BIM: No Longer an Industry Buzz Word

Building information modeling (BIM) is revolutionizing the delivery of construction projects - if you're not utilizing this technology with your projects, you could be falling behind the competition. BIM is helping contractors and their clients move toward a seamless flow of structured, timely, and more accurate data between all project stakeholders. 

The United Kingdom is requiring BIM as mandatory for many types of projects by 2016 and similar requirements could be coming to North America soon. Don't fall behind - many companies across the United States are staffing for BIM specific initiatives and are reaping the benefits of this new type of project delivery.

Want to learn more about BIM? The following whitepapers will help catch you up on this powerful tool for collaborative project delivery:

Project Management and Project Collaboration are NOT the same. Get to know the difference in this informative whitepaper.
 
Industry expert Gregg Schoppman, principal of FMI Corp., explains the differences between Project Management and Project Collaboration and why it’s so important for contractors to have a solution and strategy for managing both. 

http://info.viewpointcs.com/CBOPMvsPCFeb2014.html

BIM (Building Information Modeling) and the Power of Collaboration – The future is now.
Construction firms in North America and several other countries are moving quickly to understand the power of BIM for unparalleled project collaboration. Viewpoint's VP of Product Management, Rob Humphreys gives a helpful "101" introduction to BIM technology and shares what the future holds for this exceptional collaboration tool.

http://info.viewpointcs.com/CBObimFeb2014.html

Building Information Modeling-The UK is leading the way.
UK industry expert, Paul Wilkinson provides an excellent overview of BIM and its benefits to the construction industry due to unparalleled collaboration and lifecycle management capabilities. Learn how the UK is leading the way and why the US is quickly following. Is your business ready for the next evolution in project collaboration?

http://info.viewpointcs.com/CBOwBIM.html

Construction Industry Safety Coalition Urges DOL to Withdraw Silica Proposal

The Construction Industry Safety Coalition, which represents 25 different construction trade associations, issued the following statement as it filed comments regarding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) proposed Crystalline Silica Rulemaking:

“After an exhaustive analysis that involved hundreds of construction safety professionals, builders, construction managers and specialty trade contractors representing virtually every facet on the industry, it is our conclusion that the administration’s proposed new silica rule is significantly flawed and will do little to improve workplace health or safety. Specifically, the proposed rule sets a silica exposure standard that cannot be accurately measured or protected against with existing equipment and includes a series of data errors that undermine many of the rule’s basic assumptions.

“The proposed rule’s new silica exposure limit is virtually impossible to accurately measure or protect against using existing technology. For example, commercially-available dust collection technology is not capable by itself of protecting workers from the rule’s new silica exposure limit. A limitation the agency appears to acknowledge in its additional requirement that workers also wear respirators, something that would not be necessary if the dust collection technology was effective.

“Even more troubling, the proposal is rife with errors and inaccurate data that call into question the entire rulemaking process. Agency officials, for example, omitted 1.5 million construction workers from its assessment of the size of the affected workforce. The agency also did not consider the broad range of tasks and variety of settings and environments in which construction occurs. And the agency’s assessment of the rule’s cost was off by a factor of four.

“Given the lack of scientific explanation justifying the new exposure limits, the many contradictions between the rule and the realities faced in the construction industry, and the fact that agency officials made significant errors in the basic data the rule is based on, we are urging the administration to withdraw this proposed rule. We strongly urge agency officials to work with us and employee groups to craft a silica measure that will build upon the work all of us have done to reduce silica-related deaths by 93 percent during the past three decades.”

The CISC is made up of 25 trade associations, representing associations from all sectors of the construction industry, including commercial building, heavy industrial production, home building, road repair, specialty trade contractors and material suppliers. Workplace safety and health is a priority for all members of the coalition, and each is committed to helping create safer construction jobsites for workers.
 

American Road and Transportation Builders Association
American Society of Concrete Contractors
American Subcontractors Association
Associated Builders and Contractors
Associated General Contractors
Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry
Building Stone Institute
Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association
Construction & Demolition Recycling Association
Distribution Contractors Association
Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute
International Council of Employers of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
Leading Builders of America
Marble Institute of America
Mason Contractors Association of America
Mechanical Contractors Association of America
National Association of Home Builders
National Association of the Remodeling Industry
National Demolition Association
National Electrical Contractors Association
National Roofing Contractors Association
National Utility Contractors Association
Natural Stone Council
The Association of Union Constructors
Tile Roofing Institute

For more information, contact:

Jeff Buczkiewicz, Mason Contractors Association of America
(224) 678-9709, jeffb@masoncontractors.org

Brick Industry Association Announces New Leadership

The Brick Industry Association (BIA) has ushered in a year of change, appointing new board officers and staff leadership. Appointments follow the retirement of outgoing BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt, celebrated with top industry honors.
          
