As much as we’d like to think otherwise, we know the average reader doesn’t read every single page of the magazine. No one column or article gets read by everyone. (Heck, statistically speaking, some of you aren’t reading this.)
That’s why I want to point to an exceptionally heartening batch of news in our “Issues & Events” section (starting on page 64). Sure, the piece about the ASHRAE/AHR festivities landing in Vegas in a few months is nice. And there’s the piece about the HVAC manufacturers’ cautious optimism for 2011; I know we’d all be glad to see that pan out.
But I’m really thinking more about long-term trends and improvements, and that starts with people who are going to be working for even more of the long-term than we are (and the people who train them). So even beyond the impressive work by the student winners of the ASHRAE design contest, we’re pleased to share a piece about an internship devoted to fostering the integrated project delivery (IPD) model.
Hats off to Forell/Elsesser Engineers, Inc., Cannon Design, and McCarthy Building Companies for collaborating on this summer project to foster a greater sense of collaboration and whole-project vision in tomorrow’s building professionals. I’m sure these three firms had plenty going on, but they made the time and marshaled the resources to pull this off.
Not only did the students get a feel for each firm’s expertise, but the rotating schedule provided a glimpse of how a project could develop - and develop better and cheaper - with less of a vertical mindset from the participants.
Really good stuff. If you know of other initiatives like this, please drop me a note atbeverlyr@bnpmedia.com. We would be interested in additional coverage.
LINKEDIN UPDATE
A quick thanks to those of you who already came over and joined our LinkedIn open forum already. I know you’re just starting to hear about it, but I’ll keep posting every article and column, and you can multitask by learning, networking, and discussing at the same site.ARCHITECTS & ENGINEERS
After a coincidence of news releases and deadlines, I tried something different one day this summer: I threw some music news into the mix.Specifically, on the very day I was wrapping up a newsletter, Bruce Springsteen announced a new box set forDarkness On The Edge Of Townscheduled for November. So I mentioned it, and the fact that its link was in the top three most-clicked in a well-received newsletter justifies the decision, don’t you? I figured there were some Boss fans among you.
On that note, I’ll mention that Guster has a new collection out this month, titled,Easy Wonderful. I discovered Guster almost exactly the same time that I started working here. I’d recommend Keep It Together as a starting point, but I bring them up at all because it turns out the first track listed onEasy Wonderfulis called “Architects & Engineers.”
Is this a case of lumping the two groups together, or is it some sort of “Hatfields vs. McCoys” epic construction ballad of blame and power struggle? Not sure.
Hey, maybe it’s a call for interdisciplinary peace and harmony, with a chorus extolling the virtues of IPD. OK, probably not (at least not if Guster is interested in selling albums).
But don’t let that stop you from humming a few bars of the IPD tune anyway. It might catch on.ES
