Ice Ice Baby – Pittsburgh Fever!

PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA; Photo courtesy of The KMA Group

It’s a sports lovers week! First the NCAA Basketball Championship Game and now onto the Stanley Cup ice hockey playoffs. Why would we cover this for our METALCON readers you ask? If you haven’t already heard, METALCON 2019 is headed to Pittsburgh in October for the first time in its 28 year show history. There are a lot of factors that go into the decision of where the show will take place year over year. Given Pittsburgh’s illustrious history in the steel industry, along with the ongoing development of its downtown and convention district, selecting it for the 2019 show was an easy decision.

Magnificent Metal Monday

$25 Billion Hudson Yards opens Phase I in New York City

Aerial view of Hudson Yards, NYC; photo credit: https://www.corkeryconsulting.com.

Growing up near Manhattan, I was always struck by the city’s “something is always happening here” modus operandi. My recent visit was no exception … just when you think the “Big Apple” is out of room for big development, the amazing happens.

As reported by Construction Dive, Hudson Yards has been in the planning stages for two decades, according to Curbed New York, and under construction for about six. The entire 28-acre project, much of it built above former rail yards, is expected to add $19 billion to New York City’s gross domestic product each year. Construction and development costs through 2025 are expected to total $20 billion. 

Women in Construction Week Highlights Push for More Diversity in the Workplace

In a traditionally male-dominated field, the numbers are starting to show a changing trend. Women represent only 9 percent of the construction jobs within the industry, according to the United States Department of Labor. But by next year that number is expected to double to more than 25 percent. WIC (Women in Construction) Week,  sponsored by the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), provides an occasion for firms to raise awareness of the growing impact women have on the industry, as well as the myriad of opportunities available to them, either in the field or in the office. Read on for a round up of some of the stories highlighting Women in Construction Week around the country and how local groups are building greater awareness:

Magnificent Metal Monday

Photo courtesy of Construction Dive, December 21, 2018

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of METALCON 2019, may be seeing a $700 million city enhancement project come to fruition in the near future. According to Construction Dive, local developer Millcraft Investments provided more information last week about the Esplanade, its planned $700 million, 15-acre mixed-use development along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

What will 2019 look like?

Where’s the crystal ball when you need one? Without crystal balls, tarot cards or other mind-reading methods, we turn to the industry trades to help us “see into the future.”

Best of the Best of 2018

Grand Award winner in the 2018 Metal Construction News Building & Roofing Awards; photo courtesy of pod architecture + design, Rabbit Hole Distilling, and Prodigy Construction

You know it’s nearing the end of another year when “best of” lists for everything from music to toys to movies to fashion begin popping up everywhere.  The construction and roofing industry is no exception.  Here’s a round-up of some of the industry’s “best of the best” from 2018:

Magnificent Metal Monday

Photo courtesy of Construction Dive

Construction begins on Texas Border Gates

Despite resistance on behalf of many lawmakers to commit to additional funding and also risking a possible government shut down later this month over this issue, construction on the border wall between Texas and Mexico is ongoing.  Construction Dive recently reported, ” U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), along with the Army Corps of Engineers, announced the start of construction at another section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall, with the latest contract worth up to $5.7 million.”