ReEngineering the Engineer: Making It Buildable
Through the years, I’ve noticed my firm does a lot of additions to existing buildings. In the early days, much of it was driven by our hospital work. Hospitals are constantly growing—expanding emergency departments, adding beds, increasing diagnostic capabilities, offering new services, etc. Most campuses we work on still have enough real estate that allows them to expand horizontally. But even as our breadth of project types expanded, we still had to deal with expansions. Private schools add n...
From the Editor: No Surprise, but Engineering Gets ‘Smarter’ Every Year
In this annual Smart Engineering issue of Informed Infrastructure, you will read about great new ideas and products that are not only more efficient and economical, but also better for our environment. Isn’t this the definition of a win-win-win proposition? I always appreciate the advances being made in the engineering world. As I quickly reviewed some of the topics in this issue, I realized that a lot has changed in our profession—even in the last decade, let alone when I started as a new engi...
Thoughts From Engineers: Smart Tech Steps into the Spot (Flood) Light
Any homeowner who has taken advantage of the myriad doorbell cameras, home thermostats, motion sensors and other smart devices available in the market knows the value smart tech brings to home security. (“I can’t be everywhere at once,” the thinking goes, “but thankfully my tech can.”) And so we shell out more money to have an electronic foot soldier onguard at our home’s doors, windows and anywhere else we feel a twinge of vulnerability. But smart tech can clearly do more. In the last decade,...
Executive Corner: What’s My Legacy? An A/E Generation Transitions Out
Growing up, my father was fond of sharing various quips and quotes. Some were motivational, others just corny, and I’m confident most of them went in one ear and out the other. But one that always stuck with me was the famous Maya Angelou line: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” A poignant citation for aspirational self-improvement, it also speaks to the vital legacy we all want to leave with people and organi...
Transportation Troubleshooting: Infrastructure Investment Law Is Working
A video of Paula Hammond’s congressional testimony can be watched above or at bit.ly/3LVAL0u. The full text can be found at bit.ly/3M1q7VX. On March 28, 2023, I appeared before a congressional panel, the “U.S. House Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.” The following are highlights from my oral and written testimony: More than 36,000 transportation improvement projects—including at least one in every congressional district—have moved forward in the...
Thoughts From Engineers: A Toxic Fix? Another Chemical Disaster Makes Headlines
The lives of working-class folks tragically intersected with a load of hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February 2023. Zoning laws—designed to keep incompatible uses apart—were of little use in this situation. Additional safety regulations to ensure the smooth transport of chemical cargo by rail may have made a difference, but this is still unclear as the investigation proceeds and facts continue to be pieced together. This particular disaster is obviously unique, but aspec...
Water Works: The Value of National Standardization for the Evaluation of Stormwater Control Measures
If any group of engineers was asked to list which organization(s) they reference for industry standards, I would expect ASTM International to be frequently cited. Founded in 1898, ASTM has maintained incredible name recognition—and for good reason. It’s a leading organization in the development and delivery of voluntary consensus standards. Under the ASTM process, standards are created, developed and established voluntarily based on an agreed-upon need for the standardization of test methods or...
Infrastructure Outlook: New ‘Buy America’ Rules May Change How You Use Federal Funds
It has been just more than a year since the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law, delivering the prospect of funding for modernization of water and transportation infrastructure as well as other important projects. The law also delivered significant restrictions on sourcing materials from outside the United States as defined in the “Build America, Buy America Act” provision of the IIJA. Many businesses, utilities and public agencies have already realized...
Code Update: The 2022 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings
The latest edition of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) flagship standard, the “2022 Specification for Structural Steel Buildings (ANSI/AISC 360)” (the Specification), has hit the streets (get it at aisc.org/2022spec). The 2022 edition of the Specification reflects the latest research and industry practice, coordinates with other standards, and broadens the standard’s scope—but always with users in mind and a focus on usability and transparency. The following are some of the c...
Executive Corner: Inside the Latest A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transaction Study
With economic growth slowing and interest rates rising, it’s not surprising that A/E firm valuation multiples have ebbed from their post-pandemic peaks. The latest valuation statistics from the recently released “A/E Business Valuation and M&A Transactions Study” (10th edition) show that for all transaction types—minority interests in privately held companies, controlling interest (M&A) transactions and public market transactions—valuation multiples have declined, albeit only slightly. Survey S...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
