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In 2024, 天美传媒 Construction鈥檚 Southeast team constructed 1.3 million square feet of new facilities and renovations in the areas of distribution and warehouse, federal and defense, and retail.听GroundBreak Carolinas recently聽caught up with Charlotte-based CEO and Chairman聽聽to get his thoughts and insights about the year ahead.

What is your outlook on the construction industry for 2025?

Over the past several years, the construction industry has seen significant growth across all market sectors. Although 2024 was a relatively flat year with tremendous headwinds that the CRE community had to overcome, we are forecasting marginal growth starting in the last half of 2025 with fairly robust growth in 2026 and 2027. Interest rates still have not come down as much as the market would like to see, which continues to put pressure on the CRE community. In the real estate climate, interest rates, underwriting pressures, and debt expenses are all headwinds that will dictate growth projections for the private development side in terms of getting deals across the finish line.

Despite these challenges, there will be opportunities in reshoring U.S. manufacturing as foreign direct investment increases. With increased shipping across the Atlantic into the Port of Savannah and Charleston, I expect to see more cross-terminal dock expansions and other logistic distribution center projects throughout the Southeast. As some infrastructure gets built across the U.S., development spurred from that should create more build-to-suit industrial space projects stemming from manufacturing expansion, warehouse production, and some mixed-use multifamily developments tied to increased population demand and affordable housing needs.

What are you most excited about?

In the last few years, we鈥檝e developed some wonderful partnerships with many industrial developers throughout the Southeast, and we are excited to continue to grow those relationships in support of their portfolio needs. In addition, I鈥檓 excited to offer our capabilities, capacity, and experience in the retail, education, and municipality market sectors throughout the Southeast region this year as well.

I am also really excited about the technological advances we are seeing and using those tools to streamline productivity, whether utilizing AI communication tools or drone technology for mapping sites and other due diligence. For instance, we have deployed drones on work sites to take photos, document, and address on-site safety in real-time. With a single flight, we can create 3D models, conduct thermal scans, perform quantitative take-offs, and carry out surveys. On the design side, we have used BIM software to streamline the design development process and, in partnership with our wonderful subcontractor partners, create a more robust fabrication and fast-tracking process.

天美传媒 is in the planning stages of establishing a Southeast regional headquarters. This will set us up for more adequate training and support for our staff and allow us to better serve our clients and business partners in the region. We are looking at sites in both North and South Carolina and hope to decide on the location later this year.

What concerns you the most?

The trade labor shortage is real. We are concerned about making sure we have qualified personnel 鈥� from management down to trades 鈥� on the right projects and partnering with subcontractors and vendors who have the capacity, capability, character, and capital to manage the work successfully. Fortunately, the construction industry has some great workforce development programs through organizations like聽听补苍诲听. In addition, the Southeast region has excellent trades apprenticeship and construction management programs through community and technical colleges and higher education schools and universities.

The industry needs to continue to partner and leverage these technical colleges and universities while taking a more purposeful intent to reach the next generation in area high schools and middle schools. Educating youth on career opportunities in construction and providing real-world job experiences can help generate strong excitement for a career in construction.

What are the biggest challenges facing the construction industry in the Carolinas?聽

The Carolinas, and particularly the Charlotte region, have had significant economic growth and development, which has wonderful positives for the community, including a growing tax base for communities and a surplus in career opportunities. The challenge is keeping up with affordable housing demands along with the infrastructure expansion and maintenance needs tied to this growth 鈥� whether it be utility, transportation, or community infrastructure, such as hospitals, EMS, police, and education needs that are stressed to support this growth.

So far, we鈥檙e not seeing as much price pressure as 2021 through 2023 in various commodities impacting construction costs. While that is somewhat stabilized, a geopolitical event or other significant disruption in supply and demand could cause another round of hyperinflation. Private development and, in particular, multi-family tied to affordable housing, is seeing a lot of underwriting pressure due to the increased interest rates. These interest rates need to come down, especially if the goal is to provide affordable housing, which is required for a robust workforce.

About 天美传媒 Construction:聽Established in 1980,聽天美传媒 Construction聽is an award-winning, family-owned business specializing in construction management, design/build, general contracting, and self-perform services with an emphasis on exceeding the client鈥檚 expectations.

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OPTIMISM REIGNS IN I-85 INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR

Industrial real estate professionals in the region say the softness from past two years should be a temporary bump in the road.

