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O c t o b e r 1 9 , 2 0 1 5 , I s s u e 1 1 2 4

T R E N D L I N E S

Getting better fees Implementing these 8 easy changes can help your firm work smarter, not harder, and reap the monetary rewards.

Firms’ billing schedules

I have always felt that, if A/E and environmental consulting firms spent as much time on getting better fees as they did trying to manage marginal ones to make a profit, they would come out far ahead. We just don’t try HARD enough to get paid decently for what we do. Here are some ideas you might be able to use to increase your fees (and your profits): 1)If you are working on hourly jobs or cost plus jobs, charge every single thing you can to the job. Is management working on the job but not billing it to the job? A com- mon problem in A/E and environmental firms is not getting paid for supervision. 2)If you are working on hourly jobs, try to get more of them on a fixed fee. You might assume that, just because your client has al- ways paid you hourly, they won’t go for a fixed fee, but have you asked? Many clients would be completely comfortable knowing what kind of fee you are committing to do the work for, as long as it wasn’t more than they were planning to spend. Fixed fees give you incen- tive to use less and cheaper labor, which can make you more money. 3)Raise your hourly rates. This is the time of year to do it! Inform all clients on November 15 that on January 1 rates are going up. Then raise them. Do it every year. Even a $1 per hour billing-rate increase in a company with 100 employees and a 65 percent firm-wide utilization rate will bring in another $130,000 in profit for the year! Two dollars per hour

“If demand keeps outpacing supply like it has been doing in so

Firms most commonly bill at the same time every month , with 41 percent of respondents to Zweig Group’s 2015 Fee & Billing Survey using that schedule. Another 31 percent bill at project completion , while 11 percent have a preset payment schedule , 9 percent bill at project deliverable/milestone , and 6 percent bill every four weeks . Only 2 percent bill multiple times per month or continuously . — Vivian Cummings, research analyst assistant. F I R M I N D E X AECOM ................................................ 2 Cannon Moss Brygger Architects ......... 12 DIMENSION New York ......................... 12 DLR Group ............................................ 9 Gilbane Inc. ........................................... 4 Haizlip Studio ........................................ 6 Hines .................................................... 9 HMC Architects ................................... 12 Humphreys & Partners Architects ........... 8 Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. ............ 12 Karn Charuhas Chapman & Twohey ..... 10 KSQ Architects .................................... 11 Michael Green Architecture .................... 9 Nabholz Construction ............................ 6 Primoris Services Corporation .............. 10 Trigon Associates LLC ......................... 10 Vernox Labs .......................................... 5

Mark Zweig

many markets, you’re going to see everyone in the A/E and environmental consulting business raising prices in 2016.”

MORE COLUMNS xz GUEST SPEAKER: Foul ball! Page 3

PLUS xz BUSINESS NEWS: Pages 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 It’s Amazeum!

See MARK ZWEIG, page 2

Wooden building of future looks to the past

Page 9 T H E V O I C E O F R E A S O N F O R A / E / P & E N V I R O N M E N TA L C O N S U L T I N G F I R M S

CROSS SECTION WITH EXHIBITS SCALE: 1/8” = 1’ -0”

BUSINESS NEWS AECOM ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF EXCHANGE OFFER AECOM (Los Angeles, CA), a fully-integrated global infrastructure firm, announced that it has launched an offer to exchange new registered notes for the outstanding unregistered notes that it issued in October 2014 in a private placement pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. AECOM is offering to exchange up to $800 million aggregate principal amount of its newly issued 5.75 percent senior notes, due 2022, and up to $800 million aggregate principal amount of its newly issued 5.875 percent senior notes, due 2024, in addition to all related guarantees for a like principal amount of the applicable series of its outstanding 5.75 percent senior notes, due 2022, and its outstanding 5.875 percent senior notes, due 2024, and all related guarantees. The exchange notes have been registered under the Securities Act and will be guaranteed by AECOM’s subsidiaries that guarantee the old notes. AECOM will not receive any proceeds from the issuance of the exchange notes. The sole purpose of the exchange offer is to fulfill AECOM’s obligations under the registration rights agreement entered into with holders of the old notes, in connection with the October 2014 offering. The exchange offer will expire at 5 p.m. EST on Oct. 30, 2015, unless otherwise extended. The settlement date for the exchange offer will occur promptly following the expiration date. The exchange offer is made only pursuant to AECOM’s prospectus dated Sept. 29, 2015, which has been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. AECOM has not authorized any person to provide information other than as set forth in the prospectus. Copies of the exchange offer prospectus and related materials may be obtained from the exchange agent for the Exchange Offer, U.S. Bank National Association, by emailing or faxing a request to cts.specfinance@usbank.com or (651) 466-7367 (for eligible institutions only) or by mailing or delivering a request to U.S. Bank National Association, Attention: Specialized Finance – Mike Tate, 111 Filmore Ave., St. Paul, MN 55107-1402. More BUSINESS NEWS, pages 4, 8, 10, 12

