September, 2017

article thumbnail

How to Avoid 3 Common Commercial Construction Scheduling Delays

HardHatChat

Compared with a few short years ago, commercial construction moves at an incredibly fast pace today. Due to a variety of factors – from smaller profit margins following the economic downturn, to the sense of immediacy that’s so pervasive in the modern business world – everyone from our clients on down to our subcontractors are being squeezed for time and asked to deliver commercial construction projects on tighter schedules than ever before.

Schedule 312
article thumbnail

4 Benefits of Using Cost Codes

Construction Business Owner

Have you ever wished you had more detail about what was going on at your jobsite? Construction sites are large, with a lot of employees, machinery and materials. This is often hard for management to monitor, with valuable data on costing, efficiency and profitability becoming too difficult to collect.

professionals

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Roles and Responsibilities of a Civil Site Engineer

The Constructor

Roles and responsibilities of a civil site engineer depends on the nature of construction works in a project. Civil site engineers performs various.

article thumbnail

5D BIM: How It Will Help the Construction Industry

Lets Build

Earlier this year we explored BIM, Building Information Modeling, and explained why it is the future of construction. BIM is currently broken down into three levels but can more levels be added? We took a deeper look into 5D & the new revelations for this industry changing information sharing system.

BIM 167
article thumbnail

Optimize Operational Processes With an Industry-Specific ERP

As the use of Enterprise Resource Planning systems in the construction industry is critical to optimizing operations, it's critical that decision makers conduct a thorough software evaluation to find the one that best aligns to their needs.

article thumbnail

Florida Suspends Some Roofing Repair Regulations

Construction Equipment

To aid in the clean up after Hurricane Irma, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation issued an emergency order that suspends certain roofing regulations for 37 counties listed in FEMA's Disaster Declaration dated September 13, 2017.

article thumbnail

CTBUH determines fastest elevators and longest runs in the world in new TBIN Study

BD+C

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) released an original “Tall Buildings in Numbers” (TBIN) research study entitled Vertical Transportation: Ascent & Acceleration. The study began as a collaboration with Guinness World Records to identify the commercial building with the fastest elevator speeds and longest vertical runs, which turned out to be Shanghai Tower, China.

More Trending

article thumbnail

How an Old Building Material Could Provide a New Solution

Construction Business Owner

Sourcing materials for a project that meet a client’s need for durable, sustainable products that won’t have a negative impact on the project timeline can feel like a search for the Fountain of Youth. Some contractors may push back with the claim that the reliability of materials, such as masonry, concrete or steel, is worth the larger carbon footprint and increased energy consumption to produce those materials.

Materials 266
article thumbnail

What is Stamped Concrete? Features, Methods and Procedures of Stamping Concrete

The Constructor

Stamped concrete is a very intelligent and innovative innovation in concrete widely applied for floor in patios, car porch, driveways and sidewalks.

Concrete 260
article thumbnail

Construction Project Management Processes: Everything You Need to Know

Lets Build

Project management is the basis on which every construction project is founded. A construction project manager has to obtain a variety of skills and competences in order to navigate through the project and to establish a functional connection with the numerous teams. Construction projects have a continuous need for alterations.

article thumbnail

International Updates LoneStar Heavy Truck

Construction Equipment

International Truck began National Truck Driver Appreciation Week by announcing “major enhancements” to its classic-styled LoneStar model. These include redesigned doors, windows and interior gauges and controls, as well as greater comfort and a number of uptime and safety enhancements. Above: Though primarily a highway tractor, in special cases the LoneStar can be outfitted with vocationally oriented specifications suitable for some construction duties.

Modeling 105
article thumbnail

The Ultimate Procurement Software Buyer’s Guide

Choosing the right procurement software is a crucial step in ensuring third-party risk management, process governance, and bidding efficiency. With so many procurement solutions to choose from, it can be overwhelming without a frame of reference and a solid starting point. This free buyer’s guide will cover: Benefits of Procurement Software –– Why do you need it?

article thumbnail

Meet the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017

BD+C

A city sustainability manager who inspires at-risk youth to connect with nature through action sports like surfing and snowboarding. A structural engineer who protects and serves foster children as a court-appointed advocate. A K-12 school design manager who has introduced more than 6,000 fifth-grade students to the architecture profession. .

