Construction Industry News

WASHINGTON (Dec. 15, 2014)—The American Institute of Architects (AIA) today praised congressional passage of the National Defense Authorization Act.

The language reforms military procurement rules so that design and construction firms can deliver projects that are safe, productive and sustainable—without fear of losing money in the process. The bill now goes to President Obama for his expected signature.

ATLANTA (Dec. 11, 2014)—Tekla, a Trimble company, has announced the winners of its 2014 Tekla Global BIM Awards.

The winners were chosen by a jury of international BIM experts and by public vote. Competition entries included winners of regional Tekla BIM competitions held by Tekla area offices and resellers during 2014.

HOUSTON (Dec. 12, 2014)—“The demise of the shale revolution is greatly exaggerated,” cites FMI in an analysis of the U.S. oil market given the recent drops in crude oil pricing. In its Q4 Oil and Gas Advisor, FMI notes per rig, per day earnings in the Bakken oil basin, among others, are nearly double that of 2012.

WASHINGTON (Dec. 9, 2014)—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) forecasts a steady and ongoing economic recovery for the U.S. commercial and industrial construction industries in 2015. The reasonably brisk industry recovery in 2014 should continue in 2015, with momentum especially growing in segments closely related to the current American energy and industrial production resurgence.

DALLAS (Dec. 8, 2014)—International Risk Management Institute, Inc. (IRMI) is now accepting registrations for the IRMI Energy Risk & Insurance Conference on March 16–18, 2015, in Houston, Texas.

This conference brings together insurance buyers, risk managers, agents, brokers, underwriters, adjusters, attorneys, and others who must understand, mitigate, or insure the complex exposures of oil and gas exploration, production and servicing.

FULLERTON, Calif. (Dec. 4, 2014)—The design-build team of Petra Integrated Construction Strategies (Petra ICS), McCarthy Building Companies Inc. and Taylor Design recently completed construction of the St. Jude Medical Center Northwest Tower in Fullerton, California. The new $228 million healthcare facility, which opened in November 2014, was completed five months early and more than 10 percent under the original construction budget.

NEW YORK (Dec. 2, 2014)—Microdesk shared the top trends that will shape the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in 2015. The company surveyed its executive management team, customers and technology partners to gain their insights and perspectives on the coming year, and as a result, they have identified the following major trends as those that will directly impact the AEC industry in the coming year and beyond.

WASHINGTON (Dec. 3, 2014)—The 2014 U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was lit in a special ceremony attended by thousands of people on the Capitol’s West Front Lawn. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the traditional Capitol Hill Christmas tree ceremony, which was first begun by U.S. House Speaker John W. McCormack in 1964.

COVENTRY, England (Dec. 1, 2014)—Terex Construction announced the launch of a new distributor support application and responsive website. Both initiatives are part of a strategic focus on digital marketing technologies to improve the customer experience by providing easier access to information.

ESSEN, Germany (Nov. 27, 2014)—ThyssenKrupp’s latest offering, MULTI, represents a landmark revolution in the elevator industry and a new and efficient transport solution for mid- and high-rise buildings. The operation of multiple cabins in the same elevator shaft is made possible by applying linear-motor technology.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 24, 2014)—The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association’s (ELFA) Monthly Leasing and Finance Index (MLFI-25), which reports economic activity from 25 companies representing a cross section of the $903 billion equipment finance sector, showed overall new business volume for October was $8.3 billion, up 9 percent from new business volume in October 2013. Month over month, new business volume was down 12 percent from September.

RALEIGH, N.C. (Nov. 21, 2014) – FMI, provider of management consulting and investment banking* to the engineering and construction industry, announced the release of the 2014 Fourth Quarter Nonresidential Construction Index report. The NRCI shows a slight increase from 62.5 in the third quarter to 62.8 in the fourth quarter of 2014. This is nearly 5.5 points ahead of fourth quarter 2013. An NRCI greater than 50 indicates improvement or expansion.

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. (Nov. 17, 2014)—Komatsu America introduces the PC210LCi-10 intelligent Machine Control excavator to the North American market. Built upon the foundation of the standard Komatsu PC210LC-10 excavator, the PC210LCi-10 goes beyond simple guidance to semiautomatically limit overexcavation and trace a target surface. From rough digging to finish grading, the PC210LCi-10 excavator offers improved efficiency and accuracy over traditional methods.

IRVINE, Calif. (Nov. 18, 2014)—Ware Malcomb announced that CEO Lawrence R. Armstrong, an accomplished artist, has completed a number of international art exhibitions in Madrid, Toronto and Miami. His recent showings include: Iocandina Synchronies in Madrid from Oct. 2-15, Art Tour International in Toronto from Sept. 11-27, and Art Tour International in Miami from Sept. 5-12.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 18, 2014)—Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) reached a new all-time high during the third quarter of 2014 at 8.8 months, eclipsing the previous all-time high of 8.5 months in the second quarter of 2014.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 17, 2014)—Beginning Jan. 1, 2015, there will be a change to what covered employers are required to report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

MOLINE, Ill. (Nov. 14, 2014)—John Deere Construction announces the GoHaul mobile application for E-Series articulated dump truck (ADT) customers. The free app, available for iPhone and Android devices, serves as a quick reference guide.

WASHINGTON (Nov. 13, 2014)—Associated Equipment Distributors (AED) joined 375 industry trade associations and chambers from 50 states to voice strong concerns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' flawed proposed rule to dramatically expand the scope of federal authority over water and land uses across the country. The association called for the proposal to be withdrawn on both legal and business grounds.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 11, 2014)—Richard Resnick, founder and CEO, Project Risk Consultants, was honored with the IRMI Words of Wisdom Award during the 34th IRMI Construction Risk Conference.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nov. 10, 2014)—The American Institute of Architects (AIA) announced the addition of eight new documents to the AIA Contract Documents portfolio. Six of these new documents belong to the Conventional (A201) family; the remaining two documents belong to the Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc) family and the Program Manager family, respectively.