About this time last year, the Birmingham Business Journal published an article titled “Frugal by Design.” They talked with local architects about something that I truly think is national in interest: the changing landscape of the building business. Three trends were identified that I’ve seen do nothing but grow over the last year. In fact, …
Last fall, we broke ground on a project that was more than special. It’s an honor. Independent Living Resources provides community-based, non-residential services and advocacy for those living with disabilities. The new location we are building in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District seems more than fitting. As IRL Executive Director Dan Kessler, told The Birmingham News, …
Might be over-exposed. That’s what the Wall Street Journal, “Indecent Exposure: The Downsides of Working in a Glass Office” says, anyway. With all the talk about the benefits of open design, no one seemed to consider the pitfalls. Here are a few the WSJ identified: Privacy on personal matters, where human resources or other private …
Recently, we completed two projects using LED lighting for the parking fields. I thought it would be helpful to share a few basic observations and thoughts: PROS: Energy Efficiency. Conventional lighting wastes a high percentage of energy through heat, while LEDs remain cool. This makes these bulbs much more energy efficient. In total, LEDs consume …
We like to consider the folks we work with an extended family. And, like most families, Stewart Perry has a few holiday traditions. Every year, we pick a weekend in December for all the team members who work on job sites come to our home office. We get a few meetings out of the way …
Negotiation is a part of our business, and for that matter, most things in life. CBS MoneyWatch recently posted 12 Negotiation Tips for People Who Hate Negotiating, and I was inclined to listen. Here they are: Go first. Be quiet. Know what you want. Assume the best case. Avoid setting ranges. Have a reason for …
In the U.S. today, right now, we have more of everything than we need. More housing, more GLA of every type of space, more service providers, more developers and more building contractors. In order to survive this cycle, we’ve remained nimble, watched expenses and never forgotten what brought us to the party. Our goal is …
As an industry, the recent years have taken us through some lows. As we continue to look ahead and heal, it’s important to consider and overcome what could hold us back. At a recent breakfast, Brian Moore of FMI presented three challenges ahead of us, and some thoughts on how to keep them at bay. 1. Availability of entry-level employees. …
Earlier this week, I met with a national architectural firm with whom we are partnering on a 2012 mixed-use project. I asked the principals what they thought of BIM and their response was, “it will become the norm for architectural and engineering work sooner than later–in less than five years.” We also believe BIM will …
Our CFO Del Allen recently attended the Birmingham Aon/Smith Currie breakfast, where they presented a “state of the union” type look at the construction industry. Later this week, I will share 3 key issues effecting talent in the construction industry, but first I thought you might like to take a look at the stats. Many …
Recently, I talked with a major architectural firm about their use of building information modeling. To them, BIM is just another advance of communications and drawings. I can relate. When I was in college, everybody used pencils. The quality of your lines on the drawings was most important. Then we moved to ink to give …
On construction jobs, the unexpected is…well…expected. Circumstances inevitably change. In our case, codes are updated, conditions in earthwork shift or we encounter any other variety of circumstances that affect the outcome of our work. To me, when considering a construction contract–or for that matter any written agreement–good communication and change management are essential to success …