The Linbeck Group JANUARY 10 www. bus- ex. com 163 T he Linbeck Group believes that buildings of all types can be and do more. In fact, the company's philosophy is based on the idea that if conceived, designed and built the right way, buildings can become a competitive advantage for their owners. Since 1938, Linbeck has been building on that philosophical foundation, embracing the idea of lean thinking and even establishing a proprietary process for delivering unique and innovative projects. Based in Houston, Linbeck works nationwide and employs some 400 people in regional offices in Texas, California, Massachusetts and South Carolina, offering a host of program management, project management, and construction and real estate management services. In the 70- plus years since it was founded, Linbeck has developed a broad and loyal customer base, with projects in the academic, healthcare, cultural and commercial sectors. Its approach is based on the belief that there are better ways of approaching projects that include an emphasis on collaboration and examination of processes. The firm claims to be one of the first construction managers to embrace lean thinking in its day- to- day work, seeking to eliminate as much as possible of the estimated 40 percent waste factor in the average construction project. Linbeck uses lean to define value, map the value stream, achieve more efficient flow, doing work only when needed as dictated by the value stream, and through the continuous application of those approaches, it seeks to achieve perfection in terms of work quality. vision to reality The Linbeck Group prides itself on its ability to innovate as it helps clients across the United States realize their goals of creating memorable, functional and important buildings. Greg Andrews details how the company's team- oriented approach to delivering projects is based on a foundation of lean principles

164 www. bus- ex. com JANUARY 10 Linbeck believes that by improving production and eliminating waste, the team is able to more easily overcome the typical challenges involving labor, time and schedule that affect the average construction project. The company is a corporate member of the Lean Construction Institute, which seeks to encourage a fresh approach to construction projects. With lean as a foundation, Linbeck developed the TeamBuild value process mapping approach, a proprietary process that starts before actual design with extensive work aimed at finding out the true goal and objective of a project, and continues well beyond the final commissioning of a project. The firm argues that if buildings manage to function with better space efficiency, operate in a more cost- effective way or enable an owner to produce more revenue or otherwise reduce costs, they can become part of a competitive advantage. The Linbeck approach has resulted in scores of projects across the country, including academic work at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge and Yale University. Healthcare projects in the firm's portfolio include the Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, which earned the AGC Outstanding Construction Award, and the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, which earned the AON Build America Award in 2002. The firm has also performed extensive historical renovation work and a host of cultural projects, including Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas- where buildings act as dams that create crystal- clear ponds- and the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, which won the 2003 AON Build America Award. The firm also acted as project manager on behalf of the Houston Texans National Football League franchise as it built the new Reliant Stadium. Current projects that Linbeck is helping to guide to completion include the Rice University Collaborative Research Center, a 10- story facility with eight floors of research laboratories, a vivarium and a 280- seat educational auditorium- all designed to bring together academic researchers in medicine, biology and engineering together with doctors from the Texas Medical Center. Linbeck is also managing the construction of the Co- Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Houston, a project meant to be a foundation for the long- term future of the Catholic Church in the fast-growing Houston area. As it seeks to continue and enhance its reputation for excellence, Linbeck is constantly searching for the best