GOT JOBS....A Must Read

What is the best way to create jobs? I'm not an economist and even I know that an economy based around manufacturing provides jobs. In simple, if you can create products that people want to consume, then you will need people to produce those products and thus create jobs. Why am I, an architect, discussing this topic? The United States economy is struggling and has shifted away from producing consumer products as many items purchased today are shipped in from overseas. There is a movement to change this line of thinking in the construction industry.

A report on ABC News recently highlighted a home built entirely out of construction materials made in the USA. The cost of this home was only 1% higher than if every product had been purchased from another country. The old argument that buying foreign will dramatically save you money no long holds water.

Increasing jobs will provide more confidence in our economy and as history serves us, that confidence translates into an increase in home ownership. Increased home ownership will provide many additional jobs as more homes will need to be constructed and renovated to accommodate the desires of owning. If more homes are being built and renovated, there will be a demand for construction materials. If the amount of construction materials being used are manufactured in America, there will be an increase in jobs to keep up with demand stimulating the economy even further. If you don't believe me, the non-economist, simply watch the ABC News report on the following link which DOES speak with economists based on this theory. The other old adage, "Buy American and Americans work" is a beautiful thing when put into motion and it's more than just a saying,

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/10/how-to-build-a-made-in-america-home/

- Design is what you make it.

Hear ye, Hear ye...Construction to start again!

You heard it here first (second if you read the NY Times). In 2011 it is anticipated that construction in and around the country should start to begin again. In the Boston area specifically, there are numerous apartment rental buildings in the works and some large private office buildings are set to get underway. While the commercial building sector is still at a stand still, the residential rental market looks strong as many "potential homebuyers" are weary of the real estate market still and opting to rent rather than buy.

How does all this news affect you? Well as we saw some nice boom times in the early to mid-2000's, the U.S. economy truly is driven by the construction industry. The more construction that is going on, the more trickle down effect should be felt regarding jobs and drop in unemployment. It may be too early to jump up and down saying the financial woes are gone, however it is a bright spot on the horizon and I for one am going to use as much optimism as I can muster because it feels much better to think positively than it does to worry.
Check out the article attached below for more information on this:

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/01/02/construction_will_start_to_pick_up/

- Design is what you make it.

Talent, Talent, Where hast thou gone?

The construction industry is in flux to say the least. The talent pool should be rich with desperate, hungry workers...so is it? Many companies are finding these times frustrating, not only in finding new business to stay busy, but also in finding reliable valuable employees to help give the company an edge up on the competition. The dilemma seen everywhere is that the most valued, qualified people are still gainfully employed and swaying them to move companies in a time of financial flux is difficult because of the uncertainty of their new job being a permanent solution. The old adage, "last in, first out" is seen as a deterrent on switching positions.

Many employers are finding themselves in a difficult predicament to offer more lucrative, not less, benefit packages and wages in order to acquire the best talent. So while unemployment is high, finding additional employees to allow companies to keep moving forward and increasing revenue is a truly arduous task. Here is a link to a well written article describing what I just prefaced.

http://www.kimmel.com/construction/const_newsletter/Dec10_Newsletter_Web.cfm

- Design is what you make it.

Home Decor for the Holidays

Well it's not a secret that Thanksgiving is literally around the corner and Christmas isn't far off. The holidays offer an opportunity to break out your creative inner self. There are many different ways to dress up your home for all the guests you plan to entertain at this time of year. I found this article below to be very interesting and know if you get just one idea on how to make your pad fab, then it'll have been well worth the quick read.

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas to all.

http://nedesignbuild.com/articles/?p=62

- Design is what you make it.

Rosy Forecast for 2011 Construction Industry - Big Win for the Economy

You'll have heard it here first, well technically second since I am linking a great article about the 2011 forecast for the construction industry. As everyone knows by now; most did not prior to this economical collapse we've been living through the past couple years, the economy is an engine that is powered by the construction industry. With the financial crisis, obtaining loans for new construction endeavors has become increasingly more difficult. It appears, according the article released by McGraw-Hill, that things could be looking more rosy come 2011.

Check out the link, I found it very enticing and hope you enjoy it too.

http://enr.construction.com/business_management/finance/2010/1029-OutlookForcast.asp

- Design is what you make it.

Real Estate Development during trying Economic Times

Somerville, MA was presented with the All American City Award (AAC) in 2009. In 2010, the construction of the Assembly Square area will begin. This project will improve roadways, bring a new T station to Somerville, residential units, commercial office space, additional retail space, a new movie theatre, and most importantly 500 new jobs. Congratulations to the Somerville leaders for getting this task started in such difficult economic times. Perhaps Mayor Menino of Boston can follow Somerville's lead with the even more substantial project planned for the waterfront near the Boston Aquarium. To read more about both projects please go to:

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=3854
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/03/28/shadow_on_the_greenway/

- Design is what you make it.

Is Mayor Menino standing in the way of progress?

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/04/28/chiofaro_taking_battle_with_menino_to_the_public/

This is a difficult topic to cover. The Mayor has legitimate concerns about what impact this project would do to the city. Unfortunately the Mayor seems to have missed the mark on his concerns. Mayor Menino controls all that is constructed in the city, he has the final say. The major concern he seems to be expressing revolves around shadows and the Kennedy Greenway. The property in discussion sits on the edge of the harbor to the East of most of the Greenway. The Greenway only gets used during the late Spring, Summer, and early Fall. The other times of the year, the space is much to cool to comfortably stay for any period longer than walking through to one's destination.

In the Summer the sun is at it's apex, and while these buildings would create shadows on the Greenway during a portion of the morning as the sun rises from the horizon, at noon the sun is located to the South on it's path across the sky and thus would light the Greenway with the desired sunlight the Mayor is suggesting this project would block. Perhaps the laws of physics don't apply in the Mayor's world, but every shadow study I can conclude predicts shadows falling to the East from this project by noon and not toward the Greenway.

Sun arguments aside, can we discuss the economical impact this project could have on the state as well as the country? We're talking thousands of jobs (architects, designers, engineers, construction workers, factory workers, laborers, transportation workers, retail workers upon completion, janitorial workers, etc). What do people that have jobs usually do? They buy things, thus increasing more products being made and more workers needed to produce the products as well as transport them, and load and unload them etc. This one project due to it's scale could help to transform the effects from the recession into a period of normalcy again.

It is safe to say that should this developer secure the funding for this project the mayor has an obligation to allow this project to move forward. If he doesn't, it can only be that he's afraid of progress and doesn't care about the families in this country that are struggling to survive due to lack of jobs. Mayor Menino, please do reconsider allowing the height limitations to be high enough so this project has an opportunity to be conceived, allowing the citizens of this great country, state, and city to get economically healthy again. It is plainly obvious the benefits in this instance far outweigh the negatives.