Fall 2009: Pre-Conference Issue

Letter from the Editor

This issue of the Practice Management Digest looks to our annual PMKC Fall Conference. This year please visit us in Chicago from September 24 through 26… Continue Reading.

Emerging Trends: Constructability through Design Review & Collaboration
By Jason Edic and Gary Cunningham

The word safety has various applications in many areas of our lives. The word is applied to public safety, as in police and fire and life safety as defined by the National Fire Protection Association but in this article it relates to occupational safety, the safety of people at work… Continue Reading.

Sustainability + BIM + Integration, a Symbiotic Relationship
By Kelly Cone

This presentation looks at the changes affecting our industry today from a holistic frame of mind rather than attempting to divide and conquer the forces that are driving these changes. Sustainability, Building Information Modeling (BIM), and Integration are each such significant changes to our practice that many firms are attempting to focus on adopting just one or two into their practice… Continue Reading.

How to Differentiate Yourself: A Focus on Quality
By Micheal J. Lough, AIA, Principal, Integral Consulting and Jonathan L. Fischel, FAIA, Senior Consultant, Integral Consulting

To achieve quality architecture, a holistic approach of the entirety of the design process must be considered, commencing with programming and needs assessment, through the design phases, and include preparation of contract documents and construction administration services… Continue Reading.

Change Design with Parametric Methods
By Volker Mueller, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, Research Director, Bentley Systems, Incorporated

The increased availability of parametric tools for building design offers new opportunities in the design process, provides designers with high levels of responsiveness to changing project conditions, and lets project teams explore innovative approaches to inter-disciplinary collaboration throughout project design and delivery… Continue Reading.

Collaborative BIM for Eco-Effective Project Delivery
By Zigmund Rubel, AIA

Collaborative BIM for Eco-Effective project delivery will discuss and demonstrate that harnessing the collaborative power of technology for sustainable design requires an integrated team. Collaboration is a fundamental requirement of integration… Continue Reading.

Integrated Project Management -- Tools and Training
By Christopher Martersteck, AIA, LEED AP, DBIA

Integrated practice continues to take on added importance as projects are faster, clients more demanding, with tighter budgets than ever before, and as increasing use of new technologies and collaborative teaming strategies are embraced by clients and architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) firms alike… Continue Reading.

Beyond IPD: The Integrated Enterprise Challenge
By Henry C. (Peter) Beck III

As I engage in various AEC forums, I’m struck by the similarities between our industry and others going through massive changes. While we struggle with the legal barriers to integration including file sharing, insurance issues, assigning liabilities through evolving integration contracts, the patchwork of state licensing requirements, etc., customers demand that we redefine our practices and business models… Continue Reading.

The Use of Green Materials in the Construction of Buildings’ Structure
By Bradford Russell, AIA, P.E., S.E., BR Architects, Inc.

We must begin by understanding the environmental cost of the cement used in concrete construction. It is estimated for each ton of cement produced an equal amount of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere… Continue Reading.

Combine and Conquer—Long-Distance Collaborative Teaming for Small Design Firms
By J. Michael Leinback, AIA, NCARB

Inside every design firm, there exists a constant struggle to find a balance between the current workload and its staff’s capacity to produce work. Rarely is there an equal balance between the two… Continue Reading.

Finding Pearls in the Process: Leveraging the Information Created by BIM
By Bradley C. Horst, AIA, NCARB, CIO, Einhorn Yaffee Prescott and Erin Rae Hoffer, AIA, LEED AP, Industry Programs, Autodesk Inc.

A design practitioners’ knowledge is a competitive differentiator - exceedingly precious in today’s challenging economy. Traditionally, architectural practice is built upon mentorship as a means to inculcate knowledge… Continue Reading.