No one has been hit harder by the recession than the construction industry but there are good signs on the horizon that things are turning around. Here are a few reasons we think this summer is going to be a good time to be in the construction industry
New home sales are up: after months in even years that real estate situation all over the US, new home sales have been showing slight signs of improvement. This means work for those in Read the rest of this entry »
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The Erie Canal was a great example to show how engineering opened the door for a specific regions economic development. It allowed the people in this region to be able to transport goods more cost efficiently. This man made structure was built with the real hard labor of men and horses. There were no machines that carefully built this canal, it was actual manual labor that built this magnificent structure. The Empire State building is another marvelous structure that was built in the 1930′s and it Read the rest of this entry »
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The key factor in understanding the art behind architecture is to understand the architech. Each building comes from the creative mind of the designer themselves. Architecture is a blending of science and design to create living structures, entire cities, and green spaces such as parks and public gardens. Each design whether public or private is an expression of the culture in which the architecture is built. The first examples of art and architecture were churches.The more influential art styles in architecture came from greece. This is what people connect with more often Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 11
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It goes without saying that the construction trade has been in existence for thousands of years. From the Pyramids in Egypt, to the Coliseum and other structures in Rome, were all constructed using the strongest form of material known for that time, which was marble and granite, both of which come from the earth and must be cut and shaped to the builders specifications.
Another construction material of strength is concrete, whose use has been employed for over 200 years. The major drawback with this material is being prone Read the rest of this entry »
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Construction engineers must plan for the worst-case scenario if they want their buildings to survive. In heavy earthquake areas, the worst case isn’t hard to imagine. How do modern designers keep their structures from tumbling down?Base isolation is the most popular option. It refers to “a collection of structural elements which should substantially decouple a superstructure from its substructure resting on a shaking ground thus protecting a building or non-building structure’s integrity” (Wikipedia). There are other vibration control technologies, but base isolation is the most common, and has even been retroactively applied to U.S. monuments like San Francisco City Hall and Salt Lake City and County Building. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 10
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When businesses are preparing to launch new branches across the world, or governments are seeking to build new defense centers, they don’t have any room for anything less than the best in construction. Here are five companies that have come through again and again for clients, and will continue to do so in the future.
- Bechtel: When a company wins the 1 U.S. Contractor from the Engineering News-Record for 12 straight years, you know they’re doing something right. Over their 110 year history, the company has completed more than 23,000 projects across all seven continents, including the Hoover Dam, the Channel Tunnel, and the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit.
- Fluor Corporation: Fluor was founded in 1912 and has made a name for itself since then as a visionary design group that also manages to bring its plans to fruition. As just one example, Fluor built the Batu Hijau Mine in Indonesia, which was the largest mining project at the time and was produced with no infrastructure and an unskilled workforce. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 10
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Just because you’re out in the heat (or the cold) working in dirty conditions doesn’t mean you can’t look stylish. Companies like Construction Gear offer plenty of choices when it comes to work apparel. Their options and prices are so good, you might find yourself slipping into them on your off-days.Since construction work requires you to be on your feet for most of the day, every good work outfit starts with the boots. Construction Gear offers plenty of brands, including Caterpillar, Carhartt, Wolverine, Red Wing, Carolina, Georgia, and Timberland. Plus, they have different models depending on your needs from steel toed boots to electrical hazard resistant brands. Everything’s simply organized by brand or type, making it easy to find whatever you’re looking for. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 10
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Construction has officially hit the 21st century. Building teams have always used the best tools for the job, but new software makes it easier than ever to keep everything organized and on track. Here’s a look at some of the best software available for construction crews today.
- Bid4Build V.3.5 Construction Estimating Software: This program eliminates the need for piles of paperwork by automatically generating bids, estimates, and reports. You can purchase the program complete with three different Craftsman databases, including the General Construction Costbook, the National Renovation & Insurance Repair Costbook, and the Home Improvement Costbook. The programs works just as well for residential builders as it does for high-profile commercial clients. Read the rest of this entry »
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For those willing to put in the time and training, construction careers can be very rewarding. There’s never any shortage of jobs, and the hourly pay is very high. Workers involved in nonresidential and civil engineering construction often make over 900 a week. Construction workers are also often responsible for maintenance and repair on many of their buildings, ensuring a continuing and steady income.You might be surprised at the level of variability in construction careers, which attract everybody from clerical workers to truck drivers. The largest group of construction jobs are the trades occupations. These are the people who do the exhausting but rewarding work of actually putting a building together from start to finish. Salary is proportional with experience, so these workers see a lot of advancement as they move from apprentice to master craft workers. Within this group are very specialized occupations requiring special skills. Workers may be brick- or block-masons, spending their time putting together the walls and chimneys that secure the places where we live and work. Carpenters are masters of woodworking. Other jobs include skilled equipment operators, drywall installers, painters, roofers, and more. Read the rest of this entry »
Aug 10
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Equipment manufactures like Caterpillar and Manitowoc depend equally on the farm and construction industries for their income, producing everything from tractors to backhoes. Unfortunately, both of these areas had a lot of obstacles to face in 2009. First, farming incomes fell, and the farming equipmentiIndustry showed a proportional drop. The burst of the housing bubble in the last year also led to decreasing residential construction. Finally, the Obama healthcare bill also led to tax raises for many industries. However, many companies were still able to show an improvement in sales.The reason for this is economic recovery in both sectors and rising crop prices in the farming arena. Caterpillar was able to beat analysts’ expectations when it released its Q2 earnings last week, showing an increase of 91 from the same time last year. Read the rest of this entry »