Over the years, some topics drift into the spotlight only to fade away. Then, there are other issues that—because of reader interest or industry demand—command more continuous coverage. This issue contains three such subjects that I believe are important to frequently discuss in Structural Engineer: our Roundtable Series, building information modeling, and sustainable design.

February kicks off the 2007 Structural Engineer’s Roundtable Series with "Wood frame construction: Challenges and opportunities" on page 22. Although the group discussed many topics, education was one of the challenges that the whole panel agreed faces the industry. Others included complexity of detailing, the International Residential Code (IRC) vs. engineered approaches, standardization vs. customization of wood products, and changing building codes. The experts were wholly optimistic about the future of wood frame construction, specifically, the abundance of product literature and design guidelines, materials testing, and the possible prefabrication of wood components.

As is the goal with all of our roundtable articles, we hope that the dialogue shared from the industry experts generates a larger dialogue with Structural Engineer readers. Please read about the challenges and opportunities discussed for the future of wood frame construction and share your thoughts with me.

Another topic that remains in the spotlight is addressed in the informative article written by attorney Howard Aschraft. He discusses the changes needed to fully leverage the technological advances of building information modeling. Read "Building information modeling: How the promise of new technology challenges the existing order" on page 30 to consider the impacts of this promising new technology on our established system.

Sustainable design also remains on the forefront of the industry. This month’s Project Spotlight, "Engineering gold by going green: Houston’s new UT School of Nursing and Student Community Center," by Stephen H. Lucy, P.E., and Scott H. Francis, P.E., describes how the building’s designers accommodated a list of 11 prerequisites specified by the building owner, as well as the budget, to create this remarkable facility. Additionally, the designers worked with numerous internal clients and external consultants: 60 experts in total representing 17 outside firms to achieve an anticipated USGBC LEED gold rating for the building. Read more on page 34.

Complementing these important ongoing topics are the fundamental issues covered by the columns. In this month’s Code Simple—which explains the history of a portion of the building code—S.K. Ghosh, Ph.D., and Susan Dowty, S.E., discuss the difference between bearing wall systems and building frame systems; see page 16. Arthur Schwartz discusses the National Society of Professional Engineer’s code of engineering ethics in our Ethics column on page 18. Finally, stressing the importance of structural engineering accomplishments, Richard G. Weingardt, P.E., details his recent trip to Millau Viaduct in the South of France.

Enjoy our continuous coverage and please share your feedback, as reader comments influence future editorial.