Deconstruction: Recent Episodes
VCC
Welcome to Deconstruction, a VCC podcast. Join us for thought leading discussion as we learn how to better build success, together.
Our in-house Constructability Review Team plays a critical part in every project. We work together with the design team to troubleshoot and resolve any design document issues that may cause a challenge in the field once construction begins. From the beginning of the project to the end, we help the team by providing budget updates, pre-construction conferences with each trade, alert scheduling and regular progress meetings.
Jon Herring, the Quality Control Director of VCC, joins Gabrielle Bejarano in this episode to discuss the role of quality control at VCC and how substitutions in supplies create complications. The VCC's Total Quality Management (TQM) department starts by assessing risk on jobs. TQM ensures the plan is in place and its key players understand their responsibility. Once construction begins, the team is on the ground to ensure that what was agreed is happening. Herring said, “TQM is a real-time feedback loop of understanding the consequences of decisions.”
Battling with a shortage of supplies has forced VCC into more flexibility. Herring recalled, “No substitution policy, we don’t like to offer alternatives historically, but these days that’s not possible. Owners are demanding it, and designers need it.” Without substitutions, there are significant delays in building and supplier costs and lead times are rising. Project execution times have increased. It is expected that these trends will continue.
Due to the changing landscape, projects experience many iterations. “They have to have a design that works based on the materials available,” said Herring. Materials change, and designs are reworked. “Owners have a lot of options still, but it's a matter of timing and price they’re willing to pay,” noted Herring.
TQM's role has become more complex with the changes in the supply market. Each time a substitute is introduced, the product has to be thoroughly understood so that future impact and consequences can be considered. Herring said, “Every product is slightly different. Vetting products each and every time…Paying attention to the implications of the changes is the key.” To learn more about VCC, visit the website vccusa.com.
KEY POINTS:
- Design review should follow through the entirety of a construction project.
- Internal design team modeling can uncover issues not apparent from 2D documents.
- Modeling review reduces errors and keeps construction in scope with the original design.
Design plays a critical role in the pre-construction phase of a project. At VCC, their In-House Design and Construction Integration team gets involved in all projects from start to finish. Donn Calaway, Chief Design Officer at VCC, heads up the design and construction integration group. He sat down with Gabrielle Bejarano to talk about some of the essential aspects of his work.
One step in the pre-construction process Calaway’s team is involved with is peer reviews, which provide an in-depth study of the construction documents. “What VCC brings to the table is we have a fantastic group of architects, number one,” Calaway said. “But we have a great deal of experience on both sides of the project; in the design field and the construction side of the project.”
Technology is the crucial driver for Calaway to accomplish project missions. On the project front end, VCC utilizes Bluebeam Studio® software and Autodesk® Revit® to review drawings and specifications. “Or if the design team hasn’t modeled the project, we do a lot of internal modeling and check for coordination based on the contract documents,” Calaway said.
Calaway said they use Lidar technologies for scanning as the construction process progresses. It’s a way to capture a project at a point in time through point cloud generation. “We’re able to use that point cloud file to bring it into a Revit platform, compare it to our modeling and check the accuracy of the work in place. It’s been extremely beneficial in projects prior to placing concrete.”
In addition to Lidar, drones scan the exterior of a building through every stage of construction. This process allows Calaway and his team to review progress remotely without being on-site.
Redbird is a shopping mall located in Dallas, Texas. It opened in 1975 and is the only major mall located in the southern half of Dallas. It enjoyed a period of tremendous prosperity in the initial opening period but as early as the mid-80s it declined. The area was perceived as a hub for crime. By the turn of the 21st century it was a bankrupt initiative.
Peter Brodsky purchased the development and launched an ambitious redevelopment project to turn the defunct Redbird into a sustainable mixed-use development that would reinfuse the area with capital and launch a triumphant return for the community: Reimagine Redbird.
There are numerous challenges at Redbird. As a redevelopment it is nearly impossible to accurately scope construction work, causing additional scope and scheduling throughout the project lifecycle. Active businesses work onsite, like Chime and Burlington. That means work needs to be scheduled around their business activities.
Reimagine Redbird is facilitated by a concert of organizations. VCC and Con-Real as a joint GC and construction management entity execute the development with OMNIPLAN as the architect, Peter Brodsky's group finances the operation, and the City of Dallas provides capital for infrastructure services. That means there are numerous stakeholders and close coordination is required to bring the grand vision to life.
It is a forward thinking development plan, not just a renovation of the mall but an overall repurposing of the development to better engage and serve the community. Peter Brodsky and his group are striving to bring tenants into the community to infuse it with capital, create jobs, high-quality amenities, and reverse the historical decline of the area.
