The Official Newsletter of The Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter CSI                    May 2012

  2012 CHAPTER AWARDS BANQUET

Jax Café

1928 University Ave NE

Minneapolis, MN

The Annual Awards Banquet is the Chapter’s premier program celebrating the year’s accomplishments by recognizing chapter members, firms, and construction industry members that have contributed so much to the development of our chapter, its members, and our local construction community.

The 2012 Chapter Awards program will be presented in Jax’s Cosmopolitan Room with social reception and dining.

Schedule:

6:00 – 6:45 PM Social Hour and Cash Bar

6:45 – 8:00 PM Gourmet Dinner 

Atlantic Salmon with Fresh Vegetables and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Wild Mushroom Ravioli in Gorgonzola Cream Sauce (vegetarian)

    Slow Roasted Prime Rib Au Jus with Horseradish Sauce and Baked Potato

8:00 – 9:00 PM Awards Program

                                    Jennifer D. Seidenfeld, CSI, CDT and Matt Strand, CSI, CDT

9:00 – 10:00 PM           

Dessert & Coffee Buffet, and Cash Bar

All CSI members and their Guests are invited to attend for a $25 per person charge.

Use Chapter Meeting Online Registration: www.csi-msp.org

Award Recipients may attend without charge by

Contact Sharon Noble at snoble@intrinxec.com  or 952.564.3044

with your name(s), company, email address and dinner choice(s)

 Attire: Business Formal (Black Tie Optional)

Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter CSI 2012 Awards

 Presented by

Chapter Awards Committee

Jennifer Seidenfeld, CSI, CDT, Chairman

Matt Strand, CSI, CDT

Jerry A. Putnam, FCSI, CCS, RA

Philip J. Leonard, CSI, CCPR, Board Liaison

The Chapter wishes to congratulate the following for their accomplishments and their dedication to CSI, the Chapter, and the local construction community:

President’s Certificates

Certificates awarded at the discretion of the Chapter President.

To be announced at the Awards Banquet

By

Chapter President, Joseph J. Sporrer, CSI, CCS, AIA

John C. Anderson Award of Excellence

The John C. Anderson Award of Excellence is the Chapter’s highest and most prestigious award. It is bestowed upon a Chapter member whose contributions to the Institute, Region, and Chapter set the standards of service and dedication for others to emulate.  This Award recognizes contributions to CSI, particularly at the Institute level, for an extended period of time.

Doug C. Lingren, CSI, CCS, AIA

Audrey M. Brucker Courage Award

The Audrey M. Brucker Courage Award is awarded to a Chapter member who has demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of personal challenges, while maintaining a commitment to CSI, the construction industry, and our community.

Nancy A. Gulliford, CSI

Joseph J. Sporrer, CSI, CCS, AIA

Peter A. Norum Continuous Service Award

The Peter A. Norum Continuous Service Award is given to a Chapter member for five or more years’ of significant, continuous service to the Chapter.  Such service may be in one, or more areas of activity.  Chapter activities include, but are not limited to, committee participation, administrative responsibilities relating to Chapter business, volunteer assignments, meeting attendance, and conducting educational or technical programs.

R. Allen A. Hoglund, CSI, CDT, AIA

Philip J. Leonard, CSI, CCPR

GEM (Genuinely Enthusiastic Member) Award

The GEM Award is given to a new Chapter member who has shown exemplary enthusiasm through service to the Chapter.

Peter Sukki Kim, CSI, RA, LEED AP

John M. Maternoski, CSI-S

Principal’s Award

The Principal’s Award is presented to firms for their enthusiastic support of the Chapter and its goals and principles. This endorsement is evidenced by the firm’s generous commitment of its personnel, time, services, or facilities.

Inspec

Sherwin-Williams

Craftsmanship Award

The Craftsmanship Award recognizes a practicing trades-person for excellence in exercising its construction trade or skill. This Award honors a noteworthy installation of a building component or system of unusual complexity or sophistication.

Sheet Metal Union (Local 10)

Certificate of Appreciation

Certificates of Appreciation are conferred upon individuals who have rendered distinguished service to the Chapter in the advancement of its mission or its administration. 

Andy C. Garner III, CSI, CDT

Ryan Hallesy, CSI,

Jon Rao Papke, CSI, CCS, AIA

John Maternoski, CSI-S

Dave Rasmussen, CSI

Education Certificate

The Education Certificate acknowledges an individual who has made a significant contribution to Chapter, Region, or Institute education programs.

