Finding the Building Maker

Tuesday, May 10, 1:00pm – 2:00pm

The latest statistics indicate that water intrusion is the core issue for over 80% of litigation involving new construction building. This a mind-boggling fact when you consider that the entire purpose of constructing a building is to provide shelter by keeping the outside out and the inside in. Even more staggering is the fact that 90% of all intrusion (water, air, and thermal) comes from less than 1% of the building surface. That 1% is comprised of terminations, transitions, and penetrations where continuity is lost. When you consider the process of how buildings are constructed today, is it any wonder that a lack of continuity is the leading reason for leaky buildings? Let’s face it, our industry is broken. Design-Bid-Build (DBB), the predominant method of constructing new buildings, is inefficient and delivers a flawed product. By design, the DBB promotes compartmentalization, disjointed communication, and conflict. We all know it and complain about it every day. And what is done about it? We add more processes to the method that simply addresses the symptoms. How do we stop the insanity?

Learning Objectives:

  1. We will examine the 90%/1% principle through the prism of Design, Material and Installation to develop an understanding of why continuity is needed in the construction process to create continuity in the building.
  2. We will study the process of Design-Bid-Build (DBB) compared to the Power vs. Knowledge graph to uncover the root causes making continuity in the process virtually impossible.
  3. We will delve into the concept of the Building Maker and gain insight into why the method can change our industry for the better.
  4. We will investigate the steppingstones that can move our industry from leak-ridden legal quagmires of buildings produced with DBB, to the streamlined performance-based building delivered by a Building Maker.
Level of content:
Intermediate
100%

David Leslie

National United Facilities Asset Management, Roanoke, TX

David brings over thirty years of experience in this industry, leading teams of construction professions all over the country. A college baseball player who reluctantly earned a BBA in Marketing from Cleveland State, David began his career as a contractor who evaluated projects and ran his own crews performing restorations from state to state. Later, as a Registered Waterproofing Consultant (RWC), he assessed and designed solutions for multiple iconic properties. His direct experience includes an extensive list of complex buildings and industrial sites owned by some of the most recognizable clients in the U.S., including DFW Airport, Klyde Warren Park, and U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota. He has held an array of positions, including Director of Technical Services, Director of Building Science, and Director of Product Management at three major manufacturers of building materials, and he led the development of over a dozen new products and systems. He has testified as an expert witness in half a dozen cases, and as an inventor, he holds three patents.

David is passionate about education, and as a speaker, he has presented thousands of hours of education and many national lectures. He has authored numerous articles, multiple white
papers, and a research paper, and holds a seat on the editorial board of Interface Magazine, an IIBEC publication. He is past president of North Texas Chapter of IIBEC.

David has positively impacted some of the most influential organizations and projects in the country, applying his broad-spectrum expertise from conception to completion. But after three decades he has come to the realization that our industry of constructing and managing buildings is flawed and we can do better.