Transformative Technology – Tablet PC Software Modernizes Facility Condition Assessments

Chambers, Murphy and Burge Restoration Architects, are development partners for TPAS™  and have been utilizing the tablet-based digital annotation system in the field to document conditions and observations on their historic building restoration projects. In the article, Transformative Technology – Table PC Software Modernized Facility Condition Assessments, published in the October 2012 issue of  Properties Magazine , Michael Sanbury and Elizabeth Corbin Murphy describe how this technology has streamlined  their processes of assessments.

Learn more about this technology on the TPAS™ blog,  watch an on-demand webinar recording here, or contact Kelly Streeter, PE,  partner at Vertical Access.

Spanish Newspaper, El País, Highlights Vertical Access Team Member In Action

Berta de Miguel Alcalá, architect and SPRAT certified rope technician.

Berta de Miguel Alcalá, architect and rope technician who works out of  Vertical Access’ New York City office was highlighted in an article published on January 15th in El País, the popular daily national newspaper in Spain. The article is about Spanish professionals living and working in the United States. The photograph of Berta shows her on an inspection project working at-height on a building in Philadelphia. In the printed edition of the paper, the photo runs full page!  Read the article here. It is in written in Spanish, but you can use the language selection feature found in most browsers to translate into English.


VA Partner is published in APT Bulletin

The Association for Preservation Technology has published an article by Kelly Streeter in its 2010 Vol. XLI, No. 4 edition of the APT Bulletin – The Journal of Preservation Technology .

“Information Technology for Building Documentation” is excerpted here:

Introduction
Few building owners or managers appreciate how crucial the initial discovery phase of a facade-renovation project is to the overall success and bottom-line coast. Too often, discovery is abbreviated in the misguided interest of time and cost. The results are often inflated construction bids, as contractors hedge against uncertainty during the bidding period, and expensive change orders that arise when surprises are encountered during the construction phase of work. Architects operating between the building administrators and the contractors have always regarded a thorough discovery process as a sound investment. This article describes a best-practices methodology for discovery-phase documentation that incorporates field annotation of AutoCAD drawings, management of digital photographs hyperlinked to the drawings, and quantification of condition amounts and severities. Contact Vertical Access for a reprint of the full article.

Kelly Streeter, PEKelly Streeter is a structural engineer and partner at Vertical Access and TPAS. She speaks often about the role of technology in preservation at architecture and engineering consultancies, universities, and conferences. Contact Kelly to inquire about arranging a speaking engagement or to setup an AIA CES approved course delivered at your office or online via webinar.
kelly@vertical-access.com
917-749-0998