Construction Marketing

MAY 6, 2011

Everyone is talking about ways Facebook can help benefit your construction brand or company, but rarely do they ever talk about the basics. The real trick to any successful Facebook marketing strategy is a strong foundation. That foundation is built through understanding Facebook, and how it leverages social connections around the world. Facebook has made signing up extremely easy for everyone, and it shows with over 600+ million users.

Construction 237

Construction Accounting Mobility Foundation 237

Construction Business Owner

MAY 3, 2011

HOME |. STRATEGY |. MANAGEMENT |. ACCOUNTING |. SOFTWARE |. MARKETING |. LAW |. INSURANCE |. EQUIPMENT |. FLEET |. SAFETY |. GREEN. Topics. General Management. Software & Technology. Accounting & Finance. Insurance. Construction Law. People Management. Green Building. Construction Safety. Compliance/Regulations. Sales/Marketing. Security. Equipment Management.

Construction 120

Construction Software Software Accounting 120

Help Everybody Everyday

MAY 4, 2011

The other day the question came up about whether we should give our staff guidance on the order projects should appear in proposal resumes and experience sections. The ultimate answer was, “I hope not.” To some respect, it’s a gut decision. But then I thought, maybe it’s not. Maybe there is a formula to picking the order of projects.

Transportation 75

Transportation Industrial Design 75

Revit OpEd

MAY 5, 2011

For a limited time , customers who have a current Subscription for select Autodesk products may upgrade to a new 2012 Suite at no upfront cost. To take advantage of this special opportunity, the Contract Manager on your Autodesk Subscription agreement will have to fill out a REQUEST. Please note: When you renew your Subscription, you will be offered the renewal rate for the suite you select.

Autodesk 63

Autodesk Agreement Contract Products 63

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The Verdantix Green Quadrant: EHS Software 2023 is an independent third-party analysis of 23 EHS software vendors (including Intelex) that provides an in-depth look at the technical capabilities, application breadth, innovation focus, and momentum of key environmental, health, and safety management software market players. The guide is essential reading for EHS software benchmarking, especially for understanding unique vendor strengths and capabilities.

Software

DebunkTheBIM

MAY 4, 2011

I wrote today’s post (working title: The 2 essential BIM gizmos) and. re-read it. Sounded airy-fairy – despite of the arguments being reasonable and true. It needs an ‘entree’ before I can publish: It is about basic modelling: I create a column.* It is easy – I select the parameters and place the column. I am specifically keen to have 2 parts of it identified, origin and ID.

ArchiCAD 57

ArchiCAD Drawings BIM Modeling 57

PSMJ Resources

MAY 6, 2011

The American Institute of Architects’ Architecture Billings Index showed improvement again in March, although growth remained very modest. While the increase in billings has been minimal for the past three months, March marks the fifth month in a row that there has been an overall improvement in business conditions. The Architecture Billings Index (ABI) serves as the leading economic indicator of construction activity, and reflects the approximate 9-12 month lag time between architecture billing

Architecture 40

Architecture Residential Commercial Statistics 40

Revit OpEd

MAY 6, 2011

Check out this short video demo of using adaptive components on a facade to experiment with color fin treatment. Especially appreciate the plug for attending Revit Technology Conference to learn more about how to do it!

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Revit Conference 53

DebunkTheBIM

MAY 6, 2011

A kind Scandinavian Archicad-expert posted a message on my blog: Well, look at what the Norwegian government building agency (Norway’s largest building owner) is specifying: [link]. and I read through it obligingly – adamant to suspend my cynicism and find the really useful in the document. And it IS a useful document – see for yourself. The Nordic countries have long been at the forefront at anything BIM.

Visualization 48

Visualization Documentation ArchiCAD BIM 48

Construction Cost Estimating

MAY 5, 2011

Construction Cost Estimating Blog. adsense analytic. Thursday, May 5, 2011. Corporate Sustainability (CS) and Corporate social responsibility (CSR). Now a day’s the world’s leading companies are taking significant steps to improve their “Corporate Sustainability (CS) performance to manage business responsibly, create value in business and ensure their capital growth.

Estimating 40

Estimating Sustainability Construction Environment 40

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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.

Industrial

CAD Shack

MAY 3, 2011

Tuesday, May 03, 2011. MEP Annotation Symbols vs. 3D Architectural Families. Have you ever plotted and found something like the image below where an architectural object is some how thinking it is more important the your MEP object? Put those pesky architectural objects in there place quickly by making them transparent in Visibility Graphics. Boo-Ya!

CAD 40

CAD Architecture AutoCAD Revit 40

Revit OpEd

MAY 3, 2011

I recorded a quick video to demonstrate how I constrained a nested beam family using the Reference and Shape Handle elements of the beam as well as how it breaks when I use the Family Type data type feature to change beam sizes. Chris Price at Revit Rants just happened to post a video tonight about his effort to constrain nested columns. Related issue and I suspect that if he tried to make the column type swappable with the Family Type data type that it would compete with his technique to solve

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Revit 53

DebunkTheBIM

MAY 5, 2011

Modelling to interpret IFC drawings and to aid coordination prior to construction is the ‘fruit that hangs’ even lower than clash detection: I have been thinking since yesterday if I should pre-empt likely comments on my column post – or column-column and explain myself further.(I can also call it a column on the post too if we assumed that columns and posts were interchangeable in construction jargon as well as journalism.

