Changing Seasons
The beginning of fall means different things to different people; the welcome of cooler weather (and hunting season), sadness that summer is over, the beginning of holiday planning, and maybe even election excitement.
Zero/Six is headquartered on the Gulf Coast in Galveston, Texas, so to me, fall means that hurricane season is nearing an end. Thankfully the hurricane season did not produce the amounts of storms that were predicted, but it has still been brutal. Hurricane Ian crossed Florida in September and was the deadliest hurricane to strike the Florida coast since 1935; over 100 people lost their lives, and financial damage is estimated at $210 billion.
In Q3 of 2022, the entire world experienced some type of natural disaster. Hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and droughts were all front stage center in Q3. As unfortunate as each disaster is, natural or otherwise, they provide the data that tempers the architectural, engineering, and construction processes that we follow every day. Just as calm seas do not make a seasoned sailor, static environments do not substantiate sustainable building concepts; there is simply no substitute for experience and the testing that mother nature provides, as devastating as it may be.
Natural disasters also tax the resources used in construction with regard to both materials and talent. Considering the duress that the construction industry is already operating under (due to COVID-induced supply chain issues), Q4 ’22 is sure to produce some seasoned sailors where the construction industry is concerned. We will have to design and build with what is available vs. “the way we have always done it.” We will have to be creative and work smarter, and therein lies a great opportunity.
Necessity really is the mother of invention, and fresh ideas on how we design and build things are on the horizon. Things that not only perform well when they are new but things that have long-term performance. I am not crazy about how we got here, but I am really excited about where we can go from here and the opportunities there will be for Zero/Six. Maybe we can influence a small portion of the construction world!
Be safe and happy fall y’all.
Billy
