J. Paul Leonard and Sutro Library at San Francisco State University Earns National DBIA Award

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The J. Paul Leonard Library and Sutro Library at San Francisco State University received an Honor Award in the Rehabilitation/Renovation/Restoration category from the Design Build Institute of America in its annual national Design-Build Award Competition. Balfour Beatty Construction teamed with HMC Architects on the renovation and expansion of the 362,500-square-foot design-build project. The awards ceremony will take place on Nov. 8 at the 2012 Design-Build Conference & Expo in New Orleans, La. The national design-build awards are presented to the highest-rated projects in each category and are the most prestigious project awards presented by DBIA. Earlier … Read more

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IBHS Researchers Put Commercial Construction to the Test

TAMPA, Fla. — The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety has conducted the first-ever, controlled high-speed wind test comparing and contrasting the performance of common practice and stronger, full-size commercial buildings in a laboratory. Two 30 ft. by 20 ft., one-story masonry buildings, similar to those in strip mall shopping centers, were placed side-by-side on the 55 ft. turntable inside the 21,000 sq. ft. test chamber at the IBHS Research Center in South Carolina. One of the test buildings was constructed using techniques common across the U.S., while the other was built using stronger high-wind resistant practices. The materials … Read more

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AGC Analysis: "Construction Employment Rises in 25 States"

Construction employment increased in just half the states plus the District of Columbia from June 2011 to June 2012, but declined in a slim majority of states in the past month, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the Associated General Contractors of America. “The latest state data show again how fragile and fragmentary the construction recovery is,” said Ken Simonson, the association's chief economist. “Although private sector demand for structures has risen in most states, improvement in single-family homebuilding is spotty and public investment is shrinking.” Simonson noted that 25 states and D.C. added construction jobs between … Read more

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McCarthy Tops Out $116M Mercy Orthopedic Hospital

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is placing the final steel beam during a topping out ceremony on the new $116-million Mercy Orthopedic Hospital in Springfield, Mo. The ceremony celebrates not only the placement of the last steel beam, but also the completion of the concrete frame, as the building's frame is actually of structural concrete. McCarthy self-performed the concrete in partnership with Springfield-based DeWitt & Associates. HKS Architects, Inc. and Archimages serve as project architects. The 200,000-square-foot, four-story hospital is located on a 120-acre greenfield site. The facility includes a complete surgery center with 10 operating rooms, … Read more

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Suffolk Launches Subcontractor Development Series

Suffolk Construction is launching a new comprehensive program designed to enhance the capabilities of Supplier Diversity Office-certified businesses. The Suffolk Construction Subcontractor Development Series is a seven-session program that assists subcontractors in cultivating long-term growth; strengthen the capacity of disadvantaged, minority and women business enterprises and foster relationships. The program is provided at no cost to 30 selected participants. The Subcontractor Development Series is part of the company's Learning & Development program. It is offered exclusively to 15 union and 15 non-union subcontractors certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, Minority Business Enterprise or Women Owned … Read more

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