Healthcare and Education Building Markets Remain Particularly Strong as Energy, Materials and Commodity Costs Drive Construction Pricing Upward

2nd Quarter Turner Building Cost Index Forecasts 6.61% Increase Over One Year Period

    NEW YORK, /PRNewswire/ -- Turner Construction Company, the nation's leading general builder, today announced that construction costs increased 1.57 percent over the First Quarter 2008 and 6.61 percent over the Second Quarter 2007. Turner has issued this quarterly forecast for more
than 80 years.

    According to Karl F. Almstead, the Turner vice president responsible for the Turner Building Cost Index said, "Overall, the domestic non-residential building markets continue to be active. The healthcare, education, science, technology and public sector market segments remain strong while commercial and retail have declined slightly and large-scale residential projects have slowed significantly.

    "Driven by global demand and supply, construction materials and commodity costs continue to rise, with some experiencing double digit price escalation since the first quarter of 2008. Steel, copper, aluminum, asphalt, roofing and PVC are all experiencing price spikes. Increased energy costs are also adding pricing pressure on both manufacturing and transportation."

    Approximately 90% of Turner's business is performed under contract arrangements where Turner provides extensive preconstruction planning services before the contract price is fixed and before construction starts. By providing high quality pre-construction phase services and utilizing
alternative procurement strategies, Turner continues to effectively serve its clients and manage the market risks associated with cost escalation issues.

    Used widely by the construction industry and Federal and State governments, the building costs and price trends tracked by The Turner Building Cost Index may or may not reflect regional conditions in any given quarter. The Cost Index is determined by several factors considered on a nationwide basis-labor rates and productivity, material prices and the competitive condition of the marketplace. This index does not necessarily conform to other published indices because others do not generally take all
of these factors into account.

Calfornia Senate passes design-build healthcare legislation
The California Senate approved legislation that will allow healthcare districts to use the design-build contracting method for the construction of hospitals or health facility buildings and related improvements, including seismic retrofitting.
See link: http://lakeconews.com/content/view/4342/778/

Joint Commission Implementation Task Force to continue work on medical staff standard revision

The Joint Commission’s Board of Commissioners approved the continued engagement of the Implementation Task Force on the revision of medical staff standard MS.1.20. The Board also suspended the July 2009 date for implementation of the current revised standard.

It is anticipated that the Task Force will be prepared to present its recommendations for revising MS.1.20 at the Board’s August 1 meeting. The Board will be asked at that time to authorize a field review of the recommended modified standard MS.1.20. Depending on the feedback received during the field review, which will be conducted in August and September, the Board will be requested to approve changes to the standard at its November 14 meeting. During that meeting, the Board will be requested to establish a new effective implementation date.
“Given the new timeline for the revision of MS.1.20, it was important to suspend the original effective implementation date and provide hospitals with adequate notice of at least 12 months of any revisions to the standard,” says Charles A. Mowll, executive vice president, The Joint Commission. “This will also give the Task Force time to continue its work and allow the Board to fully consider any revisions.”

At its June 2007 meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved revisions to the hospital standard MS.1.20 related to medical staff bylaws and associated rules and regulations and policies. Due to concerns regarding the implementation of this standard, the Board convened a 19-member Implementation Task Force to analyze the potential impact of implementing the revised standard. The Task Force is charged with addressing, for example, the standard’s prescriptiveness regarding the level of associated details related to the requirements that must be in the medical staff bylaws. The Task Force will consider whether these details should be in the medical staff bylaws as opposed to rules and regulations or policies.

Construction Inputs Surge in May

Construction input prices surged to 2.6 percent in May, according to the June 17 report of the producer price index by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the 12 month period from May 2007 to May 2008, the aggregate price of inputs to construction industries increased 8.4 percent. Prices for fabricated structural metal products continued to grow at 2.9 percent in May, slowing since a 3.1 percent increase the prior month. Softwood lumber witnessed a rapid increase in May of 7.1 percent compared to just 1.3 percent in April. Price indices for plumbing fixtures and brass fittings continued to grow at a much slower pace at 0.2 percent. In addition to these increases, prices for nonferrous wire and cable increased by 2.2 percent after declining 3.1 percent in April. Also, prices for asphalt felts/coatings increased by 5.6 percent in May following a much smaller 0.8 percent increase the previous month. Additionally, prices for fabricated ferrous wire products continued their decelerated growth in May as they have grown less than one percent in May.

