Women in Construction

According to a survey sponsored by the National Association of Women in Construction, a majority of women are motivated by their work environment, especially the people they work with, and 71 percent indicated that job satisfaction is “very important”—rating a 5.7 on a scale of 1 to 6. For women in DPR’s San Francisco office, better communication and equality are the top priorities. In early 2001, the office formed a Women in Construction (WIC) group, and most recently, the group hosted a quarterly meeting, where they discussed the book, “Mars and Venus in the Workplace” by John Gray. Several people performed skits, illustrating how people in the workplace inadvertently mis-communicate and how they might interact differently to be more effective.

DPR Wins Vision Award for 4D Modeling

One of the top priorities in healthcare construction is building without disrupting services and operations, especially in acute care facilities. By producing a 4D model of the $90 million Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center project in Phoenix, where the element of time was added to 3D Computer Aided Design drawings, DPR was able to build the project virtually and accurately communicate the plan to project stakeholders, including hospital administrators, physicians, patients and visitors. This use of technology not only minimized the impact of construction at the hospital but also received high marks from DPR’s customer, Banner Health, and won a Silver Constructech Vision Award. “DPR showed outstanding creativity in solving a client’s issue with this [4D] solution,” said Gretchen McComb, director, owner services, for FMI Corp. and a Vision Awards judge.

Zero Defects and Safety Recognized

From Georgia to California, DPR continues to collect kudos from organizations and customers for its projects and processes. Most recently, DPR’s Atlanta office received an award from the Associated Builders and Contractors for a “Zero Defects,” 100,000-sq.-ft. buildout of a new corporate office for PricewaterhouseCoopers. DPR’s Bay Street project, a mixed-use retail center in Emeryville, CA, also took top honors, winning Best Mix-Use project at the San Francisco Business Times’ Real Estate Deals of the Year Awards. In addition, DPR has been recognized for its outstanding national safety record and Injury Free Environment program by the world’s largest microprocessor manufacturer. DPR received the manufacturer’s Supplier Safety Leadership and Excellence Award (SSLEA) for 2002.