A Place of Sense

Migration Complete

2010-07-26T11:50:00.000-04:00

For anyone still pointed to this website, please see my new one at:
www.aplaceofsense.com

Thanks!

trial post

2010-03-15T11:23:00.003-04:00

testing for migration

Blogger is ending support for FTP services so I will be down for technical reasons until I resolve the issue.

Thanks for understanding.

Iconic Structures of Indiana: Hinkle Fieldhouse

2010-03-05T07:30:00.012-05:00

Butler University is located to the north of downtown Indianapolis. Butler University is a great institution and is well known for its basketball team (currently ranked 11th in the nation). The strength of the current team stems from the strong basketball traditions of Indiana and the investment that the citizens have made in this sport. Hinkle Fieldhouse is evidence of this support, which was built with money donated by local businessmen.

The Fieldhouse is a massive building built specifically to showcase basketball

More information can be found at the website hosted by Butler University, or at the Hinkle Fieldhouse Wikipedia entry. The structure is named after Tony Hinkle, a former coach who created the orange basketball and developed the dribbling action of the game.

The building was renamed after former coach Hinkle in 1966

The structure was built in 1928, and is notable as one of the first "fieldhouse" college gymnasiums. Almost factory-like in its simplicity, it has guided basketball arena designs such as Conseco Fieldhouse and it was the basis for the fieldhouse styling of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Structurally, it is composed of a brick masonry facade with steel framing supporting most of the walls and the internal structures. The roof is a barrel vault of trussed steel 3-pin arches.

The exterior has windows in key locations to catch natural light

The end walls are quite tall and require steel girts to brace them against wind

The massive building is oriented roughly east-west, and originally the court was as well. However, a few years after its construction the court was reoriented north-south. This gave more spectactors a "half-court" seat and is generally a better arrangement. This goes to show how early this building was built, as the sport was still developing and gaining in popularity around the nation, whereas Indiana already had built the "basketball cathedral" that was the largest collegiate fieldhouse for many years.

Many features were upgraded in a 1989 renovation

The roof trusses are exposed and are well integrated into the interior design. The spectator seating allows access to many of the trusses, so that people can see the rivets and handiwork involved with the steelwork of that age. Each truss has three pin hinges, so that it can accommodate movement and settlement without inducing large forces in the steel members near the center.

The base of each truss is easily accessible from the spectator seating area

A modern scoreboard is suspended from the trusses that span over the court

The central pin is visible at the midpoint of each truss, providing an ideal hinge

Hinkle fieldhouse is a great piece of history. It has many quirky features that show how the designers were willing to experiment with basketball and how to accommodate the spectators. The structure has changed alongside the game that is now popular around the world.

The spirit of place and legacy comes alive in a structure like this. For Hinkle fieldhouse to remain so popular and useful after so many years is testament to the original investment over 80 years ago. Few structures represent a state as well as Hinkle Fieldhouse represents Indiana.

Action on the court is some of the best in the world

An Engineer's View of the Carbon Tax Proposal

2010-03-02T07:30:00.164-05:00

Very soon, the US political system will be involved in a serious debate regarding the merits of a tax on carbon emissions. The main debate will center on two issues:

Should the US put a price on carbon emissions?
What should that price be, both now and in the future?

Fossil fuels have long powered the Indianapolis economy

The typical tool used in a debate of this type is the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). This type of study weighs all of the costs associated with an action against all of the benefits. Any project with a net benefit is considered worthwhile, but trying to figure out how to distribute costs and benefits is always a difficult political problem, and especially so with something as large and pervasive as a carbon tax.

A fun, graphic explanation of this CBA is found in The Cartoon Guide to the Environment (which is a good source of conceptual information for anyone needing a crash course in environmental economics, the history of environmental regulation, or human interaction with ecology):

As the illustration above points out, there is a large amount of uncertainty involved with assessing the risks and costs of a warming world. However, the atmospheric models that scientists have developed thus far all point in the same direction. Without some sort of comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions, the biosphere will warm by a small but significant amount and this will have deleterious effects on ecological systems around the world.

ASCE, along with other engineering societies, has identified climate change as a key issue and pledged to work to lower the risk and mitigate the consequences.

One of several Indianapolis Power and Light Coal plants (Harding St Generating Station)

The US policy on carbon pricing must consider the context of our political system and the need for action. In the past, the US has managed pollution either by cap and trade markets (see 1990 Acid Rain Program), direct taxes, or by regulations. There is no reason to believe the US cannot establish or manage a carbon pricing scheme successfully in the future.

The debate on question #1, should we do it, is yet to be settled. There are many in this debate who have argued for us to do nothing. A popular argument is one presented in The American Scene "Why I Oppose A Carbon Tax". You can summarize his argument from the first line:

I oppose a carbon tax for a very simple reason: I do not believe its benefits justify its costs.

Another such article was published in the Wall Street Jounal entitled "Time for Inaction on Global Warming". A summary of the article is given in the subtitle:

Congress should consider the costs before passing "cap and trade."

After reading these articles, I think these authors are deliberately confusing question #1 and question #2. The decision to set a price and the level the price is set at are two independent topics. We can set the costs of the pricing scheme at whatever level we want, once the system is in place. There is no reason for anyone to fear a carbon tax, because we will never put in place a system we can't afford.

Clearly, these authors are willing to sell their future for a lower price than a Greenpeace advocate. But what are the values of society in general? We already know that reducing our dependence on fossil fuels will lead to greater energy independence, cleaner air, better transportation systems, and a chance to become producers rather than consumers of the green revolution. Are US citizens willing to throw away rational and effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions, even when the benefits are so great?

Indy's inefficient transportation system is another big source of emissions (Indy MPO)

I believe there are more important things in life than money. The US must have policies that balance our need for economic activity and our need to manage our resources carefully. We should not squander our natural capital in search of greater financial wealth. Community health and ecological integrity deserve priority over personal wealth.

The Covanta incinerator and cogeneration plant (Resource Recovery Facility)

So the choice we all face, but especially those who write public policy and design our built environment, is whether or not we should take action. We know that inaction because of political expediency or high costs will be a shameful legacy for future Americans. We know that the costs of doing nothing will begin to accrue immediately. We know that any environmental costs of global warming will be borne by those most unable to cope with the changes.

I find inaction to be unacceptable. Engineers are ethically bound to prioritize the health, safety, and welfare of the public. In my opinion, a mistake is made when any engineer argues that the costs, while small, justify the destruction of our environment and an impending human crisis. At that point a line has been crossed. That is no longer the argument of a civil engineer, but something else entirely.

Indy Connect Meeting

2010-02-25T07:30:00.001-05:00

I attended an Indy Connect meeting this Tuesday, February 23rd at Pike High School (Northwest Indy). The Indy Connect is a joint venture between the Indy MPO, CIRTA, and IndyGo. The meetings are the first step towards the creation of a new Long-Range Transportation Plan.

These meetings are a great opportunity to meet and discuss issues with a group of people that determine the future of Indianapolis transportation. I strongly encourage anyone interested in the state of transportation in our city, including pedestrian, biking, rail transit, bus transit, and automobility to attend one of these meetings. The planners need feedback to ensure they are delivering the best plan possible.

The planners are real people and not politicians. There is no need to argue with them or blame them for the traffic jam that happened on the way to work. Their job is to interpret the values of the community and form a comprehensive strategy to meet the region's needs. It is clear that the values of our region are changing. While many continue to argue for more and wider roads, the MPO realizes that there is no strategy that can meet the region's needs that does not involve multiple modes of transportation.

I have some suggestions to help anyone interested in attending on of these meetings to get the most from their experience. First of all, come prepared to discuss. The room is filled with stations representing important issues, such as biking or pedestrian plans, with planners hosting each one. This is everyone's chance to discuss these issues in-depth with the planners. I suggest bringing a list of questions about topics that matter.

Next, come prepared to fill out questionnaires and surveys. Each station has a special survey for people to complete. The typical survey asks people to prioritize their concerns about different issues. At the bottom of each survey is a free response area where people can write down anything they want.

Finally, feel free to disregard the static. Some people love to say "NO!" and these events are no exception. It is unlikely that anyone with this attitude will change their mind, so concentrate instead on how to learn from the planners and how to communicate priorities of the public to them in a civil manner.

Indy Parking Policies Fail its Citizens

2010-02-24T07:30:00.003-05:00

Many people are now familiar with the MDC hearing examiner's recent denial of a variance. Current coverage on IBJ's Property Lines, Huston St Racing (w/photos), and Urban Indy. This variance would have allowed a renovation of an old urban property consistent with its original and proposed use. Basically, the developers wanted to eliminate the requirement for off-street parking.

The neighboring property owners were worried this would force the tenants to park illegally in nearby surface lots. After review of the case and a private meeting with the interested parties, the Hearing Examiner concluded that no compromise was forthcoming and denied the petition for a variance.

I think the Indianapolis planning staff summarized the issue quite well in their analysis, which recommended *approval* of the petition. Here is the planning staff's opinion:

Urban sites should be developed to the highest intensity possible. To require this site to meet the required off-street parking standards, would require the demolition of a portion of the building or acquisition of adjacent sites. A practical difficulty is met by this request since the site is fully developed. Additionally, there are several IndyGo bus routes that travel along Meridian Street and nearby streets that substantially reduce the need for parking. Finally, it is a common and preferred planning method that little or no off-street parking be added to a reuse of an inner city site. If residents require off-street parking, there are three off-street parking sites directly adjacent to the site to the north, northeast and east that could meet that need.

MDC documents are here (p. 85), results from the hearing are here (p. 3).

I think it is time that Indianapolis accepts that off-street parking requirements are the bane of true urban renewal. The minimum parking requirements are a senseless way to devalue our CBD. They are an existential threat to urban life, and therefore the core identity of Indianapolis.

Someone raised an interesting question on the IBJ website: What are the requirements for becoming a hearing examiner in Indianapolis? I suggest we remake the qualifications process, and that it only have 1 component: survive in Indy for one month without a car, and then we'll take you. A human's eye view of the city might do some of these people some good.

One of the commenters on Huston Street Racing offered an apology of the Examiners actions, stating:

He is a thoughtful and even-handed person, and a thorough lawyer. He is not a dolt or hack, as portrayed on the IBJ comments thread. ... It appears to be his belief that someone will part with some parking spaces if offered enough money to do so.

All of this may be true, I won't dispute it. But off-street parking should *never* have become an issue with this property. I am not sure the examiner even read the planner's report, because it pretty clearly laid down the rationale against parking requirements and why they wouldn't apply in this case anyways. Just in case anyone didn't want to read the full report, or even my summary, just read the part in bold above. One sentence is all you need to know.

This situation is yet another lost opportunity for a representative of the City of Indianapolis to address the real infrastructural problems that have ruined the city. Indianapolis I love you, but you're bringing me down.

Infrastructure is Key to Successful City Market

2010-02-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

The City Market Building

The Indianapolis City Market building is a treasure of downtown. The original structure was built in 1886. Unfortunately, the latest incarnation of the City Market has been a financial failure. It did not manage to turn a profit and the city was spending a significant amount on subsidizing higher-than-expected utility costs. (It's confusing to me why the city did not market this property and the business model more effectively - the building is on National Register but doesn't even have a Wikipedia page) The silver lining of this failure is that we now have an opportunity to study the building and see what can be done with it. It is my understanding that the city wants to:

Set up the market as a self-sufficient enterprise; currently the city subsidizes utility costs
Use the structure and property to draw people downtown
Integrate with cultural trail and proposed Market Square Arena replacement

In order to facilitate these changes, the city issued an RFP last year and six proposals were announced in January. See the IBJ article for a full run-down of these options. I thought many of these presented some exciting new ideas for the downtown space. It will be interesting to see if the city chooses one of these as a winner, or just continues to operate the market as-is, or tries to combine ideas into a chimera-like blend of proposals.

A Sign of the Times for City Market

If the city chooses to operate this space as a market or a space for restaurants, they would be wise to read the critiques of the previous business model. American Dirt's thorough diagnosis of the situation (part I and part II) laid bare many of the problems and proposed many of the solutions. I accept his work completely, but I also want to add some of my own thoughts.

My own opinion about the city market proposals is that the city can choose to do any of these proposals, or none, and it will result in failure. There are underlying infrastructural issues that the city has refused to address in the past few decades, and these will act as a significant detractor for people using the property.

The Indianapolis City Market must be supported by a change in the priorities of the city, its policies, and its infrastructure. In particular, the following issues must be addressed:

Make pedestrians the priority of downtown planning
End traffic management policies that have high cost and little benefit
Make design and excellence an integral part of city products
Don't force tall buildings until market rates support them
Update building codes to make downtown areas a haven for pedestrian streetlife
Stop subsidizing free parking

To see how these issues can be addressed in the planning for the City Market renovation, I have made a site plan showing the different areas of the property and its surrounding infrastructure. With the rest of this entry, I have detailed specific actions that can help create a new future for the City Market property.

Aerial View of the East Market St Area

Aerial View of the City Market

Main Building
The original city market building has stood up to the test of time well. The brick materials and arch windows matched nearby buildings, creating a style that set the area apart from the business area or the state capitol area. It was created as a way to host market activities indoors, not dissimilar from its most current incarnation. The best the city had to offer.

City Market Building from courthouse tower in 1888 (HABS)

To be honest, this building was not well suited for its purpose. The building is long and tall. The interior aspect ratios, high windows, poor lighting, double-height cathedral ceiling, and entry vestibules make it seem very similar to sacred architecture. This building would be more effective as a church than a market.

The Cathedral of Independent Commerce

In its current configuration a mezzanine wraps all around the exterior walls and a central area in the middle is used for market vendors. This arrangement allows for most of the square footage to be used as leasable space, but it does not create a special relationship between the viewer and the space. In fact, this space forces a feeling of agoraphobia rather than a feeling of comfort and closeness. Contrast this with Circle Center Mall. It is a similar space, tall and long, but has overcome its spatial arrangement to create areas that encourage exploration, interaction, and commerce.

I think the upcoming work on the City Market will need to address whether this space should really be used as a market or if there is a higher and better use. In any case, this space will need to overcome the problems inherent in its configuration in order to be successful. Honestly, I don't know of many churches that have been converted into street markets.

A view of the enclosed market space

Another issue that will need to be addressed in the renovation is the lack of quality workmanship in the city market. The previous renovations focused more on budget than on excellence. I got a close look at the building a few years ago when I was responsible for designing structural support for the mezzanine expansion. The original structure, including the walls and roof, is beautiful. There is some great handiwork preserved in them. Unfortunately, the members from 1970 and newer look out of place because there was no attention to detail. Exposed bolts, exposed welds, carrier angles, and all sorts of steelwork that should have been higher quality or hidden.

The poor attention to detail creates some aesthetic problems

I have never been happy with the mezzanine. Looking at all of the newer work, in addition to the doors, and the market vendors spaces, all these items just look cheap. The sad thing is they aren't cheap. They probably were very expensive. If the city wants to preserve historic properties, then they need to fully invested in the process. The 1970's were a different time, but any new work should meet the stricter requirements of Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS) at a minimum.

One specific complaint that the city has about the main building is that it is expensive to heat. I think one reason for this is that the city tried to cut corners when the 2007 renovation was done. They reused the old HVAC equipment rather than spending the money to upgrade to newer equipment and systems. As can be seen in the photo below, the work required a new slab so why did they not just put in a radiant heating system at the same time? Combined with a geo-tied heat pump, the city could be saving many tens of thousands of dollars over the design life.

An ideal time to install radiant heating system (Feb 2007)

If the City Market is going to be the "best of Indy" then we need to make sure everything in it is saying the right thing about our city. Design excellence, product excellence, and operational excellence. Now and forever.

Historically insensitive ducting, exposed speaker wires fastened to the steel with zip-ties

The Wings
If my criticisms of the main space include poor spatial arrangement and poor lighting, then my criticisms of the wing spaces are *dreadful* spatial arrangement and *dreadful* lighting. The catacombs below the market building probably have more charm than these spaces.

I have no problem mixing modern and historic architecture, and certainly I.M. Pei's glass pyramid for the Louvre or the Indianapolis Central Library proved that it can be a good idea. But central to this idea of mixing old and new is that the old and the new must both be able to stand on their own as successful works of architecture.

I can't believe they built two of these

Here's a quick rundown on why I hate these wings:

Too much unfiltered light

Traditional buildings have 25% transparency on the southern face
The wings boast 100% transparency; too hot in summer, too cold in winter

No windows on east, west, and north Faces

Nothing to offset the blinding effect from the south
Difficult to accommodate lack of natural light, too many fluorescent make-up lights

Nothing to look at

Is the CCB worthy of that much attention?
Why is there a gravel parking lot across the street?
People watching is only interesting when there are people to watch

If someone proposed to tear down these wings, I would not object. If people want them to stay, as some sort of historic preservation effort, then I would not object to that either. I suppose they do kind of mirror the modern style of the Death Star, er CCB. But don't expect them to contribute to a sort of dynamic, shoppers paradise kind of downtown area. Because these buildings are horrible.

East Plaza
The main concept that I wish to communicate about this area is that pedestrian plazas should not be parking lots. Please Indianapolis, make pedestrians the priority of downtown planning. With our new priority in place, we realize that it was a horrible idea to run vehicular traffic through a plaza. Glad we got that settled.

The conversation pit and skewed parking lanes eliminate pedestrian usage

Now, lets address the other problems with this space. The conversation pit sucks. I appreciate that some mid-century modern visionaries tried to make these work in expensive homes. But to use this in a public space? I can't imagine that random strangers looking for a place to sit for a few minutes would choose a space that:

Forces them to look at other people
Forces other people to look at them
Forces people to gather in a small area rather than spreading out, filling in as others join the area
Prevents any use of the space other than talking in a group
Discourages use by any disabled, elderly, or people with strollers
Conversation Pit? Next to police car parking, an urban highway, and a county court?

This space can be so much better. Turn it into a real plaza, one that has a real chance at attracting pedestrians, and drawing their attention away from each other towards a central or distributed feature (think Columbus Circle). Integrate into the pedestrian plans, make this the eastern pedestrian gateway for the cultural trail towards the Circle.

West Plaza
How many plazas does an area surrounded by parking lots really need? Counting the east and west City Market plazas, and adding the 1/2 block CCB plaza, we have lots of wasted space. This is the equivalent of throwing away tax revenue. I think some of these spaces need to return to profitable use. But lets assume the city wants to keep its own building surrounded by empty plazas, parking lots, and urban highways. How can the west plaza area be rebuilt to take advantage of its location and encourage pedestrian traffic?

Tables, chairs, and benches have been installed to give the impression of streetlife

I think that this area should be rebuilt along market street to provide frontage area for businesses. The area currently used for tables and chairs can be retained (at a new elevation) as patio seating if desired. The new building could incorporate the random arch retained from an earlier demolition. This new building would continue the streetfront shopping experience from the western blocks and provide a space for restaurants, brewery/restaurants, or fast-food eateries. Putting the seating out back but keeping the space open to Delaware St would preserve the opportunity for people-watching. I would always recommend street level dining as an option but traffic would need to be calmed for this to be effective.

Why tear down a building if you can't replace it with something useful?

My final recommendation for the plaza space (and this applies to city market plazas and the CCB plaza) is to remove those ugly brick planters. They are a disaster as far as placemaking is concerned. They contribute nothing to the area and take up useful real estate. They divide rather than integrate. They look cheap. And they are ugly.

North Lot
Hopefully this area will be developed as urban town-homes in the near future. This will bring in new pedestrian traffic. Of course, the city and the developer could always ruin this opportunity by enforcing the rules of the parking requirements. The development codes in US cities must have been developed by some weird urban designers with a fetish for car fenders. Totally not needed in downtown areas. (see The High Cost of Free Parking if interested in reading more)

Alabama St and Market St intersection, now a gravel parking lot

To be honest, I don't know where CBD lines are drawn and what parking requirements are set for this area. Let me be clear about this, though. Any requirement greater than zero (0) cars is a mistake. Just remember, neighbors don't complain about density, they complain about more cars. No additional cars means no remonstrators at the next hearing.

