Output of Hungary's construction sector was down 0.8% in December from the same month a year earlier, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) said on Wednesday.

Output of the building segment fell 11% year-on-year, while output of the civil engineering segment rose 12.5% in the twelve months to December 2011.

In a month-on-month comparison, construction sector output declined 4.1% according to seasonally- and workday-adjusted figures in December after growing 7.3% in November. Output of the building segment fell an adjusted 5.6% from November and civil engineering output rose 0.9% from the previous month as output of organisations in the road and railway building segment rose more than 50% from an extremely low base, KSH noted.

Construction sector output fell 7.8% in January-December from the same period a year earlier after a 10.4% decline in the full year of 2010.

In the entire year 2011, output in the building segment fell 11.3% and output of the civil engineering segment was down 3.8%.

New orders were up 10.5% in December from twelve months earlier in the second twelve-month rise registered since June 2010. New orders in the building segment rose for the first time since September 2010 and were up 10.4% from December 2010. New civil engineering orders were up 10.6% after rising at a similar rate in November, which followed four months of yr/yr declines.

Total contracts held by the sector were still down by 42.5% yr/yr in volume terms as the stock of orders for buildings was down 46.9% and the stock of civil engineering orders dropped 39.7%.

Hungary's construction sector output fell every year since 2006.

Read more:
Hungary construction sector edges down 0.8% yr/yr in December

KONE Corporation, press release, February 15, 2012

KONE has been selected to supply 25 eco-efficient elevators with supportive technologies to 25 Churchill Place in London, UK. This new high-rise office building in Canary Wharf will stand at a height of 128 meters once completed in late 2014. The office building is being developed by the Canary Wharf Group and the main contractor is Canary Wharf Construction Limited (CWCL).

The order includes 22 KONE MiniSpace® elevators, of which 20 will be dedicated to transporting passengers and two for freight. MiniSpace elevators are especially suited to high-rise buildings. The other three elevators are KONE MonoSpace® Special, of which two can travel at the high speeds required for firefighting. These elevators, equipped with the energy-efficient KONE EcoDisc® hoisting machine, are 50-70% more efficient than elevators that use conventional traction two-speed or hydraulic technology.

Working together with the elevators is the KONE Polaris® destination control system which will reduce waiting times for the office workers. There will also be KONE Infoscreen displays installed within each passenger car to inform and guide elevator passengers for smoother flow in the 26-floor building. The KONE E-link traffic monitoring system will ensure a high service level of the elevators.

"We are delighted that our longstanding relationship with Canary Wharf Contractors has resulted in another order to provide People Flow® for professionals in this London financial hub," says Ari Lehtoranta, EVP and Area Director of KONE Central and North Europe.

25 Churchill Place has been designed by Kohn Pederson Fox (KPF), the architects behind KONE`s Parisian reference Tour First. Previous KONE CWCL projects include the Citigroup Centre at 25 and 33 Canada Square.

The order was booked in the first quarter of 2012.

For further information, please contact:
Anne Korkiakoski, EVP, Marketing & Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358 204 75 4775
Michael Williams, Managing Director, KONE UK, tel. +44 8707748211

About KONE
KONE is one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry. The company has been committed to understanding the needs of its customers for the past century, providing industry-leading elevators, escalators and automatic building doors as well as innovative solutions for modernization and maintenance. The company`s objective is to offer the best People Flow(TM) experience by developing and delivering solutions that enable people to move smoothly, safely, comfortably and without waiting in buildings in an increasingly urbanizing environment. In 2011, KONE had annual net sales of EUR 5.2 billion and on average 35,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Ltd in Finland.

http://www.kone.com

This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients.

The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.

Source: KONE Oyj via Thomson Reuters ONE
HUG#1585885

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KONE to supply eco-efficient elevators to a new office building on Canary Wharf

VAIL, Colorado — The town of Vail is seeking proposals from qualified project managers related to construction of a new municipal office building at 75 S. Frontage Road. The project will include management of relocation logistics for temporary offices, plus coordination of architectural design, entitlements, construction document preparation, and construction and delivery of a new office building.

The request for proposals is being issued following Town Council approval of an agreement with Vail Valley Medical Center and the Steadman Clinic to redevelop the site. The project includes construction of a medical office building on the west side of the property and replacement of the municipal offices on the east side of the site.

Details of the request for proposals will be available on the town's website at vailgov.com in the public notices section beginning Feb. 15. Interested proposers must register with the Community Development for consideration by contacting Shelley Bellm at sbellm@vailgov.com.

Proposals are due by noon on Feb. 24 with the project scheduled to begin on March 8. Construction is anticipated to begin in May 2013 and take approximately 21 months to complete.