By John Nelson

In some ways, the I-85 Industrial Corridor has seen better days. Most of the top industrial markets along the esteemed interstate are contending with vacancy levels they haven鈥檛 experienced in a few economic cycles.

For instance, the Greenville-Spartanburg industrial market鈥檚 vacancy rate is above 11 percent in the third quarter after seeing the rate surpass 12 percent earlier this year, according to research from Colliers. As recently as second-quarter 2022, the vacancy rate was sub-4 percent.

On the other hand, the Upstate South Carolina region is on the back end of a construction wave that saw north of 30 million square feet delivered over the course of 24 months.

鈥here is rising demand for more tailor-made solutions on the user side. This often takes the shape of smaller leases and build-to-suits deals with tenants paying close mind to factors including dedicated truck courts, security, ingress and egress and even landscaping.

鈥淎s tenants鈥� needs shift toward customized solutions for evolving logistics and operational requirements, we have seen increased demand for build-to-suit projects,鈥� says Connor Tomlinson, director of strategic relationships at 天美传媒 Construction, an Illinois-based general contractor with a regional office in Charlotte. 鈥淭his trend is occurring even as the Sun Belt鈥檚 industrial supply currently exceeds absorption.鈥�

鈥hile the I-85 markets are working their way through the tail end of this trough, sources are pointing to some inherent advantages like infrastructure and population growth that the region offers that should help lead the markets out of this recovery period.

鈥淭he Sun Belt remains highly attractive due to its great ports, highway systems, rail and supportive infrastructure, top ranked labor force, quick access to international airports, lower taxes and incentives,鈥� says Keith 天美传媒, chairman and CEO of 天美传媒 Construction. 鈥淲e are optimistic about both our internal growth and the broader commercial real estate market heading into 2025 and beyond.鈥�

鈥n the development side, 天美传媒 says that his construction firm is busy on various projects in the region, including the 702,000 square-foot Gaston Commerce Center park in Gastonia and the 473,000-square-foot Phase II of Innovation Logistics Center in Salisbury, both by Crow Holdings Development.

鈥淭hese developments not only address the rising demand for logistics infrastructure but also contribute to the ongoing industrial growth in one of the nation’s busiest corridors,鈥� says 天美传媒.

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The construction industry faces many ongoing challenges regardless of market sector or business size. Procurement issues, inflationary pressures and trade labor shortages continue to impact us and are among our biggest opportunities to manage to ensure project success. These are strategic initiatives for us to concentrate on because these global issues are not going away anytime soon.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the global trade disruptions and depleted inventory that followed has created a heightened emphasis on managing the procurement of materials and equipment, including transportation logistics, from all stages of the point of sale and delivery process to avoid delay to projects.

Understanding the inflationary pressures within the industry during design development can help in the decision-making process, such as when to order equipment and what type of material makes the most sense to stay within project budget parameters. All of this must be provided to clients in real time so they can be educated enough to make informed decisions on their projects and avoid delays caused by inadequate cost control forecasting.

Having an adequate pipeline to recruit and retain talent throughout the industry, especially in the trades, continues to impact the industry鈥檚 growth. In today鈥檚 labor market, skill levels, motivators and communication styles drastically differ across generations in a time when five generations are active in the workplace. Tasks are becoming more specialized, with the number of qualified individuals being more difficult to find and keep. Retaining that talent by offering training and upward mobility from within the organization must be a priority for a firm鈥檚 success.

There are significant opportunities in the trades for an individual to make a good living, contribute to society, and have a wonderful retirement plan at the end of their career. Furthermore, these skills can be used in many aspects of one鈥檚 life.

In addition, our industry must broaden its inclusion and outreach. We can solve many of our industry labor shortages by broadening our resources and being more inclusive as an industry. We continually identify organizations to partner with and engage our team to promote DEI throughout our organization and the industry.

Tackling these challenges also requires a strong network of industry, trade and community partnerships.

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1. Local industry and subcontractor partnerships

Start by partnering with your clients, design partners, trade contractors and suppliers early in the project planning and development process. This will help to maximize the client鈥檚 budget while ensuring compliance with regulatory, security, safety, quality, scheduling and sustainability requirements.

Emphasis should be made on working closely with trade contractors and supply partners to anticipate industry trends that may affect project labor or material availability and provide valuable guidance on what needs to be done for a project to be successful. For example, there may be more optimal times to pour concrete on a project that considers potential disturbances to the public, subsurface conditions and delays in extreme weather conditions.

