Courtesy of Zhejiang Construction Investment Group Residential complexes, such as this one in Algeria, have to be defended against attacks during political unrest in unstable nations. Related Links: China International Contractors Association Zhejiang Construction Investment Group With 82.6% of their market share in Asia and Africa, Chinese construction companies working globally and in mostly unstable nations face unforeseeable risks that, if not managed properly, could weigh heavily on their business. Attacks on construction sites have pushed companies to adopt more comprehensive defenses and take further precautions for risk recovery and management.Uncertainties aside, last year was a good one for Chinese

Photo by Debra K. Rubin/ENR Work on the $279-million upgrade of the downtown Cobo Center event facility is not affected by the city's filing, say project officials. Related Links: Bankruptcy Filing Should Not Affect Arena District, M1 Rail Projects California Public Entity Bankruptcies: A New Contractor Challenge A Preliminary Road Map to the Chapter 9 Bankruptcy of the City of Detroit Although Detroit's Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing on July 18 is the largest in U.S. history with about $18 billion in liabilities, it is not expected to affect several key urban projects, project officials say. But state contractors are concerned

Image Courtesy of Gibbs Giden Locher Turner Senet & Wittbrodt LLP A co-generation plant in California was shut down in 2006 and liquidated after costs tripled. Related Links: Timeline of the Victorville Power Plant Project and Dispute Jacobs Back in Court Over Failed Power Project Jacobs Engineering Settles Long-Running Power Project Battle It’s been almost a decade since the groundbreaking at the Foxborough Industrial Park in Victorville, Calif., 85 miles northeast of Los Angeles, where the city’s leaders once made plans based on the fact that Victorville was, at the time, the second-fastest-growing city in the U.S.Little remains of the

A decade elapsed during the project, dispute and litigation between the city of Victorville, Calif. and Carter & Burgess/Jacobs Engineering Group. Below is a timeline of 10 critical milestones in the relationship and battle:October 2002—Victorville and Carter & Burgess enter into an agreement on the power plant project. 2003—Carter & Burgess provids initial cost projection of $22 million.August 2006—Victorville stops the project and ceases services from Carter & Burgess, after two rounds of bond offerings valued at an aggregated amount of $63 million.November 2007—Jacobs Engineering acquires Carter & Burgess for an undisclosed amount.March 2008—Carter & Burgess sues Victorville for more

Related Links: Aegion Corp. website ENR 2012 Top 200 Environmental Firms list California contractor Brinderson LP will join pipeline services conglomerate Aegion Corp. in a $150-million acquisition that closed July 1. The firms say the deal will help them gain a bigger share in oil-and-gas and mining markets.Publicly-held Aegion, through such subsidiaries as Insituform, Corrpro Cos. and United Pipeline Systems, provides proprietary technologies and services for industrial pipelines and water, wastewater, energy and other infrastructure clients. The parent is based in Chesterfield, Mo.“This transaction is a continuation of our strategy to expand our earnings by transforming our company from a

Related Links: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates (SMMA) The Lyceum Fellowship Other Fellowship and Grant Programs for Design Students Jon D. McKee, 86, a founding partner of architect-engineer Symmes Maini & McKee Associates, Cambridge, Mass., and an industry philanthropist, died on June 6 in Peekskill, N.Y., of natural causes.Begun in 1958, SMMA became one of New England's largest design firms in the 1960s and 70s.  McKeeNoting McKee's push for high-quality design at the integrated architect-engineering firm, current CEO Ara Krafian said he "created architecture at SMMA."McKee was still active with SMMA after retiring more than a decade ago. In a

Related Links: Study: Global Contract Disputes Worth Less, But Last Longer Construction disputes around most of the globe took longer to settle in 2012 than the year before, according to a new survey.The Middle East topped the chart in terms of both the length of disputes and the values involved.The average time needed in 2012 to settle construction disputes increased by 20%, or about 60 days, to 12.8 months.The money at stake in the disputes declined slightly, to $31.7 million.The data came from the newest Global Construction Disputes Report published by EC Harris, a U.K.-based built asset consultant and a

Related Links: Chinese former minister Liu Zhijun's trial on corruption charges begins The Trial of the Most Hated Man in China: Former Railways Minister Liu Zhijun The trial of Liu Zhijun, China’s former railways minister, on bribery charges in a local court in Beijing was short, but it drew national attention and has fueled public debate about relations between government officials and private-sector executives, according to published reports there.Liu, who was a key player in China’s huge high-speed rail expansion over the last decade, admitted on June 9 to accepting cash and assets worth more than $100 million for himself