Powerhouse

My brother and I are very different people.  I'm GDI, he's frat.  I'm east coast, he's heartland.   (not exactly - but something similar)

Based in Midland, Michigan, he's been employed by, or affiliated with, Dow Chemical most of his adult life.   When with Dow Corning, he worked on the process engineering of many products which found their way into construction.  On that we could relate.

Now, with the 'mother ship' (Dow), he's got a loose association with a new product coming to market later this year - Dow's Powerhouse Solar Shingle.  Last week, I got a chance to see the test panels inside the company compound, as well as the prototype house erected nearby to display this and other energy-saving products.  This new product bears watching.

It's a good idea that makes photovoltaic more of an option than ever before.  The shingles - actually the size of a pair of conventional three-tab roofing shingles - are laid up in the field of the roof with no added structure.  The orientation may not be ideal - that depends on the building design; but the installation could not be any more straightforward.

Price and efficacy will be important to the ultimate success.  I know I'll be watching with interest.  And not just because of my brother.

Oh, Canada!

So, here I sit in the guest bedroom of my friend in Toronto.

Two things to admire:

Canada, largely by virtue of it's cautious financial system, has weathered the international fiscal turmoil much better than the U.S.

The metric system which makes measurements infinitely more logical.

On both issues - What were we thinking?  Will the U.S. ever come around?

One can only hope.  All together now ... ay?

I'm Not Special

A few weeks ago I wrote on the nature of 'special' interview presenters.

I had just finished counseling a Construction Manager on how best to appeal to a University as it was considering a short list of candidates.  Shortly thereafter, I too was in the pageantry business as part of a larger team going after a University Planning project.  How ironic.

We knew the competition well - all respectable candidates; and we considered ourselves the dark horse in the race.  We formulated what we thought would be a distinctly different approach to the presentation, because we were after all 'different'.  What we didn't know is that the client was susceptible to promises that, to us, seemed unwise.  We lost.

Dark horse or not, this stung.  In the debriefing, our approach was complimented; and we were assured of future consideration. Here's the dilemma. Often in the past when I've lost out on a commission I wanted, I would eventually find some element of the project which would have been impossible had the job been landed.  Money loser, indecisive client, conflict of interest, anything that might seem awkward.  So now, with potential future work on the line, what's the recovery time with the potential client who let you down.

Is this anything like what goes through Britney Spears mind?  Nothing seems to stop her.

Angie to the Rescue?

Darn, she's tempting.  Angie, that is.

Here I am consulting on multi-million dollar capital programs, and I can't get a competent contractor to work on my house.  Or so it seems.

The house is old - 98 years, but its 'bones' are good.  It's the other things that are creaking, or even missing.  Getting concrete into the original dirt basement was a hilarious boondoggle.  Most recently, the vitrified clap pipe sewer line gave up.  Now I'm into the second contractor to restore the torn up bluestone walkway.  Wish me luck.

Luck is what it seems to take.  Even the big CM's tell me they have trouble finding residential contractors who will call them back.  Actually showing up is an uncommon bonus.  How could this possibly be?  It's simply not conceivable that they're too busy in this economy.  Maybe it's me.

In any event, Angie seems to have much to offer the hapless homeowner.  I haven't sprung just yet, still relying on my 'poor boy' network.  How 'bout you?  Is salvation there just for the asking?

You want it WHEN??

Contractors and Construction Managers live, eat and breathe detailed project scheduling.  It's a mandatory survival skill.  Architects are not nearly as adept.

The other day, I listened to a CM rant about an Architect who had activities he had to incorporate into a detailed preconstruction services schedule.  "They couldn't even tell me what their tasks would be within the standard defined design phases!  How could they possibly know they're on schedule if they can't name the activities?"  His comments fell on sympathetic ears, but I felt inclined to defend the hapless Architect.

"Fact of the matter," I said, "most Architects have an intuitive sense of where they are in terms of completion within the Phases".  They certainly know how much time they've spent against budget. (At least, usually)  Architects just don't have the experience of CM's to fall back on, with their emphasis on critical timing.

So, now here I sit just having prepared a qualifications submittal to a State agency looking to hire an on-call scheduling consultant.  Will I be stereotyped because of the AIA on the letterhead?  Time will tell.

Are You Special?

A former co-worker liked to call them 'Beauty Contests'.  Apply the right makeup,  Wear the most fashionable clothes.  Answer the test questions with apparent ease.  Luck into some endearing quirk.  Do any of these; and maybe, just maybe, you'll be picked as the Architect or Contractor for the plum commission offered up by the latest Owner's Rep.  The conversation relates to the parade of candidates during short-list interviews.

The allusion to pageantry was his way of saying how superficial the process can be, and particularly (in his mind) how unreliable the conclusions might be.  While I believe there are ways a cautious Owner can mitigate these possibilities, there's no denying the risk of enticement.

Architects, many of whom see themselves as great communicators, often revel in the moment at an interview.  Their self confidence is not always justified, of course; but they can be at ease much of the time.

The poor Contractors and CM's, on the other hand, have a tougher row to hoe.  Whether it's genetic or simply experiential, the performance is far from second nature.  As much as I coach them in their preparation, I do so with a faint hesitation about how unfair it may be.

What do you think?  Is there a better way?