These relationships are also important in the planning stages to determine safety conditions, constructability concerns and site logistics.

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鈥� media tech class

2. Community institutions and schools

Workforce development is a significant challenge in the industry. Ensuring you have skilled, diverse personnel who work safely and efficiently while delivering quality products is an ongoing challenge. There are many opportunities to address this issue, starting with schools and institutions from PK-12 to college and beyond.

At the state level, there is a need for more focus and funding for trade education. Decades ago, trade programs and shop classes were removed from high schools. Partnering with high schools to reintroduce these programs and fund initiatives that help meet the needs of regional workforce demands while preparing students for postsecondary success is crucial. in Litchfield, Illinois, for example, is a partnership between and other area school districts and local community colleges to provide Career and Technical Training (CTE) for both students and displaced workers in the region.

To grow the next generation of 天美传媒 leaders and a strong trade workforce, our task is to create a level of excitement about having a career in the construction industry. In doing so, the construction industry will likely leverage new technology to become more productive, thus building efficiencies within the industry.

Through partnerships like the , and the , 天美传媒 helps mentor youth and young professionals in the construction industry. In late 2023, our company launched its NextGen program to connect middle school and high school students to hands-on construction learning opportunities in the communities where they live, learn and play.

3. Associations and professional development

, and have robust workforce development programs to engage the younger generation in trades. Beyond workforce development, these associations assist companies with safety and quality control guidelines, programs and best practices.

Safety and employee engagement awards drive company values and hold teams accountable. Accolades reflect employees’ dedication to making safe decisions and the effectiveness of training and oversight.

At the end of the day, forming new relationships and strengthening existing ones is the key to navigating both short-term and long-term industry challenges.

Contact our team to learn more about our relationship-driven approach at聽poettkerconstruction.com/midwest.

From early development planning to transforming your facility,聽天美传媒 Construction鈥檚 approach of relationship building, team collaboration, and financial transparency brings immense value to their clients, business partners, commercial real estate developers, and institutions in search of resilient and flexible real-estate portfolio growth solutions.

, LEED AP BD+C, CPC, is the president of 天美传媒 Construction Company and is responsible for the overall leadership and technical direction of the firm, and leads the company鈥檚 supplier diversity program, including outreach and business mentoring. 天美传媒 is honored to give back to the construction industry and his community and is a member of Central Illinois Builders of AGC, a sponsor of the U.S. Minority Contractor Association (USMCA) and a member of multiple college advisory boards.

The post St. Louis Business Journal Publishes Article by Ryan 天美传媒 appeared first on 天美传媒 Construction.

The construction industry faces many ongoing challenges regardless of market sector or business size. Procurement issues, inflationary pressures and trade labor shortages continue to impact us and are among our biggest opportunities to manage to ensure project success. These are strategic initiatives for us to concentrate on because these global issues are not going away anytime soon.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and all the global trade disruptions and depleted inventory that followed has created a heightened emphasis on managing the procurement of materials and equipment, including transportation logistics, from all stages of the point of sale and delivery process to avoid delay to projects.

Understanding the inflationary pressures within the industry during design development can help in the decision-making process, such as when to order equipment and what type of material makes the most sense to stay within project budget parameters. All of this must be provided to clients in real time so they can be educated enough to make informed decisions on their projects and avoid delays caused by inadequate cost control forecasting.

Having an adequate pipeline to recruit and retain talent throughout the industry, especially in the trades, continues to impact the industry鈥檚 growth. Retaining that talent by offering training and upward mobility from within the organization must be a priority for a firm鈥檚 success.

In addition, our industry must broaden its inclusion and outreach. We have significant opportunities in the trades for an individual to make a good living, contribute to society and have a wonderful retirement plan at the end of their career. Furthermore, these skills can be used in many aspects of one鈥檚 life.

Our task is to broaden that message and get it out to younger generations to create a level of excitement about having a career in the construction industry. In doing so, the construction industry will likely leverage new technology to become more productive, thus building efficiencies within the industry.

Tackling these challenges also requires a strong network of industry, trade and community partnerships.

1. Local industry and subcontractor partnerships.聽Start by partnering with your clients, design partners, trade contractors and suppliers early in the project planning and development process. This will help to maximize the client鈥檚 budget while ensuring compliance with regulatory, security, safety, quality, scheduling and sustainability requirements.

