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Bell, Cochran, and Eastman to keynote at 2008 Buildings Conference
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July 8, 2008
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The program is nearly complete! This year’s Structural Engineers’ Buildings Conference & Expo will take place at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta October 2-3, 2008. Confirmed keynote speakers include Glenn R. Bell, P.E.; Leighton Cochran, Ph.D., CPEng, MASCE; and Chuck Eastman. They will be presenting on Integrated Design; Architectural Aerodynamics; and How BIM is Changing the Industry, respectively. |
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Quake research to provide rate glimpse of how structures collapse
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July 1, 2008
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Structural engineers at the University at Buffalo are conducting some of the most comprehensive experiments ever attempted to develop methods of evaluating and designing steel buildings so that they will be less vulnerable to collapse during strong earthquakes. |
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Disaster earthquake scenario unveiled for Southern California
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July 1, 2008
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Scientists recently unveiled a hypothetical scenario describing how a magnitude-7.8 Southern California earthquake—similar to the recent earthquake in China—would impact the region. |
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Concrete industry leaders meet to discuss building information modeling, sustainability
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July 1, 2008
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The concrete industry’s Strategic Development Council (SDC) met in April to discuss several issues and initiatives facing the concrete industry. |
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AISC suggestions to minimize the impact of structural steel price increases
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July 1, 2008
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Increasing global demand for both structural steel and steel scrap has triggered significant domestic increases in the producer price of structural steel during 2008. |
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A/E firms rank competitive pay as top retention challenge
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July 1, 2008
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Providing competitive compensation and benefits is the biggest challenge A/E firms face when it comes to retaining staff, according to ZweigWhite’s newly released 2008 Recruiting & Retention Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms. |
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Allied Health Building and Phase III Road Realignment at Mesa College underway
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June 24, 2008
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McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. has construction under way for the new 49,000-square-foot Allied Health building at San Diego Mesa College, located in the Clairemont area of San Diego, Calif.The three-story Allied Health building will include a computer lab, classrooms, a clinical dental lab, physical therapy lab, medical lab, plus faculty and staff offices. Situated at the College’s main campus entry off Mesa College Drive, the building will serve as a prominent landmark for the college. Completion is slated for August 2009. |
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I-Code adoptions in New York City and the State of Maine
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June 24, 2008
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New York City joins Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and thousands of other jurisdictions across the country using the International Code Council’s International Fire Code to significantly improve safety for residents, visitors and emergency personnel. The first comprehensive revision to the New York City fire code in nearly 100 years, the new code addresses emergency preparedness, fire safety, fire prevention, permitting and inspection of building safety systems. |
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USGBC re-launches Greenbuild365 Web Portal
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June 24, 2008
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The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has re-launched its popular Greenbuild365.org. Visitors will find increased educational offerings, podcasts, and expanded resources, along with year-round access to plenary sessions and master speaker presentations from USGBC’s annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo—the industry’s largest gathering of representatives from all sectors of the green building movement. |
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A/E firms rank relationship building as top marketing strategy
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June 24, 2008
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A/E firm leaders report personal selling and relationship building as their most successful marketing strategy, a new report shows. According to the newly released 2008 Marketing Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms, close to half of participating firms say developing relationships with clients and potential clients surmounts any type of direct mailing or telemarketing they’ve conducted. |
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Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., selected for structural design of new Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco
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June 10, 2008
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Thornton Tomasetti, Inc., the international building engineering and technology firm, has been contracted to provide structural design services for the new Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco. In September 2007, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects was selected for the design and development of the Transbay Transit Center at First and Mission streets. The Los Angeles and New York offices of Thornton Tomasetti will join the architect’s team on this project that will consist of a new transit terminal topped by a public park. |
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Newly revised SJI Technical Digest discusses handling and erection of joist products
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June 10, 2008
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The third edition of Technical Digest No. 9 contains a thorough coverage of the proper handling and erection procedures to be used in the field to ensure Steel Joist Institute joist products are not damaged, that they perform as specified, and to assist in the safety of the erectors. |
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MSR/MEL lumber added to AWC Span Calculator
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June 10, 2008
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The American Wood Council’s (AWC) popular online span calculator was recently updated to allow user input of machine stress rated (MSR) lumber and machine evaluated lumber (MEL). With manufacturers taking a renewed interest in machine grading technology and attempting to derive greater value from the premium products they manufacture, having MSR and MEL in the span calculator permits them to point users to this tool for their lumber joist sizing needs. Grades and species shown represent those most commonly manufactured and available today. |
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AISC comments on ASRAE Standard
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June 1, 2008
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In response to the proposed American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. (ASHRAE) Standard 189.1 Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) released a statement addressing the organization’s concerns, submitted comments directly to ASHRAE. |
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PTI honors post-tensioning projects
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June 1, 2008
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The Post-Tensioning Institute (PTI) — a non-profit organization for the advancement of post-tensioned, pre-stressed concrete design and construction—has announced the recipients of their 2008 awards competition. |
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Creative solution from Leo A Daly keeps VA San Diego Medical Center open during construction
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May 27, 2008
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International architecture, planning, engineering, interior design, and program management firm Leo A Daly designed the soon-to-be completed seismic retrofit of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System’s Medical Center [www.sandiego.va.gov] in San Diego, Calif. The $60 million project, which began in November 2005, was completed in early April 2008—two months earlier than the originally scheduled completion date. |
