American Society of Civil Engineers Seeks Public Commentary About Proposed Revisions to Structural Design-Load Standards

ASA Chicago to hold “Meet the GCs” event. Steel Bridge Alliance Website adds more resources to help designers and builders

ASA Chicago will Hold its 2009 “Meet the GCs Night” on October 6

The Association of Subcontractors & Affiliates (ASA Chicago) is holding its “Meet the GCs Night” at Venuti’s Ristorante & Banquets in Addison on Tuesday, October 6.

Open to ASA members and non-members, the evening starts with cocktails at 4:30 p.m. and a buffet supper at 6:30 p.m.

The evening provides subcontractors a chance to network with each other and to meet some of Chicagoland’s largest general contractors. Each general contractor will have its own table at which to meet one-on-one with attendees.

The event, including open bar and dinner, costs $65 for ASA Chicago members and $115 for non-members. For more information, visit www.asachicago.org or
call 847-827-8336.

Five Midwestern Transportation Projects Honored by AASHTO, AAA, and U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Five Midwestern transportation projects were recently honored for excellence in a regional competition sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Automobile Association (AAA), and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The contest judged projects in three categories: On Time, On Budget, and Innovative Management.

The following projects won regional awards in the Mississippi Valley Conference.

The Michigan Dept. of Transportation won in the On Time, Medium Project category for its I-94 Kalamazoo County Reconstruction Project, while the state’s M-115 Clare County Improvement Project won in the Innovative Management, Small Project category.

The Minnesota Dept. of Transportation’s I-35W Minneapolis Bridge Replacement Project won in the On Time, Large Project category.

The Missouri Dept. of Transportation’s I-44 Conway Welcome Center Project won in the On Budget, Small Project category.

The Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation’s Lake Delton Highway Repair Project won in the On Time, Small Project category.

The regional winners will contend with projects from other regions for the America’s Transportation Awards Grand Prize, to be presented at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Palm Desert, Calif. Oct. 25, 2009. To learn more, visit www.americastransportationaward.org.

Civil Engineers Seek Comment on Revisions to Design-Load Standards

The American Society of Civil Engineers’ Structural Engineering Institute (ASCE/SEI) is seeking public comment from Oct. 15 through Nov. 30, 2009, about revisions to its standard covering minimum design loads for buildings and other structures.

The standard identifies how to determine the minimum design loads for dead, live, soil, flood, wind, snow and earthquake loads, combinations of loads, and other general requirements. It is designed to help building-code and regulatory committees, architects, structural engineers and people who prepare and administer local building codes.

To comment, contact Lee Kusek, ASCE Codes & Standards Administrator, at lkusek@asce.org or 703-295-6176. For more information, contact Leikny Johnson at ljohnson@asce.org or 703-295-6413.

Competition Crowns Best Plumbing and Pipefitting Apprentices

Apprentices from the United Association of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) tested their skill in the UA’s annual international apprentice championship finals, held recently in Ann Arbor, Mich.

This year’s 30 finalists came from five geographic regions in the U.S. and one in Canada.

The 2009 winners:

Pipefitter: Nick Unfried, Local Union (LU) 136, Evansville, Ind. Service Technician: David Fruehauf, LU 22, Buffalo, N.Y. Welder: Peter LaRou, LU 597, Chicago, Ill. Plumber: Jarrad Taylor, LU 5, Washington, D.C. Sprinklerfitter: Josh Coale, LU 669, Taylorsville, Ky.

Steel Bridge Group’s New Website Offers More Resources

The National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA) Website—www.steelbridges.org—now offers more resources to help those who design and construct steel bridges.

Its new material includes multimedia presentations, case studies, white papers and other technical resources designed to meet the needs of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation officials, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation departments, bridge consultants, erectors, and the coating, fastener, and welding industries.

It also better leverages the technical resources of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

Some of the recent graduates from the apprenticeship program of Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36 who were on hand for a recent recognition ceremony in St. Louis. (Photo courtesy of Local 36)

St. Louis Sheet Metal Workers Honor 85 Apprentices

Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 36, a labororganization for architectural, industrial, residential and commercial HVAC craftspeople, recently honored the 85 workers who have graduated from its apprentice program over the past two years.

Each graduate has completed a four-and-a-half-year apprenticeship that included more than 10,000 hours of work in the field and classroom.

AIA Indianapolis Presents Awards

AXIS Architecture + Interiors received top honors during the biennial American Institute of Architects’ Indianapolis Chapter Excellence Awards for its design of a fire station in Shelbyville, which preserved the building’s historic significance while providing modern amenities.

BSA LifeStructures won a Merit Award for the renovation and addition at Second Presbyterian Church, a classic gothic-style building and Indianapolis landmark since 1949.

BSA LifeStructures also received a Merit Award for the design of Purdue University’s $19.2-million Biomedical Engineering building.

Ratio Architects received a Merit Award for the design of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s headquarters in Indianapolis, which has received LEED gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Judges also awarded four citation awards. BSA LifeStructures and GEA Architects received one for the design of Ivy Tech Complex at Marian College. Gray Architecture received one for a light screen proposed for Fort Benjamin Harrison. Rowland Design earned one for its renovation and addition at Kiwanis International. And AXIS Architecture + Interiors received one for the design of Frankey’s Boutique.

County Materials Part of Six Winning Projects in Wisconsin Competition

County Materials, Marathon, Wis., was recognized as the manufacturer of concrete masonry for six of seven projects honored by the Wisconsin Concrete Masonry Association.

The Best of Show award went to the Milwaukee Ale House, Grafton. (Architect: MSI General Corp.; Mason: Union Construction). Excellence Awards went to Weston Place, Weston, Wis., (Architect: Central Wisconsin Engineers; Mason: Firkus Masonry), and to the North & Prospect Retail Center, Milwaukee (Architect: Briohn Design Group; Mason: Marriott Construction).

Finalist honors went to: Bone and Joint Clinic, Wausau (Architect: Eckert-Wordell; General/Mason contractor: Miron Construction); T-Lon Manufacturing, Hartland (Architect: MSI General Corp.; Mason: J.H. Hassinger, Inc.); and Weather Tight, West Allis, (Architect: Wahlgren Schwenn, Inc.; Mason: Marriott Construction).