Graham Downes Architecture Inc. Hard Rock hotel in San Diego was a signature design project for the firm founded by Graham Downes. Related Links: Website of Graham Downes Architecture Obituaries of other industry leaders and innovators DownesSan Diego architect Graham T. Downes died on April 21 from injuries following a late-night fight two days before with an employee outside his San Diego home. He was 55.Downes suffered blunt force head and neck trauma, including numerous skull fractures, from the altercation with Higinio Soriano Salgado, according to the San Diego County coroner's report.Salgado was a development manager since 2008 with Blokhaus,
MGM Resorts International is spending $100 million for an open-air entertainment promenade linking two of its Las Vegas Strip properties: New York-New York and Monte Carlo.
Photo Courtesy of the Geothermal Energy Association Geothermal energy officials ring the opening NASDAQ bell during the U.S. and International Geothermal Energy Finance Forum in April. Related Links: Geothermal Power Grew 5% in 2012 California Sees Transmission As Key to Geothermal Buildup The U.S. geothermal energy industry—which grew by 5%, or 147.05 MW, for the year ending March 2013—is seeking more up-front private-equity financing. There are 175 geothermal power projects in development in California, Nevada and other western states. They would add some 620 MW of operational capacity by January 2016, reports the Geothermal Energy Association.Unlike solar or wind, geothermal
Rendering Courtesy of MGM Resorts An open-air entertainment promenade (rendered above) is part of MGM's over $500 million in upcoming Las Vegas projects. Related Links: Caesars to Renovate Las Vegas Strip Property into $185M Boutique Hotel/Casino MGM Resorts International is spending $100 million for an open-air entertainment promenade linking two of its Las Vegas Strip properties: New York-New York and Monte Carlo.Spread across 63 acres, the project will create park-like retail and dining spaces between the resorts for greater pedestrian interaction and interstitial visitor synergy. The neighboring hotel-casinos, which comprise 5,000 rooms, will be connected by a tree-dotted plaza lined
Construction companies are increasingly allocating more money for labor-saving items that reduce man hours in the field while limiting liability risks. Handheld tools and devices can enhance worker performance and reduce owner overhead costs for increased market competitiveness. Greater productivity can be achieved through safer, ergonomic devices that increase efficiency while reducing health insurance-related claims. Photo by Southwest Photography Manually tying rebar involves rapid, repetitive and forceful body movements that limit the amount of time workers can do the task safely. Innovation, in part, has been driven by companies forced to do more with less during a deep recession. The
Photo by Jeff Rubenstone for ENR San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge file photo (2012) Related Links: Caltrans Responds to Alleged Testing Flaws on New Bay Bridge Emergency repairs are getting under way on thirty-two steel-threaded connecting rods on the $6.4-billion San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge’s 10,176-ft.-long eastern span, after California Dept. of Transportation officials revealed the rods snapped after being tensioned. The 525-ft-tall self-anchored suspension (SAS) structure is still expected to open on Labor Day weekend, as scheduled, carrying 280,000 vehicles daily over two stacked 5-lane roadways. American Bridge-Fluor Enterprises is the joint-venture general contractor, with T.Y. Lin International, San Francisco, and
First Solar Inc. is lighting up the renewable energy market. The Tempe, Ariz.-based company recorded $3.4 billion in net sales in 2012, up $600 million from the prior year.
Photo courtesy of Navistar Navistar rolled out the new TerraStar 4x4 this month at the Work Truck Show. Related Links: Navistar Makes U-Turn on Diesel Engines Navistar Takes Road Not Taken Truck maker Navistar International Corp. has named Chief Operating Officer Troy Clarke as the company's next chief executive officer.He will replace interim CEO and Chairman Lewis B. Campbell, who predicted that the company's "return to profitability is clearly in sight" after the company's first-quarter loss was less than expected and cash generation exceeded expectations, easing concerns about Navistar issuing a possible bankruptcy filing.The transition, which is occurring sooner than
Related Links: Archives of ENR obituaries of other AEC industry leaders and innovators KendallWilliam D. Kendall, a Houston architect whose soft-spoken passion for quality, discipline and service made his firm sought after as associate architects and architects-of-record by such design luminaries as Cesar Pelli, Norman Foster, Ricardo Bofill and Rem Koolhaas, died Feb. 25 in that city.Kendall, 70, who was serving as president of Kendall/Heaton Associates Inc. (KHA), at the time of his death, died of complications from melanoma, says the firm.Kendall co-founded the now 55-employee firm in 1978 with mentor and colleague James E. Heaton, who died in 1993.
Photo courtesy of IronPlanet Inc. IronPlanet argued that under the terms of the sale, it was due a 25% cancellation fee. Related Links: Equipment Dealers Jump Into the Auction Market Ten Minutes With Michael Kneeland, CEO of United Rentals Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers vows to appeal a trial jury's nearly $3-million judgment against the company for undermining online rival IronPlanet Inc.On Feb. 4, a Jackson County, Iowa, jury ordered Ritchie Bros. to pay $2,857,539, including $1.5 million in punitive damages, for breach of contract and intentional interference."We are disappointed with the jury's verdict," says Ritchie Bros. CEO Peter Blake. "We are