How Do You Know What The Real Estate Is Really Worth? By William Henry PhD Design and Construction Due Diligence Can Provide a More Accurate Answer. MAI Appraisals Mostly Take the Past and Project It Forward. Practice and logic over the years has established that market value is a product of both demand and availability or scarcity of a good. Without going into a treatise concerning valuations, as an architect I sometimes have become very frustrated about the practice of appraising. This stems from my belief that appraisers may not take into account intrinsic, latent, and opportunity based value in […]
Reinvent Yourself To Become A Building Doctor By William Henry PhD Solution to Economic Setbacks Suffered by Architects and Interior Designers in Current Downturn– Reinvent yourself to “Become Building Doctors” Design and Construction Industry is inherently Cyclical The construction industry economy has always been typified by cyclical ‘ups and downs’. However this latest economic downturn has not been succeeded by a robust rebound.
News From The International Shopping Center And Retail Convention By William Henry PhD “Jobless Recovery”, “Urban Food Deserts”, “Demalling” and rationales for “Political Gridlock.” Once every year retailers, shopping center owners, and their service providers come together in the Nevada desert to discuss industry performance and trends. An array of best-selling authors, media personalities, political pundits, and industry insiders are assembled at “ReCon,” the flagship event of the International Council of Shopping Centers, or ICSC, held in Las Vegas. Tone setters at this year’s conference included best-selling author of The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell; Joan Lunden of Good Morning America […]
A New Baseball Stadium For The Rays? The Team and Bay Area Communities Could Be In Lockstep Once Again By William Henry PhD Although it seems like a long time ago, some may remember that the Rays Baseball ownership group and the City of St. Petersburg seemed to be in lock step to demolish the existing Tropicana Field Dome Stadium and build a state of the art waterfront stadium in downtown St. Petersburg site several years ago.
Power Of Bureaucracy Increases As Power Of Politicians Wane In Florida By William Henry PhD Disappointed in your elected leaders? You may direct this disenchantment toward your local bureaucrats. Many shrewd lobbyists and governmental liaisons have slowly come to realize that the best avenue for exerting influence on government policy and purchasing decisions may not run through elected government officials, but instead through appointed officials, better known as government staff.
A Professional Customized Approach To Roofing By William Henry PhD Over the last 20 years, we have been asked to respond to roofing failures that are the result of inappropriate re-roofing applications to many Florida area buildings. In today’s environment, with the lack of new facility construction, many commercial office and retail facility owners are rehabilitating, retrofitting, and adapting existing space to accommodate growth.
How To Stay Fit When Business Pressures Mount By William Henry PhD Beyond Competitive Athletics In today’s economic times those of us in the design/development and construction industry are facing daunting pressures. The tendency of course is to work longer hours to keep the doors open. With our New Years resolutions recently formulated, many have pledged to exercise more often. How can we honor this commitment?
How And When To Engage a Contractor By William Henry PhD History of ‘At Risk Construction Management’ aka ‘CM at Risk’ in the State of Florida In the late 1970’s a major public project went so poorly for the State University System that the two agencies responsible for major project administration for the State of Florida determined that they would try a new project delivery system for the first time.
Revised American Disabilities Act Regulations – Effecting Public Outdoor Recreational Areas By William Henry PhD Past ‘Safe Harbored Area’ No Longer Exempt Having served for many years as a forensic ‘court certified’ expert concerning design and construction litigation I am continually surprised by the on-going case law as it evolves– sometimes daily. Being in a so called ‘creative profession’ I am continually struck by the unusual issues surrounding much construction litigation.
Narrowing The Role Of Architects Contributed To The Demise Of The Profession By William Henry PhD Computer Aided Design It is apparent to many in the industry that there are several factors contributing to the diminishing role architects play in designing the built environment. One major factor that will be examined is something known as “CAD.” In the twentieth century, a ‘cad’ was an acronym for a womanizer. In today’s industry parlance, “CAD” has a much different meaning: it stands for “Computer Aided Design.” The impact of CAD on the profession is enormous. CAD enables architects to draw at the […]
Infection Rates Lead To Demand For Senior Residential Care Communities Near Hospitals By William Henry PhD The Continuum of Care Near Hospitals Part of the recent saga concerning Medicare, Medicaid, and Obama Care is the impact on demand for lower cost outpatient care residential facilities near acute care hospitals. These facilities span the gamut between independent living, assisted living, senior living and finally skilled nursing facilities. This is often dubbed the ‘continuum of care facilities’. Of little note is how infection rates related to acute care procedures will likely spur long term care development around hospitals.
Backfilling Large Empty Retail Boxes With Out Of The Box Uses By William Henry PhD The Internet is Siphoning Retail Sales from Traditional ‘Bricks and Mortar’ Stores and Thereby Contributing to Vacancies The 600 pound gorilla at the recent retail convention in Las Vegas known as ‘RECON’ which is an acronym for the ‘The Global Retail Real Estate Convention’, was the siphoning of some retail activity into the internet. A common complaint by some traditional retailers and building developers is that various sales transactions over the internet are not taxed and therefore those retailers who are better known for their […]
Multi-Family Housing Making A Roaring Comeback By William Henry PhD According to a recent forum held by the University of Florida’s graduate real estate department for its Board of Trustees, the resurgence is due to the following factors: 1) Changing demographics leads to increased demand 2) The deep recession 3) A preference for a more urban lifestyle 4) Disillusionment with the American dream 5) Mounting cash reserves by certain financial institutions Changing Demographics Only one in five households will be married couples with children in 2025. Those who do choose the traditional family lifestyle will postpone this decision for up […]
Cold Causes Mold? By William Henry PhD Recently our firm, RGA Architects, LLC was retained to provide expert testimony to assess the cause of significant amounts of toxic mold growth caused by the winter cold snaps. Unlike mold caused by water penetration, mold caused by cold snaps is due to significant variation in temperatures, like the huge swings from warm to cold we experienced during the winter season in the Bay area. When improper construction techniques meet normal human activity, the results can be disastrous. Activities like excessive showers and baths, or washing clothes with improper ventilation, can cause an […]
RGA’s Dr. William Henry PhD. Launches Program To Assist High End Buyers. With the velocity of existing high end home and estate sale transactions projected to accelerate well into 2012 bargain hunters may wish to take time to conduct proper due diligence. Enter The Building Dr. (Doctor).
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Wednesday, October 31, 2012
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