Eyes Wide Open
March 31, 2015
When I called home this weekend for my weekly chat with Mom, she began telling me about her broken freezer. She said she went to get some tater tots, and noticed everything in the freezer section of the refrigerator had
What Will Your Learning Space Look Like in 2018?
January 12, 2015
What our learning spaces will look like — and how they will function — in 2018. The building blocks for the future of learning space design are already around us. Exploring five key areas will highlight the challenges our industry
The Elusive System Check Out
October 17, 2011
Increasingly, in both our home and work environments, we live in a world of automation. And, accordingly, our demands have risen just beyond the limits of reasonable expedemands ctation. Is it any wonder, then, that we frequently hear “What do
The Recession Is Over!
January 12, 2011
As I walked into the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) 2010 trade floor, it was clear that there was an energy level on the floor that I had not felt in 10 years. This industry took a
At Your Service
November 17, 2010
It has been one of those months—the kind where there seems to be a permanent target on your back. It began with my partner trying to rent a car. We both travel a lot, and are members of this company’s
Safe Disposal Of Green Rhetoric
August 18, 2009
I admit it. I’m tired of being lectured to about green building and sustainability. I’m not tired of the concepts; I like to think that I have subscribed to and enacted sustainable practices in my life and work for many
More Client Expectations
February 6, 2009
“Learn who your client is, ask about their expectations, and listen to the answer.” That was how I closed my previous column, in which I detailed some of our experiences being on the client side of the fence, while building
Great Expectations
November 1, 2008
Do you know what your client expects from a project? Currently, we’re experiencing life from the client side of the fence, and learning from the experience. Thorburn Associates is expanding its offices in North Carolina. We grew, we ran out
Can You See Me Now?
June 26, 2008
How do we have a good video meeting? The answer is the same as for a face-to-face meeting-we need to hear and see well in order to communicate and meet effectively. In terms of videoconferencing, how do we set things
Talk It Out
March 20, 2008
Information management. That is what project management really consists of: Information management, i.e. communication. As project managers, we need to be responsible information managers. We need to keep people informed of when and what items are needed to keep the