the Construction

Going green can add to the construction costs of local companies and institutions. Just how much depends on how deep a shade of green is targeted.

In recent years, Triangle area governments, universities and companies have ramped up plans for earth-friendly buildings while seeking various levels of national certifications for their efforts.

While achieving lower certification levels may be inexpensive, the cost of achieving higher levels may increase the project’s cost by as much as 10 percent or more, according to local industry experts. Read more…

The construction industry, which has emerged as a major growth driver for Singapore this year, is set to continue growing at a double-digit pace in 2008 and 2009, supported by a series of infrastructure projects, Citigroup (NYSE:C) said Monday.

The construction sector expanded 16.9 percent on average in the first three quarters of this year, with investment spending jumping over 20 percent in the second and third quarters.

Developments underway that will change the skyline of the city-state include a new business financial district, a string of new office buildings, hotels, and residential developments, as well as two integrated casino resorts. Read more…

The Nepali government and China’s Tibet Hongji Construction Industrial Group signed here Monday an agreement on implementation of the Chinese assisted project of Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi Highway in Nepal.

General Manager of the Group Yu Minggang and Director General of Nepali Department of Road Tulsi Sitaula signed the contract.

China is assisting Nepal on construction project of 16 km long road linking Syafrubesi-Rasuwagadhi Highway in central Nepal. The road being constructed under the agreement starts from some 100 meters away from the existing bridge across the China-Nepal border. Read more…

Renewed international condemnation of a plan to build more than 300 homes in the southeastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Homa was brushed off Sunday by local residents as pure politics.

The criticism of the latest building plan, including a rare American rebuke from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the standard Palestinian condemnation, came as Israelis and Palestinians are set to resume peace negotiations this week following last month’s conference in Annapolis, with the aim of reaching a final peace agreement by the end of next year.
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Palestinians will attend peace talks this week despite a plan by Israel to build new homes in East Jerusalem, but will focus on demanding a settlement freeze, senior Palestinian officials said on Tuesday.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are due to meet on Wednesday two weeks after their leaders relaunched long-stalled peace talks at a U.S.-hosted conference in Annapolis, Maryland.
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Pacific Ethanol Inc., which counts Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates among its shareholders, has halted construction of a distillery in California.

The firm was building the 50-million-gallon-a-year plant in the Imperial Valley near Calipatria.

“We remain committed to completing our ethanol project in Imperial Valley,” Pacific Ethanol Chief Executive Neil Koehler said Monday. “However, given current ethanol market conditions, we feel it is prudent and strategic to suspend construction until the market improves.” Read more…

New Zealand’s residential building accelerated in the third quarter, suggesting construction may help economic growth exceed the central bank’s forecast.

Residential building excluding inflation gained 5.1 percent from the second quarter when it rose 3.9 percent, Statistics New Zealand said in a report released in Wellington today. Total construction, including commercial work, increased 2.1 percent after contracting in the second quarter. Read more…

Long-time residents rediscover a walkable, old-style downtown that’s on the upswing

William and Ruth McCauley have spent most of their lives in Brampton. They’ve raised a family there and it’s still home to many of their friends.

They wouldn’t consider moving anywhere else. But, now in their 70s, the McCauleys have decided to make a few big changes to get the most out of their remaining years.
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At the southernmost end of Duke Street, flanked by humble bungalow-style abodes and colonial revival mansions, sit two houses that don’t quite square with their surroundings.

In fact, they are perfectly round.

But by this winter, the identical circular houses, which have overlooked the busy thoroughfare for 60 years, will no longer be twins.

A new owner is building a conventional addition onto the rear of the house at 1013 S. Duke St., introducing the house’s first corners. Read more…

Contractors focus on remodeling

Local contractors and builders are shifting their work strategies to soften the impact the ongoing slump in the California housing market has had on the region’s building trades.

Their efforts have not been uniformly successful.

Realtors are not the only ones suffering from the slipping demand for new homes. A wide variety of business owners and workers in the housing market’s companion industries, including construction, home design, material supply and tourism, are also noticing an economic down turn. Read more…