High Perceived Cost of Green Persists, Says Survey

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Atlantic City Planning $20 Billion in Projects

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The Economy and Construction: Review of Recent Indicators, February 2008

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January Construction Jumps 8%

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Engineering Firm Plans Tower Twice as Tall as Burj Dubai

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Case Studies: Increasing Throughput with Lean Concepts

After attending a Lean 101 class, Joe Oakley, powdercoat team leader for Edmond, OK-based Pelco Products Inc., manufacturer of traffic signal hardware, structural poles, decorative lighting and utility hardware, knew he wanted to use lean in his department.... Read More

Prevailing Wages on GC/CM Projects

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"But I have a license......"

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Importance of the Lis Pendens

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Release of Lien Form

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GreenBiz intro

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Will “smart streets” offer more opportunity?

Want to get a little insight into what your paving, striping, or sealcoating job might involve in the not-too-distant future? Take a look at what 52 towns and cities, six counties, and 10 regional governments have already instituted. The American Association of Retired Persons AARP Bulletin (I read it in the checkout line) reports that walkers, bikers, and the disabled might be the driving forces behind major changes to city streets and intersections. In an article titled StreetSmart AARP focuses on Kirkland, WA, which it says might just have... Read More

Bid Protests: Timing

In a recent Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals (“Board”) case, the Board found that a contractor failed to file a timely bid protest. The Board ruled that the bid protest should have been made when the construction company knew or should have known the basis for its protest and not at the time the bid was awarded. A high burden is placed on any contractor submitting bids for State contracts, because a bid protest may need to be filed before the bid is awarded or repercussions felt by... Read More

International Cooling Tower fined $150,000 in death of worker

An Edmonton-based company has been fined $150,000 over an accident in Whitby, ON that left a worker paralyzed.... Read More

University of British Columbia’s new Faculty of Law building meets needs of students

Construction is expected to get under way in 2009 on a new Faculty of Law building on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia.... Read More

The 100-Page Start-Up Plan -- Don't Bother

FEB 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story» [A] growing body of research suggests that some entrepreneurs spend way too long polishing 50- or 100-page business plans when they should be out in the marketplace selling their product or service.... Read More

Construction Cost Increases for Four Structure Types Range from 2.3% to 4.2% in January

A typical parking garage had the largest year-over-year increase in construction costs in January 2008 (+4.2% on average for 25 cities) among four type-of-structure categories monitored by RSMeans. In second place was a community center (+3.6%), followed by a town hall (+2.8%) and an underground parking structure (+2.3%). As for the actual dollar-per-square-foot cost of construction, a town hall is most expensive, followed by a community center, an underground parking structure and a parking garage.... Read More

Green Commercial Office Space in New York City Currently Ranks Third in U.S.

According to a report that was released last month by the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego, Los Angeles is first among U.S. cities when it comes to LEED- or Energy Star-certified commercial office space. The CoStar Group provided the data upon which the report was based and ranked cities by the total amount of their square footage that has earned either the LEED or Energy Star designation; no breakdown appears to be readily available that segregates the figures according to individual rating system.... Read More

90,000 new workers needed every year until 2011

Construction needs to recruit almost 90,000 workers-a-year as growth in the industry climbs to a peak in 2011, according to the latest employment predictions from the ConstructionSkills Network.... Read More

Case Studies: Process Improvement Drives Operational Excellence

In September 2006, glass producer AGC partnered with the Juran Institute to launch an initiative to drive operational excellence and improve profitability. This initiative has been coined JPI (Jikko Process Improvement) by AGC and is based on the principles of Value Stream Management.... Read More

The Inside Track on Six Sigma Training

It is essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of training methods that lead to certification and implementation of Lean Six Sigma and related methodologies. This is necessary for any organization to ensure alignment not only with all operational processes, but equally important, the entire enterprise.... Read More

Fixed Price Quotations or Itemization?

I saw an article in a newsletter recently telling contractors (both general and specialty) to give out itemized estimates to their customers. Oh joy. The writer talks about the goodwill, the trust, the ability to compare estimates and the usual tripe that accompanies this type of advice. Let me tell you why I disagree. First, your customers won’t be able to compare your estimate to any other estimate. Common sense will tell you that. I couldn’t compare your estimate to a second contractor’s estimate, nor could you compare your... Read More

How to Get Workers to Think and Act Like Owners

FEB 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story» Companies that want to create an ownership culture need to make an explicit effort to teach employees about their stake and keep them focused on increasing stock value, says Corey Rosen, executive director of the National Center for Employee Ownership. To that end, they should give workers the freedom to take initiatives to cut costs and boost a company's bottom line. Companies should "push decision-making down," he says.... Read More

OSHA Fines Key Contractors At 'Ground Zero' Demolition Job

The U.S. Labor Dept. plans to fine two key contractors that worked on the demolition of a bank building at Ground Zero a total of $464,500 for violations discovered after two firefighters died fighting a blaze in the structure last summer.... Read More