Excerpt from:
Vail seeks proposals for management of municipal site project

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. one of the nation’s oldest and largest privately-held construction companies and a 100 percent employee-owned business, was honored last night with a 2012 Training Magazine Top 125 Award. The award was presented during the Training 2012 Conference & Expo in Atlanta, recognizing the top companies based on excellence in employer-sponsored training and development programs. For the second year in a row, McCarthy was honored with placement on the prestigious list, moving up 102 spots from 112th in 2011 to 10th in this year’s ranking.

“As an employee-owned company, it is our responsibility to help one another achieve our greatest potential,” explained McCarthy Chairman and CEO Mike Bolen. “And in our highly technical industry with little room for error we know we must meet the highest standards in construction quality and safety. When each of our 1,400 owners focuses on small incremental improvements, the impact is very powerful. Our comprehensive approach to training and development is a key part of this process. To be included once again among the Training Top 125 companies is an outstanding honor.”

Lorri Freifeld, editor-in-chief of Training magazine added, “The competition was fierce this year, and it was a very difficult task to choose the winners from the many excellent applications we received. Congratulations to the 2012 winners, who demonstrated their unwavering commitment to, passion for, and investment in training.”

Founded as a family owned business almost 150 years ago, McCarthy is one of the largest 100% employee-owned companies in America today. The firm has long fostered a culture dedicated to continuous improvement, and “Learning” represents one of McCarthy’s six company Core Values.

While a formal McCarthy Training Program had been in place for decades, McCarthy formally launched an entirely revamped training program in 2008 under McCarthy Build U®. Unusual in the construction industry and among best-in-class training programs outside of the construction industry, McCarthy Build U is a personalized approach to employee development. Through a comprehensive array of in person, online and self-directed training opportunities, employees are empowered to take control of their personal and professional development.

“McCarthy’s outstanding builders and industry professionals are among the best in the business,” noted McCarthy President and Chief Operating Officer Derek Glanvill. “Our intensive focus on developing best-in-class training enables us to attract and retain the best talent, execute complicated work with highly skilled labor and develop the leaders of tomorrow. For us, that’s what being employee-owned is all about.”

About the Training 125

Now in its 12th year, the Training Top 125 ranking is based on a variety of benchmarking statistics such as total training budget; percentage of payroll; number of training hours per employee program; goals, evaluation, measurement, and workplace surveys; hours of training per employee annually; and detailed formal programs. The ranking is determined by assessing a range of qualitative and quantitative factors, including financial investment in employee development, the scope of development programs, and how closely such development efforts are linked to business goals and objectives. More information about the 2012 Training Top 125 Award winners may be obtained online at http://www.trainingmag.com.

About McCarthy

McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial builders. Committed to the construction of high performance buildings, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services for healthcare, educational, commercial, parking structures, science and technology facilities; office buildings; tenant interiors; mixed-use; bridges; and highways. Repeatedly honored as a Best Place to Work, McCarthy is a 100 percent employee-owned private company, or “S corporation employee stock ownership plan” (S ESOP). More information about the company is available online at http://www.mccarthy.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: To download high resolution images: http://www.mccarthy.com/ftp-2012-training-125-award

The rest is here:
Ownership Culture Rockets McCarthy Building Companies Up 102 Spots to Number 10 on the Training Top 125

The resources ministry said the adviser will work at the building regulations office.

Jurgen Balzan

Additional reporting by Julia Farrugia

The ministry for resources and rural affairs has told MaltaToday that the architect Arthur Apap, revealed in a PQ of having been engaged on four-month contract on a €24,000 fee, will be serving as an adviser to minister George Pullicino in the Building Regulations office.

"The office can now function after the parliamentary approval of the building regulations law. The office will implement regulations including the safeguarding of neighbours' rights during construction works and the classification of contractors," a spokesperson for Pullicino said.

The ministry added that during his four-month employment, Apap, 62, will stop practicing his profession. "His engagement required him to work for at least eight hours per day without being eligible for overtime. He was given a temporary contract because the office needs to be operative with immediate effect before the end of the process which will see the permanent employment of somebody else."

Apart from the monthly €6,000 wage, Apap will receive a monthly €290 car cash allowance and mobile phone facilities.

Although the contract is only valid for four months, it could be extended for a further period. Attempts to speak to Apap were futile. A person who took MaltaToday's call to Apap's office said Apap "is never in the office".

The ministry insists that the engagement is in line with established procedures and was approved by the permanent secretary. The ministry also stressed that it was not pressed to publish the contract but was tabled in Parliament on 2 February.

