As the editor of The Construction Specifier<\/i>, I attend CONSTRUCT & the CSI Annual Convention every year. It\u2019s a busy few days, but it\u2019s always nice catching up with writers, friends, and editorial advisors. There are also lots of opportunities to meet with building product experts on the show floor. Between the exhibit hall and the various seminar rooms, CONSTRUCT is a direct or indirect source for many of the features and articles finding their way into the pages of this magazine. Last month in Nashville was no exception.<\/p>\n
The new Music City Center is a gorgeous facility; it is also an ideal place to have a conference thanks to its location\u2014easy walking distance to the sounds on Broadway and the historic buildings of the downtown core. The host chapter\u2019s dinner at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was an amazing experience, allowing attendees to not only take in live performances by up-and-comers, but also walk through the memorabilia of the all-time greats.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s show had a particularly strong technical component, with sessions and seminars covering everything from below-grade foundations to rooftops to the building assemblies in between. Past authors who delivered continuing education classes included Paul Bertram (\u201cBuilding Team Guide to Net-zero Energy\u201d), Scott Tobias (\u201cWhat Does \u2018Grade One\u2019 Really Mean? Door Hardware Quality and Performance Defined\u201d), and David Dixon (\u201cFacility Fall Protection Problems, Limitations, and Solutions\u201d). This year\u2019s The Construction Specifier<\/i> Article of the Year award-winner, David Stutzman also had a presentation\u2014\u201cBut That\u2019s Not What I Meant! Specifying the Architect\u2019s Intent.\u201d<\/p>\n
I got a chance to sit in on spirited discussions, like Clifford Marvin\u2019s \u201cSpecifying Division 01 for Design-Build Projects,\u201d as well as master-classes that were as entertaining as they were informative\u2014Kirby Davis pulled together an all-star panel of experts for \u201cThe Good, Bad, and Ugly on Air Barriers.\u201d Scott Lockyear took a highly technical look at \u201cSpecifying Wood Products,\u201d while Ramesh Gulatee explored the practicalities of \u201cAccessibility Through Universal Design.\u201d<\/p>\n
As always, the show\u2019s curriculum touched on myriad topics for architects, specifiers, and other design\/construction professionals. Judging by the occasionally standing-room-only capacity for some sessions, the subjects were well received. Were you in Nashville this year? Did you have any particular highlights, education-wise?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"