May/June 2007

Building Products Revue
Poorly Constructed Operable Wall Panels Pose Risk
School systems have long relied on operable walls to divide classrooms, gymnasiums and multi-purpose spaces. While the moveable panels are simple to use and provide needed flexibility to the schools, the low quality of some panels has led to a nightmarish scenario in which the operable walls have themselves become a danger to the students. Poorly constructed panels are putting students at risk as the panels experience structural failure. Inexpensive track systems and panel constructions require frequent maintenance and put a strain on maintenance budgets. Deferring needed repairs leaves the school with the unenviable choice between rescheduling and/or curtailing activities or continuing to use the walls but possibly endangering the students by doing so.
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Code-Approved Product Saves Costs and Avoids “Red-Tags”
Adhesive anchors are known for their strength, versatility and performance. They are used in residential and commercial construction for a variety of applications, such as rebar dowelling, securing seismic hold-downs and mudsills in concrete, anchoring steel columns, mounting ledgers and anchoring machinery. Contractors often prefer adhesive or epoxy anchors over cast-in-place anchors for their ease of installation and flexibility; engineers specify them for their strength and performance. 
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Commercial Topping Not Only Protects Floor, but Dampens Sounds On California Fire Station Project
The desire to construct more energy-efficient buildings with tighter exterior envelopes has led to problems of a different sort: an increase potential for mold, mildew and rot. Although, a tighter assembly does create more thermal efficiency, it can also trap water, which frequently leads to the deterioration of the building materials. 
“A potential mold problem will always exist when material configurations allow more water to penetrate exterior walls than can dissipate or evaporate (more going in than coming out), resulting in an environment conducive to mold growth” says Dan Johnson, Technical Sales Manager at Stuc-O-Flex International, Redmond, Washington. Revue Archive | Read more

DCD Insights
Electronic Plan Rooms Becoming More Widely Accepted 
By Pam Hunter
Electronic plan rooms are becoming increasingly prevalent, and digital documents and drawings are becoming more widely used and accepted in the architectural/engineering and construction (A/E/C) industries. 
Electronic plan rooms are becoming increasingly prevalent, and digital documents and drawings are becoming more widely used and accepted in the architectural/engineering and construction (A/E/C) industries. 
Cliff Brewis, senior director, editorial, McGraw-Hill construction, which runs a network of plan rooms nationwide, says, “Brick and mortar plan rooms are increasingly becoming document handling centers. We are still making available to the marketplace hard copy documents, and we still allow for a kind of library of plans and specifications, but essentially what’s happening is we are also digitizing those documents at those locations…as quickly as possible.”  Revue Archive | Read more

Construction Cost Trends for 2007
Housing starts continue to decline significantly since last year. The effect of this housing downturn on construction spending overall is muted by significant increases in the non-residential sectors. Led by hotels, the commercial sector posted gains of over 15% in 2006 and continues to keep construction spending on an even keel for 2007. State and federal construction spending continues at a brisk pace and will help to compensate for the housing shortfall.
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The DCD 2007 Building Square Foot Cost Guide
For 50 years Design Cost Data magazine has been presenting actual projects with their real cost to build for preliminary estimating, cost modeling and more. The following guide, the DCD Sq. Ft. Cost Guide, has been assembled from projects in our database, the National Historical Building Cost Database, to provide the industry with a benchmark for future building costs.
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