ENR 2002 Construction Summit
October 22nd, 2002 by HalI had the opportunity to participate on a panel discussion this morning at the annual ENR 2002 Construction Summit. Our panel topic was Beta Testing Construction Innovation. Harvey Bernstein, President, CERF (Civil Engineering Research Foundation) moderated the discussion. The six panelists mostly agreed…risk avoidance and consequent litigation, organization silos, and single-project client relationships are significant impediments to innovation. The highlight of the conference for me was an afternoon panel conversation on Ford's redevelopment of the legacy River Rouge factory complex.
River Rouge is where Henry Ford made the advancements in production, design, and labor that made the automobile possible for the general population. Bill Ford, current CEO, decided to redevlop the site following sustainable practices. Bill McDonough, perhaps the father of sustainable architecture and design, was on the panel with three other partners: Ford's facilities manager, the senior manager from the contractor, and a principal from the engineering firm. Also on the panel was a similar partnership for MedCath Health Care. The panel discussed Creating True Partnerships Among Owner/Designer/Contractor. Again there was agreement in the conversation. Here are their summary comments:
Audience Participant:
"How do you [flow] down the passion and responsibility we see in all of you to your staff members?"Panelists:
"Give them the accountability to act on their own."
"Speak the vision [often]."
"Match company metrics and rewards to project goals."
"Talk to people daily [about their role on the project]."
"Leadership and enthusiasm are contagious."
"Help people understand they are building [something special], not just doing a job."
The conference finished with a presentation by the head of facilities development for China's 2008 Summer Olympics. (I'll post the URL to the presentation when it is available.) It was quite the day!
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October 24th, 2002 at 3:28 am
Thanks for the comment. :+: I often think everyone knows what I’m talking about.