Emphasis should be made on working closely with trade contractors and supply partners to anticipate industry trends that may affect project labor or material availability and provide valuable guidance on what needs to be done for a project to be successful. For example, there may be more optimal times to pour concrete on a project that considers potential disturbances to the public, subsurface conditions and delays in extreme weather conditions.

These relationships are also important in the planning stages to determine safety conditions, constructability concerns and site logistics.

2. Community institutions and schools.聽Workforce development is a significant challenge in the industry. Ensuring you have personnel who work safely and efficiently while delivering quality products is an ongoing challenge. There are many opportunities to address this issue, starting with schools and institutions from pre-K to college and beyond.

Partnerships with community colleges, associations and construction management schools are important to developing a skilled workforce. UNC Charlotte has an excellent construction management program and York Technical College in Rock Hill offers a strong trades workforce development program.

At the state level, there is a need for more focus and funding for trade education. Decades ago, trade programs and shop classes were removed from high schools. Partnering with high schools to reintroduce these programs and fund initiatives that help meet the needs of regional workforce demands while preparing students for postsecondary success is crucial.

天美传媒 is passionate about mentoring youth and young professionals in the construction industry. In late 2023, our company launched its NextGen program to connect students to hands-on construction learning opportunities in the communities where they live, learn and play.

3. Associations and professional development.聽Carolinas AGC and ABC of the Carolinas have robust workforce development programs to engage the younger generation in trades. Beyond workforce development, these associations assist companies with safety and quality control guidelines, programs and best practices.

Safety and employee engagement awards drive company values and hold teams accountable. Accolades reflect employees’ dedication to making safe decisions and the effectiveness of training and oversight.

At the end of the day, forming new relationships and strengthening existing ones is the key to navigating both short-term and long-term industry challenges.

Contact our team to learn more about our relationship-driven approach at聽poettkerconstruction.com/southeast.

From early development planning to transforming your facility, 天美传媒 Construction鈥檚 approach of relationship-building, team collaboration and financial transparency brings immense value to their clients, business partners, commercial real estate developers and institutions in search of resilient and flexible real-estate portfolio growth solutions.

聽is the CEO of 天美传媒 Construction Company and chairman of its board of directors. As CEO, 天美传媒 is responsible for the culture of the business as well as the overall strategic vision of the company. 天美传媒鈥檚 management style is based on servant leadership founded on mutual respect, professionalism, integrity, safety, quality and a dedication to supporting company and individual goals and growth aspirations.

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Building relationships and buildings in the safest and most cost-effective way possible while maintaining the highest degree of quality and emphasis on sustainable design solutions has been 天美传媒鈥檚 mission since 1980.听 This is best represented by 95% of 天美传媒鈥檚 construction management portfolio coming from repeat clients and referrals.

As experts in Construction Management, 天美传媒 engages with the owner early in the design development and preconstruction process to review and recommend practical constructability techniques, innovative value engineering solutions, construction planning, and cost certainty to make 肠濒颈别苍迟蝉鈥� facility dreams a reality.听

From new construction, facility additions, interior renovations, and master planning, the construction management approach offers clients the greatest financial transparency, safety performance, quality construction, and schedule management 鈥� all of which are instrumental for owners seeking durable and flexible long-term growth solutions. 天美传媒 serves as the construction lead to ensure a collaborative approach is taken to maximize local and regional trade contractor engagement and deliver projects on time and on budget.

天美传媒鈥檚 construction management expertise is highlighted through several ongoing partnerships with PK-12, higher education, and municipal clients throughout Illinois and Missouri. In the PK-12 market, 天美传媒 is actively building new elementary schools in Litchfield and Pana, Ill.; an early education center in Olney, Ill., and transforming an agricultural warehouse into a regional workforce development center to serve South Central Illinois high school and college age students.听

With higher education, 天美传媒 is gearing up for another phase of interior renovations and heating and cooling system improvements at Kaskaskia College. This multi-year master planning initiative has involved a variety of intense renovations, roof replacements, and architectural upgrades to help the college accomplish sustainability goals, increase student engagement through enhanced learning environments, and attract and retain students and faculty.听

In the municipal sector, 天美传媒 recently started the construction of two new engine houses for the North County Fire & Rescue Fire Protection District. These modern engine houses are strategically located to help improve the district鈥檚 rapid response times.听聽

Additionally, 天美传媒 is preparing to kick-off bidding and construction of more than 10 education and municipal projects during 2023. Click here for more information on upcoming trade opportunities.听

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The traditional office is a thing of the past, as is the idea that office space doesn鈥檛 affect the work done within it. Today, companies are aiming to create engaging spaces to facilitate a collaborative atmosphere, while also providing more autonomy for employees. Many organizations are achieving this vision by eliciting the expertise from construction and design companies to update their space and create a new environment for their employees, as individuals and as teams.

