Technology –Both the Good and the Bad

The events that took place last week in Boston were tragic for both the victims and their families, traumatic for everyone who saw the bombing either live or on television, and dramatic to watch as the clues unfolded leading to the death of one terrorist brother and the capture of the other.  What is absolutely incredible is the speed with which the entire event took place (from the time of the bombing to the capture took just five days), I don’t think that timeline would have been possible even a short ten years ago.

In reality what we witnessed, the bombing, the identification of the terrorists, and the capture, actually took more than fifty years to accomplish. The date was January 31, 1958, the place Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the event was the launch of the first U.S. satellite Explorer I four months after Russia orbited Sputnik.  The 18-pound satellite had a cylindrical shape, was 80 inches long, six inches in diameter and its small package of instruments were made possible by the discovery of transistor circuitry; primitive by today’s standards but a very important step towards the miniaturization of electronic components and essential to space exploration.

Over the years and decades, transistors gave way to printed circuit boards and the development of computer chips that have become progressively smaller in size with quantum leaps in the amount of processing power.  It is this technology –developed to explore the far reaches of space that has changed our everyday lives.  Today, digital technology is all around us.  We take photos and access the internet from our phone, send and receive text messages at the speed of light and communicate with people from around the world, both socially and in business. It is also this micro-technology that has made property surveillance cameras affordable for both residences and businesses, and it was one of these cameras that enabled the FBI to review the activities of the bomb site prior to the time the bombs were detonated and helplessly watch as the terrorists, emotionlessly placed their hidden bombs among the thousands of people who had gathered to watch and cheer the runners as they completed their marathon.  But sadly, it was also these same digital technologies that allowed the terrorists to arm and detonate their bombs using cell phone triggering devices.

Ironically, it was this same cell phone technology that would also be the undoing of these fugitive terrorists.  On Thursday night the terrorists ambushed and killed a MIT police officer and then carjacked a vehicle with the owner inside.  After being forced to withdraw at least $800 from an ATM, the car owner managed his escape but left his cell phone behind in the vehicle.  The police used that cell phone to track down the stolen car and the terrorists.

While technology played a huge roll in this case, equally important was the men and women of the law enforcement teams, experts in criminal behavior, that painstakingly reviewed a random jumble of photographs from thousands of different cell phones and cameras.  The goal was to construct a timeline of images, following possible suspects as they moved along the sidewalks.  One agent reportedly watched the same segment of video 400 times.  However, simultaneous to the police investigation, citizens joined forces on social media sites to also examine crowd pictures, and then virally distributing images of what turned out to be innocent people, complicating the official investigation.

Fortunately for us, there are many more good people in the world then there are bad guys and as technology continues to advance it will hopefully be put to use for the betterment of mankind, and perhaps make our lives easier.

At Nevada By Design, we are staying on top of technological advancements by updating our Computer Aided Design (CAD), software to AutoCad 3D.  This new software allows our engineers to better display underground utilities and visualize conflicts during their design.

In addition, we have acquired AutoTURN Pro 3D CAD software that simulates 3D vehicle turning maneuvers while accounting for the effects of different terrain, obstacles, and vehicle parameters. This software is great for projecting the turning radius of large vehicles and we are currently using it for the design of a fire station.

Perhaps future advances in technology will help us to prevent future tragedies like Boston and the chemical explosion in West, Texas.

How do you develop a property?

As a business owner or developer, your first priority is location, is this site situated in an area that will generate business or is convenient to my current customer base.  The second priority is zoning and will I be allowed to operate my type business on this property.  The third priority is what type of building will suit my needs.

After asking those questions the next step is usually to get an architect involved in the preliminary planning of the project, lots of pretty sketches of elevations and the overall site laid out nicely on the piece of paper, presented to the Zoning Board for approval and voila’ you are three months down the road.

Now you send out a request for proposals to civil engineers to find out how much they will charge to design the grading for a flat piece of ground that drains so the building does not flood, and a parking lot.  Oh, and most likely you want the “cheapest” price.

Oops!

In reality, by waiting those three months, after you have already sited your building and gone to the planning commission for their approvals, you have already increased the cost of your project.

