Jan 21 —Washington, D.C. — Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) today issued the following statement by 2009 ABC National Chairman Jerry Gorski, president of Gorski Engineering, Inc., Collegeville, Pa., urging President Barack Obama to preserve Executive Order 13202 barring federal agencies from requiring union-only project labor agreements on federal and federally funded construction projects:     “We need to heed President Obama's remarks in yesterday's historic inaugural address calling for investment in our nation's infrastructure that will help rebuild America's roads, bridges and schools. President Obama tempered those same remarks with his warning that those "who manage the public’s dollars" … Read more

Recommendations Call for Funds for the Planning and Design of Energy Efficient Construction Projects Washington, D.C., January 14 — The American Institute of Architects (AIA) semi-annual Consensus Construction Forecast projects an 11 percent decline in design and construction activity in 2009. To revitalize the building sector, which accounts for about one in every ten dollars of the United States GDP, the AIA developed the Rebuild and Renew Plan, which details its recommendations for the allocation of funds in President-elect Obama's economic recovery plan. The AIA is calling on the new administration and Congress to create policies that ensure these monies … Read more

SET-XPâ„¢ Anchor Adhesive is Now Code Listed for Use in Cracked Concrete Pleasanton, Calif. – The new code provisions in the 2006 International Building Code (IBC) require designers to factor in whether conditions exist that may cause concrete to crack. The provisions also require new anchorage solutions. Simpson Strong-Tie Anchor Systems has been focused on developing and testing products that meet the new standards. Designers now have several cracked concrete solutions to choose from, including the most recent addition of the Simpson Strong-Tie Anchor Systems SET-XPâ„¢ Epoxy-Tie adhesive. SET-XP adhesive is now recognized for use in cracked and uncracked concrete … Read more

Philadelphia, Pa., Jan 30 — Turner Construction Company, the nation's largest builder of healthcare facilities, has topped out the $323 million state-of-the-art Greenfield replacement hospital for Virtua Health. Turner is serving as the construction manager for the project that is scheduled for completion in 2011. The 690,000-sq.-ft. hospital will incorporate advanced technologies in order to ensure quality clinical services and patient safety, an assurance of privacy, set in a healing environment. Upon completion, the facility will feature an eight-story, 364,000 sq. ft. inpatient pavilion containing 360 beds, and a five-story, 298,000 sq. ft. support services building. The building's layout is … Read more