The nine-college Los Angeles Community College District is in a unique situation.  Despite a nationwide economic slump that is one of the worst in 50 years, the district has money to spend—and to build. LACCD, which serves more than 220,000 students throughout Los Angeles County, is in the middle of a $5.7-billion building program, funded by three bonds passed in the last eight years. The program, which began 2004 and is expected to be completed by 2014, is intended to modernize and add new facilities throughout the district. Image courtesy LACCD The East L.A. College Performing and Fine Arts Center,

Following three years of precipitous decline, the construction market may have finally hit bottom and be in the early phase of a rebound with housing leading the way. McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting that total construction starts will climb 11% to $466.2 billion in 2010, following an estimated 25% decline in 2009. The forecast was announced at the 2010 Construction Outlook conference in Washington, D.C. Photo: Bruce Buckley Robert Murray delivered the McGraw-Hill Construction forecast. Related Links: Architects Brace for a Prolonged Recession Special Report: Recession and Recovery ENR: See How Last Year's Forecast Measured Up After a 39% drop in

Following three years of precipitous decline, the construction market may have finally hit bottom and be in the early phase of a rebound with housing leading the way. McGraw-Hill Construction is forecasting that total construction starts will climb 11% to $466.2 billion in 2010, following an estimated 25% decline in 2009. The forecast was announced at the 2010 Construction Outlook conference in Washington, D.C. Photo: Bruce Buckley Robert Murray delivered the McGraw-Hill Construction forecast. Related Links: Architects Brace for a Prolonged Recession Special Report: Recession and Recovery ENR: See How Last Year's Forecast Measured Up After a 39% drop in

As summer gave way to fall, some economic indicators suggested the Great Recession was ending, and yet many architects continue to struggle in an environment that provides only scattered reasons for optimism. Much of the gloom can be explained through numbers. For example, the Dodge Index from McGraw-Hill Construction, which measures all current construction activity in the U.S., from homes to highways, has stood at an average of 85 for 2009, which is far below the average of 135 for 2007. “And if you adjust for inflation, it’s even worse,” says Kim Kennedy, an economist with McGraw-Hill Construction Research. Related

Available Documents via Documents-on-Demand  A101–2007, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor, Where Basis of Payment is a Stipulated Sum  A105–2007, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Contractor for a Residential or Small Commercial Project  A201–2007, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction A401–2007, Standard Form of Agreement Between Contractor and Subcontractor B101–2007, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect B105–2007, Standard Form of Agreement Between Owner and Architect for a Residential or Small Commercial Project G701–2001, Change Order G701CMa–1992, Change Order, Construction Manager-Adviser Edition G702–1992, Application and Certificate for Payment G702CMa–1992, Application and Certificate for Payment,

Daniel Libeskind’s bold $110 million addition to the Denver Art Museum opened to the public on October 7, 2006. Three weeks later, after a fall snowstorm, the building’s sharply angled roof began to leak. Water could be seen dripping from a skylight in the four-story El Pomar Grand Atrium. Photo courtesy Wikipedia/Archipreneur (top); David Hill (bottom) Libeskind’s bold $110 million addition to the Denver Art Museum has been leaking since shortly after it opened in October 2006. Related Links: New Addition to Denver Museum Robert Ivy: Sky High Repairing the roof has proved to be no simple matter. In the

The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has announced its biannual list of “watch sites”—buildings and landscapes of significant cultural value that, according to the organization, require urgent attention. The WMF states that the sites are selected based on four criteria: “significance, urgency of the situation, viability of proposed actions, and relevance of the issues to the heritage field at large.” Photo courtesy World Monuments Fund Afghanistan, Old City of Herat. The 2010 list consists of 93 sites located in 47 countries. Of those, 11 are in Africa and the Middle East, 38 in North and South America (with nine in the

Images courtesy One New Change Work is progressing on Jean Nouvel’s One New Change in central London. Related Links: New Retail and Office Center by Nouvel Nouvel Wins 2008 Pritzker Prize Nouvel's First California Project on Hold While construction launches have come to a virtual halt in central London, highly visible projects that predate the economic downturn are coming to fruition. A trio of wind turbines that will crown the 43-story Castle House designed by London-based architecture firm Hamiltons are being fabricated in Sweden. The tropical-colored ceramic skins of the Renzo Piano–designed Central Saint Giles have begun wowing tourists strolling

In the three years leading up to the current recession, gross billings at U.S. architecture firms increased nearly $16 billion from 2005 and totaled $44.3 billion in 2008. That equates to 54 percent growth over three years with annual growth of about 16 percent. These findings come from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) “Business of Architecture: AIA Survey Report on Firm Characteristics,” which is conducted every three years to examine issues related to the business practices of AIA member-owned architecture firms. Top 10 sectors served by architects in 2008 Healthcare: 18.2% Office space: 11.3% Education (K-12): 9.0% Education (college/university):