Exterior of Corus360

Corus360, an Atlanta-based technology consulting and solutions company, is joining the ranks of businesses with LEED Gold certified buildings in Gwinnett County.  The new 30,000-square- foot office building, registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, is located at 130 Technology Parkway in Norcross. On Sept. 21, 2009, the top 15,000 square feet of the building was opened for office use.

Corus360’s renovation of a 1974 building reflects the company’s commitment to remain and reinvest in Gwinnett County, where the business’ parent company, OHC, LLC, was launched more than 10 years ago. The move also symbolizes a new permanent home for Corus360 as well as their pledge to invest in the future of the environment.

“Corus360’s commitment to Green building, technology and Gwinnett County drove our decision to select this location,” said Tom Lowry, chief operating officer of Corus360. “We look forward to continuing to integrate Green ideology into our workspace and business technology services.”

The new building boasts many eco-friendly features, including occupancy-sensing compact fluorescent lighting, water- saving plumbing, additional windows for natural lighting, efficient AC units and a white roof that reflects rather than absorbs sunrays. In addition, over 90 percent, or 665,000 pounds, of the waste created during renovation and construction was recycled. The makeover involved construction company CHOATE, as well as interior architect firm veenendaalcave and exterior architect firm Baker Barrios.

The company plans to unveil what will be Georgia’s first LEED data center in the bottom 15,000 square feet of their new facility and anticipates LEED Gold certification the first quarter of 2010.

Rendering of the Georgia State University building

Although many architects and contractors today say they utilize Building Information Technology, what does this really mean?  Is BIM being used to its fullest capabilities or just as a marketing tool?  During McCarthy’s work on Georgia State University’s new $115 million Science Park project , McCarthy is showing that true BIM integration starts at the earliest stages of the project’s conception and does not complete until both the building and the model are handed over to the owner, something many contractors are not doing.

A Collaborative Approach

Right from the start, BIM was an important factor in deciding which partners to use in the design and construction of GSU’s new high-tech facility. The architect, HDR CUH2A, designed the building in 3-D and delivered the model of the new facility to McCarthy when the drawings were 65 percent complete. McCarthy then used this model to bid the project out to subcontractors with the requirement that all drawings had to be rendered in 3-D.  Some of the winning subcontractors had never utilized BIM on a project before. For these subcontractors, McCarthy provided the necessary training and mentoring to get them up to speed. The team knew that to fully benefit from the collaborative BIM approach, all members needed to participate.

Throughout preconstruction, McCarthy continued to manage the 3-D model, offering greater accuracy as well as faster response times for any RFI’s and changes. Every week, the owner, architect and all subcontractors met in McCarthy’s BIM meeting room in the jobsite trailer where McCarthy Assistant Superintendent Justis Brogan ran real-time weekly clash reports using BIM software. Half of the meeting was devoted to approving and signing off on the previous week’s clash report, and the other half of the meeting was reserved for reviewing current clashes. Notes from the meeting were recorded on a SMART Board and emailed out directly after the meeting to each participant.

This close collaboration resulted in tangible cost savings for the client. For example, during one of the weekly BIM meetings, McCarthy identified that the deaerator for the boiler in the mechanical penthouse was located where a diagonal steel cross brace was supposed to go. If this had been caught in the field, McCarthy would have had to move the location of the mechanical pad, reschedule a major crane logistics effort, and re-route the piping for the de-aerator. By discovering this during the BIM process, however, approximately $150,000 was saved by altering the drawings before any concrete was poured or structural steel was fabricated.

“I strongly believe that utilizing BIM on this project was just the right thing to do,” explained Paul Haugen, senior project manager with Inglett & Stubbs, LLC. the electrical subcontractor on the project . “McCarthy was committed to having all drawings rendered in 3-D, and we met every week to ensure that each component was being installed correctly.  This not only led to a more accurate building, but also to a greater sense of teamwork. It also led to greater efficiency with our labor forces, knowing that we could start early on tasks due to the work being fully coordinated.”

Early Input Brings Real Cost and Schedule Benefits

Clash detection is an important use of BIM technology. However, McCarthy is taking this technology to the next level, bringing further benefits to GSU. Many end-users have difficulty reading construction drawings to gain an understanding of their individual spaces. They wonder, “What will my laboratory really look like when it’s built?” To reduce the number of late end-user requested changes and the associated costs that go with these, McCarthy provided virtual tours to present casework models (including furniture and outlet locations) to the faculty, staff and professors. These virtual models allowed the end-users to get a real-life view of their personal classroom, laboratory and office spaces. As a result, minor modifications requested were made early in the process and cost and schedule impacts were greatly decreased.