Overall, producer price index data reflects recent increases in energy prices. The index for crude energy materials advanced a staggering 13.1 percent in May after registering a 4.1 percent gain the previous month. Natural gas prices in May saw a 17 percent jump after an increase of 4.3 percent in April. Between May 2007 and May 2008, crude energy materials prices are up 67 percent. Intermediate energy goods are up 29.4 percent over that period, while finished energy goods prices were up 19.7 percent.

Phoenix Health Systems See Cost Increases for Expansion Projects

Deteriorating Market Forces Refinancing of Auction-Rate Securities, According to New Report From HealthLeaders-InterStudy

NASHVILLE, Tenn., /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of healthcare market intelligence, reports that the collapse of the auction-rate securities market is triggering major cost increases for health systems that have borrowed money to undertake facility expansions. According to the latest Phoenix Market Overview, problems securing reasonable interest rates for variable-rate bonds have forced hospitals to refinance.

"Financing for construction projects has recently become far more difficult in Phoenix as health systems confront the fallout of a deteriorating market for auction-rate securities," said Josh Kelley, market analyst for HealthLeaders-InterStudy and author of the report. "By refinancing, the result is significantly higher costs for capital expenditures that could disrupt plans for construction projects."

As of mid 2007, nine new hospitals were planned for construction in Arizona, and expansions or renovations were planned at 23 hospitals over the next five years. The wave of projects is in response to Arizona's shortage of hospital beds per capita, an area in which the state ranks near the bottom nationally. A study released in 2007 and sponsored by the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association found that the state's hospitals planned to undertake $3.3 billion in construction between 2007 and 2011, increasing bed capacity by 2,900, or 20 percent. In the southeast Valley alone, existing hospitals already have expansion plans to add more than 1,400 beds.
Health systems in metro Phoenix, including Banner Health and Catholic Healthcare West, are being forced to refinance these auction-rate securities, which are long-term bonds whose interest rates are based on auctions held every seven, 28 or 35 days, and switch to fixed-rate debt. Health systems with a strong balance sheet, including Banner Health, are riding out the credit crunch without altering plans for construction projects. But health systems in a weaker financial position may be forced to cut back on capital expenditures.

Prime Healthcare Services to Acquire Three Hospitals from Tenet Healthcare Corporation

VICTORVILLE, Calif., -- Prime Healthcare Services ("Prime Healthcare"), has acquired the 151-bed Encino Campus of Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center from Tenet Healthcare Corporation ("Tenet") effective June 1 and will operate the hospital as Encino Hospital Medical Center. Prime Healthcare also has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire two additional Tenet hospitals in California -- 167-bed Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center and 64-bed San Dimas Community Hospital. The Garden Grove and San Dimas transactions are subject to customary regulatory approval and are expected to be completed in approximately 30 days.

Prime Healthcare will continue to operate all three hospitals as acute care facilities with open emergency departments and will offer employment to substantially all current employees in good standing. The Encino hospital lost over $10 million in fiscal year 2007 according to publicly available data with OSHPD. Garden Grove and San Dimas hospitals' financial performance was marginal.

