Engineers

Engineering goes hand-in-hand with design, putting a practical lens on the architect’s vision and finding the best way to make it happen. Without a talented engineer, the project will never reach completion, and certainly will not reach the standards of functionality and sustainability that the architect and client are seeking.

Facilities professional inspects a roof railing system.

As building codes change, existing railings may need to be updated or replaced. Courtesy Hoffmann Architects

July 26, 2017 | John P. Graz, AIA, and Rachel C. Palisin, PE, LEED AP, Hoffmann Architects

Balcony and roof railings and the code: Maintain, repair, or replace? [AIA course]

Lacking familiarity with current requirements, some owners or managers complete a roof or balcony...

Courtesy of MIT/MARINA Team

July 17, 2017 | David Malone, Associate Editor

This space hotel design from MIT won NASA’s graduate design competition

The project team consisted of MIT graduate students across five departments.

A slight majority of states (26, plus the District of Columbia) saw rental increases over the first six months of 2017, with the largest average percent changes coming in South Carolina (7.3%), Maine (7.3%), Vermont (7.2%), and Rhode Island (7.0%). Source: Abodo

July 12, 2017 | Abodo

Midyear Rent Report: 26 states saw rental price increases in first half of 2017

The most notable rental increases are in growing markets in the South and Southwest: New Orleans,...

Pixabay Public Domain

July 12, 2017 | David Barista, Editorial Director

Innovation abounds, but will it lead to growth for AEC Giants?

Engineering firms such as Arup, Glumac, and Thornton Tomasetti are leveraging their in-house expe...

The Maxwell in Arlington, Va. Photo: Sam Kittner

July 12, 2017 | Robert Cassidy, Executive Editor

7 noteworthy multifamily projects: posh amenities, healthy living, plugged-in lifestyle

Zen meditation gardens, bocce courts, saltwater pools, and free drinks highlight the niceties at...

Thyssenkrupp's MULTI vertical-horizontal system uses magnetic-levitation technology that allows cars to make 90-degree turns. Image: thyssenkrupp

July 07, 2017 | John Caulfield

An elevator that moves sideways? Germany is about to take that ride

Thyssenkrupp’s cable-less MULTI system promises higher transport capacity and lower peak power de...

Sean Parham, VP of Product Marketing and Management with Aditazz Photo: Adam Grubb

July 06, 2017 | BD+C Staff

Watch all 20 Accelerate Live! talks on demand

BD+C’s inaugural AEC innovation conference, Accelerate Live! (May 11, Chicago), featured...

Photo: changeorder via flickr

June 19, 2017 | Brenda Radmacher, Partner, Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman

Preparing to negotiate: Get your head in the game

Logical and well-planned steps to effective negotiation.

June 13, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: Is the road to the future the path of least resistance? Sasha Reed, Bluebeam (sponsored)

Bluebeam’s Sasha Reed discusses why AEC leaders should give their teams permission to responsibly br... read more

June 13, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: Incubating innovation through R&D and product development, Jonatan Schumacher, Thornton Tomasetti

Thornton Tomasetti’s Jonatan Schumacher presents the firm’s business model for developing, incubatin... read more

June 13, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: A case for Big Data in construction, Graham Cranston, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger

Graham Cranston shares SGH’s efforts to take hold of its project data using mathematical optimizatio... read more

N|V|5 Global provided commissioning services on the Pentagon throughout its renovation. Image: Courtesy of N|V|5 Global

June 09, 2017 | John Caulfield, Senior Editor

N|V|5 Global bolsters its MEP business with acquisition of RDK Engineers

This is its fifth deal so far this year.

May 30, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: The ROI of innovation culture, Russ Sykes, SmithGroupJJR

Russ Sykes discusses SmithGroupJJR’s ongoing journey to create a firm culture that ignites innovatio... read more

May 30, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: Finding the money for your clients' projects, Paul Westlake, Jr., DLR Group|WRL

Architect Paul Westlake, Jr., shares his methods for adding value to projects through creative finan... read more

Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]

The Tidewater Joint-Use Library, Virginia Beach, Va., has an angled “daylight harvester” that runs its length to maximize available sunlight. Photo: Jeff Goldberg/ESTO, courtesy Carrier Johnson+Culture

May 30, 2017 | C.C. Sullivan, Contributing Editor

Sun, sky brightness, and glow: Making the most of daylight [AIA course]

To some project teams, “daylighting” means using glass area to admit direct sunlight, period.

