No one needs convincing that national security and defense issues have dominated the media for nearly a decade. This month, it’s seven years since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon. The military is engaged globally, not just in the Iraq and Afghanistan hot spots, but also in more under-the-radar locales such as South Korea and even parts of Africa.
Whether for humanitarian, military or training purposes, military construction — fortunately for design-builders — has remained much more steady than in other sectors, particularly residential construction. As a result, this month’s DATELINE delves into a variety of military projects, examines what firms go through when maneuvering the minefield of federal project procurement and also provides a glimpse of topics that will highlight the 2008 DBIA Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Nov. 3-5.
This month, we begin with some highlights in our news section, as Nationals Park, featured in June, received a USGBC AWARD OF EXCELLENCE. We give you an update of the progress on the Minnesota bridge project as well as the lowdown on how to get your presentation proposal submitted for the 2009 Design-Build in Transportation Conference.
We can’t thank enough the sponsors and exhibitors who will provide a bright spot for conference goers this year in Las Vegas, so be sure to check out their list within these pages, along with updates of conference events.
You may then go back to school as Barbara Jackson — DBIA board member and professor in the construction management department at Cal Poly State University, Calif. — along with John Steele and Paul Waskett discuss the complex process of “managing design.” This in-depth feature is a great primer for their presentation Nov. 5 at the annual conference. As the design-build design process is so difficult to manage, the authors encourage you to “clearly recognize design-build management is different from traditional project management.”
We then travel to Oklahoma, where a design-build law was almost rescinded but survived and is now crucial to construction of National Guard facilities throughout the state. Sean Hanes and George Woods of Lifecycle Construction then offer their two cents in an important “how-to” piece about performing design-build for government projects. This in-depth look into military construction procurement is crucial for anyone facing Congress and the often glacial progress of fund appropriation.
Finally, with speed crucial, Ecolite wall systems helped a Fort Irwin training facility get up and running about four months faster than originally expected. Enjoy this month’s variety! We’ll see you in October.
Christopher Prawdzik
Editor, Design-Build DATELINE