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CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

February 1, 2012

Beware the Shibboleth
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

I was reading Henry Petroski’s An Engineer’s Alphabet which has him playfully pontificating on various engineering and construction terms. When he gets to “C”, he writes the following about concrete:

Because concrete is often called “cement” by lay persons, the usage of the word serves as a kind of shibboleth distinguishing the technically illiterate from the technically literate.

So, what in the world is a shibboleth? As I read the quote above, I had just shut down my computer for the night. My first thought was, “I guess I’ll wait till morning to look it up on Dictionary.com.” Then I remembered that I have a great dictionary in my desk drawer, I just haven’t used it in years. I had to chuckle realizing that I’d almost forgotten to even think about a book dictionary. The Net Generation and all that follow won’t even consider that option.

But back to shibboleth. Turns out, it means “a word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another.” One of my favorite customers always talks about the “cement floors” and “pouring the cement” just because he knows it drives me crazy.

I got to thinking about other words or phrases that peg the “Idiot Meter” in my brain. Lots of folks call any piece of construction equipment a bulldozer. I have to force myself not to explain that a bulldozer pushes and then to properly name and describe the backhoe, loader or whatever other piece of equipment they see.

When I hear someone call any piece of structural steel an “I Beam” I immediately reassess their intelligence level. Same with any piece of lumber being called a “2 by 4″.  Sorry, I know a better person would be more understanding and less judgmental, but that ain’t me.

Can you think of any other construction words or phases that act as a shibboleth? Leave me a comment and let me know the ones that goad you. Or am I the only one that’s this shallow?

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 31, 2012

ENR Announces Best of the Best Projects 2011 Awards
Filed under: Cool Projects — Tags: — nedpelger

I got the following news release from the folks at Engineering News Record about the contest I helped judge. It was a fascinating process.

Engineering News-Record (ENR) is pleased to announce the winners of its fourth annual Best of the Best Projects Awards, a national competition that recognizes design and construction excellence based on regional winners of ENR’s seven regional publications’ Best Projects 2011 Awards. Winners will be profiled in the February 13, 2012 issue of ENR.

Out of 119 regional Best Projects winners, an independent jury of design and construction professionals selected 18 winners in categories ranging from green building to transportation. Projects were judged on safety, innovation, contribution to the industry/community, aesthetic and functional quality of design and construction craftsmanship.

One project, to be announced in the February 13, 2012 issue of ENR, will also be selected for the Editor’s Choice Award—a single project that stood out to ENR’s editors as an outstanding achievement in 2011.

ENR’s Best of the Best 2011 Award Winners:

  • Best Civil Works/Infrastructure – Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Floodwall, New Orleans, La.; submitted to ENR Texas & Louisiana by Traylor-Massman-Weeks LLC
  • Best Cultural/Worship – DiMenna Center for Classical Music, New York, N.Y.; submitted to ENR New York by H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture
  • Best Government/Public Building – Chandler City Hall, Chandler, Ariz.; submitted to ENR Southwest by Sundt Construction Inc.
  • Best Green Building – Facebook Data Center, Prineville, Ore.; submitted to ENR California by Facebook
  • Best Health Care – Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital, Grand Rapids, Mich.; submitted to ENR Midwest by Turner Construction Co.
  • Best Higher Education/Research – Kravis Center-Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, Calif.; submitted to ENR California by Bernards
  • Best Industrial/Manufacturing – Merck VBF, Durham, N.C.; submitted to ENR Southeast by Merck
  • Best Interior Design/Tenant Improvement – BP Bright Lights, Chicago, Ill.; submitted to ENR Midwest by Lend Lease (formerly Bovis Lend Lease)
  • Best K-12 Education – Casey Middle School, Boulder, Colo.; submitted to ENR Mountain States by Weifield Group Contracting
  • Best Landscape/Hardscape/Urban Development – Wilmington Waterfront Park, Wilmington/Los Angeles, Calif.; submitted to ENR California by Sasaki Associates Inc.
  • Best Multi-Family Residential/Hospitality – Montage Deer Valley, Park City, Utah; submitted to ENR Mountain States by Layton Construction Co. Inc.
  • Best Office – United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Headquarters and Global Peacebuilding Center (GPC), Washington, D.C.; submitted to ENR New York by Clark Construction Group LLC
  • Best Renovation/Restoration – Jackson Barracks Historical Renovation, New Orleans, La.; submitted to ENR Texas & Louisiana by Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Group LLC
  • Best Retail/Mixed-Use Developments – Square 54, Washington, D.C.; submitted to ENR New York by Clark Construction Group LLC
  • Best Small Project – St. Mary’s Catholic Church Expansion and Addition, Plantersville, Texas; submitted to ENR Texas & Louisiana by Fretz Construction Co.
  • Best Specialty Contracting – MCFM Solar Thermal Installations, Phoenix, Ariz.; submitted to ENR Southwest by Builders Guild Inc.
  • Best Sports/Entertainment – Jeld-Wen Field, Portland, Ore.; submitted to ENR California by Turner Construction
  • Best Transportation – Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, San Diego, Calif.; submitted to ENR California by T.Y. Lin International