article thumbnail

A social media success story: How one engineer gets results

Construction Marketing Ideas

Brian Fraley has published a worthy interview with structural engineer John Wheaton, where Wheaton explains how he has applied social media to build his practice’s reputation and relationships. Wheaton concludes his remarks with these observations: If the solar flare or grid collapse knocked out social media tomorrow, I will have been HAPPY to have invested […].

article thumbnail

Tips for Mastering Excavator Pick & Place Operations

Construction Business Owner

Lifting freely suspended objects with crawler and wheel excavators demands preparation, special care and proper operator training. If correct lifting practices are not routinely followed, it may cause project delays, create machine instability and put additional stress on the machine, potentially leading to unnecessary downtime.

257
257
article thumbnail

Principles of Conceptual Design of Earthquake Resistant Structures

The Constructor

Principles of conceptual design of earthquake resistant building structures deals with load transfer and shapes of structures for desired behaviour.

Design 255
article thumbnail

Stop Making These Mistakes and Start Scaling Your Specialty Contractor Business

Anything that is built on a poor foundation will soon crumble from the ground up. This is literally the case in the construction stage of projects and it applies just the same during the pre-construction stage. This free eBook is your ultimate guide to scaling your business with customizable software as early as during the bidding stage.

article thumbnail

Denmark Shows The Way For European Construction

Lets Build

It’s no secret that, the construction industry is struggling with efficiency. We recently referred to the UK market which at the moment faces the huge challenge of automatization. Of course, this isn’t just a British problem. It’s a significant issue that construction agents are battling against all over Europe. Denmark.

article thumbnail

Miami Warns Citizens About Tower Cranes During Irma

Construction Equipment

As Hurricane Irma threatens the Miami area, construction companies are taking steps to secure construction sites and equipment. Miami's building boom has also brought about 25 tower construction cranes to the city that pose a unique threat if Hurricane Irma hits. In a statement issued by the City of Miami Tuesday, Deputy Director of the Building Department Maurice Pons said he would not advise staying in a building next to a construction crane during a major hurricane like Irma.

Miami 100
article thumbnail

Home away from home: Children’s hospitals that soothe, support, and distract

BD+C

On June 6, the first phase in the construction of the new Children’s Hospital at Erlanger in Chattanooga, Tenn., broke ground. When it opens next year, this three-story, 90,000-sf, $40 million outpatient center—which HKS designed and McCarthy Building Companies is building—will encompass 72 exam rooms, 21 specialty pediatric clinics, lab and imaging services, and a pharmacy.

Design 92
article thumbnail

Lessons small general contractors can take from the big boys

The Korte Company

Ralph Korte didn’t plan to work in construction long when he went into business for himself in 1958 following a stint in the U.S. Army. The plan was to bide his time until his father retired and then take over operations on the family’s farm in rural southwestern Illinois. But he soon realized construction was his calling, and built what once was a one-man show into a nationwide firm with jobs completed in 43 states and that manages construction volume in excess of $250 million a year.

article thumbnail

The Specialty Contractor's Guide to Job Cost Accounting

Supply chain challenges and rising material costs are forcing specialty contractors to pay more for what they need to complete each job. Following a simple set of principles, this easy-to-follow guide can help you manage job costs, ease the pains of accounting, and run a more profitable businesses. If you are a Specialty Contractor or Self-performing GC, you do not want to miss out on this essential guide!

article thumbnail

How to Recognize Red Flags

Construction Business Owner

The risk-to-reward ratio in construction is among the most unbalanced of any mature industry. The disproportionate downside, risks associated with an extremely bad project, far outweigh the upside gained from even the most successful projects. At their worst, truly disastrous projects can cost firms and owner/agencies millions of dollars, push their best people to the breaking point and cause long-term damage to reputations and key relationships that are important to future work.

Risk 257
article thumbnail

Components of Bridges -Concrete and Steel Bridges Parts and Details

The Constructor

Various components of bridges such as superstructure, substructure, bearings of concrete and steel bridges, their types, importance, functions and.

Concrete 247
article thumbnail

How To Get a CSCS Card

Lets Build

If you are working in construction in the UK, you have properly heard about the CSCS card. But what is it exactly? CSCS stand for Construction Skills Certification Scheme, and the whole thing was invented about 25 years ago. It is a card that provide proof that an individual has the.

article thumbnail

Caterpillar Demos Mining Technology

Construction Equipment

The Caterpillar Mining Technology Group is currently hosting trade journalists from across the globe at its Tucson, Ariz., demonstration center to explain and demonstrate the company’s capability and expertise in assisting mining operations become more efficient in the overall process of bringing their products to market.

