Online roof resource
Online database maintained by the Roof Consultants Institute includes more than 2,000 technical papers and books on roof systems and structures, such as built-up roofs, roof decks, sealants, waterproofing windows, and expansion joints. Other topics include fire protection, asbestos and drainage and structural engineering.
Low-energy buildings
Energy-10 software from the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council analyzes and illustrates the energy and cost savings that can be achieved through more than a dozen sustainable design strategies. Hourly energy simulations help users quantify, assess and depict the benefits of daylighting, passive solar heating, natural ventilation, well-insulated envelopes, windows, lighting and mechanical systems.
www.sbicouncil.org/enTen/index.html
Surveillance on the run
Software from Axis Communications allows personal digital assistant (PDA) users running Pocket PC 2002 to receive video from Axis network video equipment. Camera Explorer is ideal for large offices, warehouses, shopping malls or university campuses where employees or security guards need to be mobile while performing building monitoring functions.
Lower Manhattan renewed
Web site provides information on the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Besides the design and construction happenings taking place, the site also offers news regarding transportation, safety and security, and community involvement.
Survey reports ROI for online project management
Just months after Constructware released the results of a client impact study of 61 users of its online project management software, Autodesk Inc. commissioned Framingham, Mass.-based analyst and research firm Hurwitz Group to survey 50 users of its Buzzsaw product. While the Constructware survey provided general percentages of cost savings firms witnessed as a result of using its system, the Autodesk survey pinned down return on investment (ROI) figures.
Key findings of the Autodesk report reveal that Buzzsaw customers who participated in the survey experienced an annual average ROI of 370%, while the breakeven time — the point at which the service has paid for itself through cost savings — averaged two to three months after implementation. Finally, the average annual savings in material and labor are approximately $95,000 ($30,000 on paper, printing, delivery and travel, and $65,000 on the cost of managing project collaboration).
Win the bidding war
Software assists contractors with tracking the bidding histories and tendencies of their competitors. BidTrak analyzes the historical bid data of competing contractors and weighs factors like general market conditions, job difficulty and current workloads to determine the range in which competing bids are most likely to fall on a given job. Using this data, the contractor can adjust its own bid to maximize both profitability and its chance of winning. The software comes with several report functions, including competitor summaries and bid type.
www.questsolutions.com