A few months ago, I shared what we were seeing with electrical switchgear and the electrical slowdown that we had been facing. In summary, electrical panels were trickling in late, often missing components. Most of the time, there was only a simple note from the shipper that said something like, “This product is missing components.” …
Turkey has been on our mind this week. Yesterday, I was talking with Kamal Ahmed, a project manager with us who is originally from Lahore, Pakistan, about the recent earthquakes in that part of the world. Our conversation went to prevention, and the seismic base isolation system that is becoming more common. In this case, …
Since the pandemic, much has been said about the office market being in flux. Some have shifted back to a physical space, others have opted for a hybrid model and some choose to remain 100% virtual. For us, it works best for us all to be together in a physical space. In a large part, …
As most know, the Federal Reserve has several goals, with two being keeping inflation at 2% and maximum employment. The two main tools in the tool box are the discount rate and buying or selling of Fed-held securities. When it comes to the current state of inflation, many have wondered why the Feds did not …
Residential construction is continuing to morph in ways I never would’ve expected a few years ago, but as I think about things, it makes sense with the present state of existing commercial developments. Where department stores, office buildings and retail sit empty, we are seeing the space converted to multifamily, often adding restaurants, food stores …
Maintaining the historical integrity of a building will mean extra work, but the results are invaluable. We’ve recently started a new one, The Hardwick, a century old building with deep roots in the heavy steel fabricating industry. We are converting it to a mixed use development of office, restaurants and retail. Because of the new design and use, …
The “urban renewal” trend is still going strong, and showing no hints of changing anytime soon. As we build and re-develop downtowns, architectural diversity is one of the major benefits. Tax credits provide even more motivation to adaptively reuse some of these treasured vintage buildings. We’ve been privileged to work on several redevelopment projects in …
The last couple of years have been an estimator’s nightmare. We often price jobs several months in advance, and we all know that the trajectory of pricing has been angling up. By the time we get around to building a project, that preliminary pricing is often obsolete. I asked our estimating team for a State of the Union …
Several years ago, when eBooks came on the scene, I remember most everyone predicting the demise of both the corner bookstore and national bookstores. It did not happen. There is something special about holding a book or conversations in a bookstore. When eCommerce started accelerating, we heard about the total demise of bricks and mortar …
At the beginning of 2021, it was predicted that retail vacancies would continue to rise. We’ve heard a lot about the need to rethink functionality and interior space, etc., but what about the Main Street, the ground-level storefronts that are longing to have tenants? Maybe there is opportunity in the openings. I recently read an …
I’ve written a couple of times about changing parking needs. I read this most interesting article recently on the different ways cities are rethinking the means and methods of parking, and the why behind the movement. Did you know that in U.S. cities, parking occupies approximately a third of land area? It’s estimated that nationwide, …
While the CPI has risen about 5% over the last 12 months–the highest increase in decades–the 30-year T bills are hovering just north of 2%. One has to wonder why folks outside the construction industry are not more concerned. Someone explained it to me like this: Have you ever been to a football game and …