AEC Pros

The traditional concept of “preventive maintenance” applies to maintenance on a piece of machinery based on its quantifiable use, or the passage of a set amount of time.  A good common example of preventive maintenance is changing the engine oil in your car every 3,000 miles or 3 months, as many automobile owners’ manuals may suggest.  “Predictive maintenance” is an attempt to refine maintenance activities to only those times when they are functionally necessary, based on data collection, analysis, and (negative) trend determination from an established “healthy” base level.

There are many things an exterior wall should do.  Among the most significant performance requirements is environmental separation; "it needs to keep the outside out and the inside in," according to Joseph Lstiburek, Ph.D., P.Eng. It also must be safe and structurally sound, and it has to look good. Structural engineers do a good job of keeping structures from falling down.  Building codes do a good job of ensuring that buildings are safe.  Architects do a good job of making buildings look good.  Where we most often fail is in the environmental separation.

The tables have turned as owners are coming to architects requesting a LEED Certified building, reports Bruce S. Fowle, FAIA and LEED AP of FX FOWLE. Furthermore, “According to FMI Management Consultant’s 2008 U.S. Construction Overview, construction industry stakeholders are increasingly recognizing green building capabilities as "good" — and as a necessary part of a firm's best practices. Green building is no longer a niche sector,” reports HGTV in their News Trends article Construction Industry: Green Building is Good.

(As previously published in Modern Contractor Solutions.) Pervious pavement is a green, sustainable strategy that can assist in lowering stormwater runoff, naturally decreasing automobile pollutants, recharging the water table supply and moderating the heat island effect. Similar to other complex construction systems, in order for the sustainable pavement to perform as it was designed, it needs to be installed with precision and maintained with diligence. To drain water effectively on any given site, different geographical areas require special adjustments to the technology as well.

This is the second article in our series on U.S. infrastructure, following the introductory article. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) assigned the United States’ AVIATION infrastructure a grade of “D” on their 2009 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.

Eco-friendly inventions now enable elevators to operate with much less energy, use less building square footage by eliminating traditional elevator utility rooms, and incorporate eco-sensitive finish materials. Likewise, green strategies for eco-modernizations are also available to renovate traditional elevators. Yet beyond new green technologies and renovations, an elevator itself is an important green tool.

To maintain a project's schedule, productivity, and ultimately, profitability, it is imperative that the job foreman and the office project manager and/or estimator are aware of weather and site conditions.  During this time of the year, material delivery becomes an extremely important part of maintaining project schedules and minimizing surprises.

Specifiers tend to create their products based on what manufacturers tell them.  This is not a bad idea; after all, no one has the time to research all the products used on site.  Manufacturers will indicate that their materials need to be pre-conditioned to the interior temperature for a period of time, usually 24 hours prior to installation.  The standard temperature is typically between 55 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) offer many advantages to a broad group of facilities stakeholders at commercial, industrial, medical, and educational institutions throughout the United States.