South Lot
The former Market Square Arena stood here, which came and went before I moved to Indianapolis. Finding a developer for this plot of land has been difficult, since at least 2001. The discussions I have seen regarding this project have been worrisome to me. They seem to focus on how tall to make this building, how many car parking spots they can shoehorn onto the project, and how much tax abatement will be gifted to the project.

The replacement for Market Square Arena presents a great opportunity

If we review the original list of priorities above, we can see that these discussions are heading in the wrong way. Indianapolis does not need another empty skyscraper, and we don't need any more parking spots. We probably don't need another tax subsidized construction project, but I think that is dependent on the particular project so I'll hold my tongue for now. I think creating a project that benefits the entire downtown region would be worth some subsidizing, but not a new enclave that just provides a gated community downtown.

If the city is going to subsidize construction and operation for a few years, then the citizens deserve input into what goes in here. I recommend a 3-4 story structure built out to the property lines, with no parking whatsoever aside from on-street parking. All bottom floor streetfront space must be small, leasable spaces. Upper floors can be mega-stores, restaurants, residential, or whatever the market will support.

While we are on the subject of parking, maybe the city of Indianapolis needs to re-evaluate its theory on parking space availability. I have no sympathy for the laments of developers who refuse to build unless they have a dedicated parking facility. You won't find a single urban parking expert who thinks that downtown Indianapolis is lacking parking spaces.

Delaware, Market, and Alabama Streets
Here we come to the main problem with the City Market. Vehicular traffic has been given so many advantages compared with pedestrian traffic in downtown Indianapolis that modern citizens don't even know what we have given up. The streets in cities used to be filled with people instead of cars. A few months back Infrastructurist posted a video of San Francisco in 1905 from a Market Street streetcar, it is a perfect model of what cities can become when vehicles are regulated properly. The video is below:

Many of the proposals for the City Market, and certainly my own thoughts and ideas, suggest that the city address the transportation infrastructure problems surrounding the building site if the overall project is to be successful. The best way to begin the transformation from vehicular oriented to pedestrian oriented is to roll back the traffic management schemes that increase vehicle speed.

Both Delaware and Alabama are one-way streets. This is unnecessary. It allows the cars to speed through the area. This is the most dense neighborhood in the state, so it is beyond my ability to understand why the city wants quicker traffic in this area. Elimination of the one-way street infrastructure will create psychological friction between the travel directions and slow down traffic. A small decrease in vehicular speed leads to a large increase in pedestrian safety.

The one-way streets also limit economic activity from tourists and convenience shopping. Both elements are key to any City Market proposal. By allowing people to drive by the structure from any direction they are maximizing visibility and the chance to make a sale.

Another important infrastructural issue is connectivity. To take advantage of the City Market's location, the city should create a portal or gateway element between the new cultural trail and the circle. It doesn't have to be expensive or voluminous, maybe just LED signs or something visual.

The bike hub proposal is a good idea, in my opinion, and would be a great way to engage a significant portion of citizens who choose a different form of transportation. If the bike hub proposal doesn't win this time around, I would love to see it used for the plaza just south of the CCB. That area is in desperate need of a makeover.

The final infrastructural issue that needs to be addressed is public transit. The new CITI plan has been released and would use Washington Street as a light-rail corridor. This proximity to a heavily traveled corridor would mean many potential customers (without cars or a need to park them). If the city doesn't begin taking this into consideration then a real chance at greatness could be lost.

Conclusions
The city should take this opportunity to think about what the City Market will be used for in 20 years, and while downtown should continue growing eastward the City Market will always remain the most significant historic property in the area. Maybe acting as a gateway or centerpiece of a special district would be a good use, similar to the old Armory in the Pearl District of Portland.

I still believe that any of the proposals for a new use of the City Market building would be a good step forward, as most investments in historic assets tend to pay off in the long run. The City of Indianapolis will be well served by these ideas. However, none of these ideas alone will be sufficient to stave off financial ruin after the initial Wow! factor wears off.

The City must take the initiative to look at the real causes of urban malaise in Central Indiana. The policies governing pedestrian rights, vehicular traffic management, and lack of connectivity are all infrastructural issues that have simple but far and long-reaching consequences. If we get the policies right, the future of our urban core will be shining brightly once again.

New Transportation Plan for Indianapolis

2010-02-11T10:30:00.011-05:00

For anyone interested in seeing the next vision for transportation in Indianapolis, please visit the website at Indy Connect.

This study recommends proven technologies, and proven infrastructure investments. It starts small, with an affordable and effective system that can quickly integrate into the streetscapes of Indianapolis. I approve of this plan, it is a great start to a city-wide transit system.

There are two problems with this proposal that we should seek solutions to in the public input phase:

Limited Coverage Area for Rail
Ability of Special Interests to Influence Outcome

Limited Coverage Area for Rail
The first issue will be present no matter how the system is arranged. No system can provide the convenience of a transit stop 1 block away from each front door.

The main problem here is that there is always a conflict between the need for especially dense clusters, or Transit-Oriented-Development, and the need for tax investments to be spread around equally. In the case of transportation planning, simple is best. The proposed plan lays out a very simple system. This would be most efficient and probably most successful. Any deviations from the simple plan will result in a confusing legacy that will inhibit future use.

Whatever layout is chosen, the proponents of transit must ensure that a comprehensive plan will be developed that will involve the entire city. A certain amount of this has been done in the plan, whereby express bus routes, expanded bus service, and road expansions have been proposed. Unfortunately, this is not yet comprehensive. A truly comprehensive plan must show how every person in the city will benefit from this proposal.

The study authors readily admit that all transportation planning is connected. Let's do more than acknowledge this fact, lets use it to our advantage. The plan can show that with complete streets policies, integrated and interconnected multi-modal transportation systems, walk-to-school subsidies, and similar programs, the transportation system in Indianapolis and the surrounding counties can be improved for at least 95% of the residents over the next 20 years.

Ability of Special Interests to Influence Outcome
This is part I am most concerned about. Many interest groups will be attempting to influence the study results so that their constituents will be served. The system was most likely optimized during the study process, so any changes to the proposed system can have negative consequences for the city as a whole.

My worst fear is that a repeat of the Miami transit system will occur, where special interests blocked a transit line to the airport to maintain the monopoly of taxi service. Since then, Miami has been struggling to maintain service between the most important source of tourists and their destinations with express bus service. Short-sighted compromises to the business community can have horrible consequences.

Indianapolis needs every advantage it can get when competing for big events like the Superbowl, World-cup hosting, and many other smaller events and conventions. The City can not afford to put in a transit system that satisfies the special interest groups while hurting the city's prospects in attracting tourism and conventions.

Conclusions

In the end, I see any investment in the city's alternative (non-highway) transportation system as a great step forward. I imagine that it will facilitate a lot of independent investments, so that when it is fully built the city will see property values directly increased by a large factor compared to its cost. This is equivalent to building equity in the city. We can leave a more valuable city to the future citizens.

And the final reason I approve of this plan is because it is not about spending more, it is about shifting our priorities. We can take a small amount of funding from our single mode of transport (highways) and shift it to 4 or 5 different modes of transport. This would directly reflect the wishes of the population to start investing in multiple modes of transportation, without abandoning our legacy infrastructure in automobiles.

I trust that the study's authors have taken a neutral position and truly evaluated the costs and benefits of the many options. With faith in their efforts (to be verified by a thorough evaluation of their report later), I hope that we put this plan into action as soon as the next stage begins!

Engineering Humor: Calvin's Bridge Test

2010-02-09T07:30:00.004-05:00

Calvin's father always had the best answers. I remember reading this as a kid and really hoping they test bridges this way. Reality continues to ruin my life.

For anyone who love Calvin and Hobbes as much as I do, there is the complete set available from Amazon. It's not just a cartoon, it's a complete philosophy for living.

Innovation in Seismic Bracing Design

2010-02-05T07:30:00.016-05:00

Over the last decade, one new seismic design technology has been rapidly adopted in the US. The Buckling Restrained Braced Frame (BRBF) system is one of those rare innovations that radically improves the ability of structures to resist earthquakes, while at the same time is completely backwards compatible with previous technology. (See MSC articles from Sabelli & Lopez and Robinson for more information)

The ability of this system to resist earthquakes comes from a dramatically simple idea: decouple bending and compression. To show how easy this concept is, let us review how the inventor came up with it. An engineer, Benne Narasimhamurthy Sridhara from Bangalore, wanted to get more strength out of his braces (see my earlier post on braces for more info). He created a simple physical model using a small rod and a plastic pipe. He put the rod inside of the pipe and applied force on each end of the rod. Instead of the rod buckling out of shape and failing, the pipe held it in place. Brilliant!

A typical column buckling under applied load

Because the pipe (or sleeve) is not participating in resisting compression, it is "decoupled" from the rod. This means that the rod is continuously braced and will develop full material capacity. The implications of this small change are huge. It allows engineers to specify braces that:

Will fit easily into existing designs, allowing retrofits and new construction
Will act similarly in tension and compression, eliminating the need for paired braces at every location
Help dissipate destructive seismic energy by steel yielding (like a car's crumple zone)
Remain stiff and strong even after the initial event
Cost much less than comparable technologies

It's a really awesome invention (patent info). The rapid uptake of this technology shows how important it is to the future of seismic resistant buildings. A recent article from India uncovered a little more of the interesting story behind its creation. It makes me wonder what structural engineering inventions will be discovered in the coming years. It goes to show that the simplest solutions are sometimes the best, and they are hiding in plain sight.

This technology can be applied in even more interesting applications as engineers grow familiar with its use. I am anxiously awaiting the first use of this in a bridge application. Congratulations to Mr. Sridhara for figuring out how to do more with less.

Energy Modeling Software

2010-02-02T07:30:00.004-05:00

Energy modeling software has become quite important in the last decade, mostly because of the LEED credits involved with energy usage (and the need to reduce long-term energy use because of costs). Energy use estimations in these cases have tended to be inaccurate, for as of yet unknown reasons. The USGBC is now mandating energy use reporting periods in order to track down the problems, and I have no doubt that eventually the problems will be found.

In the meantime, what are building designers to do? A good idea is to use any results from energy modeling as a guide rather than a gospel.

Energy modeling is still a very useful process. If for nothing else it makes you think long and hard about decisions that were once hidden behind a veil of complexity. Lighting issues matter, HVAC issues matter, renewable energy sources matter. With a little bit of attention and ingenuity, our buildings can start saving money and emissions from the first day of operation.

Software that allows one to calculate the true effects of every project decision is somewhere in the region of non-existent or too expensive. But we have great reason to celebrate, because energy modeling is about to become widely available and much more accurate.

The US Dept. of Energy has been steadily working on their EnergyPlus program for several years. This program is the calculating engine behind most of the software packages today. It incorporates everything that people know about heat transfer and energy usage. The one thing missing is a Graphical User Interface. Previously there was only one option if you needed a GUI - you can purchase a commercial package such as offered by Bentley, Autodesk, or IES.

If you can can't afford this, or are just looking to play around with some fun freeware programs then I strongly suggest everyone investigate the new SketchUp plugin IES-VE Ware. With this setup, you can draw a design in SketchUp and do limited energy analyses with the plugin. It won't be enough to estimate your monthly bill, and certainly nowhere near the sophistication needed to qualify for LEED points, but it's a good start. (see the plugins at SketchUp's own site)

It's only a rumor, but I have heard that ASHRAE believes a new user interface for the EnergyPlus engine will become available within the next year or two. This would usher in a new era of energy modeling of the people, by the people, and for the people! Keep your fingers crossed, we may get lucky.

Andrew Carnegie's Great Legacy

2010-01-29T07:30:00.001-05:00

Steel construction maintains a huge market share in the US. Structural engineers design steel buildings every day, and most never think twice about the man whose name was once synonymous with the material: Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie, the Scottish immigrant as industrial magnate

Carnegie did not invent steel. However, he was the first one that both realized how it would transform the world and with enough capital to do something about it. Steel, even the old-fashioned alloys that most engineers thumb their noses at today, was still such an amazing material that Carnegie became the 2nd wealthiest human ever based on his investment in steel.

Indianapolis' Union Station structure bears his name throughout the building

Andrew Carnegie had a great business sense and knew a good deal when he saw one. But Carnegie realized that money was not all that important. He already knew that giving money to people not prepared to receive it was a bad idea. Instead of leaving a large inheritance or giving it away in a lottery, he wanted to do "real and permanent good" for people.

In fact, responsible management of charitable giving is hard work. For Carnegie, giving money away was more difficult than making it. It took a long time to give away so much money. In the end he set up many institutions to continue the process after his death. He laid out his philanthropic principles in his "Gospel of Wealth" publication.

His institutions sponsor all sorts of work even today, and his educational initiatives are legendary. The thousands of Carnegie libraries and the Carnegie Mellon University (my alma mater) are testament to the enduring power of educational efforts sponsored by his fortune.

Let's imagine that Andrew Carnegie was alive today, with the same intense philanthropic desire to help people. What changes would a modern day Carnegie seek to effect in today's society? What progressive programs could a person with $300 Billion kick-start, how could they usher in a new period of social growth in American Society?

I think Carnegie's most successful charities were ones that engaged the efforts of others and resulted in secondary effects. His libraries brought great literature and books to cities throughout the US. The people who took advantage of these opportunities created the conditions that helped the US prosper in the 20th century.

But his libraries also helped create communities. The physical presence of the library cemented the status of city on many towns. The simple, institutional architecture was a visible reminder that people could build the US into a great nation.

However, the most important effect of his libraries was unseen. It was the fact that cities had to set up a permanent taxing structure to ensure support for the libraries. Without the ability to regulate taxes and set budgets, no library would be awarded. Thus, the populace willingly taxed themselves to help the common good.

So we revisit the question: What would Andrew Carnegie do today?

If we view his legacy in light of civic reform, I have some good ideas. Sponsor or subsidize the creation of some public amenity, institution, or capital improvement project and put some strict requirements on it. Maybe ask cities to bid for different projects, and instead of bidding money they bid in terms of civic reform.

Want a new university or voc-tech school? Then put in place a new zoning code that allows high-density development and mixed use space.

Want to rebuild a blighted urban streetscape? Enact an iron-clad complete streets policy and an urban growth boundary.

Want a regional High-Speed-Rail or local subway system? Maybe the cities could enact TOD requirements on top of other minor reforms.

Want a new dock or freight rail intermodal facility? I think it's time for exclusive wildlife corridors or wildlife overpasses throughout the state.

Of course, when the cities are very thirsty for capital projects, the bidding could get even more intense. How about a health insurance exchange program for the state, or a Robin Hood educational system, or even reform of the inane and discriminatory US drug policies? I digress, but my point should be clear by now.

Carnegie's charitable givings were great for their intended purposes, but the unintended consequence of responsible civic government were probably even greater. A few cities here in the US could use a carrot to lead them to better governance. Maybe the Carnegie Library phase of this nation is over, but it's still a fun fantasy for any urban planner.

Facade Issues in Steel Buildings

2010-01-26T07:30:00.010-05:00

Of special note to anyone who been working with facade connections in steel buildings is two documents from AISC. The first is their "Design Guide 22: Facade Attachments to Steel-Framed Buildings" and the other is a recent article in MSC: "Steel Framing & Building Envelopes".

The Design Guide 22 is free to AISC members (~$60 otherwise) and is probably one of their best. It has a great amount of information about spandrel beams, connections, facade issues, and even backs it up with some FEA work.

The MSC article "Steel Framing & Building Envelopes" by James A. D'Aloisio, PE, SECB, LEED AP should be considered as an addendum to the design guide, specifically dealing with the issues of thermal bridging and building envelope thermal performance. Basically, if an engineer applies the suggestions from DG22 without considering thermal bridging effects, then the R-value of the wall assembly could be halved (!).

D'Aloisio's has published some interesting details he is experimenting with. His recommendation is to always use a thermal break, and he shows a Fiberglass-Reinforced Plastic shim plate to isolate steel lintels and hangers from the exterior environment. As he points out, many LEED NC buildings are not meeting their expected performance levels. The reason may be because of conventional details used by the construction industry.

Green Starts at Home... Or Does It?

2010-01-22T07:30:00.004-05:00

This past month I saw a lot of New Year's articles that addressed going green as a resolution for the upcoming year. Obviously their heart and mind were in the right place. But I wanted to be a bit cynical in this post.

Any home was once an empty piece of land. That piece of land was a special niche in the local ecology. A foot deep of priceless topsoil. Earthworms tilled the soil, butterflies hatching from cocoons on a nearby shrub. All sorts of life forming an interwoven, dynamic web. When you really think about it, that home wasn't built on an empty piece of land, it was built to replace a grassland or a stand of old hardwood trees.

To build this house, people decided to "improve" the land. They built a shell from the carcasses of trees as a shelter, the inhabitants themselves part of the extinction of half of biodiversity and the spoiling of every watershed on the planet. Mankind's capacity to upset nature is only matched by their capacity to delude themselves into thinking they benefit the planet by their presence.

It might sound like I am saying all human development is bad. In fact, that's exactly what I'm saying. But the environment can tolerate a little bad. Just not bad on the scale we've been doing. Going green is all about less bad.

So let's return to the issue of housing. Can going green at home really make a difference? It depends. Housing is a big piece of the puzzle, but the actual houses and what's inside of them aren't the problem. The problem is the way we organize our neighborhoods and cities. The built environment in the US forces a huge energy investment to accomplish anything.

The "go green at home" idea implies that we can save the world from climate change by buying products that are better for the environment. This makes the assumption that buying different things will give us different results. The truth is that we can't buy our way out of this.

Here is a chart showing the best ways to help the environment versus perception:

I'm no environmental saint. My own efforts in this realm pale in comparison to some of my neighbors and family. In reality we all need to go green at home, but it is not the most productive place to start changing.

The problem is that as a democratic society we are all connected. The choices that people make affect all of us, sometimes in weird ways. When some people stop driving then others are likely to take their place. If people buy a car with a better gas mileage rating then they usually end up driving more miles. On average, its not easy to change social trends in the US through voluntary action.

So without major structural reforms of the built environment I fear that the sacrifices that people make net zero benefits. I applaud all of the efforts that people make, but I believe that going green doesn't begin at home, it begins with good policies. Now, more than ever before, we need to let science guide our policy making decisions rather than whatever it is that people talk about in media. Get active politically if you want to get active in the environment. Do your research, find and support groups and politicians that build their platform on the issues that matter to the environment. It doesn't even cost anything.

A Tragedy in Haiti

2010-01-18T07:30:00.004-05:00

On January 12, a 7.0 seismic event centered close to Haiti's capital, Port Au Prince, caused massive devastation. The collapsed structures and untreated injuries may cause up to 200,000 deaths.

The past few days have been a nightmare for people on the ground. The EQ knocked out much of the country's fragile infrastructure. Haiti was a nation that was already in need of major assistance, having experienced 4 full-scale hurricanes last year and decades of political instability. A 7.0 EQ is absolutely a major event, and coming so close on the heels of last years problems is just horrible.

To put it in perspective, California's Northridge EQ in 1994 was one of the USA's worst disasters causing $20B worth of damage and it only registered a 6.7 magnitude. Haiti's EQ caused strong lateral movements, and judging from the USGS map the accelerations were almost as strong as gravity. This is the structural equivalent of taking a building and turning it on its side, again and again.

Very few buildings can survive this type of movement undamaged. Haiti was even worse off because of their building materials. Many of the buildings were built from unreinforced, hand-mixed concrete blends. The images on TV show the results well enough, the TV crews probably don't even need to look very hard to find examples.

As a structural engineer, it is always difficult to see the problems caused by improper construction and to know that many of the problems could have been avoided. Of course once an earthquake hits, engineers are powerless.

Using a list of simple rules engineers can easily design buildings that, for the most part, will preserve life safety. Designers of critical structures such as police buildings, hospitals, and bridges know in advance that they must make sure the structure will be operational in even the worst of events. The hospitals, bridges, and government buildings in Haiti appear to be worse off than other buildings, even.

