MGM Resorts International intends to implode Foster + Partners’ unfinished Harmon Hotel due to “serious structural defects” and “public safety concerns,” the company announced on August 15. The news comes a month after the release of a report claiming the Las Vegas building was beyond repair. Image by Bill Hughes MGM hopes to demolish the 28-story hotel. Demolition is not a sure bet, however. County officials have to approve the demolition plans. Plus, MGM would have to get a Clark County district court to overturn an order that prohibits the company from touching the Harmon while civil litigation continues between
Courtesy of Harmon Properties Harmon Corners, a retail property that topped out recently in Las Vegas, is financed with the developer's own money. Related Links: Video Interview with Barclays Analyst on Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities Tight-Fisted Banks Stall Development (ENR 2009) Goldman-Citi Offering Is Pulled Over Ratings The comeback of the commercial mortgage-backed securities sector, which reached a high of $230 billion in new issues in 2007 but then collapsed in the turmoil that hit financial markets in 2008, has run into big trouble."There are economic headwinds that are causing a slowdown in the pipeline,” says Steve Renna, chief executive officer
Courtesy of Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar is ramping up production in China with new projects like a 193,750-sq-ft hydraulic excavator undercarriage and track assembly plant in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, expected to open in mid-2012. Related Links: As Fleets Grow Old and Weary, Purchasing Rebounds Construction machinery suppliers have posted a robust second quarter fueled by infrastructure and mining activity in Asia and Latin America. Meanwhile, rental companies and contractors in North America have been replacing aging and obsolete fleets for a small but significant uptick in domestic sales revenue.“Global business demand helped many equipment manufacturers get through the recession,” says Dennis
Las Vegas is crowded with performers, but few are as huge as Big Stan. Thought to be the world's largest truck-mounted drill, Big Stan is flexing its muscles south of the Strip on a $252.5-million, 7-mile-long widening of Interstate 15.Big Stan's tall stance originally sprang from deep roots. The 250,000-lb, 93-ft-high boring behemoth was built in 1986 by Anderson Drilling, Lakeside, Calif., now a part of London-based Keller Group PLC. The mega-machine, which cost $1.5 million to construct, is named after 6-ft, 3-in.-tall Stan Anderson, who retired as company president in 2006.It didn't take long to realize that what you
Construction machinery manufacturers saw robust second-quarter earnings fueled by infrastructure and mining activity in Asia and Latin America, while North America rental companies and contractors replaced aging and obsolete fleets for a small but significant uptick in domestic sales. Many contractors sold off equipment during the downturn as work became scarce, opting to rent rather than own.Caterpillar Inc.'s second-quarter earnings soared to $1.02 billion, a 44% increase over last year, and the company is spending over $1 billion to ramp-up production in China. Volvo Construction Equipment strengthened its position in wheel-loader and excavator sales in China in the second quarter,
Prosecutors are pressing ahead with new charges against contractors for workplace-related accidents.James F. Lomma, a crane company owner who was charged last year in connection with a May 2008 crane accident in New York City that killed two workers, is scheduled to go on trial on Sept. 19. Paul Schechtman, an attorney representing Lomma's firm, has said there is no basis for criminal charges in the case.Lomma, 64, two other firms and a former employee have pleaded not guilty to charges that include second-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault.Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said, “[The indictment] is an important
The future of the Las Vegas Strip's Harmon Hotel remains clouded by competing claims over the unfinished building's structural soundness. Image by Bill Hughes New charges swirl in controversy over the still unfinished Harmon Hotel. Released on July 11, an engineering report commissioned by owner MGM Resorts International says construction defects in the 28-story tower are “so pervasive and varied … that it is not possible to quickly implement a temporary or permanent repair” or determine “whether repairs are possible.”The findings contradict an earlier government report that said Harmon is “structurally stable under design loads from a maximum considered earthquake.”
A recent verdict in Denver exonerating Xcel Energy Inc. of criminal charges involving five painter deaths in 2007 sets the stage for the forthcoming trial against Santa Fe Springs, Calif.-based contractor RPI Coating Inc. and RPI executives, Philippe Goutagny and James Thompson. A federal jury on June 28 found Minneapolis-based Xcel not guilty of 10 workplace safety charges related to a deadly powerplant fire. In a rare occurrence for Occupational and Safety Health Administration violations, Xcel and local subsidiary, Public Service Co. of Colorado, had faced criminal charges carrying up to $5 million in combined fines, plus the threat of
Southern Nevada's busiest thoroughfare, Interstate 15, sees more than 200,000 vehicles a day and is plagued by gridlock and accidents. Photo courtesy of Las Vegas Paving Corp. The project includes a total of 26 bridge segments to help alleviate traffic snarls and improve safety. Design-build contractor Las Vegas Paving Corp. began work in late 2009 on a solution: a $246.5-million widening of I-15 South between Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue. Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., Pasadena, Calif., performed design.The project is being underwritten by the Las Vegas Convention Visitors Authority, the public-private entity charged with bringing more visitors to town
Fernando Aveiga, a 28-year-old Ecuadorian, is improving productivity, safety and understanding at construction sites in Iowa. With degrees in economics and international development, Aveiga serves as a multicultural workforce specialist for the Master Builders of Iowa, the state chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America. PHOTO BY BRENT ISENBERGER BUILDING TRUST Aveiga and the Iowa chapter of AGC created a bilingual manual for jobsites. Graphic by Justin Reynolds An ENR special feature. Related Links: Main Story: Where a New Inclusiveness is Changing the Face of the Construction Industry Chinese-Americans Find Themselves Bridging the Gap Between the U.S. and China
