Date: 1/12/2011 to 1/15/2011
Location: Walt Disney World Swan Hotel - Orlando, FL
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Donald R. Keer, P.E., Esq.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

G. Peter Vander Heide, AIA
MDCSystems®
Architect

MDCSystems® has performed building exterior envelope investigations for over forty years on all types of residential, commercial and industrial buildings. Some of these investigations have included unique aspects of work concerning:

Peter L. Mansmann, Esq.
Precise, Inc.

120,000 emails, 9 months. I recently counted the number of emails I either sent or received in a single day. I was surprised at the number: 67. If you multiply that by a 10 person operation, over the course of a 9 month project, you have a total of over 120,000 emails sent and received during that time period. Add onto this Excel files, electronic schedules, digital photos, drawings, etc… and you have quite a large data set. The construction industry today, like most businesses, has entered an age where a staggering amount of electronic data, files and emails are created during the course of a project. Managing this amount of information can be a challenge in the course of everyday business. If litigation results from the project, this large body of electronic information can create an expensive problem. 

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., LEED AP
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

The Growing Importance of Energy Modeling

As a strong component of the sustainability initiative in buildings, energy use is rightfully taking its place as a leading metric in evaluating a building’s performance. Further emphasizing the importance of performance measurement is the expected roll out of an industry wide “Building Energy Performance” label which is intended to provide an objective comparison of energy use between buildings. Rating systems like Energy Star along with model energy codes look at both predictive energy use models and actual usage as crucial to determining a building’s true performance and rating. The USGBC’s newly issued LEED v3.0 rating system requires the initial certification, recertification and by extension the possibility of decertification of LEED buildings to be tied closely to comparisons of modeled and measured energy use over time.

Amal Kabalan, LEED A.P.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

Engineering and Financial Analysis

In the article “Pennsylvania Solar Energy Rebate on Hold: How Consumers Can Still Save Energy” published in the February 2009 edition of the MDCAdvisor®, the steps that homeowners can take in order to reduce their energy consumption were outlined. This article discusses a case study that shows the effect of implementing two of the mentioned suggestions namely: increased attic insulation and powered, thermostatically controlled roof ventilation. Moreover, since the Pennsylvania Solar Energy Rebate program has been funded, a detailed analysis of costs and benefits of installing a solar power system on a residential house will be outlined and whether such a project is a viable option in light of all the federal and state incentives will be discussed.

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., LEED A.P.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

The Importance of Systems Thinking and Integration in Project Delivery

Recently the global marketplace has been buffeted about by news of the recall of children’s toys by several major manufacturers and by the collapse of the subprime lending market including its investment derivatives and related impacts on credit and capital markets worldwide. These items might seem completely unrelated to each other, not your typical project management or construction topic. Try this; think about each scenario as a portrait of a system and consider the impact on a project if the system components are misaligned.

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., LEED A.P.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

In our last edition of the MDCAdvisor® we talked about BIM (Building Information Modeling) Systems and the impact of that technology on the way projects are done and the way team members relate to each other. We are going to climb the tree a bit higher to see what changes in the landscape make BIM possible - beyond really neat computers.

E. Mitchell Swann, P.E., LEED A.P.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

Anyone who has read Thomas Friedman’s “The World Is Flat” might glean an idea of where this article is going right away. If you haven’t read the book, it is a good one. About 2 years ago MDCSystems® presented at the London Construction Superconference on some of the benefits, challenges and issue associated with the use of 3D and 4D modeling technologies in the design, documentation and delivery of capital projects. Since that time, there have been even more developments – not just in the nature of the technology, but also in the level of accessibility or breadth of application. This expanded modeling regimen has come to be called Building Information Modeling or BIM.

Donald R. Keer, P.E., Esq.
MDCSystems®
Consulting Engineer

The pressure is growing on local municipalities to consider privatization of their water and wastewater systems. Both the EPA and the Bush Administration favor privatization as a way for local municipalities to meet ever tightening regulations. These systems are critical to public health and economic development. Despite the critical nature of these systems maintenance and upgrades have lagged as the quality standards have increased.