Shawmut Design and Construction Launches Sports Venues Division

Boston design and construction firm announces  the launch of a dedicated Sports Venues division that will specialize in the management of construction projects at stadiums, arenas, and other athletic facilities across the country.

The launch of Shawmut’s Sports Venues division is the result of momentum established by the completion of more than two dozen projects at some of the nation’s marquee stadiums, including: MetLife Stadium, home of the National Football League’s New York Giants and New York Jets; TD Garden, home of the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins and the NBA’s Boston Celtics; Yankee Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees; Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles; Fenway Park, home of Major League Baseball’s Boston Red Sox; and Alumni Stadium at Boston College.

Shawmut’s Sports Venues division will be overseen by Randy Shelly. Shelly joined Shawmut in 2002, and has more than 25 of years of experience in the construction industry where he has cultivated relationships and managed projects with some of the most prestigious names in sports venues, restaurants, and retail, including Delaware North Companies, MetLife Stadium, Apple and Louis Vuitton.

The Sports Venues division is currently managing a series of Capital Improvement Projects at TD Garden, and has already been awarded multiple projects for 2012, including Upper Level Concessions at Camden Yards, which will be completed during Major League Baseball’s off-season.

The Sports Venues team has a unique understanding of stadium specific considerations, such as the integration of stadium systems; the complex audio/visual requirements; and structural parameters associated with stadium work. Another area of Shawmut’s expertise is suite development and conversion, a critical component for both new and existing stadiums.

Shawmut is also experienced in navigating challenging work environments; utilizing mitigation practices for occupied spaces; and furnishing high-end custom finishes.

Shawmut, an employee-owned company with offices in Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, and Las Vegas, is regarded as one of the premier construction management firms in the United States, with annual revenue of $650 million.

Shawmut has cultivated a reputation for delivering exceptional, personalized service to every client, and promises absolute scheduling predictability. Up-front budget and value engineering exercises, along with the development of specific phasing and delivery methods allow Shawmut to complete each project on time and on budget.

Along with the Sports Venues division, Shawmut also specializes in Academic; Commercial; Corporate Interiors; Healthcare and Life Sciences; Hotels; Restaurants; and Retail.

Shawmut expects to experience continued growth in 2012.

Building Activity Rebounds in Bay State

Construction in the area rebounds after years of anemic activity. Higher education and health care projects are expected to keep Bay State contractors busy in 2012. Construction activity is expected to rebound to the highest levels since the recession.

The education and health caresectors are expected to be the top sources of construction activity again in 2012, said Mary Gately, director of market services for Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts.

With office and retail construction at a near-standstill in recent years, the construction industry has fallen back on public sector jobs as a cushion during the economic downturn.

Partly because of public sector work, Massachusetts construction companies are the nation’s most optimistic for the second straight year, according to a survey of members by Associated General Contractors of America.

The survey released this week found 58 percent of Bay State respondents expect business to grow in 2012. The state had the survey’s highest rates of optimism about public building projects, as well as construction in the retail, warehouse and lodging sectors.

Industry figures see potential for health care, life sciences and multi-family housing to help lead a rebound in 2012 and ensuing years.

Lee Kennedy Co. of Quincy is on a pace for $200 million in construction this year, twice its billings in 2011. The company is working on such high-profile projects as the $42-million Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Dorchester, Berklee College of Music’s new $70-million mixed-use building in Back Bay and a $30-million, 130-room Marriott Residence Inn in South Boston’s Seaport District.

Higher education accounts for 40 percent of the company’s business this year, CEO Lee Kennedy said. “For a long while, it’s been public higher education that’s been carrying the day. Now, recently, private higher-ed is starting to gain momentum,” Kennedy said.

About five million square feet of commercial development is being built in Greater Boston this year, according to research from commercial real estate brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle.

