MoesWhen I was five years old, my dad, a chemical engineer, bought me a clever American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) shirt sporting Dalmatians with the caption “can you spot the future chemical engineer?”It became a running joke in my family, especially since a large number of my extended family members are also engineers; like any contrary child, I stubbornly denied that I would ever be an engineer.However, as I grew, I began to understand what engineers actually do, and I slowly realized that the profession fits every aspect of my personality—from little details to overarching goals.As a simple example,
Every 10 years or so the American Institute of Architects (AIA) updates and revises its standard form family of construction documents and in 2007 the AIA modified the AIA A-201 contract to add the Initial Decision Maker (IDM) as a condition precedent to mediation.This laudable change marks an important shift, moving away from the architect as the resolver of disputes. Unfortunately, change comes slowly. The architect is the default IDM unless the parties affirmatively insert a name, other than the architect, in the contract to act as the IDM.Nonetheless, unlike prior AIA agreements, the AIA has opened the door to
Related Links: Kiewit-Turner Sets Deal to Finish Work on VA Hospital More Troubles, Less Support for Energy Dept.'s MOX Project For the first time, the editors of ENR have compiled an informal list of the year's worst projects. By their nature, bad projects disappoint owners, incite hostility among team members, slip months and years past scheduled completions and drain finances. They also injure and kill workers.Sadly, there are more candidates than a single page can accommodate, but the 2014 projects listed here definitely stand out.In drawing attention to these projects, we hope others can learn some lessons and that all
Related Links: Chief Engineers of the Panama Canal New York Times Obituary for George Washington Goethals Link to Gen. Temple video presentation on George Washington Goethals and the Panama Canal TempleAll industry professionals go through a maturation process that shapes their approach to challenges they face daily to become effective leaders—and Colonel George Washington Goethals, who led the successful U.S. completion of the Panama Canal a century ago, is no exception.As the canal's huge expansion nears completion, we need to study how Goethals, the one-time Corps of Engineers officer, prepared himself for the task in distinct stages—which I call his
Related Links: Stan Marek Says Obama's Order Will Help President Obama's executive order is an undesirable way to jump-start immigration reform, but it may help provoke Congress to make the badly needed legislative overhaul. Taking up to five million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows would accomplish a lot; however, an even greater good and more permanent reform could begin by picking up on the immigration bill S.774, as the president said in his nationally televised address. Although it never came to a vote in the House, the Senate bill is still the best place to start. Embedded in S.744
Considering our future and our real social security net—the industry's young talent—I will share some unconventional wisdom, as well as an alternate perspective on mastering of new technologies.The punch line of many a cartoon or joke, “Wanted – recent college graduate with twenty years experience,” is a good start in this discussion.HR departments today more than ever desire recent college graduates with specific software product training rather than the broader experience of perhaps a veteran who has returned to gain a college degree.My students often ask me to view and comment on their resumes.Highlighted is fluency in PHP C++ Java,
Related Links: FIDIC Report Focuses on Obstacles to Sustainability Viewpoint: Engineers Must Draw a Line on Sustainability The concept of sustainable engineering has been around for more than 25 years. During my term, from 1988 to 1992, as chief of engineers and commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I focused on this concept as integral to the Corps' post-Cold War role. Back then and continuing today, this (to me) unassailable concept has been often condemned as a no-growth environmental conspiracy. In the early years, people told me that sustainability was a slogan destined for oblivion.As Brig. Gen. Anthony
Related Links: Industry Protests Increased Single-Step Design-Build by the Corps (subscription required) House DOD Bill Includes Design-Build, Individual-Sureties Amendments Small business is the beating heart of the American economy, and when the Senate next gets down to business on Nov. 12, no matter which party is in control, it has a rare chance to help entrepreneurs who have contracts with the U.S. government or work under federal contracting rules.The House already has passed legislation sought by the construction industry that will make federal construction fairer, more cost-effective and less prone to fraud. Whether those measures make it into the Senate
Related Links: A Success Formula for Contractors Managing the Profitable Construction Business, the new book by Thomas Schleifer Too many construction organizations become slaves to their overhead, their general and administrative expenses. Increased overhead usually equates to increased capacity and is common and appropriate during growth periods.Unfortunately, these expenses are much easier to put in place than to get rid of, and in a cyclical market they become a burden and create losses. This is especially true now that we have such a weak and slowly developing business upswing.A common reaction in a declining construction market is to search for