5S Makes Jobsites Safer, Cleaner and More Productive

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By Mark Jagiello The 17-story Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel, under construction in downtown Chicago, Illinois, recently topped off six weeks ahead of schedule and with 293 days and 90,000 work hours without an injury. While Mortenson implemented an array of innovative techniques to reach this milestone safely and ahead of schedule, the Lean approach known as 5S played a critical role. We use 5S to maintain neat, clean, orderly project sites and work areas improving safety, quality and efficiency. 5S was originally based on five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. It has been adapted in English … Read more

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Workforce Challenges Continue to Impact Construction Industry as 9 of 10 U.S. Contractors Report Skilled Labor Shortage

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Findings from the recently released Q2 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index show four straight quarters with more than 90 percent of contractors concerned over labor shortages. Concerns increased quarter-over-quarter, with 47 percent of respondents expecting problems finding skilled workers to worsen in the next six months. “Contractors’ pipelines for new business are consistently healthy, however, that optimism is challenged by a growing shortage of workers – a trend that’s persisted for more than a year,” said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of USG Corporation. “In order to sustain the strong pipeline of work, it’s important … Read more

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Precast Concrete Construction Contributes to Unique Learning Environment at Lehigh Valley Charter H.S. for the Arts

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When the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was looking for a location to build its new school, officials knew the southern end of the city — which is the heart of Bethlehem’s art, cultural and entertainment district – would be the ideal spot. And once the school’s site location and design were confirmed, it was determined that precast concrete would be ideal material to use for construction. Project overview The public charter school is fully accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It first opened … Read more

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MCA Honors Eight Outstanding Building Designs, 2017 Chairman’s Award Winners Unveiled

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Eight outstanding building projects from across the country were recognized by the Metal Construction Association. Selected by a panel of architects, the Chairman’s Awards are given to the year’s most exceptional building projects involving MCA member companies. Awards are based on overall appearance, significance of metal in the project, innovative use of metal and the role of metal in achieving project objectives. Announced at the MCA’s Winter Meeting held in January, the MCA Chairman’s Awards were given in eight categories: overall excellence; residential; metal roofing; education, primary and secondary schools; education, colleges and universities; institutional; municipal and commercial/industrial. 2017 Chairman’s … Read more

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Prefabricated Envelopes Deliver Flexibility to Projects

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By George Vangelatos and Chuck Eyberg Today’s project owners want reduced costs and shorter construction time, while still seeking high-quality materials. One option to explore is prefabricated exterior building envelopes. Especially when used in large projects, prefabricated envelopes are made possible by integrated teams working together to answer client objectives. For example, take Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Lundquist Tower in California. The expansion tower was conceived to have several skin types with elegant detailing. The project team worked together to devise an offsite prefabricated skin, which achieved high quality at a lower cost, and saved six months on the critical … Read more

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