There's a General Contractor in New Mexico who is running for Congress.
Dan East is owner-operator of Cone Construction Inc., in Albuquerque. Cone Construction is a general contracting firm that builds water and wastewater treatment facilities.
If there's anybody who can deal with mountains of red tape and bureaucratic paperwork, it's a GC. More power to him!
Here's a link to the story in the Los Alamos Monitor
http://www.lamonitor.com/cgi-bin/storyviewnew.cgi?075+News.200838-5133-075-075007.Full+News
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Territorial Design Wars
Sometimes in the masonry building design business, its hard to keep the character of the neighborhood and the historic preservationists happy at the same time. Some architects designing a government building remodel in Santa Fe are caught between a rock and a brick.
Here's the story from the Santa Fe New Mexican :
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/New-county-courthouse-Commissioners--Latest-design-lacking
Here's the story from the Santa Fe New Mexican :
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Local%20News/New-county-courthouse-Commissioners--Latest-design-lacking
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Masonry's Impact on History
Dating back to about 4,000 BC, the first masonry arch of sun-baked brick was constructed in the ancient city of Ur, located in what was then Mesopotamia.
One of the great engineering feats of all time was the stone masonry structure known as Stonehenge. Stretching the concept of “unit” masonry, Britain’s Stonehenge was constructed over 4,000 years ago of 80 bluestones weighing 4 tons each and dozens of giant sarsen stones weighing as much as 50 tons each. Modern studies suggest that at least 600 men were needed to transport just one giant stone from its source to the temple site.
The famous Great Wall of China is possibly the greatest example of masonry’s impact on history. Constructed around 210 BC, it stretched for 1,400 miles and contained 3,873,000,000 brick. Durable and resilient, brick was chosen as the building material for the structure that protected an entire civilization.
As civilization advanced and cities arose, the need for buildings increased. Many cities that built first with lumber learned early on about the tremendous costs of rebuilding. After the great fire of the late 1600s, London rebuilt with brick and stone. Chicago’s great fire also transformed it into a masonry city and strict building codes were enacted, some of which are still on the books today. Denver’s great fire of 1863 had a similar effect. Masonry ordinances requiring that all buildings within the city limits be built of fireproof materials, i.e., brick and stone, remained in place for nearly 80 years.
One of the great engineering feats of all time was the stone masonry structure known as Stonehenge. Stretching the concept of “unit” masonry, Britain’s Stonehenge was constructed over 4,000 years ago of 80 bluestones weighing 4 tons each and dozens of giant sarsen stones weighing as much as 50 tons each. Modern studies suggest that at least 600 men were needed to transport just one giant stone from its source to the temple site.
The famous Great Wall of China is possibly the greatest example of masonry’s impact on history. Constructed around 210 BC, it stretched for 1,400 miles and contained 3,873,000,000 brick. Durable and resilient, brick was chosen as the building material for the structure that protected an entire civilization.
As civilization advanced and cities arose, the need for buildings increased. Many cities that built first with lumber learned early on about the tremendous costs of rebuilding. After the great fire of the late 1600s, London rebuilt with brick and stone. Chicago’s great fire also transformed it into a masonry city and strict building codes were enacted, some of which are still on the books today. Denver’s great fire of 1863 had a similar effect. Masonry ordinances requiring that all buildings within the city limits be built of fireproof materials, i.e., brick and stone, remained in place for nearly 80 years.
Friday, March 7, 2008
National Women in Construction Week
This week has been National Women in Construction Week, and it has passed quietly. I did not see a single Hallmark or American Greetings card specifically made for women in the construction industry. Neither Flowers.com nor Lehers had commercials reminding men to send flowers to their wives, sisters and mothers who sling mud, weld or drive a backhoe for a living. There wasn't a single Whitman's candy or Enstroms ad about sending chocolate to your hard-hat wearing gal. Wonder why.
Here's info on the week:
http://www.nawic.org/nawic/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=27&SnID=1509167674
Here's info on the week:
http://www.nawic.org/nawic/NewsBot.asp?MODE=VIEW&ID=27&SnID=1509167674
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Q. My wall has a crack in it. Should I be concerned?
A. That depends on where the crack is, and how it has been behaving. Some cracks are caused by simple masonry expansion or shrinkage and are normally not a cause for alarm. Other cracks, such as over a door or window opening, could lead to instability and can be very serious. Contact a structural engineer to help you out - especially if you have noticed the crack getting wider recently. Find out the cause of the crack before attempting any repairs.
The type of repair the engineer chooses depends on if the crack is active or dormant . Active cracks open and close with regular cycles of temperature, loads, or foundation movement. Either cure the source of the movement and repoint the crack with mortar, or use a flexible crack filler such as sealant. You can also cut in a new movement joint at a convenient location, and then repoint the original crack. Dormant cracks that have not moved in several years are usually safe to grind out and repoint with mortar.
The type of repair the engineer chooses depends on if the crack is active or dormant . Active cracks open and close with regular cycles of temperature, loads, or foundation movement. Either cure the source of the movement and repoint the crack with mortar, or use a flexible crack filler such as sealant. You can also cut in a new movement joint at a convenient location, and then repoint the original crack. Dormant cracks that have not moved in several years are usually safe to grind out and repoint with mortar.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Keeping Terrorists Out, and Dealing With the Ones at Home
The immigration debate is far from over. The New York Times has weighed in, taking a hard look at the unsuccessful construction of border fences - primarily because the fence project was poorly researched and begun without effective planning. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/opinion/04tue1.html?th&emc=th
Meanwhile, terrorists at home are taking on builders who constructed homes using "Green Building Practices." Once of the best quotes in this article from the New York Times says it all "This is releasing more carbon into the air than they ever would have by building the houses,” Patti Smith, the listing agent for one house that burned to the ground, said of the fires. “That’s the tragic irony.” Here's the link to the entire article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/us/04homes.html?th&emc=th and a related story in the Rocky Mountain News regarding the legimacy of green building efforts http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/04/green-efforts-genuine-builders-say/
Meanwhile, terrorists at home are taking on builders who constructed homes using "Green Building Practices." Once of the best quotes in this article from the New York Times says it all "This is releasing more carbon into the air than they ever would have by building the houses,” Patti Smith, the listing agent for one house that burned to the ground, said of the fires. “That’s the tragic irony.” Here's the link to the entire article http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/us/04homes.html?th&emc=th and a related story in the Rocky Mountain News regarding the legimacy of green building efforts http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/04/green-efforts-genuine-builders-say/
Monday, March 3, 2008
Wanted: Rail Station Designer for DIA
Denver International Airport is looking for architects & developers to design its future light rail station. It makes sense that a light rail station at the main tourism and business portal to the city should be made of load-bearing masonry. Why? Because Denver has a strong history of masonry buildings, dating back to the laws put in place after the great fire in the 1800s. In addition to the city's history with masonry, think about the statement masonry makes - it is strong, permanent and beautiful. That's why banks, libraries, schools and government buildings are almost always masonry (as well as shopping centers, grocery stores, homes and safe apartment buildings).
A masonry rail station at DIA would make a statement to our city's visitors - we are strong and we are here to stay.
Here's a link to the Rocky Mountain News article about the search for a rail station designer: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/01/dia-looking-for-firms-to-design-rail-station/
A masonry rail station at DIA would make a statement to our city's visitors - we are strong and we are here to stay.
Here's a link to the Rocky Mountain News article about the search for a rail station designer: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/01/dia-looking-for-firms-to-design-rail-station/
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