Beyond the Build - Page 47 of 64

BIM, IPD and Project Efficiency Lessons Learned

We are about to start a project that has been in the pre-construction stages for two years. We’ve used of a couple of relatively new tools during this planning period: BIM (building information modeling) and IPD (integrated project delivery). It seems both initiatives are slowly working their way into real estate, design, and construction in one way …

Community Service

Streetcar Desire

Recently, I participated in a working panel concerning urban growth and development. Led by Roger Millar of Smart Growth America, it highlighted the Portland Streetcar Initiative, with the idea of bringing something similar to our city. The smart growth concept is intended to combat the idea of suburban sprawl “building urban or suburban and rural communities …

Commodities Pricing

Save Cost and Carbon Onsite

In this economy, reusing, repurposing and recycling construction material can make the difference in meeting a budget. Additionally, our experience shows that a portion of customers, whether they be landlords or tenants, are placing an increased value on green label buildings. In the right applications, repurposing materials makes economic sense . This article by Bill …

Customer Relationships

How to Break Communication Barriers in Business

You might build the best mousetraps. You might even deliver the best service. But if in the process your communication style misses the mark, you can negatively affect the way customers feel about your company. In my experience, this happens now more than ever. We are in a time of unprecedented communication means and methods. …

Continuing Education

F-Numbers and Concrete Flatness

We recently we had a project where very tight tolerances for the floor finishes were important. I thought I would share what this measuring system is all about, and give a quick summary on how to get there. Until the 1980s, concrete flatness was measured as “in 1/8th inch in ten feet,” the gold standard …

Leadership

In the Long-Term, Losing Makes Us Winners

I think few would argue against the idea that America is a country obsessed with winning. As Robert Redford said, The slogan I was given as a kid playing sports was, ‘It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ That was a lie. Everything matters in this country. What …

Projects

Setting RTUs via Helicopter

Where would we be without helicopters? This week we used a Sikorksy S-58t helicopter to set 17 RTUs on a new project scheduled for completion next year. It’s amazing how fast the process moved. From pick up to the roof , set time was less than 1 hour. While we have been using helicopters on …

Construction Trends

Cold-Process Asphalt Rehab, Beyond Roadways

It may be a matter of time before we see cold in-place recycling (CIPR) in commercial parking areas. As an eco-friendly pavement process, CIPR rehabs old asphalt without using heat. In this process, existing asphalt is removed and then pulverized to the desired aggregate size, mixing in a rejuvenating asphalt emulsion. Almost 100% of the recycled …

Tips from the Field

How Roller Compacted Concrete Helped Us Overcome a Deadline

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) traditionally has a wide scope of use, from airport runways, to roadways and parking areas. We had the opportunity to use this technique on a project last winter. Our customer needed to move into their building, but the asphalt plants were shut down. We installed RCC in the parking lot, striped …

Community Service

Local Art Reaching for New Heights

There is a new structure in our campus garden. Like most things around here, it has a story. Green beans need a little guidance to grow properly. You’ve heard of “pole beans?” They got their name from their supports. When our beans started to get gangly, our gardener Sam suggested we call his friend Lily …

Customer Relationships

The “Real” Factor in Customer Service

We’ve found that these days, our customers want real. Not promises or polish; but honesty. It seems that research agrees with what we are seeing, and the search for real transcends industry lines. Online, people identify more with iPhone videos than heavily edited commercials. At grocery stores, consumers are asking where their produce comes from, …

Customer Relationships

The Roots of Morality in Modern Business

On the eve of D day, President Roosevelt led our nation in prayer. Every word was powerful, but the end particularly resonates with me: Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies…let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Regardless of which God you maybe …

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BIM, IPD and Project Efficiency Lessons Learned

Streetcar Desire

Save Cost and Carbon Onsite

How to Break Communication Barriers in Business

F-Numbers and Concrete Flatness

In the Long-Term, Losing Makes Us Winners

Setting RTUs via Helicopter

Cold-Process Asphalt Rehab, Beyond Roadways

How Roller Compacted Concrete Helped Us Overcome a Deadline

Local Art Reaching for New Heights

The “Real” Factor in Customer Service

The Roots of Morality in Modern Business