So why do events like this happen? Engineers understand earthquakes, but that is only one step in the chain of safe construction. Simply stated, it is a political failure. Building codes are rolled back by politicians, with the excuse that they are too expensive. Contractors pay bribes to inspectors to pass suspect materials and shoddy workmanship. Engineers are asked to turn a blind eye in the name of patriotism. The problem with this "build quickly" theory is that the buildings remain and the legacy of poor construction becomes a ticking time bomb.

I am not trying to lay this problem at the feet of Haitians. I doubt many of them knew they were sitting on a fault line. They probably didn't understand that reinforcing is required in columns for earthquake resistance. The engineering community needs to make a greater effort to encourage seismic resistant buildings in developing nations.

The engineer's sole weapon against natural disasters is good design. If engineers aren't proactive in the political realm or if engineers cede their responsibilities, then they will fail in their duty to protect the public welfare.

Anyone interesting in helping the efforts in Haiti should donate to the American Red Cross disaster relief foundation. Engineers wanting to donate specific skills should go to the ASCE Disaster Assistance page.

Happy (belated) New Year!

2010-01-14T07:30:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a good holiday season. I spent the past few weeks with family and friends, relaxing and recharging my batteries. It was also great to be back in a warmer climate watching a blizzard move through the US.

My mom and stepfather have successfully set up a vineyard winery, with products now available locally in central Texas. So congratulations to them for their hard work! We celebrated the holidays with their organically farmed, sustainably managed, zero-mile wine.

New Year's Day is also a chance to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. 2009 was a redeeming year for APOS, over 100 posts published and I was very proud of a few. Here's a list of my favorites from 2009:

If I missed anyone else's favorite, they are all listed in the Archives!

Looking to the future, I anticipate another year full of personal and professional growth. I have found the website to be a great hobby. I love bringing together my interests in the community with my interests in engineering. Blogging = awesomeness defined. I'm even going to kick it up a notch, as my wife bought me a new camera. 10MP of photographic power in a pocket-friendly plastic form.

Closed for the Holidays

2009-12-18T07:30:00.005-05:00

If anyone wants to know why I have been writing less the past month, it is because the economy has begun recovery in my area and work is coming in strong and steady. I also participated in the Greening of the IMU project (writeup to come soon) and I have been involved with the latest efforts from the ASCE/EWRI Rain Garden project (writeup also to come soon).

IMU is pursuing LEED EB (image courtesy of Indiana Univ.)

Green Infrastructure for everyone!

I will be away from the computer most of the holidays, so wanted to wish everyone a good break and I will be writing again in about two weeks.

In the meantime, I will leave everyone with some fun websites to visit:
(Gen)erative scapes
Prepare to have your mind blown

Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air
Absolutely the best white paper/book/opinion ever produced on cutting through to the essential quandaries of providing sustainable energy for an entire country. If you do anything related to sustainability this winter, please start by reading this in its entirety. (Download full PDF here)

Building Green, Being Green
A structural engineer describing sustainable design from her own experiences

Bad British Architecture
Name says it all

Design Intelligence
Blog from the DI publishers

Reclaimagination
An inactive blog, but one from a civil engineer with great photos of a senior design project at CMU (created about 5 years after my own class' project at CMU, a writeup on this topic also coming soon)

Green Building Law Blog
"Pre-Consumer, Non-Recycled Content Regarding Green Building and the Law" - I've said it before and I'll say it again: The LEED certification process has torn down the walls that separate professionals and it has already changed the world. This blog about green building from a lawyer's perspective is evidence of the LEED legacy that will be remembered for many years to come.

Engineering Humour: Movies for Architects

2009-12-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Movies for Architects, by Blair Fink

Dirty Rotten Spandrels
Stucco on You
Girder, My Sweet
The Bad News Barriers
Take the LEED
Battman
The Gable Guy
Flashingdance
Requiem for a Beam
Gone With the Windows
You Got Surveyed

Fear of Litigation No Excuse for Poor Policy

2009-12-04T07:30:00.002-05:00

A recent Supreme Court decision has important implications for civic management. In the case regarding the promotion of fire fighters in New Haven CT (Ricci v. DeStefano) the city's council refused to promote fire fighters to management positions after testing results revealed that certain minority groups tested poorly and were not eligible for advancement.

This case is strongly associated with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII in particular), which has always been a contentious issue. Much of what I am discussing here is the court's opinion, not necessarily my own, so please don't bash this post if you don't agree with the Supreme Court's ruling. This post is only concerned with the beneficial aspects of the Supreme Court clarifying an incredibly complex issue, one that will allow it to come to decisions quicker and with more authority.

In the case of the New Haven firefighters, the Supreme Court found in favor of the firefighters, ruling that the city had imposed disparate-treatment based on prohibited actions. Basically, even though the city extensively studied the test and the test-takers it could find no reason to throw out the results. Because it still threw out the results, its decision was based solely on racial considerations.

This case is important because no good option existed for the city. Any decision they made would have been greeted with anger, lawsuits, and unhappiness. It is not unlike most decisions facing civic governance throughout the US. Cities must make decisions to operate, and this court ruling helps cities decide how to decide.

Based on the arguments made in court by the city, it became clear that the city's main motivation was to avoid liability under Title VII. There was no other basis for their decision. The court found this argument unacceptable. Decisions must be based on evidence, not fear of litigation.

Complicated issues must be decided by cities all the time. If no actions are taken, then the city becomes paralyzed. This has occurred in many cities already. The city officials and employees are so afraid of running afoul of legislation that they cease making decisions at all. This ruling has clarified the issue at hand - how to come to a decision when either path presents a prima facie liability. It is an easy solution: gather evidence and base the decison on that evidence.

Cities still have to make hard decisions. They still have to deal with the consequences of their decisions. But they can no longer hide behind their fear of litigation, because that in itself is a horrible option.

Metastable Equilibrium

2009-12-04T07:30:00.001-05:00

One of the key concepts in engineering theory is metastable equilibrium. Systems are designed to resist forces, but a large shock can cause catastrophe.

The classic example of this is a marble resting on the dish. The marble can move in any direction but will come back to rest in the middle of the dish - unless it is pushed hard. Then it is given enough energy to seek a new equilibrium position. Maybe the new equilibrium position is inside a larger dish. Maybe it's on the floor, rolling straight towards a heating vent.

The principle at work here is minimization of potential energy. Every object at every scale seeks to minimize its energy level. It explains the throwing off of photons from excited electrons in a neon light, it explains the shape of water condensate, it governs the flow of hot gas up a chimney, and, unfortunately, it means that our buildings fall down in high winds.

You can never prevent minimization of potential energy because you can't stop entropy. However, you can slow it down. You can trick systems into finding a local minima, just like the marble was tricked into the middle of the saucer. This is called metastability. The system is not at its preferred state, but a further investment of energy is needed to push it over the edge. Until that energy is provided the system will remain in its metastable state.

This concept is not only useful in structural engineering, it is broadly applicable. For instance, we can use the principles to discuss why sustainability is important. If we look at the ecological system here in the Midwest, we see that everywhere people are constantly altering small aspects of our environment. None of these actions by itself cause much damage. But if we consider the sum total of all of the actions, we realize that a destabilizing force is being applied.

An ecological system is merely metastable. Most people believe that humans can act as responsible stewards of the environment (e.g. recent tuna conservation debate). The current theories of resource management assume that we can study natural systems and determine where the tipping points are. As long as we don't push nature over the edge then we can optimize our utility of it.

The problem is that balancing nature on the edge means only a small shock will lead to disaster. History is full of civilizations who have learned too late that nature should not be pushed too far. A recent study pointed out that the Nazca civilization may have been decimated by a combination of over-harvesting Huarango trees before a severe El-Nino event. The old forests are now deserts, having suffered a complete ecological collapse in CE500. The people kept pushing that marble towards the edge, never expecting the strong shock that forced it over.

We are now playing the same game on a global scale. We don't have to think too hard to find the next shock to the system. Climate change is expected to be capped at a 2degC change, but could go higher if politicians don't find a way forward in Copenhagen (current rate is 6degC - BBC). This rapid climate change could force our ecological systems over the edge and hurtling out of control.

Not only will these changes devastate our natural resources, especially for those areas fenced in by human development, it will cause our carefully cultivated croplands major problems. Imagine trying to curb world hunger and disease when global crop capacity decreases by 30%.

As an engineer, I am familiar with the effects of upsetting metastability. Our industry is always studying disasters and trying to learn from them. Of course, the disasters leave human tragedy in their wake. Society buries its dead. Survivors return to the scene of the tragedy and face a pile of debris that was once the source of their community. Amid all the calls to rebuild, everyone begins to doubt if what was lost could ever be replaced. We must remember that certain things can never be replaced.

Placemaking in Irvington

2009-11-26T13:30:00.001-05:00

During the Spirit and Place Festival this year, Health by Design sponsored a presentation by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) at the Indiana State Museum. UrbanIndy wrote an entry about the event, pointing out how the event fostered participation and collaboration.

Placemaking (@wikipedia) is about building plazas, city squares, and all kinds of pedestrian infrastructure that supports active streetlife. Placemaking is a great way for people to get involved in their community, because placemaking requires no special skills. Everyone knows what kind of spaces they enjoy, and there are no technical challenges such as fire safety or structural safety concerns that require specialized knowledge.

I don't want to minimize the difficulty of good design, because landscape architects, civil engineers, traffic engineers, and architects must be involved for a successful project. But in general, the public can and should be active in setting goals and design objectives.

I decided to apply what I learned from PPS to my own experiences with my neighborhood. PPS strongly advocates for public involvement in placemaking, encouraging residents to communicate what they know about their places. It is up to the public to speak up about what works, what doesn't work, and what they want their places to be like.

During the presentation, Ethan Kent (working for the Great Cities Initiative) asked all the participants to think about their local places. In particular, they ask people to use the power of ten to organize their ideas. So for my evaluation of Irvington (see earlier posts), I have come up with 10 ideas each category: 10 places that work, 10 places that fail, and the 10 best opportunities for change.

10 Irvington Places that Work:
These places are the reasons that people enjoy living in the neighborhood. They succeed on a basic level and inspire the residents to use the public space as a shared resource, building a community.

Pennsy Trail
This rail-to-trail linear park is brand new, but is a great addition to the area. (See earlier posts for more information)

South Audubon Circle
This park in the middle of a traffic circle is one of the neighborhood's most loved places. (See earlier traffic circle post for more information)

Washington St. Commercial Corridor
This stretch of East Washington Street is a functional and exciting commercial area, with a theater, local coffeeshop and Starbucks, library, old lodge building, several restaurants, and locally owned shops.

Michigan/New York Bike Lanes
The bike lanes make commuting on two wheels to downtown possible. (See earlier post) The intersection with Pleasant Run Trail and Ellenberger park makes for an interesting crossroads.

Historic Houses
Some of the best historic homes in Indianapolis can be found in the neighborhood. They are scattered throughout, rewarding exploration of the area. (See earlier post) Many of the homes create a sense of history and community, turning the narrow streets and sidewalks into comfortable neighborhood places.

Street Festivals
Twice a year, Irvington closes down a few blocks of E Wash St and has a party in the street. Thousands of people, local merchants, funnel cakes, kids, dogs, and a fish fry replace the internal combustion engines. (See Halloween post for more photos)

Ellenberger Park
This place is at the nexus of pleasant run creek park and the bike lanes heading downtown.

It has a great blend of functions and greenery, making it a cherished place within the community. Ellenberger park is a great example of something unexpected that fits in. Just like Central Park in NYC, a good stretch of green can make a great place when supported by the community.

Audubon Court Apartments
Recently renovated and opened to residents, this old apartment building has a unique style and wonderful street presence along Washington Street. The front porches and interesting features make this a place rather than just an address.

Bona Thompson Library
This structure from the old Butler University campus hosts many events and serves as a communal place nestled in the quiet residential streets. It is where the residents learn about local history, hold forums for discussion, vote, and keep treasures.

Irvington Branch Library
This building represents the city's commitment to the area. The library is one of the best and most useful buildings in the area, and it creates a place on its grounds that is used for all sorts of local gatherings and outdoor meetings. It's also a good location to sit and watch people walking through the neighborhood.

10 Irvington Places that Fail:
This section features a list of places that fail to provide for the interconnected needs of humanity. Some of them were designed for specific clients and serve their owners well, but a key element is missing. Public spaces must responsibly accommodate many different users. These spaces have been designed, but the designers failed to put the buildings in the context of the neighborhood.

Old Pennsylvania Railroad Commercial Area
The loss of railroad commuters made businesses move to E Wash St during the early 20th century. Some of the old buildings are still here, but there was no effort to preserve the original storefront area and newer buildings make it look like a suburban development. (See earlier post)

Indy East Motel
In its final years of operation, this motel became a state-sponsored halfway home of sexual offenders, instigating a powerful reaction from local residents. The neighborhood fought a long battle to close this motel, knowing that a closed business would be more welcome than a haven for crime. The empty property is the legacy of a property owner who cared more for money than the welfare of his community. (see story on Indy.com)

Commercial Corridor east of Arlington
Just another photo showing the banal, repressive, and dangerous streetscape found in most communities in the US. Complete Streets anyone?

Dilapidated Apartment Buildings
When rents are low, the apartment buildings suffer from disinvestment and the residents are forced to live in substandard housing. There are several apartment buildings along E Wash St that have neglected the opportunity to create spaces, in contrast to the Audubon Court mentioned above.

Parking Lot for Plasma Center
This one place inspires more hostile feelings amongst residents than anywhere else in the area besides the old Indy East Motel. The original buildings were demolished (aside from one blighted corner building). The new building does not address the street, but the parking lot instead. Combined with the suburb-style pharmacy across the street, it feels out of place. I have no problem with the business, but the space it created is just plain weird.

Washington Street as Urban Highway
Too many lanes, no accommodation of bicyclists, and no reason for being oversize. This road is way overdesigned for traffic. Seriously, how would any area ever accommodate street life with a high speed highway splitting it in two? The accelerating cars speeding down Wash St prevent any street conversations or even talking on the phone while enjoying a snack at Starbucks.

How many East-West highways are necessary on the East-side of Indy? We have I-70, Michigan/NY (1-way streets), E Wash St (US-40), and Brookville/English. WTF? Further east of Irvington they even added lanes to US40, now with 7 lanes of traffic and no median, crosswalks, or consistent signal spacings. The photo below was taken at 5PM, I don't see why we needed this expansion in any case. If you ever needed evidence of no intelligent life on the planet, this would be it.

Excess Greenscaping, Parking Lots, and Low-Profile Buildings
The low price of real-estate during the second half of the 20th century invited sprawling architecture and parking lots in place of the historic and more energy efficient multiple story buildings located on the street front. It also meant that the local roads stopped feeling like contained places that comfort and support pedestrian life.

Asphalt Road Conditions
Another problem with the streets-as-places model in the neighborhood is the patchwork asphalt roads. On one hand it does slow traffic, but on the other hand it makes it appear that the neighborhood does not care for its own infrastructure. The city-dictated maintenance schedule is to blame, so locals have to live with a public eyesore on their doorstep for many years.

Sidewalks with Utility Poles
Why does this happen in the US?

Bell Telephone Building
The destruction of this beautiful building's facade went beyond a mere loss of historic character. The loss of windows meant that the street lost its status as a watched and cared for place.

10 Best Opportunities for Change in Irvington:
This section is a compilation of my ideas for the neighborhood. They are not official, and I have never submitted them for consideration in any capacity. But the whole point of the exercise is brainstorming, so I hope they get people thinking about ways to improve Irvington, or even inspire people to think about their own local places.

The United States deserves better places, and starting locally is the best way to make that happen. Look around you and start thinking about placemaking and the opportunity we have to recreate our public spaces.

Washington Street Corridor Streetscape
This is a project that will be completed within 2 years. Placemaking is the main purpose, so it should be a great project for the neighborhood.

Extension of Pennsy Trail in Each Direction
Another planned project, but with unknown completion time. This one is important because it will add another reason to be in Irvington and also link many of the favorite places together.

Convert Bonna Street into Linear Market
Currently, Bonna Street is a narrow, non-continuous street paved with a combination of bricks, asphalt, and concrete. The adjoining green space is the future location of the Pennsy Trail extending to Ritter, but is being used as nothing more than a parking area right now.

I propose restoring the brick pavers, extending the Pennsy Trail, and using the street for temporary markets and festivals. This would encourage commercial activity to return to this area, adding additional storefronts to the Historic Irvington area.

New Plaza outside Irvington Branch Library
While the Irvington Branch Library is great as it currently stands, the front sidewalk area is not wide enough to support the impromptu community meetings. In fact, there is no outdoor plaza anywhere on E Wash St corridor that would help groups meet and greet. I have seen lots of activities like bike-rides, rain-barrel workshops, political rallies, and similar events in Irvington. Providing an open location, freely available to anyone that would accommodate 20-50 people would add a key place for the community.

Connecting all Schools Together with Bike/Walk Lanes
The many public, private, and charter schools within the neighborhood can be converted into special places by reducing the need for parking lots and drop-off areas.

Harvested Rainwater Sprinkler Park
Community swimming pools are expensive. They also require a lot of built infrastructure. And then there is the concern that pools may be a waste of potable water. In response to these concerns, I propose adding a Sprinkler Park at Brown's Corner Park.

The concept is to make it an educational center that explains where recreational water comes from and how the pumps receive power. If no sun is shining and no rain has been falling, then the sprinkler park would not run. This would teach users that water and power are renewable resources, and it's not just a matter of flipping a switch or turning a faucet.

Because the sprinkler park would have no standing water, it would not require lifeguards or attendants of any kind. The sprinklers would only operate during certain hours, and be freely available. No chain-link fences required.

Greenscaping and Bio-retention area for Irvington Square Mall
This parking lot has *way* too much paving and parking spaces. I have never seen the lots filled, which creates the impression of failed businesses. In reality, it's just too much parking capacity. I propose adding some green elements that tie into the trail. Adding some storefronts along E Wash St would be a great idea too, but I don't know if the property owners want to add even more square footage to this sprawling commercial area.

Brick Paving along Historic Streets
Brick street paving is a great way to restore historic authenticity to neighborhoods. It also slows down traffic significantly and forces through-traffic to other areas. Pavers also turn impermeable surfaces into permeable ones, reducing stormwater quantity and recharging aquifers. Irvington has more brick streets than any other neighborhood in Indianapolis, but we can always improve the situation by adding more.

My favorite neighborhood with brick streets (aside from Irvington) is German Village in Columbus, Ohio. (see photo) Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, PA is another great example. (see photo)

Transit Center and Landbanking
Indianapolis is moving towards a regional transit system. It may be 20 years off, but Irvington should start planning for a neighborhood transit center now. It is likely that the B&O lines will be used to run a rail system or a streetcar along E Wash St will be used. (See MPO RTS Study Map here) Either way, the neighborhood should begin thinking about how to accommodate mass transit and for a regional transit system.

In the meantime, a local transit center can be established near the main commercial corridor. Some people think they are just expensive bus stops, but they are much more than that. They are not a waste of money, they are a visible commitment to public transit in the city. Such buildings would be the best possible marketing tool for IndyGo - a stable and sure place for passengers to gather with clearly posted schedules. One great recent example is the Rosa Parks Transit Center in Detroit (see Arch Tracker page).

The neighborhood must be ready to propose a viable solution that will fit into the larger transit system plan. That will guarantee the neighborhood an important position on the transit line and allow Irvington to help develop the solution.

24hr Communal Television Plaza for Public Viewing
This is probably my most radical proposal. Instead of prohibiting gatherings and preventing loiterers, I would try to encourage it. Set up a plaza for free public use, one with a large television (or several televisions). Instead of people watching 5 hours of television at home every day (Nielsen average for US viewers), people could watch their shows or sports events in a communal setting. This has been very successful for large events like the Olympics or World Cup Soccer, so why not apply the lesson to public spaces year-round?

