Category Archives: Structural Engineering
Posted in Architecture | Building Systems | Current Events | Energy Conservation | Housing | Innovative Solutions | Structural Engineering | Sustainable Design | Urban Development by Brad Breneisen (Graphic Design) on July 20, 2011
Is the push towards sustainability strong enough for the design and construction industries to kick old habits and reconsider the Concrete Masonry Unit (CMU)?
Personal views aside, I think it is safe to say that society at large is becoming more and more conscientious about our impact on the environment. With the growing push towards sustainability, we are starting to see long established practices go under the microscope.
This post came about when a friend of mine named Gary Summers told me that he was in the process of obtaining a full patent for the first modular self-locking building block. Basically, he wants to usurp the existing concrete masonry unit (CMU). He sees his design as the connecting link between energy efficiency and structural design. I have always sensed that the existing CMU design is a bit primitive in relation to the progress society has made in other areas; but considering how entrenched it is in the way we build, it’s hard to imagine using anything else…until you talk to Gary.
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Posted in Bridge Design | Client Service | Codes & Regulations | Communication | Communities | Economic Development | Structural Engineering by Quentin D. Rissler, PE (Structural-Bridge) on October 20, 2010
Photo: Cocalico No. 3 bridge in Lancaster County © Larson Design Group
Transportation funding has been in the news with discussions on the need to repair, maintain, and improve our extensive network of roads and bridges, not to mention mass transit facilities. As in most discussions of finances, we tend to boil it down to whether we need more money or if we can cut costs to be more cost effective in what we are already doing. > Read the rest of this article