Heery International Tops $1 Billion in Revenues with Latest Acquisition

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the acquisition of San Diego-based Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc., Heery International has topped the $1 billion mark in revenues. This is Heery’s sixth acquisition in four years and its third in California. In January 2005, Heery acquired JCM Group, a Los Angeles-based construction program management group, and JCM Facilities Planning & Management, a Long Beach-based specialist in interior space planning and move management.
Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc. is the largest builder and construction manager in San Diego, as ranked by the San Diego Business Journal and San Diego Daily Transcript. The firm is also ranked among the top 15 builders in California, among the top 120 nationally, and the sixth largest educational builder in the nation, as ranked by Engineering News Record. In March, Douglas E. Barnhart, Inc. was awarded the 2008 Grand Award for Safety Excellence from the Associated General Contractors, which is awarded to the company with the best safety program nationally.
“Our strategic plan calls for serving the California market with a variety of skills,” explains Heery Chairman/CEO Jim Moynihan. “Barnhart adds a strong construction management at risk and design build capability to our existing operations in one of the largest markets in the U.S., if not the world.” California ranks among the top ten economies in the world.
Nationwide, Heery’s primary services include architecture, engineering, facilities management, interior design, program management, construction management and design build. Heery is one of the leading construction program managers in the country for K-12 schools and government projects. Heery also provides design expertise in healthcare, justice, sports and commercial projects.

New law would exempt Iowa’s rural replacement hospitals from public approval

The Iowa legislature has passed a bill that would allow rural hospitals to plan, build and move to a new replacement facility without being subjected to public hearing or obtaining a certificate of need.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-ia-hospitallaw,0,2873339.story

Nonresidential construction jobs decline

According to Associated Building and Contractors, nonresidential construction suffered significant job losses in April as employment declined by 28,300 jobs, according to the May 2 release by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the 12-month period, from April 2007 to April 2008, nonresidential construction employment was down 79,100 jobs, making it the largest year-over-year decline since the period between June 2002 and June 2003.

However, job declines within nonresidential construction were mixed. Industrial building construction employment fell by 1,000 jobs on a monthly basis while commercial building employment increased by 5,900 jobs. Nonresidential specialty trade contractor employment declined by 7,700 jobs in April compared to the previous month.

Total construction employment was down by 61,000 jobs on a monthly basis and down by 385,000 jobs compared to April 2007. The majority of total construction employment declines were in the residential sector, which reported a loss of 33,100 jobs in April compared to March and 305,700 jobs lost between April 2007 and April 2008.

Total employment was down by 20,000 jobs in April. Though still negative, employment growth was better than many had anticipated. The consensus was that the U.S. would lose roughly 75,000 jobs in April and that unemployment would rise to 5.2 percent from 5.1 percent in March. However, unemployment actually dipped in April to 5.0 percent.

What This Means

The employment report, according to Associated Builders and Contractors, provides support for those who believe that the nation will either avoid a recession or that the recession will be a short-lived and shallow one. The unemployment rate continues to be roughly consistent with what is considered to be full employment, and today's overall job report was the best in four months. This may be an indication that the economic weakness traceable to the credit crunch is beginning to dissipate.

Moreover, tax rebate checks have now begun to arrive in consumer accounts, which should help to bolster personal accounts during the balance of the second quarter and into the third. However, a certain degree of softness can still be anticipated within the nonresidential construction sector in the short-term based on sector-specific data that continue to arrive, including in the form of suppressed architectural billings.

Halff Associates acquires Dan Lee & Associates

Halff Associates, Inc. has acquired Dan Lee & Associates, Inc. a healthcare architecture and design firm that provides design, development and construction services.

Dan Lee, AAHID, AIA, ASID, IIDA has been named a vice president of Halff. Lee is registered as both an architect and interior designer. He specializes in the healthcare industry and design for acute care hospitals, medical office buildings, ambulatory and diagnostic centers, senior living, and will head up the Halff Interior Design Group.

Dan Lee is a professional member of AIA, ASID, IIDA, and is certified by AAHID, NCARB and NCIDQ. He is a founding member and immediate past president of AAHID and is past national IIDA corporate forum director. He currently serves on the Richardson Texas Architectural Integrity Board, the Board of Trustees of the Richardson Regional Medical Center and the editorial board of Medical Construction & Design magazine.

Lee has been active in Texas politics and a recent board member of the Texas Association for Interior Design, the professional legislative watchguard for interior designers in Texas. He holds an architecture degree from the University of Kentucky and a Master of Interior Architecture from the University of Illinois.