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New guide bridges smoke management and the IBC
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May 27, 2008
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When a fire occurs in a building, controlling smoke can mean the difference between life and death. A newly revised reference book addresses smoke management in the International Code Council’s (ICC) 2006 International Building Code (IBC). This book creates a bridge between the complex subject of smoke management and the code requirements of the IBC. Developed jointly by the ICC and the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), A Guide to Smoke Control in the 2006 IBC will help experienced and new practitioners. |
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Tilt-Up Concrete Association announces online resource
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May 27, 2008
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The Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA)—a non-profit international organization that serves to expand and improve the use of site-cast tilt-up as the preferred construction method— has announced the availability of Tilt-Up Today as an e-magazine online. This is part of TCA’s continued efforts to pursue green and sustainable initiatives. |
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Hourly billing rates in A/E firms increase modestly
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May 27, 2008
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Billing rates among architecture and engineering firms increased only slightly over the past year, a new report shows. According to ZweigWhite’s newly released 2008 Fee & Billing Survey of Architecture, Engineering, Planning & Environmental Consulting Firms, billing rates across the 29 employee positions reviewed for the report rose an average of 1.5 percent in the past year, and 19.7 percent since 2004, which equates to a compounded annual growth rate of 4.6 percent over the five-year period. |
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Boston Logan International Airport to receive 20 building-integrated wind turbines
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May 13, 2008
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The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) recently announced the installation of 20 building-integrated wind turbines at Boston Logan International Airport. Massport has partnered with AeroVironment of Monrovia, Calif., and Groom Energy Solutions of Salem, Mass., to install the 6-foot-diameter wind turbines on the roof of the Logan Office Center. The demonstration project is expected to provide electrical output of approximately 100,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, or about 2 percent of the building’s monthly energy use. |
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Guide to specifying concrete performance
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May 13, 2008
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The RMC Research & Education Foundation recently announced the availability of the Model Performance Specification Phase II: Guide to Specifying Concrete Performance. This guide specification was written specifically for the provisions of the American Concrete Institute’s Building Code for Structural Concrete (ACI 318-08) and is intended to address properties or requirements for ready-mixed concrete based on performance. It covers requirements for concrete that are not addressed in ACI 318. |
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CAI launches interactive environmental initiative
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May 13, 2008
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Community Associations Institute (CAI) has launched an interactive, Internet-based initiative to help communities turn global thinking into local action in response to the dual challenges of energy conservation and environmental protection. The centerpiece of the initiative is Community Green, a website that gives association leaders and residents a forum to share ideas on how to reduce waste, conserve energy, and protect the environment. |
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Sichuan, China earthquake felt in Thailand and Tiawan
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May 13, 2008
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According to a release by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Earthquake Information Center, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake occurred 55 miles (90 km) west-northwest of Chengdu, Sichuan, China, and 960 miles (1,545 km) southwest of Beijing, China, at 2:28 p.m. local time on May 12, 2008. The organization reports that at least 8,500 people were killed and that the quake was felt in parts of Thailand and Taiwan. |
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Sanders, Nitzsche, Jonassen to present at AEC Technology Strategies Conference
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May 6, 2008
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ZweigWhite’s AEC Technology Strategies 2008 Conference is the ninth annual information technology conference for business and IT leaders in architecture, engineering, and construction. This unique event, held June 12-13 in Las Vegas, brings together all the AEC disciplines, gives equal time to the business issues driving technology, and involves both technology managers and business managers from AEC firms. |
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Illinois earthquake is a wake-up call
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April 21, 2008
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The early morning earthquake that jolted many in the Central United States on Friday, April 18, is a reminder that seismic events do occur in areas not normally thought of as "earthquake country." It is also a lesson that earthquakes east of the Mississippi River are felt more widely than those in the West. This event was felt as far west as Kansas, as far north as Upper Michigan, and as far south as Georgia. |
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Meadowlands Stadium unites RFID and BIM for materials tracking
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April 21, 2008
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Vela Systems, a developer of mobile field software for the AECO (architecture, engineering, contractor, and owner) industry, reports that Skanska USA Building is using Vela Systems’ mobile field software as part of the construction process of the new $998 million, 2.2 million-square-foot, open-air stadium at the Meadowlands in New Jersey that will serve as the home for both the New York Giants and the New York Jets. |
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New version of the United States National CAD Standard
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April 21, 2008
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The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), and National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) unveiled the United States National CAD Standard (NCS) Version 4.0, the first update to the Standard since 2005. |
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Strategic Development Council debuts new website
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April 21, 2008
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The concrete industry’s Strategic Development Council (SDC) announced the launch of its new website at www.concreteSDC.org. The new, easy-to-use website features information to educate visitors on the organization, its members, upcoming meetings and events, and current projects under consideration of SDC. |
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Call for proposals for 2008 Structural Engineers Buildings Conference & Expo
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April 21, 2008
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Providing the knowledge and tools to build the future, the 2008 Structural Engineers’ Buildings Conference & Expo is now accepting speaker proposals. Held Oct. 2-3, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, this year’s event will be sure to please. |
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Cubellis awarded Pompano Beach Middle School project
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April 8, 2008
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Cubellis—a national architectural, interior design, and engineering firm with offices in Naples and Fort Lauderdale—has been selected by the school board of Broward County, Fla., as the professional architectural consultants for the renovation and remodeling of the Pompano Beach Middle School. A $10.9 million project, the Pompano Beach Middle School renovation will consist of a state-of-the-art television production suite, music and band classrooms, culinary labs, physical education fields, and brand-new air conditioning systems. |
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