The state’s biotech industry, long held up as a prime economic catalyst, will be in the thick of building projects in 2012. Bay State biotech companies received $1 billion in venture capital funding in 2011, helping fuel expansions, said Peter Abair, director of economic development for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ new 1.1-million-square-foot headquarters in South Boston is the highest-profile project among several major projects. Biogen Idec is building two structures totaling 500,000 square feet as it moves lab and corporate space from Weston to Cambridge.

In a sign of confidence in the market’s future, Skanska USA is building a 100,000-square-foot lab space in Cambridge’s Kendall Square on speculation. The flurry of activity is the industry’s busiest since the middle of the last decade, Abair said.

Quincy-based J. Calnan & Associates, a construction management firm, expects its 2012 business to be steady or slightly above that of last year, President Jim Cahill said.

The company is counting on life science and technology companies for many of its nearly 30 projects this year. Calnan recently oversaw the build-out of new headquarter space for Joule Unlimited, a biofuels start-up that moved from Cambridge to Bedford. “While people aren’t expanding necessarily, that’s still a good market to be in,” Cahill said.

Construction starts in Massachusetts increased 24 percent in 2011 compared with 2010, according to Reed Construction Data.

Bernard Markstein, Reed’s chief economist, said the region’s activity should continue to grow this year. “Where Boston has a real advantage is health care,” he said. “Boston is known as a leader there, and the needs continue to grow there.”

Ownership changes in the health care sector could spur more work for contractors as deep-pocketed investors acquire local hospitals.

Steward Health Care, which is backed by Cerberus Capital Management, acquired Quincy Medical Center last year and plans to spend nearly $31 million to remodel the hospital and install new equipment.

Public school building construction projects continue to be a major source of work, as they had been during the recession.

The Massachusetts School Building Assistance Fund is contributing to 23 projects that will be completed this year, at a total cost of $802 million, spokesman Matt Donovan said.

Projects scheduled for groundbreaking this year include a $61-million middle school in Hingham and a $101-million high school in Marshfield.

Multi-family housing is another potential growth area, Lee Kennedy said. Apartment construction is rebounding in Boston, as home ownership declines and more people join the rental market.

AvalonBay Communities broke ground last year on the 220-unit Avalon Cohasset apartment complex. The project had been delayed for years because of permitting battles and the housing downturn. Condo projects are on the drawing board in downtown Boston for the first time since the recession, which Kennedy described as a reaction to rising rental rates.

Kenneth Simonson, chief economist for Associated General Contractors of America, has predicted that it won’t be until 2015 that construction levels recover to pre-recession levels.

But Massachusetts has fared better than most states because public sector projects, particularly at the state universities, helped pick up the slack during most of the recession, Gately said. As the industry looks ahead, the question is whether the private sector can sustain the momentum.

Ban on Incandescent Bulbs Upheld Despite Dangers of CFL Lamps

 
The House of Representatives again failed to pass the “Better Use of Light Bulbs Act,” aimed at repealing legislation mandating energy efficient replacements - such as LED-based lamps - for 100W incandescent lamps which were phased out on January 1st.

The Republican sponsored bill - which ran contrary to the escalating green movement - failed to achieve the two thirds vote required to repeal the 2007 legislation. Despite the fact that energy efficient lighting will help to significantly energy use, party members believe the government has no place legislating what type of light bulbs citizens buy.

The law does not ban the use or manufacture of all incandescent bulbs, nor does it mandate the use of compact fluorescent or LED lamps. It simply requires that companies make their incandescent bulbs work better. In reality, only technologies such as LED and CFL will meet the new government requirements.

Lighting is responsible for nearly 20% of the world's energy consumption, and is one of the easiest places to save energy. But the savings will come with higher upfront costs, which will be recovered over the long lifetime of the lamps.

Failure of the bill is good news for proponents of LED-based solid-state lighting.

Recent studies have linked CFL lamps to a number of health problems including fatigue, eye strain and migraine headaches, and if broken, compact fluorescent are hazardous to your health. Some manufacturers have started to label their boxes with warnings on how to deal with a broken bulb. In fact, some states will now require that you recycle these bulbs at special facilities because of the large amount of mercury contained in each bulb.