Public safety is often a concern in these places, but statistics prove that these places are safer than less traveled ones. People are generally civil and obey regulations when other people are around. The spaces that need additional regulations and monitoring are the places that nobody visits. We must not be afraid to let people come together freely, because that is the essence of community.

A Disaster: TAMU Bonfire Collapse

2009-11-24T07:30:00.002-05:00

This past November 12 was the tenth anniversary of the collapse of Texas A&M University's annual bonfire. A few weeks before their rivalry game with University of Texas, the large stack of logs fell apart while student workers were constructing it. The tragedy claimed the lives of 12 students and injured 27 others.

I grew up in College Station, TX, home of TAMU. I once lived very close to the site, and as a kid I would climb on top of my roof to watch the bonfire. That was a long time ago, of course.

At the time of the collapse, November 1999, I was a sophomore attending university in Pennsylvania. I first heard of the collapse when my advisor pulled me into his office and began asking questions about what happened. I assumed it was nothing more than a shifting of the foundation, as had happened before, requiring a rebuild. In fact, it was a true disaster that would test the very foundations of tradition in my hometown.

The event was a surreal experience for me, as I'm sure it was for many in my hometown. I remember seeing friends from high school being interviewed on television, and wondering how the town I viewed as the safest place in the world could ever be the site of such tragedy.

I was never involved in the bonfire, and I never knew much about its construction. As I learned more about it over the next few years, I was amazed at the recklessness of the university administration. The public, especially those in my hometown, assumed that the bonfire was a safe event because it was blessed by the public officials in charge of it. We had no idea that the students would be allowed to be placed in such danger on a routine basis.

This disaster, as is typically the case, was not a failure of engineering knowledge but a failure of organizational ineptitude. The administration had consistently turned a blind-eye to the bonfire construction process. It was a significant structure that should have been designed, verified, built according to law, and inspected on a regular schedule.

Instead, it was merely sketched out in advance, put up and pounded together with little respect for engineering principles, and tied together with ineffective materials by students who spent a whole semester skipping classes, drinking alcohol, and engaging in institutionalized hazing. TAMU's administration (and many local politicians) allowed this to go on because they were once part of this tradition, and felt the bonfire tradition was something too important to interfere with.

The tragedy was not that the bonfire fell (that was inevitable - it was going to happen at some point), it was that the TAMU administration did so little to protect their student body from an engineering disaster. I'm no fan of in loco parentis in modern colleges, but this was absolute negligence.

The University erected a permanent memorial at the site of the collapse. TAMU did undertake a full investigation and thus far have refused to continue the practice. I'm sure it is not easy for them to consistently deny the requests of alumni who want to start the tradition back up, but I do know that the memorial is clearly visible from the administration building and they need only look out their window to remember why it was cancelled.

I don't think any activity that has proven to be so dangerous should be reinstated. There is nothing that will ever convince me that student's lives should be put at risk. In the end, this disaster probably showed a lot of colleges and universities around the world that they need to take a closer look at their sanctioned events.

There are many ways in which students can show honor to past traditions, engage in creative challenges, and help foster a sense of community. But any activities resembling the Aggie Bonfire, a large structure capable of causing great harm, must be carefully managed by those in responsible charge.

2009 Irvington Halloween Festival

2009-11-20T07:30:00.014-05:00

Halloween in Irvington is celebrated with a flourish. The old town's namesake, Washington Irving, is honored in several ways along with other traditional authors of the American Romantic period that Irvington embodies. Poems by Poe, stories by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and ghost stories from the neighborhood's past all play a big role in the Halloween Festival.

My favorite part is the Saturday Festival, during which time they close E Wash St and let the crowds overtake it. It's a wonderful reminder that streets can be a great communal place.

This year was one of the best because of the great weather and the calendar - the Saturday of the festival was the 31st this year! I enjoyed the event and definitely found some interesting things. We bought some art, had some of the fish fry, and ended up with a giant paella cookset.

In general, it was great fun and the costumes we saw were amazing. We didn't stay for the whole event, but I would have loved to have seen the kids and the pets parading down main street.

Several live bands were playing

Death ponders a new form of transit

St. George and the Dragon

Witch, of the canine variety

My favorite costumes (pregnant cheerleader, Bender, and mad scientist)

Advice for Young Engineers Looking for Work

2009-11-17T07:30:00.004-05:00

It's a tough economy out there. Graduate engineers are in a better position than most people when looking for a job, but getting that first job is a hard task for anyone right now. But, even with all of the problems facing young engineers right now, they still have some options if they can't find their ideal position.

There are a few employers of graduate engineers that are always hiring, including:

Work for a related industry or employer
Graduate School
Military Service
Development and charitable organizations
Go live at home and help the family

Other Work
The first option makes an explicit assumption that not everyone will get their #1 choice for a job. This is not really a problem, though. There are still plenty of jobs available in the market, but some graduates will have to expand their concept of engineering.

Many firms that do not receive national press, have poor presence on the internet, and do not recruit at schools actually do very important engineering work. They are more difficult to find, but they can provide a new graduate with their important first job.

Another strategy is to apply for jobs in a related industry or employer. There are many companies that make products, components, or sell services directly to engineering firms. These companies prefer hiring engineers because they understand clients better. Just remember, becoming an engineer is a long process and engineering experience can come in many different forms in the first few years of employment.

Graduate School
Personally, I graduated during a recessionary period after the Dot.Com market fiasco. This was also a time when fewer entry positions were open. I was totally unprepared for this event and didn't even know what part of the country I wanted to live in after graduation, and I certainly didn't know where to apply for jobs.

Eventually I decided that graduate school was a good option for me. This decision must me made early in the final year of school, or else it is unlikely that all of the paperwork and testing can be completed on time. Graduate fellowship positions are extremely competitive when the job market is at a low, but sometimes it is worth the additional debt to continue classes anyways. The tuition costs can be paid off later with a stronger resume and a better job.

Military Service
Military service is also an option. I know several friends and classmates who chose to join the military after graduation instead of looking for a job. It's a hard decision for anyone to make because of the risks and consequences, but engineers can be a valuable asset in the military.

Experience in the military is a great way for graduate engineers to differentiate themselves when applying for a job. Here in the US, most employers are cognizant that honorably discharged soldiers make some of the best employees and get great training from Uncle Sam. On the other hand, military service is incredibly hard even during times of peace, so the decision should not be made lightly.

Development Organizations
Another option beyond military service is finding a position with peacemaking and development organizations. The Peace Corp, Americorp, Teach America, and similar programs can provide a great way to give back to the global community with engineering skills. These programs also carry risk and consequences, so they must be carefully considered before any decision is made.

Moving Back Home
One final option for many graduates is to return home and live with their family. This is a very common action in times of economic hardship. Single family homes typically have an elastic capacity to absorb grown children, pets, married couples and their children. All of the empty apartments, rental houses, and foreclosed homes are good evidence of this happening. The last time this happened on such a large scale was the Great Depression, which forced many families back together.

Moving back home was also part of my strategy for graduate school. I was fortunate enough to grow up down the road from a state engineering school that accepted me for grad school. Not everyone will fit into that circumstance, but many people have families, relatives, or close family friends near engineering colleges.

Most people are often more than willing to have a long-term guest in their house to help out friends and family. The lower costs can make a big difference, as my stipend would have put me well below the poverty line but my free rent gave me the opportunity to eat things other than Ramen.

The Big Picture
Whatever choices graduate engineers make, there are a few key points to remember. The first is that most graduates should find jobs that will support their application to become a Professional Engineer (PE). This means that the job should be managed by an already licensed PE or should be academic in nature. The NCEES licensure page has additional information. Graduate engineers should *never* assume that their job is applicable unless specifically noted.

Also, the first few years after graduation are a time of continuing education. Indeed, this is true for the entire career of most engineers. Engineers must make every attempt to continue learning, studying, and asking questions. As noted in the beginning, not every engineer will find their #1 job waiting for them upon graduation. This is not the time to despair and abandon one's goals. Instead, work hard to develop into the type of engineer that will qualify for one's ideal job.

Whatever the future may bring, graduate engineers must take the initiative to learn from coworkers, stay active in the community, join professional groups, read books, play softball and sports whenever possible, and maybe even tackle some collaborative design challenges with other engineers and architects.

Conspiracy Theories in the Realm of Structural Engineering

2009-11-13T07:30:00.003-05:00

As a structural engineer, I get a lot of questions regarding the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings. People want to know if there is any validity to the claims of demolition by explosives. As with anything in life, there are no certainties, but I find the claims of conspiracy to be very unlikely. Consult the NIST website on WTC collapse (and final report here) if you want to see the official accepted course of events based on thousands of hours of research and analysis by disinterested scientists and engineers. For other opinions, consult Structure Magazine's archives and search for WTC articles (like WTC 7 and WTC 5).

Just as with the moon landing conspiracy and the Obama is an alien conspiracy theory, providing evidence to debunk the myths does nothing to dispel the rumors. People believe what they want to believe, despite having the ability to reason for themselves. Thus, I don't think any logical argument or presentation of evidence will change anyone's minds, so I am not going to present one here. For a good, logical refute of the arguments, see Rolling Stone's "The Low Post."

However, I do want to discuss the ethical implications of these beliefs among the structural engineering and architectural community. If someone has not yet decided what happened on any of these occasions, just be aware that spreading conspiracy theories will have a negative impact on one's career. Basically people will think they are crazy or stupid, neither of which are positive characteristics for an engineer.

An important ethical implication that must also be considered is that the many engineers that have been closely involved with the original design and investigations are essentially being accused of mass murder. Or covering up for mass murderers. These engineers have absolutely nothing other than the highest respect for human life, throwing them into the same category as history's greatest villains will not win any points.

In fact, a recent debacle at the White House showed that indicating support for these ideas can create professional problems many years down the road. The Green Jobs adviser for the Obama Administration was forced out because of support for 9/11 conspiracy theory. This is a good lesson for all of us to learn. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

UPDATE: IND International Airport

2009-11-11T07:30:00.007-05:00

Structure Magazine just published their steel focus issue, which features an article on the new IND airport terminal building. The article was written by the structural engineers and adds to the information I presented in my own post on the IND airport.

"Gateway to the Circle City"

Also, I took some newer photos of the terminal and wanted to post them along with some closeups of the tensile membrane structures. So without further ado here are the terminal and concourse photos:

A view of the concourse from the parking structure

Terminal A from the South

The bridge link between the concourse and ground transportation center

View of the canopy structure and departing flight dropoff

As mentioned above, I also got some photos of the membrane structures for those of us who love that kind of thing. These were designed and built by Geiger Engineers.

Central canopy over parking corridor

Underside of the canopy

Canopy framing details

Vehicle ramp corkscrew canopy

Corkscrew transition and central hub behind

Edge connection details

My contribution to the Airport was the PARCS building (where they eat your money) - my firm did the building and foundation structural design, Geiger did the canopy design

Parking Access and Revenue Control System (PARCS) Building

BRIC Construction

2009-11-09T07:30:00.003-05:00

The fast growing economies of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) need complex infrastructure solutions and they need them fast. There is a great opportunity for engineers who know how to meet those needs. Considering that these countries are the next dominant world powers based on current global development trends, we had better begin brushing up on our Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin/Cantonese, and Hindi.

A lot of engineers in the US feel threatened by overseas competition. I don't. I feel that our ethical obligations to "build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others" mean that we shouldn't put up unfair barriers to outside competition. I encourage honest competition, if we can lower prices and maintain safe structures then everyone benefits. Competition for important jobs always inspires creativity.

Let's not try to hold back our engineering friends from the BRIC countries, I say we welcome them and start working together to solve humanity's great problems. But seriously, I expect great things to come out of these countries in the next few decades. Russia and Brazil are scheduled to host upcoming Olympic games, China just hosted one itself, and India has been widely acknowledged as one of the new world powers.

These countries are still working through some difficult issues like guarantees of democracy, freedom of the press, and human rights issues, but their own ascension to the world geopolitical stage is not unlike the US or similar countries. It took the US many many years before we met our goals of a society based on equal rights (still an ongoing process). It's important to look at where these countries will be in 30 years, not necessarily where they are right now.

A caveat remains, however. As the people living there acquire more wealth and seek the luxuries that the US and Europe currently enjoy, then the efforts at preventing climate change could be thrown into disarray. It is important that we get this right, because the BRIC countries represent 40% of the human population! The way to do this correctly is for the US and developed countries to start making serious policies regarding climate change. The time is right for developed countries to save the world, and it is our responsibility because we have been the cause of most of its problems through our centuries of industrial experimentation.

BRIC presents us an opportunity to start a meaningful dialogue about the future of the human condition. It is not just an opportunity to open their markets and sell them gasoline cars, it is an opportunity to raise the quality of life of every person on the planet in a meaningful, and sustainable, way. We have the capability to meet the needs of all people while still preserving a viable future for our later generations.

The BRIC economies have shown off the human ability for innovation. From the bus transit system of Curitiba, Brazil to the speeding bullet trains of China, these countries have no fear of modernizing their transportation systems. Of course, the traditional neighborhoods in these countries are some of the most efficient and low-impact styles of living, so we need to encourage BRIC to retain them. Let's not export our worst product - suburban sprawl. What we need are ways of accommodating the wants and desires of the middle class with the realities of a world under threat of climate change.

In this sense, the Western countries can continue to develop green designs that will deliver safety under environmental hazards, comfortable climate controls, and continued transit solutions. Working together, BRIC and the US/Europe can accomplish more than working alone. In support of these goals, I am including translation tools for this website. I may speak only one language, but I think if we listen carefully we find ways to understand each other.

(UM LUGAR DO SENTIDO) Portuguese

(भावना की जगह) Hindi

(MECTO SENSE) Russian

(地方的感觉) Chinese

Another Structural Engineering Genius!

2009-11-06T07:30:00.003-05:00

The McArthur Fellowship program has named another structural engineer recipient. This is great news because engineers will have a large role in solving the problems of modern society, just as they have helped improve human conditions for the past several hundred years.

This is the second year in a row a structural engineer has been named. See earlier post (Structural Engineer awarded McArthur Fellowship) as well. Will there be an SE three-peat? We will have to wait until next year to find out, but all you SE's out there need to keep working hard!

2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge

2009-11-03T07:30:00.004-05:00

I am happy to announce I finished my earlier project on time and submitted it for consideration in the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Challenge. I have spent nearly every spare moment on this project for the last two months, so I am very happy to complete it. I think it turned out well, too:

TENSILIGHT: Concentrating the Power of Community for a Sustainable Future

Project Summary:
TENSILIGHT is a tensile fabric structure with a dished rooftop that collects rainwater and concentrates solar energy. It is designed to help small communities transition from a petroleum based economy to one that accommodates growth in an era of limited resources. The goal is to create enduring communities by partnering with an NGO that will provide education in organic agricultural practices.

I had to work quite hard to find examples of this type of structure built previously, I was able to track down an expired patent for a similar idea (USPTO 4,608,964). I am not trying to claim originality for all the concepts involved, but I do think this would be the first time these concepts have been brought together.

My brother is considering sustainable agriculture projects in both central America and Western Africa. Obviously anything near the Sahara makes you think about using solar resources, and I think it would be fun to develop this project for nomadic or semi-nomadic people. A rapidly redeployable instant infrastructure. That is what originally inspired the ideas of tents (fabric structures) and solar power combined with rainwater harvesting.

We chose to focus on Guatemala because it worked out better on the timing. They needed the water collection more than the power, and that is probably the easiest function to accommodate. Overall, both locations offer a good opportunity to focus our ideas.

We chose to develop this idea as a community center in rural communities, but I think it would also have merit for other uses in developed countries. A quick check of the latest USGBC LEED program shows that it could help a project qualify for up to 23 pts when used as a parking structure, so it would be a good option for several different types of projects.

The best part of this project was the opportunity to work with my family (see Group info) to develop the ideas and see the different talents and viewpoints that each person contributed. I am hoping to continue developing our ideas past the initial design and into implementation. All three of us enjoy our work, but I think this was somehow more enjoyable because we allowed ourselves absolute freedom to create.

If anyone has comments on the design, please post them here. The rules of commenting are in this earlier entry, but otherwise post whatever you want. This design is still in the early stages of development, so criticism or suggestions could be very helpful.

Update on Coastal Engineering

2009-10-29T07:30:00.002-04:00

This post is an update to my post on Coastal Engineering and the impacts of sea level rise on the Atlantic Coast.

A recent article from ASCE's Smartbrief service says that Florida has allowed development along the coast to increase despite risks of sea level rise. The authors also introduce the concept of abandoned versus protected coastal properties, assuming that much of the developed land in places such as Miami will be shielded by Coastal Engineering projects.

There is a known risk (known since 1980, as pointed out in the article) that sea levels are likely to change. Current policies assume that they can be fixed, but this is only true if huge sums of money are involved.

One of the issues it raises is who will be paying for these engineered structures. The people who benefit most from preserving existing property rights will obviously be the property owners themselves. But the costs are so high that taxpayers from all over the country will probably be asked to chip in. This makes the coastal development activities of Florida and similar states irresponsible.

As sea levels rise during the next few decades, get ready for the biggest bailout in history.

A Place of Sense Update

2009-10-26T07:30:00.003-04:00

As an engineer, I have many designs and activities always calling for my attention. It's kind of like children, except I am allowed to love some more than others.

I am facing a project due at the end of the week (and probably extend for another week) so I won't be posting much. In the meantime, please enjoy the beautiful autumn weather and know there will be some fun and interesting posts at the beginning of November.

Also, go check out my new archive of posts.

US Climate Change Science Program

2009-10-22T07:30:00.004-04:00

I recently read the US Climate Change Science Program's report "Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-Level Rise: A Focus on the Mid-Atlantic Region." Released in January, 2009, this is part of the US Govt's documents that address the public policy issues surrounding climate change and its effects. Find more information at GlobalChange.gov.

This report has some interesting bits of information for engineers to consider:

Consensus in the climate science community is that the global climate is changing, mostly due to mankind’s increased emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, from burning of fossil fuels and land-use change (measurements show a 25 percent increase in the last century). Warming of the climate system is unequivocal. [my emphasis added]

...there is currently no consensus on the upper bound of global sea-level rise...

Recent studies suggest the potential for a meter or more of global sea level rise by the year 2100, and possibly several meters within the next several centuries.

...the rate of rise appears to have accelerated over twentieth century rates, possibly due to atmospheric warming causing expansion of ocean water and ice-sheet melting...

With a substantial acceleration of sea-level rise, traditional coastal engineering may not be economically or environmentally sustainable in some areas.

...it is likely that most wetlands will not survive acceleration in sea-level rise by 7 millimeters per year. Wetlands may expand inland where low-lying land is available but, if existing wetlands cannot keep pace with sealevel rise, the result will be an overall loss of wetland area in the Mid-Atlantic. The loss of associated wetland ecosystem functions (e.g., providing flood control, acting as a storm surge buffer, protecting water quality, and serving as a nursery area) can have important societal consequences, such as was seen with the storm surge impacts associated with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in southern Louisiana, including New Orleans, in 2005.

Loss of tidal marshes would seriously threaten coastal ecosystems, causing fish and birds to move or produce fewer offspring. Many estuarine beaches may also be lost, threatening numerous species.

Nearly one-half of the 6.7 billion people around the world live near the coast and are highly vulnerable to storms and sea-level rise.

Nationally, most current coastal policies do not accommodate accelerations in sea-level rise.

Most coastal regions are currently managed under the premise that sea-level rise is not significant and that shorelines are static or can be fixed in place by engineering structures. The new reality of sea-level rise due to climate change requires new considerations in managing areas to protect resources and reduce risk to humans.

This is scary stuff. If we underestimate the potential for climate change even a small amount, then it is unlikely that engineers can help. Typically engineers err on the side of caution. We are a conservative bunch, and uncertainty is explicitly and implicitly managed through the standard use of Load and Resistance Factors. However, the vast majority of civil engineers in the US are still not convinced of climate change at this point.

And while most people feel that governments are working towards a solution, the truth is that almost all governments have decided to sacrifice coastal areas to avoid the political reality of reducing emissions to really safe levels. Most governments have decided to "limit" global warming by redefining "safe levels" to whatever level is politically convenient.

