Geotechnical News March 2011
51
ASFE NEWS
ers can have a much more positive im-
pact on employees’ morale and mental
health by conducting these conversa-
tions one-on-one, rather than in group
settings. “Taking the time to check in
and having an honest discussion with
individuals is key to making people
feel like they are respected [and] val-
ued,” she said.
Carson also pointed out that young-
er workers can be particularly needy
when it comes to stress, because they
have never before experienced this
kind of economic devastation and the
huge impact that layoffs and protracted
unemployment are having on friends
and relatives. Managers can respond
by providing more training to younger
or newer team members. “It’s a great
way to not only reduce stress, but also
to reinvest in the organization,” Carson
said. She urges managers to highlight
employees’ potential and encourage
ongoing skill development. The cost of
doing so can be kept low through one-
on-one coaching and mentoring, she
suggested.
Humor in the workplace can also
help reduce stress, as can activities that
employees and their families can share,
like a bowling or softball league. None-
theless, according to Alex Lickerman,
M.D., a primary care physician at the
University of Chicago, support and en-
couragement are what employees need
most. “They need to hear, ‘You can do
this. What you’re dealing with now is
just a bump in the road,’” Lickerman
said. “And often, a 15-minute pep talk
is just as effective as an hours-long dis-
cussion.”
No matter what, it seems, one thing
is clear: If you are going to keep your
lean, mean staff intact, ready to move
forward quickly as the economy im-
proves, you need to develop a plan,
launch it, monitor its effectiveness, and
make the improvements needed to op-
timize results. There’s far too much at
stake to simply hope for the best.
BIM is Here to Stay. Where are You with BIM?
John Moebes presented an owner’s
view of building information modeling
(BIM) adoption, risk, and reward at
a recent Insight Information forum
in Toronto. Moebes is director of
construction for the 145-store Crate &
Barrel chain, a retailer of housewares,
furniture, and home accessories that
doesn’t use prototype designs. The
chain adopted BIM because, Moebes
said, “We had to reduce project costs
and time. We looked around and
didn’t see a lot of options other than
building fewer stores or fighting more
court cases.” With the experience of
22 projects, Moebes reported that
BIM reduces time requirements by
40% and cost by 50%. He said Crate
& Barrel opted for BIM because it
already controlled most major project
parameters.
From an owner’s perspective, core
BIM benefits include: improved proj-
ect-document content, resulting in few-
er requests for information and better
downstream tender results; faster docu-
ment production; and accelerated un-
derstanding of the project at all phases.
Core BIM risks include: resistance
to process change in a “very conserva-
tive” industry; the BIM learning curve
(20% of the tasks require familiar-
ity with 80% the BIM platform); and
required infrastructure upgrades. For
owners wanting to give BIM a try,
Moebes suggested:
• Select a smaller project and a will-
ing project manager. (Moebes said
someone hostile to the technology
will “sink” the entire team.)
• Hire only those architects, engi-
neers, and contractors who are fa-
miliar with BIM.
• Don’t add any other irons to the fire.
Are you up-to-date on BIM? In five
years you’ll probably have to be. Those
who adopt it sooner will have the best
market later.
Eat My Smog
It’s called photocatalysis, a process
that uses light (natural or electric) to
accelerate natural oxidation processes
that cause air pollutants like carbon
monoxide, nitrogen oxide, and benzene
to decompose into water, nitrates, or
carbon dioxide. Now being marketed as
TX Active, the process was developed
by Italcementi, the world’s fifth-
largest cement producer. The active
photocatalyzing ingredient – a blend of
titanium dioxide – can be incorporated
into cement, mortar, paints, and plaster.
Launched commercially in Europe,
early results were called “astonishing.”
In Segrate, near Milan, TX Active was
used to repave a street that experiences
average traffic of 1,000 cars per hour.
Italcementi spokesperson Alberto
Ghisalberti said “we have measured
a reduction in nitric oxides of around
60%.” Near Bergamo, Italcementi’s
hometown, a 2-acre industrial area
paved with active blocks experienced a
45% pollution reduction.
According to Italian experts, paint-
ing the walls, repaving the roads, and
otherwise covering just 15% of all
visible urban surfaces with TX Active
products could cut pollution by as much
50% in large cities like Milan that ex-
perience persistent pollution problems
caused by car emissions, smoke from
