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The article lists the top 25 newsmakers, recognized for their contributions to decarbonization and overcoming structural challenges including Sean Beatty, Manager at Turner Construction, Joe Benvenuto, Chief Operating Officer at LIFTbuild, and Robert Buckley, President of Buckley & Co.

Charles E. Williams, director of the State Departments Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations opened a new embassy in Yerevan, Armenia on May 6, 2005. Various embassies that are built under the guidance of Williams through Standard Embassy Designs are highlighted.

Several contractors are working on Brazil's largest privatized hydropower project. The 1,450 Mw-capacity Ita dam, located along Uruguay River, is 125 meters high and 880 meters long. The construction group includes recently privatized Gerasul and Ita Energetica SA (Itasa) as the main owners. Itasa's shareholders include Companhia Siderrgica Nacional, Odebrecht Qumica SA and Cia de Cimento Itam.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame remains under construction in Cleveland, OH's harbor front. The 150,000 sq.ft. building has notable design specifications, with one section actually founded in Lake Erie. A public-private partnership composed of Ohio state, Cleveland city, Cuyahoga County, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority and Cleveland area and music industry groups all contributed to project development.

The Luxor Hotel and Casino on Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, Nevada, US is a 30-storey theme resort costing $300 million to construct. The architect is Veldon Simpson and the general contractor Perini Building Company. The hotel has 2,521 bedrooms and is built in the shape of a pyramid. A sphinx guards the entrance which is bigger than the original. A mock River Nile runs around the casino area which is 1,600 feet long and 18 inches deep. The pyramid's curtain walls are bronze and slope inward at 49 degrees. One of the hardest engineering feats has been building the inclined elevator cores.

Engineers analyzed structural damages absorbed by the World Trade Center after a bomb exploded in its second basement level. The blast crippled the building's power and emergency systems and caused heavy structural damage. However, the center was able to effectively sustain the explosion due to its excellent design which even exceeded building code requirements during its construction. Operations personnel are also working overtime to restore the structure's mechanical, electrical and life-safety systems.

The article discusses the changing landscape of the construction industry for women. It highlights the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction, with experts emphasizing the need for women to embrace AI tools and demand access to them. Women leaders in the energy transition sphere also share their experiences and encourage other women to break barriers. The article also addresses the role of women in public service and the importance of advocacy and allyship from male executives. The need for pay equity and attention to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues in the industry is also discussed. [Extracted from the article]

Building owners, designers and occupants in the US are taking a harder look at building safety against public terrorism. Since the incident of the terrorist bomb blast at the World Trade Center, such precautionary measures as tightening security and reviewing of emergency evacuation procedures have been undertaken. In Chicago, building managers were briefed on disaster planning. In addition the Building Owners and Managers Association underscores evacuation drills.

Many engineers are working with the government and with the armed forces to help US troops advance in the war with Iraq.

The article announces the winners of the annual Global Best Projects Awards including Engineering Authority of Egyptian Armed Forces' project tackling wastewater; Meridian Port Services Ltd.'s Tema Port and Container Terminal Expansion in Ghana.

The article discusses innovations in building the infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida to support the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space missions such as the Artermis program. The agency has worked with commercial and international partners and construction and design firms like Jacobs and Bechtel. Jacobs supports the agency's exploration ground systems while Bechtel designed the construction site for the Mobile Launcher 2.

The article focuses on the Los Angeles Infrastructure Forum, where officials discuss the significant construction projects, including a $120-billion buildout of transit projects by LA Metro over 40 years. The emphasis is on ensuring regional equity, sustainability and the incorporation of procurement provisions to support historically underutilized businesses, as the region experiences a surge in infrastructure investments.

The Jin Mao Building of China Shanghai Foreign Trade Center Co. Ltd. incorporated many innovative building and structural improvements in keeping up with the building's role as centerpiece in the Pudong industrial area. Jin Mao designer Skidmore, Owings and Merrill based the design on numerous Chinese superstition on luck, predominantly on the number 8 which is considered a lucky number in China. Using the pagoda as a basis, the $500 mil Jin Mao building has an aspect ration of 8:1.

The conference of the American Consulting Engineers Council revealed a number of surprising personnel management strategies that are impinging on the profitability of the sector. An informal survey of participants showed that bonuses, especially to new employees, are proving as the largest stumbling block to the profitability of the firms. The highest bonuses awarded amounted to as high as $10,000 to $20,000 for a single employee and averaged $1,500 to $2,000.

Global trade issues are hindering developing nations, stuck with antiquated construction machinery, from sharing modern technology available elsewhere in the world. While China's top manufacturers flashed equipment for global export, the Bush administration's 'manufacturing czar', Albert A. Frink, promised a crackdown on China's intellectual property violators.

Israel's Holocaust center, a new history museum at Yad Vashem consists of about 5,611 square meters of new space for exhibits, research, education and remembrance. Architect Moshie Safdie designed this museum and details on how he built this complicated structure on a hill are discussed.

