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This article discusses the Best of the Best 2023 projects recognized by ENR (Engineering News-Record), which represent the highest achievements in U.S. design and construction. The projects include the Microsoft Thermal Energy Center, which features a geothermal heating and cooling system, and the Geowell drilling project, which used drone flights for assessment. Other projects highlighted include the Kings Bay Dry Dock Recapitalization project, the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) project, the Orlando International Airport Terminal C, the Orange County Museum of Art, the 1021 O Street State Office Building, the UVA Inn at Darden - The Forum Hotel, the Mayo Clinic East Expansion, the John and Lile Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies and Barry Mills Hall at Bowdoin College, the Riverbend Meats Processing Plant, the Aston Martin Residences in Miami, the Primary Children's Hospital Hybrid Operating Room, the Martin Marietta Texas Quarry project, and the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. These projects showcase unique features, sustainability efforts, and overcoming challenges. [Extracted from the article]

"The Shape of Utopia: The Architecture of Radical Reform in Nineteenth-Century America" by Irene Cheng explores the unconventional architecture and experimental communities that emerged in the 19th century as a result of the abolition and labor activism movements. Reformers such as Orson Fowler, Henry S. Clubb, and spiritualists Simon Crosby Hewitt and John Murray Spear published plans for hexagonal, octagonal, and circular buildings and towns in an effort to promote more just and healthier living. Cheng argues that these architectural drawings served as a powerful tool of argument and publicity, cutting through the printed word to sway viewers. The book also examines the challenges and limitations of these utopian experiments, as well as their complex legacy in shaping American society. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the issue of developers withholding payment from contractors in the construction industry. It highlights a specific case involving the Sharon Building in San Francisco, where the developer sold the building back to its lender for a significantly lower price, leading to unpaid invoices and a lawsuit from the contractor. The article also mentions the broader challenges faced by developers due to high vacancy rates in office spaces and the impact of post-pandemic interest rates on commercial mortgage loans. It emphasizes the need for contractors to be cautious when working with developers and suggests potential solutions such as retainage laws and negotiating retainage amounts. [Extracted from the article]

The article describes the experiences of Andre Pryce, who faced racial harassment and insults at his workplace while working as a drill rig hand in Pennsylvania. The article discusses how the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigates and addresses such harassment complaints in the construction industry. It mentions how the challenges and complexities involved in pursuing legal actions against workplace discrimination and harassment.

A fatal tower crane accident in Florida is being investigated, with evidence suggesting that a cable supporting the climbing unit work platform may have failed, detached, or been cut. The accident resulted in a heavy mast section falling onto a bridge roadway, causing the death of a rigger and damaging several vehicles. A police report revealed that one work platform cable was loose and frayed, while another was intact and attached. The investigation is ongoing, and federal safety officials are involved. [Extracted from the article]

Robert S. Boh and his family business, Boh Bros. Construction Co. has become a local hero after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans because of their continuous working effort in getting the bridge open to four lanes of traffic 130 days after Katrina. Boh Brothers handled many emergency jobs for Department of Transportation and Development.

About 8,000 tons of steel estimated at $350 million, which was set to frame the structure of soaring new midtown Manhattan headquarters for The New York Times Co. lies in the yard in New Jersey. This is because of a bitter battle between project prime contractor AMEC Construction Management Inc., a trustee liquidating the assets of the job's main fabricator and erector, Interstate Iron Works Corp., and a bank owed lots of money.

Atlantic City firefighters of Engine Co. 6, police and construction workers formed the rescue team that brought out the dead and injured from the fires at Tropicana Casino on October 30, 2003. The smooth running rescue and recovery operation in the first 22 hours of the accident is accounted.

The adverse effects of Hurricane Ivan in Florida created an issue of concerns regarding the existing construction techniques, building codes and evacuation procedures among the residents, local government and utility officials and the construction industry. Hence, some Florida politicians suggested reviewing state and local building codes to include new provisions covering schools, hospitals and hospices.

