Prefabrication + the New Frontier

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Yesterday, today and the future of mitigating jobsite challenges By Kyle Davis The construction industry has a problem: skilled labor is at an all-time low. However, the part of the story that’s particularly alarming, but rarely surfaces, is it’s also not in a position to recover. In 2004, the Brookings Institute published a white paper titled “Toward a New Metropolis.” The conclusion 15 years ago was that half of what will exist in the built environment by 2030 didn’t exist yet. The construction industry uses 29% of the craft apprentices enrolled in apprenticeship programs, equating to just 144,000 apprentices and … Read more

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Flagship Mercyhealth Hospital Houses Only State-Designated Children’s Hospital in Northern Illinois

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Mortenson has reached completion of Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital and Physician Clinic–Riverside, a $505-million regional tertiary specialty women and children’s hospital, adult hospital and multi-specialty clinic in Rockford, Illinois, marking the end of the largest construction project in the city’s history. The new facility, which houses the only state-designated children’s hospital in northern Illinois, and a regional perinatal center with 52-bed level III (highest level) neonatal intensive care unit, opened to patients in January. Mortenson prioritized hiring locally and women and minority representation on the jobsite, with more than 90 percent of craft workers living within 49 miles of the … Read more

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Persistent Workforce Shortages Challenge Commercial Construction Industry

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The Q1 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index reveals nearly two-thirds of contractors are highly confident that demand for commercial construction will increase over the next year, however, continued concerns around labor shortages have put even greater pressure on the industry. To increase jobsite efficiency and improve labor productivity, increasingly more builders are turning to alternative construction solutions, like prefabrication and modularization. The Q1 Index indicates contractors turn to innovations such as prefabricated and modular building materials to create more efficient jobsites (89 percent), increase labor productivity (85 percent), drive cost savings (58 percent) and … Read more

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6 Trends on the Frontline of Construction

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By Todd Imming Construction has thrived on innovation and technological breakthroughs for millennia. Now is no different. Firms that embrace today’s cutting-edge technology and techniques can shorten project timelines, cut construction costs and promote a cleaner, more sustainable industry. The search for efficiency in terms of labor, materials and timelines has come with the territory in the construction industry from the moment someone first made a brick out of mud and then wondered if there was a better way. We’re way beyond that now, but the spirit remains the same. How can we speed up construction? What materials can we … Read more

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Turner Hosts Panel on Lean, Prefabrication and Modularization

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Turner’s office in New York recently hosted its inaugural Innovation Series panel discussion titled Lean Construction: Prefabrication and Modularization. More than 200 business partners and industry thought leaders attended the event at the Whitney Museum of American Art – a Turner project, and a striking architectural setting for a conversation among construction professionals. Charlie Whitney, vice president and general manager of Turner’s office in New York, offered introductory remarks. Then, following a cocktail reception during which guests were invited to tour the museum, the formal program began with a screening of a short documentary film on Turner’s Niarchos Foundation-David Rockefeller … Read more

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