22B — December 20, 2013 - January 16, 2014 — Owners, Developers & Managers — Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
O wners , D evelopers & M anagers
Harrington Hall at the University of Delaware Skanska awarded $25m to renovate residence hall
Senior director of business development Skanska USA hires Yerrapathruni
to prospective buyers. 6. Watch As I Make This OutletDisappear! If you have decided you no longer need an outlet or switch, you can seal off the gap with a blank faceplate that can match the rest of your decor or the color of your wall depending on your preference. Blank faceplates are simply as their name describes them. They are a blank plate that is designed without any holes that can be installed over the outlet to cut off access to it completely. Generally blank faceplates are designed in a neutral color, which helps to easily match with the surrounding room without drawing attention to it. If you wanted to mess with guests, though, you could totally paint a little outlet on the blank plate and watch as they futilely attempt to plug in their phone to charge it. Lousy moochers, sucking up all your electricity with their phone charging needs. Show them who’s boss! Or don’t. But if you aren’t going to be using an outlet, it’s always a good idea to seal it up right with a blank faceplate. And there you have it! Hope- fully now you’ll see those poor, neglected outlets around your house in a whole new light! And then, once you’ve replaced them, you can plug all your whole new lights into them! Shane Weaver is a Prod- uct Specialist at CableOr- ganizer.com. n Yerrapathruni brings more than 10 years of experience to Skanska. Prior to joining Skan- ska, he served as president of Kalgre, a Delaware Valley based start-up construction firm. Previously, he worked for both Turner Construction and Entact Environmental, where he implemented strategic busi- ness plans, expanded networks for various construction compa- nies, and managed projects. Yerrapathruni has a bach- elor’s degree in architectural engineering from the Nation- al Institute of Technology in India, and a master’s degree in architectural engineering from Pennsylvania State University. n ware offices. “His experience as both a project manager and engineer coupled with his tal- ent in pursuing growth initia- tives, makes him perfect for this role.”
you lose your mind. Just make sure if you’re installing a plate in outdoor areas that you get something waterproof that can stand up to the wear and tear of weather, and lower the risk of electrocution. 5. Flip This House (& Wall Plates!) Let’s say you want to sell your house, or condo, or stor- age unit you’ve been living in. Whatever, I’mnot here to judge you. But I guarantee that the people who come looking to buy will. They might not judge you personally, but they’ll be judging your living space, and that’s pretty much judging you by proxy, isn’t it? You want to put your best foot forward, is what I’m saying. While seri- ous remodeling and updating rooms can be costly, updating your wall outlet plates is a simple and cheap way to help get your place ready for the market. You might not care too much if your wall plates are cracked or ill-fitting, but I assure you any potential home buyer will. If you can’t even keep a simple wall outlet looking nice, how do you treat the rest of your house? That’s what those Judgy Judgersons will think. Leaving older wall plates that may be damaged, old looking, or worn out may cause you to lose money or downgrade your home when put on the market for selling. Although they may be small, they play an important role on how your home and rooms look “Sai brings vast experience from across the industry, and his specialties in higher educa- tion, commercial and health- care touch the construction sectors that Skanska works with regularly in this region,” said Ed Szwarc , executive vice president and general manager for Skanska USA Building’s Greater Philadelphia and Dela- PHILADELPHIA, PA — Skanska USA announced that it has hired Sai Yerra- pathruni as senior director of business development for its Greater Philadelphia region. Yerrapathruni joins the busi- ness development team and is responsible for conducting ongoing analyses of the region’s real estate and construction markets to identify opportuni- ties that advance Skanska’s presence throughout Philadel- phia, New Jersey and Dela- ware.