While the elevations and site layout might look pretty on paper how much of that previous three months of work will need to be changed because: the parking ingress and egress are too close to a traffic intersection and a center median prevents turning movements; there are not adequate fire lanes designed for the property; off-site improvements imposed by the entities such as a meandering or detached sidewalk or landscape buffer were not considered; the parking lot did not meet current code for proper sized parking spaces or handicap access; the sewer manhole on the street in front of the property is up hill from the site and sewer must be taken one-quarter mile in the opposite direction to a different connection point; etc. etc. etc.

There are so many variables that need to be considered when you are talking about the civil aspect of any project.  What looks right on the surface may not be as it should be below the surface both figuratively and literally.

To avoid making changes to previous work or receiving unexpected news about utility, traffic, or drainage issues; perhaps you should look at your planning and design approach.

Why not incorporate a Charrette process into your design

Building owners, architects, and engineers can use the Charrette process to save time and money by identifying and solving design problems before design and construction begin. A Charrette is an intensive workshop in which various stakeholders and experts are brought together to address a particular design project. It is the mechanism that starts the communication process among the project team members, building users, and project management staff. A facilitated discussion allows the team to brainstorm solutions to meeting the building user’s requests and the sustainability vision for the building design.

Communication and teamwork is the key to a successful project, and NBD would like to be part of your team.

Time

Time more than anything else controls our lives.  In this modern world in which we live, we track time to the precise second of every day.  We rise from our sleep by the sound of an alarm set to a specific time.  We stagger our food intake according to the time, work during certain times, play at certain times, nearly everything we do has a start time and a stop time, some more exact than others but none the less, controlled by the hands on our watch or the digits on a multitude of digital devices.

Granted, some people take time more seriously than others and indeed, time in the Caribbean moves at a lot slower pace than New York City.  Sometimes we get so involved in something that time passes so quickly one would think that we were somehow transported into the future.  Other times, we can be involved in something unpleasant and it would seem that time is standing still.

Time also holds different meaning for people who do different things.  For many professionals, time can be an important method for tracking the amount of money to charge a client for specific tasks or a project.  If you are a retail establishment, there are certain times when there are usually more customers and you must make sure that you have the proper amount of staff on hand to afford the best customer service.

In some cases there can be multiple time lines running at different speeds in order to achieve a common goal.  Take for instance a building design project.  The architect and the civil engineer are both working toward the same goal but by necessity must work on different timelines in order to meet at the end.

The architect has many intricate details to work through with the structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers; interior designers and of course they must make sure that the building performs functionally and esthetically according to the owner’s vision.  It can take many, many months for the building design team to work out all of the details, drawings and prepare a set of construction documents.

The civil engineer on the other hand can complete a drainage study, calculate the grading plan, and design the utility connections for a project in perhaps a three to four month period.  At that point, a civil engineer’s plans are nearly 90% complete while the architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing plans may only be between 40% and 60% complete.

In this case the civil engineering firm would have paid the surveyor, design engineer, draftsman and administrative staff for their work on the project to date (90%), based upon the original fee estimate given to the client.  And in turn the engineering firm would bill the client for the 90% of the work that it has completed.

Of course those who are new to the design and development industry might ask why, if a civil engineering design can be completed so quickly, it takes nine months or more to receive a civil design permit.  The question is reasonable and the answer is somewhat simple.  A civil engineer must submit its design to a number of agencies (i.e. public works department, water district, fire department, sewer department, various state agencies, etc.), for their review and approval.  Each of those individual agencies will then make comments and send them back to the civil engineer for any corrections or modifications.  After those are made, the plans are once again submitted for a second review.  And without getting into the politics and other nuances of this process, suffice to say that this review process can take up to three to four months; most of that time is spent waiting for the reviewers at the various entities.

So as you can see while an architect might plot along in rather syncopated time on a project while the civil engineer will play the game of hurry-up for ninety-percent of his work and wait, and wait, and wait for the final ten-percent; all the while hoping to reach the finish line at the same time.

Until next time…when ever that will be!

 

At Your Service,

Craig A. Ruark, LEED AP (BD+C)

How Can Civil Engineers Assist with Sustainable Site Design?

