With hundreds of billions of dollars and many more construction opportunities on the horizon for contractors, some jurisdictions are scrambling to handle the work load for plan reviews to issue building permits. And with recent hurricane-impacted areas along the Florida Gulf Coast and in the Carolinas, jurisdictions will become even more stretched. For contractors with…
ExxonMobil today said it will join the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), a voluntary initiative representing 13 of the world’s largest oil and gas producers working collaboratively toward solutions to mitigate the risks of climate change. The CEO-led organization focuses on developing practical solutions in areas including carbon capture and storage, methane emissions reductions and…
Natural gas – it heats our homes, powers our appliances, generates electricity and can even fuel vehicles. This versatile and abundant resource is helping to drive a manufacturing renaissance across America and contributing to emissions reductions all over the world. Though natural gas is in the news quite a bit, many people only associate it with home…
You’re an engineer on a tight schedule to design a power supply for a robot that will automate a factory. Or maybe you’re designing the power supply for an automotive braking system. Or a remote-controlled toy airplane. Or a smartphone. You’ve got decisions to make. You need a switching regulator for DC/DC conversion, but there…
New hardware that integrates with smartphones or tablets is becoming invaluable for measurement and quality control on jobsites. With a focus on MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) system energy performance, I have found several new tools that are indispensable additions to anyone’s field kit. Beyond MEP, these gadgets can assist with a range of construction…
The construction industry is lagging behind others when it comes to digital transformation. Some construction firms “are still using paper-based processes that can only be described as archaic,” according to a 2016 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP’s Strategy&.1 The industry’s old-school ways mean contractors waste time and money mailing revisions to blueprints, tracking paper receipts and…
There is an increase in infrastructure projects, which is a good reason for construction businesses to have equipment that will help them finish the projects on time, without compromising the integrity of the built structure. If the equipment is no longer helping you achieve that goal, it is time to replace it. However, this is…
According to the US Energy Information Administration, buildings account for 44.6 percent of United States CO2emissions. As the architects who design those buildings, how can we continue to protect the world we care about? And what can architecture firms do to help? Thomas Jacobs, AIA, has been working on those very questions. As the past chair…
Last fall, AIA held a two-day summit called the Practice Innovation Lab (PIL). Hosted by the Young Architects Forum, emerging professionals from around the country met to develop new models for architectural practice in intensive team-based charrettes that yielded surprising results. Chief among the conclusions was that the next generation of architects will not be content to settle for…
Turner Construction and the University of Houston, specifically the Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) department, recently partnered together for the renovation of the newly renamed Fertitta Center as well as for the Turner Advanced School of Construction Management program. The HUB program at the University of Houston was established to assists HUBs in the bid process…
Twenty-two Texas airports were recently awarded grants for infrastructure improvements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP), totaling more than $222 million dollars. Read the full listing of states and projects awarded with AIP grants here. These airport investments will create jobs in local communities, increase economic competitiveness, and improve the traveling public’s quality of life. According…
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) formally recognized METRO President & CEO Tom Lambert as the 2018 Outstanding Public Transportation Manager today. Lambert accepted the award during a luncheon at the organization’s national convention in Nashville, Tennessee. “It is a tremendous honor to receive this award from my peers. Through innovation and collaboration, our team works each day to improve…
In an attempt to take action following Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston has taken an aggressive, accelerated and largely emotional response by adopting onerous building and drainage regulation changes that went into effect on September 1. In April, city council passed revisions to Chapter 19, the City’s Floodplain Ordinance, which dramatically increase regulations on…
By: Helen Callier I’ve met a few people this year that have struggled in one way or another in obtaining the necessary permits on highway construction projects. From forgetting to fully assess site conditions for Rock Quarry to having modular trailers that lacked State seal of approval to getting started later than planned with environmental…
What Is an OSHA Safety Plan? An OSHA Safety Plan is a written document that describes the process for identifying the physical and health hazards that could harm workers, procedures to prevent accidents, and steps to take when accidents occur. The written safety plan is your blueprint for keeping workers safe. Many organizations compile their…
The empowerment of women in business is a passion that Brenda Erickson has carried throughout a career that has spanned more than three decades. That passion recently earned her recognition as one of the Top 30 Influential Women in Houston. Brenda has mentored more than 100 colleagues through their careers at ConocoPhillips. Additionally, she has…
At a recent Congressional hearing, Congressman G.K. Butterfield (NC-01) brought to light a very serious issue that the National Association of Minority Contractors has been echoing for some time now. There is a digital divide between minorities as tech consumers versus minorities as entrepreneurs or employees. These differences cannot be ignored. On one hand, the…
Several industry surveys and reports forecast continued growth in the construction industry. Albeit, the growth shows a modest 4.8% increase, different from the double-digit growth in previous years. Regardless, there is still a general sense of optimism. With continued growth and positive outlook in the construction industry, what can possible be keeping construction executives up at night? Below, I touch on the top issues facing the construction industry in 2018. Unpaid work Of course, finances are one of the major issues that keep construction executives up at night. With a responsibility to ensure the livelihood of their employees and their families, it is…
Houston First Corporation has selected Rios Clementi Hale (RCH) Studios to redesign downtown Houston’s Jones Plaza, unveiling one of the first specific transformations proposed by the 2015 Theater District Master Plan. The Los Angeles-based RCH Studios prevailed in a two-stage selection process, beating out a group of finalists that included Hood Studio (Oakland, California); Office…
In 2009, the newly established Dallas Center for Architecture was featured in Architectural Record. The article, by former TA editor Stephen Sharpe, Hon. AIA, discussed the challenge of attracting people to the space. The solution was a faceted glass wall facing the storefront and lit by an “enigmatic sequence of intense colored light.” The center…
