The cornerstone of sustainable design is simple: don’t waste energy, water or gas. Do the most with the least. In fact, this is the mantra for all businesses that compete in capital markets where continually stretching dollars is a must. Energy conservation…
Code Update: Guidance for Structural Fire Engineering Making Its Debut
The International Code Council (ICC) approved—as expected—the updated structural building-design standard, written by the American Society of Civil…
Final Thoughts: The Evolution of Women in Engineering: Moving from Ground Zero
I have more years of experience than any woman engineer who I have worked with. Let that sink in … This wording is true, because when I started my career…
Executive Corner: Wall Street Sentiments Suggest Strong A/E Industry Outlook
Sometimes the movement of money in capital markets can tell us a lot about investors’ expectations for a particular stock or a particular industry. In the case of the A/E industry, there are a number of factors that are likely impacting investors’ sentiments.…
Structural Solutions: Engineers Need to Take Responsibility for Public-Safety Designs
My wife and I have been in Charlotte, N.C., for quite some time now. We’ve watched it grow from a rather sleepy city in the early 1980s to a national banking center despite having to weather the recent financial crisis. Of course, growth means jobs, and…
Technical Perspectives: Making a Case for Dynamo in 2017
After graduating with a Master’s degree in structural engineering, I anxiously began in 2006 what many would consider a traditional career path in the industry. I started working with a 2D CAD-based company that had a laser focus on everything that dealt…
From the Editor: Start the New Year Looking Back to See Forward
With 2016 in the rearview mirror, it’s a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and failures as well as look ahead at the potential 2017 holds for us as individuals and for our industry as a whole. Look Back Professionally, 2016 was a busy and exciting…
Executive Corner: Five Takeaways from 2016 A/E M&A Activity
Good or bad, you certainly can’t say 2016 was dull. In a year that produced memorable comebacks, upsets and surprises across a spectrum of institutions, whether geopolitical (Trump, Brexit), financial (Dow 19,000), sports (Cubs’ and Cavaliers’ wins,…
Final Thoughts: Are We Really Entering a New Era of Infrastructure?
In the last few issues of Informed Infrastructure, I reminisced about what the work environment was like in my early career as a civil engineer in the infrastructure business and reflected on what has changed. Then I posed questions about what the future may…
Infrastructure Outlook: From the Video Vault: Erosion Control
Informed Infrastructure spoke with Matthew Welch, technical manager with Profile Products, at the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) Environmental Connection 2016 event. This column features highlights from the discussion, and a video recording…