For McCarthy, BIM, in the hands of a true builder, offers just one more tool to help deliver superior construction quality on a project. On the GSU project, McCarthy personnel walk the jobsite every day with a BIM-loaded tablet PC to verify that everything is installed according to the 3-D model.  The drawings in the model are updated in real time, so any issues in the field are immediately identified, communicated to relevant team members and corrected. Response times are significantly reduced because McCarthy can document issues electronically and email RFIs immediately to HDR CUH2A for a response.

Long-Term Benefits

It is the responsibility of the design and construction team to deliver a high quality facility that meets the client’s needs. Conventional wisdom, along with statistics, tells us that the life-cycle of a building is improved when it is properly maintained. A BIM model provides an important baseline of information to improve this maintenance. It also provides the owner with an efficient and simple way of storing facility and maintenance records.

At the conclusion of the GSU project, McCarthy will turn over the 3-D model, along with the tablet PC, to GSU. The university will then be in control of a “living model” of the facility and can update the model as renovations and maintenance occurs. McCarthy is working to ensure all systems are captured in BIM.  This will be a one-stop source for all equipment, valve and damper locations, in addition to being linked with documentation and drawings for each part. Maintenance workers will be trained to use the tool, which will increase efficiency and decrease problems associated with lack of maintenance documentation. In addition to increased efficiency, this is also a streamlined and environmentally-friendly solution as information is accessed on a tablet PC and not on hundreds of paper drawings.

McCarthy’s work with Georgia State University, HDR CUH2A and subcontractors on this project has proven that when BIM is utilized aggressively  and not just for coordination purposes, as most contractors use it, the project runs more smoothly, maintaining schedule and budget goals. Upon completion in 2010, the new 350,000-square-foot Science Park building will house GSU’s research and education programs in biology, chemistry, nursing, nutrition, physical and respiratory therapies.

By Bart W. Reed

Hendrick Phillips Salzman & Flatt P.C

In an ever-increasing “greener” built environment, where more and more owners and contractors are seeking out and hoping to benefit from renewable energy sources and more environmentally friendly and sustainable construction practices, legal issues will undoubtedly emerge, presenting new-and potentially great-risk for the unsuspecting newfound green building advocate. Within the green building arena, this may be apparent in the sector of solar panel installation.

Championed for years as one of the alternatives to traditional “grid-based” energy consumption, solar energy has become the poster child for the burgeoning renewable energy industry and, as such, has garnered substantial attention and incentives from federal and state governments in the form of grants and tax incentives to end users of this technology.  In addition, many solar panel customers, either commercial or residential, have pie-in-the-sky notions of tremendous and ongoing energy savings, even envisioning energy savings sufficient enough to sell back to the utility company by what is called “net-metering.”

Now, with an economy (and resultant construction industry) that has certainly been hit hard by unprecedented losses, many contractors, particularly those in the roofing industry (but also those from other trades, such as mechanical, electrical or plumbing, venturing to find work just to stay afloat and productive) have fallen prey to the siren song of solar panel installation work without recognizing the potential risks (both legal and financial) associated with it.

Certainly, the risks may very well depend upon the specific project delivery approach employed for installation of the solar panel equipment. These different project delivery methods may include the situation where the owner retains a design professional who designs and selects the specific panels for the contractor to “build-to-the-design” (which should provide protection via application of traditional Spearin doctrine principles) or under the more likely scenario where a single source provider such as a manufacturer, distributor or contractor undertakes to design and build.

In any event, under a design/build project delivery strategy associated with photovoltaic or thermal panel installation activities, there are many different issues of risk and potential liability exposure that must be identified and carefully evaluated before undertaking the work.  These issues not only arise with respect to technical items particular and unique to the installation of the panels themselves, but also with regard to the approaches to defray some of the unintended end-user expectations of financial incentives and cost savings, along with energy output efficiencies, production and collection derived from the solar equipment.

First, with respect to the solar panel installation work, a contractor should have in each of their installation contracts a carefully defined scope of work, which is ideally limited solely to the installation of the solar panel system (either roof based or ground level installation work). The contractor should be cognizant of potentially unrealistic expectations of the contracting parties in addition to understanding the various obligations implied at law and risks shifted through the contract provisions. Depending upon the particular situation, delivery system and the laws of the governing jurisdiction, it may be prudent to evaluate who is taking on the responsibility for potentially unforeseen or foreseen events related to existing or future site conditions, such as pre-existing structural roof considerations and elements at or near the vicinity that could compromise the functionality of the installed system. These items may include, without limitation, unintended shading or other panel blockages by vegetation or new neighboring construction or weather-related concerns that could impact solar irradiance such as sunlight depletion (cloud cover), dust, hail, lightning, soil build-up or standing water.  Accordingly, the parties would be wise in their front-end contract drafting efforts to seek assistance from knowledgeable counsel to guide them through these issues impacting their rights and responsibilities.

