As the construction industry evolves, so too must the tools with which engineers and contractors do business. Plenty of companies have developed their own apps that do everything from managing project data to calculating cost-per-square-foot of concrete. Texas-based SpawGlass has joined the mix after seeing the need for an app with a broader scope. Related Links: Some Companies Hungry for Custom Business Apps Decide to Build Their Own Earlier this year, SpawGlass launched its Targeted Estimating Database iPad app, which helps with the development of a realistic budget for commercial construction projects by offering real-time, cost-per-square-foot pricing using the average
An idled methanol plant currently located in Chile will soon be relocated to Geismar, La. Related Links: Methanex Corp. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. Methanex Corp., the plant owner, has hired Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. to complete EPC services for the project. The companies estimate that the construction value will total $550 million.Methanex made the final decision to relocate the plant on July 25. Relocation, compared to a new-build, will offer some capital savings and a reduced project time frame.The facility is being moved for several reasons, according to Methanex, including the North American shale gas boom, which has created a
A slurry-filled sinkhole in the Bayou Corne area of Louisiana’s Assumption Parish that first developed earlier this month now reaches 476 feet (NE to SW) by 640 feet (NW to SE), stretching 300 feet at its deepest as of August 15. Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources An aerial view of the slurry-filled Bayou Corne sinkhole in Assumption Parish, Louisiana, from August 3. Related Links: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality Assumption Parish While the sinkhole continues to expand, its exact cause remains unknown, a representative from the Department of Environmental Quality tells
A new permit by rule recently approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality could lead more commercial and industrial facilities to use combined heat and power (CHP) technologies for their power needs. Photo courtesy The Methodist Hospital The Methodist Hospital in Houston is host to a rooftop 4.5 MW combined heat and power unit, shown here. Existing permitting regulations state that a CHP system – regardless of building site or its megawatt capacity – falls under the strict rules for electric generating units, requiring a permit that critics say is very restrictive on emissions.“So even if you were putting
