Archive for the ‘Chicago Construction’ Category

OWP/P Architects Merge with Cannon Design of New York

May 6th 2009

The deal would make it the nation’s 11th largest architectural firm

One of Chicago’s largest architectural and engineering firms, OWP/P, is merging with Cannon Design, an even larger design firm based in upstate New York, the firms will announce Thursday. Terms of the deal, a complex cash and stock transaction, were not disclosed.

The new firm, which largely will operate under the Cannon brand, will be one of the nation’s largest. Its combined 2007 revenues of $158.3 million would make it the nation’s 11th biggest architectural firm, according to a survey that the trade journal Architectural Record published last year.

John Syvertsen, OWP/P’s president, acknowledged that the recent construction downturn has forced his firm, like many in Chicago, to lay off architects. But he denied that the merger is recession-related and said it would not lead to a fresh round of layoffs in the Chicago office.

"We started our conversations when the stock market was at 13,000," he said in a telephone interview. "For us, it means we will be part of a national and international network of offices. Basically, our platform will expand."

Meanwhile, the deal gives Cannon, which has a small office in Chicago, a much larger presence in one of the nation’s top markets.

Headed by co-chairman and CEO Gary Miller, Cannon Design, with 800 architects and staff, has offices in several U.S. and Canadian cities, including New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Like OWP/P, it has a health-care specialty.

OWP/P has offices in Chicago and Phoenix.

OWP/P, which specializes in elementary schools, colleges and universities, health-care and commercial work, ranked 52nd in the Architectural Record survey, with $52.9 million in revenue. Cannon, based in Grand Island, N.Y., near Buffalo, ranked 19th, with $95.4 million.

Chicago Construction Jobs Decline

While nearly every industry in the Chicago area saw an over-the-year job decrease during January, the ax fell hardest on Chicago construction jobs. The.   Read more…

Chicago Construction Jobs Created by O’Hare Projects

Federal stimulus money set aside for some expansion projects at O’Hare International Airport will create new Chicago construction jobs. The City of Chicago.   Read more…

WIND-POWER COMPANY’S CHOICE OF HUTCH FOR PLANT MEANS 400 JOBS

Construction will start in August on the plant and the first 90-ton nacelle is expected to be shipped in December 2010. The plant will employ 400 workers. The company is also building a service center on the site.    Read more…

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Funding for Green Construction Jobs in Chicago

March 21st 2009

To the surprise of many, the government tries to modify our behavior through monetary strategies and the same is true for promoting green construction.In this case, we are talking about funding a green project.

There are numerous sources for the funding of green project research and construction. They exist on the National, State, and local level.  They include grconstruction project in Chicagoants, tax credits, and loans. The important thing to understand when you begin a search for a source of funding is that the government and society in general is very anxious to assist you with your green project. We are not just waking to the global dangers. Our leaders are already wide awake and know that green construction is an essential element of the future health of our nation. They want to help, particularly on the state level.

The central clearing house for Federal Programs is the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). This website based catalog gives information of all federal programs that supply funds to state agencies, local agencies, and non-profit organizations. They also list programs that are available to private developers and even individuals. This catalog can be accessed online and application made online as well.

There are over $400 billion dollars offered in over 1,000 Federal Grant programs. These programs are all listed and explained on the grant [dot] gov website. Chicago, green, construction, job In addition to full information, application forms for the grants can be downloaded from the site, and the final submission can be entered there as well. Grants are not as easy to get as some people think, but they are possible. They also have the major advantage over loans and other funding sources because they do not have to be repaid in most cases.

There are several national green construction funding opportunities. One is the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Obviously, this office is interested in Energy Efficiency in building construction use and also of the use of renewable energy sources. They will provide funding for research and the demonstration of these two things in green construction. Green Communities is a five year and $555 million dollar initiative to build a total of 8,500 environmentally health houses for low income families.

There are also several Foundations dedicated to green construction funding. The Home Depot Foundation is one, and another is the Kresage Foundation. There is help available on the State and local level also. The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is one example of a State level resource. There are also a large number of local based incentives as well. Green construction is an interesting meeting between those looking for funding and those agencies willing to provide it.

