Kaiser Permanente Tops Out New Oakland Medical Center

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OAKLAND, Calif. — The final beam in the steel superstructure of the new Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center was put in place July 5 during a traditional topping-out ceremony. Kaiser Permanente leaders and employees, the project’s general contractor McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., and Oakland city and neighborhood leaders commemorated the milestone by signing the last 1,200-pound steel beam, which was then hoisted and secured in place. The 12-story, 349-bed hospital is scheduled to open in 2014, and will replace the existing hospital across MacArthur Boulevard. The construction is part of the state-mandated earthquake safety retrofit of all California hospitals. NBBJ … Read more

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Proposed Changes Could Streamline How Industry Uses BIM

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Following an 86-day open ballot submission period, the National Institute of Building Sciences buildingSMART alliance has closed the submission period to develop Version 2 of its building information modeling (BIM) standard, the National BIM Standard-United Statesâ„¢ (NBIMS-US). The Alliance received 45 submissions, which cover a range of topics that could have a significant impact on the way architectural, engineering and construction professionals use BIM. The ballots were separated into categories relating to: reference standards; information exchanges, including model view definitions (MVDs) and information delivery manuals (IDMs); best practices; and overview and guidelines, including updates to the NBIMS Version 1, Part … Read more

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Gilbane Building Company Names New Jersey District Manager

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Gilbane Building Company has named John Fumosa vice president and district manager of its New Jersey office operations. In this position, he will lead the New Jersey team in serving a broad variety of both public and private clients throughout the state. Fumosa is a 37-year veteran of the construction business and has built an impressive track record of delivering major facilities for builders in the New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York markets. In those roles he oversaw a broad range of responsibilities related to higher education, healthcare, corporate, sports and other facilities. George Cavallo, executive vice president for Gilbane, … Read more

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OSHA Renews Alliance with Scaffold Industry Association

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed its Alliance with the Scaffold Industry Association Inc. (SIA) that aims to protect the safety and health of workers who work on scaffolds from falls and other deadly hazards. “The materials developed through our Alliance are valuable resources for training and educating workers on the hazards they can face in their jobs and how they can be prevented,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels.   “Four of the ten most frequently cited OSHA construction standards involve scaffolding, so renewing … Read more

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Balfour Beatty Acquires Howard S. Wright

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Balfour Beatty Construction has acquired Howard S. Wright, one of the oldest contractors on the West Coast, with significant operations in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Phoenix. With continuous operations since 1885, Howard S. Wright (HSW) recently celebrated its 125th anniversary. Through this extensive history, the company has had several ownership changes, but returned to an employee-owned business in 1996. Over the past four years, HSW has averaged annual revenues in excess of $730 million and is currently forecasting $610 million in 2011 revenues. Reflecting upon the reason for the ownership change, HSW chief executive officer Brad Nydahl responded, “We … Read more

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