BLUEPRINTS WEAVERCOOKE S QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER January - March 2015 Starting Strong in 2015 Recent Projects Upcoming Events New Employees Clash Detection Case Study Energy Solutions for Non-Profits A NEWS UPDATE FROM WEAVERCOOKE
7 F E A T U R E S 1. Recent Projects With fifteen projects under construction and many of them scheduled to be completed this year, 2015 is looking like a busy and successful year for WEAVERCOOKE. 3. Upcoming Events The Company Meeting and Bi-Annual Tech Drive are scheduled within the next couple months. More information will be available for both shortly. Do what s best for the client. In all situations, act in the best interests of our client, even if it s to our own detriment. Our reputation for integrity is one of our greatest assets. 4. New Employees WEAVERCOOKE has hired new people and welcomed back some former employees both in the office and in the field. 5 3 5. Clash Detection at Givens Givens Gerber, an Affordable Housing project in Asheville, NC, has made excellent use of Clash Detection. We highlight how BIM has saved money and time for the project. 7. Solar for Non-Profits Tax incentives may seem like they wouldn t be applicable to non-profits, but there are several different financial models that allow non-profits to reap the benefits of solar energy. On the cover: Outside the WEAVERCOOKE office in Greensboro, NC
Projects Nearing Completion... Crescent Garden Apartments Wilson, NC - Completed in March 2015 Mars Hill Common Asheville, NC - Scheduled Completion in April 2015 Hotel Durham Durham, NC - Scheduled Completion in June 2015 Parking Garage Retrofits Washington, DC - Scheduled Completion in August 2015 Forest at Duke - Additions & Renovations Durham, NC - Scheduled Completion in June 2015 Carolina Meadows Dining Hall Chapel Hill, NC - Scheduled Completion in August 2015 New Projects... Villas at Fallen Spruce Asheville, NC Hope Court Apartments Greensboro, NC Brookwood Apartments Mount Olive, NC Berryman Square Apartments Greensboro, NC Viewmont Square Court Hickory, NC Civic Park Apartments Salisbury, NC 1 2
WEAVERCOOKE s 2nd Bi-Annual Tech Drive WEAVERCOOKE will once again be collecting donations of old technology. Donated tech will be recycled through Ecycle and the money that earns will be donated to Urban Ministries. Our last drive allowed us to donate over$500 to Urban Ministries as well as about 420 pounds of canned goods. On top of that, two working computers and a large commercial copier were given to The Boys and Girls Club at Ward Street United Methodist Church in High Point - The Ward Street Mission is an ongoing project the USGBC local chapter has been actively assisting. This spring, the donations will be accepted Friday, May 1st and May 8th at WEAVERCOOKE s warehouse. More information will be sent out as we get closer to May. NEW EMPLOYEES Billy King Position: Superintendent Current Project: Viewmont Square -Been in construction over 35 years -Graduated from Chowan College -Worked with W.H. Weaver Construction back in the 70 s. -Has continued education in construction through classes, workshops, etc. Billy Sanders Position: Superintendent Current Project: Berryman Square -Been in construction for 34 years -Spent four years in the airforce -Worked with Rentenbach for 30 years -Projects have included work in GA, NC & TN Christina Keller Position: Executive Administrative Assistant Annual Meeting 2015 This year s Annual Meeting is schedule for Friday, May 15th. We are still early in the planning stages, but the meeting is expected to start at 8:30 after a continental breakfast at 8:00. The meeting is still in the early planning stages. More information will be sent out as we get closer to May. -Thirteen years of administrative experience -Graduated from Thomas Nelson Community College -Married to the Assoc. Director of Operations at UNCG -Has 3 kids who are either in or graduated from college RJ Froehlich Position: Superintendent Current Project: Forest at Duke -Nine years of experience in the construction industry -Graduated from ECU with a BS in Construction Management -In 2008, worked as an intern on a $200 million project in Washington, DC -Member of ECCA and is a Sigma Alpha Epsilon Alumnus DeEtta Famiano Position: Director of Virtual Design and Construction Portfolio: http://www.fdg-ws.com -Currently teaching as adjunct professor at FTCC s Architectural Technologies Department -Featured in various publications, including three different periodicals -Over 10 years experience in the construction industry with BIM technology -Dedicated member of Habitat for Humanity 3 4