Take your advice from Mark Zweig to-go. Listen to this and past editorials from The Zweig Letter via the free TZL Podcast on Stitcher, iTunes and Soundcloud. zweiggroup.com/podcast

MARK ZWEIG, from page 1

just driving 20 or 30 miles a day can make another $11-17 per person, per day. It all falls to the bottom line. 8)ASK for a higher fee. I saved the best for last. Stop being preoccupied with what it will cost you to do a job and in- stead think about how much someone will pay you to do it. Listen to the cues your client sends off. Be specialized and better than your competitors. Go the extra mile in every way. And then don’t be afraid to ask for a proper fee to do the job – one you know will net you a profit. Nine out of 10 people quoting fees are thinking “what will this cost us?” It’s a good question to know the answer to – but not the most impor- tant one. If demand keeps outpacing supply like it has been doing in so many markets, you’re going to see everyone in the A/E and environmental consulting business raising prices in 2016. MARK ZWEIG is founder and CEO of Zweig Group. Contact him at mzweig@zweiggroup. com.

would make $260,000 over the year. Ponder that. 4)Use billing-rate classifications. For example, bill all “senior engineers” at a set billing-rate. Then use your lowest paid ones the most on billable work. The result is higher effective labor mul- tipliers. 5)Mark-up all reimbursable expenses. Start writing into your contracts a 10 or 15 percent markup on all reimbursable expenses. Many firms get away with this. A firm with $500,000 in reimburs- ables that marks them up by 10 percent will make an additional $50,000 in profit. 6)Charge for travel time. It’s amazing to me how many firms don’t do this. If you can’t be doing anything else and are going somewhere for a client’s job, it’s billable. If it’s an hourly job, you can get paid for it. Bill it. 7)Charge travel mileage on local jobs. I have seen this, too. At $0.575 per mile,

1200 North College Ave. Fayetteville, AR 72703 Mark Zweig | Publisher mzweig@zweiggroup.com Andrea Bennett | Managing Editor abennett@zweiggroup.com Christina Zweig | Contributing Editor christinaz@zweiggroup.com Sara Parkman | Editor sparkman@zweiggroup.com Megan Halbert | Design Assistant mhalbert@zweiggroup.com Liisa Andreassen | Correspondent lsullivan@zweiggroup.com Richard Massey | Correspondent rmassey@zweiggroup.com Jake Crawford | Intern dcrawford@zweiggroup.com

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E-mail: info@zweiggroup.com Online: www.thezweigletter.com Twitter: twitter.com/zweigletter Blog: blog.zweiggroup.com Published continuously since 1992 by Zweig Group, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. ISSN 1068-1310. Issued weekly (48 issues/yr.). $475 for one-year subscription, $775 for two-year subscription. Article reprints: For high-quality reprints, including Eprints and NXTprints, please contact The YGS Group at 717-399-1900, ext. 139, or e-mail TheZweigLetter@TheYGSGroup.com. © Copyright 2015, Zweig Group. All rights reserved.

Zweig Group will soon revise its A/E Job Descriptions and A/E Organizational Charts publications into a single updated volume. If you would like for your descriptions and/or charts to be included, or if there are specific job titles that you’d like to ensure we include, please email Andrea Bennett at abennett@zweiggroup.com.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

O P I N I O N

Foul ball! With all eyes toward the World Series, let’s take a look at some interesting case law that you can use to determine who’s liable if you happen to get hit. I t’s October, and all eyes are on baseball’s World Series games. We love it when some lucky fan catches a foul ball, their smiling face on the big screen. But others aren’t so lucky. We’ve seen it this year already: fans hit with a broken bat, or a foul ball. Who is at fault? Unsurprisingly, there is a lot of case law on this topic.

Bill Quatman

case when a girl was struck by a foul ball at Shea Stadium. Her box seat was separated from the playing field only by a 3-foot fence. The court held that under New York law, when the owner of a ball park furnishes screening behind home plate, “the proprietor fulfills the duty of care imposed by law and, therefore, cannot be liable in negligence.” Even though her specific box seat was in an unscreened area, the court held that: “The rule suggested by plaintiff would require a baseball field proprietor to operate as an insurer of spectators unless there was a protective screen shielding every seat.” The court rejected this argument, with two judges dissenting. 3 In a 2005 Pennsylvania case, a fan was enjoying a Phillies game when, at the end of the seventh inning, the center fielder tossed a ball into the stands after catching it. The fan suffered a serious eye and head injury. The Court of Appeals ruled that the defendants owed no duty to protect the

In a 2005 New York case, a fan was three rows from the field at Shea Stadium when he was struck by a baseball that had been tossed to fans by the Mets pitcher after pre-game warm-ups. Both the pitcher and the Mets were sued for damages. “The defendants are not insurers of the safety of spectators who occupy unprotected areas of the stadium,” according to the court’s ruling for the team. “Since it is not unusual for a player to toss a ball into the stands, the plaintiff assumed the risk of his injuries.” 1 In a 2002 New York case involving a child hit (again at Shea) by a baseball during batting practice, the Mets won again, with the court ruling that, “by furnishing sufficient protective screening behind home plate, where the danger of being struck by a baseball is the greatest, the defendant fulfilled its duty of care and cannot be held liable in negligence.” 2 The ruling was essentially the same in a 1984

