Paoli, PA - E. Mitchell Swann, PE, Principal of MDCSystems®, will make two presentations at the ASHRAE Winter Meeting, January 22 to January 25, at The Palmer House Hilton Hotel in downtown Chicago. Mr. Swann's presentations will include:

• "Trying Hard to Play Nice: Assessing Industry Barriers to the Use of IPD"
•  "Survivor 2.0: The ASHRAE Design-Build Survival Guide-Where Should ASHRAE be Headed with an Update to the Guide?"

 Swann Presentation Details

Program Title:  Trying Hard to Play Nice: Assessing Industry Barriers to the Use of IPD
Date:  Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 9:45 AM-10:45 AM
Room:  Wabash Room

IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) with “BIM” and “green” are key aspects of the design and construction “hot list.” IPD execution promises to streamline project delivery and optimize outcomes but it hinges on a collaborative process both in philosophy and in practice. The industry is often much more adversarial. Special legal issues encountered on publically-funded projects and when doing retrofits will be addressed. The program identifies barriers and how to overcome them so that the marketplace can realize the value of IPD.

Mr. Swann will present “Cat Herding 101: IPD and You!” which is an overview of IPD; its objectives and characteristics and basics of implementation. The program addresses IPD from the perspective of the design professional, the contractor and the owner as well as describes the relationship frameworks between these major project participants. The program is intended to orient the audience to IPD in support of the additional seminar speakers.

Program Title:  Survivor 2.0: The ASHRAE Design-Build Survival Guide –Where Should ASHRAE Be Headed with an Update to the Guide?
Date:  Wednesday, January 25, 2012, 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
Room:  Wabash Room

Mr. Swann will chair this track and the following will be discussed.  In 2004, ASHRAE published the Survival Guide for Design-Build Execution under the auspices of TC 1.7. Since then, the Design-Build execution strategy has grown from $50 billion in contracts to over $200 billion; IPD & BIM are now on the scene and they’re all green! We’ll look to update the Guide with input from engineers, contractors and owners. This forum introduces the Guide to the unfortunate few who’ve not had the pleasure of being familiar with it and will help us craft the next version. TC 1.7 and TC 7.2 continue to move “one step beyond” in providing sound guidance to our membership! 

For more information about the ASHRAE Winter Meeting go to this link: http://www.ashrae.org/events/2012-winter-conference

About MDCSystems®
MDCSystems® is a project and construction management consultancy with over 40 years of experience serving a wide array of clients and industries both nationally and around the globe. The diversity of MDC’s projects cover a wide range from residential property developments to pharmaceutical plants to highway excavation and construction.

MDC® concentrates its services in primarily four areas:
• program management
• project management consulting
• forensic engineering
• construction claims consulting

One of the key facets of MDC’s professional staff is its expertise in the technology driven issues that are so frequently at the heart of today’s complex projects.  MDC’s construction claims consulting practice combines all of the skills inherent to other service offerings and deploys it for clients when and where projects don’t go quite as smoothly as everyone had hoped.  MDC® is an industry leader in the area of construction schedule development and analysis including delay, acceleration, interruption and extended duration. MDC® pioneered the court tested and approved Time Impact Analysis® methodology for scientifically analyzing construction schedules and the impact of events upon their execution and completion.

MDC® Contact: E. Mitchell Swann, 610.640.9600 x 19, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Media Contact: Marc Kramer, Kramer Communications, 484-288-0594, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it