/ Category / Articles

Managing the Model: What is a “model”?

February 21, 2015 - in Articles, Column

Got a minute? I have a question for you: What is a “model”? No, I don’t mean the attractive people we see in ads and movies. And no, I don’t mean a scale replica of an SR-70 Blackbird, Godzilla or the Santa Maria, although these are a bit closer to…

Driving Through the Pouring Rain: How to Plan, Prepare and Adapt America’s Transportation Networks for Climate Change

February 21, 2015 - in Feature, Featured

By Lisa Dickson, PG, and Indrani Ghosh, PhD On Sept. 24, 2014, President Obama told a landmark global-warming summit that the United States stands ready…

Sewage Pollution a Culprit in Indian River Lagoon

February 21, 2015 - in Feature, Featured, Water

Science points to proliferation of septic tanks in loss of seagrass and wildlife The Indian River Lagoon is a narrow channel of brackish water that extends…

Infrastructure Outlook: Plotting Directions for Civil Infrastructure

February 14, 2015 - in Column

There have been major breakthroughs in the civil infrastructure industry, with reality capture and advancements in 3-D modeling, analytics and software as a service (SaaS) becoming mainstream. This combination allows designers to quickly model “what could…

Executive Corner: Managing by the Numbers

February 14, 2015 - in Column

Although the pages of this magazine are largely devoted to the technical aspects of design and construction, this column will focus on the challenges executives face to ensure their firm’s prosperity and longevity. Through two decades of work, I’ve found…

BIM-driven Approach Enhances ROI on Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi Airport

February 10, 2015 - in Construction, Feature, Featured

When Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), part of the TCA Joint Venture (TCA-JV) of TAV, CCC and Arabtec, was awarded the contract to build the USD 3 billion, 7 million square-foot Midfield Terminal Building at Abu Dhabi International Airport, it had to…

Developing a Stormwater Trash Control Strategy

January 23, 2015 - in Column, Stormwater, Water

There are many types of trash and debris found in stormwater and they each have an effect on our environment and infrastructure.  If your community is interested in developing a trash control strategy, here are six key points that should be considered:1.   …

Exploring Reality Computing for Civil Infrastructure

January 21, 2015 - in Feature, Featured, Modeling, Surveying/Mapping

New Reality Computing technologies that capture the physical world digitally and deliver digital information physically are changing the design, production, and management of products or projects—from cars to factories to highways. Civil infrastructure projects…

Toowoomba Regional Council Tackles the Challenges of a Failing Common Effluent System

December 19, 2014 - in Feature, Featured, Stormwater, Wastewater

In Queensland, Australia, in 2008, eight local governments were merged into one to form what is now the Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC). This council serves a population of approximately 120,000, and maintains water and wastewater networks totaling 3,200…

Sustainable Design and Green Building Standards Revised

December 11, 2014 - in Column

With energy resources depleting at an alarming rate, architects and engineers worldwide have realized the need to have energy and sustainable building design to ensure that a structure is eco-friendly and energy efficient. The U.S. Green building Council and…