See QUATMAN, page 4

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

BUSINESS NEWS GILBANE BUILDING COMPANY SPONSORS ACE IN HOUSTON AND ACROSS THE U.S. Gilbane Inc. (Houston, TX) is a sponsor and participant in the Architecture, Construction, Engineering Mentor Program of America, the nation’s top workforce development organization encouraging youth to pursue STEM- related careers. Angela Cotie of Gilbane, the chairman of the board for the ACE Mentor Houston Affiliate, says the group is poised to enroll and mentor even more students during the 2015-2016 school year. This is the 21st year ACE has offered opportunities for students to prepare them for college and beyond, and the organization has launched a re- designed website, hired a new president and CEO, added new national sponsors, welcomed a new affiliate in Utah, and is supported by the broadest group of distinguished design and construction firm leadership. “The ACE Mentor Program attracts students to its 35-to-40-hour after-school program who want to reach beyond textbooks and understand real- world applications of their studies,” said Thomas Gilbane Jr., chairman of the board of the ACE Mentor Program and chairman and CEO of Gilbane. Results from two 2015 ACE studies show: 63 percent of ACE seniors were minority students vs. the national average of 44.3 percent

98.6 percent of ACE high school seniors graduate from high school vs. the national average of 80 percent 92 percent of ACE seniors entered college directly from high school vs. the national average of 66 percent 70 percent of college-bound ACE seniors major in architecture, engineering, or construction management

QUATMAN, from page 3

dugout. He saw the mascot mount the dugout to begin the toss, but turned to look at the scoreboard just as the mascot threw the foil-wrapped hotdog. A jury found in favor of the Royals, and the fan appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court, which ruled that the risk of being hit by a hotdog is not an unavoidable part of watching baseball. “That risk is no more inherent in watching a game of baseball than it is inherent in watching a rock concert, a monster truck rally, or any other assemblage where free food or T-shirts are tossed into the crowd to increase excitement and boost attendance,” the court said. While some fans might find the hotdog toss fun to watch between innings, and some come to expect it, the court said, “this does not make the risk of injury from (the mascot’s) hotdog toss an inherent risk of watching a Royals game.” 6 On June 17, 2015, the jury found no fault with either party in a second trial. A 1997 California case had a similar ruling, when a fan was struck in his face by a foul ball during a minor league baseball game after being distracted by the team mascot, a 7-foot dinosaur. The court concluded that, “the antics of the mascot are not an essential or integral part of the playing of a baseball game. In short, the game can be played in the absence of such antics. Moreover, whether such antics increased the inherent risk to plaintiff is an issue of fact to be resolved at trial.” 7 Takeaways: Bring your glove, keep your eye on the ball, watch those mascots carefully, have fun, and be safe! Play ball! G. WILLIAM QUATMAN is an architect and general counsel at Burns & McDonnell Engineering Co. (Kansas City, MO). Contact him at bquatman@burnsmcd.com. 1. Pira v. Sterling Equities, Inc., 16 A.D.3d 396, 790 N.Y.S.2d 551 (N.Y.A.D. 2 Dept. 2005). 2. Sparks v. Sterling Doubleday Enterprises, LP, 300 A.D.2d 467 (N.Y.A.D. 2 Dept. 2002). 3. Davidoff v. Metro. Baseball Club, Inc., 463 N.E.2d 1219 (N.Y. 1984). 4. Loughran v. The Phillies, 888 A.2d 872 (Pa.Super. 2005). 5. Romeo v. Pittsburgh Associates, 787 A.2d 1027 (Pa. Super. 2001). 6. Coomer v. Kansas City Royals Baseball Corp., 437 S.W.3d 184 (Mo. 2014). 7. Lowe v. Calif. League of Prof. Baseball, 56 Cal.App.4th 112, 65 Cal. Rptr.2d 105 (Cal. App. 4 Dist. 1997).

