Category: Features
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Internet of Things for the Built Environment
There have been several predictions that by the year 2020, there will be approximately 4.4 billion digitally operated electronic devices on the earth, from a figure of 6 billion as of today. The rapid increase in the number of connected devices and the corresponding growth in available data have been referred to as “Internet of…
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Are We on the Road to Sustainable Construction?
By consuming resources and creating pollutants and wastes, the construction of buildings and infrastructure has a dramatic effect on the environment. According to a report by the Willmott Dixon Group, around half of all global energy usage can be attributed to the construction industry. Similarly, an estimated 60% of the total usage of raw materials,…
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Making The Most Of Your Commercial Space
Wherever your business is located, space comes at a premium, and this means that you need to utilise every square foot that you have and put it to the best use possible. Typically, materials and equipment that you use most often will need to be easily accessible, while some of your permanent space may be…
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Knee Pads That You Love to Wear – Interview with Joe Johnson
This is an interview with Joe Johnson, a young entrepreneur and developer of memory foam knee pads. Knee pads are essential to many construction workers, but they are not always comfortable. Joe’s company, Total Comfort Medical, offers an alternative that you should definitely check out. Who are you? My name is Joe Johnson. I am…
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Bid to Win in Professional Services
Answering requests for proposals (RFP) or requests for quotations (RFQ) is a recurring activity for many professional services providers. Many clients seem to think that buying professional services is no different than buying office supplies. Public sector organizations have to put projects out to tender, and large companies have procurement departments that try to get…
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Referral Marketing Is No Longer What You Think It Is
In a recent survey of professional services firms’ top priorities and initiatives in 2015, the Hinge Research Institute found that referral marketing is the top marketing initiative this year. However, referral marketing is no longer what it used to be. In a new guide, Rethinking Referral Marketing, Hinge explores the reasons for the shift, and how…
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Strategies for Successful Partnering – AEC Business
I have helped several AEC firms in their efforts to partner up with each other. It is quite easy to imagine the benefits of partnering, but it is quite difficult to actually reap those benefits in real life. Experience has shown that different levels of partnerships have different success factors. There are three distinctive forms…
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Your Ultimate Advantage in the Robotic Age
Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the FLUX 2015 conference for game changers and innovators in Helsinki. It was a very inspiring and thought provoking event, packed with insight and information. In this post, I’ll share my notes on the first of the two presentations, Marty Neumeier‘s Metaskills. Marty Neumeier is a renowned author,…
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Three Top Tips for Maintaining a Productive Construction Site
In terms of creating and maintaining productivity, building sites are much like any other workplace. As an employer, you want your staff members to labour as quickly, efficiently, and thoroughly as possible, all whilst maintaining the highest of standards and producing faultless work. This is a challenging task, it’s true, but it’s not an impossible…
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Bringing Your Construction Site Up to Code
Figures from the 2013/2014 Health & Safety Executive report found that there were 133 worker deaths and 70 members of the public fatally injured during this period. Over half of these accidents occurred in three ways: falls from heights, contact with moving machinery, or being struck with a vehicle (railway-related incidents were excluded from the…