Monthly Archives: November 2017

Architect Magazine has announced the 50 best architecture firms in the United States, based on entries from 149 firms. The rankings are based on scores from three categories: business, design and sustainability. For the second time, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), was ranked #1 overall; New-York based WORKac won the top honor in the design category; ZGF Architects took first place in the sustainability category for the second year in a row; and in the business category, the east coast firm FXFowle garnered the top award. The recognition went to a combination of established heavyweights as well as young upstarts, all with remarkable projects worldwide that are worthy of review and should be an inspiration for others.

Assembling certain components of a construction project at a location other than the job site can help solve several problems contractors face today and, as a result, offsite manufacturing of wall systems is increasingly becoming the solution of choice for new construction and renovation. Off-site construction of insulated wall systems such as Sto Panel Technology, can enable different phases of a project to run on a parallel track, shaving valuable time from the schedule and saving as much as 50% in labor costs. That benefit alone can be a huge advantage given the construction industry’s well-documented shortage of qualified workers. Building offsite can also be a safer alternative to site-built construction and can also protect workers and products from inclement weather, which can interfere with building schedules . While pre-fab insulated wall solutions are clearly gaining in popularity due to the many benefits they offer, a critical step is how the product will be transported following assembly. How do offsite manufacturers move their products without damaging the product or causing any harm along the way?

Sto Corp. has joined forces with insulation specialists Owens Corning and Dow to produce one of the most technically advanced exterior wall systems available. The innovative StoTherm® ci XPS wall system is designed to provide the air, weather and thermal tightness required for today’s most energy-efficient architecture; it is also cost effective and offers a wide range of aesthetic options. This smart, versatile product provides a true “end-to-end” solution for architects.

While technology and software are increasingly prevalent in building construction, mobile construction applications are emerging as the latest tech revolution in the industry. These mobile apps are proving to provide a significant return on investment in terms of benefits to overall productivity, risk mitigation, as well as savings from labor costs, downtime, and schedule acceleration. A new ebook — “The Dollars and Sense of Mobile Construction Apps” — is a valuable new resource which explains, amongst many things, how to calculate the return on investment construction companies can expect from mobile technology. What could a team achieve with 5 extra hours a week? Or how much could be saved by finishing a project early?