Related Links: Global Best Projects Awards Geno Armstrong , Principal, KPMGARMSTRONGGeno Armstrong serves as KPMG’s global leader for its major projects advisory service as well as the international head of its engineering & construction industry practice. He has over 20 years of domestic and international major project development and construction experience, including construction development strategies, troubled project recovery and project controls. Armstrong worked in Fortune 100 corporate real estate and construction groups and was project manager for an ENR Top International engineering and construction company before joining KPMG. A registered professional engineer, Armstrong is active with major projects in the energy
April Construction Starts Slip, Down 5% From 2012's Figures New construction starts slipped 1% in April, settling back to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $475 billion, according to McGraw Hill Construction's latest Dodge starts data. Through the first four months of 2013, construction starts were down 5% overall from 2012, including a 33% drop in new starts for non-building construction and an 8% decline in non-residential building starts.N.J. Engineer Birdsall's Assets Are Set for Auction on June 5 An auction is set for June 5 in New Jersey for the remaining assets of Birdsall Services Group, the Eatontown, N.J.,
Photo by AP Wideworld Related Links: One World Trade Center's New Spire Will be Coverless Video: Finishing Touch on One World Trade Center (NBC Today) Spire Tops Off One World Trade Center in ManhattanThe reconstruction of Lower Manhattan reached an important symbolic marker on May 10 as ironworkers bolted the final two sections of a spire into place at One World Trade Center. The building rises from the northwest corner of the 16.5-acre site, where the Twin Towers were felled by a terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.Now standing 1,776 ft tall, the structure is the dominant building in Lower
Construction Industry Starts Show No Gain Over First Quarter The dollar value of total construction starts through the first quarter of this year was $100.5 billion, according to the latest Dodge data compiled by McGraw-Hill Construction. That nearly matches the $100.9 billion set during the first three months of 2012. The no-gain scenario is the result of a 9% decline in non-residential building and a 23% decline in non-building construction balancing out a 33% increase in residential work.This year's first-quarter numbers could have fallen below 2012 if not for a 42% monthly jump in the non-building sector in March. That
Atlanta Names Architect for New $1-Billion Football Stadium The Georgia World Congress Center Authority has named 360 Architecture, Kansas City, Mo., as the design firm for a proposed $1-billion, operable-roof stadium for the Atlanta Falcons. The GWCCA owns and operates the Georgia Dome. Falcons owner Arthur Blank will fund $800 million of the project's cost, while the city's development authority, Invest Atlanta, will finance the remainder with $200 million in revenue bonds.California Settles Lawsuit Over$68-Billion High-Speed-Rail Job The California High-Speed Rail Authority settled a key lawsuit over the first section of a $68-billion project. Several interest groups representing Madera and
Related Links: Birdsall Furloughs 300; Eyes Possible Sale Secret Recording Behind the Criminal Case A big break in the state of New Jersey's case against Birdsall Services Group, the Eatontown-based engineering consultant, came when the ex-wife of the company's former marketing director wore a wire during a discussion about money. According to state police, Philip Angarone told his ex that his compensation seemed larger than it was because part of it had to be used for campaign donations to state elected officials.Angarone and one other marketing-department employee have pleaded guilty to breaking state ethics and campaign-donation laws in exchange for
Photo by Tudor Van Hampton for ENR Related Links: Innovation Awards Kick Off Bauma 2013 Trade Show Five Trends To Watch At Bauma 2013 Bauma 2013 Equipment Show OpensSnaking their way through the thick crowds, contractors visiting this year's Bauma expo in Munich were pumped up about hydraulic hybrids—machines that recover fluid energy and save 20% or more in diesel fuel at a fraction of the cost of electric power. "This will change the world in our business," said Caterpillar Chairman and CEO Doug Oberhelman.Caterpillar, Hyundai and Liebherr were all displaying new hydraulic hybrids at the show, which was expected
Related Links: Engineering News-Record Architectural Record New San Francisco 'Giant' After nearly six years of development, the 1,070-ft-tall Transbay Transit Tower in San Francisco was brought one step closer to reality on March 27, when project developers Hines, Houston, and Boston Properties, Boston, held a ceremonial groundbreaking upon closing the $192-million land purchase. Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, New Haven, Conn., the 60-story building will be the tallest in San Francisco, and it is expected to top the currently underway Wilshire Grand tower in Los Angeles to become the tallest building on the West Coast. The Transbay Transit Tower
ASCE Improving from a GPA of D to D+ seems like little to brag about, but against the vast scale of the nation's infrastructure, it is significant. Related Links: ASCE 2013 Report Card ASCE Report Card Shows Slight Improvement in Nation's Infrastructure Health Engineers are known for meticulous, methodical problem-solving, and this approach is paying off for the American Society of Civil Engineers. Launching its first report card on U.S. infrastructure in 1998, the society continues to issue new ratings in 16 infrastructure categories every four years, and it has been making significant improvements in the process. The newest report
Related Links: Engineering News-Record Architectural Record Accidents U.S. Agencies Probe Fatal Lift Incident at Arkansas Nuke The U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are investigating a March 31 turbine lift accident at the Arkansas Nuclear One nuclear-plant site near Russellville that left one worker dead and injured eight others, agency spokespersons told Platt's, a sister publication of ENR, on April 1. They said it was too early to determine the extent of the damage to one 903-MW unit of the Entergy-owned plant, which was shut for refueling and maintenance, or to the 1,065-MW second unit,
