Continuing our series on automation, I sat down (virtually) in September 2021 with two more industry experts in digital design: Michael Bolduc, P.E., a Senior Project Manager at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, and Dr. Kristopher Dane, Vice President and Director of Digital Design at Thornton Tomasetti. Both serve on the SEI Digital Design Committee. Below are highlights from our discussion.

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During my two-plus year tenure as the Editorial Board Chair and the several years before that as a Board member, STRUCTURE has received several proposed articles on three topics: 1) the experiences of engineers with many years in practice, 2) the current state of the industry and the inner workings of firms, and 3) the perceived unnecessary expansion of the building code and over-regulation. Of course, the same individuals did not necessarily write these articles. Still, if I were to do some research, I would expect to find that the authors have similar professional experience, job tenure, standing in their firms, firm ownership, and socio-economic situations. Not to generalize, but these engineers are likely to be older and in the middle or later parts of their careers.

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In July 2021, I discussed the “hot” topic of automation and the future for structural engineers with two of the industry’s leading experts in digital design: Rob Otani is a Senior Principal and the Chief Technology Officer at Thornton Tomasetti, and Zak Kostura is an Associate Principal and the Americas Region leader of Advanced Digital Engineering at Arup. Below are highlights from our discussion.

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Why? Why? Why? Every preschooler’s favorite question. Annoying at times but important for building a knowledge foundation of how the world works – also key to how engineers, including structural engineers, approach new challenges and advance the profession. Rather than shutting down these questions, encourage problem-solving and creative thinking. Just as books for the youngest readers presented in Part 1 of this series of reviews introduced the language of engineering, several books aimed at preschool- to early elementary-aged children start to introduce engineering principles and approaches.

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A Review of Some Interesting Titles

Goodnight Moon (HarperCollins). Chica Chica Boom Boom (Little Simon). The Very Hungry Caterpillar (World of Eric Carle). Great classics of children’s literature written for the youngest babies and gifted to new parents regularly. But how about Future Engineer or Baby Loves Structural Engineering? Also excellent books, written for the youngest babies, but not nearly as well known and primarily gifted to or from an engineer. These deserve a place on every young reader’s shelf, not just those with a direct connection to the field of engineering.

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Inevitably, designers respond to crisis with… design.

The world of 2020-2021 is grappling with a devastating pandemic, protests against racism and inequity, and demands to shift resources: from policing to community building, from fossil fuels to green energy, from shareholders to stakeholders, from short-term profit motivation to sustainability and resilience.

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The article represents a collaborative effort by members of the STRUCTURE magazine Editorial Board. Text enclosed in quotes denotes personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Working at home provides unique flexibility that you do not have at an office. “It allows you to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature, be it the birds at the feeder hung on the patio or the flowers in the backyard. You can eat lunch with your family, spend time with a pet, defrost something for dinner ahead of time, or throw in a load of laundry rather than do it on the weekend.” …

The article represents a collaborative effort by members of the STRUCTURE magazine Editorial Board. Text enclosed in quotes denotes personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past nine months, the engineer position has transitioned to a primarily remote-work model as firms have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. As staff juggle family risk factors and dependent obligations, the remote-work model adapts to workers’ needs and lessons learned. Many firms had already integrated some degree of remote work to support work/life balance and family needs; the firms and individuals that took advantage of this previous experience were better positioned to expand to a 24/7/365 proposition. …

It has been my personal observation, albeit in a limited geographical area, that some people are clearly not understanding the COVID-19 public health messages inundating all of us. Either that or the messages are just too opaque or generalized (one might say dumbed down) as to leave many people bewildered and confused and trying their best, but not understanding why. …

I enjoy reading The Journal of Light Construction (JLC) to learn about expert techniques used on residential projects.  In their June 2019 issue, I read two articles; Defining Efficiency Goals – A process for selling performance in new homes by Indigo Ruth-Davis and As Best I Can by Mark Luzio. The Ruth-Davis article addressed how to sell high performing environmental designs for homes in Vermont by providing alternative designs with estimated construction costs and annual energy costs.  The Luzio article focused on providing quality construction and working with clients.  Luzio describes always doing the best he could, noting that he and his best clients know that everything is not perfect (“a fool’s errand” to quote), but that his work was not a low bid job either. …