JASPER In discussing the “information-centric organization,” the research firm Gartner notes the new value placed on information assets and the people who manage them. To realize that value, employees and partnering organizations must have immediate access to information when and where they need it. This is especially true on construction and engineering projects involving many different organizations, each with their own processes and work flows. In just 18 months, even a relatively small $200-million project can generate hundreds of thousands of documents that typically flow among more than 250 participants from 40 organizations. Slow and incomplete information flow forces project
MIYAMOTO As an engineer and expert on seismic design, Kit Miyamoto was in Tokyo on March 11 for a conference when the earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan. Following are excerpts from his blog posts on the Miyamoto International website. March 12 (Tokyo) I was in the train near Ikebukuro station when the train suddenly stopped with a loud creaking noise at 2:55 p.m. today. Japan’s state-of-the-art earthquake system at work .... That’s what I thought at first. But it has been a struggle since. It is 1:30 a.m. now and we are still not far from where the train
SIEGEL The recent news that CDM acquired Wilbur Smith is another example of how the A/E industry is changing. Every deal is different, but I believe that clients’ evolving demands are behind the current merger mania. Clients are reacting to challenges to staffing and oversight by bundling more projects together, and they are looking to have single contracts that encompass a wide variety of services. For example, it is becoming much harder to find clients with separate contracts for civil, structural and geotechnical engineering.Further, many clients are using alternative delivery techniques that put the A/E industry in a different contracting
CLARKE Later this year, world leaders will meet in Durban, South Africa, to define the political map of a low-carbon society. Politicians, expert negotiators and even carbon-credit traders all will have a place at the table, but my argument is that engineers must occupy a leadership seat. If we take a lesson from history, we see that the last industrial revolution was pioneered by engineers who didn’t just answer questions and solve problems that were put in front of them—they defined the questions. It has long been accepted that the world one day will have to move away from fossil
ALI It is no secret that all levels of government are facing unprecedented budget deficits. While state and municipal revenues are dropping, infrastructure needs are growing and the question of sustainability is taking center stage. Can we afford to keep those infrastructure assets and all four million miles of paved roads in the U.S.? I work with asphalt every day, and I can tell you from my long experience that there are some good answers. Photo: Donna Short In 2006, the 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System highlighted the contrast between the condition of the roads in recent years
STEVENS What is the most important class not taught in college? Or, to put it another way, what is the most important skill a construction professional should have? Answer: Managing construction’s craft labor. The labor component of any construction project is the largest opportunity to increase speed, lower cost, and improve quality and safety. It is the line item on any job-cost or profit-and-loss statement. It determines if you will meet, beat or fail to attain your goals. But the subject of managing craft labor is not taught as a focused course in most college construction programs. Without a course
SCHMIDT A key principle of virtually every engineering licensure law, standard of professional conduct and code of ethics is that engineers should always and only practice in the technical areas in which they are competent. The licensing process uses education, experience and examination to identify those who have presumably acquired sufficient competence. However, there is a loophole of sorts: In most jurisdictions, once engineers become licensed, it is entirely up to them to define their own areas of competence within the profession as a whole. Engineers typically feel like they have a pretty good handle on this. We think that
ARCURI My father, Vince Arcuri Jr., spent his 40-year career literally and figuratively climbing the ladder of corporate success. He walked the beams framing New York City skyscrapers and then served as an executive at well-known contractors based in the city, such as Turner and Tishman and AMEC. Family photo shows Vincent James Arcuri at a Manhattan building site. He retired several years ago with the title of senior vice president. We share the same name. And like most fathers, mine dreamed that his young and only son would grow up to follow in his footsteps. My dad and I
INDERLIED A lot has been said about Hispanic workers in the construction industry and their higher rate of injuries and fatalities. Getting these workers the information they need to work safely is complicated because six out of 10 speak little or no English. I’ve been on jobsites with many of these workers, and I have a different way of addressing the issue. Photo: Sam Barnes Employers should ask Hispanic workers to demonstrate safe practices to show that they understand them. My system is based on simple visual cues and non-verbal communication. I also think that keeping some professional distance and
The Republican triumph in the midterm elections has given the GOP control of the House of Representatives. While many people think some parts of President Obama’s health-care reform legislation may be changed, no one believes it will be scrapped completely in the next two years. So a new world of costs and care is here, and the million-dollar question is, can providers survive it? ALLAMBY Signed into law in March, the reform measure’s main goal is to cover the uninsured and expand access. But it is also going to change the way health care is delivered because it concentrates on
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