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