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Preparing surveyors for the future

Lee Lovell Science & Technology

The decline in the number of individuals seeking licensure has raised concerns about the future of the surveyor profession. A logical solution to this problem is to find ways to make more surveyors. Some say the requirement for a BS in surveying should be dropped. After all, there are few colleges offering this degree.

Co-building the city: The draw of participative planning

Lucy Wallwork Civil & Government

The dominant role once occupied by the city planner is under threat. A new paradigm of participative planning is challenging the "business as usual" top-down process for shaping our urban spaces. Participative planning — whereby members of the community work with designers, architects and planners to decide on the future of cities — is fast becoming the norm.

Housing activity softens, but outlook remains positive

Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

Across the board, housing activity weakened in the month of April as markets readjusted following brisk business in March. With consumer confidence and housing demand both high, one might have expected April's indicators to show an upward trend. Challenges in both the construction and real estate sectors, however, have resulted in a shortage of inventory that is hampering sales.

The sky’s the limit: Learning from Tesla’s roofing innovation

Delany Martinez Marketing

The latest darling of the eco-innovation trend, Tesla's new solar panel/roof tile hybrid product has continued the consumer inroads that their well-liked electric vehicles have already been cruising. In fact, Forbes pulled no punches discussing the concerns as well as the potential of the Tesla tiles — a balanced, authoritative nod that speaks volumes.

10 tips for dealing with jobsite conflict

Sue Dyer Construction & Building Materials

A project team was separated only by the locked doors to the two trailers that sat side-by-side on their wastewater treatment project site. Every day for six months the owner's team and the contractor's team filled their days with writing letters. Back and forth, they literally emailed more than 1,200 letters. The purpose of each letter was clear — to prove the other side was to blame.

Softwood lumber dispute cuts both ways

Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

Recent news that the U.S. Department of Commerce would impose a 20 percent import tariff on softwood lumber coming from Canada set off alarm bells in the U.S. residential construction industry. Home builders have been cautioning for months that increased materials costs were driving up the price of newly built homes, placing them further out of reach of many prospective home buyers. The lion's share of those increases has come from the escalating cost of softwood lumber.

Participatory planning: ‘Co-producing’ the neighborhood

Lucy Wallwork Civil & Government

Once upon a time in the 1960s, the "master plan" was king in urban planning circles. The modernist approach to designing cities at the time saw the urban designer as supreme — utopian plans were designed in an architect's office and imposed upon unsuspecting residents.

Is housing trending or spiraling?

Michael J. Berens Construction & Building Materials

Could this be the year the housing industry finally reaches escape velocity from the tenacious pattern of monthly yo-yoing of advances and retreats in buyer activity that has characterized the post-recession recovery? Building upon a promising, if modest, beginning to the year, the industry ended the first quarter on a high note, posting substantial gains in the sale of both new and existing homes. Consumer confidence also increased in the same period, leading analysts to speculate that demand will continue in the months ahead.

The root causes of poor communication on project teams

Sue Dyer Construction & Building Materials

For the past 10 years, I've asked project teams this question: "From your experience what it is that makes one project succeed and another fail?" Over 95 percent of team members said good communication was the reason for their success and poor communication was the reason for their failures. Clearly, communication appears to be the key to team success.

Design for aging in place goes mainstream

Michael J. Berens Interior Design, Furnishings & Fixtures

For well over a decade, professional associations related to the building industry have been advising their members to prepare for the coming "silver tsunami" that is the aging of the baby boomer generation. With the vast majority expecting to "age in place" in their current or "retirement" home, the day would come when they would need to update, upgrade and renovate their homes to make them more age-friendly. That day, it seems, has arrived.

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