Ouch... Silicon Valley is swimming in office space-

I'm going to stop complaining about the vacancy rate in the East Bay area. A report today on bloomberg.com provides some gory details about our neighbors in the South Bay area - specifically:

"More than 43 million square feet -- the equivalent of 15 Empire State Buildings -- stood vacant at the end of the 3rd quarter...San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Palo Alto have 11 empty office buildings with about 3 million square feet of the best quality space."

And the story only gets worse from there. You can access all the gory details (if you dare) by clicking (HERE)

More about → Ouch... Silicon Valley is swimming in office space-

8 steps to mitigating the risk of Green construction...

Any construction project contains an element of risk. "Green" projects (where LEED certification is a goal) have their own set of "special" challenges. A recent article written by attorney Leonard Goodman posted on Greenerbuildings.com, 8 Steps for Better Management of Green Design and Construction Risks provides some insight into mitigating the risks associated with a green project.

1. Have A Clear Understanding of Your Particular Green Objectives and the Options for Meeting Them Under LEED
2. Engage Experienced A/Es and Contractors Capable of Working Together Collaboratively Early in the Development Process
3. Determine if BIM is Right for Your Project
4. Consider Pursuing the LEED Credit for Enhanced Commissioning
5. If Time Permits, Opt for LEED's Two-Phase Certification Process
6. Do Not Rely on Industry Standard Forms of Agreement
7. Consider Integrated Project Delivery
8. Purchase Property Insurance that Covers Losses Associated with Green Buildings

To view the complete article, click: (HERE).



   

More about → 8 steps to mitigating the risk of Green construction...

Waiting for the Stimulus

I have never seen the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, but I imagine that Beckett would greatly appreciate the experience many of us in the commercial interiors industry are going through as we wait for the Federal Stimulus money to hit.

If you google Federal Stimulus you will find 28,100,000 entries, which is a bit overwhelming for those of us simply looking to get a small bite of the apple. Since I've had a little more time on my hands lately, I'll share some of what I've found while "waiting" for the Stimulus.

1) As of today (6/5/2009), the money is just beginning to flow to the local level. I have verified this ancecdotally with some of my local and state clients who expect funding within the next 15 to 30 days.

2) Look at: Recovery.gov which gives the macro view of where the money is going.

3) Look at: Recovery.ca.gov for what California is doing (within this site is very cool map that details by county or congressional district where money is allocated).

4) Local county and city websites all detail specifically what they are "waiting" on in relation to stimulus dollars.

I personally believe that at least some of the new "goals" for government transperency are being met. It took a little effort, but the information on where the federal dollars are heading is available.

In the meantime we wait...and wait... and wait...

More about → Waiting for the Stimulus