At least 14 people have been killed in a building collapse in the western Indian state of Goa, Indian media say.

Dozens are also feared trapped after the five-story apartment building collapsed.

The cause of the collapse is still unknown.

Police said that at least 40people - mostly construction workers - were on the site at the time of the incident.

Rescuers are digging through the rubble in search of survivors while soldiers have also been deployed to assist with the rescue efforts.

A witness said the building fell like "a pack of cards" while another witness likened the collapse to an earthquake, saying there was complete chaos after the collapse.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar was quoted as saying police would arrest the "builder, the contractor and municipal officials involved in sanctioning this construction site".

The incident comes after a building collapse in Mumbai killed at least 42 people in September.

A lack of construction codes, leading to lax safety, is one reason for frequent collapses of buildings and other infrastructure projects in India.

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Building collapse leaves 14 dead, dozens trapped

PANAJI, India: Thirteen bodies were pulled from the wreckage of a building under construction that collapsed "like a house of cards" in a coastal village in the Indian tourist state of Goa on Saturday, authorities said.

The residential building caved in around mid-afternoon, when some 50 daily wage labourers, were working on the site, police said.

"We have got 13 bodies from the wreckage. We expect the death toll to rise," Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told AFP.

A witness said the building collapsed like "a pack of cards".

Fire and emergency service crews rushed to the spot. Rescue workers using cranes and bulldozers, shovels and bare hands, struggled to shift concrete slabs and other debris to free the trapped labourers.

Hundreds of onlookers stood watching the rescue efforts as police sought to shoo them away from the site, saying they were hampering access for machinery.

"The current priority is to rescue people trapped under the rubble and the government has also taken help of the army to clear the debris," Parikkar told the Press Trust of India separately.

Parrikar had been near the village to attend a state-sponsored folklore festival that was later cancelled by the government.

The building collapse, the latest in a string of deadly construction cave-ins in India recently, occurred in the seaside village of Canacona, south of the capital city of Panaji.

Initial reports said that the structure was five-storey apartment residence.

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Death toll rises to 13 in India building collapse

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - For the first time in 35 years, a brand new multi-story apartment building will be constructed in downtown Little Rock.

The building is called Macarthur Commons and will be built on the site of the former Arkla Gas Headquarters.

Moses Tucker Real Estate will manage the 96 unit complex. "The rental market, younger market, less expensive units but still nice, that's a product that still doesn't exist today downtown and so we feel like the time is right to deliver that to the market," said Moses Tucker co-founder Jimmy Moses. "It's just another phase of the continuing development of the downtown area."

Studio rentals will begin at $650 per month according to Moses. The building will have a pool, fitness center, and balconies with every unit. "Most of all it's a convenience to be close to everything that is downtown and the river market itself," Moses added. "It's just critical that we continue to add supply to the market because the demand is very strong for it."

Over the past ten years, Moses Tucker has opened more than 500 new apartments and condos, and this new project will get them closer to their goal of adding 1,000 units downtown. It's a huge catalyst for bringing young professionals to Little Rock, according to former mayor and Little Rock Downtown Partnership Executive Director Sharon Priest. "Being able to live where you work is very important to a lot of people," she told THV. "The trends are that (creatives) like to be able to walk to whatever they want to do. They're more environmentally conscious and it just fits in much better with their lifestyle."

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Construction to begin on downtown apartment complex | thv11.com

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Marjorie Gilbert

Marjorie Gilbert is a freelance writer and published author. An avid researcher, Gilbert has created an Empire gown (circa 1795 to 1805) from scratch, including drafting the gown's patterns by hand.

Buildings are classified by type of construction--literally how the building is constructed as dictated by the International Building Code. The classification takes into account a very important aspect: how well the building resists fire. As might be expected, thanks to the many materials from which a building is made, there is a wide range of classes within this classification.

The Type I-A building construction produces a building that has exterior walls and a structural frame that are able to withstand fire up to three hours. Both the floor and the ceiling need to resist fire for two hours, while the roof should resist fire up to one and a half hours. Buildings that fall within this type are often high-rise structures. The main difference between the Type I-A and B is that the Type I-B building has exterior walls and a structural frame that only has to resist fire for two hours, rather than the three hours of the Type I-A.

The Type II-A building is considered one that is protected and non-combustible, and often includes newer schools. These buildings have exterior walls, structural frames and a ceiling, roof and floor that should last up to one hour. The main difference between the Type II-A and Type II-B building is that while the II-B building is made from non-combustible materials, it has no fire resistance to speak of. Most commercial buildings fall within this construction type.

The Type III-A building construction includes buildings that have walls of brick or even block, and can have wooden roofs. For these buildings, the exterior walls should last up to two hours while the rest of the building should last up to an hour. Warehouses that have brick or block exterior walls fall into the Type III-B category, and can last up to two hours; the rest of the building has no fire protection whatsoever.

