Identifying Problems with Post-Tension Concrete
Photos show debonded grout over an anchor pocket (top) as well as removed grout revealing corroded wedges and anchors due to water intrusion at the grout pocket (bottom). Post-tensioning is a technique for reinforcing concrete with steel cables typically referred to as tendons. Post-tensioning tendons, which are high-strength steel cables inside plastic sheathing, are positioned in the forms before the concrete is placed. After the concrete has gained strength and before service loa...
LEED Certification: Sustainable Construction, Waste Management and LEED Certification
Green, sustainable construction is the way of the future, and modern companies are shifting their processes in that direction. When it comes to green construction, there’s one rating and certification system that holds authority worldwide: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It’s universally used for all types of projects, ranging from interior and exterior to residential and commercial. The goal of LEED is to ensure green buildings are efficient and cost-effective, while also...
From the Editor: Engineering Allows You To Be Part of History
The COVID-19 pandemic has created blocks of time that we didn’t previously have. For some of us, it’s the time we used to spend commuting. For others, it’s the time we spent shopping or attending cultural events. For me, it has created time to catch up on some reading. I will admit that in the past, I haven’t read every word of every issue of Informed Infrastructure. Now, with all this “extra” time, I’m much closer to getting every word. I read with great interest a recent article on the magazi...
Executive Corner: Newly Released A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transactions Study Shows Peak Performance
The latest edition of Rusk O’Brien Gido + Partners’ “A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transactions Study” was released on Jan. 12, 2021, showing that industry firms reached peak financial performance levels and valuations multiples immediately before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenue growth, as measured by three-year compounded average growth of net service revenue from 2017 through 2019, hit a high of 9.6 percent; and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization expe...
Thoughts From Engineers: How to Avoid a Regional Disaster
Some 160 years ago, in an effort to remedy the Great Stink of 1858, which refers to a time in London’s history when the Thames River was used as an open sewer, an unknown English engineer by the name of Joseph Bazalgette was hired to design and build a network of sewer pipes for central London. He decided to size the sewer pipes to be twice the diameter judged necessary to address the problem at hand. He wasn’t expected to plan and design for future scenarios but forged ahead anyway to avert pot...
Change Leader: Changing Practices for a Changing World
This particular webcam interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. 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. Tom Lewis is the executive lead for the National Business Line for Climate, Resilience and Sustainability within WSP USA. Michael Mondshine is the senior vice president and director, Sustainability, En...
Future Forward: Virtual Inspections Will Remain After COVID-19 Pandemic Passes
Jared Utterback is a licensed General Contractor and the Chief Compliance Officer with Inspected. As aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic begin to improve in the United States and there seems to be a “light at the end of the tunnel” from an extremely difficult time period, leading industry experts are repeatedly examining which of the new COVID workflows, practices and technologies that almost-instantly became standard practice will remain part of the AEC workflow, and which will return to how they...
Alpine Engineering: Ramcharger 8 Continues a History of Chairlift Innovation
Big Sky Resort’s Ramcharger 8 is the first eight-seat chairlift in North America and one of the most technologically advanced chairlifts in the world. (Big Sky Resort) The most modern chairlift ever built in North America now is open at Montana’s Big Sky Resort. Montana’s Big Sky Resort, where wide-open spaces meet dramatic peaks to provide world-class ski experiences, is the second-largest ski resort in the United States by acreage. Opened in 1973 and founded by Montana native...
A Blueprint for Stormwater Mitigation: Coral Springs Proactively Addresses Multiple Concerns and Strategies
As the U.S. population mushrooms in some areas and development continues to create impervious surfaces, both factors put increased demand on stormwater infrastructure. With more-frequent and intense storms and snowmelt on top of flooding events, an increasing amount of runoff from impervious surfaces risks flooding of communities, stream erosion and water pollution. The U.S. stormwater infrastructure received a D grade in the newest American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 2021 I...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Learning Is a Two-Way Street
My days seem to be much busier and seemingly more complicated through this whole COVID thing. I find myself working through emails and phone calls during the day, and using nights and weekends to keep up with my own projects—not healthy, really, but it’s where I’m finding myself. It has become increasingly difficult to find time to think it through and figure a way out. Yet every now and then, I get this nagging feeling something isn’t right. Through COVID, I’ve always been a bit concerned abou...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
TriMet’s Banfield Type 1 Substation Replacement Project
February Issue 2026
