| Backing Best-Value
Awards
I read with interest
your article on the Associated Builders and Contractors suing
the state of Pennsylvania over their use of "best value"
contract awards for projects with a value of over $5 million
(ENR 10/24 p. 12).
I’m grateful to work for a
trade association whose service to its members includes management
education, employee training, the establishment of National
Electrical Installation Standards, positive labor relations,
legislative issues and the development of a foundation used
to fund research and international partnerships to further
growth and knowledge within the industry.
If ABC spent more time and money
trying to make their members better contractors, then maybe
they wouldn’t feel so threatened when their only bastion
of safety–the low bid–is challenged by owners who
want more value for their construction dollar.
As 2006 president
of AIANY and the principal in charge of planning at FXFOWLE
ARCHITECTS (formerly Fox & Fowle), I was very pleased
to read your editorial, "Emergency Housing Can Be Tough
As Steel," and to see that ENR is advocating "out-of-the
box" creative solutions to emergency housing (ENR 10/17
p. 104).
The planning studio at FXFOWLE
developed the competition-winning concept for the Gloucester
Green project referenced in your editorial, which utilized
shipping containers as building blocks for redevelopment of
a former industrial area of Gloucester, Mass. In 2003, we
had determined that there was a surplus of over one million
shipping containers in the New York port, alone.
Our approach was to utilize the
structural frame of the containers and reface them with a
new window wall system. Additionally, we looked at clustering
containers and removing the intermediate sheathing so that
one could expand upon the narrow container, and develop units
with more typical room sizes.
Despite considerable initial interest
from developers, we found these projects were very difficult
to move forward because of the time associated with implementing
new ideas in housing, especially in educating building officials,
unions and contractors. We also found many negative connotations
associated with reuse of shipping containers for housing.
To succeed, this concept first has to gain acceptance as "chic"
or as "artist" housing in order to withstand the
negative aspects of these previous associations.
We would gladly offer additional
information about our Gloucester Green project and hope we
could become a resource for a competition that might result
from your call to the design community. We look forward to
a new future for the housing industry that might result.
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