I guess we are all counting on "geoengineering" to save the day, but that is probably the most expensive and least satisfactory solution of all (see Real Climate entry for more information). For those wondering just what Coastal Engineering can do for us, see my earlier post about San Francisco or just look at the multi-billion dollar MOSE Project being built to protect Venice.

Neither Coastal Engineering nor Geoengineering will be our savior. The cure of Geoengineering is almost as bad as the disease. Coastal Engineering is an expensive solution that requires us to choose certain areas for preservation. What is likely is that some areas are selected as too important to cede. The remainder will probably be lost because of rapid changes in sea level. The consequences of this change will be severe. Wetlands that shelter endangered bird species and protect coastal areas from hurricane storm surge will be lost.

The receding shoreline begins shifting so rapidly that whole towns must be abandoned or moved once per decade. The beautiful fishing villages and beaches of the Northeast will be decimated. The debate over Galveston and New Orleans becomes a moot point, as we slowly watch the Strand and Bourbon Street become modern versions of Atlantis.

So the next time you see a cost-benefit argument against the Waxman-Markey bill (such as "Time for Inaction on Global Warming" published in the WSJ), or a video from the American Petroleum Institute warning about job losses, try to remember that the cost of inaction is probably higher than represented. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The Indianapolis Prize

2009-10-19T07:30:00.005-04:00

The Indianapolis Prize is awarded biennially by Indianapolis Zoo. It is generously sponsored by donations from Eli Lilly and Company. The Prize committee has the following information on their website:

The biennial $100,000 Indianapolis Prize represents the largest individual monetary award for animal conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree. The Indianapolis Prize was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo as a significant component of its mission to inspire local and global communities and to celebrate, protect and preserve our natural world through conservation, education and research. This award brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species.

The 29 finalists for 2010 award were announced in September. This award highlights the positive role that individuals can play in preserving wildlife bio-diversity. This is a great opportunity for the Indianapolis community to encourage conservation efforts around the world by rewarding hard work that is often unacknowledged.

Of course, there are many animal conservation projects that Indianapolis can sponsor locally. From habitat restoration to wildlife corridors to urban parkland management (see my earlier post here), Indianapolis is well-positioned to be a leader in this important field.

Indianapolis Cultural Trail

2009-10-16T07:30:00.002-04:00

I love the cultural trail. It provides a guiding path through downtown and reassures visitors and residents that they are headed in the right direction. It attracts a lot of press and is a showcase for the great things happening in downtown Indianapolis. The people who made this project happen, either through donations or hard work, deserve to lauded for their efforts.

However, in the end I worry that the reason this urban trail is so successful is because downtown Indianapolis is entirely unlivable without it. Because the Cultural Trail, while great and necessary, is a very expensive piece of infrastructure that does what many cities can do for free.

2009 SustainIndy Report and Greening of the CCB

2009-10-14T07:30:00.011-04:00

The city of Indianapolis dropped two big reports this week, the state of sustainability report for 2009 and a special report from the Rocky Mountain Institute on the Greening of the CCB.

The 2009 SustainIndy Report details the efforts made to move the City of Indianapolis further towards its goal of becoming "the most sustainable city in the Midwest." The report includes details on bike lanes, stormwater/CSO issues, and some general feel-good stuff. I think the most important part of this report is that it was produced at all. Sustainability is not an easy thing to argue for in the conservative climate of Indianapolis, so I think the city should feel proud to get this thing off the ground.

The Greening of the CCB report is also great step forward for city. This report lays the foundation for next few decades of operation and maintenance of one the city's most expensive properties. While I don't know what exact steps will be taken to make this a "national forerunner in sustainability," I strongly approve of the report's goal to make the CCB a "sustainable lab for the Indianapolis" that is "radically resource efficient."

Looking into the future, I think that the city needs to accomplish some short-term and long-term goals to gain credibility as a green city. The current emphasis on pedestrian accessibility and mixed-mode transportation is a good start. The city needs to continue building on its success with the sidewalk policy, the bike lanes, the cultural trail, greenways, and the ICE commuter buses. Transportation accounts for 30% of emissions, so reducing the need for driving has a big effect on sustainability. Lowering VMT per capita is essential, and the city should make this priority #1 in their quest for sustainability.

Obviously, sustainability should not be an end unto itself. But sustainability efforts can produce enormous life quality improvements. One way to lower per capita VMT and make the city more pleasant and community oriented is to focus on land use reform. I wrote an entry about downtown Indy already, but since urban living is more sustainable than suburban/rural living, I think it fits this topic as well. One important update since that time is a great article "The Legend of the Skyscraper Fairy" that directly addresses the failure of city governments to proactively address urban land use (h/t to Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space).

It seems as if the first objective of every mayor is to create an enormous structure in the Indy skyline and ensure a permanent legacy. I don't have a problem with this except when it conflicts with the principles of good urban design. A walkable downtown will have no more than 30 feet between storefronts. If the city wants a Market Square tower building, then it needs to have a ground level floor full of small storefronts. The city should concentrate on the experience of pedestrians walking on Alabama Street, not on what a driver sees from I-70.

Managing green assets should be priority #2. Coincidentally, Urbanophile posted a similar entry on this yesterday. This is a long-term priority, but Indianapolis needs to understand that Indy Parks has a much greater role to play in sustainability. The city currently has a goal of putting green roofs on park buildings. This will not provide a systemic benefit, as there is already plenty of green space in those areas. Indianapolis needs to think bigger.

Our city owned parklands can provide regional benefits. For example, the properties can provide stormwater relief and bio-diversity within the city. For this to happen, the parklands need to be proactively managed and carefully preserved. People are not the only animals in this city. Just as pedestrians and bicyclists need continuous paths to maintain a healthy population, the flora and fauna filling our city need corridors to communicate and travel.

In my own neighborhood I see foxes, deer, rabbits, hawks, and all sorts of varied trees. Each of these species has a part in our ecosystem. And don't worry about wild animals, the most dangerous things in our city will always be the four-wheeled monsters we keep in our garages.

Unfortunately, the Indy Parks budget has been decimated over the past few years. We need the city to commit resources to help manage these lands. One way to save money for the city is to let some areas remain unmowed and untrafficked for the sake of bio-diversity. If the city is uncomfortable with the money required, then maybe a few starter grants should be applied for. To help manage these issues, I think that Indy Parks be given their own director of sustainability, because the goals for urban (human) sustainability are quite different from ecological sustainability.

The city should also use the parks as an opportunity for education and public awareness. The website of Indy Parks can feature stories about how the green parklands affects the sustainability of the city. Currently, there is just no realization that our Parks are major contributors to our welfare. There is also no long-term plan that integrates parkland management into the concept of sustainability. This is an ideal opportunity for Indianapolis to differentiate itself from other Midwest cities and lead sustainability efforts into the next decade.

Indianapolis Office of Code Enforcement

2009-10-12T07:30:00.003-04:00

I am in favor of stricter building code enforcement. Especially in Indianapolis, where typically only a sample of projects are reviewed. This new department will bring stability and standardization to the review process. Hopefully any problems related to sidewalks and accessibility (which are often brought up on the Indianapolis blogosphere) will be identified early in the design process and addressed.

The department will be staffed by "building code analysts" who will thoroughly review each project. Any problems will be flagged wherein the building designers must answer the questions raised. This falls under the police powers of government and public safety should improve from the efforts.

It is important for engineers to realize that our goal is life safety, and that working with building code enforcement is a necessary step in the process. It is not criticism, it is an independent review. My neighbor in the city government says designers "have no idea how much this will change things." I don't know whether to be frightened or excited, but I'm leaning towards excitement.

Council Approves Office of Code Enforcement
Office of Code Enforcement

On June 29, the City-County Council approved the city’s first Department of Code Enforcement.
The current acting Office of Code Enforcement, created by Executive Order in February 2009 to streamline the city’s licensing, permitting, inspection and abatement functions, will become a permanent city department effective January 1, 2010.

“This new agency has answered the call to step up enforcement actions and tackle issues that threaten public safety and the overall health of our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Greg Ballard.

“Overgrown weeds, abandoned cars, abandoned properties, unsafe buildings and other property maintenance conditions attract crime, reduce property values and make communities less desirable. Focusing new resources on these issues will better equip us to keep our city clean, safe and vibrant and will do so using a self-funding model that will not burden taxpayers.”
The Council’s approval transfers the following code enforcement functions to the new department:
Licenses and permits
Building, infrastructure
and zoning inspections
Property maintenance
Unsafe buildings
High weeds and grass
Illegal dumping
Forestry
Towing
Weights & Measures
“We have worked diligently over the past few months to streamline code enforcement processes that have been unnecessarily complicated and often outdated,” said Rick Powers, Director of the Office of Code Enforcement. “By consolidating code enforcement functions into one department and providing a one-stop shop, we are more accessible and able to provide better service to the public.”

With this new charge, the Office of Code Enforcement has been overhauling city enforcement initiatives through new, refocused measures, including:
Cracking down on unlicensed and non-compliant businesses
Combating high weeds and grass by cutting the abatement process time in half
Intensifying the focus on nuisance abatement and property maintenance
Addressing habitual violators through a new case management system and a partnership with city prosecutors to expedite priority cases
Joining the Mayors’ vacant and abandoned properties initiatives
Preparing the launch of mobile inspector offices to increase productivity
Utilizing Six Sigma expertise to refine and improve processes to optimize efficiency and service
All citizen reports should be directed to the Mayor’s Action Center at 327-4MAC (327-4622). To learn more about the Office of Code Enforcement, visit www.indy.gov/oce.

All Infrastructure Users Are Created Equal

2009-10-09T07:30:00.006-04:00

Investments in infrastructure are a big topic right now. Infrastructure investments create local jobs, they can lower the cost of doing business for the private sector, and they can provide quality of life improvements like clean water and sewage treatment plants. Currently, there is loud debate on all sides of the issue. For the sake of this entry, let us assume that all debaters have honest intentions.

The tools of the debate are well-known by now. Proponents argue on the side of benefits, detractors argue the costs of the work. Both sides have merit, so we compromise and ask for a "cost-benefit analysis" (CBA) to break down the project into facts and figures rather than emotions and promises.

The CBA is a great tool. It is widely used in business and government agencies to compare different alternatives. Key assumptions made in the CBA are:

Anything can be represented in present day cost, even human life and welfare
Doing nothing means that present trends will continue
Potential costs and benefits can be given a real value

A cost-benefit analysis is the kind of thing that engineers love, because it can provide an answer to a difficult question. Engineers sometimes go further and claim that the CBA can prove which option is the right course of action. I don't trust the CBA analysis that much. There are plenty of ways to skew the results intentionally or introduce bias unintentionally.

A recent example of the CBA being used in debate is the national High-Speed Rail (HSR) network proposals. The analysis was taken up by Edward Glaeser of Harvard/NYT in his set of articles "Is High-Speed Rail a Good Public Investment?" but his conclusions were called into question in the Infrastructurist article "Why Edward Glaeser Got it Wrong: Re-Running the Numbers on High-Speed Rail." Both articles show the process is very sensitive to initial assumptions and uncertainties.

But the reason I write this is not to point out the difficulties in using this type of analysis, it is to say that it should not be used at all. Government should not be run as a for-profit businesses. Basing decisions solely on cost-benefit analyses, opportunity costs, and return on investment projections means that the cities are rewarding companies and wealthy property owners exclusively.

The amount of wealth generated after infrastructure improvements in a nice part of town will be much higher than the same infrastructure improvements in a below average part of town. The strict use of CBA ensures that poor neighborhoods get bulldozed for suburban highway access, workers ride inexpensive buses rather than rail systems, and pedestrians are only allowed in shopping districts. Should this type of thinking dictate our infrastructure investments?

If the only measure of a project's worth is how much investment will be generated, then civic governments will fail to provide infrastructure to their citizens equitably. Cities need to remember that they have a duty, enshrined in our founding principles, that all are created equal and all deserve equal treatment.

There have been many transit projects, brownsfield and pollution cleanup projects, and neighborhood development plans derailed by short-sighted opposition. Some people refer to projects that don't pay for themselves as unacceptable welfare programs, but engineers have always had an ethical responsibility to "hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public." Why are we allowed to abdicate this responsibility when the ROI doesn't look good?

Majority of Civil Engineers Don't Understand Climate Change

2009-10-06T12:10:00.001-04:00

I was faced with an interesting truth this week. As an unofficial, non-scientific poll in ASCE Smartbrief showed, the majority of civil engineers don't understand climate change. The poll was included in their daily email (which I find very informational and strongly recommend it). The reason for the poll was because of a reader's comments to ASCE:

I was hoping that engineers would take a progressive view on the issue of global warming and climate change, but I wasn't holding my breath on the issue. For those who can't read the options, they are:

Our use of fossil fuels has created a crisis. We need emission reduction regulations to halt climate change
We should look into alternative energy sources, but climate change isn't as dire as some predict.
The climate-change models are so flawed, we have no idea what's really going on.
Climate change is natural. Regulations will only benefit some companiees and will hurt most of the rest of us.

Voting has ended and the results were posted in the following day's Smartbrief. Here are the final results:

Results show that the majority of engineers are uncomfortable with the topic of climate change, believing either that it is not caused by humans, not a real problem, or not enough is known to justify intervention. In fact, only 25% of engineers thought emission reduction regulations were required.

Once again, I am concerned that ASCE is trying to portray themselves as "leaders of sustainability" but not spending any time educating their own members. (see my previous posts on ASCE) The consequences of global warming are severe, but many engineers have chosen to ignore the risks completely. A great comment by Daniel Kurkjian on ASCE's blog summarizes what ASCE itself should be communicating to the profession:

Scientists are in agreement that carbon dioxide increases global temperatures and that can have significant negative effects on our way of life. Civil engineers have a role to plan in lobbying regulators to make sure that new rules are phased in and do not cripple construction and infrastructure development.

It’s unbelievable to hear comments on the ASCE website claiming global warming is not real and the carbon dioxide is somehow not a pollutant. At elevated concentrations in the atmosphere CO2 raises temperatures, which can have devasting impacts on climate and the way we live. That defines a pollutant; something that can damage the enviroment at elevated concentrations.

It’s understandable to fear an over-reach by the goverment that hurts business. However, the way to deal with that isn’t to deny reality and claim global warming isn’t associated with carbon dioxide pollution. The role of the civil engineer is to make the government aware of the imapcts of their regulations and to seize the business opportunities that will come with being current on regulations.

This is an excellent statement, I hope that ASCE will continue to hear these comments and realize that being a leader in sustainability means educating ASCE members. As this comment so rightly points out, it is unbelievable that ASCE would entertain the idea that climate change has not been associated with CO2 increases and human activity.

The problem with global warming "skeptics" is that they are not skeptics at all. A true skeptic is one who approaches an issue with an open mind, refusing to be swayed by arguments until the evidence is presented. Instead, those who deny global warming are the opposite of skeptics, having decided their opinion before evidence was presented. For a quick look at the evidence that is accepted by the global scientific community, which Daniel Kurkjian referred to in his comment, see my earlier post on Global Warming Potential.

Engineering Humor: Having Fun with Architects

2009-10-05T07:30:00.003-04:00

A great website "Notes on Becoming A Famous Architect" has brought us a fun, historic entry from the Princeton School of Architecture.

Notes on Becoming a Famous Architect

How Large is Downtown Indy?

2009-10-02T07:30:00.010-04:00

Monument Circle is the heart of Indianapolis. It marks the center of downtown, the central business district. I love this part of town. However, as I have been exploring downtown over the course of my escapades, I have come to realize that Indianapolis does not have a big "downtown" region. My sister best explained it during a visit when she asked "isn't downtown supposed to have buildings?" She lives in NYC so I excused her comment, but she did have a point.

This prompted me to start thinking about downtown as it truly exists, not as we wish it. As far as I can tell, downtown Indy only extends within two blocks of the Circle in any direction. This is the true downtown. If you walk two blocks away you are presented with parking lots, buildings that are only open for special events, and monumental parks lined with unfriendly streetscapes.

This small plot of land is only a remant of the city that was (area of interest in blue)

Looking at the area within two blocks of the circle, I think it is clear why this meets the definition of downtown. Great sidewalks, calm traffic, storefronts, tall buildings (at least 3 stories), and lots of pedestrian options. It is somewhat unfortunate that the urban towers have been set into this downtown region, because they have typically eschewed storefront space and brought parking garages with them. That is truly my only complaint, because otherwise this central core is all right.

Monument Circle is extraordinary

Traffic is managed within the circle by civic goodwill instead of traffic signals

Traveling westwards, the pedestrian environment breaks down at Capitol Ave. The state government buildings are obviously necessary, but many of them have abandoned good urban design principles. Looking at the aerial view, it is clear that few properties exist between Capitol Ave. and Haughville that would attract a pedestrian.

The east side of downtown has too much green and too many mega-projects

A pedestrian would have to walk for several blocks along uninviting, uninteresting streetscapes. Even the museum campus is set far back from the sidewalk. This helps the buildings take advantage of the canal, but the frontage along Washington St is a wasteland.

This streetscape is fronted by buildings set back from (or on top of) the sidewalk

Can this even be classified as a sidewalk? Or did the street grow?

Northwest from the circle we find parking lots. Not much else for a downtown experience. And the one-way streets with timed lights sure make driving fast seem easy.

Walking East from the Circle rewards visitors with this charming site, but then...

...nothing but parking lots and suburban apartments to thrill our visitors

Directly north is our mall of city parks. Also some non-urban buildings. And more parking lots. Still nothing attractive to pedestrians. The library has a great location but we are missing a continuous pedestrian streetscape from the circle to the library door.

The problem with this area is that none of the buildings that front the park spaces are useful to pedestrians. They are just big plots of green that beautify the view for the nearby towers. I am not trying to minimize the importance of the parks, they are wonderful. But they need to be surrounded by properties that address it appropriately. The first step towards correcting this is to reduce one-way streets and slow down traffic. The park will never succeed as an island surrounded by an urban highway.

The Star might find a connection to the city if they physically connect to it

A permit-only parking lot - not a preferred use for this location

Walking northeast from the circle leads to Mass Ave, or at least it does after you walk past some more parking lots. Mass Ave is one of the crown jewels of downtown Indianapolis. And what did the city have to do to achieve this? Two important things: 1) preserve existing buildings & 2) encourage infill development. The old buildings correctly addressed the street with good urban design, but there were so many parking spaces and empty lots that infill development was needed. Urban Indy's post discusses the issue and has a link to lots of photos of the area before and during infill stages.

Mass Ave should be the guide for downtown Indianapolis development. Start with an area that has existing assets. Create small, mixed use plots for independent development where parking lots and asphalt currently exist.

Remove *all* parking requirements from the zoning code in urban areas. In fact, try to actively discourage on-site parking. Provide parking with city sponsored multi-level garages and treat it like part of the road infrastructure. Next, spend a hell of a lot of money on getting the message out, using hired guns for marketing. Connect the area with other downtown amenities. There is no need to reinvent the wheel, just keep it rolling.

The enduring efforts on Mass Ave have led to this latest infill project

Directly east from the circle is the most depressing sight of any downtown I have ever visited. A gravel parking lot. Several, actually. It has been this way for a while. Apparently infill projects that would convert this area into a usable downtown are not good enough. The city is angling for yet another mega-project that would give a nice symmetry with the west side.

Huge, low-profile, block-killing projects that prevent people from walking around. And if they are not walking, they are driving. That's the wrong kind of development. Stop the insanity!

This part of town is shameful

No comment

Is the CCB part of the problem or part of the solution?

Judging from this sign prohibiting walking on the sidewalk, I'm guessing that the CCB needs to rethink its policies on pedestrians

To the southeast is a discouraging blend of special-use structures, parking lots, and parking garages. I do enjoy seeing basketball games and concerts, but there should be some kind of balance between other uses.

The Broadbent building along Washington Street was a wise renovation

Directly south of the circle is the only other part of downtown that was retained. This gives downtown another three blocks extension, and this is widely marketed by the city.In this case, the city only had to avoid bulldozing the original buildings to acquire this unique cultural district.

