Smart Cities: Putting a ‘Smart Communities’ Strategy to Work
The term “smart cities” has been around for a while now. You can’t go to an event or pick up a magazine without some discussion on smart cities, and a lot of organizations have jumped onboard and created “smart” projects and initiatives. But in the end, they’re a random set of workflows that aren’t connected. What’s lacking is a comprehensive plan that outlines overall objectives, sets milestones to get there and digitally transforms an organization. This idea has exposed what I believe to be a...
Infrastructure Outlook: Infrastructure: How Do We Pay for It?
There is widespread consensus that America’s infrastructure needs help. It ranks 11th in the world, and the American Society of Civil Engineers has repeatedly graded it a D+. As noted in the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) “Building to Win” infrastructure plan, “Without immediate action on the infrastructure crisis, the United States will lose more than 2.5 million jobs by 2025 and more than 5.8 million by 2040.” We have a big job ahead of us; the estimated funding needs exceed $1 t...
Sponsored Content: You Have A Choice
Sponsored by: In the world of business and economics, a sunk cost is money that’s already spent and cannot be recovered. It’s a concept that’s said to stem from the oil industry, where the decision about whether to abandon an oil well is based on its expected cash flows, not on how much money was spent to drill it. In the oil well example, big decisions are black and white. But in other business, it’s not always so easy to see when it’s time to cut the ties that bind. For example...
Sponsored Content: Reality modeling is everywhere!
Sponsored By: At Bentley Systems’ annual Be Inspired Awards ceremony, held on October 12 during The Year in Infrastructure Conference in Singapore, nominees were recognized for their BIM advancements in infrastructure. Ten independent jury panels of industry experts selected the 51 finalists from more than 400 nominations in more than 50 countries. In the BIM Advancements in Reality Modeling category, CEDD-AECOM-The Earth Solutions won for its Development of the Anderso...
Engineered Solutions: Building a Legacy
High atop Hidden Peak, EPS Geofoam Solves Unique Construction Challenges By Terry Meier, ACH Foam Technologies All projects have challenges, purpose and meaning, yet some projects mean a lot more to owners than others. It takes a visionary to leave a legacy, and Richard “Dick” Bass, founder of Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort in Utah, was such a man. For starters, Dick Bass is acknowledged as the first person in the world to climb to the highest point on each of the seven continents, whi...
Engineered Solutions: Staying on Track
CSX Leads a Reline for Timber-Beam Bridges in Georgia CSX Corp., together with its subsidiaries based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation’s leading transportation suppliers. For nearly 190 years, CSX has played a critical role in economic expansion and industrial development across the eastern United States and into parts of Canada. With more than 2,700 miles of rail track and more than 2 million carloads handled in the state of Georgia alone, CSX maintains a busy schedule transporti...
Executive Corner: When Those Aging Baby Boomers Just Won’t Retire
Alan co-founded a successful consulting engineering firm when he was in his thirties. Through the years, the practice grew steadily, adding new staff, offices and owners along the way. When Alan turned 60, he announced his intent to retire at age 65. That was 10 years ago. Now, at age 70, he still enjoys his work, and while he’s cut back on hours, business travel and administrative duties, he still manages a significant portfolio of business. The last time someone asked when he planned to retire...
From the Editor: Small Firms, Big Productivity Gains
In the last 20 years, global productivity in the construction industry has grown by a measly 1 percent. By comparison, manufacturing productivity has increased by about 4 times that amount. In financial terms, productivity is the measure of output for a production process compared to the input required for that production. In construction, the output typically is expressed in some physical measurement of what’s built (e.g., length of a road, volume of earthwork movement, square-footage of a bui...
More Than Hype: The Reality of Reality Capture
I know what you might be thinking: “Yawn. Another story about drones. Skip!” and usually I’d agree with you. There are so many stories, so much marketing, and so much hype around drones that it’s easy to get bored with the topic. However, it’s with this sentiment in mind that I decided to write something about drones you can use in your business. I spent time with a group that has taken drone-based reality capture from the “wow” phase to a practical, profitable business. The team of Region Engi...
ReEngineering the Engineer: Making Way for the Future
Like many others, my firm had a very busy 2017. We were fortunate to pick up a couple new clients at the beginning of the year, and that led to additional projects and a workload that caught us a little by surprise. We didn’t realize the pent-up demand for construction, because consulting engineers tend to be a bit removed from much of the preliminary work that happens before a developer or owner decides to move forward with a project. We’ve also been numbed by the last eight years of recession...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