Above: BIM separates the structural, architectural and mechanical systems so that the user can look at the plans separately and see down to the mechanical systems or look at the outside of the finished building. GIVENS GERBER APARTMENTS A Case Study of Clash Detection Below: A report detailing the location of each of the major clashes. The Clash Report printed directly from the Revit model only includes a table of the items that are clashing. To facilitate the clashes being fixed, DeEtta marks where each clash is on the plans and includes an image of the clash for the larger and more complicated clashes. WEAVERCOOKE is an avid supporter of using 3D Modeling in construction. The potential cost and time savings of BIM continue to increase as we discover more uses for it. But one of the primary uses for it from the start has been Clash Detection. perpendicularly through a truss, which can work, but might need some adjustments and considerations. However, in some cases the clashes that are detected are very important and very unmovable clashes that require extensive redesigns. Clash Detection allows preconstruction to have In the case of Givens Gerber, over 800 clashes were the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, detected, including everything from clashes between and plumbing plans from the architect and the trusses and sanitary vent pipes to clashes within just subcontractors all pulled together into a single BIM the MEP model. The adjustments required to the design coordination model. Then our VD&C department uses are much easier than adjustments would have been out the computer to see if anything is running into anything in the field, when expensive change orders would have else within the model that s been built. In some cases been necessary to fix the clashes. the computer will see a problem where there isn t one. It may, for example, be very upset that the domestic DeEtta Famiano, our Virtual Design and Construction water pipes seem to be right in the middle of the Director, went through each of the clashes to walls, which is, as it happens, exactly where they are determine how legitimate of a concern the clash was. supposed to be. Sometimes it will point out clashes Clash Reports created by DeEtta are available to all that will be a means and methods kind of fix that field WEAVERCOOKE employees on the Common Drive. personnel can work with. An air duct might be running 5 6
How to make Solar Energy for Non-Profits make financial sense. For non-profit entities, the tax breaks and government incentives that help to pay for solar projects may seem inapplicable. However, several options exist for nonprofit organizations to finance solar projects and reap the benefits of renewable energy. Pass-Through Financing Passive Transfer Financing Staged Installation Multi-Party Financing In Pass-Through Financing, a nonprofit organization finds a corporate sponsor who can take advantage of the tax incentives offered with renewable energy programs. The sponsor receives tax incentives and renewable energy income for 5-10 years and then gives the solar panels as a tax-deductible charitable donation to the church or non-profit. Passive Transfer Financing is similar to Pass-Through Financing, but instead of having one corporate sponsor, there are individuals and small companies coming together to finance the project. The sponsors form a Limited Liability Corporation together. The sponsors receive tax incentives and renewable energy income for 5-10 years through the LLC. Then the LLC gives the solar panels as a taxdeductible charitable donation to the church or non-profit. With a Staged Installation, the PV installer will use micro-inverters to allow the solar panel system to be put up in several stages instead of in one large construction project. This method of installation makes the project more affordable by spreading it over a longer time. The nonprofit would simply buy more solar panels whenever they have collected sufficient funds for it. However, the ultimate cost of the entire project may be higher than a more traditional installation. A Multi-Party Financing arrangement works similarly to Pass-Through Financing. However, not all companies need as much of a tax break as a full PV system would award them. Groups like SECDC allow contributing companies with less tax liability to split the cost of the PV system. The contributing companies set up a low monthly fee for utility costs and, six years after installation, sell the solar panels to the non-profit at a fraction of their original cost. Meanwhile, the contributors are able to take advantage of the solar tax credits. 7 8
WEAVERCOOKE. 8401 Key Boulevard. Greensboro, NC, 27409. 336-378-7900 www.weavercooke.com