In its final report on the collapse of the Dallas Cowboy’s practice facility, the National Institute of Standards and Technology recommends owners of other fabric-covered, tubular-steel-framed structures have their buildings evaluated. Some universities already have; of these, at least two have found the structures fail to meet established codes. Photo: Courtesy of the University of New Mexico Engineer’s report found flaws in the Summit Structures practice facility at the University of New Mexico. NIST concluded the Cowboy’s building designed and built by Summit Structures of Allentown, Pa., failed to withstand wind loads that were substantially less than required by design
Members of Associated General Contractors of Connecticut have pulled together with the Fairfield County Building Trades Council and the Fairfield County Building Trades Association to help build Ann's Place, The Home of I Can, a nonprofit agency in Danbury that offers support to about 700 cancer patients monthly. The approximately $5.5 million, 17,000-sq-ft center was built primarily with in-kind contributions, although the agency has raised $2 million to purchase discounted materials which were not donated. AGC Connecticut and labor associations in Fairfield County worked to build the $5.5 million home for I Can, a Danbury nonprofit that offers support to
Snapshot January 5, 2010 Our editors are everywhere�at all the industry events that matter most. When They're not speaking on panels, they're busy taking notes�and snapping photos�so they can inform their readers about what was said and who was there. The restoration of the Coweta County Courthouse in Newnan, Ga. The restoration of the Coweta County Courthouse in Newnan, Ga., included a complete replacement of the dome’s copper cladding to match historical details, says the architect, Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Atlanta. The courtroom was also restored to its original colors and finishes. Selective demolition helped reveal many of the building’s
Even as the Texas economy begins climbing out of the doldrums, construction activity in the state will likely remain slow, leading economists say. “Things will get better, but it is not going to be a sharply upward trend,” says Terry L. Clower, director of the Center for Economic Development and Research at the University of North Texas in Denton. “It will be a slow go and a bit of slogging through the mud for developers for the rest of 2010.” Wind farms, such as the E.ON Climate and Renewables’ project completed in October near Roscoe, could be a bright spot
The Texas Dept. of Transportation anticipates using money from a variety of sources to let more than $4 billion in projects in 2010, up significantly from last year. “Going from $2.7 billion in 2009 to $4.2 billion will be a big increase over what contractors saw for bidding opportunities,” says John Barton, TxDOT assistant executive director for engineering operations. Pace Services of Cypress is repairing approximately 19 mi of State Highway 73 between Port Arthur and Winnie in Jefferson County with $5.5 million in stimulus dollars. Thomas L. Johnson, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors of Texas in Austin,
Several large public projects will continue to move forward in 2010, but with the economy still troubled and financial markets unyielding, private jobs are few. Yet they create opportunities for some firms as the industry right-sizes and moves forward. Turner Construction Co. recently completed construction on a cancer research center and a breast care and imaging center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. “The name of the game for 2010 and beyond is to make sure you are well diversified in different product types,” says Pat Di Filippo, executive vice president of Turner Construction Co. in New York,
Miami-Dade County public health officials are investigating whether an activated carbon filtration system at in Miami led to an outbreak of Legionnaires� Disease that killed one man in October and made two people ill in recent weeks. The county health department issued a health advisory on Dec. 11 to residents, guests and employees at the Epic Hotel & Residences, stating that water samples collected from the property’s plumbing system indicated levels of chlorine were insufficient to rid drinking water of bacteria. Samir Elmir, director of the county health department’s environmental health and engineering division, says the activated carbon filter system
When the School District of Palm Beach County and Florida Atlantic University teamed up to place an elementary school on the edge of the college’s 150-acre natural pine habitat and build a new educational center for the university, the partners aimed for LEED certification and pursued every possible point, eventually exceeding goals and earning LEED-Gold status for both structures. Photo: Pirtle Construction Co. Related Links: Southeast Construction’s Best Of 2009 Awards Best Of 2009 Slideshow The result was the $29.3-million Pine Jog Elementary School and FAU/Pine Jog Environmental Education Center in West Palm Beach. “From a design, construction, mechanical, health
Two workers sustained injuries after falling from an upper section of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium roof to a lower portion of the dome on December 3, 2010. Photo/ Aerial Photography Inc. for Manhattan Construction The new $1.2-billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, during construction earlier this year. The top of the retractable roof is more than 300 ft from the field below. The incident occurred at approximately 7 a.m. The two employees of Birdair of Amherst, N.Y., a subcontractor to Manhattan Construction Co. of Dallas, were preparing to access the high roof of the stadium’s retractable dome to finalize
