In order for the construction industry to achieve real gains in productivity, new work habits and workflows must be adopted. Fortunately, new tools and technologies can help with this process.

Each day, the members of the team talk with one another to verify tasks for the day. Each week, the superintendent holds foreman’s meetings to gather and disseminate information to the field. Each month, the general contractor meets with the subcontractors and suppliers to verify approval and release of materials. A strong and productive project depends on this type of structure and diligent methodology.

By performing a few simple maintenance tasks, you can keep your refrigerator functioning efficiently throughout its expected lifespan – and maybe even longer.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 2009 American Housing Survey (AHS), most homes today have some type of refrigerator. These are available in a variety of sizes, styles, and types, big enough for a family of six or small enough for a single person. Whatever type you may have, one thing is certain: your must maintain your refrigerator. According to the Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components, prepared in 2007 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the average life expectancy of a standard refrigerator is 13 years. Keep it clean, perform simple maintenance tasks, and you’ll help your refrigerator to operate longer than expected.

Despite technological advances in weather forecasting, natural disasters are often unpredictable. Even when we do know a geological or meteorological disturbance is on its way, very often little can be done to protect existing homes from destruction, so TF Forming Systems is building in that protection from the ground up.

TF Forming Systems owner Steven Huff is in the process of building a large residential structure that will be able to withstand the toughest natural disasters, all while reducing dependence on oil, gas, and coal. TF Forming Systems manufactures and distributes a variety of insulated concrete forms (ICF). The Pensmore Chateau, a 72,000 sq. ft. structure located in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, is said to be able to withstand F5 tornadoes, in addition to earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fire, and insect damage. The chateau is located between Springfield and Branson, Mo., near the town of Joplin, which was devastated by F4 and F5 tornadoes in 2011.

Steven Holl Architects' design for a museum near the oceanfront in France is dedicated to the sport of surfing but also calls attention to issues affecting marine ecology.

Since opening in June of 2011, the Cité de l'Océan et du Surf Museum is quickly becoming an iconic tourist destination in Biarritz, France, due to its highly conceptual yet minimalist architecture, its integration with the coastal landscape, and its high-tech exhibits celebrating the leisure, science, and ecology of the ocean.

Welcome to the On Site channel’s Construction Administration Column. This column covers the question of adequate supervision for subcontractors on the job site. Here David A. Todd, P.E., CPESC, gives his opinion.

Columnist David A. Todd, P.E., CPESC, has 37 years of experience in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry and has performed much construction administration during that time. He will answer questions from our readers or from his own practice and will provide answers based on his understanding of the construction process and administration of the construction contract. The focus will be on the customary duties of the owner, contractor, and design professional as typically described in the contract documents.

A new academic facility by OMA supports Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) while bridging several historic campus buildings.

As if designing space for an architecture school weren’t a complicated enough feat, try maneuvering around four historic buildings. OMA’s New York office designed an extension to Cornell University’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning in Ithaca, New York, which officially opened last October. The modern yet reverent structure consolidates these previously separated programs and promotes interdisciplinary interaction within its open and flexible studios, critique spaces, plaza, and auditorium.

As energy savings and the conservation of resources increasingly drive decision-making for homebuilders, frost-protected shallow footings offer a good method for constructing slab-on-grade foundations.

As a builder constructing townhouses, commercial buildings, and the occasional slab-on-grade (SOG) house in frigid Nebraska, I always thought it silly to dig footings half as deep as a full basement when the point of SOG construction was to spend less on foundations. A basement seemed the better value, to me, given that only token cost savings came with a slab ... until one year, while attending the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders' Show, I heard a lecture on a new (at least for me) approach to constructing slabs in northern climates that did not require footings to extend below the frost line. I immediately perked up and listened closely; it sounded like a good cost-saving measure.

Installing solar panels is becoming more feasible as various financial incentives become available. Jeff Wilson breaks it down into hard numbers to give an idea of what’s really involved with "going solar."

When my family decided to streamline our energy use at home, we first tackled our efficiency problems with a Deep Energy Retrofit. This effort included air-sealing and insulating the building envelope and replacing all of the windows and doors. Once we had our house sealed up tight, we added an Energy Recovery Ventilator to keep indoor air fresh while keeping the energy we use to heat and cool that air inside the house, where it belongs. Only after we completely exhausted energy efficiency measures did we decide to have a 4-kW photovoltaic solar array installed.

Architecture in New York City draws upon the talents of many international designers, and an exhibition at the German Consulate General held in March celebrated the unique contributions of German architects practicing in New York.

On March 1 – March 23, 2012, the German Consulate General in New York featured an exhibition called Made in USA – German Architects in New York. The exhibition featured the work of seven architects from Germany who are now based in New York. When it comes to design culture, there is a is a long history of exchange and interrelationship between the United States and Germany, and, as a curatorial statement for the exhibition states, “it is within this historic trajectory that this exhibition wants to invite a fresh look on contemporary practice in New York City.”

A conversation between two Seattle women sparked action that is now changing the lives of hundreds of young women, as well as a country. Suzanne McGill and Shal Foster founded the Rwanda Girls Inititative and, in partnership with MulvannyG2 Architecture, built a school that is now in its second year of operation and is providing a replicable model for future educational development.

During a marathon training run in 2008, two longtime friends and moms from Seattle began talking about the high-quality educational opportunities available to their children simply because they were born in the United States. The conversation eventually led to a discussion about Africa, a continent where only 13% of young women achieve secondary education due to poverty, lack of opportunity, and obstacles such as household chores and safety concerns. Suzanne McGill and Shal Foster began to wonder: What can we do to make a difference and help to provide educational opportunities for these young African women?

STV Group renovates a 1907 transportation hub in Hoboken, New Jersey, and puts ferry service back in place after an almost 45-year hiatus.

For a century, railroads dominated trade and travel in the United States. Train station architecture developed along with the rail industry itself, and in the early 1900s, every major city was building an ornate hub to call its own. Perhaps the most iconic – and one of the most short-lived – stations was New York City’s Pennsylvania Station. Built in 1910, much of the original Beaux Arts structure, which covered almost 7 acres, was demolished in 1963 to make way for Madison Square Garden and the rest of Penn Plaza. The demolition of the above-ground elements of NYC's Penn Station galvanized preservationists to save many historic stations.

A world-class performing arts center harmonizes between town and gown, technology and energy-efficiency.

Located in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley, California State University’s Northridge campus (CSUN) is home to a new $125 million, 166,000-square-foot performing arts center. The Valley Performing Arts Center, certified LEED Gold, was designed by Minneapolis-based HGA Architects and Engineers, specialists in this facility type. The architects faced several challenges in creating a world-class center that incorporates advanced technologies without compromising energy efficiency and also redefines the campus edge while embracing the community.