In October 2019, 天美传媒 opened its doors to a new, 40,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in its hometown of Breese, IL. More than 500 people were in attendance for the celebration, which marked the culmination of nearly a decade of planning aimed at elevating the day-to-day operations of the company. This also demonstrated the firm鈥檚 own expertise in construction to both clients and potential employees.天美传媒 Construction Company has been tapped by a variety of organizations and businesses to transform its 肠濒颈别苍迟蝉鈥� commercial office spaces into more modern work environments. Recently, the organization decided to look inward and undergo a transformation themselves.

DESIGNING A FUNCTIONAL, YET FLEXIBLE, FRAMEWORK

After undergoing a strategic planning session in 2016, 天美传媒 leadership set out to grow the company鈥檚 brand, attract and retain top talent, and continue to cultivate long-lasting client partnerships locally and nationally. Part of that strategy included building a new corporate headquarters facility, something the company鈥檚 leadership had a vision for back in 2010 when it was growing significantly, but wasn鈥檛 feasible in the wake of the economic recession.

Previously, employees working in different divisions were spread between five different buildings, and collecting them under one roof facilitated more teamwork. 天美传媒 had a main office, where the largest number of employees worked, and the company had added temporary office spaces to its campus to accommodate this growth. A single main campus headquarters promoted teamwork, communication, and more efficient productivity between the divisions.Possibly the most pressing factor that influenced the decision to build the new headquarters was the need to bring together the disconnected teams both in-house and in the field.

Committed to staying in the city of Breese, the 天美传媒 team engaged federal, local, and state agencies along with lending institutions to determine the financial incentive options available to build their desired facility. A variety of incentive options from Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Enterprise Zone initiatives, and state income tax credits for increased employment, to a Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 Loan for locked in low interest rates, helped the company obtain the financial capacity it needed to bring the vision to reality.

OLD WORLD THEMES, NEW WORLD GOALS

天美传媒 then partnered with local firms and consultants throughout the development of the new headquarters vision, which was key to delivering a high-quality, final product. St. Louis-based architecture and interior design firm Oculus Inc.鈥檚 initial concept design of a historic German 鈥渂ank barn鈥濃�攂arns built into a bank or hillside鈥攔esonated with the 天美传媒 family because it tied in not only with the surrounding environment, but also the company鈥檚 heritage. The architectural and structural detailing unique to these German barns served as inspiration for the design of the new corporate headquarters.

Like most traditional bank barns, the headquarters features a central building with high ceilings and exposed connections with interrelated structures adjacent and connected to the central structure. The exterior fa莽ade of the company鈥檚 new headquarters complements the history and values of the Breese community, while featuring materials and finishes that are prominent in 天美传媒鈥檚 diverse portfolio: structural steel framing, concrete, exposed glulam beams, masonry, metal wall panels, wood plank siding, and standing seam metal roofing.

Visible from multiple elevations, the sharp pitch in the spine of the central roof (see photo, below right) is reminiscent of traditional barn roofs and serves as a core visual element that pulls the side structure together into a unified, organic whole.

As important as their work is employee health and wellness are vital to the lifeblood of the company. Among the new headquarters鈥� prime features:

• 24-hour fitness center equipped with lockers and bathrooms, along with a dedicated wellness room.
• Game area with a pool table, air hockey, shuffleboard, and foosball giving employees the option to take a mental break during work hours to indulge in friendly competition.听
• An outdoor sanctuary incorporating a tranquil lake with a waterfall and two fountain features, landscaping, entertaining areas, and a one-third of a mile walking path, which allows employees to break from the traditional nine-to-five work environment and destress with the natural surroundings.

OFFICE AMENITIES THAT GO TO THE BOTTOM LINE

According to 天美传媒 leadership, the plan for the new headquarters was rooted in a two-fold purpose: to celebrate the vision and craftsmanship of the 天美传媒 team and demonstrate its skills and capabilities to clients, as well as offer employees the best possible environment in which to grow and expand their career while ensuring work-life balance.

