LEANING IN A NEW DIRECTION - A CONVERSATION WITH GREG HOWELL LEAN CONSTRUCTION INSTITUTE

A good size group for the first of two days hosted by Haselden Construction. This annual event dived a little deeper following the 2012 introduction to lean principles program. Way to go Greg. Thanks to Charles Rountree and his executive for this fascinating peek inside the future of construction. Our corporate vision imagines a world where the 50% savings possible are reinvested in the economy. Today we got a glimpse of that future. We talked about uncertainty replaced  by predictability forming a big piece of that pie, with BIM and IPD and application of other lean principles yielding the remainder.

So this morning I enjoyed participating in a conversation with Ned Minor, author and founding partner of Minor and Brown PC, facilitated by Scott Lippitt (who has apparently rebranded himself). Scott asked who among the audience blogged, and of those, how often. I hung my head in shame along with the majority. As a take-away I left with an autographed copy of Ned's book and a couple of useful insights. Ned seems to be a bit of a marketing guru.
CC2BL INC has, without much marketing at all really, picked up a lot of traction of late and so now I go from wondering how I was going to repay myself, to wondering how I am going to clone myself.
Since I have undertaken to do more for my creator from here on out, I guess I will leave that to him. Never be anxious etc etc.
Keep watching this space for more developments and musiongs as Scott says I have to post three times a week!

Linking In

So today it was breakfast with the Transportation Committee Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce at which the economic weather forecast from the government spokesman was "increased volatility and uncertainty on all fronts". Your scribe followed that with a two hour session at a Sandler training center getting to drill down deeper into LinkedIn. Expect an invitation soon!

Where did the time go?

2011 is speeding by so fast I can't keep up. We have been involved in some prestigious educational projects with the likes of Mortenson Construction through a client relationship with a couple of MEP subcontractors, become re-acquainted with Revit MEP, made measurable advances in proficiency with Autcad MEP and Navisworks Manage, and now are collaborating with our former client Virtual Buildiong Logistics on a prototype package for a National Pharmacy Retail Chain. I have also had the privilage of being a panelist at two Bluebook presentations, and won an I-Pad doorprize at a Colorado Association of General Contractors BIM Expo. We are currently exploring possibilities with a well known Architectural practice setting out on the transition from 2d to 3d building design. Our involvement with Trimble has also moved forward as one of our clients purchased a robotic total station and realized its full potential in a multi-storey building with a Pentagon-like foorprint. We are also currently evaluating Tekla's entry into the VDC marketplace with its TEKLABIMSIGHT offering and laser-scanning wares. All very high tech and glitzy, but when all is said and done, collaboration is about people thinking and acting beyond their normal horizons.

More high tech every day

New Year, New Business

It's been a while, time for another post. My new venture, CC2BL, INC is now official in Nevada, and soon to be legit in Colorado. After lying dormant for quite a while, my website hosting has been re-established and I learned that the price of that omission was to get to redesign the entire site. Oh joy. Commerce, like the weather here, blows hot and cold. Still not getting to iso anything, but the mep coordination is humming along, and I've picked up some consulting work. Total Station is in the offing - wecanlayoutthat! way faster than a guy with a tape and string line. Since I got into this business back in 86, the progression has been 2d autocad to 3d autocad to 2d microstation to 3d integraph PDS+SmartPlant DesignReview+Isogen to kinda 3d Fire-ACAD to 3d CAD-Pipe to 3d CAD-Duct/Mech+Architectural Desktop to 3d QuickPen DD3D/PD3D to Revit MEP+Architecture to Autocad MEP+Architecture to 3D East Coast Fab with some Carrier HAP, Trane Trace, Navisworks Jetstream and then Manage along the way, not to mention dabbling in Ecotect and Green Building Studio. Yes the only thing constant is change. I learned so much in 2009/2010 and am continuing in that vein in 2011 with Paul F Aubin et al, learning the right way to wrestle Autocad MEP to the ground, and Autodesk Revit MEP 2010 fundamentals from the folks at advanced solutions. It was so good to see that my previously developed thinking on how to run with Project Navigator is in complete synch with Paul's advice. And thanks to a tip from the lazy drafter, I purchased  Revit 2010 Family Standards and Best Practices - take the dysfunction out of your families by Shawn Zibes & Integrated Content Solutions Inc. I also now participate in the Denver Revit User Group and the Denver Boulder Architect Group. Seems I can't live without a" face" and a "suit" plus a bookkeeper and a banker, I gotta up my rates or get a whole bunch faster. That pretty much brings us up-to-date so it's back to cleaning up some-one els'es mess and preparing for the next great project.

