Earthquakes

Lately we have seen a lot of news about earthquakes. What happened in Haiti was tragic and unexpected. What was not unexpected was the generosity of the American People who rushed in to help, providing millions of dollars worth of monetary aid, food and assistance.

I have never experienced an earthquake, even though I did work in Los Angeles for a while. I mentioned to the locals in L.A. that I’d like to experience an earthquake one day. My colleagues just laughed at me and said, “No you don’t, really.” Coincidentally, the day I left to return home to Arlington, TX, a fair-sized earthquake hit the L.A. area. I just barely missed the experience due to being on an airplane somewhere over New Mexico. Phew!

Having spent some time reviewing construction drawings in L.A., I understand the implications of designing buildings to survive an earthquake. Concrete columns, which in Texas would have been about 15” in diameter, are instead so large one could not reach around them with both arms. Masonry structures are discouraged in an earthquake because it will just simply shake apart. The only way to use masonry is to reinforce it with concrete, steel or some other more stable material. Steel works well because it flexes, but in a high-rise structure, you must consider that a building that is allowed to sway during an earthquake can make the occupants sick in a simple windstorm.

Critical Environment Construction™ takes many different forms. As is the case with most types of CEC™, to make a building truly earthquake-resistant one must be able to adopt a non-traditional view of design.

Joseph Bramlage - Director of Marketing

Constructing With Snow

The 2010 Olympics are underway. I’ve marveled at the snow construction. The Canadian Olympic committee had to import, by truck, needed snow to construct a snowboard cross track and the half pipe course. These tracks are amazing—more like a sculpture than a construction project. How does one learn to do that kind of work anyway? You can be sure, a lot of experience was required.

I’m old enough to remember Jim McKay’s opening sequence for ABC’s Wide World of Sports. In his words, “the human drama of athletic competition and the agony of defeat.” As a child I learned when to look at the TV, upon hearing these words, to see Vinko Bogataj slide off the right side of the ski jump ramp. This ski jumper survived his terrible accident with only a few bruises and a mild concussion. He returned to competition the very next year. [Link]

This year, we were reminded that in the Olympics, especially the winter games, margins for error are razor thin and errors in judgment can be fatal. During a practice run, luge slider, 21-year-old Nodar Kumaritashvili from Georgia, lost his life in a fatal accident on the luge track. He misjudged a turn and sailed out of the track hitting a support column. Naturally, the designers and builders of the track, which was an amazing feat of construction, did their best to make the track safe. Now the memory of this fatal accident will be with them forever.

In the construction business, judgments are made all the time. In our business we often work around high voltage equipment, and around bacteria, viruses and airborne contaminants. We cannot afford mistakes, for mistakes can be devastating. When working in critical environments, one wrong move or a mistake in judgment could cost millions of dollars or could even be fatal. Preparation and planning are keys to success and more than 20 years of experience with construction in these environments is useful too. Keeping people safe while protecting investments. That’s what Critical Environment Construction is all about.

Joseph Bramlage
- Director of Marketing and Information Technology

Turning a Digital Page Yet Again

I remember seeing A:\ > on a fuzzy green monitor years ago and thinking I was seeing the future. When the first graphic user interfaces (GUI) arrived, it demonstrated potential for improving the user experience. The GUI was called a paradigm shift, meaning a dramatic change in methodology or practice. We have seen incremental improvements, such as better monitors, faster processors, a library of typefaces and proportional character sets. Laser and inkjet printers replaced dot matrix printers. Digital photos and music added richness to the user experience. Laptops became more portable, yet the design of personal computers and the user interface have remained relatively unchanged for years.

For me, another paradigm shift arrived with the Internet. Being connected is now essential for business. Many of us have computers at home connected to the net, as well. There are about 312 million people in the US and approximately 75% of us have access to the Internet. Does that mean 80 million Americans still only read newspapers, watch TV for the news, or mail letters? This is not likely. Being too young or old to learn is only part of the reasons people remain off the net. I think one large barrier is the design of computers. I simply do not like to read news on a computer screen because my computer is often not convenient. Email has changed my life, but even email is inaccessible at times. Smart phones are cool, but I cannot manage data on a tiny little screen and type on a tiny keyboard.

Media readers have been around for a few years, but until last week, these readers made little sense. Apple has quickly taken the lead position in this market. I believe their iPad product represents another paradigm shift and my reasons are simple. The touch-screen interface and potential for hundreds of applications makes information more approachable, efficient, and convenient. I believe my 79-year old mother could even use this product. The iPad’s near instant on capability means convenience and flexibility. I will carry one like a portfolio. It will likely become my preferred method for daily digital tasks such as reading news or email. Expect to see mobile data entry applications, and interactive kiosks. You will see them in police cars and in offices. They will become GPS navigators, maps, a remote for your DVR—the potential is nearly endless.

Other vendors will close rank and follow Apple’s lead. Whichever model you buy, the glue that holds them together is the digital communication network. Without a network, these products become insignificant. Making sure digital networks remain uninterrupted during renovations and construction is Critical Environment Construction^TM. It’s what we do at KBS Constructors. Making sure your portable digital media is delivered portably at all times. That’s pretty critical.

Joseph Bramlage -Director of Marketing and Information Technology

Is it 2010 already?

A friend and I recently laughed about how far off the movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” and the sequel “2010” were when trying to predict the future. Note to moviemakers: When predicting the future, don’t include a date.