...

Security begins when you close the door [AIA course]

High-security entrance to the new Sandy Hook School, Newtown, Conn. Photo: Katelyn Chapin

May 30, 2017 | C.C. Sullivan, Contributing Editor

Security begins when you close the door [AIA course]

Selecting door and window systems for any building project demands a complete articulation of saf...

Industry Groups move toward Unified Green Building Model Code in 2018

Photo: Pixabay

May 30, 2017 | Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor

Industry Groups move toward Unified Green Building Model Code in 2018

The effort involves combining ASHRAE's Standard 189.1 with the International Green Construction C...

OSHA suspends electronic injury, illness reporting requirement

Photo: Pixabay

May 30, 2017 | Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor

OSHA suspends electronic injury, illness reporting requirement

The agency is keeping records from being publicly disclosed—for now.

Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements

Photo: Pixabay

May 30, 2017 | Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor

Florida preparing to adjust to new building elevation requirements

New floodplain maps and state code changes loom.

Photo: Pixabay

May 30, 2017 | Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor

Heated debate over whether Calif.’s prevailing wage requirement stymies affordable housing

There’s disagreement around how much pay regulations add to cost of projects.

Wooster Hall, looking north as sunlight strikes the steps of the atrium, marking solar noon. Photo: © 2016 Tim Hursley

May 30, 2017 | Randolph Croxton, Croxton Collaborative Architects

Achieving deep energy retrofits in historic and modern-era buildings [AIA course]

Success in retrofit projects requires an entirely different mindset than in new construction, wri...

May 24, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: Applying machine learning to building design, Daniel Davis, WeWork

Daniel Davis offers a glimpse into the world at WeWork, and how his team is rethinking workplace des... read more

May 24, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: Learning from Silicon Valley - Using SaaS to automate AEC, Sean Parham, Aditazz

Sean Parham shares how Aditazz is shaking up the traditional design and construction approaches by a... read more

May 24, 2017 |

Accelerate Live! talk: The data-driven future for AEC, Nathan Miller, Proving Ground

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! (May 11, 2017, Chicago), Nathan Miller presents hi... read more

Image courtesy of Metropolis Books.

May 23, 2017 | David Malone, Associate Editor

Queens Museum exhibit shows New York City as it could have been

The installation will showcase 200 years worth of unrealized Big Apple projects via original draw...

Lucas Richmond, Senior Media Studio Manager, Gilbane Building Company

May 11, 2017 | BD+C Staff

Accelerate Live!: Social media reactions from BD+C's AEC innovation conference

BD+C's inaugural Accelerate Live! innovation conference took place May 11, in Chicago....

All photos: David Madison Photography

May 10, 2017 | Robert Cassidy, Executive Editor

Triple Treat: Developer transforms mid-rise into unique live-work lofts

Novus Residences’ revolutionary e-lofts concept offers tenants a tempting trio of options—‘live,’...

Ascent Apartments, Silicon Valley Stephen Schafer | Schaf Photo

Ascent Apartments achieved Silver certification in California’s Build It Green program, thanks to such features as LED lighting, Energy Star appliances, garage ventilation fans, water-efficient plumbing fixtures, low-VOC paints, and water-saving native vegetation and landscape irrigation. All photos: Stephen Schafer | Schaf Photo

May 03, 2017 | Pat Curry, Contributing Editor

Silicon Valley’s high-tech oasis

An award-winning rental complex takes its design cues from its historic location in Silicon Valle...

Pixabay Public Domain

May 03, 2017 | ACEC

At first buoyed by Trump election, U.S. engineers now less optimistic about markets, new survey shows

The first quarter 2017 (Q1/17) of ACEC’s Engineering Business Index (EBI) dipped slightly (0.5 po...

Multifamily housing today: 7 exciting, inspiring innovations [AIA Course]

Amenities like the hotel quality lobby and billiards room distinguish the College & Crown, New Haven, Conn., developed by Centerplan with interiors by Carlin & Company. Photo courtesy Centerplan

May 02, 2017 | C.C. Sullivan, Contributing Editor

Multifamily housing: 7 exciting, inspiring innovations [AIA Course]

This AIA CES course features seven novel approaches developers and Building Teams are taking to r...