A new take on BIM visualiztion

A new take on BIM visualiztion

Making Project Vasari

Making Project Vasari

CAD is dead - long live CAD

Well I can't take credit for thinking of this, but I can help spread the word. Computer Assisted Drafting is now Collaboration Analysis and Design. So watch for Autodesk Project Vasari. Not sure what that is, neither is the Revit Kid, but he'll tell when he finds out.

Now is the summer of our content

Apologies to Willie for that title, couldn't resist. Looking out the window this morning I see it has truly passed because things are looking kinda white out thee on the front range. But hey with three pc's and four monitors cooking inside it's real toasty.

Grand Coulee Dam

it snows in Kamloops?

new Black & Black wheels

Number 1's new venture Black & Black

Travel: we made it up to Canada again this summer for three district conventions

Recognize this guy? Hint: he lives in Brooklyn NYC

 and saw a bunch of old friends.

Met with our IT Manager

Toys were discussed at a Board Meeting in Abbotsford BC

got an oil change from our Service Manager

Spent some time with the grandkids

Mataya

Remington (Steal)

 We went across the pond in the friendly skies

 to see poor old mumsy, now in the stroke ward of a nice hospital in St Leonard's-on-Sea - guess anything is an improvement on the dementia ward in an old folks home right?

See how they run, NOT!

At The Ranch:

Can't believe they wanted $800 to do this

: the fence is finished in the backyard

My kinda spring cleaning!

R & R
All work and no play......

Our HR Director with Mataya at the Denver Zoo

Camping at Rampart

On Assignment:
2009-2010 saw a variety of work assignments - here are the highlights

ME Group - Revit MEP

Quickpen and TSI

More Revit MEP

The VBL Denver Metro crew at a typical strategy session

And a new Corporation was born

Our new Corporate Logo

Visit us at

To keep the founders trim and slim with lots of vital energy, we appointed a Director of Health and Wellness, our son Paul. He and his spouse stopped by to make sure we were on track with our program

Our Electrical Consultant dropped in for a consultation on our corporate headquarters renovation

We had a great summer here on the front range, but not without the odd incident:

And an old faithful friend lost his sight

That pretty much brings us up to date. Watch this space

 So now that with the passage of time I'm older and supposedly wiser, for safety and health reasons, here's what I do when I'm volunteering and it's hot out:

To see where I volunteer, navigate to http://kingdomhall.newspasiding.com/

Didn't iso anything but did strip a bunch of curb forms and do a lot of tidying up. Almost 300 yards of concrete paving laid down between Friday and Saturday. Just about at the halfway mark.

Bimpotency

Revit 3d coined a new word - don't you just love it?

http://bit.ly/biEq8Z

try it, you'll like it.

I'd like to iso that

Created in AutocadMEP

Wot are weekends for? (if not for hanging pipe)

I've got to tell you, this Autocad MEP isn't so bad after all, in fact it has some very cool revit-type stuff. And with the right customization it can be extremely lifelike. So todays play might not be isoistic but its very virtual and exteme fun. Now if  could just get paid for it..............

a moving experience

So no, we didn't iso that, but as part of the closeout proceedings on the old homestead, we did fix the leaking cleanout on the big wye at the bottom of the picture. Amazing stuff WD40.

presto - it's all back together again.

and finally.................we went from this................

to stuffed full with a little help from our friends. That's a full 27 feet long!

and that was the end of the mortgage!

yes it's all happening here in beautiful Commerce City where a new KH is soon to rise in no time flat.

making an investment

Not having been paid to play (again) for a while, its time for something completely different. Virtual Building Construction - as mr S (he of the pointy ears) would say - quite logical So they beamed me up and here I am - investing my (free) time (virtually) at a certain well known educational establishment on the East Coast - Ivy League plus plus.
you've got to be kidding - there's no way all that stuff will fit in that tiny space.............
Not sure if we'll get to iso any of it but just the modeling is heaps of fun, and ductwork with AMEP is always interesting. And I get to play with Project Navigator again.
Pretty soon we'll see if and how big (well) the investment returns are. With the overhead lowered to the bare bones, the bottom end should be well withing reach and everything else is gravy after that. The good news is that the new schedule should permit the good news to be spread more often. The aim is to fill the jar with the big theocratic balls first, then the secular pebbles, and then the personal sand. Sooner be the master's slave than anyone elses.

tweeting away

you can now follow me @fishandchips47 on twitter

we have been having technical difficulties

But they are now fixed so I am back into the blogosphere. I remember the bad old days of "dos". It seems they haven't really gone away.