We are just finishing our first total BIM designed project, a 2-story, 130,000 sf building. Our experience has taught us that BIM is: An excellent design tool. Using 3-D modeling allows the customer to understand the project much more efficiently than flat plans. A way to bridge communication gaps. Consultants, contractors, subcontractors and material vendors have one …
Time is what we want most, but what we sometimes use the worst. Time is also our greatest commodity. In business, there are some fields where this is more obvious, like “service professionals” including accountants, marketing firms and IT folks who charge by the hour. Lawyers break their actions into billable segments of .1, or 6 …
Steel driven piles have been around since the early 1900s and continue to be used effectively. With steel piling, one uses HP steel shapes. HP is so named because, looking at the end of the steel shape, it is in the form of the letter H. P stands for pilings, hence the HP. These sections can …
In the world of social media and Web 2.0 (or 3.0, depending on your stance) it often seems the world is speeding past us. Some of the bad business habits that might have slid by a few years ago are getting called on the carpet, and with good reason. A recent conversation with Marc Corsini, …
In Texas, we are closing out a unique institutional project. This former skating rink has been made over to become an educational facility designed and built for LEED certification. Many progressive techniques and products were utilized in the construction. Perhaps one of the more interesting is the Alerton Building Automation System, which controls and monitors …
Charles Portis penned the novel True Grit in 1968. It was subsequently made into a movie in 1969 and a remake was released in 2010. The story is of a 16-year-old girl, an aging U.S. Marshall and a Texas Ranger. The trio overcame an endless succession of challenges to the avenge the murder of the …
We are about to start a project that has been in the pre-construction stages for two years. We’ve used of a couple of relatively new tools during this planning period: BIM (building information modeling) and IPD (integrated project delivery). It seems both initiatives are slowly working their way into real estate, design, and construction in one way …
Recently, I participated in a working panel concerning urban growth and development. Led by Roger Millar of Smart Growth America, it highlighted the Portland Streetcar Initiative, with the idea of bringing something similar to our city. The smart growth concept is intended to combat the idea of suburban sprawl “building urban or suburban and rural communities …
In this economy, reusing, repurposing and recycling construction material can make the difference in meeting a budget. Additionally, our experience shows that a portion of customers, whether they be landlords or tenants, are placing an increased value on green label buildings. In the right applications, repurposing materials makes economic sense . This article by Bill …
You might build the best mousetraps. You might even deliver the best service. But if in the process your communication style misses the mark, you can negatively affect the way customers feel about your company. In my experience, this happens now more than ever. We are in a time of unprecedented communication means and methods. …
We recently we had a project where very tight tolerances for the floor finishes were important. I thought I would share what this measuring system is all about, and give a quick summary on how to get there. Until the 1980s, concrete flatness was measured as “in 1/8th inch in ten feet,” the gold standard …
I think few would argue against the idea that America is a country obsessed with winning. As Robert Redford said, The slogan I was given as a kid playing sports was, ‘It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.’ That was a lie. Everything matters in this country. What …