Halff Associates, Inc. is a Texas-based, employee-owned, diverse and multi-disciplined professional services firm. For more than half a century, Halff has provided cost-effective and innovative solutions in Texas and throughout the United States offering full-service engineering, architecture, planning, interior design, landscape architecture, environmental, right of way and surveying services. Halff has offices in nine Texas cities: Austin, Dallas, Flower Mound, Fort Worth, Frisco, Houston, McAllen, Richardson, and San Antonio. For more information about Halff Associates, visit www.halff.com.

Second annual Johnson Controls report shows healthcare takes the lead in green issues

With everyone talking about skyrocketing energy costs and the environment, healthcare executives are more likely to invest in energy efficiency, according to Energy Efficiency Indicator, commissioned by Johnson Controls.

"It appears as though companies are feeling the pressure of increasing energy costs and environmental responsibility," said C. David Myers, president of Building Efficiency for Johnson Controls. "According to our research, they definitely understand that it's important to be proactive when coping with economic and environmental challenges."

Johnson Controls, a global leader in creating smart environments, commissioned the survey of 1,500 North American executives, the most authoritative study of energy management practices. The research was conducted in March 2008.

According to the second annual Johnson Controls Energy Efficiency Indicator survey, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of organizations are paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were just a year ago. However, the percentage of companies expecting to make energy efficiency improvements, as well as their planned investment over the next year, has remained constant.

"It's one thing to be aware of a problem, and another to take steps to solve it," said Clay Nesler, vice-president of global energy and sustainability for Johnson Controls. "But as energy prices continue to rise, our research indicates that the combination of economic pressure and environmental awareness will motivate people to make smart investments that have a big payoff in the long term."

The research identified energy management decision-makers and asked how their organizations were responding to rising energy costs and environmental issues. Members of the International Facility Management Association and the American Society of Healthcare Engineering were included as survey respondents.

Research results that applied directly to the healthcare industry include:

• Healthcare executives are more willing to invest in energy efficiency using capital expenditures than the general sample (67 percent vs. 56 percent)
• Their motivation is much more about cost savings (59 percent vs. 47 percent)
• Smaller influences were climate change (20 percent vs. 28 percent), reducing dependence on traditional energy (17 percent vs. 38 percent) and the possible positive impact on recruiting and retaining employees (17 percent vs. 31 percent)
• Renewable energy sources were less of a factor for healthcare executives.

It may be that the full impact of risings costs is yet to be acted upon by industry. In last year's survey, 79 percent said they expected energy costs to rise, and the average anticipated increase was 13.25 percent. According to the Energy Information Administration, however, the reality was that while crude oil prices jumped about 30 percent between the first and fourth quarters of 2007, commercial natural gas and electricity prices were flat.

In this year's survey, 80 percent of respondents believe that natural gas and electricity prices will rise an additional 13.79 percent over the next year.

While interest in energy efficiency and energy management has increased significantly from last year, related investments have remained steady. The most significant growth in energy efficiency measures include replacing inefficient equipment before the end of its useful life (41 percent, up 13 percent from 2007) and switching to energy efficient lighting (78 percent, up 11 percent). Also, 88 percent claim that energy efficiency is a design priority in construction and retrofit projects, up 11 percent from just a year ago.

"Businesses are starting to move beyond the low-hanging fruit and make more significant energy efficiency investments," said Nesler. "It appears that, with more energy efficient design in future development, we'll see a broader, farther reaching approach to the way in which companies react."

For 53 percent of respondents (up 5 percent), environmental responsibility is an equal or greater motivator for investing in energy efficiency than cost reduction. Seventeen percent cited environmental responsibility as the stronger motivator, up from 13 percent in 2007. Thirty-six percent (about the same as last year) said they were equally motivated by environmental responsibility and cost savings.

For more information, visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publish/us/en/news.html

PGMS searching for top hospital grounds

The Professional Grounds Management Society is looking to honor the nation’s top hospital or institution grounds management programs with its Green Star Awards.

The Green Star Awards program brings national recognition to grounds maintained with a high degree of excellence. The program complements other national landscape award programs that recognize outstanding landscape design and construction by saluting the grounds superintendent and staff responsible for maintaining a well-manicured landscape year round.

