As a structural engineer working with governments and communities worldwide as they struggle to face earthquake disasters, I’ve repeatedly seen tragedies unfold after catastrophic earthquakes. Most often, these cities were not ready. From the loss of historic…
Executive Corner: Is the End Near for Traditional Management/Ownership Structures?
There’s no doubt about it; attitudes regarding ownership, particularly among younger generations, are changing. Why own a car when, with the touch of…
Engineer Spotlight: Small Changes for Women: Big Improvements for the Engineering Profession
In the last few years, there’s been much discussion of “Women in (fill in the blank).” Why are these topics so important? And what can be improved…
Executive Corner: Can the A/E Industry Re-accelerate Its Growth?
Ten years ago, 2006, was arguably the A/E and environmental-consulting industry’s peak of financial performance and achievement. Architects and engineers everywhere took advantage of unprecedented gains in commercial and residential building, while surging…
Structural Solutions: Picking Partners to Manage Risk
In the previous issue of Informed Infrastructure, I wrote about how sometimes things happen in our lives that help us do better and avoid trouble later in life. The scout-leadership training obstacle course I talked about did just that (see “Managing Risk…
Repurposing Buildings and Urban Infrastructure for a Smarter City
The smart city has many emerging definitions and the concept is touted to be the one, that will shape cities of future. All ‘smart city’ definitions encompass the idea of a sustainable, livable, intelligent and green city with continued economic growth…
Executive Corner: The Dilemmas of A/E Family Ownership
During the last several years, there has been increased consulting demand for ownership transition as well as mergers and acquisitions for family owned A/E and environmental-consulting firms. These inquiries have cut across the gamut of family ties: husband/wife-,…
Examining the Concept of Informed Infrastructure
While later columns will most often look at the details, I thought this first column should be devoted to the variety of concepts that might be attributed to Informed Infrastructure. Clearly it goes beyond the site’s byline of “Extending design to include…
Sensor Sensibility: Sensors Transform the Information Ecosystem
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Sensor Sensibility. This column will focus on a number of topics related to sensors ranging from sensor platforms to sensor data, standards to architectures. Sensors are transforming the information ecosystem, providing an…