Sarah B. Atkins, CSI, CCPR

Lisa Britton, CSI, CCPR, LEED BD+C

Cynthia Long, CSI, CDT

Jon Rao Papke, CSI, CCS, AIA

Larry A. Prinds, CSI, CCS, AIA

Dave Rasmussen, CSI

Joseph J. Sporrer, CSI, CCS, AIA

Joel Springer, CSI, CCA, LEED AP

Publication Certificate

The Publication Certificate is given to an individual who has contributed six (6) or more articles to Specifics, excluding the President’s message.

Larry D. Nichols, CSI, AIA

Terry M. Olsen, CSI, AIA, LEED AP

Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA

Technical Certificate

The Technical Certificate is presented to a Chapter member who has made a notable contribution to the advancement of construction technology.

Keith Pashina, PE, CSI

Service Award

Presented to the members of the Chapter Board that have completed their term on the Board.

Joel E. Meyer, CSI, CCPR - Immediate Past President

Bill Enright, CSI, CDT

Mike Buchner, CSI, CDT

Joel Meyer, CSI, CCPR

Philip J. Leonard, CSI, CCPR 

Chapter’s President Award

Presented by the chapter to the outgoing Chapter President.

Joseph J. Sporrer, CSI, CCS, AIA

Come and Enjoy A Great Evening to Celebrate and Congratulate our Members Accomplishments!!

SAVE THIS JUNE DATE

 JUNE 4, 2012

CSI GOLF OUTING

Phalen Golf Course

 1615 E. Phalen Drive

St. Paul, MN  55106

Click here for More Information on Sponsorships and Registration

     From The President............

Several of our Chapter colleagues and friends (18 to be exact) have just returned from 3 days at the North Central Region (NCR) Conference in Omaha, NE.  The basic concept of the conference is to connect with other chapter, region, and institute members to discuss new leadership ideas, hold continuing education seminars, connect with local and national product representatives, award those who have provided service to the region, and have some fun attending tours and social events.  The Nebraska Chapter was the host chapter this year.  They organized a terrific event.  In conjunction with the NCR Conference was the Institute’s President-Elect Conference (PEC) which is training for the incoming chapter president-elects.  Mike Buchner, CSI, CDT attended as he will be president-elect during the next fiscal year 2012-2013.

After attending several of these types of conferences, one can begin to understand the necessary planning that is required for its execution, who might be involved with the planning, and how the planning and implementation work is accomplished.  If the planning and implementation work is done well, then the conference can be a great success.  This was the case with the last 3 that I attended in Green Bay, WI, Branson, MO, and Omaha, NE.  They were each wildly successful in their own right.  I have heard anecdotal information from other Chapter members about the success of other past NCR conferences. 

The conference is rotated annually among the chapters within the region, and it is our chapter’s turn once again to shine.  Our planning committee was organized last fall and is currently chaired by Gary Patrick, CSI, AIA, RRA.  We have also established a few subcommittees that have finalized the venue and created the theme of our conference.  The Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter will be hosting the 2013 NCR, May 16 – 18, 2013 at “The Depot”, the hotel at the Historic Milwaukee Road Depot in downtown Minneapolis.  The theme for the conference is “The Tracks of Construction” using the historic railroad motif of The Depot as a thematic starting point.  The CSI leadership seminars will be one track of education, continuing education seminars will be a second track, and the PEC will be the third track.  We are also considering giving various railroad names to other events throughout the conference.  Since the conference usually has a product exhibition, our chapter’s annual Construction Showcase will be incorporated into this conference.

Our theme was presented at the NCR conference in Omaha via a little skit performed by the attending MSP members.  A huge THANK YOU to Jennifer Seidenfeld, CSI, CDT for developing, writing, and directing the skit.

To implement such a conference, there are many tasks that need to be performed.  For example, establish sponsorship programs and find sponsors, schedule educational seminars, coordinate food, contract shuttle or bus services to off-site events, plan spousal outings, coordinate the product exhibitors, monitor conference and hotel registrations, supervise the budget, create advertisements, etc., etc., etc.  We would like to have as many volunteers as possible.  If you want to participate, we would love to have you join the team.  The idea is to have enough volunteers so that each person is performing a small task and not overwhelmed by a huge effort.  Here is your opportunity to get to work with your fellow CSI-MSP chapter members, get to know some region leaders, and meet members from other chapters.  The-more-the-merrier!

