You’ve probably witnessed or been involved with the aftermath of a construction project that’s not gone as anticipated. Most likely you have either experienced or heard about the unusual weather New England has experienced during 2011 through the beginning of 2012.

A structured approach to gambling intended to increase the odds of winning is better known as – a betting strategy.  When talking about betting strategies there are three different categories:  Positive Progression Betting – Your bet is increased each time you win; Insurance Betting Systems – Each time you lose a bet you decrease the amount that [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

This past week I could not help but notice that everybody was racing around more frantically than usual. I am not sure if it was in preparation for the unseasonably early New England nor-easter we experienced this week or perhaps it was to get ready for the upcoming Halloween holiday. Either way, as I was [...]

I wrote here a year ago letting you know that the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering International (“AACEI”) was seeking input and updating its Recommended Practice No. 29R-03 Forensic Schedule Analysis, which strives to “provide a unifying reference of basic technical principles and guildelines for the application of critical path method (CPM) scheduling [...]

“What is death? One step further into calm and two perhaps into silence. No, it is not life I regret, but the ruin of my plans, which were so long in devising and so laborious to construct.”

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Don’t we all feel this way about our work?? I just finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo and it is one of my new favorite books. The plot has everything – excitement, despair, humor, love, surprises, good people, bad people, and most of all, an elaborate, well-orchestrated plot for revenge. Page after page, we see the Count’s tremendous foresight and creative strategies (don’t worry; I have no plans for vengence). Stepping back into the world of non-fiction, this same message of proper planning and due diligence applies when undertaking major construction projects.

POST PANAMAX is neither a philosophy, style or time period. It is a ship design that is soon to go into to construction to coincide with the planned 2014 opening of the enlarged Panama Canal.

I have an 11 year old son. I enjoy telling him stupid stories and joking around with him, especially in front of his friends. One of my regular bits is that I will proclaim to him that I am not really who he thinks I am and that I’ve been living a lie. I’ve told [...]

When a construction project finishes later than planned, there is commonly a great deal of discussion regarding what caused the delay, and who was responsible. As a result, when delays are present on a project, the parties (and their analysts) are often locked in long discussions regarding the project’s Critical Path – the logic chain [...]