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CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 31, 2010

3 Ways to Build Your Technology Competence: Part I
Filed under: Productivity — Tags: — nedpelger

As we say “Adios” to 2010, it’s a good time to invest a couple of hours to improve your productivity (and value) for 2011. Consider 3 ideas that could improve your life.

#1: BET ON GOOGLE

For most of the last 30 years of computer revolution, Microsoft dominated. Apple created some great products and consistently changed the world with their user interfaces, but Microsoft kept trudging along, picking up the best ideas and making them work for businesses. So for most of this revolution, I stayed with Microsoft products: operating systems, office suites and the Internet Explorer browser.

Over the past decade, Microsoft’s trajectory has declined while Google just keeps innovating in the most important areas. The Google search, of course, pays the bills by getting amazingly accurate selections for almost any search query. The Android smart phone system has been Google’s open source code response to Apple’s cool iPhone. I predict that 5 years from now the Android will dominate the market.

A Google innovation that can help you even more, the Google Docs allow you to handle all your computing on the cloud. No more purchasing operating systems and office suites…they are all free from Google. No more losing data by fire, theft or idiocy, it’s all stored in Google’s free storage. I’m planning to write much more in 2011 about how you can use Google Docs to completely run a small construction company.

In order to access this Google world, you need a Gmail account. It’s free, but take some time to think about your user name. It will be shown lots of places.

Finally, I’m also a fan of Google Alerts and Google Reader. The alerts will give you email updates on any topic, letting you know whenever your chosen word or phase gets used on the internet. With a name like “Pelger” I’ve been able to find about my kids getting arrested before they worked up the gumption to tell me. I also get alerts for “Construction Knowledge” and find some good info occasionally. Google Reader, on the other hand, will keep track of your favorite blogs or sites and keep all the posts in one place for you to quickly peruse.

Remember the adage, “A man is known by the company he keeps”. I recommend you spend some time in the company of Google. Their innovations might just help drag you along towards more success.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 28, 2010

Construction Resists National Wussiness Trend
Filed under: Uncategorized — nedpelger

Upon hearing the the National Football League cancelled last Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell said, “We’ve become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything. If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down.”

I have to agree with our august governor on this one. In general, America continues to make decisions based on fear of lawsuits and fear of inconvenience. We need to get better at making good plans and then executing them well.

The construction industry often does an excellent job at planning, scheduling and execution. Project after project, we complete challenging, one-of-a-kind jobs on time and on budget. Think about how many of your projects hit the on time and on budget criteria.

Nadine Post writes that the newest Frank Gehry building in Miami, Fl will be achieving this distinction in mid-January. The $160-million New World Symphony music academy and performance center has just over 100,000 sf of floor area (that’s right, $1600/sf) full of curves, bends and folds. Yet the 2,500 requests for information have been answered and no claims against the owner or architect have been filed. They resolved the challenges as they occurred. The photos below from ENR give a sense of the project.

As America addresses the challenge of international competitiveness, all Americans get a say in how we proceed. Let’s use the construction industry as a model for toughness, for staying the course in adversity. Other industries certainly surpass us in innovation, safety, etc, but, with the right team, we consistently get it done on time and on budget.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 24, 2010

Make Beauty
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — Tags: — nedpelger

I’ve long been a fan of making fun. I make fun of myself. I make fun of others…indiscriminately. I love having fun and making more fun.

Making money has also been something that just made sense to me. I always had a sense of how money worked and how to make it. So I like making fun and I like making money (in fact, my high school yearbook listed my likes as sex and money and my dislikes as promiscuity and materialism), but in recent years I’ve realized I like making beauty.

When I look at the photos below, I’m even further encouraged to make beauty.

An artist in British Columbia stacked his firewood a little differently. I imagine all the joy it gave him and all the joy the photos have given others.  The photo below shows more detail, and also shows it’s not a photoshop deal.

As you inventory your self and your year, as you look forward to how you want next year to go, consider the place of beauty in your world. I think you may find that joy often resides near beauty. You think about that.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 23, 2010

The Importance of Managing Construction Labor
Filed under: Construction Superintendents — Tags: — nedpelger

Dereck Hench, the construction supervisor I generally work with, achieves amazing labor productivity on his jobs. I’ve watched him get better and better over the years. I’ve seen a few trends:

  1. He understands the work to be done and has the right materials, tools and equipment on hand.
  2. He expects high productivity while using humor to keep the mood light.
  3. When people on the jobsite act badly, he confronts them directly and forcefully…he yells at them.
  4. He helps others on the jobsite, even if it’s not in his scope, and builds tremendous teamwork and camaraderie.
  5. He addresses poor productivity of subs because it affects job costs and schedule.

