AISI Publishes Design Examples to Illustrate Updated Provisions in AISI S100

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) published AISI D102-23, “Illustrative Examples for Provisions in AISI S100-16 (2020) w/S3-22.” The document provides a set of 22 design examples that illustrate updated provisions included in AISI S100-16(2020) w/S3-22, North American Specification for the Design of Cold-Formed Steel Structural Members, 2016 Edition (Reaffirmed 2020) with Supplement 3, 2022 Edition. The examples were developed using the software Smath Studio and can be purchased from the AISI Steel Store (shop.steel.org) or directly at ow.ly/4A1R50PEAaM.

“Supplement 3 includes many significant changes and additions to the North American Specification,” said Jay Larson, P.E., F.ASCE, managing director of AISI’s Construction Technical Program. “AISI created these design examples to assist engineers in understanding those changes, to aid programmers in including them in updates to their software and to demonstrate to designers how to incorporate them into future projects.” He noted that the Smath Studio software required to access the design examples is free of charge to use.

FTA Offers $13M for Transit-Oriented Projects

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is making $13.4 million in grants available via a notice of funding opportunity (bit.ly/3Zj6ttk) through its Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) planning program.

The funding aims to support local planning and investment near transit hubs to promote “sustainable, livable and equitable communities.” The agency said its TOD planning program seeks to link public transportation, land use and housing to create communities that are connected to transit and walkable.

The agency added that “special consideration” for these grants is given to projects that seek to improve air quality, advance environmental justice, support unhoused populations and promote housing affordability.

FTA also noted that grant applications in 2023 from areas with a lower population density or lower average income compared to surrounding areas will receive a higher federal funding share. Additionally, applications with a substantial focus on affordable housing may receive up to 100 percent federal cost share support.

Guide Urges Holistic Approach to Building Sustainability

To promote a shift in practice, mindset and culture, the Digital Twin Consortium (DTC) published “A Whole Systems Approach to Decarbonization Across the Building Lifecycle,” the third in its series of five user guides for smart buildings stakeholders. The authors explain that to reduce (and eventually reverse) environmental damage, we need to re-imagine our buildings, cities and infrastructures.

According to the latest guide (available at bit.ly/3PjDelc), designers and developers need to approach buildings holistically as indivisible components of a larger, constantly regenerating and self-sustaining system. The authors propose embedding sustainability and high energy performance into buildings, starting early on with the design phase all the way through to daily operation.

The user guides are a compendium to a white paper “Decarbonizing the Built World: A Call to Action,” published earlier in 2023 by the DTC’s AECO Tiger Team (download at bit.ly/3RfJMEj). They were created to provide owners with an understanding of the capabilities and potential impact of digital twins at all stages of the building decarbonization lifecycle.

The U.S. Postal Service issued four new Presorted First-Class Mail stamps featuring striking photographs of bridges. The stamp art features four bridges completed between 1938 and 2022: the multi-span steel through arch Arrigoni Bridge connecting the Connecticut municipalities of Middletown and Portland; the S-curved cable-stayed Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge between Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Neb.; the steel truss Skydance Bridge topped by a public sculpture in Oklahoma City; and the basket-handle twin arch Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge connecting Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline, Ill.

Society of Women Engineers Presents Awards

Society of Women Engineers (SWE) award recipients include professionals; collegiates; and groups from influential businesses, corporations and universities across the globe.

“SWE Awards provide a platform to elevate and highlight career, academic, and service achievements of engineers and technologists that advance the mission of SWE through inspiring others,” said Alexis McKittrick, Ph.D. and FY24 president of SWE. “These award winners are shining examples for our members and the entire engineering community of how to ‘Live Without Limits.’”

This year’s award recipients will be recognized at WE23, the world’s largest conference and career fair for women engineers and technologists, on Oct. 26-28, 2023, in Los Angeles. A listing of all awardees can be found at bit.ly/3PBCXLR.

Buildings

• New York Power Authority Announces Prototype Dashboard to Help Building Managers Reduce Carbon Footprints 
• The First 3D Printed Medical Center in the World Completed in Thailand 
• International Code Council and Dubai Municipality Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Promote Safe, Innovative Construction 
• COBOD’s 3D Construction Printing Technology Helps to Rebuild Ukraine – First Project is a 3D Printed School in Lviv 
• New Addition to the ASCE/SEI 7-22 Standard Protects Buildings from a 500-Year Flood Event 

Transportation

• Singapore, Long Beach, L.A. Ports to Establish Green, Digital Shipping Corridor 
• Acrow Supplies Temporary Detour for Traffic and Relocated Utility Line During Bridge Replacement in Ohio 
• Video: I-80 1300 East Bridge Demolition and Slide Timelapse 
• Aurigo Software Partners with Delaware DOT to Streamline Planning and Delivery of Statewide Capital Program 
• Arup Supports Metrolinx Plans to Electrify Canada’s Largest Commuter Rail Network 

Water

• Stantec Tapped To Support Jackson, Mississippi, Water Improvements 
• Rockwell Automation & The Water Council Unite to Promote Water Stewardship 
• Thought Leaders Envision the Future of Water Policy, Regulation, Access and Management 
• Greeley, Colo., Goes Live with Cityworks Asset Management System, Implemented by Woolpert 
• Brown and Caldwell Team with AECOM for Landmark Pure Water Southern California Program 

Tools and Technology

• Now Available: Trimble Business Center Version 5.90 
• EarthCam Expands Artificial Intelligence Capabilities to Improve Construction Safety 
• Hexagon Introduces HxGN Smart Sites for Managing Complex Sites 
• Klir Unveils Revolutionary ChatGPT Integration Powered by Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI Service for its Unified Water Management Platform 
• New Toolkit Centralizes Tools and Resources to Improve Resilience