Twenty Large Upcoming U.S. Construction Projects – February 2008

The accompanying tables show 10 of the largest upcoming construction projects in California and 10 of the largest in Florida. All of the projects shown share the same common factors. Shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, medical buildings, educational buildings, libraries and museums, sports and entertainment complexes, industrial projects and government buildings will all be covered on a rotating basis.... Read More

Introducing the gbNYC Audiocast: Episodes 1-3

As you may have noticed, about a month ago we gave gbNYC a major facelift. We’re still working out some kinks and playing with the format, but we hope you’re finding it more user-friendly so far. One of our new features that we’re excited to introduce for the first time in connection with the new-look site is a weekly audiocast. We’ve recorded the first three episodes, which you can access after the jump, and hope to present a new episode weekly moving forward. The goal of the audiocast is... Read More

It is a 50 Year Career

All professionals are in a long swim as they pursue their career while providing for themselves and others. As we can work longer with better health, it is a longer swim than our father's (my mother was not allowed to work outside the house). So, whatever we choose we will be at it for a while. Even if our "ship comes in", we still have to do something in a serious way, otherwise the person we will become is not worth much. Choose carefully. We have concluded that construction... Read More

Construction Estimating Software Study

Go to any national convention and you can't miss seeing dozens of software vendors. It is a big business and there is high value to construction firms. The product has made estimating a less clerical and more automated. Also, it has made estimating more efficient. Due to its power, counting and measuring is less of a task; taking hours instead of days. For those of us who don't looking forward to the job of estimating, computers and software has made it bearable. We feel that most estimating software is... Read More

Construction Youth Trust launches scheme for 'Budding Brunels'

The Construction Youth Trust is to launch the ‘Budding Brunels’ pilot scheme, giving pupils aged 16-17 the chance to experience aspects of construction, including trips to construction and engineering sites and visits to working museums.... Read More

Groundbreaking For World’s First Zero-Carbon, Zero-Waste City

In 2006, Abu Dhabi determined to establish itself as the world leader in renewable and sustainable energy technologies with the launch of the Masdar initiative.  A key part of this initiative was, and is, the building of the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste, car-free city. Masdar City will run on nothing but renewable energy.  No cars will be allowed, yet “at the same time the city will offer the highest quality of life possible for its residents,” says Khaled Awad, director of the Masdar project’s property development unit of the Abu... Read More

Learning Blueprint Basics

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CanaData’s Latest Square Footage Forecasts – January 2008

The accompanying table sets out CanaData’s latest square footage forecasts for ICI construction in Canada, by region, out to 2010. ICI stands for industrial, commercial and institutional. These are the three major non-residential building construction categories. Total ICI starts in 2007 were a little lower than had been expected due to a weak fourth quarter. 2008 forecast levels have been adjusted down as well, to take into account the spillover effects of the slowdown in the U.S. economy.... Read More

Top 10 and Trend Graph – January 2008

The attached table records the 10 largest construction project starts in Canada in January 2008, according to dollar volume. In the latest month, six of the projects were in Ontario, two were in Alberta and there was one each in Québec and Manitoba. Also included is the latest trend graph on starts. This looks at 12-month moving totals (based on dollars) of the two major non-residential building categories in Canada − total ICI starts and engineering work. ICI stands for industrial, commercial and institutional.... Read More

Expanding apprenticeships, developing world-class skills

Today sees the start of the first Apprenticeship Week, now set to become an annual event following the recommendations of the Apprenticeship Review ‘Expanding apprenticeships, developing world-class skills’ published at the end of last month. We have a special report for Buildingtalk from Eric Turner of Proskills who reviews the new production apprenticeship programme [...]... Read More

Hot Marketing and Selling Trends for 2008

Preferred choices emerge in trends, which later lead to movements. Respond to the trend or scramble after the movement. It’s your choice.... Read More

OSHA Issues Portland Cement Guidance

OSHA recently released Preventing Skin Problems from Working with Portland Cement, a new guidance document created to educate employers and employees about effective ways to prevent skin-related injuries in the cement and cement-related industries.... Read More

Historic Argonaut Building at 57th & Broadway to Undergo Green Renovation

On Tuesday, M1 Real Estate, a Monaco-based real estate developer, inked a 99-year leasehold on the 10-story Argonaut Building at West 57th Street and Broadway. The Argonaut is the firm’s first foray into the North American market, and a spokesperson for M1 called the property a “home run acquisition.” M1 is currently evaluating the merits of two other potential deals in New York, which would add to its global presence that includes extensive holdings in London, as well as Paris and Frankfurt. The Argonaut is across the street from... Read More

Subcontractors List

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Critics Rip OSHA's Construction Confined Space Standard