Years ago I learned that normal construction productivity was way below optimum. I experienced the frustrations of wanting to do a good days work but not having the process in place to get that accomplished. As a flooring sub told me one time, “We have one rule. We never install any material that we don’t have.”

Matt Stevens, author of Managing a Construction Firm on just 24 Hours a Day, recently wrote an article for ContractorMag.com.  Titled “The Most Important College Course not Taught“, Matt pushes for construction programs to teach classes about managing construction’s craft and labor. He writes:

The labor component of any construction project represents the largest opportunity to increase speed, lower cost, increase quality and improve safety. It is the line item on any job cost or profit/loss statement that determines meeting, beating or failing any project’s goals. However, it is not taught as a focused course in most college programs.

What I like about Matt’s writing is he understands that effectively managing construction labor requires understanding the trade as well as the people. Who do you know that’s great at managing construction labor? Terrible? Why? Please consider jotting down some comments below to share with others.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 21, 2010

A Wonderful Wife and Mother
Filed under: Ned Weirdness — nedpelger

I tend to get introspective around this time of year. Christmas and New Year’s make me think deeply about what I’m doing and what’s important. As I perused one of my favorite websites, PostSecret.com, I saw the photo below with the inscription:

i was at goodwill this morning with my mother looking at a coat when I saw this message inside. it touched me and i thought about it the rest of the day – with my mom.

A flood of thoughts flows from that photo. I’m thankful I still have my Mom, even as her health declines. I’m glad I’ve been able to tell her how much I appreciate all her love and action that helped me learn and grow. I’m thankful that TBW’s mother was in our life and gave such an amazing model for how to be a mother-in-law and grandmother. I’m especially thankful for TBW. She continues to make every day an adventure for me, never losing her charm or mystery. After 35 years, we keep getting better.

So here’s to you, Trisha, and to all those you’ve loved and touched. You’ve just added to your circle.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 20, 2010

The Long Shadow of a Constructing Dad
Filed under: People Skills — Tags: — nedpelger

I just read a wonderful short article titled Hidden Above Manhattan: A Gay Son’s Link to his Dad. Take a couple of minutes and read it. Well written and moving, the viewpoint differs from most of our daily encounters. The article made me think about the legacy a Dad who works in construction provides a child.

Dads in construction tend to be a bit overwhelming, I think. Most kids see their Dads go off to work and really don’t have any idea what about their job. Dads in construction, on the other hand, have these huge projects to walk through and experience at the various levels of completion. Noise, camaraderie, danger and respect all emerge on a jobsite visit. Most Dads tend to be bigger than life to their children anyway, but the construction site amplifies this concept. “If Dad controls (or is a part of) this, what else can he do?”

So I challenge you to consider this long shadow cast by constructing Dads (or Moms). In your joy of sharing what you love doing with your kids, remember to encourage them in what they love doing. Encourage them to find something as satisfying for their life as construction has been for you.

And if you read this and don’t love what you do, but just drag yourself to the jobsite for your daily 50 cents. Then get out of this business and find something you enjoy. Life goes way too fast and matters too much to settle for living out someone else’s script.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 18, 2010

600 Construction Workers on the Jobsite, 350 are Women
Filed under: Industry outlook — Tags: — nedpelger

Of the many phrases that pass over my computer screen in a day, the “600 Construction Workers on the Jobsite, 350 are Women” immediately caught my attention. The only place I’ve ever seen more women than men on a jobsite has been some Habitat for Humanity projects. I doubted they would be doing one with 600 workers.

I clicked on the article and found the project they were building was a large shopping mall. That further intrigued me, I had assumed it was a big residential project. Since the skill level of the various trades certainly increases from residential to commercial, that meant a substantial training program must also be involved.

In fact, that’s the case in for the Greenspan Estate in Eastlands shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya. Construction supervisor Paul Wafula says “We initially started off with few women, but over the past year, the performance of women has simply shocked us,” he says. “As a result, we have gradually taken in more women and have not regretted it.” They set up training programs for tile setting, painting, steel erection, concrete work and heavy equipment operation. Wafula also noted that women take instructions better than men and argue less on the jobsite, improving the overall atmosphere.

The concept of lots more women performing construction jobs likely will gain traction in many ways throughout the world. Construction jobs typically pay better than low skill employment. The physical strength advantage that previously kept much of the work all male has greatly diminished with new tools, equipment and processes. Though there are certainly still times when substantial physical strength is required for certain tasks. This fact, though, hardly disqualifies women from construction work any more than it does smaller, less strong men. When substantial physical strength is required, the strongest candidates are selected and they do that job.