Redbird has become a sustainable mixed-use development capable of generating corporate profits and supporting the community. It's been a tremendous job creator. Folks working on the project are local to the community, some old enough to remember when the mall opened in the 70s and 80s.
The businesses now installed there are creating numerous jobs. The only Starbucks for 208 square miles in South Dallas is located at Redbird, and it is in the top-3 highest grossing Starbucks in Dallas. A new Foot Locker, FootAction, and Champs have opened in the last few years. In 2018 the City of Dallas approved a $22M investment to support Redbird.
Working together as a community, Brodsky, VCC, Con-Real, OMNIPLAN, and the innumerable subcontractors and entities serving the community are overcoming the development challenges to drive innovative growth and lasting change.
Changing the behavior or mindsets of employees is one of the most challenging aspects of any workplace. That’s even more so in construction because a failure to change can lead to unsafe conditions and even injury. So, how can field safety leaders invoke change so that it sticks? VCC Safety Director Scott Anders shared his wisdom on the topic with host Tyler Kern on Deconstruction with VCC.
Anders set the conversation by describing behavior change. “In construction, accidents happen because of human behavior. So, I want to know what causes it. Behavior change occurs when workers do the safe and right things without having to think about it.”
What can drive a person to take a shortcut on a job? They may believe if they complete it faster, they’ll receive praise. However, if the result is injury, they cost the project time and money.
Changing mindsets is a process that happens over time, and the best way to support it is positively. “Finding fault in what the person did isn’t going to change it. Understanding why they thought it was okay to do it gets at the root of the problem, which you can address,” Anders explained.
While change is inevitable and usually for the best, the most significant challenge is making the change itself. “People do not like it. It’s a big hurdle, and the best approach is to be a positive influence on those I work with to take that big step,” Anders noted.
Construction job sites are full of hazards. That’s the nature of the industry; however, that doesn't mean that these risks are inevitable. Through task hazard analysis, construction leaders can be more proactive about safety and accident prevention. VCC Safety Director Scott Anders offers insights on this practice, who joined host Tyler Kern on Deconstruction with VCC.
First, Anders described the process. “Task hazard analysis is taking every task and breaking it down into steps. Then identifying the potential hazards in those steps and making plans to mitigate them before they happen.”
Since every task on a job site is inherently dangerous, there are no exceptions. Every task requires evaluation. Anders provided an example. “You may think a ground-level job of laying tile is simple, but there could be a crew two stories up working above you that could drop material on you. That’s a hazard.”
In analyzing the dangers of a task, safety leaders always consider the environment, which can change daily. “That’s why the analysis is done every day on the job site. And they’re fluid and can change throughout the day,” Anders noted.
One area of injury risk that also falls into this category is repetitive tasks. “Muscular skeletal injuries are common. The same motion all day every day require mitigation, which could be changing tools for a more comfortable grip or rotating positions,” Anders said.
A final point that Anders made is on who should complete the process. “Task hazard analysis should be completed by the people doing the work in the field. They’ll notice the hazards and observe the risk.”
In any project or initiative, those leading it set the tone. When expectations are unclear, or leadership doesn’t set them, failures can happen. And that’s not what anyone wants on a job site. Talking about good field safety leadership, Deconstruction with VCC host Tyler Kern spoke with the company’s Safety Director Scott Anders.
“Leadership needs to set expectations before any work even starts. Nothing is status quo because construction is inherently dangerous. Every conversation should include safety,” Anders shared.
Keeping safety top of mind requires communication, training, and reiteration. Without these things, safety may seem secondary to other aspects of the project. Unfortunately, that mindset can derail safety and cause failures in the field, which could have significant consequences.
For leaders managing projects, Anders counseled that safety has to remain a priority. “Leaders have to manage safety, production, and quality together. One cannot be put in front of another.”
Rhetoric on the job site should always include policies, procedures, and regulations. Besides verbal reminders, Anders also recommended investing in field safety training. “It should be a high priority. We expect that someone can do the job they were hired to do, but we need to always get all workers up to speed on safety topics.”
Such an investment in training isn’t just for the workers. Anders noted that leaders also need to refreshers on safety to continue to create a culture that places it at the forefront.
VCC Construction’s Taylor Marsalis, Director of Pre-construction, joined host Tyler Kern in the studio to dive into pre-construction processes. Everything from the pre-construction process to the various challenges and navigating current construction market conditions was up for discussion.
