CONSTRUCT, in conjunction with the CSI Annual Convention ended on a high note in the Windy City. The September 13-16, 2011 event in Chicago offered real world building solutions for the commercial building industry and was structured to offer practical, every day knowledge through education and interaction with manufacturers.
The thousands of attendees represented a specialized group of professionals who spec and source building products for the government, healthcare, educational, office, and commercial building industry segments. This included architecture and engineering firms, city, county, and US government agencies, commercial real estate development companies, and many others representing billions of dollars in annual spending power.
The Education Program was well attended with some sessions attracting over 100 participants and some selling out completely. Over 75 accredited classes included The Future of Specifications, Commercial Energy Codes, and Competitive Specifications.
In addition to classroom style sessions, education was also offered on the show floor. The Education Pavilion schedule included demonstrations and specific product presentations hosted by exhibitors. A high-performing masonry cavity wall was built in the Masonry Demonstration Area by members of the Bricklayers and the Allied Craftworkers Union. Daily discussions were led by the International Masonry Institute. The full-scale mock-up encouraged a dialog between the architect, specifier and craftworker.
To kick off the event, about 1,000 were seated at the general session with keynote speaker, Cameron Sinclair, Architecture for Humanity. Attendees responded to his presentation with a standing ovation in acknowledgement of his many world-wide efforts to design and build for the under-privileged.
“In today’s highly connected world, there’s no substitute for coming together and actually interacting with people in the industry helping to build relationships. Even with the internet, there’s no better opportunity to get exposed to new ideas and find inspiration for your projects,” commented Walt Marlowe, CSI’s Executive Director/CEO.
CONSTRUCT 2012 and the 56th CSI Annual Convention will be held in Phoenix, AZ at the Phoenix Convention Center, September 11-14, 2012.