WASHINGTON, D.C. — Investment in equipment and software is expected to grow 2.6 percent in 2014, according to the Q3 update to the 2014 Equipment Leasing & Finance U.S. Economic Outlook released by the Equipment Leasing & Finance Foundation. The foundation revised its 2014 equipment and software investment forecast to 2.6 percent, down from 4.2 percent growth forecast in its Q2 Update to the 2014 Annual Outlook released in April. The Q3 report expects equipment and software investment to have modest sector growth during the rest of the year after a weak start. The foundation report, which is focused on … Read more

The U.S. Green Building Council recently awarded Burbank Water and Power's new Electrical Services Building LEED Platinum certification. General contractor Swinerton Builders Los Angeles completed the project on a fast-track schedule in July 2013. The two-story, 17,000-square-foot building houses its electrical equipment testing and relay shops, a high bay shop featuring a 10-ton crane, supervisors and engineering office space, a training room, a lunch room, restrooms, locker rooms and showers. The Type II moment frame slab-on-grade structure has a lathe and plaster exterior with a stucco coating. The Swinerton team followed a strict LEED Platinum standard during construction, with points … Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Design-Build Institute of America has released new research findings indicating that for the first time more than half of projects above $10 million are being completed through design-build project delivery. The newly released study confirms the use of design-build has remained steady since its growth spurt at the end of the last decade, and also that Oregon and the military sector are leading with the most dollars being spent on design-build projects. “The growing use of design-build is not surprising,” says Lisa Washington, CAE, CEO/executive director of DBIA. “Throughout the last five years, and even through … Read more