Chicago, IL National Building Envelope Forum Recap

On February 10, StructureTec's Building Construction Technology Educational Center (BCTEC) hosted a National Building Envelope Forum in Naperville, IL. 

During the forum, three in-house experts shared some exceptional insight into paving, non-destructive testing, and roof restoration. Hanan Javetz, Retired Director of Facilities Management at School District U-46 in Elgin, Illinois also led an intriguing discussion regarding his personal experiences with facilities management over his 30+ year career.

The Pavement Management presentation focused on:

• How to develop a pavement management program for multiple sites
• Different pavement technology
• Pavement maintenance
• Pavement project management processes
• Pavement survey considerations

The Non-Destructive Testing presentation discussed:

• Non-Destructive Testing Applications for roof, building envelope, pavement, and structural concrete systems
• Methods of Non-Destructive Testing
• The use of Non-Destructive Testing for problem identification
• Quality assurance through construction

The Roof Restoration presentation highlighted:

• The benefits of roof restoration
• Identifying problems and solutions related to roof restoration projects
• Identifying roofs that are candidates for roof restoration
• The proper means, methods, and procedures for restoration

Our special guest speaker, Hanan Javetz, gave valuable insight on:

• Managing a public sector bid event
• Making a case for investing more upfront to achieve lower life cycle cost
• The criticality of attention to detail for successful project outcomes

Throughout the day, there was a lively exchange and collaboration. Attendees walked away with additional technical knowledge and project-specific answers. Here's what they had to say:

"This program was very helpful"

              "Learned some new opportunity"

"The technical content was excellent"

BCTEC will be hosting another Building Envelope Forum in Columbus, OH on May 11th, 2016 covering a wide variety of topics pertaining to facility management. Please click here for more information on the topics.

7 Steps to a Risk Free Project

Last month, StructureTec's Building Construction Technology Educational Center (BCTEC) hosted a webinar entitled “7 Steps to a Risk Free Project”. During the webinar, three in-house experts shared some great case studies and explained the steps necessary to ensure the successful completion of your construction projects.

Here are some of our favorite insights and key takeaways from this webinar:

1. Defining the Problem / Objective. Performing pre-construction due diligence is critical to assess potential risks and protect your interest in any construction project. Testing and surveys must be done to ensure that you have all vital information before continuing on.

2. Alignment (The Best Solution). Define the project goals and outline your organization’s objectives. Be sure the priority between cost, schedule and required project objectives are clear.

3. Develop the Project Manual. An accurate project manual is a key component of a successful project. The scope, including the materials and workmanship of the project needs to be clearly and accurately defined in the project manual. Project policies, procedures, guidelines, drawings, bidding requirements, contract forms, and conditions of the contract are all necessary information to include.

4. Selecting the Right Project Team. Whether its roofs, walls, parking lots or parking structures, when you are look at the remedial aspect of maintaining sites, you must have the right team in place. When pre-screening your approved contractors, look at their experience, specialties, financial history, current workload, insurance requirements, and safety protocol. As you pick your team, make sure your contractors have a clear understanding of the specifications and details of the project.

5. Construction Review and Administration (Quality Assurance). Once you have established your qualified project team, it is critical to have an expert representing your companies best interests monitoring the progress of the contractors work. Make sure your rep knows the scope of the project to ensure that no corners are being cut.

6. Maintenance Program.  We highly recommend that you put in place a Warranty Audit Program for after the completion of the project. Perform a 12 month and 24 month post-construction inspection on all projects. No matter how smooth your project went, the weather will be the ultimate commissioning agent.

7. Long-term Risk Mitigation. Maximize your warranties. You want to make sure that all documents are properly filed and accessible downstream as things come up. Incorporate continuous improvement practices, keep good records, and log any maintenance you are doing.

By using the seven steps listed above, you can significantly mitigate risks and ensure your projects go as smooth as possible."It's all about the process".