The world is changing around us, with disruptive and efficiency-enabling technology supporting a whole new level of communication, collaboration and productivity. We have a lot more data, tools and technological options in all aspects of our business, including…
Better BIM: Laser Scanning Improves Accuracy and Speed in Onsite Data Acquisition
By Chew Beow Kwan Building information modeling (BIM) first came about in the 1970s, but its methods have been refined considerably since then. Widely…
Final Thoughts: The Joy of Witnessing Engineering’s Evolution
I consider myself lucky to have begun my career when I did, seeing firsthand so many dramatic changes in engineering. Let’s take a quick look back at…
GRAVITY: It Just Works—Massive Concrete Blocks Resolve Detention-Basin Challenges
By Angus W. Stocking, L.S. Houston’s Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 17 is clumsily named, but its mission is admirably clear: per the organization’s website, TIRZ 17 is a “local government corporation created to aid, assist and act on behalf of…
Executive Corner: Does the Valuation of Your Company’s Stock Reflect ALL its Risk?
Whether a business valuation is done for purposes of transferring ownership internally from one employee to another, or for meeting the regulatory requirements of sponsoring an employee stock-ownership plan, the risk associated with such an investment is a…
Structural Solutions: We’re All Busy….
As a business owner, you have to deal with a lot of things. Some are simple: Where to order copier paper? Where should we have the Christmas party this year? Others are not so simple: Is it time to consider moving the office to the cloud? How can we grow our…
From The Editor: An Honor and Privilege to Serve Our AEC Community
Ten years ago, I gave a presentation at the Trimble Dimensions annual training and networking seminar. The session was focused on the interoperability between Trimble’s data collection and reduction software, and Autodesk’s CAD modeling software, so it…
Engineered Solutions: Tricky Feedmill Site Requires Stormwater Conveyance System
By Bart Hartsfeld and Chris M. Ross, P.E. After acquiring Durbin Farms, Mar-Jac Poultry Alabama LLC planned a major expansion to build a new $25 million feedmill in Franklin County, Ala., that would efficiently provide feed to poultry growers in the region. Unfortunately,…
Engineer Spotlight: The Unhappy State of U.S. Bridges and Highways
An interesting article ran in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering in 2008: “A Tale of Two Bridges: Dangerous and Still Standing.” Robert W. Clark, P.E., authored the piece about two well-used…
Future Forward Interview: Keep an Open Mind when Searching for Critical Infrastructure Solutions
Bry Sarté currently serves on the faculty of Columbia University’s Architecture and Urban Design Program, where he lectures on infrastructure, resiliency and public space.
