Kevin Schlereth is a senior design application specialist at HNTB, an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm founded more than 100 years ago.
Tower of Power: Strong Steel Overcomes Constraints at a Tight Site
In Chicago, one of the world’s architectural capitals, it’s not uncommon to see unusual buildings, innovative designs and creative construction techniques.…
Structural Solutions: Engineering without a Net
I was flipping around the cable channels a while back and happened across a show about “The Flying Wallendas.” I had heard of the Wallendas as a kid,…
Managing the Model: You Live in the Future, Why Don’t You Work There?
At the end of summer 2015, I was at a family reunion in central Illinois. As I stood chatting with relatives in my uncle’s backyard, my brother-in-law walked up, took a golf-ball-sized speaker out of his pocket and said, “play some music.” I had never…
Specification Section: Foundation Modeling and Materials
The foundation is the start of all structural projects. There are many software tools to analyze and optimize this critical component, and there are many pre-engineered products that can be specified. These products are tuned to challenging conditions, such…
Managing the Model: Five Major Benefits of Using Modeling for Construction Projects
Building Information Modeling (BIM) software has changed the way many companies work—there are extreme benefits to using BIM for construction projects and design. You likely know that BIM is an “intelligent” model that offers more-efficient collaborative…
Structural Solutions: Minding the Gap in Technology
Reworking a line from a 1970s Saturday Night Live sketch: technology has been “berry berry good” to the design and construction industries. I remember my first day as a budding engineer, fresh out of college, as if it was yesterday. The firm I started…
Managing the Model: “We Can Do It Faster the Old Way”
I've been hearing the title of this column, in one form or another, from engineering and architectural design firms for more than 20 years. I hear it from drafters, designers, engineers, architects, principals and owners, and it's usually in response to why…
Overcoming Challenging Suspension Bridge Design and Engineering
Long-span suspension bridges represent some of the most remarkable, yet most vulnerable, assets in road networks. Due to their important role in the transportation network, the design, construction, and subsequent monitoring and maintenance must be performed…
Managing the Model: What is a “model”?
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…
