Executive Corner: Beware Unintended Consequences of Poor Financial Reporting
A client called me to inquire about updating her firm’s valuation and began our conversation by saying, “Not only are you going to be happy with our recent financial performance, you’re going to enjoy this engagement more than you have in the past.” Before I could express my curiosity (and perhaps more importantly, let her know I’ve always enjoyed working with her and her firm), she began singing the praises of the firm’s newly implemented accounting/project-management software. Aha! Witho...
Infrastructure Outlook: Stormwater Chambers Provide Storage and Infiltration While Aiding Recharge
Effective stormwater management and discharge continues to become more important as an increasing amount of land is covered by impervious surfaces due to residential and commercial development. Such conversion of land use, along with increasing regulatory requirements on water quality and quantity, creates critical considerations that must be addressed. If a project requires a stormwater-management solution, it’s important to understand the choices and how they can help solve the specific pro...
Infrastructure Innovation: Developing Creative AEC Solutions with Drones
Drones are one of the technologies most likely to really “take off” and have a significant impact on our industry. Whether referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), remotely piloted aircraft, robots or drones, they’re already changing the way people approach design and construction. The technology offers far more than just a single solution. It’s not just a mini copter with a camera to take aerial images; it’s a platform for solving problems, and many u...
Sustainability – An essential Facet of Architectural Design
Green building design, energy efficiency, power usage efficiency, sustainability etc, are the buzzwords that are making waves across the architectural design industry. This is a two-way tunnel, where architecture is guiding social impact, and this very social awareness is driving the changes in architecture. Architects shall lead the way and introduce sustainable innovation to architecture and concentrate on green building characteristics like: Well-designed ventilation for effective hea...
Executive Corner: A/E Industry Consolidation, Let the Good Times Roll
It seems like almost every day, another merger or acquisition is announced between two architecture, engineering (A/E) or environmental-consulting firms. And although the global mega combinations such as URS-AECOM and Parsons Brinckerhoff-WSP draw the most attention and scrutiny, each year there are more than 200 U.S. transactions involving organizations of every shape and size. We’re clearly in a consolidating industry that shows no sign of relenting. What’s going on here? Why are so many tr...
Infrastructure Outlook: The Age of the Engineer
Several years ago, I was talking to a friend who said, “Bill, if mankind is going to be around in 250 years, it will be because engineers make it so.” It was an intriguing concept. Certainly, our planet is being asked to support an ever-growing human population with a finite amount of available resources—resources become even more stretched as large parts of the globe industrialize. Although industrialization is raising billions from poverty, it also dramatically increases the demand and use...
Managing the Model: “We Can Do It Faster the Old Way”
I've been hearing the title of this column, in one form or another, from engineering and architectural design firms for more than 20 years. I hear it from drafters, designers, engineers, architects, principals and owners, and it's usually in response to why they’re not using modeling software they often already own. I heard it when the industry was moving from hand drafting to CAD drafting. I heard it when CAD drafting was first beginning to be supplanted by attached object data, and basic mo...
Structural Solutions: Helping Structural Engineering Students Benefits All
There are many ways to have a positive impact on the next generation of structural engineers. This is important, because they will face significant challenges to improve infrastructure while competing in a global market with constant change and ever-increasing pressures. Investing time to help them will benefit our countries, world and all of us individually. Conference Outreach An example of an event helping students is the “Students Connecting with Industry Sessions” (SCIS) at NASCC: The Ste...
BIM-Enabled Digital Fabrication of Structural Steel – An Advanced Approach
Complete and real benefits of BIM can be extracted only when it is used across all the aspects of a construction process and beyond. Today, a lot of firms have adopted BIM for project planning, scheduling, cost estimation facility management, etc. However, why does it happen that the overall productivity rates of the projects still continue to fall? This is because, although a BIM approach is implemented across all these stages of building design and construction, they still miss out on the mo...
Structural Solutions: Increasing the Effectiveness of Young Structural Engineers
Would you like to improve the effectiveness of your young structural engineers? This column will explore some ideas and ways you might be able to accomplish this. One of the major challenges facing companies is how to teach their younger engineers while also remaining profitable on projects. While fees for structural-engineering services have improved over the last couple of years since the economic downturn, profit margins still are tight. In addition, project deadlines keep shrinking, leavi...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
