B+A Greater Boston

LEED Speed PROJECTS HOPING TO ACQUIRE Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification are ideal for preconstruction focus and, as a result, might be good options for accelerated building. Architects have to incorporate LEED principles into the design on the front end. "It's going to cost a bit more than the conventional construction process, but the payoff down the road can be worth it," says Christine Piper, PhD, Professor of Construction Science and Management at Clemson University. "But the LEED preparation has to be done in the design of the facility." r ep eat able bu i ld i ng comp onent s , but homebuilders have adapted the technique for residential projects as well. E x c e l H o m e s , h e a d q u a r t e r e d i n Liverpool, Pennsylvania, uses modular con st r uc tion to of fer bu i lder s a more customizable product in a manner that saves time and money. Owners select the model they want, and as the foundation i s pr ep a r e d on- s ite , t he mo du le s a r e constr ucted in the company 's factor y. S i m u l t a n e o u s w o r k o n - a n d o f f- s i t e results in an abbreviated build that sees homeowners move in as little as six weeks after construction begins. Piper notes that the factor y set ting o¨ers many advantages. " B u i l d i n g i n a f a c t o r y a c t u a l l y increases the limits on tolerances," she says. "Things are put together [in a more exacting way] because they use machines a nd computers to cut and line up t he materials. The workers are working in a controlled environment, so there's air con- ditioning and heating where possible, and they 're not susceptible to the weather." Preconstruction Is the Key Whatever accelerated building strat- eg y is u sed , com mu n icat ion bet ween a l l pa r t ies i nvolve d i n t he bu i ld i s a must. That means mustering architects, owners and contractors to hammer out ever y detail of the building plan before construction begins, instead of nursing a continuous conversation throughout Excel Spreadsheets? Get with the Program THE DAYS OF ENTERING data into Microsoft Excel and constructing formulas to determine schedules are (thankfully) over. Although some programs feature technological bells and whistles that may be more than builders need, Microsoft Project and Oracle's Primavera portfolio solutions offer the scheduling tools necessary for accelerated building projects. Microsoft Project provides online access to portfolio management. Because the program is cloud-based, you can access your plans at your office, at home and on the work site. The Web-based portal allows managers to expeditiously add or delete teams from projects. The product's design also features intuitive methods for creating timelines and organizing and linking tasks. Primavera P6 Professional Project Management offers project managers a number of powerful project tools to plan projects and ensure they follow the schedule. This software can be a critical asset to managers supervising multiple teams of contractors as it allows real-time communication with teams all over the world. European company Synchro Software, Ltd. offers scheduling and modeling programs with advanced modeling capabilities, but these may not be any more efficient than Project or Primavera P6, according to Christine Piper, PhD, Professor of Construction Science and Management at Clemson University. The problem is that the virtual model must be constructed and loaded onto the system before tasks and schedules can be devised, Piper notes. Remember the challenges in the change from paper and pencil formula work to computer-based scheduling? This software would ask even more of users, requiring knowledge of graphic design just to use it. But if the technology catches on, construction offices will see a new kind of employee — the graphic designer. the owners towards picking the right systems and finishes for their build- ings," she says. The a i m i s to i mpr ov e ef f ic ienc y, which Piper likens to putting together a m ater ia l s l i s t for a t r ip to a home improvement store: Instead of interrupt- ing a workday to shop for an immediate need only to return and find you missed s o m e t h i n g , p r e c o n s t r u c t i o n p l a n s streamline the process. "Then, we make only one trip to the store, maybe two — not ˜›," she says. ■ t he process . A benefit here is t hat as the ow ners muse about t he v ision for the building, the contractor can affirm whether or not the budget can accom- modate it. While this cuts out potential r e v e nu e f r om c h a ng e or d e r s , it a l s o eliminates that all too common point of contention between builders and owners, Piper explains. "The contractor can actually do feasi- bility estimates along the way and help the architect choose materials that will fit w ith the ow ners' budget and guide ˜ — | Greater Boston Builder+Architect BOSTON.BUILDERARCHITECT.COM

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