I expected to be constructing space stations by now, maybe even a hotel on the moon. But alas, governments are still the only contractors in space. This may explain why construction schedules for space stations are measured in decades.

By 2010, we might have expected to travel to the office in a flying car, powered by renewable fuel and fitting inside our briefcase, right? How naive we were back then!

What I didn’t predict was the amount of interdependence between the industries we serve. What happens when phone service is interrupted, for example? How much does a stock brokerage house depend on their communications system? What about Internet Service Providers or a hospital? Simply stated, these firms cannot tolerate a mistake made by a contractor working in a telephone switch room. Businesses depend on services, such as the communication network, and our customers provide those services. That’s Critical Environment Construction.

Looking forward, I see more of the same. The healthcare industry needs contractors who won’t spread airborne contaminates in their buildings. Fear of bioterrorism requires us to pay attention to similar issues when building animal research facilities.
The future for us is in knowing how to successfully work in these environments. I guess for now we will leave space construction for the government to handle. We have our hands full keeping buildings safe and operational here on Earth.

I’d love to hear your take on it. What will be business’s most critical building needs in the decade to come?

Joe Bramlage
Director of Marketing

Water is a Critical Environment, Really?

As a kid, I loved to swim. After several hours in the pool though, my skin would look like a prune and my eyes were as red as Dracula’s.

Some experts believe pruning of skin is a result of the outer layer of skin absorbing more water than the inner layers. When the outside layer expands more than the inner layer, it causes the skin to wrinkle. No kidding? Well, that explains the wrinkled skin, but what about red and sore eyes?
Working on an expansion of an indoor swimming facility, I have learned new things about pool water treatment. My misconception was that red eyes and a strong chlorine smell to the water is the result of too much chlorine. Actually, the cause can be not enough chlorine! Really? But how can that be?

According to poolcenter.com, the combined chlorine compounds, called chloramines, are produced when a free chlorine molecule combines with a nitrogen or ammonia molecule. These compounds smell bad, irritate the eyes and skin, and get in the way of free chlorine trying to do its job.

There is a better way to treat pool water. The application of UV-C light waves to water reduces the need for chlorine by as much as 75%, and kills some bacteria that are resistant to chlorine. I’ve known about the positive effect of UV light in air filtration systems used in hospitals where very unfriendly bacteria and viruses pose an even bigger threat to the people using the facility.

Because UV disinfection is a physical process, it reduces the need to transport, store, and handle dangerous chemicals like chlorine. UV treatment adds no taste or smell to water. Although direct exposure to UV-C rays is as dangerous to humans as it is to bacteria, a UV disinfection system adds no known carcinogenic or toxic by-product to the water.
These systems require yearly replacement of light bulbs, and they do cost more to install. However, given the benefits I have discussed, UV treatment systems must be considered, especially in a critical environment such as an indoor pool used by so many athletes for swimming competition.

Keeping swimmers safe from bacteria while protecting their eyes from irritation. That’s Critical Environment Construction.

Matt Charvat
Project Manager

Kyle Petty Energizes KBS Ultimate Tailgate Party

Recently, KBS Constructors Foundation sponsored an event at the American Royal Barbecue to benefit our non-profit organization of choice, Victory Junction Camp. A few area celebrities attended the event, which was called the KBS Ultimate Tailgate Party. Kyle Petty was also at the event, signing autographs and thanking people for their support of the camp.

What was especially amazing to me, was the amount of energy Kyle Petty brings to such events. He has time for everyone who helps with the camp. Clearly, the children of Victory Junction have won his heart, and I guess they must help to fill the void left by Kyle’s son Adam who was tragically killed in a racing accident.

If you do not know this story, you owe it to yourself to learn more about Victory Junction. I suggest you visit this ESPN web link and watch the video ABC produced about Adam Petty’s life and the development of the Victory Junction organization. This video is such a fitting tribute to Adam and the family he left behind.

When KBS was named as contractor to build the new camp in Kansas City, Kansas, it was a very proud moment for me personally. I did not know at that time that involvement in this charity would open my heart so wide. One cannot help but be taken in by the work so many people are doing on behalf of others. It’s truly an amazing place. I cannot wait until we open the doors on the latest camp to be located in Kansas City, Kansas. If you would like to help us build the new camp in the Midwest, visit our buildthebodyshop.com web site for more information.

Joseph Bramlage
DIrector of Marketing

Don’t Retire, Recycle

My 27-year career in commercial construction has exposed me to many different situations, both stressful and rewarding. Yet along with the stress of maintaining project schedules comes the wonderful feeling of looking at an impressive structure and knowing that you had a part in making that building possible.

Early in my career, I worked along side a seasoned estimator who was nearly 70 years of age and still working. Let’s say his name was Bill—not to protect his identity but because I have forgotten his name. I suspect that over the years, Bill had forgotten more about the business of construction than I had learned. We watched from his office as the nine-story office building across the street was demolished. It was a building he had helped construct when he was about my age.

Bill said, “You know you are old when buildings you helped build are now being torn down.” Although he laughed, I could see in his eyes that he was not ready to retire yet, even at his age. At the time, I thought it might be nice to be ready to put down your pencil and pick up a fishing pole. I don’t think he saw things that way though.

Now, some 25 years later, I know the feeling he was experiencing. In my case, however, many of the buildings I helped build are not necessarily being demolished, just remodeled. The way I look at things, why throw away what you can recycle? As long as the idea is popular, maybe I’ll go on living forever!

-- Joseph Bramlage
Director of Marketing