Construction
My 2 construction experiences were very different. First in Mauritania, in 1980, I was fully responsible for the construction of 20 grain warehouses (not silos) spread over three locations over a 600km stretch, having only access to 1 self-motorised crane, 2 DAF trucks and 20 concrete mixers. This certainly required all the creativity and positive thinking I could muster, especially when the actual funds for the wages of my local daily waged workers did not materialise for nearly one full month. A contract was out on my life; luckily nobody had the means to pay it.
In comparison my second construction job was a cinch: a very modern open plan office building for some 250-300 employees with pre-laid conduits for all kind of cabling and other gear, allowing for frequent changes in the general office lay-out. To complicate matters, we wanted full glass towers at both ends of the building, even though we were immediately next door to the international airport in a country (Malaysia) with sweltering temperatures. I’m happy to say that during meetings in my tower office overlooking the airport we could still hear any whisper even on take-off or landings.
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