Green site-planning strategies and practices incorporate construction methods that minimize site disruption.

Selecting a building site begins the process of calculating the degree of resource use and the degree of disturbance to existing natural systems required to support a building’s development.  The most environmentally sound development is one that disturbs as little of the existing site as possible.  Therefore, sites suitable for commercial building should ideally be located within or adjacent to existing commercial environments and on pre-developed land.  Sustainable projects also require connections to mass transit, vehicular infrastructure, and utility/telecommunication networks.  Sound site planning and building design should consider locating building-support services in common corridors, or siting a building to take advantage of existing service networks.  This consolidation can minimize site disruption and facilitate building repair and inspection.

A “Green Site Analysis and Assessment” performed by NBD may identify specific soils and their properties, vegetation and their distribution, various slope and slope-orientation, availability and location of utilities, logical areas for ingress and egress, and drainage concerns.

 

Topography and adjacent land forms-Influence building proportions, wind loads, drainage strategies, floor elevations, and is key to gravity-fed sewer-line corridors.

 

Groundwater and surface runoff characteristics-Determine building locations as well as natural channels for diverting storm runoff and locations of runoff detention ponds.

 

Parcel shape and access-Affect a site’s capacity to accommodate a proposed development, even if its size and environmental factors are favorable.   Potential access points should not burden lower-density or less compatible adjacent land use.  Zoning setbacks and easements can also affect development potential.

By involving Nevada By Design in your preliminary design discussions, we can help sustain the environment and save you money.  For further details on Sustainable Civil Designs, call NBD today.

A New Beginning

Well the Mayan’s were wrong…or correct…depending on whether you believe that their calendar predicted the end of the world on December 21, 2012, or a new beginning.  Regardless, here we are at the start of another new year.  A year that I suspect, for a lot of people, could not come fast enough.  Not that people were wanting to wish their lives away, or at least a year of it.  They were, and are, simply hoping that 2013 will be the year that the stars begin to come into alignment and bring with them… Well…a bigger and better year than the last four.

But then again, there are many of you that are skeptical that this year will be any different.  After all this is the year 2013. Perhaps your trepidation is based on a bit of Triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13.  The origins of this fear are unknown, but may be connected to the arrest of the Knights Templar on Friday, October 13, 1307.  Regardless, there is no doubt that the number 13 holds deep spiritual and psychological connotations. Throughout history the number 13 has been both shunned and worshiped, but for the most part it has been the basis of more positive than negative symbolism.

Thirteen is a number central to certain traditions of sacred geometry, because it reflected a pattern which could be seen to exist in man, nature, and the heavens. For instance, there are 13 major joints in your body. There are 13 lunar cycles in a solar year, and the moon travels 13 degrees across the sky every day. Six circles placed around a seventh central circle is a model of geometric efficiency and perfection in the second dimension and  this same configuration in three dimensions consists of 12 spheres arranged around one central sphere, making 13 in all – the most compact three-dimensional arrangement recurrent in nature. The Aztec calendar is based on the number 13 as being the basic structural unit in nature. It means the attracting center around which elements focus and collect.  Is this, then, the reason for Christ’s 12 disciples, King Arthur’s 12 knights, or the 12 major constellations in relation to our sun?

Was it coincidence that America was founded on 13 original colonies and thus the number is reflected so many times on the U.S. $1 bill — 13 levels in the pyramid, 13 stars, 13 arrows, 13 stripes, 13 leaves, and 13 olives? Consider the fact that:

• The card deck includes 13 hearts, 13 spades, 13 diamonds, and 13 clubs.
• The Jewish sage Moses Maimonides established 13 principles of the Jewish faith.
• The Chinese abacus consists of 13 columns of beads.
• Ben Franklin encouraged 13 virtues for men

If you still think that the number 13 is a cause for doubt as to how good 2013 will be, perhaps you can find solace in the fact that the number 20 holds deep positive connotations and symbolism that could offset 13’s ill effects.

