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.