How can modular building systems change the way we think about building today? Ideas about prefabricated building systems have been in consideration for decades, and now these offsite-built solutions appear to be here to stay. Yet challenges persist in their…
Mode Shift: High-Speed Rail Readies for Arrival Across California’s Central Valley
Stretching back to 2008 when Californians voted to invest in electrified high-speed rail, the plan for CA HSR is to connect each of the state’s major…
Needing Every Last Drop: Western States Are Recycling Wastewater in a Variety of Ways
A rendering shows the interior view of the membrane treatment area at the Advanced Water Purification Facility being developed in El Paso, Texas. As water…
Effects of the EPA WOTUS SCOTUS Decision on Engineering
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting the Clean Water Act (CWA) jurisdiction over “adjacent wetlands” to those having a continuous surface connection to bodies that are “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) with no clear demarcation between…
Off Rope! Drones for Bridge Inspection Increase Safety, Decrease Costs
It requires a few things for a bridge engineer to become a rope-access technician and climb up and down the most-difficult and complicated bridges: • No strong fear of heights. The photos in this article show that to be obvious. • A lot of training. Any…
AI Brings a New Era of Sustainability to Structural Engineering
Construction workers put together a truss frame designed through AI. Every year brings new technological innovation to the engineering sector. For example, the industry now is in an age in which 3D-printed structural parts and generative-design artificial…
World Logistics Center: Engineering Heavyweights Collaborate to Ease California’s Warehouse Space Demands
Artist’s renderings show the World Logistics Center, which is set to break ground in Moreno Valley, Calif., later in 2023. (Stantec/Highland Fairview) The quest for warehouse space is more challenging than ever. Vacancy rates are at an all-time low in metropolitan…
Ready to Roll: How 1,000 Pounds of Spinning Metal Overcame Onramp Runoff
To complete a Missouri ditch-liner project, Realm Construction poured 400-450 linear feet of concrete a day and finished the project more than one week ahead of schedule. Near the Kansas City International Airport lies a well-traveled but problematic onramp…
Decrease Concrete’s Carbon: A Big Step in Leaving a Smaller Footprint
Portland-limestone cement provides designers the opportunity to reduce a project’s carbon footprint by up to 10 percent. Concrete is the second-most-used material (after water), which shouldn’t be surprising considering it’s the foundation of nearly…
Safe Passage Across the Sea: Sensors Prevent Overloaded Vehicles Access to Philippines’ Iconic New Bridge
For the tallest and longest bridge in the Philippines, sensors provide for bridge protection based on accurate measurement of vehicle axle loads. (Kistler Group) The Philippines, a southeast Asian island state officially comprising 7,641 islands and home to…