The conditions of payment for Pullicino's personal secretariat and other political appointees appointed as 'persons of trust' to government entities, were revealed in a reply to a PQ by constituency 'rival' Robert Arrigo.

The ministry belatedly tabled the contracts of Ronald Camilleri, Albert Caruana, Mathieu Cilia, Alicia Said and Emanuel Schembri, last week in parliament in a reply to a further PQ by Labour MP Charles Buhagiar.

Ronald Camilleri, the former head of the minister's secretariat at the Ministry of Rural Affairs and the Environment, was engaged as an "adviser" in November 2011 on three year contract worth €35,216 annually. He is also entitled to free mobile phone and internet facilities.

Albert Caruana was employed by the ministry in December 2008 as an environmental projects coordinator. He was engaged on a one-year contract worth €31,873.

In March 2011, the ministry awarded Mathieu Cilia a one-year €32,191 contract as the ministry's "projects coordinator". Cilia stepped down as president of the PN's youth organ in June 2010. He held the post for five years. Cilia, a canvasser for Pullicino, has also held other posts within the ministry and was responsible for the events celebrating the reopening of St George's Square  in 2009.

Another contract was awarded to Alicia Said in November 2011. She was engaged as an "adviser" on a one-year €22,272 contract.

Emanuel Schembri was employed in May 2010 for an initial eight-month contract. Schembri was engaged as "senior manager for services to be rendered to the civil abattoir". He received a €32,130 salary, a fully-expensed car, a telephone landline and mobile phone and internet facilities.

All five were employed on a full time basis. The persons were engaged as political appointees, accountable to Minister George Pullicino, and not as civil servants.

Read more from the original source:
Pullicino adviser to serve in building regulations office

Written By:  Kristianne Fusilero
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Category: Economy

The Office of City Building Official will start requiring business establishments starting next month to secure an approved construction safety and health program from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) before the issuance of building permits.

Acting City Building Official Jaime G. Adalin said it would be an added requirement before getting a building permit for the companies that planned to construct their projects like commercial, high-rise or residential units in the city.

“This (requirement) is to ensure safety especially of the construction workers,” he said.

He said the move to require the companies to secure first a DOLE-approved construction safety and health program before getting a permit is needed to avert what had happened before when two different malls collapsed.

The DOLE-approved construction safety and health program outlines the plans of companies to prevent accidents during construction like providing safety signage, proper equipment for the workers such as goggles, first aid and monthly accident and illness report.

The program is already one of the requirements set by DOLE pursuant to Department Order No. 13. The general contractor or main contractor should submit the program in the department for approval before the company could start the actual implementation of construction works.

The department decided to issue the order after the 39-storey Eton Tower in Makati collapsed early last year. The incident killed 10 construction workers when an electric gondola that they were using gave way while constructing the tower.

In April last year, the DOLE with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Interior and Local Government and Professional Regulation Commission also signed an agreement to strengthen its linkages toward promoting the welfare among workers.

Read the original:
Companies to be required to submit safety, health program

Plenty of statistics point to the need for new office construction in Manhattan, and the city’s aging building stock isn’t least among them.

Indeed, no meaningful addition to the city’s roughly 400 million square feet of commercial space has been added to the skyline in two decades, raising questions as to whether it could face a shortage in the coming years, a situation that has pressured rental spikes in the past. For now, however, amid what appears to be at least a hiccup in leasing during the last quarter of 2011 and the opening quarter of this year—not to mention lingering concerns about the health of the economy—only the most intrepid developers have gone into the ground with projects.

51 Astor Place.

Uncertain demand and other hurdles that developers must negotiate to build, including securing a site in a city where prime development parcels are both difficult and expensive to acquire, only partly explain the dearth of construction.

In the wake of tightened lending standards, construction financing remains hard to secure, and for developers who are able to source loans, the terms have shifted in a way that places far more of a project’s risk on their shoulders.

“We’re finding that for the right projects and sponsorship, there are lenders in the market who are willing to provide financing,” said Charles Bendit, a principal at Taconic Investment Partners LLC, a real estate investment and development firm that has built a number of buildings despite the challenging lending conditions in recent years, including the boutique office building at 15 Little West 12th Street. Mr. Bendit and Paul Pariser, another principal at Taconic, are in the process of starting 837 Washington Street, a roughly 55,000-square-foot office and retail property that, like 15 Little West 12th, is located in the trendy meatpacking district and will be built on speculation.

But Mr. Bendit pointed out that even developers like himself and Mr. Pariser, who have an impressive track record, have to front as much as 45 percent of the cost of a new building to secure financing, a far higher equity requirement than in the years before the recession hit.
“It used to be that you could get construction financing for 75 percent of a project’s cost,” Mr. Bendit said.

