Kevin Lee holds a accounting degree from University of Maryland Baltimore County and has been with Spectrum Inc. for over 4 years. Kevin is committed to his craft and has helped manage the growth of Spectrum with his aptitude for accounting.
Kevin is married with 2 lovely daughters and lives in Vienna, VA.
Professional and business services were up 78,000, while construction also had a solid month, adding 60,000 positions...read more
Contractors that build offices need to be aware of the newest trends and tenant requests, including the latest developments that can help improve internet access, Lars Olsen, head of midwest for WiredScore, which certifies buildings for connectivity and technologies...read more
With environmental benefits and lower labor costs, mass timber has grown into a market that could rival steel and concrete in the construction industry...read more
Core joins an increasingly crowded field of technology firms trying to solve the seemingly simple yet intractable challenge of connecting tradespeople looking for work with construction companies who are hiring...read more
A recently published paper from researchers at the School of Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) lays out their plan for using cigarettes in the brick-making process...read more
The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in new processes and protocols that impact everybody on the jobsite — from the boots on the ground all the way to the back office. Many of these processes will stick around long after a vaccine is available and we return to our so-called “normal” way of working. Here’s what to expect over the next several months and years...read more
Underfloor heating provides a viable alternative for conventional heating systems. Instead of using forced airflow from above, heat is released at floor level. Ceiling-based heating systems must work against natural convection, while underfloor systems use it to their advantage. This is beneficial in terms of energy efficiency, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality...read more
The Commercial Construction Index (CCI) increased by one point to 57 in Q3 from 56 in Q2. While the overall index score remained fairly steady, two of the three main indicators saw increases. Contractors’ confidence in new business went up six points to 56, and revenue expectations rose four points to 48 in Q3...read more
Record-low interest rates. Major infrastructure projects. Robust data center construction. These are a few reasons why Charlie Windle maintains a glass-half-full outlook for the rest of the year at Luck Stone, the nation’s largest family-owned and -operated crushed stone, sand and gravel producer. Considering the economic uncertainty brought on earlier this year, Windle has some newfound clarity on the months ahead that elevates his confidence about the remainder of 2020...read more
The prevention guidelines for COVID-19 have focused mostly on social distancing, personal protective equipment, and strict hygiene protocols. However, building design features can also be used to protect occupants from infection. Architects and engineers can use design features to create healthier spaces, while improving other aspects of wellness and building performance...read more
In the construction industry, close quarters and shared equipment can make following these guidelines difficult. But it’s essential that you clarify expectations and educate your employees on the dangers of COVID-19. This is particularly important as your jobsites become increasingly populated...read more
Burger King unveiled two new restaurant designs last week that will have dedicated mobile order and curbside pickup areas, drive-in and walk-up order areas, enhanced drive-thrus, exterior dining space and sustainable design elements, according to a press release. The first newly designed restaurants, which the chain claims will be 100% touchless and 60% smaller than a traditional restaurant, will be built in 2021 in Miami, Latin America and the Caribbean....read more
The mushrooming field of contech has created demand for a new kind of worker who has a top-to-bottom understanding of the principles of good construction, project management and computer coding....read more
“Demand continued to move at a strong pace in Northern Virginia, mostly attributable to tech and cloud companies,” he said. “Following record new construction in 2019, the market is now at a point where most of the new deliveries from 2019 have been absorbed and landlords are looking to accelerate building their next facilities to accommodate end-user needs.”...read more
There are distinct cases, states and markets that have not seen a disruption to construction activity. In some cases, the work itself serves as enough “social distancing.” Even in situations where a complete shutdown has not occurred, there is a new normal affecting the construction project life cycle...read more
Local economic development advocates and a private solar power installation company are looking for a sunny side to the region’s energy and job markets...read more
Building pros say to really see blockchain’s potential in this business, you first need to forget everything you’ve heard about bitcoin and crypto, because blockchain is much more basic than that. In fact, it’s a lot more boring, which is what makes it so potentially powerful for construction...read more
Researchers at MIT have explored the possibilities of RoboClam, a mechanical cousin of expert digger the Atlantic razor clam. Like its biological counterpart, RoboClam manipulates its shell to “fluidize” soil, which reduces burrowing drag. The researchers envision a self-contained, upsized RoboClam digging undersea tunnels for cable installations, or digging deep into land-based soil...read more