“Pre-construction is the events that take place up to the actual groundbreaking of the construction part of the project,” Marsalis explained. “There are a few different phases associated with pre-construction. It’s the design of your project, conceptual through construction documents and permitting. It’s going to be your budgeting phase for the project as well as your planning. So, scheduling, site logistics, phasing some of those other components that go with it.”
Pre-construction is a collaborative effort involving all parties of a project, and when done right, it’s a sure-fire way to guide a project to successful execution. The pre-construction process can help limit RFIs and other costly items that could emerge throughout the construction process.
Marsalis said budgeting is the currently a big challenge in the pre-construction process, with material costs fluctuating and uncertain. “As most people know right now, we’re in a pretty tough construction market when it comes to material availability, lead times, cost escalation, and inflation, so it’s trying to navigate the headwinds we have right now in terms of those areas.”
And it isn’t just material shortages and pricing fluctuations that impact the construction market; labor shortages continue to plague the industry. “A lot of our suppliers and their warehousing, they don’t have the labor to pump out the material, so that’s lengthened lead times, delayed projects, and caused a lot of project teams to shift their focus to different materials that are readily available,” Marsalis said.
How has the modern city center evolved from those of the past?
On this inaugural episode of Deconstruction, a VCC podcast, host Ben Thomas and Derek Alley, CEO of VCC, break down the modern city center and what it takes to plan, build and maintain it.
According to Alley, the term city center would have meant many different things in the past, depending on the decade you're discussing. There was a time when it strictly referred to civic centers.
“The transition from city center to multiple community centers is the best way to describe it,” Alley said. “As we’ve urbanized as a country--and world--as the population has gotten into more dense areas, you find yourself having to think of the city center as a community center.”
Today, developers and construction managers approach city centers from a public, private perspective and tailor experiences to the needs of their residents. The contemporary city center requires diverse points of connectivity for the community – apartments, retail, hospitality, entertainment, and civic spaces. But according to Alley, there isn’t any cookie-cutter approach or secret recipe for these developments.
“You can’t rinse and repeat, even though it’s what we’d like to do and wish we could do,” Alley said. Summarizing the reasons, he explained, “One is the nature of changing patron interest and demand. People are changing what they want a lot more quickly than in the past.”
VCC Construction’s Taylor Marsalis, Director of Pre-construction, joined host Tyler Kern in the studio to dive into pre-construction processes. Everything from the pre-construction process to the various challenges and navigating current construction market conditions was up for discussion.
“Pre-construction is the events that take place up to the actual groundbreaking of the construction part of the project,” Marsalis explained. “There are a few different phases associated with pre-construction. It’s the design of your project, conceptual through construction documents and permitting. It’s going to be your budgeting phase for the project as well as your planning. So, scheduling, site logistics, phasing some of those other components that go with it.”
Pre-construction is a collaborative effort involving all parties of a project, and when done right, it’s a sure-fire way to guide a project to successful execution. The pre-construction process can help limit RFIs and other costly items that could emerge throughout the construction process.
Marsalis said budgeting is the currently a big challenge in the pre-construction process, with material costs fluctuating and uncertain. “As most people know right now, we’re in a pretty tough construction market when it comes to material availability, lead times, cost escalation, and inflation, so it’s trying to navigate the headwinds we have right now in terms of those areas.”
And it isn’t just material shortages and pricing fluctuations that impact the construction market; labor shortages continue to plague the industry. “A lot of our suppliers and their warehousing, they don’t have the labor to pump out the material, so that’s lengthened lead times, delayed projects, and caused a lot of project teams to shift their focus to different materials that are readily available,” Marsalis said.
On this inaugural episode of the VCC Construction podcast, host Ben Thomas and first-ever guest VCC CEO Derek Alley broke down the modern city center, what it takes to plan, build and maintain them, and how they’ve evolved from those of the past.
VCC works on a variety of projects, including city centers. In the past, the term city center could’ve had a lot of different meanings, according to Alley. At one time, it probably meant something civic.
“The transition from a city center to multiple community centers is almost the best way to describe it,” Alley said. “As we’ve urbanized as a country and world, as the population has gotten into more dense areas, you find yourself having to think of it as a community center.”
When they’re thought of today, they’re approached from a public/private perspective and tailored to what the locals want to see. It comes down to having multiple connectivity aspects for the community – apartments, retail and civic. But, there isn’t any cookie-cutter approach to the modern city center.
“The reason is there is no cookie-cutter solution, and you can’t rinse and repeat, even though it’s what we’d like to do and wish we could do,” Alley said. “One is the nature of changing patron interest and demand. People are changing what they want a lot more quickly than in the past.”
Listen to the inaugural episode to hear more about contemporary urban centers.