Construction Writers Association Meeting Covers Digital Media, Mixed-Use High-Rise Development, Building Information Modeling, and Transportation Issues

December, 2007

(Buffalo Grove, IL) The Construction Writers Association CWA held its two-day 2007 Midyear Meeting in Chicago during October. The organization’s education session focused on digital media; attendees toured the construction site of Aqua, the 82-story tower at the Lakeshore East development; and the midyear meeting component included a review of construction of Aqua, discussion of building information modeling (BIM), and a presentation on issues for tollways.

Education Session

CWA’s “fundamentals of construction writing” session focused on digital media. Lead-off speaker Judy Schriener, an independent writer, discussed writing for the web. She was followed by Toni Antonetti of Public Relations Chicago, who covered new tools for writers, and Jeff Lind of Caterpillar Inc., who spoke about new digital techniques. The session wrapped up with a panel discussion of the intersection of digital ad print media. Featured were Stephen Carlson of StarLink Worldwide, Rod Sutton of Construction Equipment, and Jeff White of Two Rivers Marketing.

Rod Sutton speaking and panelists Judy Schriener, Stephen Carlson and Jeff White.Schriener said that 70 percent of people viewing a magazine’s website will not see the print version. The web features lots of items competing for attention. Watch young people, in their 20s, to see how the web is used, she advised. Write “light,” using short sentences and paragraphs, interesting headlines and graphics, and get your audience involved, she recommended.

Antonetti suggested a list of software sites (e.g., mindmap.com for brainstorming), demonstrated the use of Google’s collaborative tools, and noted that Microsoft is planning to compete with its “live workspace.”

Lind covered a lot of material in his presentation, mentioning RSS (real simple syndication), blogs and forums, cloud storage, webcasting, BitTorrent (peer to peer file sharing), and search optimization. He called Web 2.0 a macrotrend in which rich, collaborative content will be delivered in chunks, on demand and on the go. He noted that changes coming, or already here, include migration from English-only to multi-lingual, one-way to true dialogue, desktops and notebooks to Iphones, Encarta to Wikipedia, and commercials to permission marketing.

The panelists discussed the intersection of print and digital media. Carlson suggested that content is king – consider the shelf life of the content and put more perishable information on the web rather than in print; go beyond print with additional information; offering specs, case studies, Q&A forums, search, etc., online; and figure out where your customers are going for information to meet their needs.

White said that magazine reader service and lead services are going downhill; readers go to websites for additional information, so advertisers should include a web address in their ads. Material designed for print can also be added to websites as PDFs to reduce the amount of printing needed.

Sutton pointed out that a magazine’s website is still produced by journalists and the basics are the same. Know your audience, content, and media. Emphasize writing and headline writing. Be curious and creative. Innovations such as video, Flash, in-person events, and webcasts are worth exploring. He also noted that a site’s monthly newsletter sometimes breaks news three months before it is included in the print edition.

Tour

Tours are a unique feature of CWA meetings. Attendees toured the $4 billion Lakeshore East development, being developed on the largest available urban acreage in Chicago by Magellan Development Group LLC. When complete, this luxury village east of Michigan Avenue and immediately south of the Chicago River will include housing, retail, recreation, a hotel, and a school.

Midyear Meeting

CWA’s midyear meeting opened with a panel discussion featuring David Alexander of James McHugh Construction Co.; Jeanne Gang, AIA, of Studio Gang Architects; Ron Klemencic, president of Magnusson Klemencic Associates; and James Loewenberg, AIA, co-CEO of Magellan – the design and construction team involved with the Lakeshore East development.

The Aqua panel included James Loewenberg, Jeanne Gang, Ron Klemencic and Dave Alexander.Loewenberg reviewed the history of the development, which was originally planned in the early 1970s but abandoned for over 20 years. Interest renewed in the project after site prep costs were reduced, and the development will now feature Aqua, an 82-story mixed-use building on the 28-acre Lakeshore East site. Aqua will be Chicago’s first high-rise specifically created to comprise condominium, rental, hotel and retail spaces. Sitting at the location of the city’s founding, the project will give Chicago a new “front entrance.”

Gang, design architect, discussed the design of Aqua. Cantilevered balconies of different depths, I ncombination with blue=green glass, give the tower an undulating, fluid look. Gang also discussed how the building was designed and oriented in relationship to other buildings in the city to obtain expansive views from every window.

Structural engineer Klemencic and contractor Alexander explained the challenge of constructing a building of this type. The foundation features caissons going down 100 feet into bedrock. Special construction techniques such as using a cantilevered flying form were used to build the cantilevered slabs that make up the balconies. The balconies, which are essentially 284 bridges on the side of Aqua, were constantly checked during construction to ensure stability. In all, there are 9 miles of radius slabbed edges on the balconies. Ten thousand psi concrete was puddled around the support columns to help with load distribution. Portions of Aqua will be occupied before completion, which is expected in 2009.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is revolutionizing the building industry, and CWA’s panelists explained the features and benefits of this new technology. Alex Severino, territory manager AEC Solutions division with Autodesk, stated that the current applications for BIM are just the tip of the iceberg. BIM will improve the building process by creating coordinated, internally consistent and computable information about a building project throughout its design and construction.

Mark Woodburn, AIA LEED AP, with DMJM Design, added to the conversation by stating that BIM can be used to model for efficiencies, to incorporate ideas and design changes at an early stage, to locate and correct design flaws, to reduce the amount of project waste, and model maintenance scenarios. He noted that BIM is particularly helpful with sustainable design.

John Moebus, AIA, director of construction with Crate & Barrel, discussed BIM from an owner’s perspective. Crate & Barrel is unique because none of its stores are the same. With a 32- to 40-week time-frame for construction and costs running $400-$500 a square foot, BIM has become an effective tool to visualize the project, control costs, determine any MEP clashes before they occur, and help maintain the facility after it is completed.

Brian McPartlin, executive director with the Illinois Tollway Commission, was the final speaker discussed Illinois’ 274-mile system and four tollways that have been undergoing re-construction to relieve congestion and to convert to an electronic toll collection system. The Illinois Tollway uses no state money and relies on tolls as its sole source of revenue, and electronic toll collection has made the system much more efficient. McPartlin also discussed congestion pricing proposals – commercial vehicles pay less for off-peak travel, for example – that also offer relief to the 10 million people who travel this busy corridor.

The Construction Writers Association was founded in 1958 and will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2008. CWA is a non-profit, non-partisan, international organization for professional journalists, writers, editors, photographers, marketers and publicists serving the information needs of the construction industry. In addition to its journalism, photography, marketing communications and website/electronic communications awards programs, CWA provides educational meetings and networking opportunities for its members. For more information, visit the Construction Writers Association website at www.constructionwriters.org.

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