Construction and large-scale facility maintenance projects are significant undertakings and every task must be carefully orchestrated to avoid unexpected, and costly, delays. New construction of an industrial facility, such as a refinery or a power plant, shares similarities with subsequent major maintenance projects—a nearly endless list of specific tasks and an enormous number of specialized trades that deliver the manpower to make the project happen...read more
Whether it be high-tech grade positioning, Building Information Modeling systems, telematics, remote control, or 3D printing, these technologies are available now. The initial investments construction companies make in these technologies will be repaid in faster, more streamlined project deployment, fewer errors in the field, improved fleet maintenance and more efficient labor deployment...read more
Businesses that received Paycheck Protection Program loans are anxiously eyeing an IRS ruling that could affect whether they apply for loan forgiveness. In a notice this spring, the IRS said it had ruled out tax deductions for wages and rent paid with forgivable PPP loans in order to prevent a “double tax benefit.”...read more
New Dodge Data & Analytics research shows that U.S. commercial and multifamily construction starts plunged 22% during the first six months of 2020 compared to the same time frame in 2019. In terms of sectors, only warehouse construction posted a very small gain, while office, retail, hotels, commercial garages and multifamily housing all fell....read more
Jason Washington, the school system’s new public-private partnerships director, said during a school board meeting Friday, Aug. 21 four developers expressed interest in submitting final proposals. According to the terms of the proposal, at least 30 percent of the contract value must be procured through minority and county-based businesses...read more
At more than $1 trillion in annual spending, the construction industry accounts for a significant portion of national GDP and is a major driver of the U.S. economy. The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked incredibly complex challenges, from nervous lenders to on-site safety measures to liability. Documentation has become an absolutely vital tool for protection and preservation of resources in this uncertain environment...read more
The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) national trade association announced Tuesday its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) declined to 7.8 months in July, a decrease of 0.3 months from June — which, in turn, has decreased contractor optimism. The CBI is a forward-looking national economic indicator that shows work construction companies are contracted to do in the future, measured in dollars...read more
The use of construction technology is becoming increasingly important in a world where we are not relying so heavily on standard building types and are instead turning more and more to one-off prototype construction projects...read more
A new study confirms and quantifies what contractors across the country already know: Implementing COVID-19 safety preparations and protocols at jobsites has led to a decline in productivity, which is eating into their profits. ...read more
COVID-19 has affected communities all around the world, with reported cases rising each day. Even when many governments and companies are responding rapidly, there is still much to be done. The construction industry has played a critical role in these difficult times, from building hospitals within days to donating equipment...read more
As building sites all over the world gradually re-open after lockdown, it’s becoming increasingly clear that construction will look different after COVID-19. Our global public health crisis has confirmed the urgent need for a new way of building homes and offices, using smart construction to tackle design problems, inefficiency, outdated techniques and environmental challenges....read more
The nonresidential construction industry lost 4,000 jobs in July, as compared to June, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) announced Friday. The construction industry as a whole, however, has added 639,000 jobs during the past three months — recovering approximately 59% of the jobs lost during the pandemic....read more
Spending on U.S. construction projects fell 0.7% in June as both home building and nonresidential activity declined, the Commerce Department said on Monday. Private and government spending on construction both also declined by the same 0.7% figure...read more
After all, modular construction offers a fast, efficient way to build structures in a controlled factory setting using fewer workers, who can more easily comply with social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols than at a traditional commercial construction site. But something unexpected happened on the way to modular and offsite construction’s sustained COVID-19 surge...read more
In spite of the economic impact caused by COVID-19, many civil contractors are optimistic about the near future. According to The Civil Quarterly, a report developed in collaboration by several contech firms, most contractors expect to have new business opportunities...read more
The COVID-19 pandemic is driving demand for more data centers in the world’s largest cloud cluster. Developers are racing to build new IT capacity in Northern Virginia to meet extraordinary demand for cloud computing resources due to the rapid societal shift to online services...read more
“The widespread job gains in June follow even more universal increases in May,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “But the government’s employment snapshot was based on payrolls during the week of June 12...read more
