Latest Reports

Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences in Maine completed a three-phase construction project that for the first time consolidates its entire marine research operation into one facility, replacing a collection of buildings, some of which had neither heat nor air conditioning. The new Ocean Science and Education Campus, on 54 acres where the Damariscotta River empties into the Gulf of Maine, includes a shore facility for research vessels.

Space doesn’t drive an organization’s culture, but when thoughtfully designed, it will enhance and support the work. Culture—the shared set of values, goals, and practices critical to decision making and business success—determines work styles, space, and effectiveness, making it one of the most important drivers of collaborative workplace design for an organization.

Data from first quarter 2014 shows a steady increase in construction labor utilization for the first time since 2007.  The latest figures show a year-over-year increase in construction employment in all but five states. However, non-residential construction spending remains sluggish at an average growth rate of 4.6 percent since the bottom in 2011. Forecasts call for a continued dollar volume growth of approximately 8 percent for 2014, which will build on the 4 percent increase in 2013.  

A multi-tenant biomedical research and laboratory building is poised to become a powerful economic driver in El Paso, Texas, thanks to an innovative public-private partnership between the Medical Center of the Americas (MCA) Foundation, the City of El Paso, and a diverse group of investors and committed tenants. Construction has not yet begun on the building, called the Cardwell Collaborative, but key stakeholders—such as the city’s public health department, Texas Tech University, and the University of Texas at El Paso—have already snapped up master leases.

The Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF) at the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory uses hardware-in-the-loop prototyping at the low- to mega-watt-scale power capability to develop and validate the next generation of energy production and infrastructure, giving NREL and its strategic industry partners the opportunity to evaluate how technologies will work together in a real-world environment. The primary focus of ESIF is micro grid/smart grid research. The building houses 200 scientists and engineers in a private, public-sector, and academic partnership.