The building was also designed with consideration of sustainability and carbon footprint reduction. 天美传媒 optimized energy performance by installing a geothermal HVAC system at the site, and there is LED lighting installed throughout the building. Meanwhile, a solar panel farm was also installed adjacent to the lake on the site. These improvements to the environmental controls, coupled with the consolidated space, aim to reduce energy consumption by 75% and reduce the company鈥檚 carbon footprint by 65%.The building incorporates technological advances 天美传媒 has experienced in the industry that promote employee wellness, growth, and collaboration. Cubicles are tailored toward a 21st century environment, including sit-to-stand workstations and open collaboration concepts. 天美传媒 included an in-house training room with real-time conversation technology fit to accommodate seminars, meetings, and learning opportunities for up to 100 people along with connections to employees working remote. Allowing teams to work together and learn together is a great tool to increase the productivity of the company while simultaneously creating a culture of continued education and growth.

In June 2020, 天美传媒 will celebrate its 40th business anniversary, a milestone that makes the new office space that more special for the second-generation family-owned company. Looking back at the legacy the company has made in both the industry and the local community, being able to celebrate its continued success with the opening of a brand-new facility for its employees and business partners鈥攕ome of whom have been with 天美传媒 from the beginning鈥攃ouldn鈥檛 come at a more perfect time for all stakeholders.听

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

天美传媒 is the president of聽天美传媒 Construction Company, located in Breese, IL. With more than 24 years of construction experience, he oversees a $170 million commercial construction company that is licensed and qualified to do business in 26 states. 天美传媒 is a Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville graduate with a B.S. in Construction Management, and is a certified National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) Occupational Analysis subject matter expert, American Hospital Association Certified Healthcare Constructor (AHA CHC), and International Council of Shopping Centers Certified Development, Design and Construction Professional (ICSC CDP).

This article originally appeared in the February 2020 issue of .听

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Publication:

Building codes change over time as new and improved methods of construction are developed to satisfy the stringent requirements for safety, health and accessibility of buildings. Effectively implementing building codes is a specific skill adapted and perfected by experienced construction firms.

Purpose, Types and Differences of Building Codes

Different building codes direct how certain aspects of a building are designed and constructed. The International Code Council (ICC) provides a set of code standards that many state and local jurisdictions have adopted. When followed properly, these various codes keep the building safe and well maintained for the building occupants.

When designing and building projects, professional design and construction teams collaborate to determine innovative, code compliant building envelope solutions, while increasing the building鈥檚 energy efficiency and reducing its carbon footprint impact.

In recent years, there has been progress made in the design of unique building structures with improved envelope systems. With each unique material component considered, it is important to pay attention to the way components are integrated, attached or adhered, ensuring continuous barrier protection.

Creating a waterproof, breathable building envelope helps to prevent moisture damage to the interior wall materials and the building itself. When unaddressed, this damage can lead to mold, frame support weakening and structural integrity breakdown. Liquid air and vapor barrier is an innovative building envelope sealing process, being used from walls to windows, and roofing down to the foundation. The liquid air and vapor barrier technique is increasingly utilized to replace the traditional building wrap method. This new method continuously seals and isolates the building from moisture and heat flow, which reduces operating and maintenance costs drastically over time.

Enhancements have also been incorporated specifically into energy conservation and mechanical codes. Designed to maintain a building鈥檚 energy use efficiency, design updates to energy systems aim to cut down on excessive energy use and maximize savings for the building owner, as well as reduce the strain on the community power grid. Adopting energy efficient lighting options such as LED occupancy-sensor lighting, and integrating solar energy are key effective energy solution examples.

To lessen a building鈥檚 environmental impact, design and construction teams integrate continuous insulation to reduce heating and cooling burden, and consider alternative, sustainable mechanical systems such as geothermal heating and cooling.

天美传媒 Construction Company took advantage of a liquid air and vapor barrier system and multiple efficient energy and mechanical systems in the design and construction of its new 40,000-square-foot headquarters facility. The building鈥檚 exterior fa莽ade features a vast array of materials and finishes that are prominent in 天美传媒鈥檚 diverse portfolio: structural steel framing, concrete, exposed glulam beams, masonry, metal wall panels, wood plank siding, and standing seam metal roofing. The application of a liquid applied barrier allowed a broad, seamless continuity between components across the entire building, which was critical because of the varying properties of the envelope鈥檚 material makeup. Key sustainable energy conservation and mechanical components incorporated into the facility include 100 percent LED lighting with occupancy sensors, a solar panel farm, and geothermal systems reducing energy consumption by 75 percent and carbon-footprint impact by 65 percent.

