American Society of Civil Engineers

1 week ago | asce.org | Leslie Connelly

Pedestrian bridges have evolved from merely functional to works of art that often integrate with a city’s design plan. With improved appearance come more complex structural design elements and construction challenges. Ensuring bridge integrity and pedestrian safety becomes more significant with more complicated fabrication. Surprisingly, pedestrian bridges have no standard in-service inspection criteria, often leaving inspectors to resort to implementing highway bridge standards.

1 week ago | asce.org | Kayt Sukel

In the fable The Three Little Pigs, the first pig builds a house of straw, only to have it blown down by the big bad wolf. Despite the pervasive idea that straw is less than optimal for building, well, anything, a new housing development in Ashland, Oregon, called Oceanspray Townhomes, is leveraging straw bale construction to make the residences there more eco-friendly and energy efficient.

2 weeks ago | asce.org | Ben Walpole

Brenan Pool isn’t bragging when he talks about his commute. He’s simply stating facts. “Yeah, it’s about 10 minutes each way,” Pool said. Must be nice, right? Pool, E.I., LEED AP, A.M.ASCE, is an architectural engineer at Engenuity, living and working in suburban St. Louis. Having grown up in rural Illinois with a high school graduating class of 23 students, St. Louis is big-city living for Pool.

2 weeks ago | asce.org | Leslie Connelly

Urban water usage in the United States spikes in the summer, with Americans watering their lawns to ensure their property values. Despite growing awareness of the importance of conservation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that as much as 50% of water is used for lawn and landscape irrigation. Sadly, a good portion of this potable water is wasted due to broken lines, misdirected sprinklers, and leaks.

3 weeks ago | asce.org | Ireland Degges

Infrastructure projects across disciplines often require some level of slope stability analysis. Whether a temporary construction need or a permanent solution, slope stabilization plays a major role in the success of a variety of projects, including roadways, bridges, dams, pipelines, energy infrastructure, and more. Environmental changes and extreme climate events are also a factor in the long-term viability of infrastructure impacted by slopes.