Tucson 97
article thumbnail

Report: Optimism for Construction Growth in the Next Year Remains High

Research reveals 96% of respondents are very or fairly optimistic about their organization’s growth prospects for the next year. The InEight Global Capital Projects Outlook also finds over half see digital technology as the greatest growth opportunity. But these are only some of the findings. Don't be kept in the dark when it comes to the future. Read the report today!

article thumbnail

Hydraulic underground boardwalk and gangway system reunites the public with the coastline in Istanbul

BD+C

For almost two full centuries, a 1.2-kilometer stretch of waterfront in Istanbul, Turkey, restricted access to the public. The area was being used as a cruise terminal, and allowed only maintenance, deliveries, and the 6,000 or so passengers disembarking from each ship to enter the fenced-off space. A new master plan from Dror and Gensler, currently under construction, will reunite the general public with this stretch of waterfront by moving the terminal operations underground.

Plans 89
article thumbnail

RetainWall version 2.60 – A powerful software for designing a concrete or masonry retaining wall

Construction Cost Estimating

Dhani Irwanto has developed RetainWall. It is an exclusive software that can be used for making the design of a concrete or masonry retaining wall. The wall may preserve soil or other granular material. It examines the strength of the wall on the basis of the loads and resistances, and leads to bearing pressure, sliding, overturning and rotational stabilities.

article thumbnail

6 Strategic Operational Cornerstones

Construction Business Owner

For every operational advantage, progressive contractors need an accompanying strategy to fully exploit that advantage. FMI has worked with many of the industry’s best contractors, including those that consistently outperform their peers. The following article explains six operational cornerstones that those contractors use to create long-term operational advantages, and an exploration into supportive strategies that can create lasting competitive edge.

article thumbnail

Determination of Maximum Dry Density of Soil and Optimum Moisture Content

The Constructor

Relationship between maximum dry density of the soil and the water content can be obtained by soil compaction test. This relationship helps in.

article thumbnail

Discover 7 Ways to Cut Construction Inefficiencies

Construction sites are often just-barely-controlled chaos. Without clear coordination, you risk everything from clashes to delays, cancellations, and missed deadlines. Get the free eBook & learn how to solve the biggest challenges in construction!

article thumbnail

Weirdest things found on a construction site

Lets Build

There are many stories about weird things found during construction. Sometimes workers come across old buried cars, WWII bombs or even old ships. Here is a list with some of the weirdest things ever found at building sites. In case you have heard some interesting stories, or you yourself have.

Site 162
article thumbnail

Caterpillar Mining Technology Addresses Production, Safety, Costs

Construction Equipment

A Caterpillar 793F mining truck, with nearly 2,500 net horsepower and a payload capacity of 250 tons, rolls into the loading area, stops just beyond a giant Cat hydraulic mining shovel, then expertly backs under the shovel for loading. You notice a cylinder-like device spinning rapidly in front of the grille—almost before noticing yet a more unusual feature: the 793F is driver-less.

Safety 95
article thumbnail

Welcome home: Hotels want guests to feel more like residents than visitors

BD+C

Then describing how his FIRM’S design of the 111-room Strand & Pier Hotel, in the heart of Hermosa Beach, Calif., will capture the essence of that famous surfing town, Don Harrier, AIA, LEED AP, Principal with HKS, waxes nostalgic. The 12x40-foot guestroom dimensions reflect “longboard proportions,” he says. Finely detailed wood rails, trellises, and partitions “evoke the handcrafted nature of shaping surfboards.

AIA 83
article thumbnail

5 unique industrial construction projects we've taken on

The Korte Company

For industrial companies, the places where their work is carried out are their most important assets. These structures need to house and protect important equipment, raw materials, finished products and workers. So when it’s time to build, owners need to know that their contractors understand the importance of what goes on within the walls of a new industrial facility.

article thumbnail

Learn How to Boost Productivity for Every Project

For construction contractors, productivity is everything. Download this guide to discover how digital production tracking improves project visibility, data collection, and production insights—all in real time.