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The $10 million renovation of Francis Hall at Texas A&M University puts the school in a one-of-a-kind position among institutions of higher education in the state. It is the only building anywhere in Texas dedicated solely to the education of construction sciences, according to Joe Horlen, who heads up the Department of Construction Science in College Station.For the renovation, the university provided $4.5 million in state funds while the Department of Construction Science did the work of raising the remaining $5.5 million from the school’s partners in the construction industry and individual donors – many of whom are former students, Horlen said.In an interview on Construction Citizen’s weekly podcast, Horlen said it was particularly cool that companies which regularly compete against each other in the marketplace came together for the good of the entire industry to make this educational investment in its future leaders.
Reshaping the Construction Industry
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From construction workers to Iron Man? Probably not anytime in the near future. From construction workers to Aliens Ridley Scott? We’re getting there!Okay, so this exoskeleton is a dramatically slimmed down version of Scott’s Exo Power Loader, weighing only 16 pounds, but the engineers at Esko Bionics used the idea of the iconic cargo loader as a model for their new exoskeleton designed for construction professions. The exoskeleton makes holding heavy power tools feel nearly weightless. However, unlike a majority of the exosuits that we see on the big screen, the Esko Works Industrial Exoskeleton is completely analog. “A human being uses about 10 watts just standing around, and 1 kilowatt working, according to Ekso. No battery can keep a suit going all day long with that output.”
May 07, 2015
It is against the law to fly a commercial drone or unmanned aircraft system (UAS) without approval and waivers from the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). No flying over your proposed subdivision to do survey or photo work without having a Section 333 exemption from the FAA and filing a Certificate of Authorization or COA. No survey or mapping or daily flights to track work progress on the construction site without filing a COA. No flights above 500 feet off of the ground. No flights that do not meet FAA visual flight rules (VFR), meaning that the operator must be able to see the drone at all times during the flight without using any Go Pro or other camera to track it. No autonomous flights, and the drone cannot weigh more than 55 pounds fully loaded.
May 06, 2015
Construction spending slips in March; jobs grow in 70% of metros; wages accelerateEditor’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 March totaled $967 billion at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, down 0.6% from the upwardly revised rate in February, but up 2.0% from March 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 through March combined. On that basis, total spending increased 3.2% from the same months of 2014, private residential spending edged up 0.8%, private nonresidential spending increased 6.4% and public construction spending gained 1.7%. The largest private nonresidential segment was "power" construction, which in Census' classification includes conventional and renewable power plus oil and gas fields and pipelines, and which plunged 16% year-to-date.
May 05, 2015
As Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, rolled out his top priorities for lawmakers in Austin earlier this year, one of the things he sought to highlight is the importance of a skilled workforce and the fact that a four-year degree is not a necessity for every single student. Abbott is a big believer in higher education, make no mistake. In fact, one of his emergency items includes recruitment of more Nobel Laureates and their equivalents to Texas.But his message on the issue is nuanced. Some students need a four-year degree or more and others can get exactly what they need in a two-year program equipping them with the skills employers demand.In his State of the State Address in February, Gov. Abbott said the path to success is not the same for all students.
May 04, 2015
The following article was authored by Alex Nowrasteh and originally published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Alex Nowrasteh is an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity.State Sen. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, and Reps. Byron Cook, R-Corsicana, and Gilbert Peña, R-Pasadena, have all proposed bills to create a guest worker program for Texas.A Texas-based visa would allow the state to regulate migrant workers according to its own needs and cut out the feds. Regulators in D.C. don’t know what’s best for Texas.
May 01, 2015
ABC Houston Opens New Facility to Meet the Expanding Needs of the Construction Industry: Part 1 of 2
ABC Houston has opened their new facility to meet the expanding needs of the commercial and industrial construction industry in the area. The newly renovated building houses state of the art meeting rooms, training rooms, offices, and reception and break areas. Read interviews from two ABC members who were there.
April 30, 2015
In an explosive investigation that drew the attention of many average Texans over the weekend, WFAA Television in Dallas/Fort Worth put a bright spotlight on the problem of worker misclassification. It’s a problem the Construction Citizen team has exposed for years and we greatly appreciate any time other media outlets take up the cause as well.This most recent outrage came to light after three men working as independent subcontractors underneath Thanksgiving Tower in Dallas died in a horrific accident. But, the companies involved have denied damages to their families. How can that be? From the story:Although they were little more than laborers, the State of Texas allows them to be called "independent contractors." That means they can get no workers compensation, and have no federal income tax or Social Security tax deducted from their paychecks.Three independent contractors' deaths at Thanksgiving Tower are the subject of legal action, but the families of the three men will receive no compensation for their deaths. Byron Harris has more on the "invisible workers."
April 29, 2015
Last week, the New York Times posted an incredible time-lapse video of the industrial growth of New York City from the view of the newly opened Freedom Tower. The panoramic video will play on the five One World Observatory elevators, which is set to open the end of May this year.There was some debate between Legends Hospitality, the operators of the observatory, and Port Authority and Durst Organization, the developers of the tower, on whether or not to show the rise and fall of the Twin Towers, primarily the North Tower.
April 28, 2015
As an Assistant Instructional Professor from Texas A&M University's Department of Construction Science who teaches materials and methods, construction graphics, as well as construction project management, I regularly discuss expectations and pathways for careers in the construction industry with prospective students. I also like to ask prospective students what they believe their job duties will be if they graduate on Saturday and begin work on Monday. This question has a variety of answers that include many misperceptions about the construction industry. Furthermore, when I ask them what they think construction management is, they’ll give it back to me and say that it’s the management of construction, but it's a lot more than that.The Department of Construction Science prepares students for the next workforce generation of construction project delivery and is seeking to become more demographically representative of the state of Texas. The current Texas construction workforce is highly represented by Hispanics, but those in management positions are only a small percentage.
April 28, 2015
