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» Green was key to our team’s approach. About 90 percent of construction waste was recycled, and more than half of the wood was certified through a responsible sourcing program,
such as the Forest Stewardship Council. (© Jeff Goldberg/Esto)
Delivering one of the world’s
most advanced libraries
The James B. Hunt Jr. Library that Skanska recently delivered
for North Carolina State University is helping redefine the role
of a library in the digital age, both in its function and its use
of technology. Similarly, we used the construction process to
innovate new uses of technology to help us build smarter.
For this 220,000-square-foot, $78 million campus landmark,
books are not the main feature; rather, the focus is technology
and collaboration. There are about 100 rooms for group study and
collaborative projects, and the technology includes immersive
270-degree, 3-D digital environments to support the kind of
sophisticated gaming that’s becoming ever more important for
complex training.
The complex curtain wall system was the most challenging
aspect of construction. To manage this, our team pioneered the
use of BIM 360 Field jobsite management software running on
iPads to track each of the 800 curtain wall units to facilitate
installation coordination, sequencing and scheduling.
“Communication was outstanding on this project,” said Mark
Collins, USA Building project executive. “Everyone that was
involved – including the Skanska team, the design team and the
university – would say they had a pleasant experience. That was
the project’s culture from the beginning to the end.” ◆
» The library’s two million books are only accessible by an automated storage and retrieval
system called bookBot that has four robotic cranes. Norway-based Snohetta designed this
facility. (© Mark Herboth Photography LLC)
The business case for diversity
I hope you all shared my
enthusiasm for Skanska USA’s
first Diversity and Inclusion Week
held in April. It was great seeing
people pinning flags to maps to
show where they or their ancestors
originated, witnessing the
standing-room only launch of the
Skanska Women’s Network, and
having jobsites across the country
start each day with discussions on
how to make our workplaces more inclusive.
We can look in isolation at those activities or that week and see
them just as meaningful events. But they’re much more. So I’d like to
put our diversity efforts in perspective, and share why I think it’s so
important for our business to do them.
As an urban builder and developer, we need to look like the
communities in which we operate. These communities are diverse in
terms of gender and ethnicity, as are our customers in every industry.
Today, we, and the construction industry as a whole, look like the
engineering classes of maybe 20 years ago. That’s a problem because
America’s demographics are changing. Already, in such places as
California, Texas and Washington, D.C. – all areas where Skanska
operates – the majority of the population is made up of people
whom the Census defines as minorities. That’s a trend that’s going
to continue across the country. This presents an opportunity, as the
first major construction company to become truly diverse will gain a
significant business advantage.
Skanska is working hard to improve. Our efforts include taking
steps to get a broader group of students interested in construction
careers. You may know that we are a long-time supporter of the
ACE Mentor Program, which encourages high school students to
pursue careers in designing or building. But often by high school,
kids already know what they want to be. So we recently sponsored a
book – called "Those Amazing Builders" – aimed at showing middle
schoolers the variety of fulfilling careers available in construction.
We back such programs in the urban environments where we
work, so we’re recruiting not only from a bigger but a more diverse
talent pool. We’ll really need that expanded pool once the economy
recovers, given that so few people have entered construction over the
last several years because of low demand. I’m proud that last year, 48
percent of our new graduate hires were either women or minorities.
As we continue building a more diverse workforce, a stronger focus
on internal inclusion will make them feel more welcome.
There’s a parallel between the diversity of our workforce and
the diversity of those with whom we subcontract. In all of this,
I’m talking about doing more than complying with MWBE and
any other contractual obligations – such requirements are like
OSHA regulations for safety. What we’re trying to do – and need to
do – regarding diversity is more like our Injury-Free Environment®
mindset: we’re trying to make a better company and improve our
industry, not just follow laws.
I hope you’ll join me in not only fully supporting, but also being
actively engaged in, Skanska’s diversity and inclusion efforts.
Mike McNally, President and CEO, Skanska USA
Contents 2013 • Issue 02
Safety
2 Our ninth Safety Week, with
several firsts
Our new InjuryFreeEnvironment.com website and a
global webinar help us share our safety culture
3 The gray zone: Ethics questions and answers
Our People
4 How diversity has changed
my career
Brian Freeman learned that building a diverse team is
essential to growing our business
5 A day in the life… Janine Ruggiero, USA Civil
6 Celebrating our first Diversity and Inclusion Week
7 Community timeline
Our Projects
8 What’s in your building?
Our team’s materials research was key to the Bertschi
School Science Classroom becoming the first school on
the U.S. mainland and the fourth building worldwide
to be certified under the Living Building Challenge
10 Building children’s smiles
Focus
12 Commercial Development going strong
Winning Skanska’s global Project Development Business Unit
of the Year Award is one of this business unit’s latest milestones
[ FSC STAMP TO BE
PROVIDED BY PRINTER ]
coasttocoast Publisher Mike McNally Editors Gregory Richards and Nicole Didda
Writers Shelby Adams, Mary Humphreys, Katie Koch, Beth Miller, Jessica Murray,
Jessica Vann, Jay Weisberger Design SKAGGS Creative Printer Keystone Press
coasttocoast is Skanska USA’s quarterly employee magazine. Subscribe free of
charge by sending an email to: gregory.richards@skanska.com. Feel free to copy
from the magazine or quote us, but please name the source. We want to hear your
stories: please send your ideas and suggestions to the editor at: gregory.richards@
skanska.com. coasttocoast is printed on FSC-certified environmentally friendly paper.