Design Firm Management & Administration Report

“Construction administration accounts for about 30 credits on the LEED checklist, so credits need to be tracked during construction or you won’t get certification,” Richard Moore, an architectural consultant in Boston who has specialized in LEED project administration since 2001, tells DFMAR. (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program is sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council.) “You can’t hold off until the end of the job. You have to do at least quarterly updates and keep support documentation up to date as construction proceeds.” Moore notes there are well over 40,000 LEED accredited professionals in this country, yet most LAPs need help from experienced consultants until they’re able to master the highly complex, highly demanding process.

The American Institute of Architects adopted its 2030 sustainability initiative in 2005 with the goal of 50 percent reduction of carbon emissions for new buildings by 2010 and total carbon neutral buildings by 2030. Since then, the vast majority of architecture firms have jumped on the sustainability bandwagon.

“Investment in information technology can be an investment in time or in money,” Ty Kicklighter tells DFMAR. “During a downturn, time is more available than money. While a downturn is painful, it gives firms time to do things they don’t ordinarily do like CAD standardization or training in software. That positions your firm to be more efficient, and IT is all about efficiency. Then when things turn around, you’ll be in much better shape than before.”

How do you come up with a cost-effective site estimate for a 120,000-square-foot building, 590 parking spaces, and a fueling station on land that includes wetlands, a flood plain zone, and steep slopes? That’s time-consuming and complicated using even the most advanced CAD methodology.

“The strategies that lead to success in good times should be long-term, so they should lead to success during downtimes,” Stephen Fiskum, chief operating officer of the A/E firm Hammel, Green and Abrahamson Inc. headquartered in Minneapolis, tells DFMAR. “HGA’s strategic plan outlines our vision and goals and is focused on differentiating our firm from the competition. We do that in several ways by:

A/E/C Project Management Bootcamp, Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 6-7; Chicago, Nov. 13-14; Seattle, Nov. 20-21; Los Angeles, Dec. 4-5; Houston, Dec. 11-12; Las Vegas, Dec. 18-19. Contact: PSMJ Resources, 800-537-7765; www.psmj.com A/E/C Winning Proposals and Presentations Bootcamp, Seattle, Nov. 6-7; Orlando, Fla., Nov. 13-14, Las Vegas, Nov. 20-21. Contact: PSMJ Resources, 800-537-7765; www.psmj.com …

œ Rainmaking in a Slowdown œ Building a Design-First Culture œ Maximizing Information Technology œ Presentations Designed to Move Decisionmakers œ Managing Design: An Oxymoron? œ Small Firms Can Do Business With the Federal Government…

Pace of decline in architectural billings slows, inquiries are up The American Institute of Architect’s monthly Architecture Billings Index score remained below 50 in August, though the score was slightly higher at 47.6 than it was at 46.8 in July. The slight shift upward indicates business conditions may be moderating, concludes the Sept. 19 online newsletter AIArchitect.org, after the ABI hit an all-time low of 41.8 in February. The good news is that inquiries about new…

It is with great sadness that DFMAR must report that former DFMAR editor and Principal’s Report editor Stephen A. Kliment died suddenly of cancer Sept. 10 during a vacation in Germany.