Check out the new LEED Standards for 2009 and What to Expect as well as the LEED Case Studies article in the Construction Owners Association of America (COAA) Owners Perspective magazine – Summer 2009 edition.  The standards article talks about the new LEED project management improvements.  www.coaa.org – look in Owner’s Resources.

Are you looking for a LEED plan review firm?  PC Associates is the industry leader for the construction document plan review factor (constructability, interdisciplinary coordination, code, design standards, access compliance, LEED and CHPS).  We guarantee to save Owners twice our fees in change orders that can be avoided.

Zipcar

Some of our clients not only manage the building of facilities but also the operations of other departments which can include a vehicle fleet.  This blog is for you!  Check out Zipcar.  It is a car-sharing service being used by individuals as well as companies (Lockheed Martin, Gap and Nike) and over 120 colleges and universities, such as Carnegie Mellon and The University of Miami.  They also market a vehicle tracker being used by various governmental agencies.  Apparently the price is right.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics recent release of the Producer Price Index shows that the prices of materials used in all forms of commercial construction have dropped during the past year.  The index estimates that the price of materials for road construction has dropped 7 percent, the price for other heavy construction has dropped nearly 6 percent and nonresidential buildings are 2.6 percent less expensive.

Decreasing economic activity has driven prices down 62 percent for diesel fuel, 37 percent for copper and brass and 15 percent for steel, amoung other materials.

The price declines make this a great time for public agencies and private owners alike to start construction projects.  It is also more important than ever to apply owner due diligence concepts to your plans by having them reviewed for constructability and coordination.  Avoiding costly change orders is key to taking advantage in this market and controlling construction costs.

 In recent years, several building construction delivery methods have been developed to provide alternatives in dealing with escalating material costs, tight project schedules and, for publicly funded projects, the requirement to award to the lowest bidder – relegating the public sector to the traditional design-bid-build method.  Delivery methods that have gained in popularity recently (and have found ways to be implemented within the public bid regulations) include at-risk construction management, fast-track construction, multiple prime contractors, design-build and lease-lease back.  Currently the traditional method is seeing a resurgence as contractors drop pricing in today’s hard economic times – but “buyer beware”. 

Pros and cons exist for each method and deciding which one to use can be a challenge.  Regardless of the delivery method chosen, there are two key factors to a successful project:  good (clear, concise, complete and coordinated) construction documents and accurate cost estimates.  PC Associates is the industry leader for the construction document plan review factor (constructability, interdisciplinary coordination, code, design standards, access compliance, LEED and CHPS).  We guarantee to save Owners our fees in change orders that can be avoided.

Most of the upcoming design and construction projects utilizing Federal funds will require DBE and DVBE compliance.  PC Associates is a Caltrans certified woman-owned business (WBE), now a DBE, since May 1990, and has national certification from women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).  Our legal name is Pettit/Chenot Associates, Inc. dba PC Associates.  We are also certified as a Small Business Enterprise (SBE) by the Office of Small and Minority Business.

Meet your plan reviews needs (constructability, code,coordination, design standards, access compliance and LEED or CHPS) with PC Associates and take advantage of our DBE/WBE certification.

If you, as a construction project developer, are having trouble assuring your bank that you will be able to build your project with minimal change orders and cost overruns – that the money you are asking for is really what it will take – an interdisciplinary coordination and constructability plan review is a great tool.  It can verify that there will not be any big or expensive surprises during construction.  Our reviews have helped clients assure their banks that they are controlling cost.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) are standards for “green” buildings.    Both have specific requirements for new and modernized green buildings.  Plan review of the selected requirements outlined in certification documents concurrent with a constructability, coordination and/or code review verifies that your green project has the ability to meet the LEED or CHPS level that you are attempting to obtain.  Doing a plan review prior to construction will help avoid change orders and delays to verify that your “going green” intentions make it into the plans and specifications.

To learn more about each program, visit their websites www.usgbc.org and www.chps.net

Title 24 is the California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 24, also known as the California Building Standards Code.  It is composed of 12 parts which include the California Administrative Code (Title 24, Part 1) and the California Building Code (Title 24, Part 2).  Title 24 is a compilation of three types of building standards from three different origins.

Origin 1 is building standards that have been adopted by state agencies without change from building standards contained in national model codes.  Origin 2 is building standards that have been adopted and adapted from the national model code standards to meet California conditions.  Origin 3 is building standards, authorized by the California legislature, that constitute extensive additions not covered by the model codes that have been adopted to address particular California concerns.  Although, the national model code standards adopted into Title 24 apply to all occupancies in California except for modifications adopted by state agencies and local governing bodies.