Through the 2012 Owner Study, consultant FMI and the Construction Users Roundtable set out to understand how large capital program owners are coping with the current environment, as well as what challenges they believe the future environment holds and how prepared they feel to face these challenges. In general, survey and interview questions fell into these broad areas:
-
Identification of future issues impacting capital programs and the degree of preparedness toward addressing those issues.?
-
Level of staffing changes during the past four years and anticipated staffing trends going forward.
- Degree of project disruptions affecting capital programs resulting from delays, cancellations and funding challenges.
- Continued evolution of project delivery systems and procurement methods.
Based on survey responses, it is clear that many capital program owners have already begun the process of identifying future challenges and mitigating the impact of those issues on their capital programs. Other owners, however, anticipate many of these challenges to have a significant effect on their capital programs and are not confident in their responses to date. The ability of these owners to maintain the objectives of their capital programs in the face of these challenges will depend on the actions they take to identify and address these issues. How capital program owners respond to both the current and future environment will significantly influence their ability to plan, design, procure and manage capital projects effectively. As their ability to engage in these activities changes, so too will the expectations of owners for their planning, design and construction partners.
Survey responses reflect the fact that economic recovery has yet to begin for many, especially in the engineering and construction industry. At its peak in 2006, the construction industry represented more than $1 trillion of economic activity, roughly 9% of nominal GDP. The industry has contracted every year since then. The burst of the housing bubble, the credit crisis and the ensuing recession reduced the industry to roughly 70% of its 2006 size in 2012, and to only 5% of nominal GDP. The dark cloud, however, is clearing. according to FMI forecasts, construction put-in-place voluimes in 2012 are expected to end the year 5% higher than in 2011.
For a free download: http://www.fminet.com/fmi-curt-survey-of-owners-2012.html
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2014
The mindful workplace: How employees can manage stress at the office
I have spent the last several months writing about healthy workplaces. My research lately has focused on stress—how we get stressed and ways to manage it through meditation and other mindful practices, writes HOK's Leigh Stringer.
| Oct 13, 2014
Debunking the 5 myths of health data and sustainable design
The path to more extensive use of health data in green building is blocked by certain myths that have to be debunked before such data can be successfully incorporated into the project delivery process.
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
CLT, glulam deliver strength, low profile, and aesthetics for B.C. office building
When he set out to design his company’s new headquarters building on Lakeshore Road in scenic Kelowna, B.C., Tim McLennan of Faction Projects knew quickly that cross-laminated timber was an ideal material.
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
Think you can recognize a metal building from the outside?
It’s getting more and more difficult to spot a metal building these days. What looks like brick, stucco or wood on the outside could actually be a metal building in disguise. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | Oct 13, 2014
Liberty Utilities protects installers with Viega MegaPress
Liberty Utilities of New Hampshire wanted a way to keep its installers safe without compromising the quality of their installations, which is why the utility provider decided to start installing Viega MegaPress. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Oct 13, 2014
Department of Agriculture launches Tall Wood Building Competition
The competition invites U.S. developers, institutions, organizations, and design teams willing to undertake an alternative solution approach to designing and building taller wood structures to submit entries for a prize of $2 million.
| Oct 12, 2014
AIA 2030 commitment: Five years on, are we any closer to net-zero?
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the American Institute of Architects’ effort to have architecture firms voluntarily pledge net-zero energy design for all their buildings by 2030.
| Oct 10, 2014
A new memorial by Zaha Hadid in Cambodia departs from the expected
The project sees a departure from Hadid’s well-known use of concrete, fiberglass, and resin. Instead, the primary material will be timber, curved and symmetrical like the Angkor Wat and other Cambodian landmarks.
| Oct 9, 2014
Regulations, demand will accelerate revenue from zero energy buildings, according to study
A new study by Navigant Research projects that public- and private-sector efforts to lower the carbon footprint of new and renovated commercial and residential structures will boost the annual revenue generated by commercial and residential zero energy buildings over the next 20 years by 122.5%, to $1.4 trillion.
| Oct 9, 2014
More recession-postponed design projects are being resurrected, says AIA
About three quarters of the estimated 700 firms that serve as panelists on AIA’s Architectural Billings Index (ABI) had delayed or canceled major design projects in response to recessionary pressures. Nearly one-third of those firms now say they have since restarted stalled projects.