fan from the risk of being struck by a baseball while sitting in an area where he knew balls could be thrown. “Countless Pennsylvania court cases have held that a spectator at a baseball game assumes the risk of being hit by batted balls, wildly thrown balls, foul balls, and, in some cases, bats,” according to the court. “Fans routinely arrive early for batting practice in hopes of retrieving an errant baseball as a souvenir, and fans routinely clamor to retrieve balls landing in the stands via home runs or foul balls,” the court added. “Although not technically part of the game of baseball, those activities have become inextricably intertwined with a fan’s baseball experience and must be considered a customary part of the game. Similarly, both outfielders and infielders routinely toss caught balls to fans at the end of an inning.” Therefore, the injuries constituted an inherent risk of the game. 4 In a similar 2001 case involving a Pittsburgh Pirates game, a fan was seated six rows off the field, where there was no screening, netting, or other barrier. When she turned her head briefly, and then back toward home plate, a batted ball struck her in the face and mouth. The trial court dismissed her lawsuit, upheld on appeal, under the “no-duty” rule, which provides that, “operators of a baseball stadium, amusement park, or other such amusement facilities have no duty to protect or to warn spectators from ‘common, frequent, and expected’ risks inherent in the activity.” It was noted that during each and every baseball game, foul balls regularly careen into the grandstand and are oftentimes even caught by spectators. “This reality is a matter of such common everyday practical knowledge that all individuals will be deemed familiar with such neighborhood knowledge,” the court held, even with a first-time attendee! 5 But, what if you are hit by a mascot, a thrown hotdog, or a T-shirt? Is the law different? Yes, according to a 2014 Missouri case. In the summer of 2009, a fan was hit in the eye by a hotdog thrown by the Kansas City Royals’ mascot. The fan had attended 175 Royals games and frequently watched the mascot toss hotdogs from the roof of the

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

PROJECT

Vernox Labs turns data into assets Mountain View startup is working to eliminate the unpredictability inherent in the AEC industry and project development with its new predictive analytics platform.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

WANT TO BE PART OF THE PILOT? Visit vernoxlabs.com to learn how to get involved.

F ounded in 2014, Vernox Labs is a group of tech- nology and construction professionals focused on helping the AEC industry improve project deliv- ery. Backed by Y Combinator, an early stage startup incubator based out of Mountain View, California, day-to-day operations at Vernox Labs are head- ed up by Vinayak Nagpal, Michael Savaiano, and Adam Frandson. Vernox Labs is developing a predictive analytics platform that transforms data from construction projects into a business asset. It derives insights from historical data objects such as RFIs, change orders, schedules, and inspection and safety re- ports to improve delivery of current and future projects. OUT WITH THE OLD. Though providing constructability reviews for construction projects is not new to the AEC industry, such reviews come in various forms and levels of detail. Savaiano says that, in the past, if a project decided to use an in-depth constructa- bility review after a general contractor won the job, it could have been delivered in at least two ways: A consulting services firmwould have been brought on to conduct the formal constructability review

on the project. A static report and list of design and constructability items would then be reported to the team to address. The general contractor could conduct a formal con- structability review leveraging his own expertise and employees (usually including a superinten- dent) as resources to address key design and con- structability items early in the project. “Both of these options rely heavily on tacit knowl- edge from those providing the constructability re- view to identify omissions, conflicts, or clarifying questions with regards to the design. The output is most often a static report that is delivered to the project team,” Savaiano says. Option 1 requires the project team to engage with a consultant, which can often be a long and costly endeavor. Option 2 assumes that the general con- tractor has the time and resources to focus on con- ducting a constructability review. IN WITH THE NEW. “With the current building boom, at least in the San Francisco Bay Area, we’re seeing See VERNOX, page 8

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

Projec

It’s Amazeum! New Bentonville children’s museum is a good companion for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; series of similar projects aims to be forces of good. By Richard Massey Contributor

and zinc metal cladding were adopted to place the Amazeum in the Crystal Bridges design family. “Early focus groups with potential visitors and stake- holders provided a sense of what Northwest Arkansas people do, how they learn, how they view their com- munity, and how they think about their kids. In inter- preting those values to create learning experiences, it makes the Amazeum one of a kind. The experiences within the museum are a microcosm of Northwest Ar- kansas.” Haizlip Studio, a 10-person firm, designs children’s museums across the country. The company’s exten- sive portfolio includes the EdVenture Children’s Mu- seum in South Carolina, Glazer Children’s Museum in “What began as a museum-type for children to have a safe educational place to play has changed into a movement based on the importance of hands-on learning in childhood development and family recreation.”

T he Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville, Arkan- sas, might be one of a kind, but it still fits into a larger trend in children’s education that emphasizes discovery, science, technology, and hands-on learn- ing. Located on a 5.2-acre site on Museum Way, the gate- way to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Amazeum is the product of meticulous planning that took into account both the presence of the museum and input from leading members of the Northwest Ar- kansas community. Designed by Haizlip Studio (Memphis, TN) and built by Nabholz Construction (Conway, AR), the children’s museum features an interactive food market, art stu- dio, homestead cabin for role-play, a lift, load and haul area, and a canopy climber among other exhibits. Reb Haizlip, a partner at Haizlip Studio, explains how the 50,000-square-foot Amazeum took shape. “The building takes its cues of form and materials from Crystal Bridges,” he says. “The use of exposed concrete, curved laminated wood, glass curtain wall,

