BIM + Lean + Green

This video titled "Ark Hotel Construction time lapse building 15 storeys in 2 days" surfaced only last month on the internet and it was seen more than 3.8 million times on Youtube alone. And there is a reason for that. It took just six days to build the Ark Hotel in Changsha, China. According to the video, no stationary cranes were used in construction and there wasn't single injury among the site's workers. The 15-story sustainable hotel already had its foundation but using pre-fabricated columns and modules as well as modern construction techniques, construction workers took just 46 hours to finish the main structural components and another 90 hours to finish the building enclosure. Construction Details: Level 9 Earthquake Resistance: diagonal bracing structure, light weight, steel construction, passed level 9 earthquake resistance testing 6x Less Material : even though the construction materials are much lighter(250kg/m2) than the traditional materials(over 1500kg/...

On November 19th, 2010, I got a chance to visit Toyota Texas Plant . It was truly a great experience. One because it was a Truck Manufacturing Plant and second because I got to see Toyota Production System (TPS) in action. Toyota is where the concept of 'lean' was first born in 1930's. This visit was very significant for me as I was reading about lean in manufacturing throughout my masters at Texas A&M and this was a time to see how things actually get done at Toyota plants. We were very well received by the plant management at the Visitors' Center and taken to the assembly lines later after a short presentation on Toyota Texas and TPS. This plant started manufacturing trucks (thats what Texans like the most) called "Tundra" and "Tacoma" in year 2006. Both trucks are manufactured on the same assembly line with the help of automatic changing dies (that typically take 5 min on avg) and about 400 robots. The plant works in 2 shifts and produce aroun...

Highlights: Lean construction in home building, concepts of "value" in Lean construction thinking, specific examples of "waste" and "value" in construction industry. New Construction Strategies with Ted Garrison Dennis Sowards has over 25 years of senior level experience with a record of achievement in Continuous Improvement, Total Quality Management, Industrial Engineering, and Management Consulting. His strengths include proven leadership and technical analysis in problem solving and group facilitation and the ability to function effectively in a rapidly changing technological and organizational environment. Listen by clicking on play button.

The rise of BIM, Lean and IPD in construction industry during last 2-3 years shows that industry is desperately changing its work practices in these tough economic times. My belief that the tough economy attracted industry's focus towards productivity improvement grew stronger and stronger over last couple of years and especially after seeing the wave of change in the capital asset management practices in public sector. Major government institutions such as General Administration Services (GSA), US Coast Guard, and public works in Wisconsin, Texas, Finland and Denmark made BIM compulsory over the course of last 3-4 years. UK government is also talking about making BIM compulsory for all public projects according to this article - " The use of force: Building information modelling " on building.co.uk If you are looking for a similar pattern in Lean Construction growth than look at London Heathrow Terminal 5 Project and Sutter Health Projects in California. Both are multi b...

New Construction Strategies with Ted Garrison Greg talks about lean construction principles and its real time applications in the industry. He also talks about the critical role lean construction can play in today's economy. Listen by clicking on play button.

The beauty of data visualization. Equally true for our industry.

Stephen A. Hilger discussed the legal merits of Integrated Project Delivery ( IPD ) contract in ENR article " The Legal Worries Raised by IPD ." His major concerns involve: 1. Design and Financial Risk 2. Loss of the Spearin Doctrine 3. Sharing in Means and Methods 4. Losing the Economic Loss Doctrine 5. "Fluff" Language 6. Third Party Design Liabilities 7. IPD Team Members Can't be Sued and 8. Impact on Indemnity Clauses