Along with the action side of planning a conference, there is the financial side.  This is an important aspect of any conference.  Conferences like this cannot occur unless there are sufficient funds.  Along with the fees that attendees pay to come to the conference, there are usually a number of sponsors at various levels.  The NCR planning committee will be soliciting for sponsorships.

If you are interested in helping to plan the conference or if you would like to sponsor some aspect of the conference, please contact Gary Patrick at gpatrick@inspec.com or me.

To all the CSI members who continue to perform the Chapter’s, Region’s, and Institute’s work and promote CSI….THANK YOU.

Joseph Sporrer, CSI, CCS, AIA

Chapter President, 2011 – 2012

josephsporrer@visi.com

Looking Back to Look Forward

Renovating Orchestra Hall and Redesigning Peavey Plaza

Reported by Terry Olsen

April 9, 2012 three speakers took us from 1974 to 2013 in downtown Minneapolis in a flash of a few screens.  Owner’s representative John Tietz, of Nelson Tietz Hoye tag-teamed with Joanna Slominski of Mortenson Construction and Tadd Kreun of Oslund & Associates to discuss the upcoming modifications to Orchestra Hall and Peavey Plaza.  Although there are national and international players in this pit, this evening’s presentation represents local talent. 

Changes are in the Air

Orchestra Hall is well-respected for its acoustics worldwide.  Its cubes are iconic elements for Orchestra Hall, so the remodel is doing very little to affect the interior of the Hall.  To add a cross aisle and improve accessibility (and maybe knee room?), the seating will be reduced to 2,000.  The stage floor will be replaced with wood, so it may not be salmon anymore.

However, the lobby has long been undersized and underserved the patrons, with a reception area accommodating 800 visitors to a 2,400 seat auditorium.  And we won’t even go into the toilet rooms (seriously.  You can either get a drink or relieve a drink during intermission, but there isn’t enough time and capacity to do both).  This was designed prior to the current plumbing fixture code, which addresses assembly occupancies and the difference in duration for genders (potty parity, anyone?). 

Goal: Improving the Patron Experience 

An addition of 11,000 SF space will be provided on the first floor for the lobby to wrap the Hall.  It will also extend into the Peavey Plaza redesign for an exterior extension of the social area (a sitting room called the “City Room”).  The lobby will extend 2 bays out and will add two new stair towers and a reversible escalator to the first floor (it will take people down when they arrive and be switched to run up after the performance).  Not so ironically for those of us who’ve mastered the Human Habitrail called the Skyway System, the majority of the patrons arrive on the second level from the convenient parking garage. 

Other visitors also have arrival needs, such as the school buses that consume blocks on school presentation days.  The new drop off zone will slide closer to 11^th and Nicollet Mall. 

A Bit of History

With an irregular property line, the original Orchestra Hall was constructed in 1974 at a tune of $17 million.  After waiting almost 40 years, the “finishing” of the lobby will now run $40 million for the addition.  The last performance for Orchestra Hall will be June 15, and construction starts June 18 (so get your tickets now for a farewell tour). 

Peavey Plaza was not much more than a hole in the ground in 1974, but became a beloved outdoor community space that is now in need of a facelift.  Looking tired, this active space has infrastructure problems, such as three 1950’s era pumps to circulate the water (whose parts cannot be replaced, two of which have not worked for years and one which has been ‘MacGyver’ed’). The recirculated water is not chlorinated or filtered, is green and smells.  Forty years of water has eroded the concrete to expose the aggregate, turned the white precast concrete red, and the “bronze” columns on the corner of Nicollet and 12^th are actually stainless steel converted in an iron-rich bath.  In addition, the plaza does not meet accessibility requirements or the power and water requirements for savory food vendors and provides hiding places for unsavory activities. 

The Construction Performance

In 2008 the Orchestra Hall Owner’s representative got on board.  Then the design team was selected.  The selection committee looked into architects, including Vincent James, Snohetta, and a few others before selecting KPMB out of Toronto.  Dunham is the mechanical engineer and MBJ is the structural engineer.  Westwood did the survey work.  Design is largely complete, but not everything has been determined, such as which limestone to select, from Winona, Mankato, or Alabama (let’s think regional Minnesota materials!).  The curtainwall will be supplied by Empirehouse.