In 2007, President George W. Bush signed into law the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA), requiring more-efficient light bulbs. The legislation - which takes effect on January 1st - specifically requires that light bulb manufacturers improve the efficiency of 100 watt incandescent lamps (lamps with a light output of 1700 lumens), by 25 percent.

The legislation will apply to 75W, 60W, and 40W lamps in successive years between 2012 and 2014., followed more stringent efficiency requirements beginning 2016.

By Peter Coyne 

TheElectricWeb.com

   

Cops say Cooper Thief Butt-Dialed 911

 

Connecticut State Police used GPS to pinpoint the location of the cell phone call and found a burglary in progress. A man wearing his cell phone accidentally dialed 911 in the early morning hours on Thursday, while allegedly stealing copper scrap from a residential housing complex construction site.

 

According to police, the 911 dispatcher heard noises in the background and - thinking that maybe someone was in some type of medical distress - used GPS technology to pinpoint the caller's location.

Officers arrived at the construction site and found the thief loading more than 700 lbs. of copper scrap, which he had hidden in a dumpster, into the back of his pickup truck.

A spokesperson from the Connecticut State Police said "the thief thought he was going to get away with something, but instead he butt-dialed his cell phone and put himself away."

Charged with grand larceny and criminal trespass, the 'butt-dialing thief' was released on $5,000 bond.

 

T12 Fluorescent Bulb Phase Out: How Much Time Do I Have Left?

 
Are you still installing T12 fluorescent lamps? If so, time is running out on the opportunity for your customers to take advantage of rebates and tax incentives for upgrading to more energy-efficient alternatives.

The National Lighting Bureau has estimated that more than 500 million T12 lamps are still in use. However, recent regulations by the Department of Energy have initiated a plan to phase out traditional T12 lamps and ballasts by July 2012.

T12s were originally designed to respond to demand for more energy-efficient fluorescent lamps back in the 1970s during the energy crisis. Unfortunately, for a number of technical reasons, T12s have proved to have shorter lamp life, poor color and low lighting output.

Despite continued use, T12s are widely known as inefficient, dead technology that is easily replaced by T8 or T5 fluorescents, which are more energy-efficient, longer lasting and have better quality light.

“With available rebates and tax incentives, plus the monthly energy cost savings that occur when retrofitting to energy-efficient T8s or T5s, the upgrade virtually pays for itself within a year,” said Sean Neman, director of operations at ReGreen Inc., an energy conservation company. “People need to act fast to cash in on the available rebates and incentives while they are still available. With recent regulations virtually eliminating traditional T12s by 2012, these incentives will not be available for long."

The simplest retrofit for T12 lamp and magnetic ballast is a T8 lamp and electronic ballast. This switch-out can save 30 to 40 percent on energy costs. In qualifying areas, rebates from utilities can subsidize the cost for upgrades anywhere from 60 to 100 percent. Additionally, using the Commercial Building Tax Deduction, owners and managers can receive tax benefits up to 60 cents per square foot.

If you'd like to know more about this tax deduction, go here: http://www.lightingtaxdeduction.org

U.S. Construction Projects Are Now Made In China

 
Rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure is a growing priority, with President Obama highlighting construction jobs as part of his $447 billion jobs plan. Nevertheless, more $400 million in federal funds to renovate the Alexander Hamilton Bridge here in New York has been awarded a Chinese government owned construction company. The company uses U.S. labor but the coveted skilled jobs, such as engineering and design work, are being done in Beijing. The profits will also go overseas.  

  
However, that is only the tip of the iceberg. China Construction America - a subsidiary of the China State Construction Engineering Corporation - has been awarded $100 million in contracts for the 50th Street Ventilation Facility as part of the Long Island Railroad East Side Access project.  CCA also holds a $65 million contract to build a ventilation building structure on the 7 Line Extension project, as well more than $42 million in current NYC Housing Authority contracts. 

