Construction of Buildings

Our firm was one of several contractors who were consulted by the architects and engineers during the design and working drawing phases. This provided an opportunity for recommending techniques to simplify construction and, more important, it provided an opportunity to become completely familiar with the project before the bidding period. Since a building of this type was new to us, it was necessary to make a complete study prior to submitting a bid. This study indicated that the key to the job, as far as cost was concerned, was time. After discussions with the precast concrete manufacturers, a production schedule was developed using the critical path method of scheduling. The schedule revealed the following conditions: 1. The nine-story building could he constructed in six months less time than a conventional reinforced concrete building. 2. Since major portions of the concrete were shop-fabricated, the amount of on site or field labor would be very small. 3. An unusually small amount of heavy equipment was required. After