Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Movie Star?
Kidding! John asked if me and some of my friends in BC could be in a safety video that they plan on making for skanska here as Tech. How exciting! I told him of course I would love to help him out! We decided to do it at the beginning of next year because of Thanksgiving then Christmas break. I'm really excited and hopefully it will help expand my knowledge on the procedures and practices of safety on a job site.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Play time!
After visiting the Skanska site they were very very good to talk to. I got to play with the avatar and move about the revit model of the site. He showed me parts of the site and interestingly enough right when I walked into the site a man in a hardhat on one of the differs asked me if I was looking for a job. It was pretty funny. John Calvin was a lot of help. I'm not going to post the questionnaire because he didn't give me an electronic copy and its a lot to type. I will eventually type it or just attache it to the hard copy of my final paper.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Skanska
With talking to Kristi at work, in the Planning design and construction office. I got the email of the project manager for the ICTAS II Skanska project. I'm going to visit him and I've sent him the questionnaire for him to prepare before I get there.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Email Questionnaire with Andy McCullough
Today I received my questionnaire from Andy McCullough! He wasn't as thorough as I Brent but it was good to get the opinion from a someone at a smaller firm that does more specialized work.
Below is the questionnaire from him.
1. What is the basic mission/propose of your construction business? Large scale adaptive re-use development. We call ourselves “re-developers” sometimes. All of our projects are historic rehabilitation projects conforming to Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources’ and The National Park Service’s standards for rehab. All income producing; mostly high-end apartments with some retail.
2. What innovative construction practices or technology is your construction business using? Everything we do from now on is LEED certified. As far as practices, we like to negotiate our general contracts versus open bidding. We agree on fees and then solicit several subcontractor bids. All of our drawings are completely designed. We do not use any design build.
3. What will the construction industry or construction site be like in ten years? Very similar to today except I think all buildings will be LEED or some type of environmentally sensitive certified.
4. Will the construction industry stay in a “go green” mind set or no? Will it continue to be important? Developers and municipalities will make them. Yes, it will become more important.
5. Do you foresee the construction industry turning more to machines and computer programs, such as BIM, for all or any of the construction practices, i.e. design, building, contracts, engineering aspects? Maybe some. We deal in $15 million or less single contracts more or less, so you do not see it there. Our architect does use Revit, which is intended to help contractors, but none so far has asked to use it. Would imagine governments will demand more standards and the building codes are always evolving.
6. Will the safety measures and techniques continually become more stringent or are they even going to be focused on? I think they will become as and more important and stringent. OSHA is patrolling more, and I know a lot of large GC’s are self-insuring. All GC’s have implemented detailed safety programs the last 5 years or so.
7. Do you think the construction industry will be booming once the economy gets better? Depending on what “booming” means. I think it will be a cautious upswing and am optimistic. I think architectural billings are finally ticking upwards which is always a good sign.
8. Will certain building practices, such as restoration or preservation, become more popular? Only as inventory allows. Virginia is the best state for these programs, with New York coming on a little bit. We certainly will continue to do those types of projects and are already very popular.
Below is the questionnaire from him.
1. What is the basic mission/propose of your construction business? Large scale adaptive re-use development. We call ourselves “re-developers” sometimes. All of our projects are historic rehabilitation projects conforming to Virginia’s Department of Historic Resources’ and The National Park Service’s standards for rehab. All income producing; mostly high-end apartments with some retail.
2. What innovative construction practices or technology is your construction business using? Everything we do from now on is LEED certified. As far as practices, we like to negotiate our general contracts versus open bidding. We agree on fees and then solicit several subcontractor bids. All of our drawings are completely designed. We do not use any design build.
3. What will the construction industry or construction site be like in ten years? Very similar to today except I think all buildings will be LEED or some type of environmentally sensitive certified.
4. Will the construction industry stay in a “go green” mind set or no? Will it continue to be important? Developers and municipalities will make them. Yes, it will become more important.
5. Do you foresee the construction industry turning more to machines and computer programs, such as BIM, for all or any of the construction practices, i.e. design, building, contracts, engineering aspects? Maybe some. We deal in $15 million or less single contracts more or less, so you do not see it there. Our architect does use Revit, which is intended to help contractors, but none so far has asked to use it. Would imagine governments will demand more standards and the building codes are always evolving.
6. Will the safety measures and techniques continually become more stringent or are they even going to be focused on? I think they will become as and more important and stringent. OSHA is patrolling more, and I know a lot of large GC’s are self-insuring. All GC’s have implemented detailed safety programs the last 5 years or so.
7. Do you think the construction industry will be booming once the economy gets better? Depending on what “booming” means. I think it will be a cautious upswing and am optimistic. I think architectural billings are finally ticking upwards which is always a good sign.
