Not in North Carolina

On 25-Jan-2012, I opened the Washington Post and found that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had concluded that Washington, D.C. and nearby areas were actually more like North Carolina than previously thought. The new “Plant Hardiness Zone Map”, revised for the first time in 20 years, showed the immediate Washington, D.C. area had moved from nearly a zone 6A to a zone 7A.  (more…)

Capturing historical data is an essential part of the project controls team’s responsibilities; however, there is often a tendency to ignore the tracking of information that is “to the left” of the data date while the team instead focuses only on what’s ahead. Given the high pressure environment of most construction projects, this is an understandable yet regrettable trend. Occasionally, some people in project management think that the tracking of historical information is unseemly and is only performed by someone who is trying to inappropriately “build a claim.” This is an unfortunate circumstance, because this mentality avoids the reality that disputes on projects can occur despite the best intentions of all the parties, and by ignoring the tracking of important historical information, the parties are making resolution of a dispute that much more difficult and expensive. (more…)

I came across a story this morning from the AP, “World Trade Center Design Flaw Could Cost Millions.” The accompanying photo depicted WTC 1 under construction at New York’s Ground Zero, having recently topped 90 stories of its eventual 104.

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I work both in construction claims and forensic engineering, but predominantly the latter. So the article immediately piqued my curiosity. What could this multi-million dollar design flaw be, on perhaps the most famous current construction program in the nation? A structural engineering bust? Insufficient space allocated to MEP systems, requiring costly demo, redesign and reconstruction? As I’ve blogged earlier, failures of this type on big projects are generally systemic and have multiple causes. What would the new lessons be here? (more…)

It occurred to me while traveling to one of the two fabulous casinos in Connecticut that one aspect of making construction projects successful is very similar to making money at the casino. In casinos, with the exception of the lucky, it is the professionals that do the best at the tables. How do they do it? They know the rules of the game they are playing inside and out, they analyze the risk and reward of each specific wager, and they hedge their bets.

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It occurred to me that everyone involved in construction projects – owners, designers, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers alike — must operate according to these same principles to be successful in the long run.  (more…)

As I returned home from a recent trip to New York City, I realized an appreciation for the history behind the structures that have formed one of my favorite cities. Simply looking past the bright lights of Times Square and beyond the busses and taxis will take you back to a time over a century ago. Whether it was one of the many bridges looming in the background or the century old buildings towering above, I could not help but think about what things must have been like for constructors in an time not all that long ago. (more…)

My son is finally old enough and experienced enough for us to be able to sit down and have a real conversation. Not just grunts and gestures, but words with substance and meaning. 

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Son:     Bay-bee?

Me:      Can you say that again?

Son:     Bay-bee?

Me:      <pause>  I’m sorry, I don’t understand.  Can you show me?

Son:     <walks into the kitchen and points to the freezer>

Me:      Oh, of course!  A bagel!  Wait…you want a bagel now?  You just

           had dinner.  You can have a bagel for breakfast tomorrow, okay?

Son:     <Silent agreement>

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At 1½ years old he understands the importance of communication to any successful endeavor. The same holds true for successful construction projects and communication in the office, in the field, on the phone or over email.

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Lately I have been into quotes. Whether they are famous quotes by famous people, famous quotes that have in turn made people famous, or simply statements made by individuals like you and me that have stuck with me and are remembered from time to time. Above my computer monitor, I have a quote that reads, “Men are made stronger on realization that the helping hand they need is at the end of their own arm.” I cannot remember where I got this quote from but I firmly believe in it. This was my favorite quote for the past few months. (more…)

I have the pleasure to announce that ARCADIS Construction Claims Services is launching a complimentary web-based informational seminar series.  We invite you to participate in Tools of the Trade – Building Skills to Prevent, Mitigate and Resolve Construction Disputes. This webinar series, designed for public and private owners, general contractors, construction managers, designers and their counsel, features leading practitioners who address key issues that impact the construction industry. (more…)

I recently watched a documentary on the history of the solid body electric guitar. Leo Fender is widely considered as its inventor. Fender started mass producing the first solid body electric guitar, the Telecaster,  in 1949. You may have recognized a maple finished Telecaster on the shoulder of Bruce Springsteen. If you like a little more twang in your music then you probably have seen a Telecaster on Marty Stuart, Don Rich of Buck Owens’s Buckaroos or Brad Paisley. Not to be outdone by Fender, Nashville’s Gibson Guitar Company answered with its own solid body guitar endorsed by guitar legend Les Paul. Fender responded once more in 1954 with the introduction of the Stratocaster, which is widely considered the rock guitar of choice. (more…)

Over the past several years I have had hundreds of conversations regarding the Recommended Practice on Forensic Schedule Analysis (RP29R-03 published by AACE International.  It is available free of charge at http://www.aacei.org/resources/rp/.)  More recently I spoke to a fellow delay expert who shared his objections to the RP as currently published.  These objections included the oft-repeated complaints that the recommended practice does not contain a single best recommended practice, fails to include any legal citations, and includes methodologies rejected by many courts.  (more…)