The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently published information and conducted webinars on how architecture firms should be managing their business and professional risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources are a joint effort of the AIA Risk Management Committee and its Contract Documents program. The Contract Documents program created, “How AIA contracts address issues... Continue Reading →
The design and construction industry is no exception to the concerns over safety and the efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 (aka coronavirus). Design firms, their clients, and contractors working on projects should evaluate the physical and economic risks that the coronavirus outbreak could pose for their projects and take proactive measures. The virus... Continue Reading →
Design firms have two major challenges as COVID-19, or the coronavirus, continues to spread. The primary challenge is keeping employees as safe as possible. But the other challenge is strictly financial: what happens when a design firm cannot provide services because of the epidemic or government constraints in response to the pandemic?Look at Your ContractsAddressing... Continue Reading →
While the coronavirus outbreak originated in China, it has the potential to become an international crisis. Design firms whose employees are in China, have traveled to China, or are in contact with anyone from an infected area need to take immediate precautions for employee safety. OSHA requires that employers maintain a safe workplace. Beyond the... Continue Reading →
Over the last few years we've heard the term "big data" bandied about as a development that will change the economy. It is easy to see why. We are living in an era where the processing power of everyday devices is enormous. A cell phone often has as much raw processing power as a laptop... Continue Reading →
A recent article from David Roberts on Vox resurfaces the benefits of using mass timber (aka, “cross- laminated timber” (CLT)). Over the last century, the design and construction industry has leaned away from wood, especially for non-residential construction, and moved toward more manufactured materials, such as steel, concrete, and iron, in the name of safety.... Continue Reading →
We’re Big The design and construction industry in the US is big, totaling over 6% of the US GDP and around 12% of global GDP. In 2018 alone, $1.29 trillion was spent on construction, and more than 700,000 firms employed over 7 million people. And we are the largest consumer of raw materials of any... Continue Reading →
Schinnerer's Annual Large Firm Conference Highlights Keeping our policyholders informed about emerging risks is a priority for Schinnerer. In case you missed the announcement last month, we hosted our third annual Large Firm Conference in Denver to cover trends and best practices in the design and construction industry. Among the topics discussed were project delivery,... Continue Reading →
“Democracy is messy, and it’s hard” said Robert Kennedy, Jr. about the political landscape. Current trends in the built environment may doubly merit that observation. In a democracy where everyone has a vote and a say on a wide variety of issues, decision-making can get complicated. In a very similar way, technology is democratizing how... Continue Reading →
