Smart Shading
The leaders of Brooks +Scarpa Architects achieved net-zero living with a rooftop of solar panels
APR/MAY/JUNE 2012
- Architecture
- Business Strategy
- Design-Build
- Family Business
- General Contracting
- Historical Preservation
- Homebuilding
- Interior Design
- Landscaping
- Large-Scale Construction
- Manufacturing
- Master Planning
- Multifamily Housing
- Niche Market
- Prefabrication
- Real Estate
- Renovation
- Subcontracting
- Sustainability
- Tech Savvy
American Homes
Feature
A Home in the Sky
Mesa Development’s latest project is bringing residents—and revitalization—to Chicago’s traditionally commercial city center
Negotiating the Industry
Seven general counsel talk about contract brokerage and code compliance in the design-build industry
In Profile
A Democratic Approach to Design
The employees of cre8 Architects work in one room and maintain a fun office atmosphere
A Mix of Influences
Urbanica's Kamran Zahedi has been inspired by both Tehran, Iran's domes and Boston's Federal-style structures
Artftul Redesigns
As a former art student, David Bloomquist brings finer aesthetic sensibilities to his renovation work
Avoiding Expensive Mistakes
TRC Companies involves its legal department from the get-go to save time and money
Cultivating a Dedicated Customer Base
Client relationships are passed from mother to daughter at Heath Roofing & Home Improvements
Giants Are Big For a Reason
Balfour Beatty explains how its American division is staying atop the nation's construction market
Growing in an Old Boy’s Network
Mary Marble on owning Marble Mechanical Service, using federal aid, and confronting a male-dominated industry
Keeping Companies Connected
In remote Montana, Blackfoot Telecommunications Group is providing offices with high-speed fiber-optic infrastructures
New Life for Existing Homes
Lots of contractors build new houses, but Sigmon Construction’s passion is renovation work
Punishing Property Management
Dodson Property Management keeps occupancy rates at 90–92% in the down economy by confronting pressure
Rethinking Remodeling
After the economy went south, GM Roth Design Remodeling value-engineered its approach to home renovation
Safety Gear of One’s Own
Terri Piasecki of CharmandHammer.com on her line of female construction gear
The Risk Mitigator
Terracon Consultants calls on Mike Yost when operational problems arise
Wandering into Woodworking
In Germany, Scott Brogan fell into the veneer industry and then never left it
Industry Insights
A Light in the Economic Storm
Scalzo Group Real Estate Services has weathered the recession and is now helping others
A Renovator’s Regional Dominion
Home Sweet Home Improvements conducts high-end remodeling and historical restorations close to home
Cultivating a Multigenerational Business
ValleyCrest Landscape Companies does work even for the most elite clientele
Finding an Industry Focus
Stocker Associates is reaping the benefits as the recession encourages repair and remodeling work
Growth Through Calculated Risk
Edward Nekritz and Prologis are working to reshape the global industrial real estate market
Keeping Structures On Solid Footing
BHW Engineers has a hold on the West’s seismic-rehabilitation market
Old Homes, Old School Approaches
Gunn Contracting relies on traditional values to overcome new regulations in the historical-renovation market
Outshining the Neighbors
9300 Realty’s rentals deliver more bang for your New York City buck
Simply Service
Quality Structures’ success comes down to a Midwestern attitude about taking care of customers
Southern Community Service
After 70 years, Baldwin Construction Company is putting its resources to work for charity
Stretching Every Last Dollar
Keeping clients’ budgets in mind, Harbin Construction makes more out of less
Temporarily At Home
Sunchoice Corporate Housing makes indefinitely relocated clients comfortable by providing furnished rental properties
The Real Estate Triple Threat
Understanding NM Commercial and Proactive Property Management's work with Century 21 New Millennium
Materiality
Glass
Glass isn't just for windows, and these four building products and accessories prove it
Project Showcase
A LEED Legacy in Miami
Loretta H. Cockrum details Forum Group's work on the highly sustainable 600 Brickell Office Tower
A Prime Location on the Coast
VC Architects details how it fit the new Prime Hotel into a Miami historical district
A Whole Lot of Schoolwork
A talented master-planning firm, Ruhnau Ruhnau Clarke recently took on three education projects
An Aero-Overhaul in Miami
Odebrecht USA is wrapping up three projects to expand the Miami International Airport
Building by Talking
UEB Builders discusses the importance of communication in the construction of three Southwestern projects
Building Inside the Lines
Structura, Inc. discusses a church, a school, and a gallery that it finished under constraints
Interior Elegance in Cornhusker Country
Designers from Interiors Joan and Associates detail their intricate work on four projects in Nebraska
Letting in the Light
A look at how Bercy Chen Studio opened up the Peninsula residence to its surroundings
Low-Cost, Low-Emission Living
Designed by RG Building & Development, the Crescent Village homes are both sustainable and affordable
Modern and Hip in Historic DC
Level 2 Development's View 14 mixed-use apartment building is bringing contemporary style to a traditional town
Sizing Homes for the Second City
Property sizes vary in a metropolis, but Ronan Construction knows fit homes to specific spaces
The Softer Side of Construction
Fabric Images, Inc. constructs eye-popping projects out of aluminum and cloth
Step by Step
How To Completely Reroof a House
Reroof America explains the basics of completely reroofing a house
How To Conduct a Building Technology Investigation
Drebelbis Engineering talks about investigating buildings for lawyers, insurance companies, and individuals
How to Conduct a Full Underground Sweep of a Property
Robin Burke discusses the nuances of underground-utility detection and her strengths in a male-dominated industry