Type IV actually stands alone in this type of building construction. This category includes what is termed heavy timber, because each of the timbers used must be at least 8 inches around or more. This type of construction is often used for mills, and their exterior walls should last for two hours while the structural frame should last for one. The floor, ceiling and roof have no rating, but each should be constructed of the heavy timber.

This is the last in the types of building construction. Type V-A buildings are constructed of wood that is considered protected in that the exterior walls, the structural frame, roof, floor and ceiling should all last for up to an hour. The caveat is that there needs to be no exposed wood inside the structure. Most of the buildings that fall into this category are apartment buildings that have been built more recently. Type V-B includes most wooden houses that are single-family as well as garages. These buildings are considered unprotected, as there is often exposed wood inside the structures. They also have no fire protection.

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Posted: 11:35 am

New Mexicos popular tax credits to promote green building appear to be heading into their final year of availability for residential construction despite being renewed through the end of 2016.

Demand for the Sustainable Building Tax Credit program, which is administered by the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, has been so strong that the residential allotment for the 2014 tax year is long gone. The 2015 allotment is currently being distributed.

We will probably start issuing residential tax credits before the spring equinox (March 20) for tax credit 2016, the last authorized tax year for the program, said Ken Hughes of the departments energy conservation and management division.

The current pace of demand for the residential credits points to them being used up by the end of this year.

The residential tax credits are available for the construction of detached single-family homes and require certification through either the Build Green New Mexico or the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design programs.

Introduced in 2007, tax credits were set to expire at the end of 2013 but were extended through 2016.

The extension by the state Legislature reduced the total amount of residential credits from $5 million a year to $4 million this year, Hughes said. In addition, apartment construction was shifted from the residential category to the commercial tax credit category.

The extension also reduced the total amount of tax credits for commercial construction from $5 million to $1 million this year. Demand for the commercial tax credits has been weak two-thirds of the 2013 allotment are still available due to the sluggish economy.

As a general rule, homebuilders pass along most or all of their cost savings from the tax credits to homebuyers.

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Green building credits going fast

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - For the first time in 35 years, a brand new multi-story apartment building will be constructed in downtown Little Rock.

The building is called Macarthur Commons and will be built on the site of the former Arkla Gas Headquarters.

Moses Tucker Real Estate will manage the 96 unit complex. "The rental market, younger market, less expensive units but still nice, that's a product that still doesn't exist today downtown and so we feel like the time is right to deliver that to the market," said Moses Tucker co-founder Jimmy Moses. "It's just another phase of the continuing development of the downtown area."

Studio rentals will begin at $650 per month according to Moses. The building will have a pool, fitness center, and balconies with every unit. "Most of all it's a convenience to be close to everything that is downtown and the river market itself," Moses added. "It's just critical that we continue to add supply to the market because the demand is very strong for it."

Over the past ten years, Moses Tucker has opened more than 500 new apartments and condos, and this new project will get them closer to their goal of adding 1,000 units downtown. It's a huge catalyst for bringing young professionals to Little Rock, according to former mayor and Little Rock Downtown Partnership Executive Director Sharon Priest. "Being able to live where you work is very important to a lot of people," she told THV. "The trends are that (creatives) like to be able to walk to whatever they want to do. They're more environmentally conscious and it just fits in much better with their lifestyle."

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Construction to begin on downtown apartment complex

Originally published January 1, 2014 at 8:08 PM | Page modified January 2, 2014 at 5:49 PM

Apartment rents jumped 6.5 percent during 2013 to $1,214 a month in King and Snohomish counties, but tenants should see market rents stay level or even decline this year, a new report suggests.

After climbing 3 percent in 2013s second quarter and 2.4 percent in the third, the average monthly rent in the Seattle metro market actually dipped in the fourth quarter by $5, according to Seattle-based Apartment Insights Washington, which tracks rents, vacancies and concessions in the Puget Sound region.

Meanwhile, the vacancy rate rose to 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter, up from 4.4 percent in the third quarter, and more properties offered fatter concessions, said Tom Cain, principal of the Seattle firm.

Its a clear signal of the market softening, Cain said. Renters in 2014 will have more choices, he said, and shouldnt expect the big hikes of recent quarters.

The Seattle metro area is in the middle of the biggest apartment building boom in two decades. Robust job growth has pushed vacancy rates to historic lows, placing Seattle among the worst U.S. cities for recent rent increases.

The 6.5 percent growth in rent in 2013 was the highest annual increase since the last job boom. Average apartment rents jumped 8.6 percent in 2007 and 9.6 percent in 2006, Cain said.