Total construction starts increased 6% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $641.4 billion. This marks the second consecutive monthly gain in construction starts following the COVID-19 induced declines in March and April. In June nonresidential building starts gained 6% and starts in the nonbuilding sector moved 27% higher. Residential starts, by contrast, fell 6% during the month....read more
Brian Poage is construction support manager for project management software maker Raken. Poage, a former construction project manager for WeWork, spoke with Construction Dive about how the coronavirus has led to increased interest in prefabrication, technology tools for better communication among project stakeholders and moving the industry toward paperless jobsites....read more
Researchers from the University of Houston, in collaboration with others, have designed a “catch and kill” air filter that can trap the virus responsible for COVID-19, killing it instantly.....read more
Testing buildings — not just people — could be an important way to stop the spread of the coronavirus....read more
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has started testing the different uses of the four-legged Spot Robots in its internal operations, becoming the first utility in the region to use this robot, developed by Boston Dynamics....read more
Construction is one of the largest industries still resisting the call of the 21st century, its practitioners opting for decades-old but tried and true methods. Ben Huh, of Cheezburger fame, aims to modernize the planning and assembly of buildings with software-generated floor plans and rooms that fit together like Lego bricks...read more
How to safely reopen offices, schools and other public spaces while keeping people six feet apart comes down to a question mathematicians have been studying for centuries....read more
The index measures costs in the U.S. nonresidential building construction market. It decreased to 1177, representing a 1 percent reduction from the first quarter. This is the first time Turner’s projected quarterly BCI adjustment has fallen since the second quarter of 2010...read more
A team of researchers have, for the first time ever, linked 40 years of productivity data from the construction industry with the actual work done. The results show that productivity in the construction industry has been declining since the 1970s. The results also explain the decline and how to achieve far more efficient construction in North America and Europe...read more
Coronavirus-related shutdowns required contractors to scramble to find new ways to protect workers and monitor jobsite progress while maintaining social distancing...read more
From the use of “low carbon concrete” to the development of bricks made from recycled materials, the construction sector is undergoing a number of changes that could have a far-reaching impact in the years ahead...read more
U.S. put-in-place construction spending, during the coronavirus health crisis, has benefitted from the carryover of work begun last year. 2019 construction starts included an inordinately large number of mega projects valued at $1 billion or more each. There were 35 such projects last year, with a summed value near $80 billion, or 15% of nonresidential groundbreakings...read more
Value engineering, the process of evaluating a project for potential changes that could save money without compromising on performance, typically happens for a few reasons in the realm of traditional construction. The project could be over budget, or the general contractor and owner might simply want to reduce costs or increase efficiency...read more
The success of the project was through the trust that had been garnered by Spectrum’s project team and the construction management team due to successful completion of numerous buildout with this government contractor over the past 15 years. This project was designed and constructed under the DC Green Regulatory Authorities. All waste and products were documented, recorded and inspected under the DCRA current building code. Add 100,000+ square foot project .
The overall aesthetic of Virginia Square is one that follows function in pure form, balances light and space through the dynamic open structure, and proves itself as the efficient modern luxury of future. The idea of VA Square serving as thriving residence where tenants merge together to form a dynamic community is transcended through the calculated ode to the Potomac River.
A 14,000 SF demolition and remodeling project that allows an occupancy of 200 people. Completing Bytecubed in 45 days was a proper challenge for Spectrum. The combination of private offices and large open work spaces was designed with a modern flair. Surprises with the floor to ceiling graphics gives the space a warm feel. LED lights with daylight harvesting compliment the inviting work environment and create full, bright areas. There is a flow to the workspace contributed by offices with full glass walls, which make even private offices seem open.
The upscale, modern renovation of this residential complex is composed of 16,000 square feet of amenities, which include a new lobby, resident service lounge, business center, conference room, clubroom, elevator lobbies, and mailroom. The additions provide the building with modern luxury equipped with a unique aesthetic design to serve current and future residents.
Ownership recognized the trend and need in the up-scale eclectic Massachusetts Ave. multi-family market place. Positioning the property to compete successfully led to elevator upgrades, lobby renovations, new Fitness and Resident Lounge areas. Defining and employing the mood of the Lounge and Fitness areas entailed interspersing urban and outdoor sensations.
This 13,600 SF project encompasses offices with both closed and open ceilings, a kitchen area, and large conference room. Glass partitions provide the option of privacy or an open, collaborative environment. The space also features a daylight harvesting package and a unique modular arts wall.
