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Dodge: 2018 so far a mixed bag for commercial, multifamily starts

A robust multifamily market, which balanced an almost equal downturn on the commercial side, helped prop up overall starts in the first six months of 2018.

Commercial Building

MIT class designs 82,000-square-foot mass timber prototype

The more tall wood structures that can be built and safely occupied, the better the chances that building codes will eventually change, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said.

Technology

OSHA extends deadlines for some aspects of beryllium standard outside of construction

A pushback of general industry compliance dates for the beryllium standard to Dec. 12 does not affect the construction industry's requirements.

Legal/Regulation

AECOM hit record $5B revenue, earned $61M in Q3

Despite the sales boost, the construction giant's income was down nearly 40% from the prior year's third quarter. An executive said the firm is trying to narrow its focus rather than "being all things to all people."

Commercial Building

Glass equipment suppliers plead guilty to $1.3M fraud

Charges against the New York-based glass installation company owners include taking orders from customers and laundering money from the deposits with no intention of providing products.

Legal/Regulation

Revamped electrical contractor training prioritizes technology

The National Electrical Contractors Association integrated BIM and moved to electronic documentation in an overhaul of its apprenticeship training program.

Technology

AIA predicts nonresidential spending growth through 2019

The Consensus Construction Forecast Panel said spending in the commercial/industrial sector will outpace institutional outlays by 2.2% in 2018, but that institutional will take the lead in 2019.

Commercial Building

Lawmakers push for innovative materials in national infrastructure

The IMAGINE Act calls for new asphalt and concrete formulations, advanced alloys and metals, reinforced polymer composites and aggregate, geosynthetic and other materials meant to accelerate construction times and last longer.

Infrastructure

Jacobs posts strong Q3, touts last year's acquisition of CH2M Hill

The December absorption, which chairman Steven Demetriou said is surpassing expectations, has been a factor in the engineering-focused construction firm's year-over-year revenue gains of 65%.

Commercial Building

Maryland Purple Line to bring years of 'intrusive' construction, official warns

The new light rail line will carve a path through neighborhoods and expose residents to the sounds and vibrations of drilling and maybe even blasting.

Infrastructure

Robot learns to build, adapt using Lego models

Autodesk's BrickBot is programmed to autonomously build from 3D models and could be a precursor to construction and manufacturing applications.

Technology

Virginia demands tunnel-boring for Hampton Roads project

All competing contractors must use the boring method of tunnel construction when calculating their bid proposals for the $3 billion project.

Infrastructure

Carpenters sidestep Hudson Yards legal battle, reach agreement with Related Cos.

The New York City District Council of Carpenters broke ranks from the regional umbrella union coalition, which is still entrenched in a lawsuit with the developer, and agreed to provide labor for the second phase of Hudson Yards.

UPDATED: Aug. 9, 2018 at 10:09 a.m.

Commercial Building

Column

Digital Deals: Autodesk, Komatsu, TrueLook, more ink agreements

Plus, GreenStaxx and Triumph Modular refine a Lego-like building process for student housing and tech startup Concrete Sensors attracts Cemex funding.

Technology

Construction begins on $211M Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier

Costs for the net landed at about three times the original estimate due to complicated engineering and design and the logistics of installing 600 tons of marine-grade stainless steel 250 feet above the water.

Infrastructure

Deadline nears to comment on EPA's asbestos proposal

The agency will stop taking comments on Aug. 10 regarding its "new use" proposal to allow asbestos in some roofing and other construction materials on a case-by-case basis. 

Legal/Regulation

LafargeHolcim acquires Denver-based concrete company

With the absorption of Metro Mix, the international cement and concrete giant aims to cash in on a building boom in the acquiree​'s regional market.

Corporate News

Army Corps of Engineers credited for saving vets hospital

A state official said the agency's construction management turned around the delay-ridden, budget-busting $1.7 billion Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Aurora, Colorado. 

Commercial Building

Industry could be overspending $177B per year, study finds

Low adoption of technology, among other factors, has managers wasting up to 14 hours weekly, or 35% of their time, on non-optimal tasks, according to a PlanGrid/FMI Corp. report.

Commercial Building

DC Attorney General alleges electrical contractor misclassified 535 workers

The lawsuit seeks monetary and injunctive relief for the employees and recovery of penalties to the District of Columbia, which could be up to $5,000 per misclassified worker.

Legal/Regulation

NYC's hotel building process long, but could get longer

The permitting process alone takes 56% longer for hotels than it does for other types of buildings in the Big Apple and a new law may extend it even more.

Commercial Building

Report: Oregon 'hottest' market for roads through 2021

The Zweig Group's guide to U.S. DOT markets also identifies Texas, Florida and other states as meccas for infrastructure construction opportunities.

Infrastructure

Rising costs could limit West Virginia's $2.8B Roads to Prosperity program

Bids for the highway expansion plan's first project came in at $100 million more than the state anticipated.

Infrastructure

Tech still not on minds of many CEOs, survey shows

Construction executives' bearish take on technology will continue in the coming year, according to Vistage's Q2 2018 CEO Confidence Index Survey.

Technology