''Engineering News-Record'' (widely known as ''ENR'') is an American weekly magazine that provides news, analysis, data and opinion for the construction industry worldwide. It is widely regarded as one of the construction industry's most authoritative publications and is considered by many to be the "bible" of the industry. It is owned by BNP Media. The magazine's subscribers include contractors, project owners,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s, public works officials and industry suppliers. It covers the design and construction of high-rise buildings, stadiums,

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

s, long-span

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

power plants A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many pow ...

, industrial plants, water and

wastewater Wastewater is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of domestic, industrial ...

projects, and

toxic waste Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...

cleanup projects. It also covers the construction industry's financial, legal, regulatory, safety, environmental, management, corporate and labor issues. ''ENR'' annually ranks the largest contractors and design firms in the U.S. and internationally. Its "construction economics" section covers the cost fluctuations of a wide range of

building material Building material is material used for construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rocks, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materials, many man-ma ...

History

''ENR'' traces its roots to two publications. The older magazine was first published as ''The Engineer and Surveyor'' in 1874. This publication was later renamed ''The Engineer, Architect and Surveyor'', then ''Engineering News and American Railway Journal'' and eventually ''Engineering News''. The second publication was first known as ''The Plumber and Sanitary Engineer''. It was later renamed ''The Sanitary Engineer'', then ''Engineering and Building Record'', and finally ''Engineering Record'' with Frank W. Skinner as its editor (1888-1914). In 1917, ''Engineering News'' and ''Engineering Record'' merged to become the magazine that is published today, ''Engineering News-Record'' with E.J. Mehren as its editor until 1924.

Ownership

''The Engineer and Surveyor'' was founded by George H. Frost, who sold the successor journal, ''Engineering News'', to the John Alexander Hill and the Hill Publishing Company in 1911. ''The Plumber and Sanitary Engineer'' was founded by Henry C. Meyer, who sold the successor ''Engineering Record'' to James H. McGraw and the McGraw Publishing Company. In 1917, following the death of Hill, McGraw merged the two companies to form McGraw-Hill Publishing. The successor parent company is

McGraw Hill Financial S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American Public company, publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of busi ...

. On September 22, 2014, McGraw-Hill divested the subsidiary McGraw-Hill Construction to

Symphony Technology Group Symphony Technology Group (STG) is an American private equity firm based in Menlo Park, California. Its Chairman and CEO is Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, who founded the firm in 2002. Investments The company has investments in the following companies: ...

for US$320 million. The sale included ''Engineering News-Record'', ''

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. "The Record," as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important historical record of the unfolding debates in a ...

'', Dodge and Sweet's. McGraw-Hill Construction has been renamed Dodge Data & Analytics. On July 1, 2015, the magazine was sold to BNP Media, along with ''

'' and ''SNAP'' (a bi-monthly print product associated with Sweet's).

''ENR'' rankings

''Engineering News-Record'' compiles and publishes rankings of the largest construction and engineering firms annually, measured by gross revenues. The rankings include the largest 400 U.S. general contractors, the largest 500 U.S. design firms (architectural and engineering firms), the largest 600 U.S. specialty contractors, the largest 100 construction management firms, the largest 100 design-build firms, the largest 200 environmental engineering firms, the largest 40 program management firms, the largest 225 international design firms, and the largest 250 international contractors, based on general construction contracting export revenue—generated from projects outside each firm's respective home country, and the largest 250 Global Contractors, both publicly and privately held, based on total construction contracting revenue regardless of where the projects were located. Since well over 90 percent of these firms are privately owned, most of the financial breakouts contained in these ranking tables are not available elsewhere.

''ENR'' Award of Excellence

The editors of ''Engineering News-Record'' collectively decide each year to recognize 25 individuals who they feel have served the best interests of the construction industry and the public. To be eligible, a person, or the project they worked on, must have been covered in the pages of the magazine or the magazine's website. No outside nominations are allowed. The 25 award recipients, called "Newsmakers", receive brief write-ups in the first issue in January. After choosing the 25 Newsmakers, the editors then pick the single Newsmaker they feel has made the most significant contribution during the year, and designate that person to receive the ENR Award of Excellence. The Newsmakers and the Award of Excellence recipient are all recognized at a black-tie gala held each year in New York City in March or April, considered to be the premier event for the engineering and construction industry. The Newsmaker awards, which were originally called Marksmen awards, have been issued annually since 1964. The Award of Excellence, originally called the Man of the Year award, has been issued annually since 1966. Award of Excellence recipients include Robert Boyd, who brought engineering and managing excellence to Hydro-Québec's $15-billion

James Bay Project The James Bay Project (french: projet de la Baie-James) refers to the construction of a series of hydroelectric power stations on the La Grande River in northwestern Quebec, Canada by state-owned utility Hydro-Québec, and the diversion of neighb ...

, Fazlur Khan, avant-garde designer of tall buildings, and Vinton Bacon, whose fearless fight against graft in the

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply other ...

brought an attempt on his life.

''ENR'''s economic data

''Engineering News-Record'', as a service to its readers, compiles and publishes an extensive amount of data on building material prices and construction labor costs. Each month it publishes prices for 67 different building materials, in each of 20 major U.S. cities. The first weekly issue each month contains a table of cement,

ready-mix concrete Ready-mix concrete (RMC) is concrete that is manufactured in a batch plant, according to each specific job requirement, then delivered to the job site "ready to use". There are two types with the first being the barrel truck or in–trans ...

, and aggregate (crushed stone) prices, the second weekly issue contains a table of pipe prices, the third issue contains lumber, plywood, drywall, and insulation prices, and the fourth issue contains steel and other metal product prices. A small amount of this data is then used to calculate two monthly index figures, the Construction Cost Index and the Building Cost Index. Both indexes are calculated using a formula made up of fixed amounts of four components—Portland cement, 2x4 lumber, structural steel (steel beams), and labor. The only difference between the two indexes is in their labor component. The labor component of the Construction Cost Index is common (unskilled) labor, while the labor component of the Building Cost Index is skilled labor. The Construction Cost Index has been issued since 1908, while the Building Cost Index has been issued since 1915. Each index is widely used throughout the U.S. construction industry as a benchmark for measuring inflation. The ''ENR'' cost indexes were created in 1921 and overseen for many years by ''ENR'''s director of market surveys, Elsie Eaves.

''ENR'''s economic analysis

''Engineering News-Record'' publishes quarterly cost reports, which are eight to twelve page collections of articles analyzing the most critical factors impacting construction costs. Topics may include lumber prices, personnel shortages, copper prices, fuel costs, and workers' compensation insurance. The December cost report is always devoted to international construction costs.

References

External links

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Construction, Building & Engineering News: ENR
official site {{Authority control Business magazines published in the United States Professional and trade magazines Weekly magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1874 1874 establishments in the United States Magazines published in New York City Engineering magazines