معلومــة

IRVING, Texas – Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) and its partners today celebrated the official deck connection of the Gordie Howe International Bridge spanning the Detroit River. Measuring a half-mile (853 meters), the bridge connects Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America and 10 th longest in the world. The bridge also has the distinction of being the longest composite steel and concrete decked cable-stayed bridge in the world. Bridging North America (BNA), a joint venture between Fluor, ACS Infrastructure Canada and Aecon Group Inc., are building the bridge for Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA). Construction began in 2018 from both sides of the river and culminated with an intricate, four-week, multi-step, precision process that included the placement and removal of temporary bents, and the installation of the final steel girders, beams, panels and precast concrete. “The team has worked incredib...

Siegel’s industry leadership and knowledge of innovation and digital infrastructure will support firm’s work to deliver customized solutions to clients CHICAGO – Jeff Siegel has been named delivery and organizational growth officer for HNTB’s digital infrastructure solutions. In this role, Siegel will collaborate with professionals in the firm’s offices nationwide to deliver optimized digital and technology solutions that help clients meet their goals. “Jeff’s knowledge, commitment to client service and his passion and understanding of the digital infrastructure landscape make him the right person for this critical role,” said Mike Inabinet, PE, HNTB’s Central U.S. president. “As we build upon HNTB’s deep history in delivering innovation and technological advancement, Jeff’s collaborative approach and industry experience will continue to advance our successful delivery on our clients’ most important programs.” In his 30-year career with HNTB, Siegel has served as founding director...

By Chad Clinehens, President & CEO, Zweig Group From The Zweig Letter These events offer firm leaders an opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate  – this year with a focus on ROI. For the past decade, we have seen the AEC industry soar past previous financial metrics and benchmarks, and, keeping to this trend, the industry is performing at historic levels in 2024. While the AEC industry as a whole is experiencing this upward trend, it’s important to note this success doesn’t necessarily translate to every firm, and there are still many challenges for leaders of AEC firms to overcome. However, despite the challenges that we still have to overcome, the success that we have the potential to achieve as an industry has never been greater. This is unique in my experience, and it demonstrates that we are truly experiencing an elevated industry. Both the  2024 ElevateAEC Conference & Awards Gala  and  M&A Next Symposium  in Tampa, Florida, will ...

By Ying Liu, MBA, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Strategy and Growth, Zweig Group From The Zweig Letter Five essential practices you can use to actively engage board members and forge invaluable business partners. What shapes the future of a company at the highest level? In the dynamic landscape of corporate governance, the relationship between a CEO and the board chair is pivotal. This partnership, characterized by transparency, effectiveness, and mutual trust, serves as the cornerstone of organizational success and strategic foresight. For CEOs, the board chair is not merely a supervisor but a crucial sounding board, helping to sharpen their thinking and refine strategies and ideas. So, how can CEOs solidify this relationship to achieve strategic alignment? I’ll shed some light on five essential practices:   Cultivate transparency and openness.  A transparent relationship between the CEO and the board chair is foundational. For a CEO, openness involves candidly sharing bot...

Back in 2000, Dag Madara, a geographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District was walking on Monmouth Beach, New Jersey, the location of the agency’s Atlantic Coast of New Jersey Sandy Hook to Barnegat Inlet Beach Erosion Control Project. He was monitoring the federally threatened bird – the Piping Plover ( Charadrius melodus ), one of several environmental conservation measures performed by the agency on all coastal restoration projects to ensure wildlife is not harmed. While doing this he spotted what looked like spinach sprouting out of the sand by his foot. “My colleagues taught me how to search for and identify various endangered wildlife in the area, but I wasn’t expecting to find this!” he said. Madara discovered the federally threatened coastal plant – the Seabeach Amaranth ( Amaranthus pumilus ) – that hadn’t been seen in the region for almost a century. Since his discovery, the plant’s population has grown tremendously in the region, and it’s attributed t...

FREEPORT, Illinois – Fehr Graham , a leading Midwest engineering and environmental firm, secured the No. 83 spot on Zweig Group’s Hot Firm List, making its third consecutive year on the roster. Ranking No. 54 in 2023 and No. 74 in 2022, Fehr Graham continues to establish itself as one of the top-growing firms. This year marks the ninth time Fehr Graham has earned a place on the list, showing the firm’s ongoing commitment to growth and excellence. “We are thrilled to once again be recognized by Zweig Group,” said Fehr Graham President Mick Gronewold. “This honor is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated team and the trust our clients place in us. Together, they drive our growth and allow us to innovate and excel.” Zweig is a business management group that annually honors the 100 fastest-growing firms in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry. Rankings are determined by revenue growth by percentage and dollars over three years. Eligibility for the 2024 H...