8. Will certain building practices, such as restoration or preservation, become more popular? Only as inventory allows. Virginia is the best state for these programs, with New York coming on a little bit. We certainly will continue to do those types of projects and are already very popular.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Phone Interview with Brent Helmandollar
I had a phone conversation about the questions below with Brent this morning at 9:00. We talked for over an hour about all of this stuff. It was a great conversation and he had many great intellectual comments that I would have never thought about. He was great and informative!
Below is the questionnaire.
1. What will the construction industry or construction site be like in ten years?
The question really has two parts.
The Construction Industry is dynamic and is changing with the development and implementation of technology that is being adapted for use by owners / developers / contractors & designers. A perfect example of this is the movement towards Building Information Modeling (BIM)and the inherent values that it brings in many of the areas of our industry that have long been a concern.
• Relaying to novice owners how the project will be constructed.
• Scheduling tool that allows an easy “look & see” on actual progress versus scheduled progress.
• Greater accuracy in estimating.
• Planned Operations & Maintenance (O&M) with BIM providing the tool for monitoring systems / parts / equipment etc.
BIM is only one example of how the industry as a whole is changing, and just as the LEED or Build Green movement has modified our industry in the past few years I am certain there will be others in the years to come. These technologies and environmental concerns will continue to morph our industry and in ten years they may have changed the business end of our industry drastically from what we see and know today.
The second part of your question is one that many people in academia do not want to hear or believe. Construction (the actual building of a project) in its’ root form is a dirty, dangerous, disruptive, noisy & sometimes archaic business. I personally do not think that many of these attributes will ever change. To build is to disrupt and re-assemble and until someone a lot smarter than me derives a way of making a project happen without moving and assembling massive amounts of material and equipment it will remain the same. (Let me know if you figure it out) So, I think the Construction Site will basically go unchanged over the next ten years because of this.
2. Will the construction industry stay in a “go green” mind set or no? Will it continue to be important?
Yes… I believe that your generation unlike mine will drive the green movement in our industry. It is here to stay, and will (it already has) become standard operating procedure for even the smallest and unsophisticated of construction firms. It will remain important as we move forward because those that do not embrace it will be viewed as “BAD” contractors and will be limited in the type of owners that they will be allowed to work for. The Green Movement must be embraced for businesses to survive.
3. Do you foresee the construction industry turning more to machines and computer programs, such as BIM, for all or any of the construction practices, i.e. design, building, contracts, engineering aspects?
Yes, in most aspects. (Reference Answer to question #1)
4. Will the safety measures and techniques continually become more stringent or are they even going to be focused on?
Safety, and the importance placed on it has greatly increased in our industry since I started my career almost 20 years ago. I do not see the importance factor on safety diminishing for three reasons:
• People do not want to see other people get injured.
• Injuries cost money and increase Experience Modifier Rates (EMR) ultimately leading to higher costs thus causing it to be more difficult to procure work.
• The re-establishment of “The Master Builder” (Design Build) allows the experienced and competent contractor to affect design as it is developed so that safety of the construction worker is considered at earlier stages in the process. Good contractors will rise to the top as they take this important element into consideration.
5. Do you think the construction industry will be booming once the economy gets better?
Yes … this industry is one of the quickest to react to upswings as well as downswings in our economy. As soon as lending for projects becomes easier to get we will see an immediate upswing.
6. Will certain building practices, such as restoration or preservation, become more popular?
As I talked to you last weekend I realized that this is an area of focus for you. I applaud you for having a focus! If the economy remains stagnant this market sector will gain strength because owners will look for ways to spend less and use what they already own. Historic restoration / revitalization will always remain an important part of our business. We as people like to hold onto things that we value and view as relevant, and structures are one of the most significant components of our everyday life.
Below is the questionnaire.
1. What will the construction industry or construction site be like in ten years?
The question really has two parts.
The Construction Industry is dynamic and is changing with the development and implementation of technology that is being adapted for use by owners / developers / contractors & designers. A perfect example of this is the movement towards Building Information Modeling (BIM)and the inherent values that it brings in many of the areas of our industry that have long been a concern.
• Relaying to novice owners how the project will be constructed.
• Scheduling tool that allows an easy “look & see” on actual progress versus scheduled progress.
• Greater accuracy in estimating.
• Planned Operations & Maintenance (O&M) with BIM providing the tool for monitoring systems / parts / equipment etc.
BIM is only one example of how the industry as a whole is changing, and just as the LEED or Build Green movement has modified our industry in the past few years I am certain there will be others in the years to come. These technologies and environmental concerns will continue to morph our industry and in ten years they may have changed the business end of our industry drastically from what we see and know today.