“Our board and council members continually demonstrate a strong commitment to BIA and the American clay brick industry,” said Ray Leonhard, BIA’s new president and CEO, promoted from chief financial office VP and  of administration.

2014-2016 Board Leadership
          
Hanson Brick Senior VP Charlie Ward, also general manager Hanson Building Products - Light Products, Charlotte, N.C., starts a two-year term as BIA chairman of the board. Ward succeeds former Chairman Brett Packer, president, Packer Brick Inc. The new BIA Vice Chairman is Sam Strang, president of Alley-Cassetty Brick, succeeding Bob Belden, president and CEO, The Belden Brick Co. Joe Rice, president, Belden Tri-State Building Materials, was named secretary, replacing Ward.
          
BIA Manufacturer Council Chair is Davis Henry, president, Henry Brick Co. Inc., succeeding Butch McAvoy, president of The McAvoy Brick Co. Inc. Suzanne McAnallen, president, Donley Brick Co., is BIA Distributor Council Chair, replacing Rice.

New BIA Staff Leadership 

As President and CEO, Leonhard will lead BIA in its strategic direction, effectively using the association’s resources to implement programs and services that maximize member value. New COO Stephen Sears, former VP of marketing and member services, will lead BIA’s marketing and communication programs, member recruitment and member services. Sears will also help establish local brick councils in key markets around the country.

Honoring Borchelt
           
Praised for his outstanding 40 years of industry wide service, the highly respected former BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt retired with honors, including:

- 2014 C. DeWitt Brown Leadman Award by the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA): Recognized as a “true gem,” Borchelt was the second person ever outside the contractor community in the history of MCAA’s award recognized for exemplary leadership in advancing the masonry industry.
- BIA’s 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award: Presented by the executive committee, recognized for his outstanding accomplishments and dedication to the advancement and betterment of the clay brick industry.

 

DuPont Protection's 'Dirty Work' Winners

DuPont Protection Technologies announced the winners of the third-annual DuPont Dirty Work Photo Contest, featuring DuPont ProShield, DuPont Tyvek and DuPont Tychem. Chad Grant and Bruce Taylor won the top two prizes in the online competition by best demonstrating the many ways in which workers use DuPont Tyvek and DuPont Tychem garments to help keep safe and clean on the job. To view all of the entries, visit www.tyvekphotocontest.dupont.com.

Entrants were asked to submit original photos of themselves or their colleagues wearing a DuPont ProShield, DuPont Tyvek or DuPont Tychem garment after completing their “dirty work.” The entries were then judged based on a variety of criteria, including how well the DuPont garment and “dirty work” were portrayed in the photo. Chad Grant of Cohutta, Ga., was the grand prize winner, submitting the dirtiest picture of them all, showing how he uses a DuPont Tychem QC suit with a DuPont Tyvek coverall to protect him while cleaning number six fuel oil. Chad’s suits are covered in the messy oil. As the grand prize winner, Chad received a $1,500 prize.

DuPont Tyvek Dirty Work Contest Grand Prize Winner Chad Grant, Marion Environmental, Cohutta, Ga.

“My job with Marion Environmental puts me in some pretty messy situations and this one was of the messiest,” said Grant. “Cleaning up oil is about as dirty as it gets. My DuPont Tyvek and DuPont Tychem garments help keep me clean and dry, while leaving the oil at work.”

Bruce Taylor of Marriottsville, Md., was the first prize winner and received a $750 prize for his photo of himself and his fellow Howard County workers cleaning a sewage station wet well. Bruce and his colleagues are shown cleaning raw sewage and wearing DuPont Tyvek suits to help protect them while carrying out this nasty task.

The DuPont Dirty Work Photo Contest also rewarded several sweepstakes winners with $150 prizes for their entries. The sweepstakes winners are: Rebecca Knighten of Oakboro, N.C.; Brad Hamm of Clovis, Calif.; Autumn Hall of Gibsonville, N.C.; Tiffany Banks of Sandusky, Ohio; John Zamran of Overland Park, Kan.; Gloria Dornin of Coopersburg, Pa.; and Crystal Redmond of Martinsville, Va.