In all, grounds management professionals can choose among 15 categories: small sites; residential landscapes; public works sites; shopping areas; hospitals or institutions; government buildings or complexes; cemeteries or memorial parks; industrial, commercial sites or office parks; parks, recreation areas or playgrounds; multiple sites under management companies; condominium or apartment complexes; hotel, motel or resorts; amusement parks, theme parks or zoos; athletic fields, professional fields or golf courses; and school grounds, university and college grounds, or urban university grounds. 

Last year’s Green Star Grand Award winners in the Hospital or Institution Category included the Lexington Medical Center in Lexington, S.C., University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Va., The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Waverly Heights in Gladwyne, Pa.

The deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 1, 2008. The cost is $150 for PGMS members and $225 for others. For a reduced rate of $275, non-members may join PGMS and enter the contest. There is no limit to the number of categories an organization may enter. Only digital photographs are accepted, along with brief descriptions of each. There are many elements of the highly recognized contest that may be best depicted in photographs taken throughout the seasons.

Each winning entry will be honored at the 2008 Awards Banquet in Louisville, Ky. on Saturday, October 25 at the conclusion of the Society’s 2008 School of Grounds Management & GIE+EXPO scheduled to take place at the Galt House and  Kentucky Exposition Center from October 22 to 25.

Further information on the awards, including an official entry form, qualifications, a full explanation of categories, and a list of past award winners, is available online at http://www.pgms.org/greenstars.

Aging baby boomers will drives demand for healthcare properties over next decade, Grubb & Ellis report reveals

Grubb & Ellis Company, a leading real estate services and investment firm, announced in a report released in April that aging baby boomers and their increasing demand for medical services will fuel demand for healthcare properties over the next decade. As a result, medical properties are positioned to outperform other property types over the next 10 years, according to Robert Bach, Grubb & Ellis' chief economist and author of the report.

Medical office space is already outpacing traditional office space as measured by asking rental rates. From 2000 to 2007, asking rental rates for medical office space grew an average of 2.8 percent per year on average, while rents for traditional office product grew an average of 1.3 percent, according to Grubb & Ellis.

The growing demand for medical services has kept healthcare construction booming. Norcross, Ga.-based Reed Construction Data reports that monthly spending on healthcare construction is 20 percent higher than a year ago.

For 2008, Reed projects that healthcare construction will jump another 14 percent. Four states accounted for one-third of healthcare starts in 2007: California, Florida, Texas and Illinois. By decade's end, construction could reach $60.1 billion, according to FMI Corp., a management consulting and investment banking firm based in Raleigh, N.C.

There are multiple drivers fueling demand for healthcare properties. Total public and private healthcare expenditures in the U.S. are expected to grow at an average annual rate of 6.7 percent from 2007 to 2017, according to a report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. They will comprise 19.5 percent of GDP in 2017, up from 16.3 percent in 2007.

The 65 and over age group is projected to grow 36 percent between 2010 and 2020 compared with 9 percent for the general population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Members of this age group are more frequent users of medical services, according to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, which gathers information about the healthcare provided by office-based physicians.

Individuals 65 to 74 made an average of 6.5 visits per capita physicians' offices in 2005 compared with 3.3 visits per capita for all age groups, the survey said. The 75 and over age group made an average of 7.7 visits per capita. Meanwhile, the average number of visits per capita for all age groups increased from 2.7 in 1985 to 3.3 in 2005, suggesting a rising propensity among all consumers in general to access healthcare services.

According to data from the American Hospital Association, the number of hospital beds in the U.S. fell from just over 1 million in 1982 to 808,000 in 2004, while the number of beds per 1000 population declined from 4.37 to 2.75, an indication that consumers are increasingly accessing healthcare services in outpatient settings such as medical office buildings and freestanding clinics.

Venture capital spending for healthcare-related products and services hit an all-time peak in 2007, both in absolute terms at $9.5 billion and as a share of total venture capital spending at 32 percent, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers, National Venture Capital Association: MoneyTree Report.

These factors will propel growth of health-related occupations at about twice the rate of general employment growth over the next decade, and in turn, generate tenant and owner-user demand for medical office space and other types of healthcare properties.

