect to the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) and the Tri-State Highway (I-294), a pair of existing corridors. The Elgin-O'Hare Expressway will be

Architectural billings accelerated to their strongest pace in nearly three years in October, with all U.S. regions logging positive growth for the first time since the start of the Great Recession, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architectural Billing Index (ABI). AIA reported an October score of 52.8, up from 51.6 in September. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.With a score of 52.8, the South led all regions, followed by the Northeast (52.6), West (51.8), and Midwest (50.8).  Both the Midwest and Northeast were in negative territory the previous month, with scores of 49.5 and