Past the South Meridian area the downtown region is absolutely destroyed by the parking lots south of the train tracks. In fact, if I was to characterize this part of Indianapolis, I can think of no better descriptor than asphaltic.

Lucas Oil Field is a great stadium, but the Colts only play 10 home games

Indianapolis needs to rethink its urban land-use and construction policies in the downtown area. The zoning code has been reworked within the last decade, but the whole concept of mega-projects ruins natural growth possibilities and clearly kills the pedestrian scale of downtown. Indianapolis needs to follow through on the original plan of an urban square mile. Not just a small CBD area ringed by parking lots and mega-projects. Give the citizens a downtown big enough to justify Indianapolis.

A parking lot visible from Washington Street, how can the owner justify this when tax rates should be astronomical? Good question...

There is no reason to invent a new urban form, all the city needs to do is specify three story (or higher) buildings with limited setbacks and waive all parking requirements. Then subdivide the city-owned blocks into manageable plots and make it easy to develop them. Instant walkable downtown! There, I fixed it. No subsidies required.

Good urban design

And now for some of my favorite annoyances:

Please Indy, demolish more historic buildings - I prefer spectacular concrete UFOs

This is why people like Urbanophile want better looking lightposts, because these don't even look good at 70MPH

This pathetic sign wouldn't be necessary if the original building design had included storefronts

Iconic Structures of Indiana: IND Airport

2009-09-30T07:30:00.008-04:00

The Indianapolis Midfield Terminal is a lesson in successful long-term infrastructure planning. The site of the airport was picked in the 1930's, the "temporary" terminal was built in 1957, the upgraded control tower was finished in 2006, and the current terminal was finished in 2008. The current location was picked over 70 years ago, and the wait has been worth it.

South elevation and main entry

As is customary, I would like to refer readers to my fellow Indianapolis A/E bloggers and their thoughts on the new airport:
Urbanophile (start here and find links to all 7 pieces)
Circles & Squares (pre-construction review here, great photos too)

The new terminal is a great piece of infrastructure because it has made the Indianapolis Airport one the most convenient, comfortable, and successful airports ever. The iconic structural elements including the exposed roof trusses, vertical bowstring trusses, and eccentric braces give it an open, industrial grandeur. The structural system is easy to comprehend and the building feels safe and comfortable inside.

Interior of plaza (construction)

One of my favorite structural features is the column/brace system supporting the main roof. Depending on which direction is considered, the members will act as a column or an eccentric brace, and no moment connections were required. The trusses above did require a little bit of extra detailing, I'm sure, but everything looks great and I'm sure the system performance had to meet strict requirements with all those windows.

Brace columns and skylights

Pin connections at column base

I asked the original designers about these columns. I never got a clear answer about what seismic classification was used, but I would bet they considered them eccentric braces. The connections were designed as conventional pins per AISC specifications. They pointed out that while the trusses and braces were different from typical construction, the contractors were experienced with this type of construction and thus construction problems were limited.

Another unique element used on the airport is the vertical bowsting truss. These trusses are used on the huge expanse of glass fronting the passenger drop-off area, resisting the large wind forces that develop on this face. The open web design matches the architectural style of the interior, and the ratio of open-ness allows natural light to filter throughout the building.

Bowstring window trusses near public plaza (construction)

Vertical trusses near front entry (construction)

Much of the project was LEED registered (still awaiting USGBC confirmation), and it is clear that some sustainable thinking went into the project. A good writeup of the Airport's efforts towards acquiring LEED certification is here, or you can visit Blackburn Architects who were responsible for managing the LEED documentation (but you must use IE not Firefox).

Roof detailing on eastern side (construction)

Braced column supports and art space below (construction)

This was the first terminal to open under the new regulations passed since the 2001 terrorist attacks. A great deal of planning went into ensuring this airport would be able to meet all of the new regulations enacted to tighten security. Several areas of the airport are hardened against natural and manmade hazards, and new technology rapidly screens problems out of the system in case anything strange is found.

Tornado shelter entry

The front approach from Interstate 70 is convenient, and the traffic arrangement on the airport property is simple yet logical. Economy and long-term parking is the first option, and it sits in a field dominated by the new control tower. The tower makes it easy for people to orient themselves, even with the tall berms obscuring any other visual landmarks.

Air traffic control tower

Next up is the parking garage. This pre-stressed concrete structure has some really cool features that raise it above the banality of most parking structures. Several locations are high-lighted by tensile membrane roofs. The corkscrew vehicle ramps add flair to the southern corners, while the central pedestrian area is covered by another fabric roof. This central pedestrian area is actually quite attractive. There are automated people movers, glass enclosed elevators, kinetic sculptures, and a ground transportation center directly across from the main terminal.

Corkscrew vehicle ramp membrane structure

Tensile membrane roof over parking structure

The bridge structure linking the parking structure and the terminal is basically a trussed pedestrian bridge. Automated people movers and a central aisle are covered with an amazing bit of public art. This multimedia installation involves sound, light, movement, and sense of awareness that makes the traverse across the bridge an interesting experience. The bridge delivers travelers to a mezzanine level with escalators heading up or down.

Pedestrian bridge and front entry (construction)

The up option delivers another great experience as the expansive main plaza opens to view as you raise up to the main floor level. This room contains all of the ticketing areas and while there is no easy way to find where each airline is but the area is small enough, and interesting enough, to encourage a bit of exploration.

Main ticketing and entry lobby (construction)

On the way towards the gates and security areas is the circular plaza that establishes a special place within the airport. The circular public area is surrounded by retail and food establishments, which is one of the best public spaces in the city. The translucent roof panels add natural light to the space, and the hanging arts offers a visual reward for looking upwards.

Sky plaza

My favorite part, however, is the elevated catwalk that rings the public space. This links the administrative areas on the east and west wings, but it adds a new dimension of walkable space that really helps to enclose the area. It is a shame that the city has not learned how to apply these concepts to the cityscape, there are many places that could be reclaimed for pedestrians in a simlar manner.

Public space lined with shops

Upper walkway with torque-tube (construction)

Passengers can go through security at either concourse, each has plenty of queuing room and the latest equipment that speeds people through the checks. This in contrast to the previous Indianapolis security experience, and to many other airport terminals around the country which were not built to handle the new security provisions. Both security check areas have a large mosaic that adds visual interest.

View of the sky plaza and terminal from the tarmac (construction)

The A/B terminals offer a more typical experience, each gate has a seating area and the central area is taken up by automated people movers. The best part about these wings is the high ceilings and exposed structural members. The roof trusses and use of glass really shows the modernity of the airport. Once again, this is a night and day contrast with the previous Indianapolis terminal. While the overall feeling is still an industrial and impersonal one, the space is less depressing and fills travelers with confidence rather than despair.

Terminal A with Automated People Mover

Terminal structure with eccentric braces and steel trusses

Incoming passengers can easily find their way to the baggage claim. The automated baggage handling system takes up most of the space below the main floor. The system quickly routes each incoming and outgoing bag to the correct destination. It is so quick that it is possible for your bag to be waiting for you at the baggage claim before you are even on your way down the escalator. Siemens designed and installed the baggage system (more info here).

Braced steel frames and mechanical systems in lower level (construction)

One small turn within the 13,000 foot baggage handling system (construction)

The passenger pickup and dropoff area has been used to showcase even more structural elements. The cantilevered bus stops are similar to units covering the ticketing areas, tying the different areas together with a cohesive architectural style. The pickup/dropoff area has a great vista to the south, but it doesn't feel too open because the large glass backdrop provides a sense of enclosure.

Lower level exit from baggage claim to ground transportation

In general, one of the reasons that the airport seems so large is that people move through it so quickly that there are no large crowds of unhappy travelers. The limited time I have spent in the airport has been full of the typical travel issues: tickets lost in the computer system, baggage fees, expensive long-term parking, and neck cramps after falling asleep on the plane. But, it is all much more bearable when you aren't trapped in a building that looks as much like a military bunker as it does a functional piece of transportation infrastructure.

Baggage claim area (construction)

Baggage claim area

The airport managers realize that long-term planning allowed Indianapolis to accommodate the future growth of the airport corresponding to the growth of the city. They have further realized that expansion may be necessary in the future. This future expansion is provided for by adding extra gates in the A/B concourses. Room for an extra runway is located across the interstate.

The unused space between the parking structure and the nearest parking lot is expected to be taken up by a special-purpose hotel and convention center. I have even heard that there is an on-site location that can be used to link up to a mass transit system. If you don't think that is the definition of long-term planning, then you haven't spent much time in Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Hobnob 2009

2009-09-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

On September 3, 2009, I attended the Chamber of Commerce's Indianapolis Hobnob (Event flyer). Typically the hobnob is a chance for people to interact with their elected/appointed representatives by sharing a social hour and listening to grandiose political speeches. This year, however, was an "off-election" year which only occurs once every 12 years, so political campaigns took a backseat.

The chamber of commerce took this opportunity to host a conference on policy issues instead. The program started off with a keynote address by Jeff Speck. Mr. Speck is one of the new urbanists working with Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, and along with DPZ was co-author of the book Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream (Amazon listing here).

In addition to the keynote address, there were breakout sessions, a panel discussion, and the hobnob reception. Overall, I thought the event was very successful at bringing together people who are interested in policy changes. However, it did not appear to be successful at bringing in new people who were not already interested in such events.

Keynote Address
The keynote address by Jeff Speck (website) was outstanding, a copy of the presentation is avaiable here. In fact, most of the presentations have been put online for public access, see the Indianapolis Hobnob 2009 for more information. The keynote really did a fabulous job of showing how policy affects cities, and why it ends up ruining our quality of life.

I ended getting a copy of his book (he was signing copies at the event) and now that I am mostly through it I can honestly say that this book deserves to be read by anyone interested in urban policy, walkability, transit/transportation issues, or real estate development. Much of the photos in the presentation are explained in detail in the book, and reading it has been a great use of my time. There are also some great quotes in the book such as "Fighting congestion by adding lanes is like fighting obesity by loosening your belt." It is full of insight and witty observations.

Breakout session #1: Transit Oriented Development
This session focused on how transit oriented development gives an opportunity for cities to reclaim the urban dream. It also gives citizens a choice about their lifestyle. Instead of endless sprawl, people can live in dense pockets of walkable, urban environments. They are freed from the expenses of car ownership by mass transit.

In contrast to the typical nay-sayers who claim TOD is unsuccessful at its goals, this session did provide evidence that TOD residents do use their autos much less, and that the subsidies for the TOD's do provide benefits worth their cost. There has been no presentation file uploaded on the host site, but here are two links to investigate:
Transit-Oriented Development Wikipedia
Ballston neighborhood Wikipedia

Breakout session #2: Green Redevelopment
This session focused on the redevelopment of Fall Creek Place, a formerly blighted neighborhood that is seeing a lot of redevelopment efforts. The design & construction team, along with the city of Indianapolis official in charge of the project, led the presentation discussing the challenges and opportunities presented.

I enjoyed both sessions, but it is clear that there needs to be some changes to the land-use policies currently in place before these types of developments become common. There is just so many variances and excessive red-tape involved with this construction. Even the simple act of replacing like-for-like in Fall Creek Place involves a special initiative with the city government.

Panel Discussion
The end of the conference was a 5 person panel discussion involving Jeff Speck and some local leaders. This part of the conference was unscripted, so there is no document to refer to. The questions were submitted by the attendees of the breakout sessions and of the keynote. Unfortunately, it became clear that our elected representatives did not have a thorough background or understanding of the policies being considered and debated in the conference. Being politicians, they appreciated what the audience wanted to hear but I was not convinced they knew how to get from here to there without seriously studying up on the issues.

Hobnob Social Hour
Most of the breakout sessions were lightly attended, but once the drinks and food were set up the place was instantly full and buzzing with people and conversation. I suppose if you want to attract politicians and public servants then hosting a party with free food and drinks is a good way to start.

The social event was held adjacent to the Canal in the Indiana State Museum. It was great fun, and I had the opportunity to meet and discuss the day's presentations with many of the attendees. The chance to network and socialize with people interested in land-use policy was a great benefit of this event, and I hope that it is just as successful in the future.

The Thin Line Between Engineering and Health-Care Reform

2009-09-25T07:30:00.007-04:00

I support health care reform. Not only because I have seen the criminal, demoralizing behavior of the health care insurance industry when I almost cut my arm off (surgery was classified as "elective" so they could deny my claim), but I have also noticed how it forces some employees to remain in their jobs as underpaid and ineffective zombies. Health care in the US is modern day indentured service. If only the health care were worth it, I might understand.

There are many who bristle at the concept of government intervention, but policies regarding building safety have been very effective. Without government intervention, engineers would not have a job and the public safety would be constantly at risk. Paul Krugman (not at fringe of debate, he won the Nobel Prize and writes for NYT) says markets can't work this problem out by themselves. Just as with building safety, policy that has the interests of the public safety as priority will be the best solution. Krugman's conclusion when comparing the existing system in place in the US vs other countries is

There are, however, no examples of successful health care based on the principles of the free market, for one simple reason: in health care, the free market just doesn’t work. And people who say that the market is the answer are flying in the face of both theory and overwhelming evidence.

Civil engineers are appropriately lauded for their efforts that have made modern society the healthy, enjoyable world that it is. However, our ethical obligations to preserve life safety don't stop at the built environment. We have a duty, just as with medical doctors, to continue fighting for the public welfare throughout the world.

A recent Structure magazine editorial focused on what structural engineers do. Barry Arnold answers the ultimate engineering question in his article What Do You Do for a Living?

It is time that we quit seeing ourselves as merely designing beams and columns, and start recognizing and proclaiming that we save lives for a living.

I agree. I also think his argument extends beyond the engineering field into society in general. We, as engineers, do have an ethical obligation to support progressive issues that can affect the public welfare. I think all engineers should support health care reform. Not only for the reforms under consideration but for universal coverage. People in the US should be given the opportunity to access our health care system regardless of who they are or how much they earn.

I have never read in the building codes that we can lower our safety factor when designing an apartment that houses lower income populations. Or that immigrants should live in buildings without a lateral load resisting system. Life safety, public welfare. These are not optional in the construction industry. Why is health care different?

ASCE Tackling Climate Change... sort of

2009-09-23T07:30:00.004-04:00

ASCE continually states how the civil engineering profession must be a leader in sustainability. Recently, ASCE has come out ready to battle the causes and effects of climate change. It's a good idea, because engineers will need to be involved.

So, to establish itself as a leader in sustainability, ASCE has achieved the following:

included non-binding, wishy-washy language requiring sustainability in their code of ethics (posted entry about this here)
started a committee to create a green design certification program (my take here)
put out a press release of an agreement with CSCE and ICE (pdf of agreement) committing... actually I can't quite understand what they are doing. It says something about "assisting all governments through the development of a low-carbon infrastructure road map setting out key steps up to 2050."

I guess we civil engineers will get around to that leading in the sustainability issue pretty soon. The agreement includes terms like "develop" "evaluate" "consider". I have a hard time believing that we still have questions. It has been 12 years since the Kyoto Protocol was abandoned by the US, it has been over 2 years since the IPCC report concluded that anthropogenic climate change was indeed occurring and likely to cause bad things to happen, and the draft Waxman-Markey bill has been out since March of this year.

My point here is that civil engineers are being awfully passive in their attempts to lead sustainability. Somehow ASCE and civil engineers think we need to develop new ideas. The press release even proposes committing resources to carbon sequestration, but only when cost-effective. Guess what, it ain't cost-effective (BBC article).

If ASCE wants to be a leader on sustainability they can catch up to the scientists and experts that are leading the way. They should announce unequivocal support for the UN's Copenhagen meeting and the ultimate goal of serious carbon emission reduction. Civil Engineers should support the highest levels of emission reduction, no political or economic excuses should prevent us from arguing for what is right.

In the meantime the USGBC has started up a tremendously successful green building ratings program and independent architects have achieved deep committments with Architecture 2030 and greening of the campus initiatives. That is leadership. It is effective and it is inspiring.

On the other hand, ASCE's press release does mention addressing transportation issues. Great start, but if you look at the cover for their new publication Guiding Principles for the Nation's Critical Infrastructure you will see the main focus is !Highway Construction! Sustainability is essentially equated with resiliency in the document, which I guess means you build the infrastructure even bigger and stronger. It makes me wonder if the organization really understands what sustainability is.

In the latest ASCE president's blog, it almost seems as if ASCE doesn't want a cap on emissions. It at least wasn't clear to the commenters, all of whom have agreed (or claimed to agree) with the entry and have been convinced to write their politicians asking them to strike it down based on no evidence of climate change. It's a shame, because we've already found ourselves in a deep hole and we haven't even realized that we're the ones with the shovel.

My youth and contrarian tendencies sometimes causes me frustration, but I know ASCE is moving in the right direction. Quoting a recent seminar by Jeff Speck "you can always trust Americans to make the right decisions once they have exhausted all the other possibilities"

Also in the news:

EPA to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2)
current CO2 limits will kill coral
Engineering feat may not save Venice
Doctors warn on health crisis from climate change
Land-use reform and pay to drive strategies key to reducing transportation emissions

East 10th Street Civic Association

2009-09-21T07:30:00.004-04:00

The 10th Street corridor is one of Indianapolis' best preserved commercial areas from the early 1900's - 1950's. This area developed as a commercial district serving the east Indianapolis neighborhoods like Woodruff Place, Cottage Home, and Pogue's Run Trail. Urban Indy had a good post about the area last year. These different neighborhoods are mostly a part of the collective Near Eastside Community Organization (NESCO).

The 10th Street Civic Association is the main street organization which represents the economic development arm of the neighborhood. The neighborhood has been anointed as a favorite for restoration because of its size, proximity to downtown, and historic assets. They have a long wish-list of projects to tackle in the next few years, and have already started knocking out their punch-list.

A popular building type along 10th is the storefront with residential apartments above

Traveling along 10th street offers an opportunity to experience the urban fabric of Indianapolis as it once existed. The great part about this neighborhood is its unbroken character, there are very few locations where the main street feel is lost to suburban style developments. Admittedly, one of the reasons for this is that it has not seen much investment in the past few decades. But it has great potential as a solid residential and commercial tax base for the city of Indianapolis. It has not (yet) been split by an interstate, bulldozed to prepare way for enormous city-county initiatives, nor abused for heavy industrial use. In truth it is a jewel of a neighborhood.

Another storefront building, this one is in great condition with a bus stop in front

The city of Indianapolis stands to gain a huge amount of tax revenue if this area can begin attracting a broad cross-section of residents. Most importantly, the residents in the area can rebuild their urban neighborhood once investment capital begins flowing back into the corridor.

Single story shops with a front door on the sidewalk

The streets have limited parking options, and there are no destination stores for shopping experiences. Many of the operating businesses focus on the needs of the residents and so do not draw visitors from all over the city. The area has an eclectic mix of residents that befits its urban character, and unfortunately this means that many Indiana natives do not feel comfortable here. I think this says more about Indiana natives than the neighborhood, because Indiana seems to have confused pedestrians with criminals.

More mixed use buildings, these are awaiting renovation

However, the neighborhood appears to be winning some major battles. Apart from the blessing of a Superbowl practice facility, the neighborhood has been steadily acquiring grant money to put its plans into actions. The strategy for the area has been carefully worked out, and there will be a lot of effort on keeping the existing walkable infrastructure in place even when new buildings are being built.

The latest July 15th Presentation (WARNING: must view with IE, not Firefox) by Storrow Kinsella is the culmination of nearly a decade of serious urban planning. The volume of materials generated by this study filled a gymnasium during the final meeting. Every contributing property in the area has been documented by architects and a plan for restoration listed. Utilities, zoning, infrastructure, walkability, transit options, and just about anything you can imagine has been closely studied and converted into giant maps, digital overlays, or reduced to meaningful statistics. Neighborhood preferences for investments in place-making, public structures, and land-use policies have been taken into account. The plan is clearly laid out, the first steps have been taken, and everyone in the neighborhood is excited about the progress so far.

