Author: Constructech Editors
There is a term, popular in the automotive segment, that defines a particularly important project or product, one that defines the company’s mission and legacy. That term is “halo project.” The project or product a CEO hauls out to impress the client, potential client, competitor, media, or government. While most companies strive to create a halo project or product, not all succeed. The elements that go into such a project vary but most are spectacular, innovative, and visible. As an example, take New York City’s famous Pennsylvania Station. More than 600,000 commuters travel in and out of Penn Station every…
The infrastructure we depend upon is aging—the interstate highway system started in the 1950s and much of it was already in place as federal and state highways, renovated and expanded. Bridges are crumbling, electrical towers are rusting or pitting, and tunnels are outmoded as trains have gotten taller and longer. With government funds becoming available, slowly, from the IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), work is beginning on repairing and replacing some of the structures that carry the loads—and the IoT (Internet of Things) is playing a critical role. According to the American Road & Transportation Builders Assn., 36% of…
Making predictions for the technology sector in any given year is a fool’s errand. Breakthroughs happen unexpectedly—at least unexpected by the general public, eagerly awaited by the technophiles. Concepts that were thought of as science fiction suddenly become headlines, then buzzwords, then common, sometimes all in one year—looking at you, OpenAI and ChatGPT. But that is from the outside. Insiders know there is a lot of work being done behind the scenes on projects that are, indeed, science and fiction at the same time. Getting the science right and removing the fiction is the technologists’ domain. There are some technologies…
Every month, the U.S. BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) issues a report on the number of jobs filled in the previous month and the number of jobs unfilled. Raw numbers like these are the playground for analysts and pundits alike, and everyone wants to play. Associations in every industry sift through the figures looking for (a) positive results in their sector and/or (b) alarming statistics from their sector. Construction is no different. In November 2023, BLS reported total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 199,000 and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.7%. Job gains occurred in health care and government.…
Monitoring tires is an effective way for commercial vehicle fleets to reduce costs. Despite tires accounting for just 5% of fleet equipment, they can influence up to a whopping 53% of the fleet’s overall operating costs. Application of digital sensors and a monitoring system like Continental’s ContiConnect can aid fleets in monitoring the health of their tires. Continental’s unveiling of a new valve cap sensor to its lineup of Digital Tire Monitoring products and services is helping the fleet industry. Continental boasts its sensor is the easiest and fastest to install of any tire sensor, can be quickly scaled up…
Building information modeling, BIM for short, is an international construction and design process that is saving companies a lot of time and money, not only in the U.S. but around the world. For example, a Korean research team has developed a BIM-based digital collaboration platform that allows construction owners and engineers to collaborate with each other on digital design tasks. From a conventional perspective, collaboration in the construction sector is often seen as merely sharing an integrated workspace. However, this approach comes with drawbacks associated with space rents, difficulties in properly managing collaborative information, and ambiguity in defining roles and…
Three letter call signs or location codes are assigned to each airport and, contrary to frequent flyer lore, usually make sense. ATL, for example, is the Atlanta Intl. Airport (Hartsfield-Jackson) and JFK is the New York area John F. Kennedy airport. In some cases, you have to know the history of the area to understand why certain combinations are used. In the Chicago area, ORD (O’Hare Intl.), might be assumed to start with “O” for the World War II Navy aviator and Medal of Honor winner Butch O’Hare after whom the facility was named. No, in this case, the original…
Whatever flies is subject to the vagaries of weather, some more than others. Aircraft can fly through hurricanes if the planes are built for that purpose. Don’t try that with a Cessna or Piper general aviation plane. Or a hot air balloon! Design is critically important in aviation and so is construction. Stress can cause metal failure in an aircraft as well as mental failure in a pilot. Either one can cause a catastrophe. While we haven’t reached the Jetson’s level of personal flying cars, the air taxi industry is on the verge of taking flight as major companies like…
With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, one of the largest and most significant investments in rebuilding our roads and bridges since President Eisenhower’s Interstate Highway System, attention has been paid to updating the maps that will show where construction and long-term investments are most needed. To provide this data, the U.S. Geological Survey is tasked with acquiring topographic QL1 (Quality Level 1) LiDAR (light detection and ranging) data in support of the 3DEP (3D Elevation Program) and The National Map. The 3DEP data produces the nation’s first baseline of seamless, high-resolution topographic elevation data, which is then incorporated…
Rings have been around for a long time. The earliest existing rings were found in the tombs of ancient Egypt. The Egyptians primarily used signet rings with an engraved seal for the wearer to authenticate documents. In the early centuries of the Roman Republic, most rings were of iron; the wearing of gold rings was restricted to certain classes, such as those who had held high office. The Romans are also thought to have originated the custom of betrothal rings, or engagement rings, symbolizing a promise of marriage. By the 19th century, the traditional distinctions between ring types had mostly broken down.…