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So far in this series, I’ve talked about how job descriptions have evolved as the industry has matured. Along the way, I’ve emphasized that the objective is not to impress you with the advanced power of the servo—it is to impress upon you the importance of the journey of...

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has started to become a common practice in the architectural, engineering, construction, and facilities management industries. The benefits of BIM have been recognized in commercial and industrial development, but the potential of BIM technology to facilitate...

As the next and final step in the DMAIC process, the Control phase is perhaps the most critical! You have identified and Defined the scope of a challenge. Collected data and statistically Measured the baseline of the current process and/or output. Analyzed the current procedures and...

Building code officials are our security for ensuring safe building construction and they need to know a lot of information. The American Wood Council (AWC) aims to make the job of building code official a little easier when it comes to knowing about wood products and the latest wood-related...

We lumber types have come to expect the unexpected. Hence, there is great value when we can identify, well in advance, what the next price manipulating phenomenon might be. 2018 has been a year of looking for an elusive lumber market top. Early in the year I went so far as to call 2018 a bear...

There are products used in many buildings that are not referenced by the codes or standards. These products can affect structural strength, stability, fire resistance and other building performance attributes, which can impact public safety, health and general welfare. The International Building...

Southern Pine grading greatly complicates the task of making lumber substitutions. The progression of the structural values of Machine Evaluated Lumber (MEL) is nothing like the progression of values of either Visually Graded or Machine Stress Rated (MSR) lumber, which both ascend like rungs on...

Spring is a great time of year to get motivated about things again. We can be excited that the seasons are changing, our winter woes are in the rearview mirror, and our days’ activities will be heating up, literally and figuratively. And because spring is a time of change, it can present...

Part Two: The Turbulent 1980s For CMs to prosper in the 1980s, after surviving the “double-bubble” of apartment building in the 1970s, required great tenacity and innovation. Projects grew in size and complexity. Developers gained momentum and began employing scheduling and...

We started our 12-month series of product comparisons with 3 months on our foundation—floor trusses. January featured Floor Truss Roller Presses, February explored Floor Truss Chord Splicers and Finish Rollers, and March identified Floor Truss Stackers. For the next 4 months,...