SEATTLE, Wash. — PCL Construction Services Inc. has begun construction work on a $190-million, 41-story, mixed-use building, known as Potala Tower Seattle. The project is located between Belltown and South Lake Union of downtown Seattle, Washington, on Fourth Avenue. The architect is Weber Thompson. Named after the stunning 7th-century Tibetan palace, the 569,000-square-foot complex is designed to be a modern sanctuary where guests can relax in one of 142 hotel rooms, and residents can make a home in one of approximately 340 apartment units. The hotel portion of Potala Tower Seattle, Hotel Indigo, will be a boutique hotel celebrating Seattle’s … Read more

Keeping up with best practices by watching, listening and learning By Chris Schmidt Dean Killen, general superintendent with JE Dunn Construction, has more than 30 years of construction experience. In his position, he provides constructability review; mobilization planning; site staging planning and construction means and methods analyses during preconstruction. During construction, he provides onsite project supervision and coordinates all subcontractors. He is also in charge of safety, general conditions, quality control, labor relations and monitors any testing. Join Construction Superintendent as Killen shares his varied background, advice for the budding superintendent and his “tools” of the trade. (Q) Is there … Read more

The Korte Company has built a wide variety of historic landmarks in the St. Louis, Missouri region. In celebration of St. Louis" 250th year as a city, The Korte Company remembers its most historic builds, which includes the construction of the Cahokia Museum and Interpretive Center, one of the St. Louis area’s historic landmarks. Where the Cahokia Mounds sit today, a bustling city once stood at the epicenter of a massive, sprawling civilization—one that spread from modern-day Wisconsin all the way to Florida and many places in-between. Until the 1780s, it was the biggest known settlement in what is now … Read more

By Daryl Lang Today, when everything is becoming more automated and electronic, certain jobs still require — and place a high value on — human judgment. There’s no better example of such a job than the construction superintendent. It’s a job that requires something no software or checklist can accomplish: how to understand people, and how to communicate with them. There seems to be little doubt that superintendents have one of the hardest jobs in construction. To the open-ended question: “Who has the hardest job in construction?” the most popular answer among the construction professionals surveyed by FieldLens, a mobile-first … Read more

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Wisconsin’s Epic Deep Space Auditorium was the most impressive construction project of 2014, the Associated General Contractors of America announced recently. As a result, the project’s contractor, JP Cullen, was the Alliant Build America Grand Award winner, while 22 other firms received awards in various categories. “These projects exemplify the best characteristics the construction industry has to offer — craftsmanship, creativity and dedication,” said Al Landes, the association’s president and president and chief operating officer of Herzog Contracting Corp. “These contractors have completed projects that demonstrate an unparalleled level of innovation and excellence in our … Read more