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screws are hot, that’s when you know you’re running too much power Lastly, if you see that tell- tale scorching, you’ll want to rule out candles as a culprit. Candles with metal strands woven into their wicks release a black soot-like substance that can adhere to surfaces. When in contact with your plate and outlet it can cause your outlet to heat up because it’s unable to adequately cool down due to that extra layer of yucky soot. So if you’re living in some weird world that’s partly stuck in the 1800s and partly modern enough to include both candles and electrical outlets, do yourself a favor and check for soot. Sorry, I’m trying to think of a realistic situation where someone would use candlesromantic dinner? Yeah, let’s go with that. Check for soot after your romantic din- ner. It may ruin the mood, but you’ll thank me later. 4. Building a Better Mouse- trapI mean, Wall Outlet Honestly, if you’re like pretty much everyone, you only think about your wall outlets when you have to plug something in, and even then you prob- ably forget about them as soon as you’ve plugged in your iPads or Gameboys or what- ever the kids are plugging in these days. But think about it. Your outlets are probably the same ones that came with your house, and if they’re over 25 years old, you’re seriously “We have a strong rela- tionship with the Univer- sity of Delaware, and we are honored to help UD continue to deliver top-notch space for its students to live, learn, and thrive,” said Ed Szwarc , executive vice president and general man- and additional apartments and offices. Skanska will also provide improvements to the resi- dence hall’s infrastructure. For example, Skanska is re- placing the site’s steam, con- densate, chilled water piping and basement mechanical equipment to heat and cool the complex more efficiently. Skanska is also making im- provements to the building’s exterior, creating new paver walkways, sitting walls, and rejuvenated landscaping.
missing out on all the amaz- ing new outlet technology out there. Don’t laugh, I’m serious. Is your phone 25 years old? Your computer? Your TV? Of course not. In fact, you might have one device that serves the purpose of all of those things I just mentioned. Outlets aren’t antique furniture or good scotch. And there’s a world of choices out there for you. Tired of needing a USB adapter to charge your phone? Install an outlet and plate that includes the USB chargers right in the wall. Crazy, right? It doesn’t stop there - phone jacks, fiber, multi-port connectors, dimmer controls that adjust lighting on different sides of the room or pre-fixed mood lighting mixes. Need multi-ganged plates? Do you even know what that is? Okay, you might. Well, you can install plates with up to 6 ports. So there. Additionally, the styles and colors available are almost limitless. Antique, steel, brass, nickel, nylon, plastic, outdoor weather proof, matte, gloss, oversize dimensionsI know I mentioned hot pink wall plates up there as a joke, but it turns out they totally exist! You could get a wall plate with decorative patterns or designs, like one with dogs if you like dogs, or one with cats if you’re a crazy cat lady (there is no other kind of cat lady). I’m sure if you look long and hard enough you can find something that strikes your fancy before Harrington Residence Hall is not the only project Skan- ska is currently working on at UD; Skanska is also responsible for constructing phase one of UD’s East Cam- pus Residence Hall expan- sions. The expansion entails the construction of two new residence buildings, totaling 260,000 s/f and 767 beds. The buildings will house incoming first year students and will be designed to fos- ter community engagement among students. n ager for Skanska’s Greater Philadelphia and Delaware offices. “Skanska’s seasoned expertise in higher education construction will bring a top quality residence facility to one of the nation’s highly respected education institu- tions.”
HILADELPHIA, PA — Skanska USA an- nounced that it has
that? Oh, yeah: youmight have a hot wire that isn’t grounded. That means that the outlet may need to be rewired, or replaced entirely. When do- ing so, installing an electrical outlet that has a built-in tester and surge protection could help prevent future scary predica- ments. And while you’re at it, replace that wall plate, too! 3 . I t ’s Get t ing ’ Hot in Herrrre Remember what I said up there about charred outlets? While you’re checking your plates, you might want to check for overheating. If you find scorching or soot around the connection slots, it’s most likely caused by outlet being worn-out, rather than bad electrical wiring. If you find the plate is warm and the screws holding the plate to the wall are hot to the touch, this is a sure sign of overheating. You’re prob- ably running too much power through the outlet, and it’d be a good idea to install out- lets that are able to handle a larger load. What do you have plugged in there, anyway? A flux capacitor? You running 1.21 jiggawatts through your outlets, Doc Brown? Anyway, certain devices like hair dryers or curling irons can cause a wall plate to get slightly warm, so keep that in mind ladies (or men who might happen to have long, flowing, silky hair). That’s normal. But when your Skanska is responsible for several student life improve- ments to Harrington Resi- dence Hall, including the installation of new finishes, fixtures and ADA compliant restrooms, as well as updates to all mechanical, electrical and plumbing and life safety systems. In addition, Skan- ska will upgrade Harrington Hall’s student activity area by constructing a Subway® restaurant, fitness center, been awarded a $25 million contract to renovate the Uni- versity of Delaware (UD)’s Harrington Residence Hall, a 133, 622 s/f complex that consists of five dorm build- ings and a student activity facility.
Shane Weaver, Cable Organizer.com . . . continued from page 6B
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