The capital market fundamentals for medical office space were very favorable until the global credit markets seized up in August 2007. However, despite the turmoil in the credit markets, the dollar volume of investment transactions for medical office space hit a new peak of $4.7 billion in 2007, according to Real Capital Analytics.

Capitalization rates declined from 9.7 percent in 2002 to 7.0 percent in 2007, indicating that investors have been willing to pay more per dollar of net operating income generated in the first year of ownership. This has been due to the favorable outlook for medical office properties as well as very aggressive credit markets prior to August and to a surplus of equity allocated to real estate investments.

However, cap rates are expected to increase and investment transactions decrease in the short term because lenders and investors have become more risk-averse since the deterioration of the credit markets. This is true not only for all types of commercial real estate investment, but for investment and credit markets across the broad spectrum of economic sectors in all corners of the globe, the Grubb & Ellis report said.

Nevertheless, medical office buildings and other healthcare properties are expected to weather soft economic conditions better than other property types due to the recession-resistant, non-cyclical nature of demand for healthcare services among U.S. consumers.

"The looming economic slowdown is likely to make the healthcare property sector, with its non-cyclical growth profile; look relatively more attractive compared to other property sectors, all of which will be affected to differing degrees by the flattening economy," Bach said. The full report can be found in the research section of the Grubb & Ellis Website, http://www.grubb-ellis.com/.

Innovations shape L.A.’s newest hospital use of rooftop space improves care and amenities, despite site constraints

As hospitals worldwide are built in increasingly dense cities, more planners will be taking a page from the new $280 million Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center, which opened this April.

Designed by Los Angeles-based CO Architects, a leader in healthcare architecture, the 218-bed Panorama City facility features a ‘bundled’ vertical design, in which support, diagnostic and treatment functions are placed on three larger, lower floorplates, while three floors of nursing unit functions are placed above.

The clustering of core functions allows for open, flexible loft space? on the diagnostic and treatment areas, in which uses can vary, depending on needs. The placement of hospital infrastructure, such as elevator shafts, was carefully considered to maximize usable space. Some rooftop space was devoted to gardens, and a small dining terrace.

Despite the compact footprint, the PCMC houses more than 400,000 square feet of patient rooms and hospital space.

“Anytime you design a major building, you adapt to the challenges of the site,? says Stephen Yundt, AIA, ACHA, principal with CO Architects.  “In this case, the challenge was space. However, the final result does not feel crowded, and it is a very efficient hospital.?

The hospital includes a 52-position emergency room, 10 operating rooms, and two imaging technology docks that allow the ‘plug-in’ of new mobile instruments accessed directly from the PCMC Imaging Department.

CO Architects also designed the PCMC to take advantage of Southern California’s abundant sunshine, outfitting the hospital with large windows that capture sweeping views of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, letting natural light inside. The windows are treated with UV-inhibitors, thus keeping heat and harmful rays outside the facility.

UCLA Medical Center opening delayed again – installation of commercial coffee maker floods several floors

The Los Angeles Times has reported that the long-delayed opening of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has been postponed again following a March 26 water leak caused by the faulty installation of a commercial coffee maker.

The opening of the facility has been marred by setbacks. Originally expected to open in 2004, delays and increased cost – from $598 to more than $1 billion according to the Times – have marred development.

Click here for the full story

Jean Nouvel of France becomes the 2008 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate

Jean Nouvel of Paris, France has been chosen as the 2008 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize. The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be held June 2 in Washington, D.C. at the Library of Congress. At that time, a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion will be bestowed on the 62-year-old architect. Nouvel who came to international attention with the completion of his Institut du Monde Arabe in 1987 as one of President Francois Mitterand’s Grands Travaux in Paris, now has several projects in the United States, including the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis completed in 2006, a 75-story tower (Tour Verre) next door to MOMA in New York, and recently announced plans for a high rise condominium (Suncal Tower) in the Century City district of Los Angeles. In Europe, some of his other important works are the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art (Paris 1994), the Branly Museum (Paris 2006), the Agbar Tower (Barcelona 2005), a Courthouse (Nantes 2000), a Cultural and Conference Center (Lucerne 2000), an Opera House (Lyon 1993), and Expo 2002 (Switzerland). Also currently under construction is a concert hall in Copenhagen.

