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What is the State of the Industry?
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March 19, 2009
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According to Gallup.com, their State of the Nation rolling three-day average from March 8—10 reports that 77 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time; only 20 percent are satisfied. What do civil and structural engineers think?...
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Make your own stimulus package
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March 19, 2009
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Make your plans today to join the nation’s leading civil engineering leaders at the inaugural 2009 Civil Engineers’ Summit & Expo on April 21-22, 2009 at the Sheraton Universal Studios in Los Angeles....
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ICC revised the development process for the I-Codes, causing concern for many code users
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March 9, 2009
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According to their website, on February 27, 2009 the International Code Council (ICC) Board of Directors adopted revisions to changes they had announced on February 5, 2009 to address code development as part of its ongoing process to update and revise procedures. Worthwhile goals for the revisions include the desire to reduce code hearing lengths and increase participation in the process. Opponents of the changes—including many structural engineers—are deeply concerned that the elimination of the second change cycle between published code editions will lead to a code that is flawed and not technically up-to-date.
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New update to cold-formed steel standard includes a supplement
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March 9, 2009
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The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) [ www.steel.org] announced the publication of AISI S230-07 w/S2-08, the Standard for Cold-Formed Steel Framing—Prescriptive Method for One and Two Family Dwellings, 2007 Edition With Supplement 2. Supplement 2 was developed in 2008 to revise and clarify certain wall bracing provisions. The full document, AISI S230-07 w/S2-08, provides prescriptive requirements for cold-formed steel-framed detached one- and two-family dwellings, townhouses, attached multi-family dwellings, and other attached single-family dwellings. This new version supersedes the previous 2006 edition....
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Recovery.gov
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March 9, 2009
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President Obama and Transportation Secretary LaHood have announced that $27 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds are headed to states to provide critical repairs to our nation’s crumbling roads and bridges. The site www.recovery.gov provides information about how the funds are allocated....
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Troubled AEC firms present opportunities for ready buyers
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March 9, 2009
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The economic crisis has hit the AEC industry hard, but companies that are ready to invest will find opportunities this year in their struggling counterparts. An increasing number of firms will be at risk for closing their doors over the next few years, which means buyers are in a great position to expand and eliminate competition. That’s the latest prediction from Steve Gido, CFA, a principal with ZweigWhite [www.zweigwhite.com] and leader of the firm’s Merger & Acquisition Advisory Services group....
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Single-story house tested on shake table
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March 1, 2009
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SAN DIEGO—Engineers at the University of California at San Diego put a single-story house to the test on January 26 via a series of strong simulated earthquake shakes. The first jolt to the wood-stud structure with brick veneer measured a 6.6 magnitude, with the final one coming in at 7.2....
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States launch web sites for fast-track solutions
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March 1, 2009
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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Even as Congress debated on the President’s economic recovery proposals, state and federal transportation officials expedited the highway projects that will put thousands of workers back on the job....
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Apply now for the Best Firms To Work For ranking
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March 1, 2009
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CHICAGO—Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 Best Firms To Work For rankings. Civil engineering, structural engineering, environmental service, architecture, and multidiscipline A/E service firms have opportunity to participate in the newly expanded program hosted by CE News [www.cenews.com] and Structural Engineer [www.gostructural.com]. The application deadline is April 3, 2009. New this year, an early-bird deadline of March 6, 2009 will offer participating firms a discount on the application fee. Details are available at www.bestfirmsummit.com....
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Pinnacle Awards go to top firms
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March 1, 2009
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CHICAGO—Last year, ZweigWhite named 21 firms as 2008 Pinnacle Award winners—a distinction that honors a firm’s ability achieve to a great work environment and to grow revenues significantly. Firms earn the Pinnacle Award for being listed on two prestigious rankings: either the 2008 Best Civil Engineering Firms To Work For or the 2008 Best Structural Engineering Firms To Work For list—which both recognize excellent workplaces and high levels of employee satisfaction—and The Zweig Letter Hot Firm 2008 List—which honors tremendous revenues growth....