By Stuart McLendon, COO, Zweig Group From The Zweig Letter The professional labor gap is an opportunity to rethink, reshape, and revitalize how we work. Last time,  we left off staring into the gaping maw of the professional labor gap . Remember how the baby boomers bowed out and left us all a bit short-handed? Well, fret not. It’s time to explore the brave new world of work innovations that are reshaping how we bridge this talent divide. Buckle up; it’s going to be an interesting ride! First up: the shift to hybrid and remote work. COVID-19 turned our workspaces upside down and taught us a valuable lesson – work doesn’t always need four office walls. This revelation wasn’t just a pandemic fling; it’s looking like a long-term commitment. We’ve seen a seismic shift in how businesses view the workplace. And guess what? Productivity didn’t plummet; in many cases, it soared! It turns out, giving people the freedom to work in their own spaces can do wonders for morale and efficiency...

On-site construction is on schedule to begin in October PHILADELPHIA —  Herzog Contracting Corporation and Dana B. Kenyon Company (DBK) have started preconstruction on Amtrak’s new Penn Coach Yard Heavy Maintenance Facility near Philadelphia’s 30th Street Amtrak Train Station. This project is the first of six facility upgrades across Amtrak’s network. The Penn Coach Yard facility will service many of Amtrak’s Acela, Airo and Northeast Regional trains that operate up and down the Northeast Corridor (NEC), which today provides more than twelve million annual trips. “We look forward to breaking ground in 2024 on this critical infrastructure investment along the NEC, America’s busiest passenger corridor. This new facility will speed up train maintenance and reduce turnaround times, providing Amtrak customers with more reliable and frequent service,” said Laura Mason, Amtrak’s Executive Vice President of Capital Delivery. The project award is a significant milestone for Herzog and DB...

WSP serving as engineer of record for Maryland’s David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center; first on the East Coast to produce on-site green hydrogen energy. DERWOOD, MARYLAND — Work is underway on the landmark David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center (EMTOC) that will feature electric bus charging and on-site green hydrogen production powered by solar and battery energy storage. A June 14 groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of construction on an integrated microgrid infrastructure project that will be the largest renewable energy-powered transit depot microgrid in the U.S., as well as the first on the East Coast to produce sustainable hydrogen energy on-site. Montgomery County’s EMTOC is a major depot within Ride-On Montgomery’s network and the fifth largest county-owned energy consumer. By 2035, EMTOC is projected to accommodate 200 zero-emissions buses, mostly hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs). Fueling the County’s ini...

By: Ralph Hage Tucked away in a scenic Mediterranean coastal town, a historic Lebanese house pediment was recently saved from ruin. The structure, consisting of a pediment supported by five arches, was falling apart after years of abandonment. In fact, the only feature holding the structure together were crawling plants that had intertwined themselves throughout the columns and pediment.  The house was built at the turn of the twentieth century and was renovated in 1974. That did not last however as it was abandoned since the start of the Lebanese Civil War in April 1975. It belonged to Jamil Baroody, the Lebanese diplomat who served as the Saudi Arabian representative to the United Nations from the organization’s first meeting in 1946 until 1979. From a 1940s postcard of Souk Al Gharb. The pediment is located within the red rectangle. In 2019, fearing that the house was dilapidated, Jamil’s nephew, Hiram Corm, decided to restore the pediment. The restoration required a cr...

Uniting over a dozen services in one convenient location in the heart of Philadelphia Jefferson Health  recently opened the Honickman Center, now home to over a dozen specialty practices previously scattered throughout 10 buildings.  Stantec , a global integrated design firm, served as the architect of record for fit-out of the building. Stantec partnered with  Ennead Architects , the core and shell architect, to help plan the facility for its intended ambulatory care use. Located in the heart of Center City Philadelphia, the $762 million, 462,000-square-foot facility serves as a catalyst for changing the health system’s delivery of care. Virtual and technology strategies augment physical space planning, engaging patients and offering convenience during the pre-arrival stage of care. Valet and concierge services support a seamless arrival experience. Patient-centered experience Reimagining care with the support of new technologies allowed the Stantec team t...

The leading provider of AECO information management software announces the industry’s first solution for seamlessly moving project discussion and decision-making into BIM environment BOSTON  —  Newforma , the leader in information management software, announces the world’s first integration of email communication directly with the buildingSMART International openBIM format, an open international process supporting accessible, sustainable collaboration for all project participants. This breakthrough for the global architecture, engineering, construction, and owner-operator (AECO) industry allows a seamless transition of project discussion and decision-making from a single siloed inbox to the collaborative BIM environment. The groundbreaking update to Newforma Konekt ushers in a new era of integrated project delivery by empowering users to convert email threads into actionable BCF issues; ensure all project stakeholders are on the same page with real-time updates; and streamli...

by Lauren Aguilar, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of illuceo From The Zweig Letter How to make all employees feel safer at work and more willing to build authentic connections. The architecture, engineering, and construction industry is in a recruiting and retention crisis. So how do we attract the right talent and retain them? Within this scarcity we need powerful solutions. The science says that building an inclusive culture draws new talent to your organization and promotes retention. And recent research shows that inclusion efforts actually benefit both majority and minority group members. New data  shows the key is signaling inclusion at an organizational level. For majority group members, signaling inclusion leads to more allyship behaviors – positive actions on behalf of a different group member. For both majority and minority group members, signaling inclusion leads to: Rating the organizational culture higher. A higher likelihood of revealing one’s personal identities...