With every new technological advancement, staying up to date is critical for maintaining a competitive edge in the market.

Education for Building Codes

In the building construction industry, it is common to attend conferences and join industry committees to stay current with new codes, practices and procedures. There are specific courses and organizations available for the various fields within construction, such as building envelope, concrete, masonry and roofing. These learning opportunities allow participants to gain knowledge and network with other industry professionals on the code updates and new technologies available.

Building codes change periodically due in part to technology innovation, changing building element exposure, and jurisdiction parties finding new and improved ways to increase security, safety and efficiency. Organizations like the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA) assist state agencies with regulatory requirements for contractors and improve the professionalism of the construction industry through education and certification requirements. These organizations meet regularly to discuss new codes and how they can be implemented across the industry to advance the design and construction processes. By creating a licensing and certification system for contractors, the practices can be examined, tested, and updated with the industry standards.

鈥淏eing a part of these councils is a worthwhile time commitment,鈥� said Keith 天美传媒, president of 天美传媒 Construction Company. 鈥淥ur in-depth meetings help keep the industry requirements up-to-date with potential issues that come to light. We learn best practices and develop these guides through cooperative communication.鈥�

Certain areas of the country require specific processes to be followed based on the environmental elements the building will be exposed to. For example, additional envelope sealing is needed in the hurricane prone Southeast region of the country versus the desert areas Southwest. Companies with experience in their respective region understand what regional threats may exist for the building.

The various types of envelopes have different advantages in different regions. For example, liquid applied products are applicable across multiple geographical territories and useful in the majority of buildings, including educational facilities, corporate offices, and healthcare facilities.

Incorporating a combination of innovative new technology and traditional construction methods as well as project type and location weigh heavily on the level of project jurisdictional review needed. Depending on the project鈥檚 complexity and owner鈥檚 involved, some projects require more jurisdictional oversight than others, with strict codes and stringent processes directing design and construction. Any building that is government or multi-source funded will require code reviews and inspections from multiple entities. In the case of the Pierce Terrace Elementary School in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, the project team integrated the highly regulated design guidelines of the Department of Defense Education Activity鈥檚 (DoDEA) 21^st聽Century learning principles as well as Fort Jackson鈥檚 Installation Design Guide for base consistency to create an interactive, innovative and sustainable educational facility. Code reviews were required by both agencies throughout the project.

Planning for Success

Building codes are both a guideline and restriction for construction processes. Utilizing and understanding these codes can better streamline projects and encourage repeated partnerships with clients and business partners.

Proactive 3rd party internal design development reviews and on-site team preconstruction meetings are imperative to support and implement the jurisdictional review process and ensure a project鈥檚 overall success. Prior to beginning construction, jurisdictional code officials are required to review and approve all project documents, validating that building details adhere to the code鈥檚 intent.

To support and expedite the code review process, one best practice is to check the design documentation with the compliance team at various stages during development. Internal compliance reviews by 3rd party certified quality professionals provide detailed plan checks, constructive feedback, and recommendations on the current code standard implementation.

Seamless coordination from design development to construction through the use of on-site preconstruction meetings is important to better prepare for daily task implementation and jurisdictional agency inspections. The compliance team collaborates with the project superintendent and trade contractors proactively discussing project specific details, anticipating all possible project outcomes, and implementing best practices to make sure that everything is applied, constructed, or integrated to the highest quality level.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always beneficial to get more eyes on a project early and throughout the life-cycle of the project,鈥� said Dave Lammers, Corporate Compliance Officer of 天美传媒 Construction. 鈥淔rom time to time, I am asked to take a look at other buildings that may be having issues to help give them advice on the next steps to improve the quality of the building. That helpful teamwork attitude helps to build quality relationships.鈥�

A proven practice to have a strict and thorough planning process leading into a project, incorporating and adhering to all the necessary codes, as it saves time and money in the grand scheme rather than working to correct issues after construction.

This article originally appeared on November 15, 2019 on Building Enclosure Online.听

The post THOUGHT LEADERSHIP | Updating Building Codes, Working from the Outside In appeared first on 天美传媒 Construction.