June 2023CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM8By J.J. Tang, FAIA, FSAME, Vice President, Director of Federal Facilities, HDRTHE POINT OF CHANGE IN THE BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN MYOPINIONA nationally recognized leader in federal facility design, J.J. Tang, FAIA, FSAME, Vice President and Director of Federal Facilities, has led design of many key federal facilities with combined construction value exceeding billions of dollars, across four continents in the past two decades. As a business executive, he has successfully led and pursued key program initiatives in the past 16 years and has propelled his organization to the forefront of the industry.Tang was elevated to College of Fellows of American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 2017, became the second Chinese American FAIA who immigrated from P.R. China. Tang is 2016 recipient of SAME (Society of American Military Engineers) President's Medal for his outstanding leadership in advancing architectural practice; 2011 SAME Urbahn Medal awarded annually to one architect nationwide for notable and eminent contribution in the field of architecture. His project experience spans various building types including intelligence facilities, secure operations, headquarters, research, laboratories, higher-education, civic, offices, housing, airport facilities. He is an author of numerous technical articles and is a frequent speaker at national conferences. His work has received many honors, and it has been widely publicized. Here is the conversation that we had with Tang.What are some of the major challenges and trends that have been impacting the Construction Industry lately?High inflation and supply chain issue are the two most urging challenges facing the entire construction industry. We are having to work twice as hard to keep projects within budget because of these two issues. Another trend is that sustainable design is now more about "regenerative design." The term "regenerate" describes a process that mimics nature itself by restoring or renewing its own sources of energy and materials. HDR has developed its own Regenerative Design Framework, an online interactive tool to help us achieve regeneration on all of our projects. Looking into aspects of Triple Net-Zero (energy, water and waste), Carbon Balancing (embodied and operational carbon), Health and Wellness Design, Materials Transparency (manufacturers disclosing the environmental, health and social impacts of their products), Resiliency, and Social Equity.J.J. Tang
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