Link:
Construction Financing is Back But, As Developers Are Learning, Equity is Key

by Chris Norwood The Daily Home

Architectural rendering of new Talladega elementary school

slideshow TALLADEGA — The Board of Education discussed an ambitious, three year, $30 million project that would consolidate the city’s four elementary schools under one roof in a new building, relocate the junior high school and central office and renovate the high school’s sports facilities. No formal action was taken on the proposal during a work session Friday morning.

According to a presentation by Cory Mills of the architectural firm Lathan and Associates, phase one would involve the construction of a two story building containing 35 to 40 800 to 900 square foot classrooms meant to accommodate up to 1,500 elementary school students. The building would be situated next to Graham Elementary and across the street from Zora Ellis Junior High School.

At the same time, Houston Elementary School would be expanded to contain additional classrooms, a gym, locker rooms and a band room. The junior high school would move into this building, which is the newest in the system.

Phase 2 would involve moving the central office from a house on South Street into what had formerly been Zora Ellis. The central office would occupy the front of the building and the long hallway, according to Superintendent Doug Campbell. A teacher resource center would be located in the back of the building. The band room and Harwell Auditorium would remain as they are, but the gym and the cafeteria would be demolished.

The last phase would involve cosmetic renovations of the sports facilities, construction of new restrooms, locker rooms and a concession areas, renovation of the softball and baseball fields and new seating throughout.

Board member James Braswell pointed out that, according to a study commissioned in 2007, the board would have to spend about $1 million per year for the next 10 years on maintenance costs for existing buildings alone. “We can’t just keep on putting money into these old buildings. If our enrollment continues to decline or even stays the same, the money we save on maintenance could go into the classroom instead.”

Campbell said he would begin meeting with the Talladega Council and city manager in the near future to discuss funding.

The largest expenditure would be for the new, consolidated elementary school, which would cost an estimated $20 million. The modifications at Houston are estimated at $2.8 million, while the changes at Ellis will run $4 million.

The athletics projects would add another $3.4 million to the total estimated cost of $30.2 million.

The system currently has 1,357 elementary students enrolled at the four current schools.

Campbell also said he is doing title searches on the board’s various property holdings to determine what they can do with the unused properties after the project is complete. Hal Henderson Elementary, which was closed this year, has attracted the interest of a pastor who is returning to Talladega and thought the building would be an ideal fit for his ministry.

Board member Shirley Simmons-Sims encouraged Campbell to work with the Chamber of Commerce to “bring in more people with children,” and cited the example of increased enrollment in Lincoln and Munford after new schools were built there.

“The county built new schools and put money in their classrooms. If we can’t fulfill our obligations, then I might be in favor of some sort of consolidation (of school systems).”

Campbell also said leaks may be developing in the roof at Harwell Auditorium, and he is looking into options regarding metal roofing or shingles.

During the same meeting, the board also discussed some changes in the vocational program with director Trisha Turner, who said the current carpentry instructor is retiring, with a fairly low number of students taking his class, however.

Agri-science classes, on the other hand, are booming, so Turner suggested moving an agri-science teacher into agri-construction, which has carpentry as an element of it. A science teacher had agreed to move into the agri-science position from the high school. The science teacher position would still have to be filled.

Also Friday, the board:

• Held a 30 minute executive session to discuss a student disciplinary issue.

• Discussed the possibility of forming a parent committee as suggested by board member Juanita Curry McClellan, who had to leave the meeting early, but Campbell said he would discuss her ideas further.

• Discussed having an orientation session for new board members McClellan and Elizabeth Smith with the company that will handle Campbell’s evaluation. Simmons-Sims complained that the previous evaluation had not been delivered, but Braswell said this was because two board members had never turned in their forms. Simmons-Sims suggested not paying the evaluator.

Contact Chris Norwood at cnorwood@dailyhome.com.

Original post:
Plans to consolidate schools

Late last year, the Portland Development Commission inked a $22,000 contract with a public relations consultant to promote the Oregon Sustainability Center in Salem.

The $62 million project -- an ultra-efficient office building mixed with classroom space -- faced an uncertain path in the 2012 Legislature. Last year, House Republicans balked when project backers sought $37 million in state funding for the center, a joint endeavor of the city of Portland and the Oregon University System. Construction costs put the building at the top of Portland's office market.

In its contract with former Oregonian columnist David Reinhard, PDC said further PR work was necessary in advance of the February session "to ensure decision makers and the public are well informed about the project goals, costs and outcomes, including statewide opportunities and economic development return."

