THE FULL IMPACT of the COVID-19 global pandemic on the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry will not be known for many years. Yet it is already clear that many construction projects are experiencing partial delays or full stoppages as the pandemic spreads across the globe. In North America, associations and companies have organized surveys and created tools to help the AEC industry better...
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a new consideration of the word “essential.”
With much of the United States under shelter-in-place orders this month, different states have deemed different services and different professionals as being essential to the continued day-to-day life of society.
So where does civil engineering stand in that debate? Are civil engineers essential?
ASCE has spoken plainly that, yes, civil engineers should be considered essential...
FACED WITH THE PROSPECT that regulated entities might have trouble complying with certain regulatory requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released temporary guidance in late March stating how it intended to handle noncompliance during this time, noting that, among other things, it would not seek civil penalties for most routine violations.
Environmental groups immediately criticized the move, contending that it...
AS COVID-19 SPREAD across the world and state and local governments closed down businesses to encourage social distancing, engineering firms faced two challenges: keeping their employees safe and continuing to work for their clients—many of whose projects were deemed essential.
The solution was simple: have everyone work from home.
But the execution was complex. Combining longstanding processes with new measures meant ensuring that everyone had the...
SEEMINGLY in the blink of an eye the unimaginable occurred in the United States in March: Hospitals became overwhelmed, medical supplies went scarce, grocery shelves went bare, and airports turned into ghost towns. In addition, the market crashed, and public panic set in. Like a whipsaw, a domino effect of closures began grinding the U.S. and global economies to a halt, impacting every facet...
Engineers are trained to effectively design and build infrastructure to meet safety and other regulatory requirements.
But what about designing infrastructure to make users, like pedestrians and cyclists, actually feel safe?
Or how about making it fun for the users? If we asked ourselves how to delight the end users, how would our design process look different?
Integrating empathy in problem-solving is at the core of the...
ASCE’s Civil Engineering magazine published the feature article “Best Places for Civil Engineers 2020,” which appears in the April issue, before the widespread outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequently declared pandemic in the United States. Since then, the health and safety of civil engineers and their families; the conditions at engineering firm offices, public agencies, and jobsites; and the overall market for civil works...
The civil engineering profession looks a lot different today than it did a month ago or even a week ago.
With government agencies and state and local officials across the nation recommending extreme social distancing measures because of the coronavirus pandemic, many civil engineers are working from home.
But how does that work?
Amid unprecedented circumstances, civil engineering firms and civil engineers are creating the playbook for...
It usually starts with a daydream.
“What if instead of working for my boss, I was the boss? What if I was the one making all the decisions? Maybe I could start my own company.”
For 99 percent of civil engineers, the daydream remains just that – the stuff of imagination.
Mike Howell, on the other hand, turned that dream into reality. After nearly 15 years of...
“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn't exist … Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”
– Stephen Hawking
All humans are prone to making mistakes, even engineers. But in a profession built on perfection, how do civil engineers handle making mistakes on the job?
In this episode of the “ASCE Interchange,” Michael Howell, president of Arrow...