In Numerology the number 20 is referred to as an “Angel Number” representing a blend of the energies and attributes of the number 2 and Number 0. Number 2 resonates with the vibrations of duality; service and duty, balance and harmony, diplomacy and co-operation, relationships and partnerships, adaptability, consideration, receptivity and love.  The number 2 also relates to your Divine life purpose and soul mission.  While the number 0 carries the energies of the ‘God’ force and Universal Energies and reinforces, amplifies and magnifies the vibrations of the numbers it appears with.  Number 0 resonates with developing one’s spiritual aspects and is considered to represent the beginning of a spiritual journey and highlights the uncertainties that may entail.  It suggests that you listen to your intuition and higher-self as this is where you will find all of your answers.  Wow, that is powerful stuff!  And the Mayas seemed to agree as to them the number 20 represented the God “Solar”.

• The word “score” is another name for 20 and counting in twenties is common in many languages and cultures. `Three score years and ten’ means 70 years.
• In old British coinage 20 shillings made one pound. In old French coinage 20 sous made one franc.
• There are 20 hundredweight in one ton.
• An icosahedron is a solid with an equilateral triangle on each of its 20 faces. It is not possible to make a regular solid with more than 20 faces.

(Cue music from the Twilight Zone)

So there you have it…good or bad we have entered the year 2013. A year of mystic dimensions plagued by fear but full of hope. Be sure to check next month’s newsletter when we discuss the equation τ ∆L P = γ A ∆L S, τ = γ R S, as it relates to the hydrologic flow of flood waters…or not.

In the mean time, as you go forward in this time continuum you can be assured that when your project design requires civil engineering that is accurate to the number; Nevada By Design will be there; calculator, scale, crystal ball, and Ouija Board in hand.

Tenant Improvements

During these economic times, many businesses are taking advantage of low rents and construction costs to relocate their offices to a better location or expand their current location.  While tenant improvements seem very simple (aside from all that packing and moving in), there are a few things that you should consider and speak to your civil engineer about during the planning stage.

Parking: Whether you are expanding your current space or moving into another building, parking requirements or capacity could be increased based upon the increased amount of occupants.  If you are looking to have your building become LEED Certified, you may want to redesign the parking area to accommodate electric vehicles with charging stations, special vanpool or carpool parking, and parking for other environmentally friendly vehicles.  Be careful, make sure that the turning radius into and around the parking lot will accommodate fire and ambulance emergency equipment and that they have clear access to the building for both medical and fire emergencies.

Fire Safety: Speaking of fires, if you are expanding a current building, you may cross a size threshold that will require the installation of a fire sprinkler system or the expansion of the current system.  In either case, it may be that the addition (or upgrade), of your fire service line from the curb to your building will be required.

Utility Upgrades: There are a lot of building vacancies around town, many of them available for a very reasonable price.  However, buying an upgrading an existing building to fit your needs can mean that you are increasing the occupancy level of it was previously designed, especially in older areas of town.  It could be that you will need to upsize your sewer and water service to the building to accommodate additional restrooms or an employee kitchen.

ADA: If you are expanding your space in a current building, it could be that Tenant Improvement permits would require bringing other aspect of a building up to current code.  One of those aspects is the slope and width of sidewalks and ramps outside of the building to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Also, the number of required ADA parking spaces have changed over the years and new spaces will need to be added.

If you are looking at Tenant Improvements for your client or your own office, call Nevada By Design and we will be happy to review your situation to see if parking, fire safety, utility, or ADA improvements will be needed.

Grading Considerations

The impact on the environment by” mass grading” a project site is dramatic, especially in virgin areas of a community. Site grading destroys the natural ecosystem present within the soil. This ecosystem provides systems to break down pollutants, provide nutrients for the native flora and fauna, support insect and animal life, and numerous other benefits. It takes many years for the soil to recover from mass grading and sometimes it never does. There is also the temporary or permanent impact of PM 10 air quality issues and erosion when the natural desert crust is disturbed. Whenever possible we should try to limit grading operations to the distances beyond constructed items as shown below.

• < 10 feet beyond surface walkways, patios, surface parking, and utilities
• < 40 feet beyond the building perimeter
• < 15 feet beyond primary roadway curbs
• < 25 feet beyond constructed areas with permeable surfaces (pervious paving, stormwater detention, and playing fields)