Havens Steel Co., one of the largest US steel fabricators and erectors, has filed for bankruptcy protection from its creditors in the federal court in Kansas City after suffering losses in the year 2004. A succession of taking difficult jobs at cost in 2003 continued and then strong Chinese demand for scrap metal hit the company.

Increase in the number of high-voltage power line accidents is discussed, which is a cause of concern. The factors leading to such accidents are linked like linemen experience levels, lack of protective equipment, improper grounding etc.

The recent changes in the insurance plans for contractors are discussed. It is seen that the increased prices and restricted coverage by insurers have affected the buyers.

Berger Group, the big design and development consultant known for working in poor nations, was in demand and high on the Bush administration's agenda because of its services in national building and promotion of economic growth, self-sufficiency and stable institutions. The consulting services that Berger is willing to perform are much more than traditional engineering and feasibility studies.

Inexperienced technicians using Critical Path Method (CPM) schedule writing has resulted in the abuse of its fundamentals. Primavera Systems Inc. President Richard K. Farris refutes the comments by some directors of Project Management Institute's College of Scheduling.

Success of Kathi Littmann, civil engineer and planner, in completing a struggling project for constructing schools in the Los angeles Unified School District, is discussed.

A cover story discusses the high number of fatalaties at construction sites in the United States. The main causes include mental lapses, misuse of equipment, and poor training.

The Shaw Group, led by James M. Bernhard Jr., has grown from a pipe fabrication company into a turnkey power plant construction business with around 7,500 megawatts under contract in 2001-2002. The company's acquisition of Stone and Webster Inc. in 2000 has enabled it to secure an increasing number of contracts.

The article offers information on Matt Compher from the Quanta Services, the largest U.S. specialty contractor. It further discusses about the safety for the electrical power line workers in the U.S.; Quanta initiated a program called the Capacity Model, which is in its early stages but seems to be working, the ability to absorb and avoid severe injury; and his efforts to protect the Quanta Services family and his quest to inject needed fresh thinking into construction safety.

The U.S. may be preparing to restrict immigration rules as a matter of national security, due to the terrorist attacks. Tighter immigration policies will be detrimental to the construction industry as many construction workers are Hispanic immigrants. Engineering schools will also be affected if foreign students cannot receive visas.

Swedish company Skanska AB has achieved remarkable success within the American construction industry. The company worked slowly to build and acquire firms and in 2001 is hoping to use similar strategies to expand in Europe.

Issues are presented concerning the improvements which have been made to safety practices in the construction industry by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The OSHA's legislative and educational policies are discussed.

Issues are presented concerning the negotiations over the final price of the takeover of Raytheon Engineers & Constructors by the Washington Group International Inc.. The financial aspects of the takeover are discussed.

The practice of delaying the payment of subcontractors' invoices in the construction in the US is discussed, with focus on the difficulties that this causes to the subcontractors.

Issues concerning the purchase of construction equipment over the Internet are discussed.

A conference hosted by various US health and safety bodies will take place from March 30-31 2000 in Washington, DC, to discuss noise and hearing loss. As a result, regulations for the construction industry are expected to be improved.

The successful investment policies carried out by four construction industry companies are discussed. They include Day and Zimmermann Inc., Triad Architects, Kleinfelder Inc., and Ceco Concrete Construction.

Design engineering firms are complaining that the US Labor Dept's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is unjustly expanding their group's responsibility for workplace safety. The design sector is saying that OSHA's moves are not in line with industrial realities and show a fundamental lack of knowledge of the work done by architects and engineers. OSHA said that its current focus is on designers who are hired as design-builders and construction managers.

The Nevada Dept of Transportation's $91.5-million expansion of the interchange linking Interstate 15 and U.S. 95 highway is part of the new transportation infrastructure undertaken by the state to support the casino-hotel industry boom in Las Vegas, NV. Meadow Valley Contractors Inc., the contractor for the project, started the project in Dec 1997. The project is envisioned by state officials to ease the growing traffic gridlock in Las Vegas brought about by the fast paced development of residential and commercial areas in the region.