The firm, which partners with Phoenix-based RealData, in November surveyed 1,173 apartment properties with at least 50 units in King and Snohomish counties.

Bellevue is the regions most expensive city for a one-bedroom apartment, with rent at $1,434 a month. But downtown Seattle including Belltown, Denny Triangle and South Lake Union is the priciest submarket, at $1,624, according to Apartment Insights.

Beyond downtown, Seattles most expensive neighborhoods for a one-bedroom apartment were Fremont/Wallingford ($1,514), Capitol Hill ($1,449) and First Hill ($1,421). The lowest rent was in North Seattle ($957).

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Seattle-area apartment rents may stabilize, even dip in 2014

Unemployment, manufacturing and construction figures all point to economic growth

Siding is installed outside an apartment building under construction in Peoria, Ill., Aug. 16, 2013.

Economy watchers had reasons to be cheerful Thursday morning as several economic reports pointed to stronger growth in 2014.

The Labor Department announced that the seasonally adjusted number of initial jobless claims, or new workers who have filed for unemployment insurance benefits, fell in the week ending Dec. 21 to 339,000 from the previous weeks revised estimate of 341,000.

Other data like the Institute for Supply Managements monthly survey of the American manufacturing industry were also bullish for the labor market, with manufacturers indicating economic growth expanded in December. The overall index registered at57 percent, the second highest reading for the year after Novembers index of 57.3 percent. Any reading above 50 indicates an expanding manufacturing sector.

Finally, the Census Department reported this morning that construction spending during November 2013was estimated at an annual rate of $934.4 billion on a seasonally adjusted rate, 1 percent higher than Octobers reading, and 5.9 percent higher than last year.

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Economic Indicators Up For 2014

Architects Tokarski Millemann Architects, LLC - Brick, NJ RSC Architects - Cliffside Park, NJ Geoffrey L. Gogan Architect, AIA - Morristown, NJ Weston Architecture - West Orange, NJ David Robert Crawford, Architect, AIA - Cherry Hill, NJ Solutions Architecture, LLC - Newark, NJ Craig F. Dothe Architect LLC - Atlantic City, NJ William Van Ryzin Architect - Madison, NJ T.F. Cusanelli & Filletti Architects, P.C. - Haworth, NJ ThinkForm Design Architect LLC - Hopewell, NJ Eric K. Goldstein, Architect - Highland Park, NJ Mount Vernon Group Architects - Wakefield, MA View More Architects >> General Contractors Chanree Construction Co, Inc. - Manasquan, NJ V & M Construction - Newark, NJ World Wide Construction, Inc. - Newark, NJ Owen Construction Corp. - Monmouth Beach, NJ Costanza Builders - Cherry Hill, NJ Jersey Central Contracting Inc. - Surf City, NJ Tishman Construction - Las Vegas, NV KHS&S Contractors - Tampa, FL Blaze Construction Services, Inc. - Northport, NY Shaw Construction - Denver, CO JAGG2 Development, LLC - Phoenix, AZ Lexington Luxury Builders LLC - Dallas, TX View More Contractors >>

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Apartment Construction Projects in New Jersey

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday December 31, 2013, 4:42 PM

BOGOTA Construction on a controversial housing development was halted Monday, as borough officials scrambled to verify whether the developer had proper permits to begin actively building on the site.

(PHOTO COURTESY: JORGE NUNEZ

On Monday, construction crews began excavating the long-vacant lot at 297 Palisade Avenue, which has been at the center of a bitter feud between members of the Borough Council, who were split on granting a tax abatement deal to the developer.

The developer, 297 Palisades Avenue Urban Renewal LLC, began digging on a long-vacant parcel on Palisade Avenue where it plans to build a 44-unit apartment complex, with a soil removal permit from the Bergen County Soil Conservation District, Borough Administrator August Chip Greiner said.

Further activity on the site has been stopped until the developer, the borough engineer and Greiner can meet on Friday about other needed municipal permits and clearances, a process that Councilman Jorge Nunez said he and other critics of the development will watch closely.

We are getting started on the wrong foot, Nunez said in an email to The Record, citing concern that a preconstruction meeting had not taken place before the digging began. Moving forward we need to make sure that no one is cutting any corners.

On Tuesday, Greiner said the developer had the proper permit to begin digging as of Dec. 23, but that the letter from the county was on file with Harry Tuvel, the borough engineer, who had been on vacation. Receipt of the permit had not been shared with Dan Howell, the borough zoning official, who issued a stop work order until the permit letter was located.

Mr. Howell did the right thing in stopping the work until he could verify that a permit existed, Greiner said, adding that any further activity could result in fines for the developer.

In any case, Greiner added, developers are usually given time to get the proper permits before citations are issued.

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Construction halted on controversial Bogota housing development