Better Buildings through Change..

That is, of course a matter of perspective.   In the world of innovative technology, there are many compelling arguments to adopt the newest materials with claims of dramatically improving the building output.  This side of the equation often has a lot of entrepreneurs and passionate advocates.  The insulating concrete form (ICF) world is full of such evangelists, who have been instrumental in winning over the early adopters, but just can’t seem to cross the chasm and grow the mainstream market.

However, if you are sitting in the chair attached to the purse strings of the project, fine-tuning the known and proven might seem more secure, even if it has been “proven” problems – but known ones.  Construction is all about risk management.

How does one help manage the A/E/C risk?  Typically innovative product companies will point to the manufacturing QC, ICC-ES approvals, and product testing.   That’s good, but it’s really just the calling card to get in the door.  The greater risk is of upsetting the existing process of construction – the design, the estimating, the critical path, the product integration.  You want the job? Help manage the risk.

Since we mentioned ICFs, let’s take a look at the example of what really happened in Kentucky.   One ICF company found a way to cross the great divide of market adoption by engaging a specific sector -  schools which needed fire and tornado protection.   They got to know the players, learned about their needs, and provided a 100% complete package for the A/E/C managment team. And, they did NOT forget about the job once the product was shipped, but carefully massaged the project to a successful completion, forging a strong network along the way.  In other words, they managed the risk throughout the whole process.  And when the next school came up for bid, the ICF method was now “known and proven.”     That begat more schools (target market segment), and once the infrastructure of contractors was solid, this expanded to other types of buildings (new applications).   The rest is history.

Change can happen, one project at a time.


More reading:
Moore, G.A. (2004).  Inside the Tornado:  Strategies for Developing, Leveraging, and Surviving Hypergrowth Markets.    Collins Business Essentials. 
HUD  (2010).  New Product Adoption in Housing : Guide for manufacturers .  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Policy Development and Research , prepared by Liza Bowles Newport Partners LLC Davidsonville, MD.

Welcome to EcoBuild, a discussion site which will track trends and opportunities in construction. We think of “ecobuild” as a fluid term, an evolution of the building industry rather than a defined set of green parameters. We are interested in the impact on the process, the trades, and the products; the opportunities and solutions which often lie in the connections between these entities; we draw from the past and link to the future.

Green, sustainable, energy efficient – these should not be just the playground of the wealthy. Ecobuild draws on Van Jones’ definition of eco-equity: “equal protection and equal opportunity in an economy that respects the Earth.” We are interested in a holistic approach, wide-reaching solutions.

In future blogs, we hope to explore how construction process innovations can be implemented on any level of project. What would need to change for all housing to provide comfort, security for over 100 years? How can the building sector accept responsibility for the almost 50% share of total energy consumption and take steps to improve minimum energy performance benchmarks? Where are the real obstacles; how do we get past them?

To avoid limiting our point of view by just peering at one part of the elephant, we will explore ecobuild trends from the perspective of:
1. Policy
2. Design
3. Construction
4. Building Science

Our world is overwhelmed by information sources. So why do we need another one? All my life I have sought out the needle in the haystack, the gem of information which offers a positive example, or an insight of benefit to us all. From the stacks of data-bites, one can sometimes distill some knowledge. And perhaps, through a community of open sharing and feedback of this knowledge, together we can gain some wisdom.

Further reading:
Jones, Van (2008). The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. New York,NY: Harper Collins Publisher.