The Sahara Hotel and Casino, backdrop for the 1960s heist movie "Ocean's Eleven," is making a comeback after shutting its doors in 2011. The iconic Las Vegas resort, originally built by Del E. Webb, is undergoing a $415-million makeover that will restore its former swagger. Related Links: Engineering News Record Architectural Record Renovation, however, is tricky due to decades of patchwork improvements and piecemeal additions done by various owners resulting in spotty construction records.Project contractor PENTA Building Group of Las Vegas began refurbishing the 4-million-sq-ft complex at 2535 South Las Vegas Blvd. in February. The construction contract is valued at
Photo Courtesy of Las Vegas Sands Gaming mogul Sheldon Adelson tried to extend winning streak from Macau and Singapore to Spain, but authorities said, "No dice." Related Links: Las Vegas Sands Corp. Planning $65-Billion Casino Complex in Spain Stalled Casino Projects in Macau Reviving His Man in Macau: Inside the Investigation Into Sheldon Adelson's Empire Casino magnate Sheldon G. Adelson on Dec. 13 scuttled building plans for a 12-mile-long, four-hotel EuroVegas development on the outskirts of Alcorcón, Spain, eight miles southwest of Madrid, following the Spanish government's rejection of illegal demands for the $30-billion investment.The EuroVegas plans, first announced in
After a nearly eight-year absence prompted by jurisdictional disputes and strategy differences also shared by other disaffected unions, the International Union of Operating Engineers said Dec. 19 that it will reaffiliate with the main group of building trades.The reconnection officially adds 380,750 North American members to the group and nearly 100 apprenticeship programs.The operating engineers has $332.9 million in assets, making it the tenth largest union in the AFL-CIO. The union had never left that organized labor umbrella group but was joined by the laborers’ and teamsters unions in bolting from the building trades in 2006.The unions returned in 2008,
With the completion of a $43-million addition that adds 220,000 sq ft to its training space and more than doubles the size of the facility, the Carpenters' union international training center hopes to host twice the number of "students" it does now.The training center has trained more than 500,000 people since opening in 2001.The addition includes an expanded millwright training area focused on power generation, renewable energy plant construction and maintenance. There is also a scaffolding construction area with a 30-by-60-foot retractable roof, plus 30 classrooms and two large meeting halls.“This expansion will enable us conduct classes concurrently and host
Courtesy Volvo Machinery is parked at a Volvo Rents storefront in Bakersfield, Calif. Related Links: Volvo Goes Modular for Global Markets Where East Meets West, China's Uphill Battle Platinum Equity, the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based corporate takeover specialist, is paying $1.1 billion for the 132-outlet, 2,100-employee Volvo Rents, headquartered in Shippensburg, Pa., as Volvo Group focuses on its core business of equipment manufacturing.The acquisition will result in a $277.2-million fourth-quarter loss for the Swedish-based parent Volvo Group but will reduce overall industrial operations debt. A deal prerequisite entails financing the transaction though a debt offering. The sale is expected to finish
Photo by Tony Illia Harmon Hotel was set for demolition in early 2014, but contractor opposes razing it. Related Links: Insurance Questions Will Delay Demolition of Never-Opened Vegas Hotel A judicial decision on the fate of the half-built, much-disputed Harmon Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip now faces further delay.Clark County Judge Elizabeth Gonzales on Dec. 6 granted building insurer FM Global more time related to its probe of the blue-glass landmark at the center of competing lawsuits between owner MGM Resorts International and general contractor Tutor Perini Building Corp., Sylmar, Calif.Gonzalez gave the insurer until Dec. 13 to outline
Photo by Tony Illia Demolition of disputed hotel, originally set for early 2014, now is halted, pending further insurance investigations; contractor wants the judge to rescind the destruction order. Judge Gonzalez Related Links: Hotel's Razing and Defects Trial Could Be Best Shows in Las Vegas Insurance questions have temporarily halted demolition plans for the half-built, much-disputed Harmon Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.Clark County District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez, on Nov. 22, withdrew prior approval to raze the 26-story tower on the outer edge of the $8.5-billion CityCenter development that opened in 2009, agreeing that construction insurer FM Global, Johnston, R.I.,
Related Links: Narcotic Painkillers Weigh Heavily on Workers' Compensation Costs Sober, clear-headed workers can mean life or death on a construction jobsite.So last month’s recommendations from the Food and Drug Administration for more restrictions on hydrocodone-containing painkillers is good news for construction employers and workers: the FDA wants to upgrade hydrocodone’s status from a schedule 3 narcotic—the classification for low-dose codeine-containing drugs—to a schedule 2 narcotic, the category for methadone, hydromorphone, and fentanyl.The new status would reduce the number of refills allowed before checking in with a doctor. It would require patients to bring prescriptions to a pharmacy in person
George D. Kalb, co-founder of Las Vegas-based Kalb Construction Co., and president of the 33-year-old family-run general contractor responsible for over 1,000 building projects in Southern Nevada, died on Oct. 24 from a heart-attack. He was 68. George D. KalbNoteworthy company buildings include the 103-acre, 1.4-million-sq-f. McCarran Center; 4-level, the 120,000-sq-ft corporate headquarters for Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. (now Caesars Entertainment Corp.), and the two-building, 100,000-sq-ft. Opportunity Village Engelstad Campus.Kalb Construction specializes in concrete tilt-up construction and remodeling for the retail, industrial and office markets.Kalb learned the ropes by working for a predeccessor family business begun by his father in 1963. In
Related Links: 'Process' Rules for University of Houston CM Students Map: Progress of Announced Gulf Coast Megaprojects Could Depend on Staffing Panelists at First ENR Energy Conference on Nov. 15 Note Market's Promise and Challenges If they plan to build it, will the workforce come?That is the question for many as the construction industry—along with owners, educators and economic boosters—scramble to meet current and projected staffing needs for skilled craft, technical, engineering and project-management employees in the wake of what could be an unprecedented petrochemical and energy project boom in North America, particularly along the U.S. Gulf Coast.The surge, driven