As mentioned above, this area will see the construction of the new Superbowl 2012 practice facility (which will be donated to Arsenal Tech High School afterwards). Several local buildings are getting a facelift or even major structural renovations. Many structures are now sporting scaffolds, the equivalent of cranes in historic neighborhoods. Much of the current work is sponsored by public or non-profit groups in the hopes that private development will soon follow.

E. 10th Street had the first building in Indianapolis with a green roof. As of right now, two commercial buildings have a green roof which may be a higher concentration than anywhere else in the city. The John H. Boner center (roof) and the Moonblock building (roof) both have Live Roof systems and were established as proof that the new technology of green design could mesh easily with traditional historic preservation and economic development.

The John H. Boner Community Center is the headquarters of several civic organizations

A stylized bus stop, large sidewalk presence, and green roof help create a unique area

The MoonBlock building has a green roof and has been fully renovated

Another recent development is the Pogue's Run Grocer (Indy Food Coop). This locally owned grocer should provide residents with a great choice of quality food. I am quite looking forward to the opening this fall. I was able to volunteer for some of the demolition work, so I got to meet some of the people who will be running it as well as seeing the building they will be using as a storefront. Needless to say, it has a lot of potential and is sited in a great location.

The new Pogue's Run Grocer location

A community owned, not-for-profit grocery store (i.e. a co-op)

Salvaged wood from our demolition efforts

Homemade food from the Coop volunteers

Other historic assets include the Rivoli Theater and American Legion building. The theater has an interesting history, and I am hoping that the neighborhood can soon support a new use for it.

The historic Rivoli Theater

The signage needs some TLC, but is in good shape overall

The facade is absolutely authentic

The American Legion Building would make a great owner-occupied space. Old mixed use spaces like this are rare, especially one with a great look. IIRC The Ball State study recommended opening up the old storefront windows. It could be a great neighborhood resource.

The American Legion lodge building

The glazed windows on the upper floor are still in good condition, but the aluminum door and bricked over storefront windows should be replaced with more appropriate materials

The old Emerson Theater now regularly hosts independent bands, which seems to attract a young crowd. Before a show there is plenty of activity on the sidewalks.

The Emerson Theater with a young and enthusiastic crowd waiting for the doors to open

I took this photo because I liked the way the urban setting makes my car more hip

Gender Issues in Engineering

2009-09-18T07:30:00.007-04:00

Balance. It's important. And in engineering, it's non-existent. Women make up less than 10% of the workforce in civil engineering. Indeed, I work in an office without a single female engineer. I find it to be an unfortunate situation. We don't go out of our way to hire males, but they just don't materialize when it comes time to hire. My undergraduate engineering class had a majority of women. My lab partner in grad school was Natalie. It has always made me wonder why engineers have such a hard time attracting women to the industry.

The first issue to resolve is whether or not this matters. It does matter. We do need women in engineering. A diversity of opinions is a good thing. Science has also shown that women are more risk-aware, and this is a great quality in an engineer.

Women can also help engineering by providing balance in the workplace. My own experiences are merely anecdotal, but I have found that women engineers do provide balance in the workplace. They are more aware of the social impacts of their design, a key piece of understanding the sustainability debate.

While I am merely writing a post on this issue, there are many people who spend their entire careers trying to help. For example, Society of Women Engineers is a great resource.

For many years, engineers have been trying to involve young women in engineering by encouraging them to enroll in engineering school and providing mentorship opportunities. This has been a good start, but it hasn't had much of an effect. We need to do even more. I would suggest that we need to focus on the community of engineers.

In the educational environment, groups like SWE have played an important role in establishing groups within colleges and universities. The problem is these groups are not a community. Substituting an environment with a minority of women with one of only women does not fix the original problem. A real community will have a balance of people from different backgrounds of similar proportions as society.

I suppose this might be considered discriminatory, but I would suggest that program acceptance criteria be reviewed. Nobody wants a position denied to them because of who they are, so we must be careful. I propose that programs accept students based on skills that are important in the engineering workplace, beyond mathematical skills. Communication, social welfare work, and teamwork skills are very important, so schools should emphasize those skills in the acceptance process.

Whatever educational institutions may decide, they should not protect or coddle female students. If a student is underperforming, then they should never be given higher grades or special opportunities. This will shatter any community currently existing amongst the students, and will turn feelings against professors.

In the office environment, the issues are much more pervasive. How can anyone change the opinions of an entire society. Women engineers are working against the prevailing winds from day one. These are common opinions that women face:

women make poor leaders
women will leave the workplace after pregnancy
women should not take jobs away from men
women do not have enough professional clout
women deserve to be harassed because they are women

A business owner can create opportunities for women engineers by providing a workplace absent of these opinions. A no-tolerance policy on these issues may be painful, but after following through on the first couple of problems then the culture shift will take place quickly.

Other issues that will help retain women engineers involve improving the work/life balance. There is a general reluctance to hire engineers as part-time employees. Many engineering company owners complain about the lack of engineers available to hire, but it doesn't seem like many of them have considered a new part-time employee arrangement that would allow working mothers to balance work and family life. This could be a low cost, high quality source of labor. In fact, I bet some mothers would work just for the sake of providing quality health insurance for their family and maintaining their own career.

Of course, when it comes to field engineers, I think there are major issues that must be addressed. I think large engineering companies should retain a legal specialist who pursues harassment issues arising from site visits. Once again, a no-tolerance policy goes a long way to maintaining professional behavior, even from an industry famous for tolerating harassment. After a few court appearances, I am sure even a construction worker can spot the developing patterns.

UPDATE: One of my friends suggested that companies can turn directly to the SWE organizations of the schools they recruit from, encouraging female participation in the resume seeking process. He also blamed society for discouraging intelligent women from pursuing engineering school appointments and funneling them into technical schools (his experience from Kansas & Kentucky).

FURTHER UPDATE: Economix has posted an interesting map comparing gender differences in pay. While I did not address equal pay for equal work in my entry above, you can safely assume that women will earn statistically less for similar quality work. How much less? To give an anecdotal example, a good friend recently discovered that out of 112 engineering managers in her company she was number 111 on the pay scale.

This was in spite of having an advanced degree, winning praise and awards for her work and management skills, and completing many successful projects. She was performing at the top and getting paid at the bottom. This could happen to anyone, but it usually happens to women. Talk with your friends, investigate pay rates for your location, or hire a compensation specialist. But don't assume that your employer will be fair just because you are working hard.

A Day in the Life of a Structural Engineer

2009-09-16T08:30:00.001-04:00

What is a Structural Engineer?
An engineer is a person who applies principles of math and science to solve problems. A structural engineer focuses on built objects that resist loads. Structural engineers typically work in building construction industry, but highway departments, space agencies, airframers, and the petroleum industry also employ structural engineers.

An engineer typically acquires a college degree showing that he or she has mastered the basic knowledge requirements. (see earlier post on engineering education) At this point, the graduate engineer enters the industry as an engineer-in-training or engineering intern and must work as an apprentice to another fully qualified engineer. After several years of gathering experience and passing a professional exam, the engineer is allowed to practice engineering as a licensed professional.

An engineer is obligated to continue learning throughout their career. An engineer's academic degree does not qualify them as an engineer, it only verifies their willingness and ability to learn. The skills that help an engineer succeed in the real world are learned after their first degree is earned.

What Does a Structural Engineer Do?
The primary responsibility of a structural engineer is to ensure equilibrium between a load and resistance. Engineers quantify loads and resistances using principles of physics or from collected experience (tabulated and published in building codes). Failure occurs when loads overcome resistance. Because knowledge about loads and resistance is never perfect, structural engineers must include additional strength in their designs to account for this uncertainty.

Preventing failure of structural systems is the main goal for a structural engineer, but there are many other constraints that also must be considered such as:

safety / reliability
serviceability (limit deflection and drift)
cost
constructability
communicability of design
interaction of structure with other systems
aesthetics

Balancing all of the criteria requires knowledge, design talent, a toolbox full of analysis tools, and a lot of experience. While most engineers will arrive at similar conclusions when faced with the same problem, each will have their own unique path and put their own "fingerprint" on the project. Every engineer will view the problem through their own set of experiences and perceived responsibilities.

Our final product is a set of plans communicating our design

How Are Structural Engineers Different From Architects?
Simply stated, structural engineers are not architects. While much of the basic knowledge requirements are similar, the role that each professional plays during a project is very different. The architect is the "master-builder" who is responsible for the overall project. Architects are the single point of contact for the client or property owner. They are responsible for assembling a design team that will design the building. Architects often employ outside consultants or specialists, but sometimes architectural firms will have engineers on staff.

The architect devises the shape, size, use, and requirements of the building. In other words, the architect presents the "problem" to the engineer. This is where technical education helps an architect, because it is very helpful to present a problem that has a solution. If the architect is designing something unconventional, it is helpful to involve an engineer early in the process so that the design need not drastically change for the sake of structural issues.

Some professionals are both architects and engineers, taking on both roles. Santiago Calatrava is a good example. His designs are notable for being structurally and visually integrated. His technical background is a great advantage in his work, as he uses structural constraints as a source of inspiration.

One of the greatest differences between an engineer and an architect is how much time they spend on design versus analysis. An engineer takes years of college courses and spends a great amount of time learning analytical methods. In contrast, an architect student will focus on learning design. Little time in spent on quantifying loads and structural systems. Architects and engineers both spend considerable time in each others' worlds, but usually they do not feel comfortable enough to do the others' job. Some states allow engineers to sign architectural drawings (and vise versa), but this is not a general rule.

Computers are the engine of modern analysis and design

What Does a Typical Day of Work Involve for a Structural Engineer?
I spend most of my time at work doing structural analysis and design. This is just like they teach in school. The first step is to fully describe the problem, including all known information and preferably including a graphical representation. Careful notes must be kept because as a professional engineer there is a chance of litigation or sometimes you get sick and someone else needs to step in to finish a project. In any case, documentation and organization are very important skills to develop.

project calculations, code references, office papers, and client contact information

Analysis and design, design and analysis. It's an iterative process. It is made more iterative because projects are always changing. Sometimes part of the project will be getting built while some of it has not even been designed yet. Managing this web of uncertainty requires a goal of adequacy, not perfection. Striving for excellence is different than striving for perfection.

My office does not specialize in any particular type of structure, so projects can range from pipeline crossings and roadway bridges to large office buildings. We design structural systems in concrete, steel, wood, masonry, or whatever material our clients request.

A typical day in the office is not much different for a structural engineer as it is for any office worker. The majority of the day might be spent on "real" work, that is work that involves design & analysis calculations, but the realities of operating a business mean that much of the time engineers are busy with other tasks. That includes organizational inefficiencies just like you see in Dilbert or The Office. But it also includes an inter-office camaraderie that is fun, and in the end the most difficult tasks do provide a sense of accomplishment.

Some of the other important things that happen in the office involve networking or marketing services to potential clients, maintaining professional licensure, and professional development. It's all part of the business, and most of it is enjoyable if you have the right support from your organization.

Icehouse Featured in Magazine

2009-09-14T07:30:00.002-04:00

We were very happy to be featured in a local Indianapolis magazine. For those friends of mine who probably won't make it to the city before all the issues are bought in a mad fury by crowds wanting to see the article, I have been kind enough to include a low-res scan here for you.

POST 101!

2009-09-04T07:30:00.008-04:00

This website has reached a milestone, as this is my 101st published post.

I am hoping to hear from my readers, so I'll be leaving this post up for a week to give all a chance to comment. Stay tuned for more pictures from the neighborhood, updates on the icehouse renovation, iconic structures, controversial Friday posts, and the start of football season. That last part has nothing to do with this website, but just wanted to remind everyone that the Steelers are kicking off the season on Thursday!

Let me know if this website has been any of the following:

interesting
useful
provocative
inspirational
waste of time

Alternatively, I am also encouraging anyone who maintains their own blog or website to let us know who they are and where to find them. Communication is a two-way street, I am ready to listen.

Advantages of Suburbia

2009-09-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

Because the US needs to abandon sprawl and invest in its cities in order to have a sustainable future, I try to encourage people to move into existing denser neighborhoods. Needless to say, when you start off every conversation with "have you thought about moving downtown" you get to hear a lot of excuses.

While the historic drivers of surburbanization have mostly been replaced with new concerns, many of the residents' complaints are still valid. White flight, that odd concept of leaving a city because of minority residents, doesn't seem to be too relevant. Some people, however, seem to be uncomfortable in neighborhoods where people are out walking on the street. The sight of citizens walking along the sidewalk seems to be enough to scare them away. It just seems too different, too alien. In general though, people focus on the more mundane concerns such as school districts, crime, taxes, and real estate prices.

Suburbs often have an advantage on these issues, but it is an unfair advantage. The urban core hosts many of the necessities required to attract and support a large, working population. Arts, events, sports teams, welfare services, indigent care, and many other aspects of city life still reside in the city. Suburbanites contribute a certain amount of talent and productivity to cities, but much of the tax base continues to decline in US cities. As cities struggle to balance their own budgets, essential city services are cut and the region becomes less attractive for everyone.

It is imperative that cities find out how to both improve services and lower costs if they want to continue to exist. American cities must be resurrected, it is the only way to modernize our economy and prepare for the high energy costs of the future. It falls to us city-dwellers to figure out how to make cities attractive once more.

I think the first topic that any city should address is their school system. In many cases, our urban schools have failed. Even the schools that have brilliant teachers and motivated students are associated with a system that has lost favor in the public eye. Improvements must be system wide or they will not be relevant.

Schools are important because parents want to invest in their children. Parents will change jobs, move across the globe, even sacrifice their own welfare just to give their children an educational advantage. City leaders who neglect their school systems are doomed to see their tax base disappear.

I have no silver bullet solution for this problem. However, I don't think business-as-usual attitudes will suffice. Strong leadership must come from somewhere, and soon. The public school system, including each individual piece of it, must be held accountable to high performance standards. The charter schools, operating independently of the conventional school system, are a good start but don't serve enough of the population.

The other issues that give suburbs an advantage are:

taxes
housing costs
crime

These issues are important, but even if you have low taxes / responsible spending, incredibly low housing costs, and low crime rates, you won't be appealing to the parents who are choosing suburbia. Indianapolis meets these criteria, but has not made progress in attracting residents to the urban core. People are still moving to the suburbs in large numbers.

The cities always roll out the same marketing campaigns to address this issue. The historic homes, the diversity of urban areas, the walkability of urban neighborhoods, the vibrance of the urban core are highlighted. In the end, Indianapolis does manage to attract the young urban types, but only for a few years as they usually start families and move outwards to the suburbs. So, if there is any confusion about the issue allow me to clear it up: people prefer living in older, well-built historic homes with walkable neighborhoods. They tell me all the time. But that isn't the important issue. Safety and education of the family will always trump other concerns.

People typically don't understand how to determine if a school system is good or how much crime a certain area has. But they are generally smart enough to spot patterns. Urbanists often criticize suburbs for their homogeneity, but in some ways this is a huge advantage for suburbs. Parents can trust that the local suburban school system will be just as good as the one in the next jurisdiction over, and that the crime levels will be similar too. The commoditized style of living assures parents they are making a safe decision if they locate their family in the suburbs.

We need better schools in our cities. For all, not just some. We know how to achieve this, but nobody has been willing to step up to the plate and fix the entrenched bureaucracy and unions. We also need to learn from the suburbs and provide something easy to understand. The patterns must be easily recognizable. Remove the key advantage that suburbs have. Fix the school system and automatically cities can fix the tax base issue. Once they restore the tax base, cities have a lot more options about fixing the other problems.

My Engineering Education

2009-08-31T07:30:00.002-04:00

Trying to find your vocation in a crowded world is a difficult task. I feel very comfortable as an engineer, and I am glad I found something that fits so well. Unfortunately, I don't think many children understand what an engineer does, only what we help create. Explaining risk and consequences in the construction industry is advanced learning, well beyond stacking wooden blocks.

It takes a lot of work and schooling to become an engineer. You don't get to engineer anything until the very end of the educational process. A person cannot just start taking engineering courses in elementary school. It's a long process, and you must pay your dues.

Realistically speaking, the classes that "prepared" me for life as a professional engineer were my least favorite. Differential Equations, E&M Physics, computer programming, linear algebra, etc. These were courses I tolerated, but they held absolutely no appeal to me. I was not attracted to engineering because of the abstract mathematical principles involved. Far from it, I hated the homework that my professors handed out, assuming it was some arcane form of hazing.

Looking back, I can see how important those courses were in my development. I might still be an engineer without them, but an incomplete engineer with no chance of achieving any level of mastery. Now that I can honestly call myself a professional engineer, however, I readily call on these tools that I worked so hard to acquire. They are much more important than the fancy structural analysis programs that produce formatted reports and colorful graphs. The reason is simply that advanced mathematical knowledge gives one a better understanding of the physical world, and without that understanding one will never be able to innovate.

Many young engineers concentrate on learning skills they consider to be important in the industry. Finite elements, sustainable design, and historic preservation have been especially popular in the past few decades. Just as in previous decades it might have been statistical reduction, soap-film analogies, or proprietary truss designs. Remember to concentrate on the basics, remember to do your homework in mechanics class. You will never be forced to admit you have spent your life learning a skill the world no longer needs.

Sometimes I am asked what importance a Master of Science degree has for a young engineer. The answer is not clear. Just as with any aspect of life, you get out of it what you put in. If you are interested in a 1-year classroom focused degree (Master of Engineering or Master of Science Non-Thesis) and you go into it seeking a continuation of your undergraduate classes, then that is not a problem. You will be well rewarded and will see no loss of time required to get your PE license in most jurisdictions. Soon enough, graduate school experience will be required to even apply for a PE license.

On the other hand, a true Master of Science degree requires a substantial amount of time to devote to a thesis. A thesis is nothing more than your opinion on a difficult to solve problem. It is a great opportunity to wet your feet in the process of creating engineering knowledge. A PhD program is more like a headfirst dive off the top board (speaking merely as a spectator), so a little practice with an MS is probably a good thing.

If you are confused about where to apply for a PhD program (and somewhat for an MS), do not make your decision lightly. School reputation is important in some respects, but nowhere near as important as your ability to find a thesis/dissertation advisor who:

has funding available for new students
has a proven track record of graduating his advisees
works closely with your topics of interest

You will be spending a lot more time with your advisor than anyone else in the school, so that is your most important consideration. Whatever situation you end up in, remember that it is now your own responsibility to ensure your work is completed and you move towards graduation. Graduate school can make you lose your bearings quite easily, so you must maintain a professional attitude and keep your eyes on the prize.

Going Green Requires Strong Leadership

2009-08-28T07:30:00.003-04:00

In several trade magazines I have seen stories written to a business manager audience arguing that green/sustainable initiatives are worthwhile because they help attract and retain young engineers. Apparently young engineers have this concept in their unstable heads that they would like to help create a world that is more enjoyable and just.

I certainly agree with that, but I think young engineers are looking for something more important than the opportunity to specify pervious concrete on a future job.

What attracts and ultimately retains the best employees is the strong leadership and proven adaptability that firms need in order to make cultural transitions. Changing policies within an organization requires an effective leadership structure. Adaptability is very attractive to young employees. Nobody wants to work in a bureaucratic nightmare of a job where their efforts to make a difference are absolutely wasted.

When companies refuse to change or refuse to adapt to the realities of the industry, then it won't be able to attract nor retain quality employees. Hard decisions must be made, and in companies where nobody is able to make these decisions it is clear that the company is paralyzed by fear of action.

The important point here is that going green is just a tactic, but not a strategy, to compete for the best engineers. The marketing of green designs is only a fad; in 10 years from now it will be merely boring policy and yet another item on the code checklist. But innovative, bold companies will already be revising their image to adapt to the next big thing on the horizon.

American Dirt analyzes the Indy Canal Scene

2009-08-27T12:19:00.003-04:00

I really enjoyed the latest article posted on American Dirt regarding the interaction of buildings with the canal downtown, so I wanted to give everyone another chance to go check out the new site.

