Jim Kollaer's blog

Software Advice's ERP Analyst Derek Singleton recently posted a blog that points out three major findings from the construction firms that they surveyed for their latest research.

First, “Users of construction estimating software produce faster and more accurate bids.”

Second, “Construction estimating software users report fewer challenges with their system.”
 
Third, “These results were more pronounced among medium- and large-sized companies.”   [node:read-more:link]

AGC Smart Brief noted that David Benjamin and a team at Columbia University are developing bacteria-based processes that could be produced as commercially available construction materials within the next 8-10 years, showing us that quantum change is going on behind the scenes today that will ultimately change the face of construction as we know it.

The referenced article is called Designing and Building with Bacteria Could be the Future of Architecture, and it originally appeared in Inhabitat, a publication that features new and leading-edge discoveries in a number of fields that will impact our lives and industries in the near future.

We think that whether you are in the industry today or just entering the industry, you should pay close attention to some of the “new stuff” being talked about here and in other forums.   [node:read-more:link]

The Green Building Education Services (GBES) newsletter this week announced that they have printed a Treehugger blog entry by Lloyd Alter entitled LEED-bashing: Is the Bank of America Building really a "toxic tower"?  This entry takes a little different and somewhat more in-depth view of the LEED aspects of the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park which I wrote about previously.  Following an outline of the building’s “green” attributes, including its energy use compared to other buildings, Alter writes:

“Every urbanist and architect says that New York is so green because of the way people are packed in and the fact that they don't drive. They claim that energy use per capita is the metric that matters. Yet here they don't know that basic metric and call the building a toxic energy hog.   [node:read-more:link]

The Bank of America Tower in the city of New York was given the designation of LEED Platinum as the first tower in the city to achieve that rating.  According to Al Gore, one of its early tenants, the building was to be perhaps the most sustainable high rise in the country and a model for other buildings.

Unfortunately, according to World Property Channel, an article in the New Republic disclosed that the building is the largest “energy hog” in the city, not a good thing.

The articles point out that while the LEED certification process looks good on paper, has implications for architects and owners, can achieve tax breaks for owners and developers, and is an attractive tool for leasing agents looking for “green oriented” tenants, the operating realities of those buildings may not meet expectations of the users and the proponents of the LEED process.  World Property Channel Global Editor Kevin Brass writes:

“The Bank of America experience shows how easy it is to undermine good intentions. There really is no mystery behind the building's energy usage. A third of the leasable space is filled by huge financial trading floors, packed with electricity-guzzling computers and monitors, not to mention the servers and the systems needed to cool the space and equipment.   [node:read-more:link]

I know it sounds strange, but as we have reported previously, strange things happen in Las Vegas every day.  According to Arabian Business, “The Harmon Hotel tower, co-owned by MGM Resorts International, was designed as a 48-storey component of the AED31.2bn ($8.5bn) CityCenter project, which opened in December 2009.”  The “Harmon project” was designed to be a non-gambling hotel and retail project that is located at the entrance of the CityCenter development underwritten by Dubai World, the investment arm of the government of Dubai.

Investigators found that there were structural flaws in the concrete structure’s reinforcing steel that could possibly lead to a collapse of the building in a strong earthquake.  The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported:

“Chukwuma Ekwueme, the Southern California-based structural engineering expert for CityCenter, said more than 7,000 defects were observed during the fourth testing phase.  Ekwueme said 100 percent of the elements tested contained at least one defect that required repair. Almost all elements contained multiple diverse defects.”

Construction was halted, and the court recently granted demolition permission for the unfinished building.  The Arabian Business article continues:   [node:read-more:link]

Nissan joined GM and announced this week that they plan to have cars that can drive themselves in production by 2020, but I am not sure that will be soon enough after what I saw on the way to breakfast.

As I turned north onto one of the main thoroughfares in Houston Friday morning, I saw a woman driving a very large black SUV with a cell phone in each hand on the steering wheel as she made her way through rush hour traffic.  Sure, we are all used to seeing folks with their cell phones glued to the side of their heads, but one in each hand seems a bit extreme even for Houston.  And yes, I know that she at least had both hands on the steering wheel.  I wonder whether there were kids in the back seat?

So, Nissan’s announcement that they are working with the scientists and designers at MIT and the University of Tokyo to have “a commercially viable autonomous driving system in multiple vehicles by 2020” might need to be accelerated by a few years.  John Capp, GM's director of electrical controls and active safety technology told reporters that each driver of these vehicles would still be in control and able to override the computer system.   [node:read-more:link]

My architectural colleague, Bob Borson, is an architect and blogger in Dallas.  He “pens” a blog site called Life of an Architect.  I read each and every one of his blogs since he writes about subjects that any of us who are architects or who are in the construction industry will find interesting.

This week’s subject is an extension of the series of Bags that he started by showing everything he carries in his messenger bag.  His list ranged from the sublime to the truly useful and even some items that I use from time to time like graphite pencils and sketch paper.

This week he does a very structured layout of the items that can be found in the typical drywaller’s bucket.  The bucket is imperative because the drywall contractor’s tools would destroy a messenger bag in a few days. nbsp; [node:read-more:link]

Wow!  A friend forwarded the following pictures of the new World Trade Center to me.  The view is spectacular to say the least, but this is really hard work.  Volunteers?


 
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School starts again in a month or so across the nation and thousands of middle school and high school students will be asked to think about “what they want to be when they grow up” and to examine the careers available to them and to decide which path they will pursue.

Just in time for the start of the school year, Trilogy Publications LLC has released the third book in their “Those Amazing…” series called Those Amazing Builders. The goal of this new publication is to get the word out to students about the opportunities in the construction industry. This 34-page, full color look at construction industry jobs and the impact that builders and designers have on the world is a great overview for students considering a possible career in construction.

The project was underwritten by sponsors which included Skanska USA at the highest Diamond level, Ingersoll Rand at the Platinum level, RailWorks and Willis Group at the Gold level, and the General Contractors Association of New York, HOK, and the New York Building Congress all at the Silver level.

I recently spoke with Rose Reichman, principal at Reichman Frankle, Inc., an award winning professional firm providing marketing, communications and public relations services for the Engineering and Construction Industry, about this publication.   [node:read-more:link]

We won’t say that the energy industry is “high on the success” of the recent development of the oil fields of West Texas, but they might be getting mighty close when real estate developers announce a monumental high rise to be built in the Permian Basin.

That exact thing happened recently when Energy Related Properties partners Wendall “Scooter” Brown and Bill Meyer announced a 58-story mixed-use spec building in downtown Midland called Energy Tower at City Center designed to show that Midland is truly the “Oil Capital of America.”

The Midland City Council bought the old County Courthouse site for $2.2 million to make way for this proposed building that, according to the brochure, will contain 564,000 square feet of Class A office space, a 198 room luxury hotel, 230,000 square feet of luxury residences, 53,500 square feet of retail, an entertainment center, and five levels of underground parking and infrastructure.  You can watch a 4-minute video below which highlights the features of the project which is scheduled to be completed in 2016.

The building designed by Edmonds International will rise out of Centennial Park in the heart of downtown Midland, and will be the tallest building in Midland by a factor of over two.  Currently the Bank of America Building which opened in 1978 is the tallest, standing 24-stories high.   [node:read-more:link]