by steve | Dec 15, 2019 | Blog Posts, Industry Impact on Economy, Society and the Environment
Growing up I would often hear the phrase “they don’t build them like they used to.” The saying implies that older buildings are better than new buildings. Better design, better construction, better detailing, better workmanship—just better. I bought into this thinking...
by steve | Dec 15, 2019 | Blog Posts, Global Trends Shaping the Industries Future
One of the (few) benefits of Building’s late arrival to the innovation/disruption(I/D) party is the fact that we have the opportunity to watch countless other industries go through wholesale changes—and to learn from their experience. Industries such as Technology,...
by steve | Dec 8, 2019 | 4-Technology, Materials, Tools, Blog Posts
I made my first big tech purchase in the early 1980’s. At the time, it felt like a rite of passage, like getting your first driver’s license or buying your first home. In fact, it was almost as expensive as my first home. The IBM AT personal computer cost me $5000 (!)...
by steve | Sep 3, 2019 | 4-Technology, Materials, Tools, 6-Building Processes and Operations, Blog Posts
If you ever played on a seesaw in your younger years, you know that it helps to have a partner of approximately equal weight as yourself on the seat facing you. This way, the seesaw situation attains a kind of dynamic equilibrium, and both partners get to enjoy the...
by steve | Sep 3, 2019 | 6-Building Processes and Operations, Blog Posts, Global Trends Shaping the Industries Future
One evening in 1983, I was drinking beers with a friend and discussing how I was going to turn my current carpentry work into a robust building and design business. As we were talking, I jotted down a few notes on a napkin to sketch out the principles of a successful...
by | Aug 1, 2019 | 11-Building Performance and Quality, 7-Strategy & Business Model Innovation, 9-Industry Collaboration, Blog Posts
Expressway Syndrome Do any of you remember living through the creation of a new expressway? In the Chicago area, there are numerous expressways: Lakeshore Drive...
