New ASCE Press Book Aids Stakeholders in Understanding Seismic Ground Motion
Reston, Va. –When the ground shakes, as a result of earthquakes, structural inertia prevents buildings from moving in unison with the ground. To extend the life of structures, engineers need to plan for potential ground motions during the design phase. This information is provided by seismologists who predict earthquakes, but do not understand the effect of ground motions on structures. Whereas engineers use the predictions, but often do not understand the limitations of ground motion prediction...
New ASCE Publication Explores the Occurrence and Control of Land Subsidence Due to Fluid Withdrawal
Reston, Va. – Caused by fluid withdrawal, land subsidence has been well recognized as one of the major geological hazards by hydrogeologists and engineers. Land subsidence can occur on local and regional scales worldwide and is often discovered only after damage to buildings and important infrastructure occurs. A new report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, Investigation of Land Subsidence due to Fluid Withdrawal, provides an overview of the occurrence, mechanics, measurement, analys...
Urban planning’s top three challenges – and how to beat them
Lekbrug, Vianen, the Netherlands Moving goods and people around cities efficiently is critical to their economies, allowing business access to a wider choice of raw materials, labor and customers. However, most infrastructure projects are planned in relative isolation, regulated by different permitting bodies, so maintaining urban infrastructure becomes a constantly moving target. As these structures age, their usage patterns change and city centers themselves grow denser, how can constr...
Video: Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction - Building Sector Solution
The Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction notes that about 70 percent of urban infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate a fast-growing world has yet to be built.
JICA and Synspective start demonstration for the development of a disaster prevention management system in Guatemala using SAR satellite data
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Synspective have started a satellite use service demonstration to monitor ground movements in Guatemala City, Guatemala, as part of an information gathering and pilot project. ■Land displacement disasters in Guatemala Guatemala is a Central American country, and is about ⅓ the size of Japan. Spanish is the official and most spoken language. Similar to Japan, Guatemala is prone to earthquakes and other disaster risks such as heavy rains...
FEMA Provides Funds for the 2020 Cameron Peak Wildfire Response
DENVER – FEMA has awarded $2.6 million to the State of Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control to cover assistance costs for 143 state and local cooperating agencies and the Colorado National Guard while fighting the Cameron Peak wildfire in Larimer County. The funds are provided from the agency’s Public Assistance program under the major disaster declaration for Colorado issued on January 15, 2021, following the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome wildfires. FEMA’s Public Assistance p...
Skanska invests EUR 23M, about SEK 230M in a commercial development property in Espoo, Finland
Skanska has acquired a development property in Espoo, Finland. The seller is MSD Finland Oy and the investment amounts to EUR 23M, about SEK 230M. The property encompasses 4,600 square meters of office space and 180 parking places. The property also has over 3,000 square meters of unused building right. After the acquisition Skanska aims to refurbish the existing office building and develop new office premises on the property. The property is in ever-developing Keilaniemi, which has a prim...
Earthquake Journals: A Day in the Haiti Disaster Zone
By Dr. Kit Miyamoto I step into a dark, small bedroom. I hear my partner’s feet behind me. The room’s windows and doors are covered by thick drapes, hindering any light from entering the room. The bare concrete floor is wet, but the heat is edging towards unbearable. I feel it on my skin. The temperature must be somewhere close to 100 degrees (40 in Celsius) with 90% tropical humidity. Sweat runs down my back, drenching my shirt. Burning charcoal lingers in the air with an undertone of old sw...
Upcoming Commercial Rooftop Community Solar Projects in NY
Leading ESG Firms G&S Solar and AVANA Capital To Partner on Over 50 Commercial Rooftop Community Solar Projects, Creating Jobs & Promoting Clean Energy Glendale, AZ (October 26, 2021) – G&S Solar, a leading clean energy and real estate development company, and AVANA Capital, an entrepreneurial lending company providing financing solutions for small to medium-sized clean energy developers, are pleased to announce their agreement to partner on the development of over 50 rooftop community solar...
Haiti Earthquake Recovery Begins
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — In the first week of October 2021, 179 highly trained Haitian engineers and social communicators were equipped and dispatched to Les Cayes, a major capital of the region that was severely affected by the recent earthquake, to begin damage and repair assessments. This program employs a first-of-its-kind post-earthquake assessment that combines rapid damage assessment, debris assessment and repair quantity assessment in a simultaneous process. Each assessed structure will b...
Stormwater Interview with Robert Page, P.E., Vice President, HNTB
Santa Barbara County North Branch Jail Expansion
February Issue 2026