Best of the Best Panel of Judges:

  • Tony Bartolomeo, president/CEO, Pennoni
  • Anthony Bouchard, executive vice president, AECOM
  • David Bowlin, CEO, Broaddus & Associates
  • Marjorie Brown, VP/NW managing principal, HDR Architecture
  • Daniel Hogan, director, Office of Construction Management, Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, U.S. Dept. of State
  • Cyrus Izzo, co-president, Syska Hennessy Group Inc.
  • Stephan Kordt, principal, Halcrow Yolles Structural Engineers
  • Michael William Malloy, principal engineer, First Americans LLC, and president-elect of ACEC-NM
  • Simin Naaseh, president, Forell/Elsesser Engineers
  • Marianne O’Brien, principal, SmithGroup
  • Ned Pelger, president, Pelger Engineering & Construction
  • George Pontikes, president, Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Inc.
  • Tania Salgado, design principal, RNL Design
  • Kirk Samuelson, senior vice president operations support, Kiewit
  • John Schaufelberger, chair/professor, Dept. of Construction Management, University of Washington
  • Cliff Schwinger, vice president, The Harman Group Inc.
  • J.J. Suarez, chairman and CEO, CSA Group

For more information, watch for the forthcoming Feb. 13, 2012 issue of ENR, or visit www.enr.com.

My choice for overall winner would be the Merck VBF industrial project. They built a 214,000 sf virus vaccine facility with an amazing level of planning and benchmarking. By utilizing modular mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems built offsite, they shaved the schedule from 46 months to 30 months. They had 1.5M work-hours with no recordable accidents and only 3 minor recordable incidents. They also set diversity goals for bidding opportunity, participation and awards and exceeded government goals by 30%. Overall, my pick for the best project of 2011.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 28, 2012

When We Build
Filed under: Computers in Construction — Tags: — nedpelger

I came across one of the most thought provoking lectures I’ve seen in years and decided to share it with you. Since you read this blog, you probably do some construction related work…or wish you did. I often write about the joy of building. When we build, we use tools to improve the physical world.  In fact, our tools differentiate us from the rest of life on the planet.

Pulling an illustration from the lecture, how efficient do you think humans are in locomotion (moving ourselves a certain distance)? Turns out, we are middle of the animal pack. We use a bit less energy to move a km than a dog, a bit more than a horse and not even close to the winners…condors. But when we hop on a bicycle, we far surpass the condor in efficiency. Steve Jobs used this illustration to conclude that the computer becomes the bicycle for our minds. With the computer, we have the most important invention in human history and we’re just starting to get into the really cool uses.

So when I watched Wilson Miner from Apple speak for 38 minutes on When We Build, I knew it was something I needed to share with you. I know 38 minutes is a long time. I can tell you the lecture is beautiful, pulling in images, video and ideas that can’t be replicated by just words. I strongly encourage you to take the time to watch the video below and think deeply about how the computer will change how you work and live. One idea could change your life.

Wilson Miner – When We Build from Build on Vimeo.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 25, 2012

5 Reasons to Start Your Construction Business in Spring 2012
Filed under: Construction — Tags: — nedpelger

Having my own construction business was never really a dream of mine. I knew my wife’s concern for security and believed that she simply wouldn’t be able to live with the perceived risks. Then again, I never really did much long range planning in my life. I thought hard about what I wanted to do that day, that week and even that year, but never planned beyond a year. With all the variables involved, planning beyond a year just seemed (and still seems) like a waste of effort.

But November of 1995 suddenly lined up a few elements in my life. For the first time in years, I wasn’t that engaged in my job. I’d come through a serious illness and had re-evaluated life priorities. The concept of failure didn’t seem as scary. We didn’t have much money, but TBW believed in my capabilities. I was reasonably sure that if I failed, I could get some one to hire me to do something that would keep the family in food and the donkeys in hay. The economy was just coming out of a recession…in fact, a recession stemming from financial institutions over-lending.

So I jumped into my own business with no work lined up and the jobs came in a trickle, then a steady flow. I’ve never regretted the move and can’t imagine going back. A number of friends are contemplating making their own jump and feeling that same pressure. Here are 5 reasons I believe the Spring of 2012 is a great time to start your own construction business.

  1. The Great Recession seems to have bottomed out and construction work seems to be trending up.
  2. Many construction companies went out of business this winter, leaving some gaps for newcomers.
  3. Winter (particularly December and January) traditionally drains the most cash from construction companies. Start towards the Spring to capture the best cash flow of the annual cycle.
  4. If not now, when? Life is short. The risk isn’t that huge and the rewards are good. Even if you fail, understand that you can survive it and maybe be better for it.
  5. Look around at some of the nitwits that have made it. If they can, surely you have a reasonable shot at it.