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Florida, The Children’s Museum of New Jersey, and The Knock Knock Children’s Museum in Louisiana. Haizlip’s niche in the architecture industry developed around 1989, when the Memphis native returned to his hometown to work on the children’s museum there. Since that time, Haizlip says the design and construction of such facilities adheres to the ongoing evolution of so- ciety and the subsequent impact it has on the standards and expecta- tions of child rearing. “Childhood changed,” he says. “Cities grew. Both parents went to work. Security concerns intensified. Risk is avoided. And, media occu- pies a majority of childhood recreational time. The list goes on. Where there is a vacuum, educators, parents, communities, and funders have stepped in to provide places for the imagination to roam and soar.” Looking ahead, Haizlip sees children’s museums at the center of edu- cation and learning. “What began as a museum type for children to have a safe educa- tional place to play has changed into a movement based on the im- portance of hands-on learning in childhood development and fam- ily recreation,” he says. “Health, equality, workforce development in technology and art, exposure to the humanities – these museums are the sleeper cells of child education, and are powerful forces for good.” Haizlip said the Amazeum was built so that each side has its own sto- ry to tell, and each façade has its own distinct architectural charac- ter. On the east, the building has a statuesque presence, while on the south the building’s scale is reduced to compliment the play gardens. The west side rises to receive visitors at the entrance whereas the north successfully conceals the building’s utility side. Haizlip was part of the site selection process – several areas were un- der early consideration – and he said he was a strong advocate for the northeast corner of Northeast J Street and Museum Way, the loca- tion where the museum was ultimately built. In Haizlip’s estimation, the site was ideal for a variety of reasons. “Proximity to Crystal Bridges was an irresistible tug, but the site also possessed near perfect assets to accommodate planned learning expe- riences while hosting a charismatic anchor building,” he says. “From a planning standpoint, at 5.2-acres, the site had capacities for secure outdoor play, a structure to meet program needs with expansion, and sufficient parking for strong visitation. From a design standpoint, the site demanded a work of civic architectural stature to anchor the cor- ner, while providing ideal orientation for interior museum spaces to be bathed in natural daylight, and outdoor spaces to be used in tune with seasonal cycles. These were driving design forces.” As the design process got underway, Haizlip says Crystal Bridges, de- signed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, was a constant source of inspiration. “One overriding challenge was how to design a discovery museum to complement one of the most elegant and exemplary fine art muse- ums of the last quarter century,” he says. “We approached the design with an ever-present awareness that whatever we proposed could not detract from, and should only heighten, the Crystal Bridges Museum visitor experience.”

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OBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

BUSINESS NEWS MARK HUMPHREYS RECOGNIZED FOR $1.5 MILLION DONATION TO TEXAS TECH COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE Texas Tech’s College of Architecture celebrated Mark Humphreys with an American Institute of Architects Chair in Urban Design in September. Humphreys donated $1.5 million, including partial state matches, to the school. On November 5, he will be recognized with another distinction: the college’s Architecture Kleinschmidt Award; both tributes are prestigious honors. The September 25 occasion featured esteemed speakers, including Texas Tech President Duane Nellis, Dean Andrew Vernooy, and Humphreys, and the November 5 happening will be highlighted with an alumni reception in conjunction with the Texas Society of Architects. Humphreys is the CEO of the largest multifamily and student housing architecture firm in the U.S., designing approximately 12-15 percent of the U.S. apartment market, which equated to about 40,000 units in 2014. Headquartered in Dallas, with eight U.S. offices and five international offices, Humphreys & Partners Architects employs a talented team of professionals with artistic talent, classical training, and diverse experience in all aspects of the architectural process. “I am honored and humbled to receive such respected accolades in my profession. I am in such a venerated company, and I look forward to witnessing the students at Texas Tech’s School of Architecture benefit from the resources that the Mark E. Humphreys AIA Chair in Urban Design will afford them,” Humphreys said. The Mark E. Humphreys AIA Chair in Urban Design will support research concerned with sustainable and engaged models of urban design in Lubbock, at Urban Tech, and in Houston. Research will include the intersection of business and urban architecture design, mixed use multifamily residential development, urban energy consumption, community definition and engagement, transportation consequences and environmental imperatives – wind, water, and micro-climates. The Humphreys Chair will give the College of Architecture at Texas Tech a national profile as Lubbock consolidates its growth leaning forward over the next 20 years and as Houston becomes the third largest city in the United States. This profile will augment to be the most professionally involved urban design program in the country. The Kleinschmidt Award was established by the Texas Tech Architecture Advisory Council to recognize any individual, alumni, nonalumni, or firm whose commitment or service has enriched the College of Architecture. Professor Florian A. Kleinschmidt’s eponymous award was distinguished by being the first leader of the Texas Tech Architecture Program.

