White Papers

February 10, 2023 By Karl Schulz Since most aviation projects are funded by either passenger plane tickets, airport tenants, or the airline companies themselves, the amount of money available for new projects can be impacted by a variety of factors. For examp [...]

In this paper, Research Analyst Drew Lantz discusses how offices will look and function in the future and how this may affect design trends.

Effective master planning is critical to the success of mixed-use hospitality developments. This paper discusses the importance of establishing a strong project foundation based on team member expertise, robust communication, and clear expectations and accountability. It then covers specific master planning best practices, including knowing your brand and market, navigating the entitlement process, understanding how supply chain issues may impact your project, remaining flexible and adaptable, and more.

In this paper, authors Xinyao Wang and Dan Pomfrett take a look back at the key trends that shaped the construction industry in 2021, and what we can expect of these trends going forward.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, of the 9.2 million unfilled jobs in the economy, nearly 300,000 belong to the construction sector. We expect this labor shortage to rise in the coming quarters, leading to further wage escalation through 2022. In this white paper, the Cumming Insights team draws from its ongoing economic research to examine current trends in the construction labor market and what we can expect going forward.

In this paper, Daniel Pomfrett and Gary Brett look at how the healthcare construction market was trending prior to the emergence of COVID-19, how it’s been affected by the virus to date, and what its future might look like once the pandemic has subsided. This paper is an update to our previous paper on this topic, which was originally published in May 2020.

In this paper, Research Analyst Xinyao Wang takes a detailed look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the higher education construction market, discusses some of the lessons we can learn from the past 18 months, and highlights a few of the trends we can expect to see in this sector going forward.

In this paper, Research Analyst Drew Lantz provides a macroeconomic framework for understanding the recent surge in commodity prices and outlines how they will most likely return to their pre-pandemic levels.

Restrictions on public life due to the COVID-19 pandemic have thrown global supply chains into chaos. In this white paper, Cumming Research Analyst Drew Lantz takes a look at the effects that the pandemic has had on air, land, and sea freight; explains why these disruptions have been so severe; and outlines when things can be expected to return to normal.

In this paper, Cumming Director Michelle Kelly explains the role of field audits and documentation reviews in the data center setting, how to perform these activities efficiently and effectively, and why they are such an important factor in delivering data center projects on time and within budget.

In this paper, Cumming’s expert sustainability professionals define what sustainability means in the context of the hospitality industry and discuss the different ways in which sustainability can be integrated to benefit hospitality operations and brands. While the value of sustainability for the hospitality sector is widely recognized, the industry may not be fully leveraging these benefits. This white paper discusses the key trends and best practices in the industry, providing recommendations for how brands and property owners can realize valuable benefits and more effectively leverage sustainability as an important differentiator to drive business recovery and growth.

In this white paper, Cumming Vice Presidents Dan Pomfrett and Graham Flight take a detailed look at how various aspects of the hospitality market have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and what the future may hold.

In this paper, author Greg Williams, Vice President at Cumming, discusses the complexities inherent in a large capital program, and describes the value and benefits of utilizing a Program Management Office to manage and navigate those complexities. A wellrun PMO — one that is thoughtfully implemented, utilizes key best practices, and both connects and empowers individual team members — is adaptable, dependable, and can greatly enhance the likelihood of program success.

In this paper, Cumming Sr. Project Manager Andrew Hauss draws on his deep facility condition assessment experience to explain the key factors that should be considered when carrying out an assessment, what a proper assessment consists of, and how an assessment can help owners meet their short- and long-term needs and goals.

In this white paper, Sonny Jester, Managing Director at Cumming, discusses some of the key factors that owners should consider when their project is impacted by unforeseen events, including how to effectively mitigate disruptions and successfully reopen a project after work stoppage.

In this paper, Jeff Birenbaum, Vice President at Lehrer Cumming, shares valuable insights regarding the importance of effective leadership in successfully managing multi-disciplinary design and construction teams.

In this paper, Andrew Hauss, a Sr. Project Manager at Cumming, discusses the importance of developing a robust Owner Project Requirements document at the outset of any project, and the key role this document plays throughout the construction process. He also defines the four main elements of a successful OPR document and provides a framework for ensuring their proper implementation.

Noted MEP estimating expert Pete Melucci details why published metrics are so valuable in producing estimates, and how their widespread adoption will enable construction projects overall to be more efficient, reliable, and transparent.