The second part of your question is one that many people in academia do not want to hear or believe. Construction (the actual building of a project) in its’ root form is a dirty, dangerous, disruptive, noisy & sometimes archaic business. I personally do not think that many of these attributes will ever change. To build is to disrupt and re-assemble and until someone a lot smarter than me derives a way of making a project happen without moving and assembling massive amounts of material and equipment it will remain the same. (Let me know if you figure it out) So, I think the Construction Site will basically go unchanged over the next ten years because of this.
2. Will the construction industry stay in a “go green” mind set or no? Will it continue to be important?
Yes… I believe that your generation unlike mine will drive the green movement in our industry. It is here to stay, and will (it already has) become standard operating procedure for even the smallest and unsophisticated of construction firms. It will remain important as we move forward because those that do not embrace it will be viewed as “BAD” contractors and will be limited in the type of owners that they will be allowed to work for. The Green Movement must be embraced for businesses to survive.
3. Do you foresee the construction industry turning more to machines and computer programs, such as BIM, for all or any of the construction practices, i.e. design, building, contracts, engineering aspects?
Yes, in most aspects. (Reference Answer to question #1)
4. Will the safety measures and techniques continually become more stringent or are they even going to be focused on?
Safety, and the importance placed on it has greatly increased in our industry since I started my career almost 20 years ago. I do not see the importance factor on safety diminishing for three reasons:
• People do not want to see other people get injured.
• Injuries cost money and increase Experience Modifier Rates (EMR) ultimately leading to higher costs thus causing it to be more difficult to procure work.
• The re-establishment of “The Master Builder” (Design Build) allows the experienced and competent contractor to affect design as it is developed so that safety of the construction worker is considered at earlier stages in the process. Good contractors will rise to the top as they take this important element into consideration.
5. Do you think the construction industry will be booming once the economy gets better?
Yes … this industry is one of the quickest to react to upswings as well as downswings in our economy. As soon as lending for projects becomes easier to get we will see an immediate upswing.
6. Will certain building practices, such as restoration or preservation, become more popular?
As I talked to you last weekend I realized that this is an area of focus for you. I applaud you for having a focus! If the economy remains stagnant this market sector will gain strength because owners will look for ways to spend less and use what they already own. Historic restoration / revitalization will always remain an important part of our business. We as people like to hold onto things that we value and view as relevant, and structures are one of the most significant components of our everyday life.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Finding someone to talk too...
...is so much harder than you would think.
So, I have heard back from the lady that Chris Henry gave me information for. She is the Realtor that specializes in the kind of buildings I was proposing would be mostly done in the future. She has said...
I still, however, have not heard back from the lady at the NOVA Restoration Inc. construction company who said she would like to help me.
Laura Lee "Crossing my fingers" Worrell
So, I have heard back from the lady that Chris Henry gave me information for. She is the Realtor that specializes in the kind of buildings I was proposing would be mostly done in the future. She has said...
- "I just got your email. I'll be glad to help in any way that I can. Looks like I might have missed your dealing for the assignment." Melissa Margan
I still, however, have not heard back from the lady at the NOVA Restoration Inc. construction company who said she would like to help me.
Laura Lee "Crossing my fingers" Worrell
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Getting Started...
For Andrew McCoy's Building Construction 2024 class, our first assignment is to predict what the construction sites will look like in ten years. I have began contacting architects, contractors, and realtors about this project to get there expert opinion/to see if they have any projects that I could shadow and look at throughout the semester. I, however, am still waiting on replies from these different people/sources. I did hear back from a historic construction company in DC and a lady said she would be willing to help me by giving me some ideas and thoughts and what ever else she could be. I unfortunately (like a sily goose) forgot to attached the assignement sheet for her to read so I forwarded that to her and I am once again waiting for any response.
My idea for what the future holds for construction sites is a spin off on the whole "going green" trend that is occurring today. I believe that there will be more of a trend to take old buildings and restore or preserve them for other uses, such as an old warehouse into a new apartment complex but where they use the floors and the shell of the building without demolishing the entire building. This will cut down on the carbon footprint and costs of the overall project. The construction industry will evolve immensely in the field of safety precautions and equipment and in the overall computer managerial processes, e.i. less paper.
Turning in my paper now. *YICKS*
My idea for what the future holds for construction sites is a spin off on the whole "going green" trend that is occurring today. I believe that there will be more of a trend to take old buildings and restore or preserve them for other uses, such as an old warehouse into a new apartment complex but where they use the floors and the shell of the building without demolishing the entire building. This will cut down on the carbon footprint and costs of the overall project. The construction industry will evolve immensely in the field of safety precautions and equipment and in the overall computer managerial processes, e.i. less paper.
Turning in my paper now. *YICKS*
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