At a time when we do not have enough work to support our own industry, how can our government officials justify giving away the little we do have?  

   

The Port Authority last year announced it was looking to the private sector to construct the replacement for the aging Goethals -- a project expected to cost $1.5 billion with a slated completion date of 2017. 

The Tappan Zee Bridge, long overdue for an overhaul, is one of 14 projects chosen by the Obama administration for expedited federal review and approval — possibly allowing work on a new $5.2 billion replacement bridge to begin as early as the spring of 2013. China Construction America is already high on the short list for both projects. 

• The New York Times - Bridge Repairs by a Company Tied to Beijing
• China Daily - China State Construction nets $100m US subway deal
• Forbes - To Rebuild America, Call On China?

'Savings' don’t tell whole story

 
Politicians have justified awarding the contract to China Construction based on numerous savings they claimed it would produce. That does not take into account the wages lost by workers who otherwise would have been employed on the project. It does not take into account the taxes those workers would have paid — from state and city income tax to Social Security and unemployment taxes. 

It does not take into account the multiplier effect, all the related benefits derived across the economy from the daily purchases made by people with jobs. It does not count all the state and local taxes that employed workers pay for schools and highways. Nor does it take into account all the tax revenue that New York State and City government will have to expend for unemployment, health care and other costs run up by people who have no jobs. In short, what may look like a "savings" is anything but. 

• If people don't have jobs, they don't make money.
• If people don't make money, they don't buy things.
• If people don't buy things, there is less demand.
• If there is less demand, then companies don't produce goods.
• If companies don't produce goods, they don't need employees. 
• If people don't have jobs, they don't make money... 

What is clear is that New York has lost an exceptional opportunity to create good-paying jobs at home during a time of high domestic unemployment.

With 25 million Americans unemployed, underemployed, working part time because they cannot find a full-time job, or so discouraged they gave up looking for a job; when millions are out of work for the longest period in our history; when millions are in the process of losing their homes because they were unable to keep up with mortgage payments after corporations eliminated their jobs or they were forced to absorb runaway medical bills, New York is providing work for a Chinese construction company, and shipping more our tax dollars oveseas. 

• Reuters - China State Construction sees 40% profit growth in 2011

by Peter Coyne,  TheElectricWeb.com

Mercury vapor released from broken compact fluorescent light bulbs can exceed safe exposure levels

  
Once broken, a compact fluorescent light bulb continuously releases mercury vapor into the air for weeks to months, and the total amount can exceed safe human exposure levels in a poorly ventilated room, according to study results reported in Environmental Engineering Science.

The amount of liquid mercury (Hg) that leaches from a broken compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) is lower than the level allowed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), so CFLs are not considered hazardous waste. However, Yadong Li and Li Jin, Jackson State University (Jackson, MS) report that the total amount of Hg vapor released from a broken CFL over time can be higher than the amount considered safe for human exposure.

They document their findings in the article “Environmental Release of Mercury from Broken Compact Fluorescent Lamps.” (http://www.liebertpub.com)

As people can readily inhale vapor-phase mercury, the authors suggest rapid removal of broken CFLs and adequate ventilation, as well as suitable packaging to minimize the risk of breakage of CFLs and to retain Hg vapor if they do break, thereby limiting human exposure.

Tests of eight different brands of CFLs and four different wattages revealed that Hg content varies significantly from brand to brand. To determine the amount of Hg released by a broken CFL, Li and Jin used standard procedures developed by the EPA to measure leaching of mercury in liquids and used an emission monitoring system to detect Hg vapor.

“This paper is a very nice holistic analysis of potential risks associated with mercury release from broken CFLs and points to potential human health threats that have not always been considered,” according to Domenico Grasso, PhD, Editor-in-Chief and Vice President for Research, Dean of the Graduate College, University of Vermont.

By Mary Ann Liebert / Environmental Engineering Science