Green Building, Energy Efficiency, and the Economic Crisis | Just fef

Still, while the green-building movement may not be slowed by the recession, many say it will need to adapt to the new economic reality. . . . A focus on retrofitting, rather than new construction, is likely to be one way in which the And while jobs continue to be cut and unemployment continues to rise, green building is able to generate new green jobs for Americans. . . . Green buildings have the potential to help employers as well by helping…   Read more…

Green Jobs, Cleantech Jobs, Sustainable Business Job Service

Job listings with green, sustainable businesses - green building, renewable energy, organic, social investing and all other green businesses. When you apply for this position, please say you saw this job on Green Dream Jobs! Aggregate Industries Management, Inc. is an environmentally responsible producer of high quality, aggregate-based construction materials in the United States. Our company operates seven regional bu…   Read more…

Stimulus Money Going to Green Jobs : EcoLocalizer

The money will be used to fund the Green Corps, a program that will provide training for underprivileged youth to learn jobs in green construction, energy, and technology. The funding will be matched by an additional $10 million from    Read more…

Make Way For Green Collar Jobs

And now, they’ll begin hiring their own green people. Recycler - Again, perhaps one of the more obvious choices. But stop thinking paper and plastic and start thinking steel, clothing, glass and other various construction materials.    Read more…

Green For All testifies before Congress: Ellis-Lamkins @ House

The construction industry is expected to gain more new jobs from the federal stimulus package than any other sector. Anticipating the industry’s rebound, the CPI study analyzes the quality of construction jobs in terms of wages,    Read more…

Author: Zack Verde

Zack Verde is with GreenBuildingCompanies.com - providing information on green construction.

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Chicago Construction Financing and Commercial Loans

February 21st 2009

There are many new challenges which are increasingly evident with commercial mortgages, particularly those involving commercial construction loans. Many commercial financing experts currently project that the changing environment for working capital loans commercial construction loans and most other business financing will produce several new but avoidable problems for small business owners.

There have always been complex problems for business owners to avoid when seeking commercial loans. By most accounts, these difficulties are now expected to multiply because we appear to be entering a period which will be characterized by even more uncertainties in the economy. Prior standards for commercial mortgages are likely to change suddenly and with little advance notice by lenders if the current financial turmoil continues.

This article will evaluate why commercial construction loans have become harder to obtain and will discuss possible commercial finance funding solutions. The current economic uncertainties combined with less capital availability for commercial mortgages in general and construction financing in particular means that it is much more likely that borrowers will need to look beyond their regional market area for business financing help. In many areas of the United States, virtually all business construction funding sources are effectively inactive at this time in addressing new loan requests.

 

Even before business finance funding options became more limited recently, construction loans were generally considered to be riskier than other commercial financing by most lenders. For a commercial lender, the most significant risk factors for commercial construction financing usually include the following: (1) until the new building is completed, a commercial property cannot produce income to repay a loan; (2) a substantial risk factor is the possibility for contractor liens; and (3) many commercial construction projects take more time to complete than originally projected and/or exceed initial cost estimates. Of these factors, the risk of potential contractor liens appears to be a particular concern for commercial lenders because of the deteriorating health of the construction industry. In any event, current delinquencies in loan payments for commercial construction financing are running well above normal.

Construction financing for homebuilders has always been viewed separately by lenders because the eventual owners of single-family homes are individuals rather than businesses. From a commercial lending perspective, it is likely that the current difficulties seen in residential construction are indirectly impacting the availability of construction funding for commercial properties because the potential for contractor liens incurred during residential projects can quickly reduce the financial stability of contractors involved in both residential and commercial construction projects. This is a further reason why lenders are increasingly focusing on the risk of contractor liens as a rationale for providing less construction financing.

The feasibility of real estate investments has traditionally included an enduring theme of "location, location and location" which reflects the importance of a specific locale for investing. This is still an important factor when lenders evaluate the prospects for commercial real estate loans involving both existing commercial properties and new construction. A lender is likely to be most comfortable with a stable to growing revenue stream for a business which will in turn result in a stable to growing property valuation, thus preserving collateral for the commercial mortgage loan.

For the first time in several years, however, we are generally seeing widespread reductions in both residential and commercial property values throughout much of the United States, with some areas of the country exhibiting more volatility than others. A severe recession will result in decreasing income for many businesses over an extended period of time, and it is very difficult for either lenders or borrowers to project when this downward trend will reverse. construction projects engineer

Given the difficulty of arranging financing based on location, using non-local lenders can be a practical solution for commercial financing involving both existing commercial properties and new construction. Small business owners should seek straightforward advice from a commercial loans expert who can provide effective strategies for changing and difficult business finance funding situations, especially in light of the challenging commercial borrowing climate prevailing currently.

