Construction Material Costs in March Outpace Contractor Pricing

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Double-digit price increases for key construction materials pushed up construction costs in March, while the prices charged by contractors remained moderate, according to a new analysis of federal producer price data released by Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials urged policymakers to avoid adopting restrictions on international trade that would add to materials costs and potentially drive up the price of infrastructure, buildings and new homes and apartments. “Prices have jumped in recent months for diesel fuel, steel, copper, wallboard and lumber—materials essential for houses, nonresidential buildings and infrastructure projects,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “Contractors generally … Read more

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A Chat with Michael Peck, Operations Manager & Superintendent at IWR North America

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Focusing on priorities, an attitude of gratitude are key By Chris Maday Schmidt With almost four decades under his tool belt at IWR North America, Michael Peck’s background includes field experience from journeyman to operations manager – building enclosures & superintendent. Today he is in charge of day-to-day operations with a focus on quality control, labor management, material and equipment procurement and safety, and is responsible for 93 field employees. Join Construction Superintendent as Peck shares project challenges, time-management tricks and tips for the budding superintendent. (Q) What types of communications tools do you use most often when supervising your … Read more

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The Benefits of BIM for Logistics Staging of Cranes, Field Staff

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Construction managers, subcontractors and owners are always looking for innovative solutions to make the construction process more efficient without compromising the safety standards onsite. As it pertains to equipment on the job, cranes are the centerpiece of construction equipment in building projects. While they play a key role in transporting a variety of materials vertically and horizontally, the efficiency of the cranes largely depends on type, number and location. As the number of work tasks and the demand for cranes increase, however, field staff may experience difficulties in making appropriate decisions about the optimum layout of cranes. And poor decisions … Read more

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How to Choose the Right Crane for your Project

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By Patrick Tarrant As a construction superintendent, you are expected to have a basic understanding of the different types of cranes available for your project and the ability to determine if the crane on your job is the optimum choice. When selecting a crane for a project, I like to start with the weight of the heaviest pick and the number of those picks. Once I know the weight, I then look at the distance of the pick from the center of rotation of the crane (radius). Then I move on to the site-specific issues that determine where I can … Read more

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National Honor Recognizes Company’s Charitable Contributions, Volunteerism

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Balfour Beatty U.S. has been honored with the “AGC in the Community” special recognition award by the Associated General Contractors of America and its charitable arm during the organization’s annual convention. The AGC in the Community award was created to showcase the community service projects of AGC of America’s chapters and members, and to recognize projects that epitomize the essence of charitable giving through hands-on service and donations to charitable organizations. The award was presented to Balfour Beatty for efforts connected to the 2016 Sharefest Community Development’s Annual Workday – an event that mobilizes thousands of … Read more

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