SMRT Architects & Engineers

The University of Southern Maine unveiled its $74 million, 580-bed Portland Commons Residence Hall this week — the Portland campus' first dedicated student housing.

Bradley Hodges, who leads SMRT's science, technology and manufacturing practice, will succeed longtime leader Ellen Belknap as president at the start of 2024.

With Maine’s jobless rate at a historic low, employers are hiring interns to attract — and test — young talent and build loyalty.

Benjamin Halleck, Jeana Stewart, Lura Wade and Peter Rand will also hold the title of associate principal at SMRT Architects & Engineers, which is based in Portland.

Engineering firms are undergoing transformations, buying other firms, moving into larger quarters or expanding in other ways. They're a response to factors that include strong construction trends in Maine.

The pandemic may have altered the office permanently, with people seeing the workplace as a site for collaborating rather than everyday duties.

Shovels are in the ground at job sites across the state, while Maine's building businesses are making news.

From downtown Brunswick to downtown Rockport, new projects are going up along the Maine coast. But there's been other work recently, too, including an aquaponics facility and a huge, canal-like structure at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Developments from Scarborough to Bangor get MEREDA nods; the latest on Portland house pricing trends, including April highest and lowest; Build Conference set for June; and some ribbon-cuttings and spring plantings.

Several high-profile projects in Portland are getting higher, with girders going up at sites including the future East End home of Sun Life Financial. Rockland-based Penobscot Co. is busy in Falmouth and elsewhere.