I know you are like me. You see climbing cranes on a high-rise building under construction and the cranes are lifting everything that goes into the building from structural steel to glass, studs, drywall, flooring, fixtures and furnishings. Somewhere in the back of your mind is the nagging question - “Okay, the building is topped out and generally finished; how are they going to get the cranes down?” If you are an architect like me, you still are amazed that the contractors and those fearless ironworkers can even get them up there, much less get them down.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
The following article was authored by Matthew Waller.Tracy Kyzer’s company gave him a ride back home. He had been given a company vehicle, and that was going away. His employers had given him time to clean out his desk.In early March, Kyzer, 51, was let go from oil and gas company Schlumberger in Midland, joining thousands who have lost jobs in the Texas energy sector.His wife is still working with an oil company.“After I hang up the phone with you, she may not be,” Kyzer said on a call.Across the state capital investments are being cut, as the price of oil has plummeted more than 50 percent from its $100 highs last summer.
April 06, 2015
When architectural designs hit Popular Mechanics Magazine, I know that they must be amazing. Robin would certainly have said Holy Smokes or some equally pithy comment to Batman about the Shanghai Tower and its massive, and I mean massive, “Tuned Mass Damper” or “Harmonic Absorber.”The stats about the building are as large as the building itself. Designed by the Gensler team and built by the Shanghai Construction Group, the finished building stands 632 meters into the air over Shanghai. For those of you not into metrics, that is 2,073 feet five and 57/64 inches tall, second only to the Burj Khalifa tower. The point that attracted Popular Mechanics to the building was the 5 story tall 1,000 plus ton Tuned Mass Damper designed to reduce the sway of the tower for its occupants.
April 03, 2015
Construction spending flattens in February; employment rises in most states, metrosEditor’s note: Construction Citizen is proud to partner with AGC America to bring you AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson's Data DIGest. Check back each week to get Ken's expert analysis of what's happening in our industry.Construction spending in February totaled $967 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down less than 0.1% from the rate in January, but up 2.1% from February 2014, the Census Bureau reported on Wednesday. Because unseasonably mild or severe weather can distort monthly comparisons in winter, it is more revealing to compare year-to-date figures for January and February combined. On that basis, total spending increased 2.0% from the same months of 2014, private residential spending slipped 1.0%, private nonresidential spending increased 4.3% and public construction spending gained 2.6%.
April 03, 2015
Last week a group of construction professionals from MAREK once again volunteered their time to instruct high school students in drywall installation at their new state-of-the-art Pasadena Independent School District facility. Houston area construction firms such as MAREK have partnered with Pasadena ISD in the past to enhance the programs offered to students looking for careers in construction.
April 02, 2015
The 2015 National Craft Championships has come and gone. The dust has settled, the stations have been disassembled, and the competitors have returned to their homes and to their craft jobs. Over 50 medals were awarded and hundreds of prizes given away. However, for the 187 craft workers that competed, the competition was more than just winning a medal: they were competing for the title of craft champion.During the competition, Construction Citizen's Jeff Stautner had the opportunity to meet and interview a handful of the very talented and hardworking competitors, like Structural-Welding Gold Medalist, ABC Greater Houston sponsored Brandon Moore. Moore received his welding training at Lee College in Baytown, Texas under the Construction and Maintenance Educational Foundation (CMEF), an affiliate of ABC Greater Houston geared towards recruiting and training new workers for the industrial field.
April 01, 2015
According to Breitbart, “Despite the February 21 settlement of a bitter labor dispute at West Coast ports between employers and members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), whose members command average wages and benefits of about $1,200 a day, the continuing bottleneck is still causing job and revenue losses across many US industries.” The contract negotiations lasted over 9 months between the ILWU and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA).Unions are notorious for using slow downs, work stoppages, strikes and picket lines as a negotiating ploys to force” management” to sit down at the negotiating table to either listen to worker’s complaints and/or to respond to a demand for higher wages and “better and safer” working conditions for the workers in that particular union.
March 31, 2015
Editor's note: As President Obama’s most recent executive order on immigration is challenged in the courts and state lawmakers consider where to codify former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s executive order on E-Verify, we thought it would be helpful to employers to offer the analysis of one of the nation’s foremost immigration attorneys. Charles C. Foster has advised Presidents Bush and Obama on the issue. Below, his analysis of how things may play out in the longhaul is offered for your consideration – The Construction Citizen Team.“The arc of history is long but it bends towards justice.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Even the most ardent critics of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration must acknowledge they are undeniably sweeping, historic in scope and will have a huge impact on the large undocumented long-term residing population of the United States with one or more U.S. citizen children or children who are Lawful Permanent Residents.
March 30, 2015
RUS Industrial recently donated more than $150,000 worth of electrical materials to Construction and Maintenance Education Foundation (CMEF) as a show of support to craft training and electrical education.According to Vice President Kevin Laird, RUS Industrial chose CMEF for their hefty donation to assist in the development of training programs. This generous donation will expand CMEF’s ability to provide electrical training and certifications.“The advanced electrical equipment will allow CMEF students access to top-of-the-line training equipment in their craft. With this donation we can begin offering advanced electrical education courses, which is critical in our efforts in training a safe, sustainable workforce,” CMEF Training Manager Blair Williamson said.
March 27, 2015
Construction, Architecture, and Engineering professionals from the greater Houston area gathered on February 24 to celebrate the charity’s growth and success this school year for the Building Blocks Breakfast. The ACE Mentor Houston’s annual breakfast was host to over 85 guests – including sponsors, mentors, family, friends, and educators – where the announcement of the “Mentor of the Year,” “Rookie Mentor of the Year” and Winner of the “Carrie Arnold-Gutierrez Leadership Award” as well as a State of ACE announcement and panelist discussion took place.
March 26, 2015