What Is the Meaning of Optimized Building?
Both industry professionals and members of the general public often have a hard time describing what constitutes a great building. Typically, people cite a cool exterior and/or interior […]
Successful Innovation Is Always a Zero-Sum Game
When I was a kid, bringing home a new toy, piece of sports equipment, or gadget always gave me a special feeling of excitement. I have vivid memories […]
The White Papers Are Here
Click Here To View (Est. read time: 5 mins) The white papers are coming! Check out this introduction for a […]
DYK: Set Course for Tatooine
Did you know that according to astrophysicists and Einsteins theory of relativity, a warp drive is physically possible? Now we […]
Food and Building Got it Wrong!!
In an earlier blog post I tried to establish parameters around what the definitions of quality for Building might look like. In looking at this issue for […]
The Borg vs. Kirk vs. Spock
What does Building’s future decision-making look like? Star Trek offers us three models, each embodied in a specific character. Will it be based on intuitive insight drawn from rich and […]
DYK: Android Ate the Apple
Did you know Apple’s iPad retina display is actually manufactured by Samsung!?
Systems, Standards, Templates, Workflows & Modules
Music, mathematics, language, computer coding are all highly formulated and structured, yet at the same time, recognized as some of our most creative systems. […]
Ignorance is Not Bliss
At any given point in time there is a ratio of Knowledge, Resources, Skill-Sets and Customs (KRSC) that combine to provide a potential optimum for […]
Change is Tectonic
CHANGE IS TECTONIC The current group of blog posts are being written in a very uncertain environment. Testing has just begun […]
DYK: Construction Industry’s Place in the Market
Did you know the construction industry has an average unlevered beta of about 1.33? This means that if the market […]
DYK: The Healthcare Budget
Did you know that the U.S. spends 3.5 trillion on healthcare per year? This is more than every other country and about […]
VICIOUS vs. VIRTUOUS CYCLES
VICIOUS VERSUS VIRTUOUS CYCLES I would argue that all of our activity, both in business and in everyday life, can be organized into one of two cycles: […]
Back To The Future
Back to the Future A brief look backward into Building’s history and an even briefer glimpse into Building’s future A […]
They Don’t Build Them Like They Used To
Growing up I would often hear the phrase “they don’t build them like they used to.” The saying implies that […]
Does Technology Make Life Better?
I made my first big tech purchase in the early 1980’s. At the time, it felt like a rite of […]
The Thrill of Victory (Winning) and the Agony of Defeat (Losing)
If you ever played on a seesaw in your younger years, you know that it helps to have a partner […]
Money, Money, Money!!
One evening in 1983, I was drinking beers with a friend and discussing how I was going to turn my […]
Expressways, Expectations, Happiness
Expressway Syndrome Do any of you remember living through the creation of a new expressway? In the Chicago area, there […]
Good Questions Can Answer Themselves
Eureka! Have you ever found yourself driving down the highway obsessing over a seemingly impossible problem Then, all of a […]
Good vs. Bad Just Makes No Cents
Team Building and Successful Decision Making Good vs. Bad Just Makes No Cents When I am sitting with friends, clients […]
Work Self Worth
Technology, Work and Self Worth Some of the best, smartest and most self-confident people I know are in Building. […]
Building Ain’t Brain Surgery
“It’s not brain surgery.” The saying implies that the activity in question is relatively simple in comparison with the difficulty […]
The New Order
When you look at the image that introduces this blog post, do you the think the modular structure of the […]
Just The Facts
IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF JOE FRIDAY: “Just the Facts Ma’am, Just the Facts” What are Data, Facts and Knowledge? Who […]
Regulate Schmegulate
It was 1983, in Lincoln Park, and I was three months into my first Design/Build/Development project. My partner and I […]
My Story
I’ve been interested in building and buildings since I was a little kid. I have many childhood memories that involve […]
DYK: Sign Here Before Consuming
Did you know that spicy food can cut down on fat intake?
DYK: Scarier Than Halloween
Did you know that EIA estimates that an average of 95.3 million barrels per day (b/d) of petroleum and liquid […]
DYK: Why The Blue Face?
Did you know that Facebook is primarily blue in color because its owner, Mark Zuckerberg suffers from red-green color blindness?
DYK: Turkey Day
Did you know that turkey wasn’t on the menu at the first Thanksgiving!? Actually Venison, duck, goose, oysters, lobster, eel, […]
DYK: Ugly Sweater Con?
Did you know that the largest gathering of people wearing holiday sweaters is 3,473, recorded at the University of Kansas on […]
DYK: Holiday Every Day
Did you know December holidays date back to ancient celebrations surrounding the Winter Solstice? This was the shortest day of the […]
DYK: “Liquid” Gold
Did you know that brown bottles are better for beer because sunlight causes beer to break or “skunk” and brown […]
DYK: Noah’s Ark
Did you know that Global warming is causing the sea level to rise in two ways??? First: the glaciers and […]
DYK: Powered by The People
Did you know that there are 30.2 million small businesses in this country? Small businesses comprise 99.9% of all United […]
DYK: Hey Siri, Stop Spying On Me.
Did you know that everything said to Siri is sent to Apple where it is stored and thoroughly analyzed for […]
DYK: Fast Charging
Did you know that electricity/energy travels as electromagnetic waves at about the speed of light, which is 670,616,629 miles per hour, […]
DYK: Mom… I’m Going to Walmart!
Did you know that Walmart has a lower acceptance rate than Harvard!?