But a few opinion pieces and letters-to-the-editor that resulted from the PR contract used figures that offered an unclear picture of the project's total cost and how it compared to other projects.

A key argument of those pieces was that the Oregon Sustainability Center would cost about the same as Oregon Health & Science University's new Collaborative Life Sciences Building.

To make that point, a Dec. 28 letter-to-the-editor and Jan. 20 op-ed in The Oregonian cited the sustainability center's $434 per-square-foot construction cost. By comparison, the life sciences building is said to cost $475 per-square-foot in those two pieces.

With land and financing, however, the price of the sustainability center shoots to $474 per-square-foot, according to project supporters at Portland State University and the Oregon University System.

That's still in line with the life sciences building, no?

The cost of the life sciences building requires a footnote.

PDC calculated the $475-per-square-foot price of the life sciences building by including the cost of land at South Waterfront, the project's location. However, that land was free, because it was donated by the Schnitzer family in 2004.

Without that extra bump from the estimated value of the land, the cost of the life sciences building drops to $464 per-square-foot, PDC confirms.

Later editorials acknowledge this difference.

"The $434-per-square-foot cost — $474 with land — seems high to some," J. Clayton Hering, a Portland real-estate expert, wrote in an op-ed Feb. 8 in The Bend Bulletin. "The more comparable Collaborative Life Science Building now being built at the Oregon Health & Science University will average about $464 per square foot."

On Jan. 20, Hering wrote differently of the two projects in an op-ed submitted to The Oregonian using facts from PDC.

"Critics talk of the building's $434 cost per-square-foot," Hering wrote last month. "The best comparison would be the Collaborative Life Sciences Building now under construction in Portland. It is 400,000 square feet and will cost about $190 million. That's $475 per square foot for a building that, like the Oregon Sustainability Center, will tap into our state strength and generate jobs and economic growth across the state."

One final note: The original PR contract states that key messages on the sustainability center would be developed "with involvement by the Portland mayor’s office, PDC, Portland State University and the Oregon University System."

Read more:
Opinion pieces on Oregon Sustainability Center use fuzzy math: Portland City Hall roundup

Newport Beach officials recently ordered a real estate investor to stop gutting the interior of an office building designed by celebrated Modernist architect Richard Neutra.

It is the latest dispute concerning the Mariners Medical Arts building, a sleek 1963 complex at 1901 Westcliff Drive saved from demolition in 2009.

Preservationist John Linnert, a Costa Mesa architect, noticed crews working on the upstairs interior in January and reported them to the city planning staff. He has kept a close watch on the building in recent years.

Newport officials issued a stop-work order because the building owner had no permits.

"He gutted the whole upstairs of the building," said Linnert, who pushed for the building's historical resource designation three years ago. "It's an abomination."

The building's owner, John Bral of Westcliff Investors LLC, did not return calls seeking comment.

Since the city red-tagged his building in mid-January, Bral has applied for permits.

State law prohibits major alterations or demolition at such buildings when the changes threaten the buildings' historic qualities. City Planner Jaime Murillo said he did not know if the interior remodel would trigger that protection.

He added that the city's building department will consult with a contract architectural historian. That consultant found in 2009 that the building was eligible for a historic listing at the national, state and local levels.

Neutra was primarily known for his geometric, airy houses, many of which were built in Southern California. He also designed landmark buildings, including the Tower of Hope next to the Crystal Cathedral and the Los Angeles County Hall of Records. He died in 1970.

Almost all of his commercial buildings have been substantially altered over the years, according to a website maintained by Neutra's son Dion, who has supported the preservation of the Mariners building.

It appears that Bral was preparing the office space for a new tenant.

Often, when tenants sign a lease they request a major overhaul. Regardless of the historical designation, so-called tenant improvements usually require city approval. Bral also replaced a gas line without acquiring permits, and the city has required him to apply retroactively.

"The building is such an attribute to the culture of Orange County and Southern California," said Linnert, who has closely chronicled the changes.

In 2009, he and a few other preservationists pressured city officials to halt demolition and study the building's historical significance. They prevailed and have scrutinized activity at the property ever since.

City planners are now preparing an environmental report to evaluate Bral's broader plans for the 20,000-square-foot complex. As an alternative to demolition, he has applied to add a two-story office building that would wrap around part of the structure.

In recent years, Bral has torn down an exterior stairway and replaced some exterior light fixtures that followed the building's linear lines. A representative said in 2010 that he was making routine repairs and didn't realize they needed to be completed a certain way.

mike.reicher@latimes.com

Here is the original post:
Newport Beach blocks interior remodel of Richard Neutra building