The 10-mile section of new canal will provide critical water supplies to farmers in California’s Central Valley Stantec, a global leader in sustainable design and engineering, along with the Bureau of Reclamation and Friant Water Authority, has announced completion of the first phase of construction for a 10-mile section of the Friant-Kern Canal Middle Reach Capacity Correction Project. The canal, which delivers water to more than 1 million acres of highly productive farmland and 250,000 residents, is being restored after years of canal capacity loss due to land subsidence—a sinking of the earth from groundwater removal. The eastern San Joaquin Valley is part of California’s Central Valley, which produces about a quarter of the US food supply. Stantec was selected as the engineer of record for the 33-mile, multiphase project in 2017. The $326 million phase-one portion of the project to replace 10 miles of canal began construction in late 2021. The Bureau of Reclamation owns the canal...

by Liisa Andreassen In the AEC industry, buy/sell agreements are essential tools to ensure business continuity and stability. These agreements are pivotal in facilitating seamless ownership transitions and safeguarding the interests of all parties involved. The 2024 Principals, Partners & Owners Report of AEC Firms is a comprehensive study of owners and top managers from 212 U.S. AEC firms and it touches a good deal on buy/sell agreements.  Why is a Buy/Sell Agreement So Important?  Of the surveyed participating principals, only 73 percent said they had structured buy/sell agreements. As noted during a webinar that reviewed the report, that number should be 100 percent. Ezequiel Tovar, analyst and ownership transition consultant for the Zweig Group, explains why.  “Imagine the buy/sell agreement as a pillar. It supports the most crucial and sensitive circumstances that can happen to a firm. The buy/sell agreement lays out in great detail how the firm will proceed...

CHICAGO —Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) is pleased to announce The Structural Engineers Association of Illinois (SEAOI) selected Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City as this year’s Juror’s Favorite/Most Innovative Structure. The top honor in SEAOI’s annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards, the award was presented to MKA for their role as Lead Structural Engineer on the project during the organization’s 45th Annual Awards Celebration on June 13 in Chicago, Illinois.  The Perelman Performing Arts Center—known as PAC NYC—completes the master vision for the 9/11 Memorial Grounds and was designed in collaboration with Design Architect REX and Architect of Record Davis Brody Bond – a Page/ Company. It opened in September 2023. MKA’s structural design for the 129,000-square-foot PAC NYC may look incredibly humble or even simple from the outside as a solemn marble cube against the city’s skyline, but at night the cube’s glowing form hints at the intricacy hidd...

BALTIMORE, MD ―  IMAGINiT Technologies  now offers  Bluebeam’s  industry-leading solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), and manufacturing industries providing customers with a single partner for all their Bluebeam and Autodesk subscriptions. As IMAGINiT continues to expand its Autodesk software adoption, implementation and support services, customers can enjoy a ‘one-stop-shop’ for design engineering solutions that streamline project workflows and enhance collaboration. “Our partnership with Bluebeam represents a significant step forward in our mission to provide customers with integrated, cloud-powered expertise and solutions that unlock the full potential of their data,” says Bill Zavadil, president and chief operating officer, IMAGINiT Technologies. “By combining Bluebeam’s powerful collaboration tools with our team’s expert level knowledge of Autodesk products and platform, we are improving our customers’ project outcomes across th...

HOUSTON – The Texas Chapter of the American Public Works Association (Tx-APWA) has awarded Houston Public Works, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam Inc. (LAN), and Harper Brothers Construction the Project of the Year Award for Environments over $75M for the Northeast Transmission Line (NETL) program. The award was presented on June 4 at the annual Tx-APWA Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The NETL, the city’s largest water transmission project to date, will deliver 340 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated surface water from the expanded Northeast Water Purification Plant (NEWPP) through 16.5 miles of 120-inch and 108-inch steel water lines. This monumental project aligns with Houston Public Works’ goals to reduce groundwater pumping, enhance water supply reliability and meet the projected 2040 water demand, benefiting over 900,000 homes in Harris County. LAN served as the program manager for the entire alignment of NETL and designed three segments. “We are delighted for the project ...

Mixed-use project will include housing, retail, and a Civil Rights museum The City of Orangeburg, South Carolina, broke ground yesterday on the Orangeburg Railroad Corner Development. The 1-acre brownfield site will transform 12 historic, city-owned parcels into mixed-use commercial and residential spaces through new construction and reuse of heritage structures. Global integrated design firm Stantec collaborated on the project with the public-private partnership (P3) of the City and Orangeburg University District Partners (OUDP) to bring the community’s vision to fruition. Stantec is serving as planning, environmental, design, and engineering lead in collaboration with local architecture firm Studio 2LR. The project aims to revitalize the area and facilitate economic growth with new commercial and retail space. Designed to reflect the city’s heritage, Railroad Corner mixes elements of the area’s historic aesthetic with modern touches. Stantec worked with the City and OUDP—a develop...