Architect and engineer. Design and engineering omissions and inaccuracies in the drawings and specs can lead to addi- tional costs for the architect and engineer. By catching omis- sions and inaccuracies early, before materials are ordered and structural systems built, changes can be made that do not greatly affect the margins of these project stakeholders. General contractor and trades (sub-contractors). Address- ing potential issues early-on in the project helps give the GC and trades time to adjust and solicit feedback from the design team without delaying construction. Any potential issues that can be addressed by the constructability review early in the project also reduce the project risk to the GC and trades and help to make earning their fees (margins) on the project more predictable. While Vernox is early in its initial pilots, there are already two key benefits that the owners are seeing: Those who routinely perform constructability reviews, such as general contractors and superintendents, are often unable to be pulled off of a project during construction to perform a review for an upcoming project. This means that the construc- tability review might be done later in preconstruction than it otherwise should be or that it is done in an ad hoc manner because there is neither time nor resources to commit to it fully. By having Vernox perform the constructability review, the project team gets a detailed and concise overview of the issues in the design drawings and specs that need their time and attention. This means that a superintendent does not need to spend weeks or months reviewing all of the design specs and drawings, but can instead focus on the key issues based on the Vernox constructability review. As the most experienced and knowledgeable workers within the construction industry retire, decades of highly valuable project experience is leaving with them. Vernox’s system of- fers a way to retain and transfer knowledge gained from past projects.

VERNOX, from page 5

that resources (manpower) are severely limited within gen- eral contractors for this type of engagement,” he says. “Our focus, and key differentiator, is that we’re bringing a data- driven and technology-centric approach to constructability reviews.” Vernox’s constructability review uses data analysis and technology, which differentiates it from other constructa- bility review providers because the company is able to take advantage of the long-term project management expertise of its customers (mostly general contractors and owners) by leveraging their past project data. Many of Vernox’s early users have been designing and building for decades; they have completed thousands of projects over the years and data from these past projects acts as a rich source of infor- mation to learn from and apply to new projects. As Vernox delivers constructability reviews, the algorithms within its technology platform are constantly learning, so each review gets better and more refined as the software is able to leverage learnings from past reviews and user in- puts. The Vernox platform is also becoming a knowledge-base for project teams. As a project progresses, Vernox is able to track issues and resolutions. Over time, Vernox sees its platform becoming the go-to location for design- and con- struction-related questions and answers on a project. WHO BENEFITS? Savaiano says the entire project team can ben- efit from this technology: Owner. Breakdowns in design (planning) and building (exe- cution) can lead to delays and project cost overruns. Address- ing potential issues early in the project lifecycle helps to give adequate time to find resolutions before the costs associated with the breakdown and any potential delay grow exponen- tially.

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

PROJECT

Building of the future looks to the past Architects of the new, innovative T3 office building take inspiration from building method of the past and historic structures in Minneapolis.

“This office building combines the aesthetic, spatial volumes, and warmth of older brick and timber buildings with state-of-the- art amenities and systems. This combination of old and new allows for high densification and meaningful recruitment and retention benefits for T3’s occupants.”

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent

I t’s a new era of architecture that’s relying on old traditions. Scheduled to open in fall 2016 and made of wood: Hines , an international real estate firm, is constructing a 220,000-square-foot timber, transit, and technology office development in downtown Minneapolis. WHAT IS T3? T3 is an innovative seven-story mass timber office building that is inspired by the area’s historic brick and timber structures and designed by Michael Green Architecture (Vancouver, BC) and the DLR Group (Omaha, NE), an architectural design group. T3 offers more than 12,000 square-feet of ground-floor retail space and more than 10,000 square-feet of tenant amenity space, including a fitness center, social workspace, more than 100 stalls of bike parking, and an expansive roof- top patio. Office space on floors two through seven is filled with abun- dant natural light from large industrial-inspired windows on a flexible, highly efficient 34,000-square-foot floor plate. “This office building combines the aesthetic, spatial volumes, and warmth of older brick and timber buildings with state-of-the-art ame- nities and systems. This combination of old and new allows for high densification and meaningful recruitment and retention benefits for T3’s occupants,” Hines’ managing director Steve Luthman says. See T3, page 10

THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124

BUSINESS NEWS PRIMORIS EARNS $11 MILLION INDUSTRIAL AWARD Primoris Services Corporation (Dallas, TX) has announced a new industrial award valued at $11 million for a mining customer. The contract was secured by the Infrastructure & Maintenance division of Primoris’ James Construction Group, part of the East Construction Services segment. The award is for the construction and completion of a perimeter dam at a mine site in central Florida. Con- struction on the project is scheduled to start in the third quarter of 2015, and completion is expected in the second quarter of 2016. TRIGON ASSOCIATES WINS $600 MILLION USAID CONTRACT Trigon Associates LLC (New Orleans, LA) was recently awarded a global indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for architect-engineer services with the U.S. Agency for International Development. This five-year, multiple-award contract has a maximum value of $600 million. It is administered by USAID, a U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide. Trigon will provide A/E services including design, construction supervision, and related services to develop vitally important infrastructure in develop- ing countries. Trigon will support USAID in providing engineering design, construction supervision, and related support on both short and long-term services for infrastructure projects involving water resources, water supply, wastewater, utilities, environmental, transportation, and facilities. “Trigon is honored to have been selected by USAID for this important contract,” said Lisa Cookmeyer, Trigon’s CEO. “We look forward to supporting USAID in its goal to provide institutional and infrastructure development via this effort, building upon our successful projects with USAID over the past five years.” KCCT HOSTS LEADERSHIP STUDENTS Karn Charuhas Chapman & Twohey (Washington, DC) hosted 25 summer camp junior high students and high school counselors from the One Way Leadership Camp earlier this summer. OWL Camp provides a one-week opportunity for students to explore different occupations through hands-on creative experiences. The students spent a morning visiting the KCCT offices, where they received an intro- duction to architecture and worked in teams to develop plans and models for a community center. KCCT served as a “mock client” for the week by providing a basic “program of requirements” for the community center. Students viewed examples of other centers, learned about architectural drawings, and practiced using scales. With guidance, students developed floor plan and elevation drawings. The charrette concluded with a demonstration of modeling techniques. At the end of camp, KCCT employees served as “subject matter experts” for student presentations of the work.

