Reputation Isn’t Enough to Ensure Company Success
The success of a construction firm is dependent on more than just its reputation to deliver quality work for a reasonable price. Blog contributor Mike Corcoran of Construction Industry Services Group at Aronson suggests that success is also heavily dependent on disciplined project management coupled with a solid accounting and financial reporting system. His Nov. 12 post (here) enumerates why these two elements must be necessarily part of the equation for success.
Database of Construction Material Health Risks Released
A newly released open-source database by San Francisco-based technology company Flux enumerates the ingredient make-up of the 100 most commonly used building materials, as well as their potential risk to human and environmental health. The database, named Quartz, was created in partnership with Healthy Building Network, Google and Thinkstep, reports Engineering News Record in a Nov. 6 article (here). The database can be viewed at http://www.quartzproject.org/.
3D-Printed Walls Using Cell Technology
In the warring worlds of construction and technology, 3D printing start-up Branch Technology is looking for ways to bring the two worlds together. They are doing it one wall at a time by using 3D-printed wall skeletons as the foundational framing for walls made from traditional construction materials, reports Zbrella Technology Consulting contributor Christina Urban in a Nov. 13 blog post (here) at the Zbrella blog.
The Risks Associated with Worksite Drones
The FAA is gearing up to release new drone regulations sometime next year. As drone usage is incorporated into more businesses, the market for drone insurance is expected to soar, especially since current commercial property policies do not typically cover aircraft and drone operators must currently assume all risk of their small aircraft. In the November issue of Construction Business Owner, writer Ann Hickman spells out the current risks for contractors who employ uninsured drones on their worksites (click here).
Foundations: Design, Construction and Testing
This week at the very educational Civilblog.org site, the focus is on foundations. Engineer Suryakanta Padhi shares his learning experiences about foundation design, construction and testing, including bearing capacity calculations and tests, calculations of shallow foundations, the increased durability of foundations, and precautions to take in construction foundations in black cotton soil.
