Key Take-Aways
“Buy America” – Cost of Capital Is at Its Lowest in Decades
Steel Dynamics Inc., Hopes to Make U.S. More “Steel Sufficient” with Construction of its New Steel Mill
Continued Focus on Training and Education Will Be Key for Greater Usage of Metal
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, continued to highlight “Build Back Better” with a special focus on steel with guests Brian Smallwood, Market Manager-Construction for Steel Dynamics, Inc., and Marines Hagemann, Director of Client Experience for Allied Steel Buildings.
Continue readingThis burning question and more will be answered today during METALCONLive! Register now for your virtual seat and join us at 1:00 PM for this robust conversation.
Over the weekend, history was made when the United States returned to launching American astronauts from American soil. The SpaceX Crew Dragon aboard the Falcon 9 rocket docked successfully with the International Space Station 19 hours after the successful launch (NASA). But this time it was different — they were lifted off in a commercial spacecraft aboard a commercial rocket.
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CONTECH will make its return at METALCON 2020, scheduled for October 21-23 in Las Vegas! To help us better serve you, please complete this 2-minute TECHNOLOGY SURVEY.
CONTECH made its debut on the show floor last year at METALCON 2019 and provided an interactive hub that showcased the game-changing technologies shaping the construction industry today and tomorrow.
Since the pandemic crisis started, industries around the globe have been forced to pivot and find new ways to work during the lockdowns. Before we knew it, the use of technology in the construction arena made a quick transition from “good to have” to being a necessity. From mobile technology to aerial photography to video conferencing, the industry is discovering a whole new way to work and while doing so, re-designing the business model. Digital engagement is here to stay!
Technology has been discussed in several of our new weekly METALCONLive! broadcast events so we thought we would provide you with some of the resources and tools mentioned over the past several weeks.
Continue readingKey Take-Aways from 5/20/20
Optimism and Concerns as Nation Re-Opens
Use Visuals to Sell Metal to Architects
Training Will Be Key to Combat Labor Shortage
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, continued the focus on “Build Back Better” with special guest Mark Kalin (FAIA, FCSI, LEED), President of Kalin Associates Specifications and highly experienced specification writer, author, speaker and registered architect. See below for Mark’s valuable insight of the specifications industry and strategies to leverage more metal sales with architects.
Continue readingKey Take-Aways
Global Perspective of Crisis
Shortage of Residential Metal Roofing Contractors
Metal is Changing Perception in Residential & Commercial Design & Usage
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, continued the focus of “Build Back Better” with special guests Ken Gieske of McElroy Metals and Ray Smith of Australia-based AppliCad Software. Read on for important take-aways from last week’s discussion and REGISTER today for this week’s METALCONLive! as we welcome expert specification writer and architect, Mark Kalin of Kalin Associates Specifications.
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Key Take-Aways
Re-Open with Optimism and Act NOW
Integrate Digital Engagement into Strategic Plan
Importance of Utilizing CRM Systems
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, have begun shifting the focus away from crisis-mode to how the industry can “build back better.” Special guests Paul Lechiara, owner of East Coast Metal Roofing, and Bobby Darnell, principal of Construction Market Consultants, Inc., joined the discussion to offer their sales and marketing strategies implemented during the lockdown, which have proven to be successful.
Continue readingKey Take-Aways
“Build Back Better”
Restrictions Are Loosening
Cash Flow Still a Critical Factor
METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, led last week’s robust discussion addressing current challenges and workarounds to the current coronavirus crisis. Their special guests included Danny Kerr, managing partner of Breakthrough Academy and Adam Mazella, executive vice president of Sheffield Metals.
Continue readingKey Take-Aways
Digital engagement here to stay
Most anticipate “new normal” to resume in 60 days
Crisis will create new business opportunities
It’s hard to believe it’s been a month since METALCONLive! first launched. We can’t thank you enough for your support and participation. METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, led last week’s robust discussion addressing current challenges and workarounds to the current coronavirus crisis. Joining them for this lively discussion were special guests Heidi J. Ellsworth, partner with RoofersCoffeeShop® and owner of HJE Consulting and Scott Hutchings, sales director of U.S. Construction with SFS.
