Design Build Modular Blog

6 critical areas of focus to help the construction industry have more success!

Welcome to GuardRailed Construction, By Glenn A. Cort

Introduction

I was at the AIA Build Boston conference last year and saw two different presentations of project teams who had signed up to give presentations (months earlier ).  There they were, on stage,  struggling to talk about their projects in a positive way but nonetheless smiling,  smirking, nodding and winking, and saying things like :  “we certainly had our challenges,”  “we all got through it” .. “ in the end we have a great building.”    Of course we’ve all had this experience, but how many projects are we just “getting through” without everyone reaping the rewards they had planned for?

According to the latest report by McKinsey Global Institute that rates efficiency and productivity gains for our federal government, “construction is one of the few industries that are less productive now than it was 60 years ago.”  They go as far to refer to “lagging construction productivity as an intractable productivity problem.”  Sadly, despite many of our best efforts, the majority of commercial construction projects fail to meet deadlines and cost targets and result in dissatisfaction for many involved.  There are gains being made.  Greater use of technology in the field and information sharing software is helping, but our progress as in industry can be better. Everyone reading this should be thinking the same thing – we can do better.

For a long time I’ve asked myself, “who are you to change it ?” Could I possibly make a difference?  I will let you know here at the outset of my “blog series,” that I consider myself a relative “newbie” and have a ton of things to learn.  Also, the company for which I am a principal does not aspire to build the largest of buildings, our projects are relatively small which enables us to apply our learning to less complex projects overall.  I’ve been building for twenty years but only have twelve years direct experience with sizable complex permanent buildings.  I am an attorney however, (full disclosure..) but I believe that training has given me a fairly good handle on how disputes arise.  I  have also been deeply involved with the formation of no less than fifty contracts for construction in the last five or six years.  At this stage of my career I have begun to see clear patterns emerge, problems that could be avoided if more “guardrails” are set up between the parties.   Guardrails is my way of saying “shared understanding”.

Construction is an inherently complex undertaking.  How do we achieve greater understanding and excitement between all parties involved in a permanent construction project and maintain that until the end ?    The answer is we need to set up guardrails that create shared understanding.   Whether you are a designer or contractor we need to do a better job to set a predetermined course to eliminate complexity.   To replace disorder with order,  the dynamic with static, the unpredictable with foreseeable ..  I set up actual road guardrails in our offices to help us along in our journey.  That is me in the back right of the photo.  The obvious analogy is that if you follow the road and heed the cones you will limit your accidents and reach your destination in a predictable fashion.  Like a trip to the mountains with the kids, arriving successfully with everyone happy. (a bit tired however is naturally understandable).

The Six “Cones”  or topical areas of discussion to get us there are :

• Project Fit
• Contracting Type
• Design Detailing
• Permitting and Soft Costs
• Submittals and Approvals
• Closeout

(click the cone name above to learn more about each section)

I never want to be the loudest voice in the room and it’s easier to remain quiet but I cannot deny what I’ve seen – the same issues misunderstood over and over.

Therefore, in conclusion I believe it would be a shame not to share the lessons we’ve learned with others.  By learning, asking the “stupid” questions and by being curious we are having far more satisfaction in our own projects.

What we have learned may not be revolutionary but I do believe that if the issues presented in these categories are discussed by project teams, it will no doubt improve your projects.

Welcome to “Guard Railed Construction”, a series of blogs and informational content to improve our company and yours.

About the author :

Glenn Cort is a principal at Triumph, and is responsible for delivering commercial building projects on time and on budget for clients. His interests are in leveraging prefabrication, setting up rules of the road for project teams to be sure everyone enjoys and benefits from the building experience.

Do we have enough modular manufacturing capacity to meet demand here in the Northeast?  That’s a key question for the modular industry.

The cost of construction continues to rise in New England.  This is due in large part to increased demand construction services remains high and a shortage of skilled labor in traditional construction disciplines.

Modular construction is often presented as solution.  This view has been bolstered by several headline-making stories.  For example, Atlanta Developer featured stories about developers invested in modular construction plants, committed to manufacturer their way to fulfilling the need for constructed housing, schools, etc. in their communities.  The Wall Street Journal featured Google’s plans to use modular manufacturing for housing near its headquarters in Mountain View, California.    Marriott and Hilton have generated a much attention for their use of modular for many of their newest hotels, building large pieces of living quarters in factories.

But can modular work as well here in the Northeast?

Like other forms of manufacturing, modular requires a large investment of capital in order to achieve economies of scale – specifically modular manufacturing facilities.  In other regions that investment has been aided by large projects such as oil and mining “man camps” and military barracks.  We don’t have a large oil, mining or military presence in New England and therefore haven’t had this catalyst for the commercial modular manufacturing base.   There is a high level of demand in New England for top-notch buildings which modular could accommodate, but most of the modular manufacturers here in New England currently specialize in smaller-scale projects.  

As noted in the previous post, the capacity and interest to meet demand for large scale housing projects as well as other commercial buildings is very much in question.  Building multi-family housing is known as a Commercial Building endeavor which introduces elements of the building code that are much different than single family homes.  Also, the use of steel, glass, and mechanical systems that are required in sizable commercial projects introduces more complexity.   The focus on home manufacturing helps increase awareness and hands-on experience with the modular process, but currently doesn’t expand the capacity for commercial projects.  There are some companies such as Champion Builders in Pennsylvania who already provide production for projects in the northeast.

As part of our 2020 efforts to expand the use of modular construction into new markets, we plan to contact other modular manufacturers explore with them their capacity to build multi-unit commercial buildings, including multi-family housing, schools, hotels, dorms and office buildings.  We’re eager to work as an industry to present modular as a solution to New England’s construction challenges.  I’ll report back as we make progress.

Glenn Cort is a principal at Triumph, and is responsible for delivering commercial building projects on time and on budget for clients. His interests are in leveraging prefabrication, setting up rules of the road for project teams to be sure everyone enjoys and benefits from the building experience.