The latest addition to Saint John's on the Lake, a Milwaukee-based retirement community, seeks to strengthen connections between residents and surrounding amenities while melding seamlessly within the existing campus. Photo Courtesy of Christoper Barrett Located in Milwaukee, Saint John's On The Lake's South Tower leverages its proximity to Lake Michigan, Olmsted Lake Park and public transportation. Related Links: Click here to return to Introduction Click here to read about Best Projects 2011 To do so, the project team integrated a 20-year vision for growth into plans for the 21-story, 88-unit South Tower, thereby leveraging its proximity to Lake Michigan, Olmsted

How do designers and builders execute $9 million in renovations to a shopping mall while keeping the facility open to shoppers throughout construction? Photo Courtesy of RSP Architects Renovations to the 140,000-sq-ft Maplewood Mall in St. Paul, Minn., were performed exclusively at night. Photo Courtesy of RSP Architects Maplewood received new flooring, glass handrails and restrooms throughout. Related Links: Click here to return to Introduction Click here to read about Best Projects 2011 In the case of the 140,000-sq-ft Maplewood Mall, crews did so by performing renovations during the nighttime, beginning a half hour after the mall closed, and concluding

Structural repairs to a sponge coker unit at this CITGO petroleum refinery required years of planning because of a narrow window of just 30 days to execute the $9.4-million project, which involved modifications to coke chutes, coke pit walls and floors, and head decks as well as supporting columns and beams. Related Links: Click here to return to Introduction Click here to read about Best Projects 2011 Preparations included extensive training for each crew member—from labor to management—in the key areas of safety, task training and execution.Elgin, Ill.-based concrete contractor STRUCTURAL commandeered more than 200 repair specialists, dividing work into

From 24 ft above grade to 60 ft below it, the $88.4-million Ford Center variously incorporates multiple concrete systems that include pan joists, beams, girders, shear walls, columns, slab on grade, pile caps and auger cast piles—more than 13,000 cu yd of cast-in-place concrete in all.

Washington, Ind., didn't have the cash to upgrade five combined sewer overflows (CSO) discharging into Hawkins Creek, a frequent occurrence due to limited storage capacity and the age of the CSO collection system. Photo Courtesy of Mike Howery Constructed wetlands provided an economical solution to sewer overflows in Washington, Ind. Related Links: Click here to return to Introduction Click here to read about Best Projects 2011 Even 1/10-in. rainfalls triggered untreated discharges, resulting in the accumulation of pollutants once discharge pooled and dried.While a 2002 engineering study estimated it would cost $39.9 million—or roughly $7,500 per household—to properly capture and

 DialCasey Dial has been named project manager with St. Louis-based contractor and CM S.M. Wilson & Co. Dial, who joined the firm in 2005 as a project engineer, has worked on a variety of educational and industrial projects, including the recently completed $21.1-million expansion of Webster Groves High School in St. Louis. Related Links: http://midwest.construction.com/midwest_construction_people/2011/0124_Top20Under40-1.asp      Scott Deliberto has joined Chicago-based construction manager Eidco Construction as a site superintendent. Deliberto previously was a project manager for Metropolitan Properties of Chicago, for which he worked on numerous projects, including the adaptive reuse of Metropolitan Tower, a 242-unit residence, and a 13,600-sq-ft retail

Average construction backlogs rose to eight months in the third quarter, up 3.5% from the previous quarter, and the second consecutive quarter of such growth, according to data compiled by the Washington, D.C.-based Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). Midwest backlogs also rose for a second consecutive quarter – from 6.50 months to  6.97 months --  but continued to lag averages in the West (8.93 months), South (8.45 months) and Northeast (7.62 months).“Gradual recovery characterizes the Middle States region, though certain communities such as energy-rich North Dakota, economically vibrant Minnesota and states with rebounding auto manufacturing sectors like Indiana are experiencing

U.S. Architecture firms saw improving business conditions for the second consecutive month in September, with billings growing at their fastest rate in two years, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architectural Billing Index (ABI). AIA reported a September ABI score of 51.6, up from 50.2 in August. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billingsHowever, conditions aren't improving in all regions. As in August, firms in the Western (53.4) and Southern (51.9) regions reported growth, while those in the Northeast (49.5) and Midwest (47.2) continued to show weaker billings.September marked the second consecutive month of growth in

A 2009 fire at a casino in Joliet, Ill., has sparked a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against six companies involved in renovations and additions to the structure at the time of the blaze. On Tuesday, attorneys for the former Empress Casino filed an $83.5-million suit in Cook County Circuit Court alleging that contractor W.E. O'Neil, Chicago, should not have allowed welders to perform work in the casino's kitchen, the source of the fire, due to the presence of combustible cooking residue in kitchen duct work.The suit outlines a scenario in which a welder employed by Addison, Ill.-based Jameson Sheet Metal accidentally sparked

Thirty states added construction jobs in September, but Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin were not among them, according to year-over-year data compiled by Arlington, Va.-based Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). By comparison, Indiana (+6,300 jobs, 5%) and Ohio (+1,000, 6%) remained in positive territory, as they have in previous month-over-month comparisons this year.On a percentage basis, regional losses were greatest in Wisconsin (-5,300 jobs, -6.1%), followed by Illinois (-8,400 jobs, -4.4%), Missouri (-2,700 jobs, -2.6%) and Michigan (-3,000 jobs, -2.4%).Among states losing construction jobs during the past year, Alaska lost the highest percentage (-2,400 jobs, -16.1%), followed by New