March – April 2017 TRENDS
In this section, Informed Infrastructure compiles infographics from trusted sources that reveal insight on infrastructure spending. We also compile some of the top infrastructure stories that shouldn’t be missed. For ongoing news coverage, turn to Informed Infrastructure online (www.informedinfrastructure.com), our Twitter feed (@IInfrastructure) and our weekly e-newsletter. ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card: U.S. Fails to Raise Its Grade Every four years, ASCE’s Report...
Future Forward: When In Doubt, Damp It Out
This page profiles innovative and impactful applied research in civil and structural engineering. Douglas P. Taylor is president of Taylor Devices, which manufactures seismic dampers that protect structures during events such as earthquakes and high winds. He is inventor or co-inventor of 34 patents in the fields of energy management, hydraulics and shock isolation. In 2015, NASA and the Space Foundation inducted him into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. Organization Taylor Devices d...
Change Leader: 3D Modeling Delivers Widespread Benefits
Kevin Schlereth is a senior design application specialist at HNTB, an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm founded more than 100 years ago. A registered professional engineer, he works with subject-matter experts who specialize in civil engineering software and digital scenarios, providing project development, training and support services. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Ohio University. Change HNTB is an infrastructure solutions firm serving...
The Hills on Governors Island Reshapes New York City Harbour
A photo from Outlook Hill during construction highlights Tensar’s Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) Slope Design that included detailed geogrid layouts in elevation and plan view for every 2.5 feet of grade change to allow for precisely placed geogrid segments, seamlessly blending the MSE zone (right) with the lightweight fill material (left). When backfill was placed and grading completed, Outlook Hill approached 60 feet of MSE height, while the crest of the hill sits 70 feet above sea lev...
Surveying Is Fun and Data Is Cheap: Bentley Systems Sets Pace of Reality Capture
A 3D engineering-ready reality mesh created in ContextCapture comparing photogrammetry, LiDAR, and a hybrid input. Image courtesy of Bentley Systems and City of Strasbourg Surveyors are accustomed to working with sophisticated and powerful technology, such as GNSS, laser scanning, and photo capture, which makes their jobs so much easier than it used to be. Even 30 years ago, gathering geometric data about the real world used to be hard work, performed solely by well-trained experts. And, data...
Engineered Solutions: Sydney Airport Optimizes Multidiscipline Collaboration with Infrastructure Facilities Management System
Occupying 2,239 acres with more than 400 buildings, three terminals, three runways and associated taxiways, Sydney Airport is one of Australia’s most-important pieces of infrastructure, generating economic activity equivalent to 6.4 percent for New South Wales and providing 306,700 jobs. The airport’s design team is responsible for maintenance, documentation and guardianship of civil, architectural, airfield design and services databases as well as leasing documents, airspace protection and nume...
Make a Steel Building Sail: BIM and VDC Bring Church of the Resurrection to Life
When people think of churches, what often comes to mind is a square white building with a triangular roof and a steeple on top. When the congregation of The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection envisioned its new place of worship, they imagined something much different. With a growing community of more than 20,000 parishioners in the Kansas City area, the church was bursting out of its existing facilities. The congregation needed a new community space to physically accommodate its me...
Structural Solutions: Engineers Need to Take Responsibility for Public-Safety Designs
My wife and I have been in Charlotte, N.C., for quite some time now. We’ve watched it grow from a rather sleepy city in the early 1980s to a national banking center despite having to weather the recent financial crisis. Of course, growth means jobs, and jobs bring people, and those people have to live somewhere. Historically, the growth was accommodated by large housing developments, expanding the borders of the downtown area. It was generally single-family homes, but there were the occasional...
Future Forward Interview: When In Doubt, Damp It Out
Douglas P. Taylor is president of Taylor Devices (www.taylordevices.com), which manufactures seismic dampers that protect structures during such events as earthquakes and high winds. He is inventor or co-inventor of 34 patents in the fields of energy management, hydraulics and shock isolation. In 2015, he was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame by NASA and the Space Foundation. V1: Please provide a brief background of your education and career before Taylor Devices. Taylor:...
Change Leader Interview: 3D Modeling Delivers Widespread Benefits
Kevin Schlereth, P.E., Principal Technologist, Delivery Technology Group Director at HNTB, an architecture, engineering, planning and construction services firm founded more than 100 years ago. A registered professional engineer, he works with subject matter experts who specialize in civil engineering software and digital scenarios, providing project development, training and support services. He has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Ohio University. V1: Please describe HNTB's...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