T3, from page 9

Green says that buildings such as this are part of “a van- guard of sustainable construction technology that will be called upon to create taller and taller buildings going for- ward.” “With so much of our energy footprint going toward con- structing and maintaining buildings, it only makes sense to move away from resource-intensive steel,” he says. “It’s the beauty of what we’re doing here, incorporating modern technology with good, old ideas. We’re not reinventing the wheel, we’re just bringing back a very good wheel.” Green’s firm is well known for its seven-story Wood Innova- tion and Design Centre in Prince George, British Columbia. It’s currently the tallest of its kind in the world. FROM THE GROUND UP. In order to meet code requirements, Mi- chael Green Architects had to start with a concrete founda- tion. The skeleton will be steel, but the majority of it will be wood sourced from the West Coast. Here are some other features and benefits: Saving old growth timber. The core and floorplates will be made from huge panels of engineered lumber that have been nailed and glued together, with support provided by engi- neered wooden columns (pressed together to replicate the load-bearing abilities previously provided by massive beams cut from old-growth timber). Added fire safety. The panels’ density actually means that they won’t burn through completely, but instead will form a protective charcoal layer. More energy efficiency. The marriage of old and new tech- niques will provide a more energy-efficient building because of the naturally sourced materials. Wood, unlike other ma- terials such as steel and concrete that bring in the cold, will provide insulation.

Hines’ director, Bob Pfefferle, adds: “This project is located in the coveted North Loop neighborhood that embodies the live, work, play lifestyle that progressive tenants are seeking in order to recruit and retain today’s knowledge workers.” Most office buildings today are built out of concrete or steel. Wood construction is “stuff that was done 100 years ago, but really hasn’t been done since,” Pfefferle says. “Wood buildings are greener and faster to build than other types of construction,” he says. “Some of the materials are more expensive, but a shorter construction timeline helps balance out the costs.” Unlike Minneapolis Warehouse District buildings – such as Butler Square and Ford Center , which were built out of huge logs – modern timber buildings use wood engineered from several layers of younger trees. Wood construction is more sustainable than other types of construction because its primary material is a renewable resource. “A new wood building wouldn’t have the deficiencies found in vintage warehouse buildings, like inefficient heating and cooling systems, bad acoustics, inefficient layouts, and lack of natural light,” Luthman says. OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL. When completed, this T3 build- ing will be the first tall timber building of its kind in the United States. When it’s completed, it will challenge assumptions that many have about wooden structures and represent a mas- sive technological leap beyond the old-school timber ware- houses that surround it, says Michael Green of Michael Green Architecture.

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PROJECT

Arckit: New LEGOs for architecture? Architects weigh in on freeform model-making system that allows users to explore designs and bring architectural projects to life.

By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent “I t could be described as sophisticated LEGO or reality Minecraft,” says architect Damien Mur- tagh of Arckit, his design for a reusable, scaled ar- chitectural model building kit. Based on modern building techniques, Arckit is designed to replace traditional cut-and-glue model-making methods. So, what do people think about the idea behind this product that is getting ready to release in the U.S.? We asked a few folks to weigh in. BALANCING PROS AND CONS. J. Tyler Sappington, direc- tor of digital fabrication and advanced construc- tion, KSQ Architects (Tulsa, OK) – a 100-person planning, architecture, and interior design firm – says that his initial impression of the product is “SketchUp LEGOs.” “It’s as if the idea of SketchUp was pulled from the digital ether into meat-space, giving architects the ability to rapidly show form and materiality with a physical model,” he says. “Arckit’s flexible meth- od of surface applied materiality seems to come straight out of SketchUp, as well.”