How To Conduct a Full, Environmentally Sound Land-Clearing
Ironwood Heavy Highway explains how it clears terrain for highways and other large-scale projects
How To Conduct Road and Bridgework Renovation
Heavy-construction firm Robert Radmacher Brothers Excavating details the process of rebuilding bridges and highways
How To Construct a Biowall
Furbish Company offers tips and tricks to biowall construction
How to Construct a Railroad Roundhouse
Three builders walk through the process of putting up a traditional railroad roundhouse
How To Install Ceramic Tile
Gegare Tile Inc. runs through its work on a 10,000-square-foot ceramic-tile renovation
How To Plan and Install Paving Over a Larger Site
Tucker Paving Inc. offers a rundown of its full-site paving work for Legoland
How To Preserve the Façades of the London Terrace Gardens
Breaking down Rose Associates's work on the London Terrace Gardens apartments in New York City
How To Renovate a Frank Lloyd Wright Property
Stoney Creek Hospitality Corporation discusses the retrofitting of the Historic Park Inn Hotel
How to Renovate and Seismically Improve a Major Medical Facility
The Department of Veterans Affairs CFM office details work on the San Juan Medical Center
The Specialists
The Burrowers
Drilling contractor J&R Underground concentrates on customer service provided by a top-notch staff
The Concrete Kings
Concrete contractor Tru-Wall Construction Co. exemplifies the values of hard work and superior service
The Constructive Inspectors
ALLWEST takes a nonstandard approach to enforcing standards in materials testing
The Countertop Futurists
CounterEdge is leaps ahead of its competitors thanks to innovative digital templating and fabrication
The Crane Makers
A diversified client base is providing an uplifting shift in business for Washington Crane & Hoist
The Foundation Underdogs
There are companies bigger than BDB Walls, Inc., but few offer such quality foundation work
The Growing Brick-Layers
IMS Masonry is finding new business opportunities and improving its skills in an ancient industry
The High-Rise Surface Pros
Absolute Painting completes finishes on all types of multiunit residential developments
The High-Wire Act
Southeast Power installs power-transmission lines and fiber-optic systems—sometimes when the wires are live
The Large-Project Mavens
By taking on challenging jobs, Brown and White is reaping results in the heavy-construction industry
The Large-Scale Aerators
Mechanical Technologies' deep expertise allows the firm to tackle ambitious HVAC, ventilation, and piping projects
The Long-View Interior Experts
Hi-Tech Interiors believes in a business strategy and construction process that acknowledges a broader outlook
The Modern Movers and Scrapers
New technologies have helped Lowder, Inc. become a go-to site-development specialist in North Carolina
The Modern-Day Lincoln Loggers
Timber Block’s proprietary systems allow it to build prefabricated log homes in only a day
The Modular Equalizers
JTS Modular has emerged as one of California’s top modular-construction firms
The Multitalented Glaziers
Having expanded at least three ways, Kennedy Glass can be found all over northeastern Kansas
The Oil Clearers
KEBAWK is winning back precious land along Louisiana’s coastline after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Scenesters
Capital Scenic specializes in conjuring up and building theatrical and promotional displays
The Software Visionaries
Sage North America sets the standard for business software and services
The Supply-Chain Problem-Solvers
Vendor Managed Solutions makes ordering supplies painless with its new e-commerce platform, VMS365
The Trusted HVAC Experts
Dillett Mechanical Services, Inc. leads the way in HVAC work in southern Wisconsin
The Zinc Men
MetalTech-USA brushes off an Old World metal for New World applications
Through the Years
150 Years of Real Estate Success
Since 1855, Hubbell Realty Company has been a top property developer in Des Moines, IA
A Family Business Gets New Blood
When Brock Beran entered the family business, he avoided nepotism and expanded the company's capabilities
Bringing Neighborhoods Back
HRI Properties has become a major player in the field of community revitalization
Growing Into Government Work
Gerke Excavating reflects on its growth into a multimillion-dollar business.
Historied Hospitality Development
New Star General Contractors has built country clubs and ski lodges in Utah's Wasatch Mountains
More Materials, More Services, More Customers
Golden State Lumber, Inc. takes stock of its progress in California's building-supply industry
Reorganizing for the 21st Century
Laura Willhoite Culin is taking her great-grandfather's lumber firm in several new directions
Transformed
A Blooming Renovation
Kitchen Plus primed a grimy warehouse for use by a wholesale florist
A Truly Tubular Renovation
House to Home Remodeling improved an elderly woman's mobility with a vacuum-tube elevator
From a Charred Skeleton to a Restored Wonder
George Thomas and his crew have brought a fire-ravaged apartment complex back from the dead
From a Psych Facility to a Homey Paradise
Little by little, the Minervini Group is redeveloping the former Traverse City State Hospital
From Cold and Dim to Warm and Luminous
Custom Contracting expanded a cramped Victorian kitchen to create a family's new social hub
Generational Homebuilding
Dan Kliethermes built his business and is preparing to pass it on to his son
Growing from Storm Shutters
Alutech United has grown to more than 30 employees, partly by diversifying its product
Making Landfall
Advanced American Construction has become a full-service general contractor for projects around water
Nurturing a Cash Cow
Emerald Excavating has turned its Pinehills presence into 20–30 percent of its annual revenue
Painting on a Broader Canvas
AquaPro Painting and Waterproofing managed to go national by focusing on a particular commercial sector
The Best of Both Balustrades
Ekena Millwork’s new hybrid balustrade product eliminates the need to choose between elegance and durability