Kraus-Anderson creates Building Science Group to maximize quality integration initiatives
Jon Porter named director of Building Science
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (August 2018) – To boost the company’s quality integration initiatives, Kraus-Anderson Construction Company (KA), one of the Midwest’s oldest and largest commercial general contractors and construction managers, has created the Building Science Group.
KA established the new group to help building owners better understand a building’s performance across its full life span. Building Science adds significant value to a project by enabling owners, design teams and project staff to make informed choices that lead to better outcomes for building performance, project schedule, initial cost/life cycle cost and other metrics.
To lead the initiative, Jon Porter has been promoted to director of Building Science. He formerly served as the company’s Quality manager. The team also includes vice president Mike Spence, who established KA’s Quality initiative and has been instrumental in developing the Building Science Group.
Porter says a significant factor in meeting and exceeding owner’s expectations has become if, and how, Building Science was leveraged on their project.
“Buildings contain multiple elements that interact and influence each other, such as the building envelope, occupants and their activities, electrical and mechanical systems, and the exterior environment,” says Porter. “Building science looks at how the interaction of those elements will impact the overall building’s performance across its entire life cycle.”
Al Gerhardt, KA’s president and COO, says quality integration is a top priority and true differentiator on how the company responds to its customers’ needs and requirements.
“As the marketplace continues to evolve with new industry practices, KA is focused on providing innovative approaches to project delivery and state-of-the-art knowledge and expertise in Building Science,” said Gerhardt. “Jon’s extraordinary experience and dedication to quality will provide the continued leadership to serve this critical initiative.”
Porter is a licensed professional engineer with over 20 years of experience in the design and construction industry. With a career focus on program management and project management, he leverages Building Science and structural engineering expertise for the design, delivery and maintenance of commercial building projects. As a quality manager, Porter has provided leadership with projects in numerous areas including historical and adaptive reuse, office, retail and education. He received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland State University.
To bolster the new initiative, KA has hired Paul Whitenack as manager of Building Science. He is a senior forensic architect, Building Science and exterior enclosure specialist with 26 years of experience. Most recently, Whitenack was an associate principal with Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates, Inc. in Minneapolis. He received his BA in Graphic Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and his Master of Architecture and Urban Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, School of Architecture.
About Kraus-Anderson
Established in 1897, Kraus-Anderson® Construction Company (www.krausanderson.com) is one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers. Kraus-Anderson, an Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. and has regional offices in Madison, Wis., Bismarck, N.D., and Duluth, Bemidji and Rochester Minn.