DBIA Southwest Regional News
Important construction news for the DBIA Southwest Region: New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana for the Design-Build Institute of America.
Design-Build Method Recognized and Encouraged by White House
by DBIA National
August 31st statement notes use of design-build as technique to speed delivery of infrastructure projects
On August 31, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum directing departments and agencies to identify high impact, job-creating infrastructure projects that can be expedited through outstanding review and permitting processes.
In the memorandum, the President directs the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Interior and Transportation to select up to three high priority infrastructure projects that are within the control and jurisdiction of the Federal government and can be completed within 18 months. The memorandum also points to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), noting their deliberate efforts to shorten project delivery, enhance the safety of the nation's roadways and protect the environment. FHWA is highlighted as an agency that has promoted design-build and already taken important measures to improve review and permitting processes and make them more efficient and effective.
“FHWA teams focus on facilitating interagency coordination,” the White House notes. “On the construction side, the agency is encouraging State use of acceleration techniques like design-build.”
DBIA members who attended the 2011 Design-Build in Transportation Conference this past March will remember hearing from Regina McElroy, who directs FHWA’s office of Innovative Program Delivery (IPD) and is charged with providing assistance to transportation agencies in delivering complex transportation improvements. Her office oversees specific procedures mandated by Congress to help enhance cost estimating, financial planning and project management practices for all major projects with construction values of $500 million or more receiving Federal funding. The Office of IPD also offers technical assistance to help agencies overcome project delivery challenges.
“While it is true that the projects that resulted from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are nearly complete, the spotlight ARRA has shown on the importance of integrated design and construction in general, and design-build project delivery in particular, will provide lasting value for our country as we attempt to meet our infrastructure needs under tight fiscal constraints,“ said Greg Gidez, AIA, DBIA, the Institute’s 2011 National Board Chair.
As DBIA approaches its 20th anniversary in 2013, design-build has moved from the category of alternative delivery methods into the mainstream. Executive Director Lisa Washington explained, “When DBIA was founded, nearly two decades ago, design and construction were considered separate industries. Now, more than ever before, it is important that we recognize the impact that integrated design-build project teams can have both on specific projects and in meeting our nation’s critical infrastructure needs.”
Board Member/Past Chair David Bloxom speaks to Young Lawyers Council
by DBIA Southwest Region
David Bloxom recently spoke to the Young Constructors Council (YCC) of TEXO (AGC of North Texas) on several of the Alternative Delivery Methods that can be used for projects. This under 40 group is composed of bright young people nominated by their company and accepted to membership in YCC. David's presentation focused on Design-Build method along with the DBIA Professional certification available through DBIA. The group is composed of about 75 members.
New Stadium For TCU Rose Bowl Champions Will Include Arched Facades By Speed Fab-Crete
by Russ Bloxom, VP Marketing, Speed Fab-Crete
While most of the new $105-million-dollar Westside Stadium for Texas Christian University will be poured-in-place concrete, Speed Fab-Crete has been chosen to provide precast, arched façade wall panels, produced off-site, to form an attractive exterior appearance for all new entrances to the football field.
Austin Commercial General Contractors of Dallas awarded Speed Fab-Crete the project to produce the wall sections off-site at its plant, and truck the units to the stadium for erection by crane. The job involves making 153 pieces of precast concrete to form the arched panels and 56 other wall sections to form a new service area of the stadium. Most of the sections will be about 8-inches thick.
Speed Fab-Crete’s President, David Bloxom, and Senior Estimator Russ Byrd, who attended TCU, were key executives in achieving the local contract. First installation of the panels is slated in June. The total stadium makeover will include private suites, spacious fan hospitality rooms, a party patio atop added levels of seating above the existing north end zone, and a visitor’s locker room accessed by a field tunnel. A new, expanded press box and an emergency operations command center will be in the northwest portion of the stadium. The facility will not be totally finished until the start of the football season in 2012.
Along with being a Fort Worth-based general contractor, Speed Fab-Crete also operates a precast concrete manufacturing plant, whose products include 6-inch-thick concrete wall panels for buildings, highway retaining walls and modular, arched bridges. The latter two meet TXDOT specifications. With an 8-inch-thickness, the concrete wall system recently won approval by FEMA for construction of community public shelters, capable of withstanding maximum winds of 250 miles per hour.
While a Fort Worth general contractor for 60 years, uniquely qualified for the history-making project, Speed Fab-Crete’s participation is even more meaningful because David’s father, the late Dave Bloxom, was founder of Speed Fab-Crete. He and a late brother, Shankle Bloxom, were graduates of TCU and prominent football players in the late 1940s. David’s brother, Dana, his daughter, Diana, and an uncle, Russ Bloxom, who is Vice-President of Marketing for Speed Fab-Crete, are TCU alums.
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Selects Speed Fab-Crete Small Business of the Year
by Russ Bloxom, VP Marketing, Speed Fab-Crete
Speed Fab-Crete Design-Build General Contractors has been selected the 2011 Small Business of the Year by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. The award was announced at the recent Fort Worth Mayor’s State of the City function, an event annually spearheaded by the chamber.
Speed Fab-Crete, a 60-year-old Texas construction industry leader, was a finalist for a second consecutive year in the category of companies with 51 to 150 employees. Despite a lackluster economy, Speed Fab-Crete has maintained its annual work force of about 100 employees, half of whom live in Fort Worth.
Along with an on-site visit of the company’s office and facilities, the chamber’s judging criteria for the awards included: business growth and performance; sound business strategies and practices; customer service; innovate business approaches; community involvement and contribution and employee relations.
Along with being a Fort Worth-based general contractor, Speed Fab-Crete also operates a precast concrete manufacturing plant, whose products include 6-inch-thick concrete wall panels for buildings, highway retaining walls and modular, arched bridges. The latter two meet TXDOT specifications. With an 8-inch-thickness, the concrete wall system recently won approval by FEMA for construction of community public shelters, capable of withstanding maximum winds of 250 miles per hour.
Speed Fab-Crete’s manufacturing facility also is a certified plant by both the Architectural Precast Association and National Precast Concrete Association for meeting highest industry standards. The plant consists of 130,000-square-feet of casting beds and a new state-of-the-art Voeller batch plant with two mixers and capacity for three different cements.
DBIA-SW TAMU Student Chapter Visits Flintco, Inc. Texas State University Project
by DBIA-SW
The Texas A&M University Student Chapter of the DBIA-SW recently visited Flintco, Inc.'s award-winning Texas State University project to get a first-hand look at the finished product. The trip was hosted by Flintco and no doubt ended up being a field trip the students won't soon forget!
DBIA-SW Raises Money for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
by Thomas Statzula, DBIA
Over the fourth of July weekend, George Dial, Kenny Easley, Mike Seib, Steve Wilson and I traveled to Sonoma for our 103 mile ride to a CURE for diabetes. It took me 10 hours and 20 minutes to finish. It was very challenging with one extreme hill after another. Our team raised $21,765 for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Thank you, DBIA-SW for being a part of our success and taking us one step closer to a life without diabetes! My family, especially my son Michael, is very grateful for all your generous donations. God Bless You!