For those of us interested in historic preservation/restoration, this week was tragic. Notre Dame is an integral part of the Parisian backdrop and a picture of craftsmanship that withstood hundreds of years, not to mention its significance to the Catholic church. On Monday, I watched with my jaw dropped as the flames rose. Now, as …
Our hometown is one of those cities that came of age during an industrial boom. Because of this, there is plenty of historical space in the CBD that is full of architectural details and prime for adaptive reuse. We’ve been a part of several of these projects. So the question I asked myself is, “Why has this initiative become a …
We are about 35% complete building The Sidewalk Film Center and Cinemas, which will be the year round home for the organization as well as their nationally acclaimed film festival. The confined space of the project, coupled with the extensive rock excavation, requires both gas and electric powered equipment. This can create a potential hazard from fumes and emissions. This was solved by …
From time to time, I am asked how we manage to build projects in multiple states, often a long way from here, and how we have been consistent for 35 years. The answer is pretty simple: We have developed a group of traveling subcontractors and vendors who we trust. In return, they trust us. The key …
Several months ago, we set fuel tanks on one of our projects. While words can describe the process, this time lapse does it best: Like most building contractors, we’ve found that starting things right with an eye on quality always ends up with the best results. In this case, constant monitoring was also key in …
Just a few years ago, a 10,000 sf slab pour was a large one. We are now in the 50,000 sf range. We have recently made a series of large pours on a 15-acre project, using a laser CAD guided screed. It yields better, more accurate pours. Here is the run down on the means …
To me, the answer is two-fold. While I think many may subconsciously be more likely to hire folks they easily relate to or find common ground with, we have found diversity matters. Whatever we think separates us–gender, culture or any other “norm”–we have so much more success by finding common ground and sharing different views …
The construction industry is a very fragmented industry. This is among the reasons one does not see the large-scale technological advances like you might see in other sectors. Having said this, I was with a group of young project managers today, and I was telling them how “things used to be.” Before power screeds and …
A new corporate headquarters was recently completed near our place. It’s sleek, well-designed and sends the right message. When talking to one of their leads, I asked why they chose Gensler for the design. The answer: “They make things painful in the beginning, drilling hard on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ before they ever get around to what …
The image you see here is one of our recent projects in the southeast. Interestingly, we constructed this building a few years ago and were called back in 2018 in the innovation mode. We’re seeing a number of shifts, and in the process, “innovation” has become a keyword for the companies who are turning the battleship, whether by lowering cost, …
There was a time when pigs did fly. Each year in December, I would look forward to my mother taking me to ride “The Pink Pig” at the downtown Atlanta department store of Mr. and Mrs. Rich (Rich’s). It’s an iconic holiday memory, and one that always endeared me to the now out-of-business retailer. As an …
This week, I participated in an FMI construction conference in Denver, with the goal of discussing the construction outlook for 2018. A major item, not surprisingly, was the increasing shortage of labor and new talent in construction. The problem is likely a combination of after-burn from all those leaving the industry during the financial crisis, baby boomers retiring and no …