Looking at the Damage The damage to some of the curtainwall in South Florida is very odd because the storm, Hurricane Wilma, was not bad, as described in "Wilma Pounds Florida, Cuba with Surprising Strength" (ENR 10/31 p. 12). At this time we think it was a category one hurricane. We have some glass buildings in Coral Gables with complete curtainwall around the four sides, and the high-rise glass had not a bit of damage. Yet right across the street was a glass high-rise with considerable damage. I think this is evidence of poor review of the plans when they
opinions UPDATES - 11/14/2005 Owners Sourcebook Is a New Offering in Line This new sourcebook has two firsts for Engineering News-Record. It is the first time we have expanded our Top Owners issue to a sourcebook, and the first time we have combined a sourcebook with a news magazine. Our Top Owners ranking, which has appeared since 1990, ranks the U.S. publicly traded companies based on the construction value of plants and other structures in progress during the year. Readers have often asked, "What about other owners? We would like more information about other sectors." We hope this new sourcebook
On the way from my home near City Park, just off of Esplanade Avenue, I passed the monumental debris heap that rises at least three stories high and fills the huge median on West End Boulevard. Every time I see it, I try to find the appropriately astounding adjective for this unprecedented pile of waste and am stymied. Where once Lakeview neighborhood residents could be seen tossing a Frisbee, walking their dogs or rollerblading, cycling or jogging along decoratively-paved paths, the green space lining the way to Lake Pontchartrain has been replaced by the remains of their lives � the
FOX This is a "what if" story. What if engineers working in design or construction at home or abroad had whistles in their pockets and a hotline to call when they saw instances of corruption? What if members of a hundred engineering societies and construction organizations around the world were empowered by new codes of ethics to be whistleblowers? What if all those scores of engineering and construction-related organizations espoused zero tolerance for bribery, fraud and corruption in design and construction? And what if all their ethics codes required reporting violations? Might Transparency International then rate construction as the most
Backing Best-Value Awards I read with interest your article on the Associated Builders and Contractors suing the state of Pennsylvania over their use of "best value" contract awards for projects with a value of over $5 million (ENR 10/24 p. 12). I’m grateful to work for a trade association whose service to its members includes management education, employee training, the establishment of National Electrical Installation Standards, positive labor relations, legislative issues and the development of a foundation used to fund research and international partnerships to further growth and knowledge within the industry. If ABC spent more time and money trying
Why Not Disney? Your editorial on the last page of the October 2005 Sourcebook was spot on for the requirement that the rebuilding of New Orleans "Requires Vision." My vision, however, is somewhat counter to yours, particularly when you mention that a Disney-like environment would be an unhappy outcome. New Orleans is unsupportable as a normal city. What engineer would design a structure that was doomed to fail before the first foundation was poured? My vision would turn New Orleans into a theme park. In fact, who better to be the construction managers and operators than Disney? Their track record
The 3D Day Is Here The story, "Build It First Digitally" was very interesting (ENR 10/10 p. 28). Our design software for fire sprinkler systems has allowed us to do this since 1997. It is called Autosprink, by M.E.P.C.A.D. (www.mepcad.com). It is for fire sprinklers, but the intuitive design allows the entire building and systems to be drawn in real 3D, just like you were building it. We can then plot the standard "plan view" as well as color pictures of the final product for field use and owner review. With the interference checking tool, most problems are found before
BRODERICK Moving toward year’s end, there is no better time to reflect on how physically demanding our business can be. The routine rigors on most jobsites can be daunting even for the youngest and fittest workers. But more of the bodies beneath those hardhats are getting older. And our industry’s overall approach to health and safety needs to get smarter. Despite efforts to draw younger recruits into the industry, the construction work force continues to age. There already were nearly 1 million construction workers aged 55 or older in 2001. Older workers mean greater national health problems because construction employs
Scott Schneider I 'm sure that many of the large contractors moving in to do clean up work after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita will have good safety programs and properly protect their employees. But many of the smaller contractors may not. We know temporary construction labor agencies are recruiting in the Gulf Coast region with advertisements for basically warm bodies with little or no construction experience or training. What will conditions be like for people doing home clean ups and renovations? How many injuries and illnesses will these workers suffer? As director of occupational safety and health for the laborers'
DARNELL Imagine for a moment a brilliant future for the construction industry. Imagine an industry that is completely service-oriented and customer-focused, where there are zero defects and total customer satisfaction. Imagine an industry where there is trust, communication and teamwork. Imagine an industry where projects are brought in ahead of schedule and well within budget. Why isn’t the industry like that now? How can the industry transform itself? There are many seemingly unsolvable problems but I believe that the root causes relate to something called emotional intelligence. It can be defined as social competence, people skills, or soft skills. After
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