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2/23/2004 Edition |
5/28/2003 Edition |
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March 11, 2004 Edition of ConstructionTechnologyToday.com |
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(3/11/04) AISC to Honor John A.
Martin, Joseph A. Yura and Jerome F. Hajjar at Mar. 24 - 27 Conference in
Long Beach Source: www.AISC.org
John A. Martin, S.E. and Joseph A. Yura, Ph.D. will receive
Lifetime Achievement Awards at this year's North American Steel Construction
Conference. In addition, Jerome F. Hajjar, Ph.D., will receive a Special
Achievement Award. AISC’s Lifetime Achievement Awards honor living
individuals who have “made a difference” in AISC’s and the structural steel
industry’s success. The Special Achievement Award gives recognition to
individuals who demonstrated notable singular or multiple achievements that
have made a positive and substantial impact on structural steel design and
construction industry. The awards will be presented at the 2004 North
American Steel Construction Conference (NASCC), March 24-27, in Long Beach,
CA (for more information, visit
www.aisc.org/nascc).
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The Future of
Information Technology for the Structural Design Office
By Michael E. Markovitz and Raoul B. Karp, S.E.
Technology has already made
significant changes to how structural engineers perform their jobs. This
article describes briefly some of the recent advances and benefits of
information technology (IT) in the structural design office, and discusses
several emerging trends that could shape the way structural engineers will
work in the near future.
History
Structural engineering software was first developed to help engineers solve
complex, numerical problems such as determining displacements and forces for
highly indeterminate structures. It was then left to the engineer to perform
designs manually in a painstaking process. In the early 1980s, IT in other
industries moved forward rapidly from problem solving to streamlining
complex processes. However, the structural engineering software industry had
not yet progressed to the point where it understood the importance of
solving processes as opposed just to solving problems.
In the early 1990s, however, structural software companies began to provide
more sophisticated solutions for process solving, bringing about dramatic
changes in the business of structural engineering. Software that automates
many of the more tedious aspects of design focusing on the engineer’s work
flow — from conceptualization of an efficient structural design to producing
building calculations and finally construction documents — were created and
distributed widely.
It is safe to say that with the aid of IT, certain processes within the
structural design office have been made much more efficient and
productive, such as performing automated load takedowns from roof to base —
this simple procedure saves days or weeks of hand calculations on a typical
project. Incorporating this technology has presented new management
challenges for engineering firm leaders. Some of these challenges include
developing new ways to train young engineers (for example, load takedowns
are typically the job of a junior engineer) and implementation of quality
control procedures such as appropriately using IT per the office standards.
But, it is those firms that have embraced technology while meeting these new
challenges that have enjoyed major growth and prosperity during the last
decade. Indeed, even many smaller engineering firms that have adopted and
deployed sophisticated software tools now have the ability to compete more
efficiently and effectively than previously possible.
For the full
story, click here. |
(3/11/05) China Construction Rate at Record Levels
Source:
www.ArchitecturalRecord.com According to ArchitecturalRecord.com,
China is currently spending 375 billion dollars per year on construction,
equal to nearly 16 percent of its gross domestic product. According to
AR.com, China is currently using 54.7 percent of the world's production of
concrete, 36.1 percent of the world's steel, and 30.4 percent of the world's
coal. Visit the
China section of ArchitecturalRecord.com
which features photos of projects, a look at construction in the works, a
look at the designs of the next generation of Chinese architects, and more.
=========================
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Multispan, Cable-Stayed Crossing Is High-Level Landmark
Source:
3/15/2004 Issue of ENR
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By Peter Reina |
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From
the small southern French town of Millau, the 2.5-kilometer-long deck
of the world’s largest multispan, cable-stayed bridge seems to be
sliding imperceptibly over the horizon. On piers as tall as
skyscrapers, unseen hydraulic "translateurs" are feeding the steel
decks from assembly lines on both sides of the valley toward an
expected rendezvous some 270 m over the Tarn River this June.
Even with a short 39-month contract to design in detail and build the
$410-million bridge, the private-sector sponsor has brought completion
forward a few weeks to this December. Contractors have found their
pace, so the early opening should happen "if the weather stays
favorable," says Marc Legrand, director general of Compagnie Eiffage
du Viaduc du Millau (CEVM). With pylons reaching higher than the
spire of New York’s Chrysler Building, the viaduct is the last major
link in the A75 highway between Bézier and Claremont-Ferrand. Its
construction will relieve seasonal congestion around the town of
Millau and was ordered by the transportation ministry, partly because
of the difficult hilly terrain it must cross. To avoid the road
snaking down the valley sides, the viaduct will carry the highway on
eight, generally 342-m-long spans, each supported by a single, central
plane of stays. The deck is a 27.75-m-wide aerodynamic steel box,
widened by curved nosings supporting wind barriers. It is 4.2 m deep
with two central vertical stiffening plates set 4 m apart over the
launching mechanism positions. Seven equally spaced concrete
piers rise between 75 m and 245 m above the valley floor to support
the steel box deck. The piers split in two near their tops, along the
line of the deck, to merge with the inclined legs of 87-m-high
steelwork pylons.
