ConstructionAdvisorToday

Construction Experts Take the Guesswork out of Green Building Risk

Construction projects come with inherent risks, but the ever-evolving world of green building introduces a flood of new risks not previously contemplated by construction contracts. To answer the deluge of questions associated with green building risk and liability, WPL Publishing Inc. is pleased to present a 90-minute webinar, The Hidden Risks of Green Building, on Oct. 13 at 1 p.m. (EDT). For course information and registration details, click here.

SubContract "Flow-Down" Clauses Don't Mean What They Say

Bruce Jervis, Esq., Senior Editor
Construction Claims Advisor

Subcontracts usually include so-called “flow-down” clauses. These broadly worded provisions purport to take all the terms, conditions, requirements, etc. of the prime contract and incorporate them into the subcontract. If read literally, the prime contractor assigns total responsibility for project completion to the subcontractor. This, of course, is not how flow-down clauses are interpreted.

ArchiCAD 13 Hits Virtual Store Shelves

ArchiCAD 13, the latest version of Graphisoft’s architectural design software, is now available for purchase, the company announced earlier this month. ArchiCAD 13 includes a state-of-the-art BIM Server (patent pending), introducing a new paradigm in design file sharing. The software advertises anywhere/anytime access to BIM files and relieves workflow management bottlenecks.

USGBC To Analyze Ongoing Building Performance for LEED Certification

As part of a commitment to continued building improvement, the U.S. Green Building Council has launched the Building Performance Initiative. The initiative will collect data from buildings that have achieved LEED certification, methodically analyze that data and provide feedback to building owners so they can address any performance gaps that stem from predicted versus actual building performance.

Incorporation of External Documents Leads to Confusion

Bruce Jervis, Esq., Senior Editor
Construction Claims Advisor

Ideally, the terms of an agreement are spelled out within the four corners of the written document itself. Due to the complexity of construction projects, however, it is common to incorporate additional documents into construction contracts by reference. These documents may or may not be physically attached to the contract. The language purporting to make the documents part of the agreement may vary.

BIM Implementation and Lean Construction Contribute to Millions in Savings on Hospital Project

Use of an innovative combination of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and lean construction practices on the 555,000-square-foot Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) in Murfreesboro, Tenn., resulted in the delivery of $3 million in budgeted costs savings below the owner's initial target at the beginning of the project, reports Turner Construction Company. And, the project also realized nearly $1 million in savings from BIM-enabled prefabrication alone by the end of the project.

First Multi-Tenant Building Achieves LEED-Platinum Certification

Beacon Capital Partners, LLC (Beacon) and Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) have announced the first LEED-Platinum certified multi-tenant building at 550 West Washington St. in Chicago under the LEED for Existing Building: Operations and Maintenance (O&M) category.

Unit Price Bid Schedules Pose Challenges for Contractors and Owners

Bruce Jervis, Esq., Senior Editor
Construction Claims Advisor

Construction contracts sometimes call for payment on a unit price basis. For certain types of work, this makes a great deal of sense. Precise quantities of repetitive work items are unknown and the contractor will be paid only for the work actually performed. But unit price bid schedules can lead to disputes. Discrepancies between the pay items and the work description are a fertile source of claims. Bidders may attempt to unbalance bids to their advantage. Owners may respond by deleting overpriced line items of work.

Texas A&M; Professors to Help BIM Software Speak Common Language

A team of architecture professors at Texas A&M are aiming to improve buildings’ design and energy efficiency by providing standards for data exchange among disparate building design software systems through research from a national engineering society’s 15-month, $175,000 grant.

McKinsey Report Touts Green Building as Key to Economic Recovery

Investing in the energy efficiency of buildings represents a powerful and strategic energy and climate solution that combined with other non-transportation initiatives could reduce the nation's energy consumption by 23 percent by 2020, save the U.S. economy $1.2 trillion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.1 gigatons annually, said a study released by the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.