There is no function more critical to success in the construction business than effective management of financial and other records. Solid accounting and record-keeping policies are a must. 

Techniques for controlling sound transmission to ensure security and privacy. 

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has offered to assist President-elect Barack Obama advance his goals of promoting green buildings and focusing on the needs of urban areas. As a key player in the last “Greening of the White House” initiative in the 1990s, the AIA has also recommended making 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue an international model of energy efficiency. 

Last week several Reed employees that are part of the SmartBIM Team were at the AIA show in San Francisco demonstrating our SmartBIM products and services to Architects, Contractors, Owners and Building Product Manufacturers (BPM’s) and have contributed to this recap.

One of the things that makes building information modeling so much more than just 3D is the connection to a database. Mining the data can help us to study the impact of project decisions in a more predictive way than gut feel and experience alone. Better informed early decisions lead to less downstream changes and therefore less change orders, value engineering, and rework on the part of architects, engineers, and builders alike.

Daylighting has numerous benefits over artificial lighting

Passive solar heating strategies can meet a higher percentage of the heating load of a building through architectural design solutions

Preheating air with solar energy before it is drawn into a building space can save much of the energy associated with heating of ventilation air.

Solar water heating systems are relatively simple extensions to buildings’ plumbing systems

The LEED standard, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, is the most well known, all-encompassing, whole-building standard in the U.S.