One of the other chief concerns for solar panel installation contractors pertains to understanding what obligations and responsibilities are being placed upon them with respect to performance requirements and other legal obligations. For instance, is the contractor taking on any responsibility should the overall solar panel system fall short of providing the tax incentives and other financial benefit that could eventually be realized by end users and may have been the very reason why the owners elect to have the systems installed on their property or building structure? Owners should be made aware through the contract that many of the assumptions and laws by which the financial benefits or energy savings could be derived remain subject to change and, thus, no express assurances or representations regarding such benefits can be made by the contractor.

Additional issues to consider when drafting solar panel installation contracts include measures to control and minimize the risks associated with activities and events not only during construction, but also with respect to the time period subsequent to installation and during the solar panels’ operation and usage. These further areas of concern may include the following:

·   Operating, maintenance and monitoring of the
solar panel system

·   Data collection and use by the contractor and/or
owner

·  Owner care of the equipment

·  Temporary removal and/or relocation or
decommissioning activities

·  Grid and system failures

·  Panel performance decline over time

·  Safety concerns during or subsequent to installation

·  Shifting the risk of acts, occurrences or omissions
unrelated to contractor and which causes
contractor damage

This free online tutorial is a practical and easy to use guide that walks a woman-owned small business through the contracting process. SBA is committed to ensuring that women-owned businesses receive at least 5 percent of federal contracts and believes better training opportunities are central to meeting this government-wide goal.

“Federal contracts can provide unique opportunities for women entrepreneurs and small business owners to grow their businesses and create jobs, particularly during these tough economic times,” Administrator Karen Mills said. “It’s also a win for federal agencies, by contracting with women-owned small businesses; they are working with some of the most innovative and dynamic companies in the country.”

The SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership oversees a national network of more than 100 Women’s Business Centers that provide education and training to help women start and grow small businesses. In addition, the SBA has 68 district offices and other resource partners throughout the country available to train and counsel women-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs seeking government contracts.

“This online training course makes critical information and training available to an even wider array of women entrepreneurs and small business owners,” said Ana Harvey, assistant administrator for SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership. “SBA wants to help ensure they have the tools and resources they need to compete for and win federal contracts.”

The Winning Federal Contracts course is designed to help women entrepreneurs learn about the federal procurement process and to prepare them to compete for contracting opportunities. The self-paced guide uses audio and script to provide information about contract rules, how to sell to the government and where to find contracts.

The Winning Federal Contracts course is available on SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov or directly at www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining.  It is indexed by subject matter, and includes direct links to additional contracting resources.

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Marci Reed, new AIA GA executive director

The American Institute of Architects, Georgia Association has named Marci B. Reed a executive director following a nation-wide search. As executive director, Reed will oversee the organization’s efforts to increase the public’s general knowledge and awareness of architecture and the role architects play in the built and planned environment. She will oversee government affairs to monitor state legislative and regulatory activities to promote and enhance the profession of architecture and manage the Architecture Foundation of Georgia.

“Marci brings to AIA Georgia strength and experience in organizational management and fundraising, as well as a reputation for convening constituencies around important issues,” said AIA Georgia President Michael Lowry AIA. “She is also very knowledgeable in matters regarding sustainability and the built environment, which is a major focus for our membership and the Institute.”

Reed brings to AIA Georgia twelve years of volunteer and professional experience in the nonprofit sector, including service as AIA Atlanta’s first executive director from 1999-2000. Most recently she served as director of development for the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Georgia Tech. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgia State University and a masters degree in Nonprofit Management from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State. Reed is a 2009-2010 Urban Fellow in the Center for the Comparative Study of Metropolitan Growth in the GSU College of Law and a Graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership.

“I am honored to have been selected as AIA Georgia’s next Executive Director from a pool of highly qualified candidates,” Reed said. ”I am grateful for the trust the organization’s leadership has placed in me. In today’s uncertain economy, I look forward to working with the board of directors, the leadership of our local chapters, and the staff as we work to provide the utmost value to the architects we are committed to ser

The new board is comprised of:

President: Kathy Conrad – McGraw-Hill/Dodge Construction

Vice President: Marie Battaglioli, CIT – Zebra Construction Company

Recording Secretary: Leigh Shaw – Hogan Construction Group, LLC

Corresponding Secretary: Lynette Jimenez – Winter Construction

Treasurer: Malika Graves, CIT – Logan Masonry

Immediate Past President: Stephanie Golias, CIT – Hudson Construction Company

Directors:

Danielle Cole – Burr & Forman, LLP

Stephanie V. Jones – Juneau Construction Company

Sherry Klauka – Amercon Construction Group LLC

Lynn Logan – Logan Masonry

Terry Rather – IBG Construction Service, LLC

Kristen M. Rectenwald -  Wasson, Sours & Harris PC

Myra Thomas – C.A. Murren & Sons Company

Cheryl Treadwell -  Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Martin

For more information about the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction and future events, visit their Web site at www.nawicatlanta.org