Code Update: Guidance for Structural Fire Engineering Making Its Debut
The International Code Council (ICC) approved—as expected—the updated structural building-design standard, written by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute (SEI), for inclusion in the 2018 edition of the ICC’s model International Building Code. ICC’s validation committee certified “ASCE/SEI 7-16: Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other Structures,” and ICC’s board of directors confirmed it in January 2017, says Mike Pfeiffer,...
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...
Final Thoughts: The Evolution of Women in Engineering: Moving from Ground Zero
I have more years of experience than any woman engineer who I have worked with. Let that sink in … This wording is true, because when I started my career in 1971, there were no women engineers in the workforce at the Indiana Department of Transportation. And I have never been fortunate enough to come across any of the “pioneers” of women in civil engineering since I started working. I mention this only to say that during my working career, although the number of women in engineering has greatly...
Executive Corner: Wall Street Sentiments Suggest Strong A/E Industry Outlook
Sometimes the movement of money in capital markets can tell us a lot about investors’ expectations for a particular stock or a particular industry. In the case of the A/E industry, there are a number of factors that are likely impacting investors’ sentiments. Will increasing rates from the Federal Reserve offset any decrease in tax rates? Will reducing regulations have a positive impact on corporate growth? Will Trump’s trade policies help or hurt U.S.-based companies? Based on market performanc...
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...
Technical Perspectives: Making a Case for Dynamo in 2017
After graduating with a Master’s degree in structural engineering, I anxiously began in 2006 what many would consider a traditional career path in the industry. I started working with a 2D CAD-based company that had a laser focus on everything that dealt with material properties, load cases and building codes, but never gave technology a second thought. However, I occasionally would hear discussions about transitioning from CAD to Autodesk’s Revit, which made me curious about how technology coul...
From the Editor: Start the New Year Looking Back to See Forward
With 2016 in the rearview mirror, it’s a great time to reflect on our accomplishments and failures as well as look ahead at the potential 2017 holds for us as individuals and for our industry as a whole. Look Back Professionally, 2016 was a busy and exciting year for me. As regular Informed Infrastructure readers know, my column moved to the very front of this magazine, exposing me to a much wider range of practical applications of emerging technology and forcing me think more holistically abo...
Infrastructure Outlook: How UAV Surveying Can Improve Land-Development Projects
By Dustin Price, L.S. A successful development project begins with an accurate land survey, which is why it’s critical for organizations to capitalize on the latest in surveying technology. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, are one example of a new technology that’s delivering better results for land surveyors worldwide. Read on to learn the specific ways that adopting UAV surveying can help. Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency Traditional land-surveying methods take a lot of time and...
Executive Corner: Five Takeaways from 2016 A/E M&A Activity
Good or bad, you certainly can’t say 2016 was dull. In a year that produced memorable comebacks, upsets and surprises across a spectrum of institutions, whether geopolitical (Trump, Brexit), financial (Dow 19,000), sports (Cubs’ and Cavaliers’ wins, Villanova’s buzzer-beater) or cultural (alas, Brad and Angelina), the country is due for a much-needed breather after these wild 365 days. Given this setting, A/E executives pulled back and took a measured “wait and see” approach to deal making this...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
