Even during the recession, a few high-rise projects are under construction in Texas and Oklahoma, but those either started before the economic meltdown or are funded with the help of public dollars. “High-rise construction in the Texas region, for the most part, has come to a standstill,” says Cameron C. Curtis, manager for business development at Turner Construction Co. in Dallas. “Developers are planning, but wanting to see what happens.” Scott Ziegler, founding principal of Ziegler Cooper Architects in Houston, does not anticipate a quick return to high-rise construction, although he is aware of developers with projects in planning. Three
Aiming to grow to meet an increasing demand for higher education, New York City’s major universities are investing in substantial upgrades to their campuses. “It’s a strong segment in the New York construction market,” says Richard Anderson, president of the New York Building Congress in Manhattan. “Institutional coupled with infrastructure is sustaining the industry at this point.” New York University, Columbia University and the City University of New York have multiple projects in the works. In addition, Weill Cornell Medical College broke ground in May on its $650 million, 18-story Medical Research Building; Mount Sinai School of Medicine began constructing
Designed to embody the innovative spirit of Oregon State University’s prominent alumnus, the $62-million Linus Pauling Science Center will house the research institute devoted to advancing knowledge in the chemist’s interest areas. “This is the first large building to go into OSU’s historic district,” says John Gremmels, project manager for the university in Corvallis. The challenge was to develop a state-of-the-art research building for students and faculty in the university’s College of Science and keep it within the historic context, says Mark Foster, a design partner with Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects of Portland, which designed the four-story, 105,000-sq-ft structure that
A $503-million replacement hospital project at Fort Hood was awarded to Balfour-Beatty/McCarthy, Dallas, on September 10 by the Fort Worth District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Image: USACE, Fort Worth. An aerial rendering shows a northwest view of the new Fort Hood replacement hospital designed by HKS, Dallas, and Wingler & Sharp, Wichita Falls. The contract was a two-step full and open design-build procurement process, says Denisha Braxton, spokeswoman for USACE, Fort Worth. The two other short-listed teams were Hensel Phelps (Austin) & Robins Morton (Birmingham, Ala.) and Turner-Zachry Fort Hood Healthcare of San Antonio. The Corps selected
Large engineering and construction firms will find a growing global market for capital outlays in the years ahead, but investors will be more demanding, according to speakers at the Engineering and Construction Contracting Association’s 42nd Annual ECC Conference in Orlando, Fla. BARSHOP Mega-projects around the globe should offer contractors significant opportunities in the near term, says Paul Barshop, chief operating officer of Independent Project Analysis, a consulting firm based in Ashburn, Va. In fact, Barshop believes the projected growth curve could prove steeper than the heydays of 2004 to 2007. “There is a strong increase in spending expected, starting about
Construction remains off from the boom times of a few years ago, but there are glimmers of hope in Houston, as well as worries related to BP’s oil spill. “In some respects, we are a bright spot in the country because we have enough public-sector work to keep people busy,” says Cliff Haehl, director of business development for Manhattan Construction Co. in Houston. “But it’s slower than at any time in the past 30 years.” However, Haehl says he expects that Houston, America’s fourth largest city, is well positioned to come out of the recession before some other parts of
Texas and Oklahoma are in the midst of building bridges and implementing replacement and rehabilitation programs, many of which are projects fueled by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars. Galveston Causeway Bridge The railway bridge in Galveston is one of the more intriguing projects. On the books since 2001 when the U.S. Coast Guard deemed the 1912-era, single-leaf bascule bridge a navigation obstacle to the Intracoastal Waterway, the project is now ramping up, funded by $60 million in stimulus dollars. The Truman-Hobbs Act of 1940 requires the federal government to share in the cost of upgrading bridges considered a navigational
The more than $5-billion infusion of federal stimulus dollars jump-started many transportation projects in the Southeast, but with those lettings winding down and some projects finishing, state transportation departments are now facing smaller budgets and fewer new starts. “Post-stimulus, for all states, is not a pretty picture,” says Todd Long, director of planning for the Georgia Dept. of Transportation in Atlanta. “What we have is a continuation of a transportation bill that has expired on a national level, and that is problematic.” Congress granted an extension of the funding level under the current Federal Highway Program, but has not enacted
Specialty contractors are feeling the pinch of less available work and greater competition in a continuing slow economy. Related Links: Top Specialty Contractors KHS&S Gets Lean Top Specialty Contractor Rankings “It’s a different world than it was two years ago,” says Jack A. Olmstead, president of Tri-City Electrical Contractors in Altamonte Springs, Fla. “We have to dig harder. We work harder.” The electrical contractor has seen deals fall apart at the last minute due to financing problems. It continues to work in health care, assisted living and Dept. of Veterans Affairs projects. OLMSTEAD School jobs have dropped off with population
A few public projects are keeping at least some South Florida contractors busy at a time when construction activity remains slow in an overbuilt condominium and office tower market. “There’s much more activity than there was last year at this time,” says Tom Murphy Jr., chairman and CEO of Coastal Construction Group in Miami, who adds that Florida is one of the worst states for new starts. Coastal began only one project last year, necessitating layoffs through 2009. However, the firm is now rehiring. “We’re starting back in positive territory as far as people,” Murphy says. Coastal is building a