Good luck and Godspeed. By the way, expect a bit of a blip from the Euro crashing and burning, but I don’t believe that’s going to kill our recovery in the USA.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 23, 2012

Please Do Me a Favor and Fill Out this Estimating Survey
Filed under: Construction — Tags: — nedpelger

Houston Neal at the Construction Software Advice website pulled together a survey to gather data on construction estimating. The 2012 Construction Estimating Benchmark Survey does an excellent job of making you think about how you estimate projects and how your estimating process works.

Since estimating costs matters so much in construction, it’s worth ten minutes of your time to do the survey. Neal will send you the results, which should also provide some valuable info for most of us. Even if you’re not primarily an estimator, please take the survey. Thanks.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 20, 2012

Combat Pay for Excavator Operator
Filed under: Cool Projects — Tags: — nedpelger

The photos below show a hydraulic excavator working on the roof of a 12 story building in China. Presumably wanting to demo the building without the expense of a controlled implosion, the Contractor should be paying the excavator operator combat pay for this assignment.

The most fun part of this story is the comments the local residents posted about the excavator on the roof. Take a moment to read those comments and you’ll get a bit of insight into China. Certainly different from comments you’d read about a similar incident in an American city. Can you imagine someone posting, “Americans are simply intelligent”? Also, if you hover your mouse above the comment text, you get to see how it was written in Chinese.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 18, 2012

Time to Build the Ice Hotel
Filed under: Cool Projects — Tags: — nedpelger

22 years ago the Swedes built a 500 sf igloo and called it the Ice Hotel. Every winter a new incarnation gets designed and built, each time bigger and better. This year’s building comes in at almost 50,000 sf and stuns the senses. The photos below give us a peek.

So you probably don’t have anything as cool (or as cold) to work on as the Ice Hotel today, but you’ve got something important to do. Strive to work hard and do your best today. In the end, you’re either in that small group of competent people that get things done…or you’re not.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 16, 2012

Building in Guyana
Filed under: Construction — Tags: — nedpelger

Last week I got an email from Jewel Cameron. He wanted to join the Construction Knowledge mailing list and told me a bit about himself. He’s from Guyana and has 25 yeas of practical construction experience there. I thought, “That sounds fascinating” and asked him to provide some details about building in Guyana. He obliged below.

Guyana, located in South America near the Equator, is surrounded by three Countries and the Atlantic Ocean. To the East is Suriname, West is Venezuela , South is Brazil , North is the Atlantic Ocean. Guyana
is a tropical Country, the weather condition is rain and sun. We have no winter.



We use international construction standards, utilizing a combination of guidelines from the American Standard for Testing and Materials (ASTM), British Standard Institute, and Guyana Bureau of Standards. The materials mostly used are timber and concrete elements. For large buildings foundations, bridges , wharfs and other heavy construction, timber and timber piles are used.

Green Heart, one of the best species of timber with a high density and strength, often gets used for piles. For small domestic buildings, we use shallower foundations made of reinforced concrete. External walls of buildings are made with timber, concrete, or steel framed. Exterior sheathing tends to be aluminum, concrete, asphalt shingles, clay tiles, etc. Internal walls and ceilings are made with seasoned Green Heart, hardwood, plywood, gypsum board, hollow concrete block, cement and sand plasterwork, ceramic tiles, terrazzo finishes, or PVC panels.

Plumbing, electrical, furnishings and painting materials are manufactured in Guyana or imported from foreign countries .  Jewel C Cameron MBEng

I appreciated Jewel’s comments and hope he continues to build his career in this great industry of construction. As I looked for photos of Guyana in Google images, the one below made me think of some construction challenges they encounter that I’m glad to forego.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 13, 2012

Construction Dancing for Some Friday Fun
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

Thought this might make you giggle a bit on a Friday.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

January 12, 2012

A Big Bet on High Tech Cluster in NYC
Filed under: Industry outlook — Tags: — nedpelger

Michael Bloomberg was a tech entrepreneur prior to being mayor of NYC. Last year Bloomberg solicited RFPs from universities to develop a high tech campus on city owned land with $100M of public money thrown into the mix. I love that kind of big thinking, it’s part of what made America great.

For example, when the Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, which was considered a huge boondoggle by many at the time, everything changed for NYC. Within 15 years, the NYC port became the largest in America by far. NYC hopes the high tech campus will be another Erie Canal moment.

Cornell University won the competition by teaming with Technion, an Israeli technology institute. They plan to build 2M sf at a cost of $2B (that’s right, $1,000/sf).  The 11 acre Roosevelt Island site is only one subway stop from mid-Town. When Bloomsburg announced the Cornell-Technion award, he said, “By adding a new state-of-the-art institution to our landscape, we will educate tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and create the jobs of the future”. They are projecting 20,000 construction jobs and 8,000 permanent jobs.

Cornell’s bid was further sweetened by a $350M donation from the Atlantic Philanthropies (the largest donation in Cornell’s history). It’s wonderful to see parties converge on a big idea and do what it takes to make it happen.

I see my customers taking similar steps (on a reduced scale) and making some big decisions to move forward on various projects. It’s a good sign for America’s future…and for mine.

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