Modeling 48

Modeling Drawings Construction BIM 48

PSMJ Resources

MAY 2, 2011

Going it alone in the A/E/C industry demands focused attention, courage and the skill to control the urge to do what others “appear” to be doing. Here are eight tips on how to prosper as a sole practitioner. Your firm needs a robust BD plan for many reasons: - Define your purpose for being in business. Ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish.

Overhead 40

Overhead Subcontracting Contract Management 40

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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?

Procurement

Best Practices Construction Law

MAY 2, 2011

Employment 72

Employment Construction 72

Revit OpEd

MAY 3, 2011

Read elsewhere on the internets tonight that Autodesk may be offering a nice upgrade deal for existing subscription Revit customers. Essence of the deal.free short term offer to upgrade to the Premium level with the catch that the yearly subscription fee will increase at renewal time later. I'm hopeful that this rumor will come true!

Deals 53

Deals Autodesk Design Revit 53

DebunkTheBIM

MAY 3, 2011

I promote skinny and lean BIM models. Generally, when people FIRST get into model-based design and documenting, they get so excited about the ability of elements to carry a-lot-of intelligence that they burden their model to extreme. There are 2 traps that are waiting for the unaware: Being tempted to load up everything early in the project, with info that makes the model sluggish and easily outdated; Continuously manipulating all the metadata created with no attempt to customise or filter.

Modeling 48

Modeling BIM Management Documentation 48

Revit OpEd

MAY 4, 2011

Seth Godin wrote yesterday that there is a difference between Long Work and Hard Work. I immediately thought how his comments related to how I worked in the past (using AutoCAD and Microstation) and how I work today (Revit and Navisworks). The long work meant showing up, doing repetitive tasks and not really challenging how or why we did things. The hard work is hunting for something better, being dissatisfied with just doing yesterday again today.

Revit 53

Revit AutoCAD 53

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Contractors

Revit OpEd

MAY 3, 2011

I'm opening up this issue to my clever readers out there to either enlighten me or corroborate my situation. Imagine a structural support that we'll refer to as a pipe support. If it helps, something like this: I'm referring to the green "column" and "beam" with the tabs at the ends of the beam to counter potential "roll-off" in a seismic situation.

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Revit Schedule Green Management 53

Revit OpEd

MAY 2, 2011

Erik posted today at Inside the Factory to share some subtle improvements in how the Type Selector works. It would make my Dept. of Subtle department but it's his post so it's an echo. Check it out!

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DebunkTheBIM

MAY 2, 2011

Can you recall this feeling? You are a child. Your mother is trying to motivate you, to do better. She is using various examples of kids from the neighbourhood (class, family) that achieve so much more then you. Our dear AEC is a bit like that. Hardly any report, investigation or study is created without the starting point of, how well others have done.

Industrial 48

Industrial Conference Claims Transportation 48

DebunkTheBIM

MAY 1, 2011

Received an email from a friend today, challenging 2 of my recent posts. He is a construction manager and wrote that, depicting what is below and above the cutting plane on drawings keeps his mind sharp and in shape. He also questioned my praising of the construction-steel-suppliers arm of subcontractors (repeatedly – he says!) despite categorically refusing to acknowledge similarities between construction and manufacture.

Management 48

Management Drawings Construction Documentation 48

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Contractors

DebunkTheBIM

APRIL 30, 2011

They started showing up as part of tender conditions for general contractors. BIM requirements – put up by owners’ reps guided by specialist consultants. Some are quite good. Good and ambitious. Actually, I’m pretending here. We are doomed! I mostly skimmed over the collection of ‘BIM requirements’ that came across my desk recently despite of multiple attempts to thoroughly read through it.

BIM 48

BIM Consulting Maine Concrete 48

Revit OpEd

MAY 6, 2011

It is fairly common to hear someone refer to the folks at Autodesk responsible for Revit as someone at the "Factory". Greg Demchak, a product designer who's been working on Revit since before Autodesk bought Revit Technology Company, told me that the idea of working in the "factory" resonated (found it funny and interesting) with him and others. In fact for Autodesk University he wanted to have people wear lab coats which, if I recall correctly, materialized at The Lounge one year during Autodes

Autodesk 49

Autodesk Revit IDEA Safety 49

Revit OpEd

MAY 4, 2011

One of my earlier posts (The Tale of the Dancing Ribbon Tabs) has a video that goes along with it. I just noticed how many views that video has generated at Screencast - 49,393 - Wow! I guess when you create a little video that has a subject broader than the niche that Revit is some serious numbers can show up! I can only assume that the ribbon being in other products like Office apps accounts for this spike.

Revit 49

Revit Accounting Office Products 49

Best Practices Construction Law

MAY 6, 2011

Contractors 48

Contractors 48

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Construction

Revit OpEd

MAY 5, 2011

I like it when someone at the Factory chimes in with some insight like David Conant did at the AUGI forums the other day. Regarding a members confusion about the new material concepts added to Revit 2012 he wrote: Think of the Material as a container. It contains sets of information that represent different aspects of materiality: Appearance (what it looks like in a rendering), Structure (how strong it is), Graphics (what it looks like in a non rendered view), and general information about the m

Materials 58

Materials Revit Green Concrete 58