Although the bulk of his work is in France, he has designed projects all over the world, including Japan, Spain, England, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Korea, Mexico, Israel, Brazil, Qatar, Lebanon, Cyprus, Iceland, UAE, Taiwan, Malaysia, Portugal, Kuwait, Morocco, Russia and the U.S.— well over 200 in all.

In announcing the jury’s choice, Thomas J. Pritzker, chairman of The Hyatt Foundation, quoted from the jury citation, “Of the many phrases that might be used to describe the career of architect Jean Nouvel, foremost are those that emphasize his courageous pursuit of new ideas and his challenge of accepted norms in order to stretch the boundaries of the field.? And further, Pritzker added, “The jury acknowledged the ‘persistence, imagination, exuberance, and, above all, an insatiable urge for creative experimentation’ as qualities abundant in Nouvel’s work.? In Nouvel’s own words, “My interest has always been in an architecture which reflects the modernity of our epoch as opposed to the rethinking of historical references. My work deals with what is happening now—our techniques and materials, what we are capable of doing today.?

Pritzker Prize jury chairman, The Lord Palumbo elaborated with more of the citation: “Since establishing his Paris based practice in the 1970s, Nouvel has pushed himself, as well as those around him, to consider new approaches to conventional architectural problems.

For Nouvel, in architecture there is no ‘style’ a priori. Rather, a context, interpreted in the broadest sense to include culture, location, program and client, provokes him to develop a different strategy for each project.?

Nouvel is the second laureate to be chosen from France, the first being Christian de Portzamparc in 1994. Although 2008 marks the 30th anniversary, he is the 32nd laureate since the prize was founded in 1979. There were two laureates chosen in 1988 and again in 2001.

The purpose of the Pritzker Architecture Prize is to honor annually a living architect whose built work demonstrates a combination of those qualities of talent, vision and commitment, which has produced consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment through the art of architecture.

April 2008 -- Healthcare, education, public spaces, retail and hospitality facility planners will fall in love with this product and the possibilities. Stonblend GSI-G is a sophisticated floor with outstanding design elements that make it the “have to have? floor. Stonhard’s all new Stonblend GSI-G has the superior performance of Stonhard floors providing an abrasion, impact and chemical resistant surface while incorporating recycled glass chips into the floor for an environmentally responsible system and highly stylized look.

Recycled brown, green and blue glass chips are blended together with the color-coated aggregate to create a terrazzo like appearance. Stonblend GSI-G has a low gloss finish and is extremely easy to maintain. It’s offered in six standard colors; Amber Waves, Blue Suede, Easy Being Green, Sea Ice, Autumn Lights and Sassafras. Custom Stonblend GSI-G series colors are available using red, black and other colored glass.

This floor offers architects, designers and facility planners a new option in floor design, a commitment to green along with the promise of durability and wearability. The look may be totally new, but it’s still a Stonhard floor, which means more than 80 years experience in manufacturing and installing polymer floors and a single source warranty to their customers.

This product is available immediately. Contact Stonhard, 800.257.7953.

Skanska Opens New Office in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO (March 24, 2008) – Skanska USA Building Inc. announced today the opening of Skanska’s newest Texas office located in the Stone Oak area of San Antonio. Skanska will host an open house on March 27, 2008 at the new office, 18615 Tuscany Stone, to celebrate the opening.

“The San Antonio area is a growing market for Skanska, particularly for the healthcare and education industry which are our speciality markets,? said Brian Freeman, Skanska Senior Vice President.

Skanska has been operating in the San Antonio area for more than six years on multiple projects throughout the community and employees would work out of each construction jobsite. The new office is 5,600 square feet and has office space for 10 employees.

“We have great client relationships in San Antonio,? said Freeman. “In response to our clients needs, we established a permanent presence in order to better serve the city and the central Texas vicinity and we look forward to continued growth during this exciting time in the region.?