ReEngineering the Engineer: A Tale of Two Projects
Every now and then, you get a project that just seems to run into headwinds no matter which direction you turn. This latest one, however, came at a time when we were closing out our Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) project. The difference between the two projects couldn’t have been more striking and left us longing for a better way to work together to build our buildings. The Worst of Times The first project was a relatively simple two-office building with an outdoor open-air covered stor...
Bridge Rehabilitation and Replacement: Engineers Explain Methods Used on the Seabrook Strauss Bascule Bridge
By Gregory P. Taravella, P.E., and James W.H. Costigan, E.I. The Seabrook Bridge is a Strauss Heel-Trunnion Bascule Bridge located in New Orleans and owned by the Port of New Orleans. Built in 1923, the through-truss bridge originally carried two railroad tracks inside the trusses and two single-lane roadways cantilevered outside the trusses. The bridge is one of three duplicate bridges that cross the Inner Harbor-Navigation Canal (IH-NC), which links the Mississippi River to Lake Pontchartra...
An Olympian Achievement: Los Angeles Zeroes in on Emissions-Free Bus Fleet
When Los Angeles hosts the Summer Olympic Games in 2028, city officials are hoping its zero-emissions bus fleet will share a bit of the spotlight with the world’s best athletes. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is starting the journey to create a comprehensive Zero Emissions Bus Program through an analysis of its network of 165 bus and bus rapid-transit routes and 12 maintenance facilities. The goal is to convert to a complete zero-emissions bus fleet by 2030. To a...
Code Update: ACI 318-19: Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete
The American Concrete Institute (ACI) recently published “ACI 318-19 Building Code for Structural Concrete.” ACI 318 includes the requirements for design and construction of structural concrete that are necessary to ensure public health and safety. This edition of ACI 318 is the first to be published since the format of ACI 318 was reorganized in 2014, and it’s anticipated that it will be referenced in the 2021 International Building Code (IBC). Important Updates Now in full color with...
Long-Span Composite Floors: Engineered Options for Multi-Story Project Design
By Alex Therien, AIA LEED/AP, and Sean Smith, M. Arch, LEED/AP Today’s variety of long-span composite floor systems requires the specifying engineer to understand their differences and how to optimize the unique advantages of the particular chosen system. In a construction sector that includes hotels and dormitories, multi-story buildings continue to be on the rise. Not coincidentally, so is the specification of long-span composite floor systems that uniquely address the structural pe...
Executive Corner: Do the Valuation Multiples You’re Using Actually Apply to Your Firm?
Firm owners often rely on pricing multiples to arrive at a ballpark estimate of their firm value. We regularly hear from them that they generally rely on data points from transactions that either they or their peers at other firms had been part of in the past relied, or on data published in our “A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transaction Study.” But many also inquire about what the specific multiples are that they should be relying on, and as part of my response to these inquiries, I counter...
Future Forward: Advancing Artificial Intelligence and Natural-Language Interfaces
These profiles are based on interviews, and the opinions and statements are those of the subject and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by this publication. Shafat Qazi is the CEO and founder of BQE Software. Pain Points in Project Management An engineer by education and training, Shafat Qazi arrived in California in 1998 to help retrofit buildings for earthquakes. But after a few years as a partner in a successful engineering firm, he realized there was an even greater good he...
Future Forward Full Interview: Advancing Artificial Intelligence and Natural-Language Interfaces
These profiles are based on interviews, and the opinions and statements are those of the subject and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by this publication. Shafat Qazi is the CEO and founder of BQE Software. V1 Media: Please provide a brief background of your education and career before BQE Software. Qazi: I got my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from India, a college called the National Institute of Technology. Then I went to SUNY Buffalo and got my masters in structura...
Stormwater Management System Protects University of Michigan Campus
The system protects university buildings from potential floods while benefiting the environment and the city of Ann Arbor. The University of Michigan’s Central Campus is a gathering spot for students and visitors. It’s also a stormwater collection point in the downtown Ann Arbor, Mich., area, particularly during large storm events. A new underground stormwater infiltration system was designed to protect the campus and adjacent historic buildings from a 100-year storm event while pr...
Thoughts From Engineers: When a Deep Tunnel Isn’t Enough: Milwaukee Wrestles with Combined Sewer Overflows
The City of Milwaukee was on the cusp of a victory lap. After several expansions to the Deep Tunnel storage system and other significant district-wide improvements to grey and green infrastructure, Milwaukee appeared more prepared than ever for the “mother of all rain events” to strike. The city’s extensive capital investments and long-term planning initiatives seemed to have paid off: combined sewer overflows (CSOs) were at a near-record low. Milwaukee appeared to be on a trajectory to move...
Video: Crashes Drop Measurably After Rural Road Safety Improvement Project on US 521 in Lancaster County
AdventHealth Weaverville Hospital
June Issue 2026
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