I am in San Francisco this week for the ULI Fall Conference had a chance to tour Airbnb’s headquarters on Monday. Their building was the definition of cool. You can read all about it here, but in short, it’s a century-old former battery factory in “SoMa” the hot new tech area South of Market Street, hence the name. …
Through my years as a contractor, I’ve seen the industry standard for best roofing practices evolve when it comes to “flat roofs,” which are almost level and designed to drain. When I started, 3 and 4 ply felt sealed with hot asphalt were the standards, and before that coal tar in lieu of asphalt. If …
From time to time on our Florida projects, we run across sand mixed with a high concentration of organic matter. Depending on building loadings, this can be a huge challenge when selecting a foundation system that makes economic sense. Recently on a Florida site, we worked with Hayward Baker to determine if the load characteristics …
What a difference 8 years can make. I had conversations with a couple of our Midwest customers this week, and it seems everyone is asking me the same question: What’s happening with pricing? My response is that prices will continue to rise, unfortunately. If oil and other commodities were not where they are today, we …
Like many experienced construction companies, our team is well practiced in both Lump Sum and Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) construction contracts. Adding to these, we are now involved with projects requiring a different delivery method, the Agency Construction Management agreement. In most cases, this is a good choice when there are multiple entities at the …
At the various real estate conventions I attend throughout the year, it seems one question is always being discussed: “When will the Feds raise rates?” This week, I had lunch with a friend from the Federal Reserve, and as I understand, the question is now hinging between “When do we raise rates? ” and “Why …
Last week, I drove through Birmingham’s Avondale neighborhood on 39th Street, a route I’ve traveled many times before. I always knew it as straight as an arrow, but not any longer. I later discovered that residents had asked the city to slow down traffic, and engineers responded with “chicanes.” These landscaped islands form a hopscotch pattern …
Several of our more recent projects have been driven by consumer desire for socially connectivity, an idea traditionally limited to large cities. While the suburbs are not going away anytime soon, we’re seeing increased emphasis on places that create an experience and a sense of place. This means finding everything you need for daily living …
While all of our projects are special, a handful standout for one reason or another. The Thomas Jefferson, a 20-story structure completed circa 1929, was once considered among the finest Southern hotels. After closing about 3 decades ago, this beautiful Florentine building sat empty. Through the efforts of many, we are now repurposing the space …
We have been restoring The Lyric Theatre for about 9 months now, with a completion date scheduled at year’s end. To create a state of the art rigging system at the stage fly, we recently installed micropiles. They carry the load of four 65’ columns that are supporting about 25 tons of load individually. Our drilling ranged …
This past week, I attended ICSC ReCon in Las Vegas, where I always enjoy visiting with longtime friends and meeting new ones. I had the pleasure of being introduced to Clark Johnson of Johnson Light Studio and EVOKE on the last day of the conference. He and his team have designed lighting for an impressive …
We are currently constructing an urban redevelopment project that will have a value of about $120 million when completed. Approximately 40% of the dollars required are coming from a little-known federal visa program known as EB-5. EB-5, which was designed to promote investment and employment in the US, has gained popularity in the real estate development …