Object-oriented design technology stores information on each facet of a building, providing continuing access to specifications, operations manuals, and forecast vs. actual life-cycle operating costs.

Design changes that improve productivity offer significant benefits. Citing a study by Carnegie-Mellon University, Smith said, “If you can achieve a productivity improvement of 3.8%, it pays for the entire facility.”

He added, “If we try to keep design costs at 6%, we are focusing in the wrong spot.”

Smith noted that contractors should “think holistically,” i.e., consider the big picture. Realize that someone else is depending on your information. It’s a team effort.

Privatization

William A. Brown Sr., principal assistant for military programs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said that the biggest initiative in the Corps’ $7 billion program for 2001 is privatization of military family housing.

Developers selected for the privatization program must put together a community master plan showing how they will renovate existing housing and build new units. After the Army and Congress approve the plan, the developer may contract to buy out the housing at the facility. The developer then operates, maintains, and leases the housing to military personnel. Units not used by the military may be leased to civilians.

In addition, over the next several years the Army plans to build new barracks for single personnel at a number of bases, including Fort Meade in Maryland and Langley AFB in Virginia.

“One area that has been great for us is energy saving performance contracts,” said Brown. The Army has saved $460 million to date through this method.

Discussing the Air Force’s construction program, Col. Richard J. Ingenloff, chief of the engineering division, U.S. Air Force, reported that 55% of its facilities have major deficiencies that affect readiness. There are 65,000 family housing units that require total renovation.

“We are targeting our limited funds on urgent needs,” he said. About $1 billion has been budgeted for military family housing.

“Design-build has become the future,” Ingenloff stated. For housing, 38% is now design-build.

The Air Force is applying privatization only where the housing area can be separated from the military facility, and where it is economically feasible. Ten pilot privatization projects have been authorized. “By 2010, one-third of our housing will be privatized,” he noted.

In the Navy

Mark E. Chase, P.E., director, acquisition programs management, Military Construction Program Coordination Director-ate of NAVFAC, talked about naval facilities construction.

With its Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) programs almost completed, the Navy is looking forward to steady budgets for construction and housing, along with a greater partnership with the private sector.

“Family housing construction is at a healthy $1.3 billion,” Chase remarked, “but note that operations takes $181 million or 14% of that budget. This is why we are looking increasingly to privatizing more of these housing projects.”

“Web-based communications between the Navy and the private sector is expanding,” he added. “We are taking bids electronically and putting out specs and plans electronically.”

Life cycle “is now a very important factor in the design and construction decisions NAVFAC is making,” said Chase. “It’s no longer merely the low bid.”

Post office work is available all over the country, stated James L. Binkley, FAIA, U.S. Postal Service.

“We have 40,000 buildings,” he said. “Every year we repair and alter 1,500 of them, substantially expand 70 of them, and create 700 new buildings, about 25 of which are processing facilities of about 250,000 square feet.”

Most of the work is standardized, and much is for retail outlets. For these the standard plans are from 1,000 to 10,000 sq ft.

Major work includes installing “retail stores” into existing post offices and also into shopping malls. While these facilities are being retrofitted, there is a great deal of peripheral work, said Binkley, including hvac.

The preliminary 2001 budget, he noted, provides $446 million for building improvement. “This will probably go up.”

Robert C. Hixon Jr., Office of the Architect, Public Buildings Service, General Services Admin-istration (GSA), said that his agency is committed to improvements.

GSA is presently working on 92 projects in 11 regions with a value of $5.1 billion. Of these, 31 are courthouses or courthouse annexes; 13 are new buildings or laboratories; seven are new border stations; and 39 are renovation projects, several of which are multi-phase. Most of the projects are traditional design/bid/build.

New construction was very low in 2000. It will increase significantly in 2001. Repairs and alterations will increase as well. New projects tend to be courthouses, border stations, and repair and alteration programs.

“We want to improve our relationship with our construction contractors,” said Hixon. “We want to utilize construction research organizations, associations, and other agencies to improve the way we perform.”

He also pointed out that the agency is establishing Construc-tion Excellence Awards to go along with its Design Excellence Awards.

Sidebar: Calendar

January 6-9 2001 International CES, Consumer Electronics Association, Las Vegas, NV. Contact 703-907-7605; www.cesweb.org (website).

10 EPA Refrigerant Compliance Management and Indoor Air Quality Management seminars, Environmental Support Solutions, Atlanta, GA. Contact 480-346-5500; info@environ.com (e-mail); www.environ.com (website).

13-16 ABMA Midwinter Meeting, American Boiler Manufacturers Association, Westin La Paloma, Tucson, AZ. Contact 703-522-7350; www.abma.org (website).

15-17 Restoration & Renovation 2001, Washington Hilton and Towers, Washington, DC. Contact 978-664-6455; show@ egiexhib.com (e-mail); www.egiexhib.com (website).

23-25 Pricing Strategies for Distribution Companies, Infocast, Orlando, FL. Contact 818-888-4444; mail@information forecast.com (e-mail); www.informationforecast.com (website).

24 EPA Refrigerant Compliance Management and Indoor Air Quality Management seminars, Environmental Support Solutions, Phoenix, AZ. Contact 480-346-5500; info@ environ.com (e-mail); www.environ.com (website). 26-30 BOMA International’s Winter Business Meeting and National Issues Conference, Building Owners and Managers Association, J.W. Marriott Hotel, Washington, DC. Contact Laura Best, conference registrar, at 202-326-6331; lbest@boma.org (e-mail).

27 RPA Semiannual Meeting, Radiant Panel Association, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA. Contact 800-660-7187; www.rpa-info.com (website).

27-31 2001 ASHRAE Winter Meeting, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA. Contact 404-636-8400; 404-321-5478 (fax); www.ashrae.org (website).

29-31 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo), Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA. Contact H. Stevens at 203-221-9232; 203-221-9260 (fax); hstevens@iecshows.com (e-mail); www.ahrexpo.com (website).

29-31 2nd NSF International Conference on Indoor Air Health, Radisson Deauville, Miami Beach, FL. Contact 734-913-5789; farmer@nsf.org (e-mail);www.nsf.org/conference/air2 (website).

Feb 1-3 Quality Service Contractors’ Power Meeting XIV, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, FL. Contact 800-533-7694; naphcc@naphcc.org (e-mail); www.naphcc.org/qsc (website).

Publication date: 12/18/2000