The Chicago Architecture Blog: Hell Freezes Over: Lakeshore East …

Construction is scheduled to start around May-ish… assuming a construction loan can be landed by Magellan Development. Grocery shopping for the 10000 or so people who live in Lakeshore East is more than a little bit of a chore.   Read more

Roundy’s plans store in Lakeshore East - Chicago Real Estate Daily

The Milwaukee-based grocer signed a lease this week for 55000 square feet that Lakeshore East’s developer says will enable the firm to obtain a construction loan for a low-rise retail building planned for just north of the residential …   Read more…

Creative Loan Structure Boosts DuPont Fabros « Data Center Knowledge

DuPont Fabros worked out an agreement to effectively fold the Chicago construction loan into the accordion feature of the existing loan on ACC4. The CH1 facility was added as collateral, allowing DuPont Fabros to secure the extra $150 …   Read more

Condominium Market in Chicago | Business News

One of the disadvantages of purchasing a new condo in a pre-construction Chicago development is that construction may not begin until many of the units are sold ahead of time…   Read more

Chicago Business News, Analysis & Articles | Corus placed under …

The lender has suffered from what it has called "a rapid and precipitous decline" in the value of collateral securing condominium construction loans, including many in hard-hit Arizona, southern California, southern Florida and Nevada. …   Read more

Tide of bad construction loans rises

Bad loans to Chicago-area real estate developers continued to pile up in the third quarter, a trend that’s expected to carry into next year as the recession deepens. The delinquency rate for construction loans in the area hit 13.7% in …   Read more

Author: Stephen Bush

Learn about avoiding commercial financing mistakes - Stephen Bush is a commercial loans expert => AEX Commercial Mortgages and Working Capital Loans

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Green Construction Jobs are in the LEED for Chicago

February 21st 2009

The average LEED project size is approximately 150,000 square feet (reflecting the generally large, commercial or public sector nature of LEED projects to date). The USGBC also states an average project cost per square foot of approximately $250. This yields an average total project cost of almost $38 million per project. With nearly 1,700 LEED-certified projects in 2006, the total green building market - as seen through the LEED lens - approaches $65 billion. Of course, the USGBC figures capture total construction expenses, including much more than just building materials, let alone the fundamental product categories that are the main focus of this report.


 

A general rule of thumb that can be applied to commercial construction projects is that materials make up approximately 45% of total project costs. If we then assume that at least one third of those materials went to satisfy LEED credits or were otherwise green, then just over 15% of total project expenses were for green materials. That translates to Construction Project Managera LEED centric green materials market of approximately $10 billion. Increasing that number by 50% to account for non-LEED green material sales brings us to a grand total figure of $15 billion for 2006 - roughly on par with competing estimates and representing a reasonable green materials universe for the $2.2 billion subset of green materials addressed in this report.

Virtually every component currently used in commercial or residential construction could be replaced with a substitute that is relatively green compared to the existing technology.

Whether the green product exceeds its predecessor in energy efficiency, recycled content, recycle ability, health benefit or any other criteria, the fact of the matter is that the green market is theoretically almost the same size as the existing, non-green market.

While that process has certainly begun across a range of materials and technologies, construction jobs in Chicago we can’t touch on all of them in a single report and instead will focus on several of the major categories of building components where the sheer volume and value of materials demand attention. Each of the product segments listed below represents a target for green alternatives because each represents a significant source of existing revenue for building material vendors, green or otherwise.

By focusing on these major categories, we gain insight into the movement of other, complementary product categories that will generally track and trend along with the leading product segments.

Chicago Construction Jobs Decline

While nearly every industry in the Chicago area saw an over-the-year job decrease during January, the ax fell hardest on Chicago construction jobs. The.   Read more…

150 STORY CHICAGO SPIRE PROJECT INDEFINITELY DELAYED…one of 29

“Every month we see massive job loss in the construction industry and every month it gets worse … The construction industry is in a near depression,” said Terry O’Sullivan…   Read more…

State employment shrinks overall and for construction; credit … fef

In Chicago, developer Joseph Feed and Associates has delayed completion of the first phase of its Block 37 mixed-use projects, spanning 285000 square feet of shops, to this fall from this sprin…   Read more…

NewsDaily: Global recession stalls skyscraper construction

CHICAGO, Mar. 17, 2009 (Reuters) — Caterpillar Inc, the world’s largest maker of construction and mining equipment, notified an additional 2454 workers in three states on Tuesday t…   Read more…

Rising unemployment slams construction hardest

I think we’re like every other construction and labor organization out there. We’re currently advocating saying somebody needs to write a bill” that leads to job creation, Rainvil…   Read more…

Construction Jobs, Spending Dive; Fed Outlook Grim :: Labor Link

Credit constraints and uncertainty were reported to be a drag on commercial construction and leasing activity in the Philadelphia, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco districts.” The Da…   Read more…

Author: Dennis Brian Smith

Free LEED AP exam resources. Special offer for 12 full length practice exams. For new construction NC v2.2 based on LEED New Construction v2.2 Reference Guide Third Edition published by (USGBC). http://www.leedappractice.com

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