The construction industry has seen rapid and dynamic technological changes in the last decade: new materials, new project-delivery systems and enhanced IT systems. In many cases, these rapid and complex changes have confused and even irritated potential users rather than provide promised increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness. NEFF Software that is hard to use, tries to do everything and is difficult to integrate with other, even similar products is a case in point. Civil engineering has been slow to introduce new technology into its processes and, more importantly, slow to integrate the technology and use it well. We often do this
SCHLEIFER When a construction firm’s backlog falls off, the pressure on the company escalates and “recession” takes on a new meaning regardless of the actual definition of the word. Prospering in cyclical markets and surviving a recession starts with recognizing what will happen when a market softens. The result is totally predictable and has occurred without fail in every industry down cycle for the last 50 years. When there are fewer projects, competition intensifies and prices and potential profits diminish. The ideal in a shrinking market would be for each contractor to accept proportionately less work so that market share
Car dealers are required to disclose a car’s fuel efficiency rating to consumers. Now, in California, building owners will be required to disclose the building’s energy efficiency rating to buyers and lessees. As of Jan. 1, commercial buildings in California are required by law to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager program. Energy Star has been around since 1992 and is seen on everything from kitchen appliances to HVAC equipment. Energy Star Portfolio Manager is a program that serves commercial building owners. In 2009, California utilities will be submitting building information to the Portfolio Manager,
High energy costs have always been an incentive for improving the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. Now that the threat of global climate change and record-high costs have ratcheted up the urgency, federal tax deductions originally passed in 2005 give commercial property owners, and in some cases, architects, engineers and contractors, generous allowances for the construction or renovation of energy-efficient buildings. These tax deductions are available for systems “placed in service” in U.S.-located commercial buildings from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2013, even if the deductions were not originally taken in 2006 or 2007, they can generally be claimed
Washington hosted the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) annual meeting just prior to President Obama’s inauguration. One month earlier, over 200 participants from 16 countries attended the 20th biannual International Maglev Systems Conference in San Diego. Only this year, there were no TRB maglev presentations, nor were there any Federal Railroad Administration or Federal Transit Administration representatives. So why was the most advanced transport technology conspicuously ignored? Answer: the Bush administration was anti-maglev and discouraged official review or acceptance of the technology. Related Links: Video: The Promise Of Maglev Things have changed. President Obama provided some much needed leadership and pushed
Now that the stimulus package is reality, the big question is, what�s next?�Will this program be truly successful, will it put people to work on worthy projects or will it bog down in bureaucracy and be driven by a multitude of negative forces coming from politicians, lobbyists, special interests, trade associations, government at various levels and so on?�It is critical that stimulus projects be in the best interests of the country and aligned with the objectives of the program. Our history provides guidelines. Lessons can be learned, both positive and negative, from the Works Projects Administration (WPA) that existed from
President Obama and Congress are crafting a stimulus package that will bring economic relief, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors has listed 15,221 infrastructure projects in 641 cities that are “ready to go.” But while speed in getting work started and jobs created is key, the importance of good design, which will last for generations, should not be lost in the haste. We need to ensure that the money spent goes to creative, sustainable buildings that will stand the test of time and will still be used by our children and our grandchildren. After all, they are the ones who
With consumers in the U.S. and abroad facing depressed home values, diminished retirement accounts and an inability to access credit, it is now clear that the current financial crisis will be followed by declining consumer demand for goods and services, falling manufacturing output and increasing unemployment. The question for the Obama administration is not whether to stimulate our economy, but rather which forms of stimulus will be the most effective. A focused, multifaceted commitment to revitalizing our nation’s infrastructure and rebuilding our engineering workforce offers an unbeatable combination. The infrastructure deficit in the U.S. is a threat to public safety
CHINOWSKY I am writing to my colleagues in academia and industry to help promote a discussion concerning the direction that civil engineering education must choose for its foreseeable future. The ASCE Body of Knowledge and the National Academy of Engineering have set the challenge for us. Distinguished colleagues such as Mike Garvin of Virginia Tech and Jeff Russell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison have previously stated the need for our community to address this issue. I renew the challenge that we urgently discuss this matter, not as an argument on the number of units required of a student, but a
We need a build-out. We need a buildup. We need a national makeover. But we must make certain that every bailout dollar, which we’re borrowing from our kids’ future, is spent wisely. So opined New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman on Dec. 24 on then President-elect Obama’s proposed stimulus package. Slide Show Source: Robert Wible & Associates Potential Annual Private Sectors Streamlining Savings in Regulatory Costs ENR readers know only too well the need for a build-up, especially of the nation’s long-neglected infrastructure. Elected officials know this as well, and everyone has their own list of “shovel-ready” projects worthy of
RSS