In the Summer of 2009 Mortenson was selected.  The construction team will have a hopefully-not-unlucky 13 months to complete this transformation.  During this season, the Orchestra will play in the Convention Center, seating 2,500.  Upcoming construction challenges include a major expansion along Marquette tight to the lot line, the addition of sprinkler heads in the angled cubes of the performance Hall, improving energy efficiency with a new curtainwall, drilling 29 new piers 56’ down to bedrock, resolving an underground steam line disconnection and connection serving other buildings, adding a smoke exhaust to the atrium, tying into 15-diffferent floor levels with exiting out to the sunken Peavey Plaza and coordinating the sequence of the entire dance.  One tool being used is a laser scan (sound familiar?) of the existing Orchestra Hall to model the existing space, as no as-built drawings are available.   Another tool is the software team of REVIT and P6 for a 4-D animation of 3-D construction phases over time sequences. 

All this occurs while Peavey Plaza is also torn up, meaning staging space will be premium seating.  The plaza will become physically and visually accessible, which is critical for clientele who often include the elderly.  The layout will honor the original design, yet update the space to a 21^st century signature park with reduced maintenance concerns, increased programmed activities and trees.  But mostly it will integrate with the Orchestra Hall to accommodate the flow of visitors between the two. 

And In the End

The finale is that Orchestra Hall is getting what they hoped for, including even a 3,200 square foot bonus room for corporate events and a spillover outdoor living room to enjoy the sound of music in an outdoor setting as well.  The experience will be well worth the price of admission.

     New Member

        Spotlight                                   

Seth Gilbert has more than 14 years of experience as a cost estimating professional, and he has worked at AMEC for 5 years.  As a cost analyst, he has prepared estimates for a wide variety of construction projects ranging from commercial interior remodels to industrial processing plants.  He has also developed specific cost databases for use with these types of projects.

Mr. Gilbert has a broad understanding of labor wages and material rates, both domestically and internationally.  He also has knowledge of industry-specific estimating tools including R.S. Means, Timberline, and U.S. Cost estimating software.

Most recently, Mr. Gilbert has participated in numerous energy audits for the United States Air Force.  Portions of the work included on-site building analysis and assessment, as well as developing cost estimates for energy conservation opportunities which were an end result of the on-site building analyses and assessments.

One of the larger projects that Mr. Gilbert recently completed was a demolition closure feasibility study for a large copper mine in northern Ontario, Canada. 

Mr. Gilbert was not only tasked with estimating responsibilities, he was also asked to interview and pre-qualify interested demolition contractors, produce bid packages, review contractor bids, and act as an on-site liaison between the owner and the demolition contractor during the demolition phase of the project.

Other recent projects have included studies to decentralize heat plants, waste to energy feasibility studies, and ground source heat pump feasibility studies.

Seth and his wife Gina live in Edina with their two girls, ages 12 and 9.  He is a volunteer coach for youth basketball, and is looking forward to broadening his coaching knowledge to include youth Lacrosse this summer.

Seth A. Gilbert

Senior Cost Analyst

AMEC

Environment & Infrastructure

612.252.3685

Seth.gilbert@amec.com

CSI and CSC Release MasterFormat® 2012

Updates include 76 new numbers/titles to address new types of finishes, an expanded utilities division and more.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (April 9, 2012) – The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Construction Specifications Canada (CSC) today announced the 2012 updates to MasterFormat®, their flagship product used to organize construction documents for commercial, industrial and institutional building projects in the United States and Canada.

CSI and CSC added 76 new numbers/titles, changed 18 of the existing numbers/titles and deleted three that duplicated other existing numbers/titles. 

“After reviewing the latest changes to MasterFormat proposed by its users, CSI and CSC experts made a number of updates, making it even easier to organize project manuals, or store and retrieve project information,” said CSI Executive Director and CEO Walter Marlowe, P.E., CSI, CAE. 

“These changes further refine MasterFormat, ensuring that this standard filing system reflects the evolving needs of the industry and facilitates effective communication between project team members,” said CSC President Bruce J. Gillham, CTR, CCCA.

