GE lending plan reflects rising contractor reliance on rental equipment

GE's financing arm is expanding financing for equipment dealers so they can put the newest gear in their rental fleets.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 29, 2014

AGC asks Army Corps to skip labor agreements for N.C. contracts

Associated General Contractors is urging the Army not to force bidders to set up agreements to pay prevailing uniuon wages in order to bid for Corps of Engineers business in eastern N.C. and Va.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 29, 2014

Explore the Trendline➔

Preconstruction

Careful collaboration before shovels hit dirt is key to a successful project, experts say.

By Construction Dive staff

Notre Dame unveils plan for $400M football stadium expansion

Notre Dame Stadium is getting academic and social touches as well as more seating with the addition of new buildings on three sides of the 1930 facility where Knute Rockne coached.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 29, 2014

No one will enjoy the Smithsonian's $55M renovation anytime soon

The Smithsonian Institution has spent that much rehabilitating its first building, Arts & Industries, but it does not have enough to finish it for public use, a memo says.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 28, 2014

Israeli construction workers uncover forgotten weapons cache

A crew working on a school expansion unearthed a store of guns from before Israel's establishment in 1948.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 28, 2014

Concrete industry expects 8% growth for 2014

The Portland Cement Association says it thinks that pent-up demand will pour out in the housing market this year and lead the way to higher sales.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 28, 2014

IT security is a concern when employees bring their own devices to work

It's great if workers want to use their own electronic devices on the job and save the company money, but is your data secure on their smart phones?

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 27, 2014

South Florida is sprouting condo towers amid new building boom

The pace is not as fast as during the last boom from 2003-2007, but residential buildings are rising rapidly as developers see a demand for them.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 27, 2014

Bay Bridge's opening did not banish questions; hearings held

A California legislative hearing is looking into questions about mistakes and other issues, even though the bridge is open.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 27, 2014

Companies that aren't hiring are also unlikely to be building

A survey of "middle" companies found that there are too many "ifs" for them to be hiring yet, which makes them unlikely to invest in new space.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 26, 2014

Fla. sees predicted wage increases amid tight labor market

In the Orlando area and across Florida, the widely discussed shortage of construction labor is showing up in rising wages for crafts and professionals.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 26, 2014

Contractor offers advice to Auburn master's students

The real-world advice on being a developer was part of a class in the university's Master of Real Estate Development program.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 24, 2014

Private-sector investors seen as funding source for infrastructure

Institutional investors are looking to step up their participation in infrastructure projects, but those have to be structured with a solid revenue stream.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 24, 2014

Gene McGovern, construction management mastermind, dies at 72

The co-founder of Lehrer/McGovern was a consultant on the new Tappan Zee Bridge construction when he died last week.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 24, 2014

Worker dies after fall at N.C. construction site

The 30-year-old man fell from scaffolding five stories up, a caller told emergency dispatchers shortly before medics pronounced the worker dead at the scene.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 2014

Pa. school districts say state owes them $1B in construction reimbursements

The districts that have undertaken about 350 projects say the state's decision to take care of its budget is ruining theirs.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 2014

1,500 concrete buildings in L.A. at risk of collapse during an earthquake

Building owners may learn they have to worry after university engineers gave the city a list of at-risk buildings.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 23, 2014

SOM advances research on wood-frame high-rises

One architect at the company's Chicago office is driving a deeper understanding of mass-timber structures, which it has shown could be used for a 42-story residential tower.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2014

New center at NYC's New School turns campus design on edge

The 16-story University Center designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill makes a vertical assembly of quads and buildings that traditionally are spread put horizontally on college campuses.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2014

Teamwork key to speedy I-5 bridge repair in Washington

Three private contractors formed a team that moved in with the state DOT to speed design, reviews and construction after the Skagit River Bridge was broken last spring.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2014

While contractors look up, architects' billing index falls again

At the same time that numerous reports say most contractors are feeling good about 2014, the American Institute of Architects' billings index, a leading economic indicator, fell again in December.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2014

Gigantic crane making its way to N.Y.'s new bridge site

Fluor, which leads the consortium awarded the contract to replace the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River in New York state knew right where it could find a heavy – very heavy – lift crane.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 22, 2014

After losing construction jobs in 2012, Florida seeks workers

The Sunshine State took the hardest hit during the recession, lopping off half of its 700,000-strong construction workforce, and now it has to rebuild.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 21, 2014

Tower cranes face tougher standards

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers says tower cranes must meet the same wind-load designs as buildings, turning that from a suggestion into a requirement.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 21, 2014

Contractors like outlook for 2014, even in public sector

Associated General Contractors found in a nationwide survey that there is more optimism than pessimism in the industry.

By Ron Gallagher • Jan. 21, 2014