J. Norman Lockington, technology vice president for Canadian steel maker Dofasco, Ontario introduced sustainability as the interdependence of economic success, social well-being and environmental protection that is the triple bottom line in business organizations. Leading businesses report annually on social, environmental and financial performance.

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America received news at its national convention, when Federal Highway Administrator, Mary E. Peters, told the group her agency supports the appropriate use of price adjustment for steel in new contracts. The resolution passed at convention mentioned that federal government must permit state and local government to use these provisions.

A special briefing on rebuilding Iraq was given at the Engineering News-Record's top 1000 Contractors Leadership Forum in Chicago, Illinois on June 10, 2003. Kellogg Brown & Root's vice president of operations, maintenance and logistics in Iraq, Robert L. Herndon, explained the three different contracts in progress.

The United States has awarded numerous support contracts to construction and engineering firms as ground fighting intensifies in Iraq. The article discusses various contracts including Kellogg Brown & Root's deal with the Corps of Engineers to handle oil well fires and rebuild damaged petroleum infrastructure.

Construction industry executives voice generally positive opinions about President Bush's proposal to create a Cabinet-level Dept. of Homeland Security. On his part, C.H. 'Stretch' Dunn, director of federal programs for BE&K, feels that the Dept. of Homeland Security could work if it could '... effectively match the myriad niche solutions to the appropriate needs.'

Issues concerning activities related to plans of recommencing business in locations around the World Trade Center in New York, United States, which was destroyed in September 2001, are discussed. Particular attention is given to small businesses' efforts to recreate lost work.

The annual meeting of the Associated General Contractors was held in March 2001 in Nashville, TN. Employee education and the introduction of new technology were key issues for the 3,100 delegates.

The most important construction projects completed between 1874 and 1999 are profiled. Numbering 125 in all, the projects cited include such late 19th-century marvels as the Brooklyn Bridge, the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, and Union Station. Projects from the early 20th century include engineering feats such as the Trans-Siberian Highway, the Los Angeles Viaduct, the Panama Canal and the Empire State Building. Projects from mid-20th century include the St Lawrence Seaway and the Pentagon. More recent projects include the Haj Terminal, Spaceship Earth and the Itaipu Dam.

The 1999 CONEXPO/CON-AGG construction equipment exhibition ended Mar 27, 1999, and its next edition will occur in 2002. The five-day exhibition drew 1,850 exhibitors who showed their wares to a total of 124,000 visitors. One noticeable trend during the exhibition was the growth opportunities present in the North American market. Major companies such as White Marsh, MD-based JCB Group and Terex Corp of Westport, CT, are looking at gaining a bigger share of the expanding US market.

The article discusses the efforts of The Moles, a heavy construction leadership group, in promoting careers in tunneling through their "Student Day" tour program. It mentions that the program, which originated in the New York City metro area in 1962 and has now expanded to the Mid-Atlantic region, aims to expose students to tunneling projects, provide valuable insights, and connect them with internship opportunities.

China has further secured its position as the key construction market in Asia by eluding so far the financial woes that plunged the currencies of its neighbors, and placed huge infrastructure programs across the region on a standstill. The country's roughly $27-bil Three Gorges Dam, the most ambitious project in China, is proceeding to its second stage just when Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia are halting high-profile projects. However, China's state banks continue to undergo falling capital asset ratios and assume losses on loans to state businesses.

The Asian currency crisis alarmed the design sector, the most portable in the construction industry, in fall 1997. Though numerous design firms remain fully committed to international work, the stock market changes may have depressed the appeal of real estate development. Scores of companies are offering integrated services in an attempt to differentiate themselves in areas where there is steep price competition.

Many forecasters remain optimistic that the next several years should be an opportune time to get involved in the global construction industry, notwithstanding the unstable global stock market and the Asian currency crisis. The Top International Contractors enjoyed a 20.7% revenue hike in construction contracts overseas, growing to $126.8 bil in 1996. Inflation is moderate and the support of central banks to price stability remains strong.

The US Committee on Large Dams visited four major dam-construction projects as part of the group's meeting on seismic design and dam performance. The four dams are all located in earthquake-prone areas and three of them are part of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California's Eastside Reservoir project. The visit to the four dams allowed the committee's members a first-hand look at how dam engineers tackle seismic problems.

Skidmore, Owings and Merrill structural engineer Bill Baker enjoys the challenges associated with structural design. He savors opportunities to showcase his creativity in solving a wide range of structural design challenges. One of his colleagues described Baker as an engineer who has an in-depth understanding of both architectural and engineering considerations in structural design.

Engineers, architects and construction industry executives are excited about the new-generation technologies which promise to revolutionize the design process. One of the most important is object-oriented technology, which is being touted as a paradigm shift in the design and construction process. Hardware and software manufacturers are also working together to achieve true interoperability in their systems.