Continue readingKey Take-Aways
Continue Scenario Planning
Metal Contractors and Manufacturers ARE Still at Work
Take Care of your People
For the third week in a row, METALCON Co-Founder and CEO, Frank A. Stasiowski, FAIA, in partnership with the Metal Construction Association and Rob Haddock, CEO and Founder of S-5! Metal Roof Innovations, welcomed everyone last Wednesday, 4/15, to our FREE weekly “no-BS discussion” of challenges and workarounds happening in real time. Rob and Frank were joined by special guests Tony Buoquot, general manager of MBMA and Miguel Pena, sales, marketing and operations at GSSI Sealants, also a Metal Construction Association Board Member.
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WHEN: Wednesday, April 22 at 11.00 a.m. MT/1.00 p.m. EST
WHAT: Metal Roofs – Wind Uplift(ing) or NOT?
AIA Accredited Earn: 1 LU/HSW CEU Credit Presenters: Architectural & National Accounts Director, Shelly Higgins
Discover the science of wind uplift and how it is changing. Understand how the changes are impacting codes and roof material choices. Learn about testing and specification techniques for metal roof options and accessories to improve wind uplift resistance, providing a safer building at a lower cost. This course will also address wind uplift in severe weather conditions and how to increase wind uplift resistance to protect both the buildings and its inhabitants. You’ll see examples of hurricane-stricken areas and what builders are doing to minimize damage. Finally, you’ll learn about the associated changes in code. Register Now.
WHEN: THURSDAY, APRIL 22 AT 1:00 PM EST (jueves, el 23 de abril 2020 1.00 p.m. EST)
WHAT: Las Mejores Practicas para Instalar Paneles Solares sobre Techos Metálicos
Descripción del Curso: Con la alta demanda de energías renovables en estos tiempos, propietarios de edificios y residencias, comienzan a utilizar la energía solar como un generador esencial. Elegir la superficie correcta sobre dónde instalar los paneles solares, es muy importante para el proceso del diseño, el impacto económico inicial y al largo plazo. Este curso es acerca de los beneficios de instalar paneles solares sobre techos metálicos, los distintos tipos de sistemas de montajes, la distribución de los paneles, pruebas de rendimiento para fijaciones y sus comparaciones en costos. Register Now.
Previous S-5! webinars can be found on their website and can still be viewed. We hope you will take advantage of these great educational opportunities. If you have any questions for the folks at S-5!, please contact them at support@s-5.com.
METALCON honors the magnificent women in our industry as this week marks Women in Construction Week (WIC) 2020! The focus is to highlight women as a viable component of the construction industry. WIC Week also provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities.
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) was founded in 1953 as Women in Construction of Fort Worth, Texas. Seeing that women represented only a fraction of the construction industry workforce, 16 women founded NAWIC to create a support network for others like themselves. Women in Construction of Fort Worth was so successful that it gained its national charter in 1955 and became the National Association of Women in Construction. Today, NAWIC provides its members with opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, public service and more.
NAWIC Chapters nationwide are hosting special activities all week. Check out the calendar of events on NAWIC’s Facebook page.
Redshift by Autodesk reports in their recent article, “Massive Hybrid Manufacturing Machine in Europe Pushes Boundaries of 3D Printing,” that a new machine is now designed to 3D-print metal parts and structures for construction as large as 2 meters in diameter (6.5 feet) and up to 6 meters long (over 19 feet long) and 2,000 kilograms (4,409 pounds) in weight.
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“And the Oscar goes to” … if you tuned into last night’s award’s ceremony, you may have seen Tom Hanks giving a preview of the $388-million dollar Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, scheduled to open in December 2020. Designed by Pritzker-Prize winning architect Renzo Piano with Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Gensler, the new museum will be situated on the famed “Miracle Mile,” and will preserve and breathe new life into the former 1939 May Company department store, now re-named the Saban Building.
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According to Construction Dive, “Aluminum components are being 3D printed with the resulting v-shaped nodes and connected squares of curtain wall forming a dramatic slope from the fourth to 40th floors. Aside from the impressive aesthetic, this method of production can also more easily accommodate last-minute changes.”
The article goes on to explain, “Structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) started out planning to use a reinforced concrete core for the building, said firm CEO Ron Klemencic, and about halfway into the project, it was clear that the tower would be too expensive and was going to take too long to build, making it economically unfeasible for the building’s owner, developer Wright Runstad & Co.” So after tabling the project for over a year, they needed an idea that would “jumpstart the project without busting the budget.”