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ABC notes slump in private non-residential construction
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March 1, 2009
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Washington, D.C.—Last year ended on a down note for private nonresidential construction spending with December coming in 0.4 percent lower than November, according to the Feb. 2 report by the U.S. Census Bureau. Despite the decline, private nonresidential construction spending finished up 8.9 percent for the year. Total nonresidential construction spending is $726.8 billion, down 0.6 percent on a monthly basis and up 8.1 percent from last December....
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ACI eLearning enables concrete training
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March 1, 2009
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Farmington Hills, Mich.—The American Concrete Institute (ACI), in partnership with Elsevier, Inc., announced the launch of its new online training program, ACI eLearning. Through ACI eLearning, concrete industry professionals have the opportunity to participate in widely-respected ACI training programs on a variety of industry-critical topics and to earn CEUs online....
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ASCC publishes tolerances book
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March 1, 2009
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St. Louis, Mo.—The American Society of Concrete Contractors (ASCC) has published Tolerances for Cast-In-Place Concrete Buildings: A Guide for Specifiers, Contractors and Inspectors, written by Bruce Suprenant, Ph.D., P.E., and Ward Malisch, Ph.D., P.E. The authors suggest tolerances that are based on as-built measurements of buildings and other structures that have performed satisfactorily....
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CIM raises $300,000 at fourth annual auction
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March 1, 2009
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Las Vegas—The National Steering Committee for the Concrete Industry Management (CIM) program—a business intensive program that awards students with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Concrete Industry Management—raised $300,000 at its fourth annual auction, held in conjunction with the World of Concrete on Thurs., Feb. 5, 2009....
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NRMCA updates cement burn prevention program
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March 1, 2009
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Silver Spring, Md.—The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association has updated its popular Cement Burn Prevention Program. This training program and kit provides the ready mixed concrete producer with tools that can be used to communicate the cement burn hazard to employees and customers. The revised kit includes truck decals, poster (with updated photographs), sample warning language, summary of tort issues surrounding cement burns, sample material safety data sheet and sample delivery ticket (which can be modified for the user’s needs). A new module has also been added for management and legal counsel, covering successful strategies for communicating to customers about the potential for cement burns....
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SFPE issues a call for papers for its 2009 Engineering Technology Conference
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March 1, 2009
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Bethesda, Md.—The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) has issued a call for papers for high quality presentations on cutting-edge engineering practice and tools for its Engineering Technology Conference being held on October 19-20, 2009. The Engineering Technology Conference is part of the 2009 SFPE Professional Development Conference and Exposition—The Annual Meeting at the Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz....
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SJI and SDI co-sponsor "Exploring Building Design with Steel Joists, Joist Girders and Steel Deck" seminar series
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March 1, 2009
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Forest, Va.—The Steel Joist Institute (SJI) and Steel Deck Institute (SDI) are co-sponsoring a full-day, in-depth, five-part program designed to help engineers, architects, and other design professionals determine when steel joist and steel deck construction is the best solution....
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TCA announces 2009 Tilt-Up Achievement Winners
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March 1, 2009
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Mt. Vernon, Iowa—The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA)—a non-profit international organization that serves to expand and improve the use of Tilt-Up as the preferred construction method—has announced the recipients of the 2009 Tilt-Up Achievement Awards....
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The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act : Jumpstarting our economy and investing in our future
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February 19, 2009
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The American economy is in the midst of a crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetime. The economy lost 3.6 million jobs in the last 13 months, the biggest job loss since the end of World War II. Many experts believe unemployment could reach double digits if no action is taken. In light of this historic economic weakness, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Feb. 17, 2009. This legislation is a nationwide effort to create jobs and transform our economy to compete in the 21st century, and represents the most ambitious effort to stimulate the economy in our nation’s history....
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2008 sets record for skyscraper construction worldwide
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February 19, 2009
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The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has released data demonstrating that, despite the economic downturn that overtook the world in 2008, it was the single most successful year for tall building construction in history, both in terms of skyscrapers built and average height achieved. Furthermore, iconic structures are expected to continue to rise across the globe, particularly in Asia and the Middle East, to the point that the world’s current tallest building—the Taipei 101—is likely to be in 20th place worldwide by 2020....
