San Diego Residential Tower Tops Out

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – To celebrate the topping out—or having just poured the top floor of the 240-foot-tall residential tower now under construction at Westfield UTC in San Diego, California—the project’s general contractor, Suffolk, will host a worksite ceremony on Nov. 2 to mark the project milestone. Slated to open to residents in 2019, the tower is being developed by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield. The project team also includes design architect Joseph Wong Design Associates, with Greystar serving as the development advisor and managing the tower long term. The 23-story residential tower at Westfield UTC will feature 300 residences—all with private balconies—in studio, … Read more

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Construction Employment Rises by 23K Jobs in September, 315K for Year

Construction employment increased by 23,000 jobs in September and by 315,000 jobs over the past year, reaching a 10-year high, while the industry’s unemployment rate decreased more than half-a-percentage point to 4.1 percent from a year earlier, according to an analysis of new government data by the Associated General Contractors of America. Even as firms increase headcount and increase pay, a survey by the association suggests that this expansion is threatened by a lack of skilled craft labor. “The construction industry added workers and increased pay in the past year at rates higher than the overall economy,” said Ken Simonson, … Read more

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September Construction Starts Settle Back 5 Percent

NEW YORK, N.Y. –New construction starts in September fell 5 percent from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $709.6 billion, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. The September downturn followed 9 percent declines in both July and August, as the pace of construction starts has now pulled back for the third month in a row after reaching the current year’s high in June. By major sector, nonresidential building weakened further in September, sliding 6 percent. Nonbuilding construction dropped 13 percent in September, due to sharp retrenchment for the electric utility/gas plant category while public works held … Read more

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Industry Veteran Mike Hatcher Joins JE Dunn Construction as Superintendent

SAVANNAH, Ga. —JE Dunn Construction recently hired Mike Hatcher as a superintendent in the company’s Savannah, Georgia office. Native to Gainesville, Florida, Hatcher has nearly 40 years of experience in construction. In his role as superintendent, Hatcher provides day-to-day coordination and oversight of all aspects of projects to which he is assigned.

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Schneider Electric Joins Lean Construction Institute

Schneider Electric has joined the U.S. Lean Construction Institute as a corporate member. Founded in 1997, LCI seeks to improve the construction and design industries through promoting Lean approaches to project design and delivery, focused on improving efficiency and productivity across the entire construction industry. Lean methods seek to develop and manage a project through relationships, shared knowledge and common goals. Traditional silos of knowledge, work and effort are broken down and reorganized for the betterment of the project rather than of individual participants. Through these approaches, construction companies can improve their ability to deliver projects on time and on … Read more

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