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Next-generation innovations were the focus this past weekend at the CES (Consumer Electronic Show) in Las Vegas. CES is the world’s gathering place for those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. The show has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for 50 years. So with innovation and technology in mind, METALCON’s MMM focuses on drones in construction and how far they’ve come over the past several years. Construction Dive recently took a deeper look into the subject in their new series, “Tech 101.”
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In a recent article, Construction Dive offers five predictions on how construction will evolve in this New Year. Here are the top trends to expect in 2020 in the nation’s second-largest industry:
For Magnificent Metal Monday, let’s look ahead into the New Year with ArchDaily’s Top 20 Most Anticipated Projects for 2020. Designed across a wide range of scales, they represent a mix of interconnected landscapes, museums, and the world’s newest skyscrapers located across five continents, with many under construction for multiple years. Three of these projects are new skyscrapers joining the skylines of three major US cities including Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
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Construction Dive has launched a new tool to map high-impact construction projects across the United States. Construction is an engine that powers the U.S. economy. Across the country, large-scale projects are shaping communities by enabling industry, improving transit and meeting changing demand for commercial space and housing.
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Thanks to cutting-edge image technology, the daunting task of rebuilding a near 900 year old building will be possible. According to an article published last week in Futurism, “Thanks to the meticulous work of Vassar art historian Andrew Tallon, every exquisite detail and mysterious clue to the building’s 13th-century construction was recorded in a digital archive in 2015 using laser imaging. These records have revolutionized our understanding of how the spectacular building was built — and could provide a template for how Paris could rebuild.”
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, home of METALCON 2019, may be seeing a $700 million city enhancement project come to fruition in the near future. According to Construction Dive, local developer Millcraft Investments provided more information last week about the Esplanade, its planned $700 million, 15-acre mixed-use development along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Where’s the crystal ball when you need one? Without crystal balls, tarot cards or other mind-reading methods, we turn to the industry trades to help us “see into the future.”
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What if you could download and print a home in 24 hours at half the cost? ICON, an Austin, Texas based 3-D printer construction startup company is doing just that! Mentioned briefly in our previous blog post, ICON has partnered with New Story and People Helping People of El Salvador, two charitable organizations focused on helping some of the world’s poorest people in replacing the sprawling slums with 3D printed homes. ICON has successfully printed its first home and is poised to built an entire community at $4,000 per home with an estimated 12-24 hours to print each home. Executive Director for People Helping People, Lisselot Tronconis, says, “the appeal of 3D printing isn’t aesthetics, but that it can cut the cost, time and labor required to build homes.” Continue reading
Our friends over at http://www.designandbuildwithmetal.com recently published an article that pertains to a lot of the metal roofers out there. Contributing to the article was Harry Schouten of Advanced Architectural Sheet Metal & Supply.
You heard us right, housing is OPEN! We’ve opened it earlier this year so that you can take advantage of the early bird pricing on the official hotels Continue reading
January 26 – By Lauren K. Terry – Creativity has become so intertwined with the definition of exceptional leaders that an entire industry has emerged to help leaders find their creative abilities. There is a Center for Creative Leadership, a Creative Leadership Group, a Creative Leadership Program, Continue reading
Read this article this morning and it will certainly impact the metal construction industry. Take a read for yourself and let us know what you think. We are starting to see science and metal construction come closer together than ever. It’s always had that relationship, but it continues to be more complex. Anyhow read the article and let us know what you think.
http://www.zmescience.com by Tibi Puiu – Solar cell technology has improved dramatically over the past couple of year, yet it will be a long time before multi-junction cells – then kind that can reach efficiency well over 40% – will become affordable to small home owners or even large scale installation. New methods are always explored, however, each with its own angle to harnessing solar energy, benefits and disadvantages included. One of the biggest challenges to improving solar cell efficiency is collecting light frequencies that are outside the visible spectrum, and a new technique developed at Caltech makes use of a most interesting physical effect: plasmon resonance on the surface of metal nanoparticles.
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Our good friends from Australia are going to be putting on two interesting, thought-provoking, and engaging presentations in the Learning Zones this year at METALCON. You really don’t want to miss out