One of the most significant updates to MasterFormat involves the addition of numerous titles in Division 33 – Utilities. The additions expand coverage of sanitary sewerage and septic systems work:  

• Utility Drainage Field (33 36 33) is now Utility Septic Tank Drainage Field (33 36 33), with Utility Septic Tank Tile Drainage Field (33 36 33.13) and Utility Septic Tank Shallow Pressurized Dispersal System (33 36 19.16) added as “children” under it. 
• Sanitary Sewerage Lagoons (33 47 23) is now Treatment Lagoons (33 38 00), with the following “children” added: Municipal Wastewater Treatment Lagoons (33 38 13), Industrial Waste Lagoons (33 38 16), Agricultural Waste Lagoons (33 38 23) and Residential Sewerage Lagoons (33 38 26). 
• A number of new titles address septic tanks, filters and pumps.

Among the other refinements, CSI and CSC:

• Added three new titles to Division 09 – Finishes: Concrete Staining (09 61 19), Interior Wall Paneling (09 78 00) and Metal Interior Wall Paneling (09 78 13). 
• Amended Theater and Stage Equipment (11 61 00) to Broadcast, Theater and Stage Equipment, and added titles to address Lighting Rigging Systems (11 61 33.11), Scenery Rigging Systems (11 61 33.16) and Curtain Systems (11 61 33.19). 
• Expanded Operation and Maintenance of Plumbing Piping and Pumps (22 01 10) to include Video Piping Instructions (22 01 10.16), Plumbing Piping Cleaning (22 01 10.51), Plumbing Piping Repairs (22 01 10.61) and Plumbing Piping Relining (22 01 10.62).

The MasterFormat Maintenance Task Team conducts the annual revision cycle process. The team is a committee of volunteers appointed by CSI, CSC and MasterFormat stakeholders ARCAT, ARCOM, Building Systems Design, Inc., Specification Consultants in Independent Practice (SCIP), Digicon and Canadian National Master Specifications (NMS).

The task team’s next annual meeting will take place in August, and results from that meeting are expected to be announced in early 2013.

MasterFormat is a master list of numbers and titles classified by work results or construction practices, used to organize project manuals, detail cost information and relate drawing notations to specifications. By fostering fuller and more detailed construction specifications, MasterFormat is designed to reduce costly changes and delays in projects due to incomplete, misplaced or missing information. For more information on the 2012 updates, please visit www.masterformat.com. 

It seems a few readers were a bit put off by the first article in this series, What happened to the Master Builder? Some of my questions may be uncomfortable, but they must be asked. While architects remain leaders of the design team, much of what they did in the past is now done by others, and their importance will continue to decrease unless architects do something to reverse the trend.

Certainly, a well-trained, experienced architect will bring much to any type of construction project. On the other hand, I'm sure you are aware of buildings that were poorly designed, even though an architect was in charge. Architects are generalists, trained to seek optimum relationships and dimensions of spaces to meet the requirements of the owner's program, at the same instilling beauty, from the overall form to the smallest detail. And that, I will argue, is one heck of a job description; it presents a challenge that is virtually impossible to meet. Practical requirements often force the architect to make decisions based on incomplete information, and make it impossible to work out every detail.

Back to the subject; what have architects given up? Yes, some architects provide some of the services below, and some do better than others, but overall, these services would not have been taken over by others had architects not let them go. Why are architects not fighting to keep these services? Perhaps they are not comfortable accepting the associated risk.

Estimating

One of the owner's most important concerns is the budget, and the owner relies on the architect to come up with a design that can be built with the available funds. Shouldn't an architect know enough about costs to design a building that is within the owner's budget? Unfortunately, many design professionals have little knowledge of construction costs, and owners find that bids vary substantially from estimates. Independent estimating firms now offer their services to owners and architects alike. I have worked on projects that required the architect to provide estimates, which then were verified by other estimators. To me, that suggests lack of faith in the architect.

Complete Design

Architects should know in advance that the completed building and all of its systems will satisfy all of the owner's needs. Architects spend a great deal of time working on space planning and circulation, but the physical space of a building is only part of the total design. The building also must provide a suitable environment for its occupants; systems should be easily operated and maintained; finishes should be durable, easily maintained, and easily replaceable; and the energy consumption should be within limits established in the program.

The architect who concentrates only on spatial and aesthetic qualities, paying little attention to building systems, is not doing the job. The new buildings may look nice, and they may win awards for the architect, but often they don't work as expected. The building envelope leaks, operating costs are too high, mechanical systems are noisy and hard to balance, lights are needlessly bright in some areas but inadequate in others. It's easy to blame the consultants, but the architect is ultimately responsible.

