LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Clark’s Los Angeles U.S. Courthouse project team achieved a major milestone last month, completing the ‘let-down’ of the building. The design-build team, which includes architect Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, has been planning for this milestone since the ‘floating cube’ structure was conceived three years ago. To achieve the desired floating cube effect, SOM devised a design in which the building’s 35-foot cantilevered structure would hang from 24 columns supported by a unique truss system nine floors above. Each of the columns used to support the cantilever endured elements of compression during the erection phase and, ultimately, … Read more

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Although this week is summer’s official beginning, Robins & Morton has been prepping many of its teams since April to handle the conditions of summer heat. During the summer months, the firm holds a campaign on all project sites to create awareness and plans for heat illness prevention, releasing it in three phases. Phase one, which includes educating employees on heat illness prevention, starts before the warm weather begins and highlights the technical aspects of its heat illness prevention process. The second phase involves the distribution of heat postings, dehydration charts and cooling product catalogues for each … Read more

MetLife officially celebrated the grand opening of its Global Technology Campus in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina on Monday, June 22. The new 26.5-acre campus represents a major investment in digital initiatives that will help MetLife transform customer experiences around the world. Serving as general contractor, Brasfield & Gorrie constructed this new facility for developer Highwoods Properties. The facility is targeting the highest Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification for environmental sustainability. The two 213,500-square-foot office buildings comprising this campus include a number of amenities designed to foster a flexible, collaborative workspace for employees. The site features … Read more

AUSTIN, Texas — Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors is breaking ground in late June on a 16,000-square-foot expansion of Texas State University’s STAR One building, located at 3055 Hunter Road in San Marcos, Texas. Expansion of the STAR One facility, which occupies the northernmost corner of a 38-acre tract of land owned by Texas State University, will provide a combined footprint of 36,000 square feet that incorporates state-of-the-art research and commercialization laboratories, multi-purpose meeting space, open office and support space and Maker and collaboration space. The $5.8-million project includes tilt-up insulated concrete wall panel and structural steel framing with tie-ins … Read more