Specialty contractors are reaping significant gains from the consolidation trend sweeping the industry. Selling has led to cash windfalls, opportunities to join new organizations, new challenges and work environments and reduced financial risks. The buyers of these firms are often national specialty contractors which have used earnings from initial public offerings or other stock sales to roll up regional and local firms.

The shortage of labor in the construction industry that has led to higher levels of women being employed in the sector should prompt employers to take pro-active steps to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace. The construction industry is traditionally a male-dominated workplace and the introduction of women workers may increase the chance of sexual harassment, not just because of sexual relations causes but also due to competition for high salaried jobs. Employers must institute training programs for both managers and supervisors regarding gender sensitivity so as to avoid costly litigation.

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are turning to construction in attempts to boost sales in light of declining profits from rentals. REITs are becoming an increasingly important factor in raising real estate capital and their share of the market has significantly grown. REITS are constructing office and industrial buildings as well as residential apartments in rural and urban settings.

Government officials' effort to change the public works system receives criticisms from the people of South Carolina as it tends to negate a state law that promotes competitive bidding. The change involves the use of proposals and other nonbidding methods in contracting public works instead of competitive bidding. Contenders argue that it is against a state law and that it promotes corruption in contracting public works.

Illnesses and injuries among workers in the construction industry have decreased dramatically from 14.7% per 100 full-time workers in 1987 to 10.6% in 1995. This development can be attributed to an increasing awareness of occupational safety standards by the employers and employees. Companies, such as Capco Steel Corp. and Fluor Daniel, hire companies to provide a comprehensive program of training and employee safety management. However, critics contend that the programs sometimes force workers to conceal their injuries instead of promoting safe behavior.

Engineering News-Record has awarded the 1997 Award of Excellence to Robert Tinstman for keeping construction industry giant Morrison Knudsen from bankruptcy. Company chairman Dennis Washington is often publicized as the one directly responsible for the company's rebound but Washington admits that it was Tintsman's unwavering commitment and vision that saved the company from financial ruin.

Clark Construction Group won a contract to build the Navy's Nuclear Power Training Complex by leveraging its experience on a similar contract and investing heavily to gain information about the Charleston, SC project. The approach enabled Clark to submit the low bid on the contract, $104 million. By winning the contract, the company demonstrated its ability to navigate the new federal procurement playing field.

Daniel, Mann, Johnson and Mendenhall (DMJM) has been in the construction industry for the past 50 years but its work has largely been limited to public works projects such as roads and airports. After architect Richard Keating joined the company in 1994, DMJM's expertise began to expand to other areas in the construction industry. Keating's arrival was followed by other innovative designers who helped to solidify DMJM's entry into the high-rise building and interior design segments.

Travel and relocation is an inevitable way of life for many construction personnel. Construction managers, business development personnel and design consultants all have to contend with mobility, which is a key requirement to promotions and career advancement. While some enjoy the frequent moves, many of them, especially those with families, long for less travel and more permanence.

The article discusses that after a joint venture of Flatiron Construction and Zachry Group won all but one of its arbitrated claims against engineering firm partners on the I-85/385 design-build interchange project in Greenville, South Carolina, the contractors had one more source to cover project costs: a contractor professional policy. It mentions that Flatiron-Zachry filed a case in federal court, attempting to compel payment from Steadfast, a subsidiary of Zurich American Insurance Co.

The article announces winners of the periodical Newsmakers, individuals who have made a significant impact on the industry and their communities with their experiences, including Kevin Antonelli, Chad J. Basinger, and Sean P. Clifton.

The article announces the winner of the 2022 annual Engineering News-Record (ENR) Global Best Project Awards, including the Google Bay View Campus in northern California, the Tianfu Agricultural Exposition center in China, and the Canal Lachine Bridge project in Quebec, Canada.