Despite many challenges, the survey shows optimism remains high in the construction world, with digital technologies, economic growth and recovery, and sustainable building projects identified as key areas of growth. In today’s turbulent economic conditions, people who build our infrastructure projects want to know the status of their business and what the future holds. To help answer that, InEight, a company that develops and sells construction management software, launched its third annual “Global Capital Projects Outlook” survey (bit.ly/4am35lY) to get a pulse on the AEC i ..read more

Todd Danielson, Informed Infrastructure’s editorial director, interviewed William Hoff, the founder of Geopolymer International, via webcam. About Todd Danielson Todd Danielson has been in trade technology media for more than 20 years, now the editorial director for V1 Media and all of its publications: Informed Infrastructure, Earth Imaging Journal, Sensors & Systems, Asian Surveying & Mapping, and the video news portal GeoSpatial Stream. The post Sustainable Infrastructure Requires Better Materials first appeared on Informed Infrastructure ..read more

Approximately $14.4 billion is spent yearly to repair, rehabilitate or replace bridges in America. However, that yearly amount has increased and will continue to increase because the backlog of critically needed bridge repairs is estimated to be $125 billion. With about 50,000 bridges with very significant issues awaiting attention, an estimated 40% of them can be rehabilitated, but at least 35% will require a complete replacement. Many of the bridges in America were constructed about the same time during the bridge-building boom of the 1950s. That correlated with the country’s expansion of su ..read more

The month of May brings many things I enjoy, including the “Smart Engineering” issue of Informed Infrastructure. Each year when this issue is being prepared, I look up Smart Engineering to see the current definition and find some examples. In general, I think we can settle on “engineering that uses processes and IT tools for innovative and interdisciplinary solutions in products, production and infrastructure.” The reader can add or revise as you feel necessary. Following the C’s So what does such a definition mean for engineers? How innovative can we be? I read an article that cited the ..read more

An enormous A/E generation that kicked off their careers in the 1980s and subsequently started firms or became owners in the 1990s and 2000s is plotting its final act. Baby Boomer A/E owners across every discipline are contemplating how to successfully transition their firms for sustainability and survivability. And while some are ready to relinquish and others wish to hold on a few more years, the need to assess exit strategy options has never been more urgent. The Silver Tsunami According to a recent CBS News article: “Approximately 4.1 million Americans are poised to turn 65 this year ..read more

The speed with which smart networks are colonizing our homes and cities’ infrastructure is proof of the technology’s adaptability to the systems of our lives. We have smart thermostats, digital surveillance systems and other Internet of Things (IoT)-driven devices to detect leaky pipes or deliver status alerts on random household appliances. Smart sensors also are increasingly being used to enhance operations in large, centralized infrastructure such as combined sewer facilities. Strategically located smart sensors collect and transmit data in real-time, and actuators control the reroutin ..read more

On the surface, baseball and stormwater management are not intricately linked; but, as dedicated stormwater and water-quality professionals, we may be well served to look to America’s pastime as we work to restore receiving waters. No, I’m not suggesting we’re going to brush back water-quality issues with a “high heater,” but we would be wise to ensure we’re developing young talent to fill our ranks in the future. Most would agree that a critical component of a consistently successful baseball team is a strong farm system to develop young players, where they’re educated on the game’s ..read more

This interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can watch a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3JeNZD5 . Sangmin Shin is assistant professor in the School of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. According to Shin, the world’s water infrastructure is run reasonably well considering all the possible variations in availability, need, economics and technology. Unfortunately, they aren’t up to the task of all the uncertainty and major disturbances that are rapi ..read more

This interview was recorded by Todd Danielson, the editorial director of Informed Infrastructure. You can watch a video of the full interview above or by visiting bit.ly/3UlLyVH. Carolina Venegas Martinez is the senior water industry strategy manager at Autodesk. When I interviewed Venegas Martinez at the 2023 Autodesk University conference in Las Vegas, the intended focus—based on her experience and job description—was on the water industry and its associated technology. However, like most topics at that event (and in the last half-year since), it quickly became a discussion on AI and ..read more

Julien Moutte (right) was named CTO of Bentley Systems, taking over from longtime CTO and founder, Keith Bentley (left). In December 2023, Informed Infrastructure Editorial Director Todd Danielson interviewed Julien Moutte, the new chief technology officer (CTO) at Bentley Systems. Moutte succeeded Keith Bentley, one of the company’s founders and its only CTO since 1984. The full video interview can be viewed at bit.ly/3PWPHg3, but we also wanted to include some excerpts in this issue of the print magazine. Danielson: Do you feel pressure being the first official successor ..read more