Book Reviews

Why The Disaster Response Always Seems to Fall Short

kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 14:43:00 -0400

A new book by 'disasterologist' Samantha Montano on poor preparation and responses.

Transporting to the Top: Women Share Their Stories

choa@enr.com (Aileen Cho) — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0500

Threatened, condescended to, vilified—many women faced big obstacles yet rose to the top of the transportation world.

Put an End to the Skill Bias in U.S. Immigrant Worker Policy

kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 12:00:00 -0400

With millions of people around the world on the move, it's tempting to see the immigration problem in the U.S. as a matter of what to do about the undocumented 11 million.

Natural-Gas Pipe Route Too Close to Nuke Plant, Foes Say

Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Critics have sounded the alarm to halt pipeline near Indian Point nuclear plant. Controversy dogs the Algonquin Incremental Market Project nearly six months after construction began.

Gridlock Sam Brings His Own Street Smarts to Transportation

choa@enr.com (Aileen Cho) — Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Equal parts transportation-planning compendium, autobiography and love letter to New York City, "Street Smart" (Perseus Books Group) lays out Sam Schwartz's vision for the future of multimodal and multinodal transportation systems.

Shattering the Myth of Bilateral Time Extensions

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

When requesting a time extension, most construction contracts require the preparation of a time-impact analysis (TIA), in which unanticipated or changed work is inserted into the schedule to demonstrate what impact the change will have on the schedule.

Smart Contractors Will Adapt To Serve Evolving Energy Market

Wed, 23 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

The energy market last year fell as if swallowed by a Florida sinkhole, and a report from Moody’s Investor Service says the oil and gas price outlook will remain negative until well into 2016.

Hoosac Tunnel Tested Early Engineers

vanhamptont@enr.com (Tudor Van Hampton) — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Nearly a decade before the Brooklyn Bridge opened for business, tunnelers successfully bored 25,081 ft, or roughly five miles, through the Hoosac Mountain in western Massachusetts. For more than 40 years after opening in 1875, it was the longest tunnel in North America.

Will Seattle's Bertha Finish? A Perspective on Tunneling and Risk

Tue, 22 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

By now, everyone knows that "Bertha," the world’s largest tunnel boring machine, was stuck in Seattle’s subsoil for more than a year, since December 6, 2013.

Overhead: A Silent Killer

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

As part of our research into the recent downturn, my Arizona State University colleagues and I surveyed U.S. construction companies to discover what overhead they chose to cut and when.

How To Stop Overhead From Being a Silent Contractor Killer

Wed, 09 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

What overhead did construction companies cut during the recent downturn? My colleagues and I at Arizona State University wanted to know, so we surveyed companies around the country.

Bridging the Gap

Fri, 04 Sep 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Are we doing enough to get the best players onto the construction playing field and drawing on the entire talent pool?

海上风力已经来到美国;内皮祖细胞可以帮助It Gain Momentum

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Related Links: First Offshore US Wind Farm Installs Turbine Foundation Deepwater Milestone: R.I. Work Begins on Wind Farm Project Offshore wind energy could add 4.2 million megawatts to the generating capacity of the U.S., according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, but the U.S. market has stalled almost completely, hindered by regulatory uncertainties, political opposition, litigation and a lack of available financing. Recently, however, several broad market and regulatory themes have emerged—record low energy prices, technology improvements, the start of construction of the first commercial offshore project near Rhode Island’s Block Island and increasingly favorable federal and state policies for

Into the Deep End of the Pool: The Making of an Engineer

Mon, 24 Aug 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Dr. Lev Zetlin was a Russian-born, charismatic, creative structural engineer who surrounded himself in his New York City practice with very bright, young, well-educated engineers.

Improving DBE Programs: How To End The Abuses

Wed, 05 Aug 2015 12:00:00 -0400

美国运输部运输# 8217;s disadvantaged business enterprise program was designed to support the development and growth of legitimate DBEs. But the way the program is currently written, interpreted and administered actually defeats those purposes and undermines the goal. Recent DBE fraud prosecutions, most of which involve the test of whether a commercially useful function has been performed, have led some contractors to respond with overzealous and incorrect interpretations of the rules for regular dealers (our firm falls into this category of company).As background, all 50 states must comply with the DBE program. U.S. DOT serves as the administrator and

Give Us More Details About Olympics Risks

kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 12:00:00 -0400

We’ve reached a teachable moment about risk when it comes to Boston’s bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, which is being promoted as a major driver of housing and infrastructure. To make its case, the Olympics bid committee's proposal includes a risk plan that is detailed—but not detailed enough. Will Boston win?Such moments have arrived before with other Olympic hosting proposals, most notably Chicago’s bid, in 2009, to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. There, the proponents also showed they had covered all the risks with a detailed plan, but they failed to win the bid.Construction costs and overruns

Why Contracts Undermine Subcontractor Protection

Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:00:00 -0400

At ENR’s “Risk Summit” last month in Dallas, the editors asked my panel to ponder why Texas subcontractors weren’t “dancing in the streets” in light of seemingly favorable laws such as prompt- payment statutes, retainage restrictions and limits on indemnification. While the panel focused on Texas, the topic is relevant throughout the U.S., and I’ll explain why. Every state has a mountain of protections for the purpose of benefiting construction participants at the bottom of the contracting chain.These protections can be traced to 1791, when Thomas Jefferson introduced the nation’s first mechanics’ lien laws in Maryland. In doing so, he

Letter to the Editor: The Climate-Changers Are Killing Construction

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:00:00 -0400

It’s too bad that your magazine is publishing articles written by left-wing environmentalists (likely devoid of any science background) making statements like “the very real effects of climate change

Letter to the Editor: There's Nothing New Under the Sun for Bridges

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:00:00 -0400

I get a bit amused by articles on “new” construction methods for bridges, such as the following one in Ohio.

