In construction, the physical enclosure of a building and environmental separator is referred to as the building envelope. It is the physical separator between the conditioned and unconditioned environment of a building including the resistance to air, water, heat, light, and noise transfer. The building envelope of a usually consists of its roof, Continue reading →

Critical Path Method (CPM) is the most widely used scheduling technique and is often referred to as critical path scheduling. This scheduling technique used to plan and control a project and calculates the minimum completion time for a project along with the possible start and finish times for the project Continue reading →

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines vapor intrusion as “the general term given to migration of hazardous vapors from any subsurface contaminant source, such as contaminated soil or groundwater or contaminated conduit(s), into an overlying building or unoccupied structure via any opening or conduit.” In other word, volatile chemicals that Continue reading →

GMP – Guaranteed Maximum Price – is a misunderstood yet widely used contract form of agreement.  A GMP represents the guaranteed maximum price based upon a certain set of contract documents (e.g. plans, specifications). GMP is also based upon certain assumptions, clarifications and allowances assumed by the general contractor in his Continue reading →

Construction projects of any size involve numerous stages and details. Most owners do not have the time or experience to manage the process. It is wise for owners to retain a firm to manage their construction project and there are multiple different services available to owners. Construction Management is a Continue reading →

In the construction industry, there are two different meanings of the acronym GC: GC – General Contractor GC’s – General Conditions Most people are aware of the term General Contractor (GC). The GC is the main contractor who is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site and hiring Continue reading →

Under the Construction Management At-Risk (CM At-Risk) method, the owner typically selects the CM At-Risk firm very early in the project planning or design process. Before the design of a project is completed, the CM At-Risk is involved with estimating the cost of constructing a project based on the goals Continue reading →

Welcome to the newest addition to the Silverman CPM blog: Construction Term of the Week! Every industry has technical lingo that can feel like a foreign language to outsiders. We thought it would be helpful (and fun!) to explain common terms and their history. Commissioning In construction, the Commissioning (Cx) Continue reading →