Construction Rallies as Industry Spending Increases by 1.4% in March to a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate of $769 B

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Construction Economist Cites Increases in Most Nonresidential Segments, Predicts Future Private Sector Increases, Cautions Public Sector Spending is Likely to Decline Construction spending bounced back from an 11-year low in March, increasing by 1.4 percent to a total seasonally adjusted annual rate of $769 billion, according to an analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America of new Census Bureau data released today. Association officials cautioned however that the industry remains weak, noting that total construction spending remains 6.7 percent lower than a year ago and 37 percent lower than the March 2006 peak. “It is encouraging to see increases … Read more

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Turner Contracts with Brookfield Properties for $23M Renovation Project in Los Angeles

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Turner Construction Company recently contracted with Brookfield Properties to provide general contracting services for the renovation of the retail mall in downtown Los Angeles, Calif. The project has been recently branded as Fig at 7th. The project includes the full renovation of a three-story, 330,000-square-foot retail mall. Turner will demolish the existing slab flooring, guardrails, escalators, elevators, interior and exterior finishes, and signage, and install new flooring, new monumental stairs, escalators, finishes, paving, signage, demising walls and temporary storefronts. The company will also provide modifications to the MEP and fire-protection systems. Designed by Gensler, the renovations are … Read more

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Lakeway Medical Center, Hoar Construction Host Topping Out Ceremony

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Surgical Development Partners and Hoar Construction marked the topping out of Lakeway Regional Medical Center in Lakeway, Texas recently with a weekend-long celebration, including two ceremonies and a crawfish boil. The medical center's last steel beam was signed by local residents at Lakeway City Hall before it was hoisted, along with a traditional evergreen tree, to the top of the nine-story building. Topping out signifies reaching the high-point of the structure as well as the approximate halfway point to the project's completion. Lakeway Regional Medical Center, which is expected to see 40,000 patients annually in its urgent … Read more

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ASHRAE Seeks Public Comment on Standard for Existing Buildings

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ATLANTA, Ga. — To ensure a sustainable future, the greatest opportunity lies in modifying existing buildings. Only 2 percent of construction projects are for new buildings, while 86 percent of construction dollars go into renovation of our existing building stock. The standard is open for an advisory public review until May 25, 2011. Visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews for more information. ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) are revising ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 100-2006, Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings, to provide greater guidance and a more comprehensive approach to the retrofit of existing buildings for increased energy efficiency.   The standard was first published … Read more

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Construction Employment Increases in 138 Out of 337 Metro Areas, AGC Says

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Construction employment increased in 138 out of 337 metropolitan areas between March 2010 and March 2011, decreased in 153 and stayed level in 46, according to a new analysis of federal employment data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. But association officials said that the industry's five-year employment slump is far from over, and could worsen as public construction winds down. “Even with more metro areas adding jobs than in any 12-month period since November 2007, the fact is most areas are far below previous construction employment peaks,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “With federal … Read more

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