When the owners of the Empire State Building in 2007 decided to move forward with a new capital improvement plan, they were looking for standard improvements to get the building to Class A commercial status. At the time they were looking at traditional, "common sense" improvements, such as bringing the 25% to 30% of the building lacking air conditioning some thermal control. The Empire State Building retrofit was selected by the Clinton Climate Initiative as the first, symbollic project for its retrofit division. CCI is now partner in more than 250 retrofits in 20 cities across the world. The team

Faced with a growing enrollment, Quinnipiac University is building a new $300 million, 250-acre residential campus in Hamden, Conn., to house more than 1,500 students. Slide Show Photo courtesy of Shoreline Aerial Photography O&G Industries began construction on the $300 million, 250-acre residential complex at Quinnipiac's York Hill Campus in 2008. Related Links: Selected Higher Education Projects Under Construction or in Design Back to Schools Rock U Still Growing “The university’s goal is to have enough residence hall availability for the entire undergraduate population,” says Joseph Rubertone, associate vice president for facilities administration for Quinnipiac University, who adds that living

Developer Bruce Becker looked to the past to create his vision for 360 State Street, a cutting-edge green residential tower in downtown New Haven, Connecticut. Slide Show Photo courtesy of Becker + Becker The $150 million tower at 360 State Street in New Haven is being designed as a throwback to the once walkable and livable downtown New Haven in a now-sustainable environment. Related Links: Helping Hands Bright Spots in Connecticut The $150 million, 32-story project is located at the site of the former Shartenberg department store, which was razed in 1962 under a then-ambitious urban renewal scheme. Redevelopment plans

The financial meltdown and ensuing recession are forcing universities across the region to delay or scale back construction plans. Activity across the region in the higher education sector has slowed significantly since 2007. But there’s some good news. Despite the relative slowdown at both private and public institutions in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the Tri-State higher education market seems to have avoided the fate of other once-booming sectors such as residential and commercial building. Slide Show Photo courtesy of City University of New York Construction will begin this year on CUNY's Advanced Science Research Center at City College

Overall, Connecticut construction activity remains slow, but there are some glimmers of hope for better times on the horizon. Slide Show Photo courtesy of Turner Construction Co. Turner Construction Co. is fitting out the upper floors of the Smilow Cancer Hosptial at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Related Links: Helping Hands Re-Imagined in New Haven “On the private side, the market is decimated,” says Don Shubert, president of the Connecticut Construction Industry Association in Wethersfield. “There is nothing going on, very little activity at all.” Shubert reports private universities are scaling back, casino projects have stalled, and there’s just a little happening

“Grim.” “Dire.” “Hairy.”The words construction industry veterans are using to describe the state of project financing show how far the market has fallen since the 2008 economic crash. But while the lean times aren’t over, the market mood appears to be changing from shell-shocked in trenches to a cautious look outward for opportunity. “It is pretty dire out there, with up to 15 to 20% of construction loans in default,” says David Pfeffer, an attorney and co-chair of the construction practice group at New York’s Tarter Krinsky & Drogin. “But I have been seeing a little light at the end

WILLIAMS DUEKER Aguirre Roden announced Taylor Dueker, AIA, has been named vice president for its Austin office. In his role, Dueker will be responsible for professional design services, business development and project management. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in art and design from MIT and master’s of architecture from MIT. KBR, Houston, announced the appointment of Mark S. Williams as group president overseeing KBR’s Government & Defense, Infrastructure & Minerals, and Power & Industrial Business Units. Williams has more than 25 years experience in the government and defense sector. Williams joinsed KBR from Jacobs Engineering, where he most

Related Links: The Money for Moynihan Plan is There, Now All They Have to Do is Build It $83M in Fed Funds Jump-Start NYC Penn Station Project The Port Authority this week awarded the largest contract to date for the World Trade Center Transportation Hub to Skanska USA/Civil Northeast Inc./Granite Construction Northeast Inc./Skanska USA Building Inc., allowing for a critical portion of the major transportation facility to be built that will eventually serve more than 200,000 commuters. The $542 million contract calls for the construction of the PATH Hall in the site’s West Bathtub and includes the construction of four

Lawyers for two of the workers injured in the deadly Feb. 7 explosion at the Kleen Energy powerplant in Middleton, Conn. are alleging that “multiple” ignition sources were in operation while natural gas was being purged from the nearly $1 billion construction site. AP Photo Related Links: Investigators Eye Blowdown Mishap in Connecticut Blast Electricians Timothy Hilliker and Harold Thoma of Ducci Electric, Torrington, filed a lawsuit at Superior Court in Hartford claiming the gas purge at the 87,000-sq-ft facility was conducted with minimal supervision and without following standard protocol to protect against accidental ignition. The suit names Kleen Energy

Peter A. Marchetto, President of Construction Operations for Tishman Construction Corporation has been elected as Chairman of the New York Building Congress, succeeding Skanska USA Chairman Stuart E. Graham, who has held the post since winter of 2008. MARCHETTO Marchetto takes on his new role with 25 years of construction experience in all industry sectors under his belt. He joined Tishman in 2009 where he also serves on the company’s Management Committee. Previously, Marchetto served as President of Lehrer McGovern Bovis and head of its Northeast Central region after joining the New York-based Bovis Lend Lease in 1979 as one