Under the Clean Water Act, quantity and quality of storm water discharge continue to be right in the EPA’s bulls eye. I remember years ago, the late 70s to be exact, I was involved in a project where we graded 5 acres uphill from the surrounding terrain. You guessed it: every time it rained thousands …
Electricity is the #2 operating expense for most properties. Lowering cost can be a real game changer. We’re about to commence our second LED exterior lighting package at the Redstone Arsenal and in the process should achieve about a 70% energy savings. Here is what we are seeing across the board: There is less new construction, but …
A few weeks ago, I was showing the former President of the San Francisco AIA Chapter around our offices. He has done design work for Google and other .coms. His first comment: “Wow, you guys have big offices.” They measure 162 square feet. This got me thinking what future concepts in office space might look like. While the …
Since the big squeeze started four years ago, we’ve seen lots of retail companies go out of business, change locations or infill/ backfill. As survivors adjust to reality, innovative ideas continue to pop up. Two of these are on my radar at the moment: right-sizing big boxes and creative uses for excess second floor space. …
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 …
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 …