PERIODICAL www.BDCnetwork.comMaricopa County Court Tower

Phoenix, Arizona

Big-time BIMTesting the Limits of 3D Modeling24

INSPIRING THE BUILDING TEAM

AIA/CES Course:Designing Public Libraries34

7 Tips for InstallingMoisture Barriers56

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9 I EditorialEnd the battle of FSC vs. SFI wood in LEED

10 I NewsAutodesk issues BIM deployment plan; what ‘Generation Y’ wants in its workplaces; offi ce construc-tion decline nears end; insulation industry council members meet with Obama.

16 I Industry Data

18 I On the Drawing BoardLas Vegas city hall; SOM’s Beijing ‘gateway’; Phoenix’s Musical Instru-ment Museum; Georgia Aquarium’s $110 million dolphin exhibit.

22 I New Projects PortfolioSan Diego’s new Shakespeare theater; glass company’s LEED Gold headquarters; Cal Poly’s massive student housing complex.

60 I Products At Work

65 I Advertisers’ Index

66 I Thought LeadersMartha VanGeem, PE, LEED AP, principal engineer in build-ing science and sustainability at CTLGroup, on the new ASHRAE high-performance green building standard 189.1.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS

Big-time BIM 24

FEATURES

DEPARTMENTS

INSPIRING THE BUILDING TEAM

MARCH 2010 VOLUME 51, NO. 03

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COVER: The 695,000-sf Maricopa County Court Tower, currently under construction in Phoenix, will process up to 56,000 court cases a year when it opens in 2012. BIM and integrated project delivery have kept it on schedule. RENDERING: GOULDEVANS

COVER STORY

While BIM can unlock process effi ciencies on any project, its benefi ts are most pronounced in large projects, such as the $339 million Maricopa County Court Tower in Phoenix.

41 I Best Firms to Work For• HOK 42• JBA Consulting Engineers 45• Designers Consultants & Associates 48• Walbridge 51

54 I Recycled Pavers Elevate Rooftop PatioRenters fl ock to a mixed-use project where a 6,500-sf rooftop patio is paved with bricks made from recycled tires and plastic.

56 I 7 Tips for Installing Moisture BarriersExpert advice on the proper selection and installation of moisture barriers.

AIA CONTINUING EDUCATION

34 I The Evolving LibraryEarn 1.0 AIA/CES continuing learning units by studying this article and completing the online exam.

www.BDCnetwork.com BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION MARCH 2010 5

Cause: Providing essential solutions that inspire Building Teams to design and construct great places for people.

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48 MARCH 2010 BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION www.BDCnetwork.com

Professional development? Check Generous benefi ts? Check Team building? Check Sustained growth? Check

Founded in 1994, Designers Consultants & Associates is a 53-person design fi rm that spe-cializes in hospitality (including luxurious fl oat-

ing hotels), restaurants, and retail—not to mention the oc-casional private villa.

During the judging process, it quickly became clear to the

editors that Designers Consultants & Associates offers many of the same benefi ts, education opportunities, and employee perks as other leading fi rms that have won our “Best AEC Firms to Work For” honor since the inception of the program in 2006.

With one big difference: Designers Consultants & Associates is based in the ancient city of Cairo, Egypt, making the fi rm’s forward-thinking, Western-style benefi ts and programs all the more impressive, and earning Designers a spot on this year’s list of top design and construction fi rms to work for.

Let’s take a look at how this progressive fi rm has brought fresh

Designers Consultants & Associates

Competing in a World Market

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www.BDCnetwork.com BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION MARCH 2010 49

ideas in professional development, employee benefi ts, team spir-it, and strong business growth to the land of the Pharaohs.

ENCOURAGING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTThe fi rm’s in-house educational programs—the equivalent of American-style lunch-and-learns—include a monthly event hosted by the fi rm’s information architect that touches on new materials and products, sustainable design and construction, and new design and policy issues infl uencing the fi rm’s work.

A second series of monthly programs (as many as four per month) are hosted by outside experts within the local AEC industry, to discuss issues of importance to the design and en-gineering fi elds.

In addition to in-house education, employees are encour-aged to take continuing education courses or pursue ad-vanced degrees. The fi rm works with these staff members to reconfi gure work hours and project loads to accommodate their class schedules.

Managing partners Raef Azouz and Emad Khouzam serve as mentors to the fi rm’s senior design and engineering staff, who in turn serve as mentors to the junior staff members. The fi rm’s close relationships with some of the country’s other AEC fi rms allows Designers Consultants & Associates staff to form out-side mentoring relationships—a nontraditional approach, but one that has worked well for Designers.

UNUSUAL EMPLOYEE BENEFITSUnder Egyptian law, employers contribute 26% of an employees’ salary to social insurance, while employees contribute 14%. At Designers Consultants & Associates, the fi rm pays 100% of employees’ social and medical insurance.

The fi rm also provides assistance in overcoming one of the more arduous and expensive tasks of everyday life in Egypt—opening up a bank account. The fi rm helps employees open such accounts, affording them the opportunity to get personal ATM cards as well as corporate credit cards. As a result of having this relationship with a bank, employees have been able to obtain personal loans to purchase housing, furniture, and vehicles.

The fi rm’s offi ces are a shade of green, offering natural day-lighting and two large outdoor spaces. Air conditioning—something American white-collar workers take for granted, but by no means a guaranteed amenity to those working in offi ces in sweltering Cairo—cools the Designers offi ce, thus enhanc-ing employee productivity.

Other Western-style benefi ts are also offered. Monetary bonuses are given in recognition of outstanding project work. And fl ex time—hardly a common practice in Egypt—is also

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50 MARCH 2010 BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION www.BDCnetwork.com

available to support work/life balance, allowing employees who qualify to tend to family matters or other personal concerns.

Team building is also a major consideration. Firm-wide events and outings occur several times each year, giving employees a chance to bond while celebrating New Year’s Eve together at the big bash the offi ce hosts, or a day of bowling, or playing ping-pong and basketball during a visit to a sports club. A road trip to the historic city of Alexandria offered another chance for Designers Consultants & Associates to build on the spirit of family that makes the fi rm such a desirable place to work.

SUSTAINING GROWTH IN THE BUSINESSFinally, managing partners Azouz and Khouzam have worked hard to make Designers Consultants & Associates a fi rm of growth and opportunity.

In just the past few years—some of the roughest for the design and construction industry worldwide—the fi rm grew in size by more than 50%, from 34 employees in 2007 to 53 employees currently, and they anticipate additional hires during 2010.

The fi rm has also expanded beyond its original markets, Egypt and Libya, to pursue work in places as diverse as Togo, Gabon, Tanzania, Eritrea, Tunisia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Guinea. BD+C

— Jay W. Schneider, Senior Editor

Floating hotels are a niche market within the hospitality sector, and the fi rm’s luxurious vessels are decked out in rich wood and modern appointments, and offer—no surprise here—amazing water views.

Check out some of the fi rm’s newest fl oating properties:

Designers Consultants & Associates

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