Pigs in the Water? Houston’s Largest Surface-Water Project Brings Engineering Value and Confidence
By Josh Tebbe and Wayne Biery The Greater Houston region’s reliance on groundwater created the nation’s largest areas of ground subsidence and placed the metro area on a path toward a potential water shortage as its population grows. Recognizing these issues, district officials established the Surface Water Supply Project and required Harris and Fort Bend counties to convert from using groundwater to surface-water sources such as lakes and rivers. The goal of the initiative is to have...
Central Park Tower Pushes the Limits of Skyscraper Design
New York City’s Central Park Tower, the tallest residential building in the world, reflects state-of-the-art engineering techniques and environmentally conscious construction. For more than a century, New Yorkers have found space by building upward. Now Central Park Tower, a new sky-piercing megastructure soaring 1,550 feet above Manhattan, is the latest in a series of super-slender residential towers to appear on the New York City skyline, as developers seek to drive value from sma...
Restoring and Reinforcing Slopes in Houston’s Hurricane Country
By using a green solution, the city of Houston was able to save money and prevent future damage to slopes along Buffalo Bayou. The video at the top of this page is an interview with Charlie Penland, P.E., senior principal for Walter P. Moore & Associates, the project’s engineers of record. By Adam Dibble, CPESC, CESSWI, and Matt Skinner, CPESC Houston’s Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown and right along the theater district—home to some of the most popular entertainm...
Video: Restoring and Reinforcing Slopes in Houston’s Hurricane Country
This video created by Profile Products shows how the city of Houston was able to save money and prevent future damage to slopes along Buffalo Bayou.
Let’s Build Two: Hub Group Breaks Ground On Replica Headquarters Building
Hub Group is a publicly traded North American transportation-management company providing intermodal, truck brokerage and logistics services. With more than $3.5 billion in revenue, Hub is one of the largest such companies in the world. And in the teenage years of the 21st century, it has built not one but two outstanding—and nearly identical—headquarter buildings in Oak Brook, Ill., that befit their status and serve their mission while also being models of progressive, sustainable design and co...
AEC from Home: Tips from Leading Professionals Adjusting to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In May 2020, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson interviewed three leaders of AEC firms to learn how they’re adjusting to the “new normal” and help pass along some of the tips and lessons learned from their experiences in early 2020. Kevin Cornish, P.E. Senior Vice President Surface Transportation Market Sector Leader AECOM Andy Kaiyala Vice President, Bid Development Lane Construction Dustin Parkman Vice President, Project Delivery B...
The Flooding Strikes Back: Mother Nature Rises Again Shortly After Technology Seemed to Have the Upper Hand
In mid-May 2020, several days of heavy rain fell on central Michigan, causing the Tittabawassee River to swell to 35 feet, more than a foot past its previous record and 10 feet above flood stage. Even worse, catastrophic dam failures further upriver forced the evacuation of approximately 10,000 people as the severe flooding overtook several populated areas in Midland County and threatened a Superfund site. The state of Michigan is investigating the catastrophe, including dam operators...
Collaboration in Product Development Results in Better Designs
Good design is slow. Effective collaboration also takes time. According to Sara Pevaroff Schuh, the founding principal of Philadelphia-based SALT Design Studio, “Quality fights to be a full partner at the table with quick.” She’s right. It may seem like an all-too-costly endeavor to return to the drawing board, but the familiar cliche rings true: you either pay now or pay later. Green City, Clean Waters Rob Woodman, senior stormwater engineer at ACF Environmental, witnessed firsthand th...
Bridging the Divide: How Lidar Data Help Mitigate Landslides Near Yellowstone
The Double Draw Landslide in May 2011 closed U.S. 26 for about a month after leaving an estimated 200,000 tons of debris on the highway. More landslides occur along a 38-mile region of U.S. 26/287 in northwest Wyoming—close to Yellowstone National Park and along the Continental Divide—than any other stretch of roadway in the state. The instability is attributed to the topography, weather and proximity to Yellowstone, which sits atop an active volcano and contains more than half of...
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Growing Trend Toward 3D Digital Deliverables for Bridges and Structures
In the United States, a project-delivery revolution that’s been building for years is unfolding. As software continues to “eat the world,” Model Based Design and Construction (MBDC) has been slowly and methodically added to the menu. MBDC is the use and transfer of digital data and information among design and construction to convey design intent, capture as-constructed data, and provide data for asset management. MBDC, including the use of 3D models as legal contract documents, is being d...
Video: New Roundabout Under Construction at McIver and Old Florence Roads in Darlington County
Promenade at The Point
June Issue 2026
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