Entries Open for 25th Annual Brick in Architecture Awards

Entries open on Feb. 10 for the Brick Industry Association's (BIA) Brick in Architecture Awards. Celebrating its silver anniversary, BIA's annual honors spotlight outstanding, innovative and sustainable architecture that incorporates clay brick products as the predominant exterior building or paving material. Entries are conducted entirely online, and are due by April 30, 2014. To enter and for details, go to: www.gobrick.com/architectureawards 

"Now in its 25th year, the Brick in Architecture Awards continue to be the premier industry honors, and the most prestigious juried competition of its kind," says Ray Leonhard, BIA president and CEO. "Made from abundant natural resources, fired clay brick offers aesthetic flexibility to match the architect’s imagination and desires, and is a perfect strategy in sustainable design.”
          

Architectural and design firms from around the country can enter their best material to be judged by a jury of their peers. Any work of architecture completed since Jan. 1, 2009, in which clay brick products comprise the predominant exterior building or paving material (over 50 percent), is eligible. 

These include face or hollow brick, building brick, thin brick, paving brick, glazed brick, structural glazed facing tile, clay brick products in special shapes and/or a combination of any of these aforementioned units. An entrant may submit more than one project for consideration, and previously submitted projects can be entered once again as long as they were completed since 2009.
          

Entries must be submitted online in one or more of the below categories:

-Commercial (Under $10 Million)
-Commercial (Over $10 Million)
-Education – K-12
-Education – Colleges & Universities (Higher Education)*
-Health Care Facilities
-Municipal/Government
-Houses of Worship
-Residential – Single Family
-Residential – Multi-Family
-Renovation (Additions)**/Restoration (Restoring)
-Paving & Landscape Projects

 *Includes residence halls & academic/administrative buildings
**Additions must use at least 50 percent new clay brick products on the building. Restoration construction must include at least 50 percent clay brick products, which can either be new or salvaged.

          

Judged by a jury of peers, the 2013 Brick in Architecture Awards spanned almost half the country in 21 states, including green building practices that have earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings.
           

For more information contact Tricia Mauer at tmauer@bia.org

gE Capital Expands Financing for Construction Equipment Dealers

GE Capital, Equipment Finance is expanding its financing program for dealers to purchase construction equipment for use in their rental fleets. About half of U.S. dealers offer rentals in addition to sales — a figure that’s expected to grow in 2014 and beyond.

According to the American Rental Association’s Rental Market Monitor service, the construction and industrial segment of the rental industry will grow 9.1 percent to $24.4 billion in 2014 and 10.5 percent to $26.9 billion in 2015 in the United States.

“At a time when contractors and construction companies are reluctant to commit to large purchases, equipment dealers are seeing success by offering end-users the latest machines without the big payments,” said Jim Kelly, managing director of GE Capital’s Vendor Finance business.

Dealers typically pay cash for equipment that costs less than $10,000 each, but may be interested in financing more expensive equipment, Kelly explained, particularly through GE Capital’s offer of line-item financing where equipment is purchased unit-by-unit, allowing dealers more flexibility than an asset-based loan for a pool of equipment.

Equipment rentals have grown in each of the past three years, according to Frank Manfredi, president of Manfredi & Associates, Inc., a market research and consulting firm that specializes in the industrial sector of the rental industry. He estimates that about half of U.S. dealers offer rentals in addition to sales and he expects the market for equipment rentals to continue to grow.

200 Texas Cities Adopt Masonry Planning as Strategy

The adoption of masonry planning as a strategy for sustainable growth continues to gain favor among Texas cities, with 200 cities statewide now embracing the concept by adopting minimum requirements for masonry in new construction, according to the Texas Masonry Council.

The number of cities is about double the total of from five years ago, said Rudy Garza, TMC executive vice president. Although the number of cities is only about 16 percent of the 1,215 incorporated cities in Texas, the 200 that have embraced masonry planning are strategically located in the fastest growing regions of the state, Garza noted.

“This is where the growth is occurring,” he said. “These 200 forward-thinking cities in the major metropolitan areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, recognize that they have the power to determine whether the dramatic growth they are experiencing or potentially facing, will result in a safer environment and better quality of life for their residents.”

On Jan. 13, 2014, the city of Troy, in Central Texas just north of Temple, became the 200th city in Troy anticipates a surge in growth with the widening of IH-35 between Temple and Waco.

In its resolution justifying adoption of the masonry requirements, the Troy City Council, like the other masonry-friendly cities, cited multiple reasons:

- Masonry helps protect property values, provides for durable long-lasting structures, and helps ensure aesthetically pleasing structures and a stable tax-base;

- Masonry is the preferred residential and non-residential building material for improved fire safety, lower insurance rates, increased property value appreciation, increased energy efficiency, and lower home maintenance costs;

- Building standards for non-residential construction will help attract high-quality commercial development and preserve property values.

An interactive map at www.masonryordinance.com shows where masonry planning has been adopted in Texas.