Bringing power and connectivity to the point of need is usually one of the final steps in any construction project and often requires the most flexibility. It isn’t until the end of a job when electrical contractors learn the provided custom enclosures weren’t designed or sized properly, that additional data lines and ports or an integrated power module are needed, or that the customer changed the floor layout, cubicle arrangement, or data port configuration without notice.
When you know exactly what you’re making you can build it faster. When you design a product for repeatability you can make it cheaper. When you make it easy to install you lessen skilled labor requirements, installation time, and costs.
What’s old is new and hip again. Reviving a classic trend in workplace design.
For many decades the industrial architectural style featuring high open ceilings with exposed pipes, electrical wiring, lighting fixtures, and ventilation was extremely popular in large commercial offices, warehouses, and factories.
COVID-19 exposed the vulnerability of global supply chains. After decades of outsourcing manufacturing to nations with cheaper labor, American businesses are now paying the price. Three years into the pandemic US manufacturers are still subject to supply chain disruptions stemming from China’s zero-tolerance COVID policy and other regional outbreaks that cause sudden labor shortages and unexpected factory closures, a global shipping container and port crisis, and inflationary prices for critical raw materials and components.
The construction industry is beginning to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. After seeing project starts and bidding activity drop significantly in 2020, Autodesk’s 2021 Construction Outlook report sees a positive near-term future. New starts, project restarts, and starting backlogs are rising in all sectors; residential, commercial, and non-building infrastructure.
It’s a simple truth: Projects that are better designed in the beginning have better outcomes in the end. The reason is less changes on the job site. Fewer change orders mean lower costs through proper material estimating, less surprise charges, reduced overtime expenses, and fewer delays, allowing contractors to hit construction windows for timely project completion. The result is more profitable projects and happier clients.
The U.S. economy is picking up steam, eclipsing quarterly GDP growth forecasts as America gets back to work after a difficult 2020. The construction industry is seeing upticks in activity for new project starts, resuming construction at paused sites, and rescheduling projects that were put on hold during the pandemic.
I am the founder of a company that gets deeply involved in construction projects of all shapes and sizes. The types of products my company provides are part of the data, communications and electrical infrastructure of most any building under construction or renovation today. We manufacture products that are installed in interstitial spaces; under raised floors or above dropped ceilings. But we could be talking about any building sub-system here.
What is ASHRAE Standard 90.1?
In 1975 the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) first published a set of standards that provided minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of most buildings, excluding low-rise residential buildings. Initially focused on the HVAC elements of construction, it has evolved to include the majority of mechanical (escalators, elevators, pumps, etc.) and electrical/lighting systems of a structure, intelligent building management systems (BMS), and even the building envelope itself to maximize energy conservation.
