The winners of the 2012 Global Skyscraper Competition held annually by eVolo Magazine have been announced and they are quite amazing in both form and content.  The contest was started in 2006 and seeks to recognize young design talent from around the globe for their designs and the concepts that they propose.

We have seen a tremendous shift in proposals as the creative clients, engineering, and super materials have made previous proposals possible to build.  These designs will stretch not only your imagination , but they will really stretch the contractors and subs who might build them in the future.   Read more » about 2012 Skyscraper Competition Winners Announced by eVolo

Armstrong World Industries Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of floors, ceilings and cabinets, has a unique and interesting vehicle that they use to educate customers about their products.  Recently the Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Systems Mobile Training Solutions Center stopped at Kirksey Architecture for a day of demonstrations and education.

The Armstrong Ceiling and Wall Systems Mobile Training Solutions Center is a customized trailer for a semi-trailer truck which has been converted into a travelling product showroom and classroom.  Armstrong representatives bring the trailer to the office parking lots of construction companies and offer training and demonstrations Read more » about Armstrong’s Travelling Training Trailer (with VIDEO)

The view from Interstate 45 is changing as the new ExxonMobil campus aka Project Delta and the nearby future retail and residential development Springwoods Village take shape.

Up until last fall, the intersections where Spring Crossing Blvd led away to the east from the freeway’s northbound and southbound frontage roads were controlled with stop signs.  Now that Springwoods Village Pkwy leads west from that point, and appears to be one of the main entrance routes to the future ExxonMobil complex, four-way traffic lights are already operating.  Read more » about Project Delta Progress

If you want to see the latest of the tall or super tall buildings that are planned or constructed around the world, take a look at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) revised website which features a Skyscraper Center.  This database, complete with stats and photos, is compiled under the CTBUH  non-profit organization which has its headquarters at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.  The latest posting by Nadine Post at ENR Insider (subscription required) states that

“The Skyscraper Center contains detailed profiles and images on every completed building in the world taller than 200 meters, as well as thousands of other buildings in various stages of development.  Users can easily determine the tower's rank, according to size, globally, regionally and within the country.  The website also contains the latest news and data on each project.”

Timothy Johnson, the council’s chairman, said about the new website, “The new site builds on our database compiled through 40 years of research and adds valuable new functions, new information and extensive assets for both professionals and nonprofessionals exploring the world of skyscrapers.”

The current generation of tall buildings contain forms and shapes that were dreams Read more » about Construction Touches the Sky

I am quite certain that I let out an audible gasp when they first caught my eye.  Red plaid, patent leather, and high heeled: sophisticated and playful at the same time.  Definitely love at first sight . . . and on sale!  Then the practical side of me took over.  I don’t wear a lot of high heels, and the size of heel was a little intimidating.  Not only was the heel high, it had a bit of a platform to it.  Could I walk in them without looking like a 6-year-old trying on her mom’s shoes?  Would I be able to stand around for an hour or more at a reception without the balls of my feet screaming out in pain?  I took them for a test-walk around the store and found that not only could I walk in them, they were actually pretty comfortable.  I smiled for days after I purchased them.  Several times I took them out of the closet just to admire them.  When the day finally came for me to wear them, I was thrilled that they met Read more » about These Shoes Are Made for Walking

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The American Subcontractors Association (ASA) presented a 2011 Excellence in Ethics Certificate to Marek Brothers Systems Inc., Houston for achieving “the highest standards of internal and external integrity for a subcontracting firm.”

Mike Holland, president of Marek Brothers Systems in Houston, received the award for the firm.  He remarked:

“We are honored by ASA’s recognition of the operating principles we have embraced for decades.  The Marek organization places great value on the good work ASA does for its members and the construction industry.  ASA member companies represent the best of the best and the Excellence in Ethics program establishes the ‘blue chip’ standard the Marek Companies strive to achieve in everything we do.”

Marek Brothers was one of seven construction subcontractors to receive an Excellence in Ethics Certificate during ASA’s annual meeting on March 2 in conjunction with Read more » about ASA Recognizes Marek Brothers Systems Inc., Houston, Texas, for Excellence in Ethics

Over 250 of the nation’s leading specialty contractors will gather at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio later this week for the 2012 American Subcontractor’s Association Business Forum and Convention.  This is the keynote event for the non- profit association of the nation’s leading Specialty Contractors.

This year’s convention will showcase leading suppliers, provide education updates and highlight the nation’s leading subcontractors.  The convention schedule lists a number of workshops, social events and the annual business meeting.   Read more » about ASA Business Forum and Convention 2012 Happens This Week

Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs, was the celebrity contestant on the television game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire today.  He will continue to play on tomorrow’s episode.

Like many game shows, from time to time Millionaire invites celebrities to come on the show and play for charities of their choice.  Rowe is playing for the non-profit he set up, the mikeroweWORKS Foundation.  The mission of the foundation is “to promote the skilled trades in areas of public awareness, reducing stigmas, education, career planning and job opportunities”.  Here is what Rowe says on his website about the reasons he started the foundation:

“I established this foundation to give something back, and challenge the prevailing definition of a ‘good job’.  For decades, we have put a premium on a four-year degree, and told an entire generation that Trade Schools and skilled labor are ‘alternatives’ to ‘higher education’.  That attitude is warping expectations, wrecking opportunity, and destroying our country.”   Read more » about Mike Rowe Plays “Millionaire” for Skilled Trades Foundation

Earlier this month, Jim Kollaer interviewed Saied Alavi, operations manager for Marek Brothers Systems, about the volunteer work he and others in the construction industry are providing to build a home for a disabled veteran through the Homes for Our Troops program.  In a blog last week, Kollaer wrote about the project and the veteran, Lance Corporal Daniel Peterson, who will receive the house after an explosion in Afghanistan led to the amputations of both of his legs when he was 20 years old.

Back in November, Alavi was approached by a friend from business partner SpawGlass who wanted Read more » about Interview with Homes for Our Troops Volunteer Saied Alavi

Last weekend in Tomball, Texas, a group of construction industry volunteers worked on building a new home for Lance Corporal Daniel Peterson, a Marine veteran who lost both legs in the war in Afghanistan.  The construction team, organized by SpawGlass under the auspices of Homes for our Troops, included volunteers from Marek Brothers Systems and Ryder Insulation Incorporated, who all contributed time and materials to help make this home a reality for this 22 year old hero.

Here is the story of the amazing veteran who gave so much for our freedom.

“While on his second deployment, Marine Special Forces, Lance Corporal Daniel Peterson was left a double amputee after an explosion in the Southern Helmand Province of Afghanistan on July 24, 2010.  Read more » about Contractors Volunteer to Build New Home for Severely Injured Marine