It’s fitting then that Arckit also uses SketchUp, a digital 3-D modeling tool. However, Sappington was dismayed to discover that none of the pieces Arckit offers through SketchUp are set up to be 3-D printed. The product promises to be infinitely cus- tomizable with the addition of 3-D printed parts, which remain to be seen. “Until then, it appears this product is another

See ARCKIT, page 12

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BUSINESS NEWS JACOBS AWARDED CONTRACT FROM IKEA CENTERS IN ITALY Jacobs En- gineering Group Inc. (Pasedena, CA) announced today that it was selected by IKEA Centers to perform project and construction manage- ment services for a new shopping center in Roncadelle (Brescia), Italy. The project consists of the construction of a two-level shopping center, fully integrated with the existing IKEA store. The Roncadelle Shopping Center is IKEA Center’s second development in Italy. With a gross built area of more than 88,000 square-meters and an overall gross leasable area of 55,000 square-meters, it is on target to be the largest shopping complex in the Brescia region. Plans for the center include a hypermar- ket and 165 shops offering a wide and diverse range of family tailored goods. The center is expected to be one of the first shopping centers in Italy to obtain low environmental impact certification, based on the BREEAM environmental assessment method and rating system. Jacobs’ role on the project includes project control, procurement as- sistance, BREEAM Certification, building information modeling coordina- tion, safety coordination, and pilotage services for the fit-out of the retail units. The new shopping center is scheduled to open in 2016.

the end of a successful first meeting and then ask them to play with it,” he says. “I’d ask them to put some ideas to- gether with it to communicate their ideas because I think they would get a kick out of it. It might spark a memory of when they were kids and used Lincoln Logs or LEGOs to build something, and it would break down any pretenses about using it as a design tool. They could put together an idea, take some pictures, and tear it apart and do another. The flexibility of the blocks allows for endless possibilities, and I’d want them to make as many as they could.” Troxel thinks Arckit would also come in handy for having his clients convey ideas in real-time. He says that this is something they used to do a lot of with cardboard, glue, and sticks but rarely do anymore because of 3-D modeling tools on the computer. “People like to hold things in their hands, so I welcome any physical modeling tools like Arckit,” he says. “It has pieces in the kits that look like roof framing and windows that make it even easier to get straight to the point. Putting pieces to- gether with them would help break down barriers that only the architect is allowed to have ideas. It’s their house and they should be a key part in making it.” Troxel believes that people identify with Arckit. “To put a kit like this in people’s hands only increases their chances of exposure to architecture and design, which is a net-positive overall,” he says. “Is it more for enthusiasts? Maybe, but I don’t think it should be only marketed to en- thusiasts. While architects have access to more sophisticat- ed analog and digital tools (i.e., 3-D printers, laser cutters, and 3-D modeling programs) everyone still likes to build things with their hands and to hold the object up in front of their eyes and imagine themselves inside.” “To put a kit like this in people’s hands only increases their chances of exposure to architecture and design, which is a net-positive overall.” The partners note the transition to an independent practice has provided new creative opportunities in addition to the flexibility to craft a practice with efficient and experienced staff and a real sensitivity to client expec- tations. The firm believes that great design is best approached through a multi-faceted perspective, with careful consideration in utilizing architec- ture, materials, lighting, graphic design, art and furniture. DIMENSION NY’s previous work can be seen around the world, in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London, Hong Kong and Las Vegas. INTERIOR DESIGN FIRM DIMENSION NEW YORK LAUNCHES IN MANHATTAN Partners Maria Lee, Adrienne D’Agata, and Kate Lindenberg recently launched a new, privately held international design firm DIMENSION New York , based in Manhattan. The firm will maintain a diverse focus on residential, corporate and hospitality projects. “DIMENSION NY delivers a unique range of design services that respond to the growing need for timeless solutions with a simple, refined impact,” the partners said. “This is as true in the corporate realm as it is in the residential and hospitality markets.”

ARCKIT, from page 11

attempt at one-size-fits-all modularity, something that has not fared well in the profession,” he says. However, in lieu of this criticism, he says that Arckit ex- ceeds both LEGOs and SketchUp by ordering itself in a 4-foot module. “This allusion to constructability demonstrates that the kit is firmly founded in architectural design, and would be a great tool to both model enthusiasts and those interested in architecture,” he says. As a professional, Sappington has the need to model in vari- ous scales with many non-standard pieces, of which Arckit has yet to produce. “I won’t be giving up my trusty old 3-D printer or the wood shop, but I might try toying around with Arckit in the stu- dio,” he says. Matthew Erion, associate principal, Cannon Moss Bryg- ger Architects (Sioux City, IA), a 60-person firm, says that clients are constantly asking for quicker and faster turn- arounds on services. So, the thought of changing, ordering, and waiting for updates on a physical model all seem to be counter-intuitive to where the industry is heading. Incom- ing employees are armed with a vast array of skills and are able to build virtually anything in-house, especially with easier access to 3-D tools. Erion says that designers have an infinite library to choose from when it comes to shapes and materials. “The modularity of Arckit, though nice from a modeling and standardization standpoint,” he says, “would likely fall short of meeting the needs of designers.” PUT CLIENTS TO WORK; BREAK DOWN BARRIERS. Evan Troxel, HMC Ar- chitects (Ontario, CA), a 270-person firm, says that while he has not tried the product, what he has read about it leads him to believe that it would definitely be a useful tool. “I would actually want to give unopened kits to clients at

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