Komatsu Ltd. is testing the North American equipment market with its new PC200LC-8 Hybrid Excavator, a lean, green digging machine that has sold more than 700 times in Asia since production began 19 months ago. Photo: Greg Aragon / ENR Hybrid excavator, now on a road show and shown at the Port of Los Angeles, is the first machine of its kind to go to work in the U.S. It offers up to 40% efficiency over a conventional, non-hybrid model. Related Links: Komatsu Digs into U.S. Market The 22-ton excavator, the first hybrid of its kind in the U.S., was
While Hollywood celebrities strutted down the red carpet on Sunday night in Los Angeles for the Oscars, many stars of the construction industry waited until Monday to make an appearance at the 2010 Construction Trends Conference: �Insights, Connections, Opportunities,� held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown. Presented by the San Diego-based law firm, Allen Matkins, the first annual event brought more than 200 of California�s top general contractors, architects, engineers, developers, owners and other industry professionals together for an afternoon discussion on the state of the state�s construction industry, including topics such as high-speed rail, green building, public private
There was a time when the design of a new law school usually meant a sprawling campus of separate buildings, with iconic columns and grassy courtyards. But it is 2010, space can be limited and some owners are finding a need to build schools straight up in the middle of busy cities. While shooting for LEED gold certification, the project will take advantage of its location across the street from a large public transportation station, and employ energy-saving systems such as photovoltaic solar panels on the roof. Enter Thomas Jefferson School of Law in downtown San Diego. “I would describe
Affordable housing has managed to break new ground in San Diego at a time when other construction sectors have slowed. Photo: Ten Fifty B. San Diego-based architects Martinez + Cutri designed the 22-story affordable housing project. The common areas will be surrounded by more than 7,000 sq ft of outdoor, landscaped terrace space “We are finding that there is a lot of opportunity in affordable housing right now,” says Jeff W. Graham, vice president of redevelopment for Centre City Development Corp., a non-profit corporation created by the city of San Diego to implement downtown redevelopment projects and programs. “With the
A three-year-old “whistle-blower” suit unsealed in a federal district court on Feb. 8 claims that a leading manufacturer of polyvinyl chloride pipe widely used for utility collection and transmission lines falsely claimed its products met the performance specifications of industry regulators. It asserts that up to 50% of the pipe produced between 1997 and late 2005 is susceptible to breakage and premature failure at pressure loads below the labeled rating. Photo: Nevada State Public Works Board Nevada water-main job suffered 10 breaks in one year. State officials had sections tested and reported deficiencies in tensile strength. The manufacturer blamed installation
With the opening this month of the new $80-million Walnut Village retirement project in Anaheim, residents will not only have a place to call home, they will have a small, private town that’s full of amenities. The units are surrounded by a village of three courtyards. Related Links: Green Building Innovations Building Smarter: BIM and Beyond Heavy BIM Special Report Sacramento Market Report Building Foundations for Future Organizational Development Construction Firms Need to Prepare for New Mechanic’s Lien Procedures Breathing New Life Into Old Facilities With the opening this month of the new $80-million Walnut Village retirement project in Anaheim,
The scheduled December groundbreaking of the first phase of the $5.5 billion Honolulu Rail Transit Project has been delayed by at least a month, says project spokesman Scott Ishikawa. “Based on the time needed to get participating agencies to review the draft environmental impact statement and the time needed for the federal and state level to approve the final EIS, we decided to push back construction until the end of January,” he says. In late October, the city awarded the $482.9-million first-phase contract to Omaha-based Kiewit Pacific Co. The 6.5-mile design-build project is expected to take three years to complete.
It may not appear so from the outside, but inside the five-story concrete shell of the old B.F. Sisk Courthouse in Fresno, a new $70-million ($56 million in construction costs) Superior Courthouse is taking shape. One of the B.F. Sisk courtrooms, as envisioned by SmithGroup. Related Links: Top Design Firms “We are completely transforming the interior of this 1960s federal court building into a modern courthouse,” says David Moore, lead architect for the San Francisco office of SmithGroup Architecture. “It’s a complete gut and renovation.” The 192,000-sq-ft make-over broke ground in July 2008 and is scheduled for completion in late
After five years and six miles of track and tunnel construction, the $898-million Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension project is nearing completion without a single lost-time injury in more than 4 million work hours. Photo: The Los Angeles Metro Massive Los Angeles rail project nears completion with no lost-time injuries so far. “We think this is some sort of a world record,” says Mike Aparicio, project manager for Eastside LRT Constructors, the design-build joint venture of Washington Group International, Obayashi Corp. and Shimmick Construction Corp., which holds the $600-million construction contract. “We have not been able to find [any other
With the help of special skids and common soap, an Oregon contractor has replaced two bridges in two weekends as part of a $46-million design-build project for the Oregon Dept. of Transportation. Slayden Construction Group Inc., Stayton, broke ground on the project in June 2007 and wrapped it up in January, replacing a total of five 80-year-old bridges along Highway 38 between the towns of Elkton and Drain. Photo: Slayden Mammoet’s system allows new span in Oregon to slide sideways into place atop new bents. The project’s biggest challenge arose on two bridges known as Crossing 3 and Crossing 4.