The consequences of the lack of complete design are evident in the demand for commissioning. A separate professional is now called on to analyze building systems, project operating costs, and verify correct operation of those building systems before the owner accepts the building as complete.

Site Services

Architects do not bear complete responsibility for the problems that plague construction projects. Owners want the most bang for their bucks, and they may make poor decisions, sacrificing long-term considerations for lower initial cost. They often encourage architects to cut fees and services in a bidding war, resulting in less time for design, reduced quality control, and less time at the site. A lot can go wrong in a few days, and many problems are concealed by following work. Poor connections, lack of concealed supports, improper materials, and a host of other defective work may go unnoticed for years.

Saving the cost of site observation is false economy, and design professionals should not quickly give up this unique opportunity to make sure that their own interests, as well as those of the owner, are protected. The funny thing is that many owners now hire independent representatives and testing agencies to oversee their projects, possibly paying more than they would if that work were done by the architect. As architects have given up this basic service, others have taken the opportunity to fill the void.

Construction Management

Architects aren't the only ones who have given up some of their traditional duties. Construction managers have done an excellent job of carving out their own niche, taking over the juicy parts of the architect and the contractor, while leaving the architect and contractor responsible for whatever goes wrong.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with construction management. With CM, owners can benefit from early involvement of someone with knowledge of construction processes, costs of systems and products, and current market conditions - not, in most cases, the architect. However, owners can be fooled when the CM gets a percentage of money "saved" by changes made during construction. "Hmmm, if I come up with high estimates early on, then choose contractors with the lowest bids…"

These are some of the things architects choose not to do. Next month, we'll look at changes in the general conditions that have reduced the architect's responsibilities, at the same time increasing the importance of the contractor.

© 2012, Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, CSC

Follow me at http://swconstructivethoughts.blogspot.com/, http://specificthoughts.blogspot.com/,
http://twitter.com/swolfearch

By Joel Meyer, CSI, CCPR

Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter CSI, Region Director

On Thursday, April 19th, fifteen of your fellow chapter members convened at the Courtyard Renaissance in the "Old Town" area of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska for the North Central Region’s Annual Conference.     It was a drizzly-rainy, windy and cold day so the old expression, a "Cold Omaha" certainly held true. 

The conference began with a Thursday night Welcome Reception with attendees from sixteen of the region’s chapters, boarded excursion busses for a thirty mile ride to the Strategic Air Command's Air and Space Museum.   In front of the museum were two retired missiles from the space program.  In the entry pavilion, the famed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane was pointed right at you.  Quite dramatic!  On the Museum’s lower level, a private reception was held so attendees could re-connect with acquaintances from other chapters.   Eventually, many gravitated to the large hangar where vintage military aircraft from WWII and later were on exhibit.  It was quite impressive as one of the planes on display; the little known B-36 dwarfed a B-52.

Friday morning, a welcome from the president of the Nebraska hosting chapter kicked off a day of seminars on Chapter Development, Professional Development and President Elect Training.  Some of these seminars were presented by our own members, including Jennifer Seidenfeld, Alana Griffith, "Grif" Griffith and Jerry Putnam.  All day Friday nearly forty product representatives had products on display. The Product Representative’s involvement helped fund much of the Conference so their participation was very much appreciated.   During the mid-day luncheon, an interesting presentation was made by a principal from the DLR Group about the evolution of baseball parks to what we know today.  And a sizeable group of spouses were busy on various tours.

Saturday morning was a continuation of the preceding day's seminars, except that the President-Elect training was completed on Friday and an additional track for Chapter Development was added to take its place.  On Saturday afternoon, our chapter leaders put on a presentation to promote the Region’s conference for 2013, which will be hosted by the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter CSI.   As we will be holding the conference at the former Milwaukee Railroad Depot in Minneapolis, our promotional logo and skit had an interesting railroad theme, compete with steam engine sounding whistles, for a souvenir item.  The Saturday Conference continued with a general Region meeting followed by a Region Board meeting, where anew Vice President and Secretary for the Region were elected. 

The Conference concluded Saturday evening with the Annual Region Awards Program. Attendees and were shuttled to Henry Doorly Zoo where we had a behind-the-scene tour of the Zoo’s new aquarium, followed by dinner, a Regional awards presentation, and entertainment by a magician with a comedic twist.   All attendees agreed that this was a regional conference where the hosting Nebraska Chapter hit a "home run” with their baseball themed program.  