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National Green Building Standard approved
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February 19, 2009
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The National Green Building Standard, known as ICC-700, was approved in late- January 2009 as an American National Standard. The new Standard provides guidance for safe and sustainable building practices for residential construction, including both new and renovated single-family to high-rise residential buildings. This is the first and only green standard that is consistent and coordinated with the Code Council’s family of I-Codes and standards....
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RFID tracking for fabricated steel is expected to save contractors and owners millions
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February 19, 2009
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Vela Systems, developer of mobile field software for the AECO industry, announced that Standard Supplies, provider of construction materials and structural steel fabrication to professional contractors, will use Vela’s Materials Tracker software with Tekla Structures’ building information modeling (BIM) solution to do radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging of fabricated steel....
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Engineers investigate energy independent monitoring system for bridges
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February 19, 2009
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Virginia Tech’s Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures (CIMSS) has teamed with Physical Acoustics Corporation (PAC), of Princeton Junction, N.J., to develop a suite of new technologies to provide a continuous, energy independent monitoring of the structural integrity of U.S. bridges....
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What will structural engineering compensation be like in 2009?
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February 5, 2009
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Last year the median salary for a project manager practicing structural engineering was $81,227, and the median annual bonus was $5,500. If you are interested in learning what the median salary is for an engineer with experience equivalent to yours this year, or if you are curious about what other engineers receive as vacation or insurance benefits, you can help us find out by participating in the Structural Engineer 2009 Compensation Survey. And to say thank you, you can receive a $100 discount on the registration fee for the Structural Engineers’ Buildings Conference & Expo!...
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A national model for ADA design and accessibility opens in Phoenix
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February 5, 2009
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Baldinger Architectural Studio, Inc., with structural engineer AED Consultants of Tempe, Ariz., and Caliber Construction recently completed the Disability Empowerment Center of Arizona (The DEC), a complex to be utilized as a national model for accessible design. The master planned site consists of a 64,000-square-foot office building, a four-level handicap accessible parking garage, and a future 44,000-square-foot specialized sport and fitness center....
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AWC offers building officials free design professional membership
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February 5, 2009
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The American Forest & Paper Association’s American Wood Council (AWC) is offering a free Design Professional Membership to qualified building officials to help them keep abreast of progressive wood industry issues and changing building design standards.
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Sustainability and LEED 2009 courses online
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February 5, 2009
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The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA) will host its first full-length online course in April. Concrete’s Role in Sustainable Development will begin Monday, April 6 and consist of four, two-hour sessions on four consecutive Mondays....
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Stimulus delay leaves A/E firms in limbo
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February 5, 2009
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A/E firm leaders eager for a quick boost from an economic stimulus plan received some troubling news recently when it was suggested that spending on infrastructure projects may be slow to materialize. A report by the Congressional Budget Office estimated that, while two thirds of infrastructure and other discretionary spending included in President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan would take place by 2010, only a small percentage is likely to be spent in 2009....
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Construction materials prices drop in December
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February 1, 2009
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Washington D.C.—Construction materials prices dropped 2.5 percent in December 2008 from the previous month, according to the Jan. 15, 2009, producer price index (PPI) report by the U.S. Labor Department. This represents the third straight month where construction materials prices have fallen, bringing the fourth quarter price declines to 8.3 percent. However, despite the drop, construction input prices are 2.7 percent higher than the same time last year....
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The ACI Spring 2009 Convention themed ‘Infrastructure – Concrete practice and placement’
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February 1, 2009
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Farmington Hills, Mich.—The American Concrete Institute’s (ACI) Spring 2009 Convention will be held in San Antonio, Texas, at the Marriott Rivercenter, March 15-19. Since the first convention held in 1905, ACI Conventions have been dedicated to improving the design, construction, maintenance, and repair of concrete structures by offering more than 300 committee meetings, 30 technical and educational sessions, opportunities to network with attendees and exhibitors, and the ability provide input on concrete industry codes, specifications, and guides. The ACI Spring 2009 Convention will bring together engineers, architects, contractors, educators, manufacturers, and material representatives from all over the world—all dedicated to put forth the best use of concrete....
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