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Onix - Egenes Park apartment complex and childcare centre in Stavanger |
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Tuesday, 05 April 2011 09:16 |
Egenes Park is a building for dwellings with a childcare centre in the stadium area of Stavanger, Norway. The architects have been commissioned to build these 75 apartments and kindergarten. Stavanger, named the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2008. has the largest existing old inner-city in Europe consisting entirely of wooden houses. The project is built in the context of the Norwegian Wood architectural festival, focusing on innovative wooden architecture.
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Building a Better Future: Careers in Construction |
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Written by John Coldbrooke
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Monday, 10 January 2011 07:26 |
Advancing your career in a growing market can greatly increase your income and your success in your industry altogether. Old buildings are renovated, and new buildings, bridges, railroads and architectural structures are erected everyday. The need for construction will never go away, and the need for a construction workforce will always stay right along side. Trends around the world show the construction industry growing rapidly. It not only offers thousands of people jobs but also offers those already a part of the industry opportunities for advancement within their field. The skill needed for jobs in the industry varies depending on the position you are in or seeking. Specializing in a specific field can help earn you the job you want and ensure that you are skilled in that specific trade. Within this industry there are hundreds of jobs. The amount and type of education will vary depending on the specific trade you are studying. I will cover a few specific job types and the education necessary to be a master of that particular craft.
Tradesmen
Trade workers in the construction industry are employed in a huge variety of positions through every aspect of the industry. When building and developing a building there are hundreds of things that are done to create the finished product. There are structuring workers, mechanical workers and finishing workers each filling a specific role within the development of the structure they are building. Structure workers covers a number of positions from a boilermaker who covers boilers, vats and other large containers that hold liquids or gas. To a carpenter who install and repair structures made of wood. Other positions include but are not limited to, carpet, floor and tile installers, cement masons, ceiling installers, drywall installers, insulation workers, etc. Advancing within this particular part of the industry can be done in a number of ways. There are apprenticeships which are normally given through trade unions and local employers. Generally an apprenticeship takes between one and three years depending upon the craft you are specializing in. Most of the education gained through this type of learning is on-the-job training which earns you a lot of needed experience. There are also vocational schools and online construction schools offering training in the construction industry. Depending upon the specific job there will be different requirements and course lengths. Another way to advance is to learn yourself in more than one trade. Showing a knowledge in different areas will make you more valuable. Those with flexibility, good people skills and a willingness to learn may be promoted to supervisor or construction manager.
Managerial Positions
Just as there are many trade positions, there are many different types of managerial positions in the industry as well. Most of these positions require a college education. The different types include field managers, superintendents and project managers. Most of these positions either work together (for large projects) or on separate projects planning and coordinating all aspects of the project. They are responsible for making sure the job is done correctly and on schedule. These jobs require great organizational and problem solving skills. These managers are in charge of assigning work, making sure all needed materials arrive on time, working with the architect's plans and overseeing and directing construction, Advancing from this position would be to eventually own your own construction company. Owning your own company can start in many places. There are individuals who come straight out of college and begin their own company. Most of the time however, if you enter the construction industry with a college degree you will be a management trainee or an assistant to the construction manager. There are also individuals who work their way up from the bottom. If you are planning on starting your own construction company there are courses in business, finance and accounting that can aid you in your endeavor. The experience gained from working your way up the ladder could never be replaced by a college course, but the education gained through a college could be very beneficial. There are many different ways to earn your education and many different job opportunities in the construction industry to put that learning to use. More than half of the individuals working as construction managers are self employed.
The average job earnings in this industry are higher than that of all others, and I have barely scratched the surface of the job opportunities within the construction industry. Not only are there many different job avenues but there is room to grow and advance, someday even owning your own company.
Suggested online resources for extended education:
http://www.extension.harvard.edu/
http://www.bellevue.edu/
http://www.onlineschools.org/online-construction-schools
http://cps.regis.edu/academic-programs.php
About the Author:
John Coldbrooke is a Floridian with a love for design and writing. He works as an advocate for online universities and has a degree is architecture. In his spare time he spends time with his family and designs buildings and homes for many companies.
Mr Coldbrooke is a reader to our web site who contributed this article to our web site.
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Last Updated on Monday, 10 January 2011 07:54 |
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Sanichaufer Rooftop Office in Luxemburg by dagli + atelier d'architecture |
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Written by dagli + atélier d'architecture
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Thursday, 02 December 2010 15:05 |
 "roof top office" Dudelange is the extension of the company headquarters of Sanichaufer. Sanichaufer is one of the biggest Luxemburg-based firms in building services engineering, with over 50 years of experience. Sanichaufer’s main fields of activity are heating, air-conditioning and central control systems. For this reason, the “rof-top office” is designed as a showroom displaying the most modern building technologies. |
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Last Updated on Thursday, 02 December 2010 15:39 |
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The Plant - Office Condominium in Los Angeles |
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Written by CGA
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Tuesday, 22 June 2010 06:31 |
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 CGA and its partner REthink Development recently received approvals from Culver City to create its new Southern California headquarters in the architecturally advanced Hayden Tract district. CGA will occupy about 10,000 square feet of the 63,000-square-foot structure, selling remaining space to other firms as office condominiums. The building, named The Plant, will offer four stories of commercial office space and two levels of underground parking. Designed as a model for reducing energy use and enhancing the urban environment, The Plant is projected to break ground in 2011 and open in late 2012. It is intended to become the first very high-performance office condominium for creative businesses in one of this section of Los Angeles.
“The principals of the firm are investing their own money significantly in this project,” says CGA Principal Jonathan V. Watts, AIA, LEED® A.P. “It’s a sign that design industry leaders can commit to high-performance design not only as a design or moral exercise, but also as an investment strategy.”
There are previous examples of the architect-as-developer in other cities: In San Diego, Jonathan Segal has demonstrated the process for other architects. But in Los Angeles it remains unusual for an architecture firm to tackle property acquisition, approvals, financing, liability protection and other development issues. REthink Development, like CGA, has a strong track record in green design and sustainable development. And the team’s timing may be right for the eventual commercial real estate rebound.
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MGR is a young architectural studio based in Valencia, Spain. They took the initiative of surveying the vacant lots in the city's downtown area and then superimposed Lego models to fill the voids, all in the purpose of raising public awareness about this issue.