Modern Building Myths

by Keith Pashina, P.E. and Dan Poppler, P.E.

Renovation of buildings requires a thorough investigation for the causes and extent of defects, and understanding their effect on the service life of the building.  When browsing through old records, talking to people with knowledge of the building history, and poking around the structure, we sometimes see and hear some unusual things.  There are certain problems that recur, and certain explanations offered, that do not have to be.  We call these problems “Modern Building Myths”. 

Myth #1: Concrete Always Cracks

It has been said countless times as an explanation “concrete always cracks, and that’s just its nature”.  Actually, concrete cracking is usually predicable, and occurs when parts of the design or construction are overlooked.  Concrete is a rather complex mixture of materials that loses some of its original water from evaporation, resulting in volumetric reduction – shrinkage.  The amount of shrinkage can be calculated, and often is related to the design of the member, the concrete mix used, and the construction practices used.  If concrete members are properly designed, proper concrete materials are selected for the job, and good construction and curing practices are followed, cracks can be controlled.

Myth #2:  Caulking has a Lifetime Warranty

Some sealant products have been offered with statements to the effect that the sealant has a lifetime warranty, but what does that mean?  If you go to a hardware store, you can find all kinds of sealants on the shelf that offer a “25 or 50 year life”, but does that really apply to a building exterior?  Joint sealants on the outside wall of a building are subjected to many forces that eventually cause them to fail, including sun exposure, temperature extremes, and general aging.  Eventually, the sealant loses its flexibility, and will start to split or pull away from the wall.  As a rule of thumb, a higher quality exterior wall sealant will last about 10 years before failures start to become common and more widespread. 

Myth #3:  The Building Components are Maintenance Free

Some exterior building systems are offered as being “maintenance free.”  But what does this really mean?  If you have a new cladding material on a wall, do you have to plan for any future repairs?  The phrase “maintenance free” is a misleading at best, a more appropriate term would be “minimal maintenance.”

All building components require some regular maintenance, perhaps something as simple as annual inspections, regular cleaning, or periodic “touchup” of worn or damaged areas.  Buildings are built by people using materials manufactured by people, so mistakes will inevitably occur.  Consider this example:  The exterior sealant on a modern 5-story office building might have 30,000 lineal feet of caulking in the exterior walls (almost 6 miles of caulking).  If the workers and product manufacturer installed the joints perfectly 99% of the time, there would still be over 300 lineal feet of failed caulk joints. 

Myth #4:  This Design Worked in Texas, Why Shouldn’t It Work Here?

Some office buildings may have beautiful landscaped plazas, covered with special decorative concrete, stone and metal materials.  After a few years, the concrete starts to crumble, the stones stain and start shifting around, and the metals rust and corrode.  The upper Midwest has a climate that is tough on many building materials, the biggest factor being our renowned winters.

The upper Midwest can get many extremes of freezing and thawing, sometimes combined with lots of moisture in rain and snow.  Some areas are also doused in road salt, too.  These factors just aren’t typically encountered in many of the more temperate southern and coastal regions of the U.S., and the same design used there may not be successful elsewhere.  Careful attention to the design and product specifications must be followed to safeguard the proper performance of buildings in northern climates.

Myth #5:  This Sealer Will Penetrate This Concrete and Protect the Entire Wall/Slab

Sometimes, we encounter projects where a water repelling sealer product was applied to a masonry wall or concrete floor.  The question may come up, how much does a sealer really penetrate the wall or slab?  Does it go all of the way through?  We see that generally, the more permeable the material, the deeper the sealer may penetrate.  This means that with many materials, such as good quality concrete floors or brick masonry that are not very permeable, and therefore the sealer doesn’t penetrate much at all.  In a concrete floor of reasonably good quality, the sealer may only penetrate 1/16” to 1/8” below the surface.  This might be good enough to provide reasonable protection that is intended with this product, but cannot be considered a material that completely seals the structure.  The sealer shouldn’t be considered a magic cure-all that will stop water from moving through the wall or slab, but instead, as a surface treatment that will require re-application over time.  After all, these are water repellents in name and practice.  Such products are not a continuous to barrier (that is a whole other category of products – a story for a different time).