The other element that makes me think this will be a trend is the micro-lending industry in the developing world. Most micro-loans go to women. The repayment of these loans by women has been far better than by men. There are simply going to be many more women with more interest in working outside the home and with opportunities for better wages.

Therefore, I think this is a trend worth watching.



CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 17, 2010

Efficient, Smart and Green
Filed under: HVAC — Tags: — nedpelger

We are in the finish stages of an indoor swimming pool project for the Lititz Rec Center. The project is going swimmingly (sorry, couldn’t resist that one) as the crews are cooperating well in some tight quarters. Jay Andrew, the project super, recently got all the MEP crews to agree to move up the schedule for ceiling painting by three weeks, which was a pleasant surprise.

Yesterday, I visited a manufacturing facility to witness the testing of the swimming pool dehumidification system. The PoolPak Technologies Corp. in York, PA truly impressed me with their quality workmanship and attention to detail.  Everything from the plastic spacers on the copper tubing runs to the weld beads indicated pride of workmanship. The rooftop mounted HVAC and dehumidification system is shown below.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Mark Graybill, the whiz kid engineer from Accu-Aire Mechanical, convinced the PoolPak folks to add a two stage fan with a timer so we can have more ventilation at swim meets but still save energy during the normal low loading of the pool. That kind of engineering makes me optimistic about the future.

As I spoke with one of the PoolPak owners, we delved deeper into that idea. He mentioned that they strive for “Efficient, Smart and Green.” Rather than just playing to the LEED certification guidelines, they work to make sure their units and features really make sense in the real world of a swimming pool environment. They focus on heat recovery for pool water and air, as well as smart controls that keep the system from doing unnecessary work.

As the Lititz Rec Center maintenance manager and I drove home from the test, we were both pleased with our selection. I felt a further satisfaction for engineering and construction in America. The reports of our death are greatly exaggerated.

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 13, 2010

Don’t Eat the Purple Snow
Filed under: Industry outlook — Tags: — nedpelger

The Purple People Eating Minnesota Vikings had a surprise in their Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The air supported structure has two layers of Tedlar coated fiberglass that require 250,000 cfm to stay inflated. With 17″ of snow on Saturday, the roof fabric tore, allowing a small leak and some deflation. As the deflation occurs, or course, the roof lowers, more snow moves into the low spot (and into the interior) and the hole gets bigger. This led to a full collapse of the roof. The short video below shows the collapse.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2K53bkzX2I

The roof had deflated 5 times previously due to snow loads causing tears.  The Vikings had been pushing for a new $700M stadium, but with Minnesota facing a $6.2B deficit, it’s unlikely the state will rush in to solve the problem. It will be interesting to watch the resolution of this issue. In this new economy, will stadium developers continue to count on huge public subsidies? Or will we be moving back to a more market brand of capitalism?

CONSTRUCTION KNOWLEDGE BLOG

December 11, 2010

Break a Hole in the Ice
Filed under: People Skills — Tags: — nedpelger

My dog and I were walking in the woods this morning. The donkey declined to join us (I couldn’t catch her and get on her halter and lead rope). Perhaps she knew it was the last day of deer hunting rifle season and thought a hunter might mistake her long, twitchy ears for those of a deer. Though it’s probably best not to speculate what a donkey might be thinking, just as I no longer do that with my wife.

Anyway…as the dog and I walked through the clear and cold woods, we came to a little footbridge and stream. The dog tried to get a drink, but the ice kept her from the water. I jumped down and kicked a hole in the ice. She lapped happily, getting her fill of ice cold water. I thought about the bottle of water I had in my pocket, and how a simple action from me could make a big difference for her.

As I watched her, my mind wandered to ConstructionKnowledge.net. I spent most of yesterday working on a new initiative called ConstructionKnowledge101.  For years, I’ve benefited from the practical value of an engineering education to help me solve jobsite problems. My website has helped others gain some of those practical engineering and basic science skills, but I’ve realized I can do a much better, more focused job.   ConstructionKnowledge101 will replace General Tech Knowledge on CK.net and also include an array of phone apps that put the practical knowledge at your fingertips on the jobsite.

Breaking a hole in the ice reminded me of ConstructionKnowledge101 because technical problem solving acts as a barrier in the construction business, separating those who have formal training from those who don’t. Please don’t misunderstand, lots of the best problem solvers have been guys that worked their way up through the ranks. I’m just trying to add some tools, some access, to their abilities that will make them even better.

You’ll see more about these changes in the near future. As for you, are there any holes you need to break in the ice this week? Is there anyone you could help by making a change in your routine or your behavior? I believe part of the price of integrity is to continue to ask ourselves that question.

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