There are people – everyday people and AEC Industry people – that view Civil Engineers as interchangeable. Some may be better at managing time, have more experience with certain project types, are more detail-oriented, or have better relationships with municipalities, but these people view the general work product as the same. Some of those same people may say the same thing about structural engineers, MEP professionals, landscape architects, and even architects. Through over a quarter century in the industry and now ten years owning a Civil Engineering firm, I can dutifully attest that those people are incorrect.
Every project can be altered and improved by someone with experience and vision. Take a standard suburban office building, for instance. For a Structural it might be a creative and cost effective way to open space through an office lobby for safety and allowing a better feel. For the MEP it might be alternative zoning that allows versatility in temperature to keep those same office workers to be more productive. For the Civil it might be a slight reconfiguration of the parking lot to allow a no-cost way for every employee to walk through grass, trees, and flowers on their way to the entrance.
Every project can be impacted by this approach, and it can make every project just a little bit better. Just a little bit more friendly. While this is sometimes hard to quantify and measure, the owners and brokers can tell you pretty quickly that those things can make the difference in a lease renewal or a potential building sale, or even in the sales numbers for a retail or restaurant. More importantly, it is reflected in the surrounding community and the users. The long-term impact of these combined creative touches from all members of a development team can generate neighborhood and community pride that is absolutely contagious.
In the last ten years, I have tried to guide LandWorx to be a firm that thinks about those things on every project we touch. From safe pedestrian routing across a new parking lot at a local park, to shifting infrastructure slightly to allow for another tree in a townhome common area, to opening up the parking layout at a non-profit to allow for a pollinator rain garden instead of underground piping, we have been largely successful. We’re not always spot on, for sure, and we sometimes that creative approach has a cost in schedule or effort, but we believe the things we do will provide positive impacts everyday – and for decades to come.
For my Co-Owners, you are truly my second Family! Our ‘Great Experiment’ continues and I can’t wait to see where you take us in the next 10+ years!
For current and former employees – I can’t thank you all enough for your belief in LandWorx and hope that you are better off for having worked with us.
For the few who may not have had their best experience or alignment with LandWorx, I wish you nothing but the best in the future and want you to know that we strive to learn from each and every experience to make the next one better.
For our trusted Clients and Partners, I personally thank you for your trust and sincerely hope that we were able to provide a positive impact on your project/community/municipality that will be felt for years to come.