MAY 2, 2013
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Photo courtesy of NW Wind & Solar
NW Wind & Solar won the first-ever Eagle of Merit Award given to a subcontractor by the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington for its work on the Bullitt Center in Seattle. The company installed 475 solar modules that cantilever 20 feet beyond the roof’s edge.

Safety's role in the ‘new normal’ of construction
With safety regulations changing, responsible contractors must have someone making sure safety programs and job sites are up to date.
By KATHLEEN GARRITY and JENNIFER RICHARDS
Special to the Journal

‘Big Room’ streamlines collaboration, communication
Every element is set up so that clients, designers, consultants and construction teams of all levels of technical expertise can collaborate more effectively.
By DAN PEYOVICH
Howard S. Wright

Technology moves construction projects off the paper trail


New tools are helping contractors build projects more efficiently and shorten schedules.
By TONY HILL
Skanska USA


Going modular? Think of the factory as a big subcontractor A product constructed off-site employs the same building codes, typically uses the same materials and is fully inspected — similar to site built.
By RANDY DUGGAN
Greenstar Building Systems





ABC 2013 EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION AWARDS


The Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington honored its members’ projects Wednesday night at a banquet at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue.

Rafn Co., winner of last year’s Eagle of Excellence Award, took the top honor again this year for its effort on the First and Vine Apartments project in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood. Rafn was cited for cost-effective and timely construction techniques combined with an uncommon sensitivity for noise and disruption while renovating a fully occupied apartment building.

First and Vine also won the Tenant Improvement/Renovation category.

ABC presented a total of eight excellence awards and one merit award. It also handed out an Eagle of Merit Award for the solar array atop the Bullitt Center in Seattle.

This year’s judges were Chris Butler of Mithun, Natasha Epstein and James Walker of CollinsWoerman, Scott Rhodes of Rhodes Architecture, John Schaufelberger of the University of Washington, Kate Spitzer of The Miller Hull Partnership, and Benjamin Minnick of the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.


Eagle of Excellence Award • Tenant Improvement/Renovation
First and Vine Apartments
Rafn Co.

Eagle of Merit Award • Specialty Construction
The Bullitt Center
NW Wind & Solar



Institutional
Newcastle Library
Synergy Construction



Mixed-Use Construction
Gethsemane Church/Dekko Place Apartments
Rafn Co.



Mechanical Construction
Centre at Norpoint efficiency measures
Air Systems Engineering



Electrical & Communications
Premier Orthopedics
SME Inc. of Seattle



Health Care
Cascade Skagit Health Alliance
Synergy Construction



Commercial Construction
The Post at Tehaleh
AP|Rushforth



Demolition
Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building
NCM Contracting Group




Specialty Construction (merit award)
Coast Guard paint remediation
Washington Commercial Painters



Sharp equipment managers use decision points

By combining and comparing ownership and operating costs, managers can establish a total cost of ownership for each vehicle.
By WAYNE NEWITTS
Dexter + Chaney






Sick leave, pot laws leave employers feeling queasy
Seattle’s new safe/sick time law affects companies located outside of the city, if their employees work at least 240 hours per year in the city.
By AARON G. THOMSON
Ashbaugh Beal

Making sense of construction cost audits
A cost audit or review typically saves 1 to 3 percent of total construction costs.
By MELISSA SCOTT
Clothier & Head PS

Is your insurance broker a claims advocate?
Representing the contractor in a claim against the insurance company should be part of the broker’s insurance package.
By TRENT SCHULTZ
HUB Northwest

Avoid the pitfalls of transition planning
A recent study found that nearly half of family businesses do not have an up-to-date strategic plan, and nearly two-thirds have no succession plan.
By RICHARD BECHTEL
Bechtel Consulting Group






2013 CONSTRUCTION SURVEYS

Andersen Construction

S.D. Deacon

Lease Crutcher Lewis

Skanska USA

Express Construction Co.

PCL Construction Services

Rider Levett Bucknall




Construction and Equipment 2013 team

Section editor: Benjamin Minnick

Section design: Jeffrey Miller

Web design: Lisa Lannigan

Advertising: Matt Brown

Surveys: Lynn Porter • Jon Silver • Nat Levy • Sam Bennett



Advertisers

Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. (www.abcwestwa.org)

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Davis-Bacon Pension Plans, Inc. (www.davisbacon.org)

Gardico Inc. (www.gardico.com)

Modern Building Systems, Inc. (www.mbs-modular.com)

PACO Equipment (www.pacoequip.com)

RAFN Construction (www.rafn.com)

Ruby Springs Lodge (www.rubyspringslodge.com)

Rushforth Construction (www.rushforth.com)

SMACNA (www.smacnaww.org)

Star Rentals (www.starrentals.com)

Synergy Construction (www.synergyconstruction.com)

Trash Transit Disposal Collection Services (www.trashtransit.com)




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