For the full story, click here. |
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Blast and
Progressive Collapse Resistance of Precast and Prestressed Concrete
Structures Workshop to be Held in Chicago April 21, 2004
Source: PCI.org
This workshop is designed
to give engineers the guidance they need to mitigate the damage from
the dynamic loading of a blast and prevent progressive collapse of
precast and prestressed concrete buildings so that occupants can be
evacuated. It will present an overview of current design standards
and procedures as well as methodologies for threat assessment. The
events of the last 10 years have greatly heightened the awareness of
building owners and designers to the threat of terrorist attacks
using explosives. The U.S. Department of Defense and General
Services Administration have developed specific antiterrorism
requirements for military and federal buildings, respectively.
This workshop will discuss specific ideas that are being used in the
design of architectural precast cladding and structural precast/prestressed
concrete. This will be a tremendous opportunity to get “real
application information” on what does and doesn’t work relative to
precast/prestressed concrete designs, as well as when and where to
get expert help.
For additional program and registration information, or to register
online, click here. |
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(3/11/04)
Atlanta Leads Nation in Single-Family Housing Activity for 13th Consecutive
Year Source: NAHB
The greater Atlanta area, which
recorded 53,750 single-family housing permits last year, led the nation in
housing activity
for the 13th consecutive year
beginning in 1991. Rounding out the top five housing markets for
single-family permits were the metropolitan areas of Phoenix-Mesa with
46,590, Riverside-San Bernardino with 35,730, Houston with 33,970 and
Washington, D.C. with 30,760. The total issuance of single-family
permits across the country for 2003 was 1.444
million, according to the
Commerce Department. "We are excited to be the most active housing
market in the country once again. It has been a long run," said David M.
Smith, president of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and a
builder/developer in the Atlanta metropolitan area. "Overall, housing demand
has remained strong and the market has been vibrant, but we are seeing
changes in buying activity.
"The market for higher end homes
has fluctuated during the last two years, though it has been gaining
strength in recent months. The first-time buyer
and first-time move-up markets
have not slowed since 1991," said Smith, who is also president of Hedgewood
Development Corporation. "Low interest rates
continue to fuel the market and
are a major factor behind the strength of our entry-level market. Coupled
with the recent increase in job growth
occurring throughout the Atlanta
area, we are optimistic about 2004." During Atlanta's 13-year reign as the
hottest housing market in the country, total annual building permits in
Greater Atlanta have ranged from a low of 24,684 in 1991 at the start of the
reign, to a high of 66,550 in 2002. The Houston metropolitan
area, which 15 years ago ranked 32nd in the country with 6,788 single-family
permits, moved up to fourth in the nation last year. "Houston is hot,
and that is not just the weather," said Mike Karm, president of the Greater
Houston Builders Association and of Larus Builders, Inc., a builder in the
greater Houston metropolitan area. "New home starts have broken records and
pumped billions of dollars into the local economy over the past few years."
"Due to the strong and diverse economy here, low interest rates and the fact
that the Houston housing market
is truly synonymous with value, we are experiencing a truly preeminent
building market. When high end housing slowed, the affordable market took up
the slack. We are excited here in
Houston about the future," said
Karm. Across the country, the top 20 most active metropolitan areas
accounted for 33 percent, or 480,330, of the 1.444 million single-family
permits issued
nationwide during 2003.
Following are the rankings and single-family permit totals for the top 20
markets:
Permits 2003 (Thousands)
UNITED STATES 1,444
1 Atlanta 53.75
2 Phoenix-Mesa 46.59
3 Riverside-San Bernardino 35.73
4 Houston 33.97
5 Washington 30.76
6 Chicago 30.73
7 Las Vegas 30.28
8 Dallas 26.91
9 Orlando 22.39
10 Minneapolis-St. Paul 20.33
11 Tampa-St. Petersburg 20.18
12 Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill
17.16
13 Sacramento 17.13
14 Detroit 15.33
15 Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill
14.07
16 Ft Worth-Arlington 13.90
17 Indianapolis 13.06
18 Denver 13.01
19 Jacksonville 12.64
20 Philadelphia 12.41
A
current listing and ranking of the major metropolitan areas for
single-family permits
A
current listing of major metropolitan areas for single-family, multifamily
and total permits | |
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BauGrid Welded Reinforcement Grid System
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