There are many more misconstrued intentions out there than described here.  These were on our mind only because we recently worked on projects where these problems have occurred. 

The Construction Specifications Institute

CSI Webinars

CSI Webinars are educations sessions that provide convenient, quality learning at an affordable price – you will be able to see materials, hear an instructor and earn continuing education credit. Courses qualify for Professional Development Hours (PDHs) and AIA Continuing Education Hours (CEHs). Check the course description for details.

The cost per webcast is $75 for CSI members, or $95 for non-members, prices may vary see Webinar event for more information.

Train your entire team with one registration fee—participants are charged per site/telephone connection—not per person. Space is limited and is on a first-come-first-serve basis.

All Registrations must be received 48 hours prior to the Webinar. Telephone dial-in and web log-in instructions will be forwarded to you 24 hours before event. Please add "jspiler@csinet.org" to your list of safe senders to ensure delivery of webinar details. Cancellations received less than 72 hours prior to the event are subject to a $25 cancellation fee.

Upcoming MAY 2012 Webinars!

CSI WEBINAR: Repair of Construction Defects – Every Project Has Them

Thursday, May 15, 2012 from 2:00PM to 3:00PM EST

Speaker: Dave Flax, CSI, CCPR

There are construction defects on almost every job unless it is a very small job or unless the Owner is extremely fortunate. The list of likely defects includes cracks, spalls, rock pockets, delaminations, chips, gouges, rained on slabs, uneven slabs, etc, etc. On a typical job the repairs may have to be done to slabs, or vertically, or overhead. This presentation will discuss identifying the defects, repair methods, repair material selection, surface preparation, bonding, curing, etc. In some cases it will be important for the repairs to be aesthetic as well as functional and we will cover how to accomplish that

Learning Objectives

1. Learn how to repair cracks and spalls.
2. Learn what to do if the entire surface is bad.
3. Learn how to select the proper materials and methods.
4. Learn how these repairs can be aesthetic.
5. Learn the importance of specifying repair materials and methods in new specifications, rather than waiting for the problem and then reacting

Credit: 1.0 PDHs; 1.0 AIA CEHs

CSI ON-DEMAND Webinars – SEE WEBINARS YOU MISSED!

CSI On-Demand Webinars are educations sessions that provide convenient, quality learning at an affordable price – you will be able to see materials, hear an instructor and earn continuing education credit. Courses qualify for CSI Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and AIA Learning Units (LUs). Check the course description for details.

The cost per webcast is $55 for CSI members or $75 for non-members -- join CSI now and save when you register for an on-demand webinar!

For more information go to: http://eo2.commpartners.com/users/csi/

Additional CSI EDUCATION programs

In addition to CSI Webinars CSI has additional educational opportunities for members of the construction industry.

For more information go to: http://www.csinet.org/Main-Menu-Category/Education

CHAPTER BOARD

 President

Joseph J. Sporrer, CSI, CCS, AIA

 Immediate Past President

Joel Meyer, CSI, CCPR

 President-Elect

Gary C. Patrick, CSI, AIA

 Vice President – Industry

Kristen E. Bruner, CSI, CDT

 Vice President – Professional

Mike Buchner, CSI, CDT

 Vice-President – Industry

Bill M. Enright, CSI, CDT

 Vice-President – Professional

Larry D. Nichols, CSI, AIA

 Secretary

Phillip J. Leonard, CSI, CCPR

Treasurer

Steve G. Knutson, CSI, CDT, LEED AP

CHAPTER COMMITTEES

Awards Committee

Paul Scheid, CSI, CDT, Co-Chairman

Jennifer Seidenfeld, CSI, CDT, Co-Chair

Certification Committee

Todd Thoma, CSI, CCPR, Chairman

 Communications Committee

Rick Nichols, CSI. Co-Chairman

Larry Fredlund, CSI, Assoc. AIA, Co-Chair

 Costruction Showcase

Andy Garner III, CSI, CDT, Chairman

Education Committee

Nancy Gulliford, CSI, Chairman

 Membership Committee

Gary Patrick, CSI, AIA, Chairman

Programs Committee

Ryan Hallesy, CSI, Chairman

Student Membership

Jon Rao Papke, CSI, CCS, AIA, Chairman

 Technical Committee

Paula Nyquist, CSI, CCS, Chairman

Sheldon Wolfe, RA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA,  CSC, Co-Chaiman