Letter to the Editor: Major Shifts Needed for Integrated Project Delivery

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Thanks for the great article on Lean and IPD (ENR 6/15 p. 8). It’s very helpful for the design and construction community to have a thoughtful piece for discussion.

Engineering Consultant Speaks Languages of Two Worlds

Wed, 24 Jun 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Owners and contractors, even when they operate in the same country, don’t always speak the same language. An owner may presume its customary construction practices and assumptions are applicable in any region; the contractor may not fully appreciate the owner’s standards for quality, safety, coordination or other considerations and how they should apply to a specific project. A consulting engineering firm, which operates with a foot in both worlds, best serves its client when it promotes clear communication between client and contractor. The consultant that understands the expectations of both its client and outside stakeholders will provide good stewardship of

Filling the Deep Deficit in Construction Industry Research

Tue, 23 Jun 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Related Links: Charles Pankow Foundation's Ambitious Rebar Research Goal Pankow Foundation Whether we are architects, engineers or constructors, we're all facing an economy and environment much different than that of our predecessors. The world we're facing has many challenges. For example, the word "sustainability" wasn't even in the industry lexicon 20 years ago. Who would have thought that a ubiquitous materialsuch as portland cement, once considered harmless, would threaten the global environment because of its high energy demands and carbon footprint? And who would have considered that water, once believed to be so abundant that wasting large amounts wouldn't matter,

Why I Left My Comfort Zone

Wed, 17 Jun 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Related Links: Southland Industries Website BrueningAt the beginning of 2011, I was handling the closeout of a 1 million-sq-ft facility that my company, Southland Industries, turned over earlier in the year. I was also initiating two projects that had been fast tracked to meet a September completion milestone.While I was busier than I had ever been in my career, my boss stopped by my office one afternoon to brief me on the concept of a new internal leadership development program the company was calling Built to Lead (BTL). A week later, I was on a conference call with five of

Sustainable Solutions are Good Business

Mon, 15 Jun 2015 12:00:00 -0400

相关链接:高风险业务联合博客鲍勃·Langert: Fast 10 Sustainability Leadership Tips Letter from Oil Majors on Carbon Pricing Unilever CEO Paul Polman: The remedies for capitalism B Corp website New Envision Tool Pushes Sustainability Beyond Buildings BeinsteinUnderstanding how sustainability’s triple bottom line (TBL) of people, planet, and profit impacts design and construction firms is becoming an ever more urgent priority. Perhaps never before has a topic been so important to the AEC community, yet so poorly understood. Globally, the movement toward sustainability and TBL-focused results is rapidly accelerating—but how individual business leaders adapt, and how their firms can

Progressive Construction: No Quick Fixes in Project Delivery

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 12:00:00 -0400

The design and construction process has been around for over 4500 years and dates back to about 2630 B.C., when Imhotep, the first structural engineer in history, built the step pyramid for the Egyptian Pharoah Djoser.The big question that rolls around in my mind is, “Exactly how far has our industry progressed?”In science, the progress is obvious. And there is also obvious progress in a more efficient, freely employed workforce, as opposed to slaves, and better technology, including multiple advancements in heavy building equipment for ease of construction and most recently, 3D building information modeling (BIM) for design and construction information development.

Repeal Takes the Wrong Direction on State Prevailing Wages

Wed, 10 Jun 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Indiana's recent repeal of its prevailing wage law—31 states still have them—is no cause for celebration from the public's or the industry's point of view.

Preparing for the Next Big Storm: T&D's New Reality

Tue, 26 May 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Transmission and distribution infrastructure in North America is in the midst of a major shift. An industry that historically has designed to meet the lifespan of its equipment now must refocus that design on the growing challenges of resilience and reliability.Our dependence on electricity makes us vulnerable to extreme weather changes. Katrina and Sandy were devastating reminders that our power systems need to be designed to better withstand these kinds of events, which are occurring with increasing frequency. But utilities have been slow to make changes, thanks to a web of interconnected challenges:1. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

The Losers in Overzealous DBE Enforcement

Tue, 19 May 2015 12:00:00 -0400

During the past year, district attorneys have sought to stem abuses by contractors who use illegitimate disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) on U.S. Dept. of Transportation-funded projects.

Viewpoint: Create a Team Offense to Manage Project Risk

Tue, 19 May 2015 12:00:00 -0400

EisenhartAs a partnering facilitator on challenging building projects, I can share that effective communication among team members is the best offense in managing risk on any type of project. On a design-build hospital renovation project that I recently facilitated, project challenges related to unknown conditions and owner additions triggered each stakeholder's conventional risk management strategies—such as case building and communicating entirely through emails and letters—all of which led to distrust and further decelerated the project.Fortunately for all involved, the builder’s senior project manager was committed to finding a better way. His approach was to consult with the medical director and

Drought's Dividend

kormanr@enr.com (Richard Korman) — Tue, 12 May 2015 12:00:00 -0400

Since California has always been a magnet for immigrants, it shouldn't have surprised me that, over the years, so many of my closest relations—my sister, parents, ex-wife and son—migrated there from New York City, our home turf.