The canal offers Indianapolis a great opportunity, but it has fallen short of the great public space that San Antonio's River Walk contributes to the city. We need the city to follow through on the promise of this space, it could be really special.

Connectivity, relationship, and transitional elements should be part of the solution. However, judging from the way that the city of Indianapolis cut off the river from downtown by building enormous municipal buildings set well back from the street with parking lots the size of a city block separating the river from downtown, I don't know if the city even knows how to address the issue effectively. Maybe this is their chance to get things right.

North Irvington Gardens Historic District

2009-08-26T07:30:00.006-04:00

The North Irvington Gardens Historic District (wikipedia) is the part of the Indianapolis Eastside that is directly north of where I live. It is another great Indianapolis neighborhood, and is full of people. Technically, it is on the national register of historic places, but is not a locally registered historic district. This can sometimes be an important distinction, but it depends on what your own feelings on the matter are.

The only local blogger I could find was this website: Irvington Terrace blog. It isn't what I would call particularly active, but if you are a resident of the area maybe you can hint to the author you would like to see more, or maybe you know of another website/blog and can post a link in the comments section.

Two important businesses in this area are the Community East hospital branch and the Historic Steer-In restaurant. Only one of the two serves beer, so you can guess which one you are getting photos of...

Built in the 1950's, the Steer-In used modern design to stand out

The covered drive-in design still looks great

This is about as authentic a place as you can find

Steer-In has a limited but very good bottle beer selection

I am particularly fond of the stuffed pizza

Structural Engineering Childrens' Book

2009-08-24T07:30:00.001-04:00

No, this isn't one of my strange ideas, it actually exists. R. Buckminster Fuller and a photographer collaborated on a book that, to my knowledge, is the only extant children's book (amazon) written from a structural engineer's point of view.

It is an interesting book, if not short and unfocused in its selection of quotes. I selected my favorite for the scan above "If you want to do something good for a child... give him an environment where he can touch things as much as he wants." I am not quite sure if this is something I will actually read to children or if it is something I read to remind myself that I was once a child.

R. Buckminster Fuller left a deep legacy, and definitely opened options for architects and structural engineers. The USPS issued a stamp for him in 2004 commemorating his contributions to society.

The Fallacy of the "Automobile"

2009-08-21T07:31:00.000-04:00

The automobile has been an interesting development in the history of man. Replacing the horse with a machine that can propel itself has certainly given us some great opportunities.

While horses present an inconvenient form of transportation, the modern automobile doesn't exactly propel itself without needs. Whatever resources a horse may require, a car has a much more extensive list. Gasoline, parts, maintenance, and most importantly lots of roads. Sure its got an engine, but you won't get far without those trillions of dollars invested in our highway network. In the end, I find both horses and cars a great nuisance.

The freedom of transportation that a car offers is great, but the sad fact is that I am carrying 3,000 lb of useless metal with me everywhere I go. And then I have to find somewhere to park when I arrive. The parking issue becomes very important in large cities. This interesting post by frumination shows what NYC/Manhattan would be like if it was trying to accommodate vehicular traffic every day (via Infrastructurist). Basically mass transit is essential to a city like NYC. Just as elevators are essential to the development of tall buildings.

The US Bureau of Labor releases information how average US consumers spend their income. A recent graphic from Visual Economics summed it up quite nicely, we are spending over 1/6 of our income on car transportation each year.

A lot of people complain about the high cost of public transit system proposals, but it's obviously not more expensive than cars. If we assume that the entire population of Indianapolis, roughly 800,000 people, were to trade in their vehicles for public transit then we would free up ($8758/2.5)*800,000 = $3B per year to invest in other strategies. I bet we could find a solution with that level of funding. It won't ever happen, but it's not impossible to imagine.

American Dirt: Observations of Contemporary Landscapes

2009-08-21T07:30:00.005-04:00

A new blog website has started here in Indianapolis, so I wanted to share the link.

AmericanDirt
Hometown: Indianapolis, United States
This blog concerns itself with the foundation of American dirt, regardless of where I claim to “live” at that moment. It is the playing field and landscape upon which all living participants tend to their own aspirations, leaving non-indigenous built forms which my aging digital camera hopes to capture.

For starters, I recommend the excellent post concerning the autocentricity of signage in downtown Indianapolis.

Portland Ranks Well in Urban Mobility Study

2009-08-19T07:30:00.000-04:00

Texas Transportation Institute report on Urban Mobility ranks the major US cities in terms of rush hour problems, measuring lost time, lost money, and excess pollution generated.

I thought it would be interesting to contrast Indianapolis vs. Portland, two cities which have vastly different transportation strategies. A typical complaint in Indianapolis is the lack of a public transportation system. A typical complaint (or at least based on comments from internet forums) is that Portland's strategies focusing on alternative transportation methods only work because the highways are so underdeveloped that people have no choice but to get out of their car.

Admittedly, the cities are not very similar. But looking at urban population, the comparison is not unjustified. Portland's policies on urban growth boundaries increase the density of the city, but this comparison is just for fun so I'm not going to look too closely at how to adjust the numbers to account for differences in the two cities.So let us consult the ultimate arbiter, statistics. The cities have the following breakdown:

Portland (2007 report here)
urban population: 1,800,000 (24th)
density: 3333 /sq.mi.
metro population: 2,159,000
lost time rank: 20
lost money rank: 24
excess pollution rank: 24

Indianapolis (2007 report here)
urban population: 1,070,000 (38th)
density: 2098 /sq.mi.
metro population: 1,715,000
lost time rank: 34
lost money rank: 29
excess pollution rank: 30

Looking at the lost time ranking, you can see that both Indianapolis and Portland have slightly worse congestion than their city sizes would suggest. But obviously, both Portland and Indianapolis have been equally successful in their attempts to limit the effect of traffic congestion. Portland has invested heavily in alternative transportation infrastructure, while Indianapolis has expanded their highway system.

However, when you look at lost money and excess pollution generated, Portland seems to fare better than Indianapolis. Portland's ranking is on par with its size, whereas Indianapolis is generating much more pollution than its size should allow.

As we move closer to putting a price on CO2 emissions, I think the costs incurred by gasoline will continue to rise. Indianapolis' rankings will fall even further, meaning the city is becoming less efficient and less competitive for future jobs and employers.

Successful Renovation of Local Schoolhouse

2009-08-17T07:30:00.001-04:00

My friend and colleague has just completed his renovation of a local historic schoolhouse into his residence. He and his wife worked very hard for over a year to finish the renovation and they definitely have something to be proud of.

The fully renovated schoolhouse sitting proud on a hillock

The schoolhouse halfway through renovation, geo-exchange loop being installed

The structure as initially purchased in early 2008

This structure was built in 1891 for an independent community outside of Indianapolis. It was originally a one room school but later split into a two room schoolhouse with a double sided fireplace in the middle.

The original building plaque sharing information about the structure

The small school system was later merged with a larger community, so the schoolhouse was repurposed into a fire station. Two garages were built to store the trucks. Eventually the schoolhouse was transferred to a private owner and used for different community events or as a residence, depending on the needs of the neighborhood.

Fire engines get larger as time passes, thus more garage space was needed

The eastern facade showing masonry construction, new windows, and a bathouse

My friend acquired it and acted as contractor, architect, and much of the manual labor. Key upgrades include new aluminum high-insulation windows and a state-of-the-art HVAC system. Exterior work involved new roofing for the main schoolhouse building and a lot of masonry patching. The attached garages are being used for storage at this point, but they will be converted to a game room and a car garage in time.

Vintage furniture, doors with transom windows, and high ceilings

A unique mudroom with space for washer/dryer and a pantry

The separate front doors once led to two individual schoolrooms

The interior renovations included furring out the masonry walls, installing insulation and drywall, and repairing any masonry issues. The original oak floors were sanded and refinished. A new kitchen made from all recycled materials was put in (and the granite for the island came from a prominent building downtown that was recently reclad). The 14'-0" ceiling height gives a definite loftiness and grandness that you don't find in many homes.

An apron farmhouse sink, cherry butcher block counters, and reclaimed cabinets were a cost-effective way to make the kitchen fit the context

A handmade island with recycled granite, vintage oven range, and plenty of storage options

The refinished floors of old-growth oak are priceless

New interior walls were installed to section off bedrooms, bathrooms, and a utility room. The bedrooms and bathrooms were furnished with vintage finds from antique shops or family pieces. The overall effect is very pleasant, everything seems to fit and there is a definite authenticity even though the building has been charged with a new life.

A typical interior door with 5 panel construction and a transom overhead

The master bedroom continues the themes presents in the remainder of the house, including tall windows, a high ceiling, hardwood floors, and vintage furniture

But as I mentioned earlier, the key upgrade in this renovation is the new HVAC system. A geo-exchange heat pump works during winter or summer, providing an efficient and inexpensive way to heat this old masonry building. The heating is distributed by a thermal radiant floor system using PEX tubing installed between the original wooden floor joists.

The basement showing wooden post and beam construction supporting the floors

Radiant floor PEX tubing was installed between joists and a reflective backing was installed to focus heat upwards

Supply and return lines feeding the tubing system

The water-to-air heat exchanger provides cooling during the summer and back-up heat during the winter

A full set of ducts were also installed for the cooling system and a back-up electric resistance heater is available for any nights that are especially cold. The heat pump is also connected to a water-to-air exchanger which can use the chilled water to blow cool air through the ducts.

The water-to-water heat exchanger provides heat for the radiant system

The final bonus is that waste heat generated during cooling months is deposited back into the hot water heater. There is very little energy wasted during the generating and distributing process, and the extra insulation in the walls and ceiling keeps most of it inside.

The potable water system uses flexible PEX tubing for distribution, and is sourced from a well next to the house

Future plans, in addition to renovating the garage spaces, include adding a full height library shelving system with rolling ladder, a circular staircase that would extend from basement (once finished) to the reclaimed attic/loft space. This will also open up room to install another bathroom in the main floor where the basement stair currently sits. But that work can wait for another day, as I am sure they are deserving of a little break from renovation work to enjoy the work they have already completed.

UDATE: The owner's Flickr photostream is here, if you want to see even more

Re-Burbia and the Perpetual Motion Machine

2009-08-14T07:30:00.006-04:00

On August 10, 2009, the finalists for Dwell/Inhabitat's Re-Burbia contest were revealed. All of the finalists had invested a substantial amount of time in preparing their submissions. All looked impressive, most were interesting, and some were eminently practical.

However, I can't even begin to explain how upset I was when I came to the Vehiforce entry. This is nothing more than a perpetual motion machine. All of the energy needs of a suburban home can now be met by installing a machine in each garage that not only keeps a vehicle's weight bouncing up and down perpetually but actually extracts useful energy from the process.

Are you kidding me? A finalist?

Honestly, I don't fault the "inventor". Many people believe they can invent such machines, even famously brilliant people like Leonardo da Vinci. Unfortunately, the second law of thermodynamics prevents such a device. From the smallest atomic particles to the slow rotation of the Milky Way galaxy, no existing matter is capable of circumventing this law. Stephen Hawking even proved that Black Holes (singular gravity entities) follow similar rules. There truly is no such thing as a free lunch.

What made me upset and caused me such anguish is that the contest jury obviously had no scientific oversight, and probably lacked any technical experts. The contest hosts should be absolutely ashamed to allow this project to have progressed this far. The fact it was not killed immediately upon arrival proves that the contest was not judged according to its stated criteria of:

innovation and creativity
clarity of design
usability and practicality of implementation
originality
aesthetics
quality of solution

I can instantly see that the proposal should have been given a score of zero for criteria 3, 4, & 6. If I were on the panel and it was selected as a finalist I would have withdrawn my name from the jury, I would never allow myself to be associated with such a embarrassment. However, in the parlance of our times this can also be a good opportunity for a "teachable moment". Allow me to explain what made me so upset, and how everyone can avoid these issues in the future.

Make no mistake that the energy crisis is serious. It will define our future as a species on this planet. We have exhausted much of the easily retrieved energy that our planet had been storing in the form of petroleum. The energy in petroleum came from the same source that all usable energy on earth does - sunlight. Photovoltaic cells, wind turbines, wave power, hydroelectric dams, and photosynthesis all come directly from solar energy. Only nuclear power, geothermal, and certain chemical decompositions at the bottom of the ocean do not involve energy input from the Sun. Any future energy source must come from sunlight (or nuclear fission if you lean that way).

To summarize the relevant laws of thermodynamics:

Energy can not be created nor destroyed, only shifted from one form to another
Transferred energy must pay a tax to entropy

Basically, the usefulness of energy degrades as it is used. New, useful energy must come from an outside source (e.g. the sun). Useful energy can not be found in a garage unless someone is storing plutonium.

Once an energy source is found it must be converted to useful work. The most efficient process ever created would almost achieve 100% conversion from one form of work to another. Cars with internal combustion engines achieve about 20%-30% efficiency. They are not now, nor will they ever be a viable solution for our energy needs.

This is important because the source of the energy from a device such as a Vehiforce, if built, would be the car's engine. The design as drawn would never work. But, as suggested in the comments, it could be reconfigured as a linear system slowly lowering the car from a higher garage level to a lower one. This would be a ridiculously bad idea, however, as you would be wasting a lot of energy.

The car would drive itself up a ramp, stop on the Vehiforce platform, slowly travel downwards recapturing at most 1/3 of the energy used to get it up the ramp to begin with. The rest of the energy would be lost as useless heat out of the tailpipe and the engine. Thus, the Vehiforce would represent one of the most expensive, polluting, and inefficient ways to produce electricity.

As I stated above, our energy crisis is the most serious issue confronting our society right now. To award an important prize to such an idea as this is irresponsible.

What is needed is to break down the barriers of the design world. The innovators must combine forces with the technical experts. Design juries must involve some form of technical oversight to ensure feasibility criteria are met. This will encourage submissions from design teams that are broad based and experienced in design talent as well as technical talent.

Update from Irvington - Neighborhood Takes on Storm

2009-08-12T07:30:00.006-04:00

The neighborhood of Irvington was hit by a powerful thunderstorm on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. Thankfully, this storm carried no tornadoes with it, but the high wind speeds were quite damaging. Downed trees, lost power, and a whole lot of rain kept the neighborhood on edge for most of the day. The Indianapolis airport clocked wind speeds of 67 MPH around mid-day, which is only a 5 year mean recurrence interval but definitely not your average thunderstorm.

No power in my house - but it could have been much worse

This piece of wood impaled itself into our lawn

When I arrived home after work on Tuesday, the neighborhood looked like a war zone. Severals streets were closed down and several crews were working to cut up trees. Our house on the north side of the neighborhood had lost power (and would be without for 3 days). I found three large branches on the roof, but the gutters seemed to be the only damaged parts of the house. There was some mad shuffling to get refrigerated goods into our neighbors' homes, but other than that it was just a quiet few days reading by candlelight until power was restored.

This poor tree was all but ready to fall over

The next day I explored a little more of the neighborhood. Our neighbors to the east lost their garage. Near South Aububon circle the Victorian Gothic house lost their porch (but could have lost much more). The circle itself lost a huge tree that crushed a car. On the east intersection an enormous forked tree split all the way to the ground.

A large tree on the circle causing mayhem in the streets

Bad luck

The heavy winds split the tree trunk

If you enlarge you can see where the tree bounced off of the tower...

... and landed on top of the porch

The city definitely helped restore the streets and clear debris, I was quite pleased with their reaction. There is still plenty of debris resting on the sidewalks waiting to be picked up, so hopefully this will happen before the leaves drop from the branches and start rotting.

Keeping an Engineer's Journal

2009-08-10T07:30:00.003-04:00

One of the key things I learned in architecture school (in a former life) was to keep a journal with thoughts, ideas, and neat things you find walking around. You never know when inspiration will strike, so having a safe place to collect these flashes of insight is incredibly important.

The journal started in grad school is now retired

I have kept writing the journal, although it became an engineering journal when I switched majors. At that point, it became much more textual rather than visual, but I am a literal person so that made things easier. Now that I am retiring a journal and moving to a fresh clean one, a process that only happens once every few years, I wanted to share my thoughts about journal-keeping.

No editing allowed until the ideas are written down

Over the years I have accumulated plenty of things to write in my journal. Putting it down on paper helps to lock the concept into my brain, usually to the point where I never needed to consult the written words again. But it is essential to write it down, because if I ever lose the idea I can always go back to refresh my memory.

The new journal, a nice leather bound gift from the wife

Many of the ideas presented on this website were once just a line or two written in my journal. A high percentage of the ideas are abandoned because they can't all be winners. Essentially I agree with the quote "If you want to have a good idea, get lots of ideas".

Tabula Rasa

There is a level of self-editing that needs to be done, and the journal plays a key role. There is absolutely no editing in the journal, everything can be written down. Bad ideas are given just as much attention as prima facie brilliant ones. Preparing the thoughts to be presented on the website requires a much more significant effort, so in the end you only choose the topics that can be presented effectively and are actually interesting.

Architects are basically required to keep a journal in school. However, it doesn't even get a mention in engineering curriculums. It should. As an engineer, one's most important resource is creativity. Don't risk losing all those great ideas!

All About Stairs

2009-08-07T07:30:00.000-04:00

For anyone not familiar with this website, please visit now and stay all day.

S tair Porn

And don't worry, it's just stairs...

Iconic Structures of Indiana: Bush Stadium

2009-08-05T07:30:00.003-04:00

Bush Stadium from the southwest

Bush Stadium is a baseball stadium just Northwest of downtown Indianapolis. This ivy covered brick structure with a heavily styled Art Deco entry has been the home of several teams since construction in 1931, all of whom have had a major role in the sports history of the city. Legend says that Wrigley Field (1913) served as inspiration for the ivy covered walls and roof system of the Indianapolis ballpark.

(NOTE: the property is closed and there is no access to the interior of the stadium)

Bush Stadium entry pavillion

Typical exterior walls of Bush Stadium

The structure has been essentially abandoned since 1996 when the Indianapolis Indians team moved to Victory Field downtown. The Indians move wasn't such a bad plan, it consolidated the sports activities in the downtown area and created another destination in the central core. Victory Field and the Indianapolis Indians team offer one of the best baseball experiences available in the US, I love the current configuration they have. But as seen in a photos here and one from this link, Bush Stadium was quite sufficient as a baseball park and consolidating downtown was the reason for the move rather than obsolescence.

An aerial image from 1995, the last year that the stadium saw a full season

I wanted to concentrate on this structure for a few reasons:

It is currently on HLFI top ten endangered list
It has an exposed structural system, which always attracts my attention
It has a great location near downtown and alongside the river
I want to help raise awareness of the structure

Google Earth 3-d building model of Bush Stadium from the south

Google Earth 3-d building model of Bush Stadium from the southeast

The Indianapolis Star had a good descriptive article on this structure last year, but there was absolutely no call to action.

I hope that Indianapolis will find a reuse for this structure, but I don't think that the current owners, Indy Parks, actually know what to do with it yet. Historic preservation has never been too high on their list of priorities and they seem to be too comfortable with razing a significant structure just to acquire a clean piece of property. Indy Parks official position is that they are entertaining offers for the property, but that no "viable solution" has been proposed.

The current cost estimate for a rehab is $6.7M (and maybe as low as $5M). If you look at how much Lucas Oil Stadium cost (~$700M), you can see that a rehabbed Bush Stadium will cost significantly less. Bush Stadium holds 12,000 spectators compared to LOS' 60,000, so you get 1/5 the people for 1/100 the cost. No matter where you draw your money from, that doesn't seem like a bad value. Most importantly, you now have a stadium that nobody can compete with, an authentic art deco structure.

Ripken Design performed the restoration feasibility study sponsored by the Chambers Family Foundation. It seems that no action has been taken since the initial phase, probably everyone is waiting for the city to make a decision or put funding into place.

When you consider how distinct the authentic facade is, you can easily imagine adaptive reuse consultants having an easy time marketing this property. Even if not for baseball or softball or little league, other sports such as cricket, soccer, or a facility of IUPUI's choosing is possible. Many sports have devoted fans in need of small, yet upscale, stadiums to host championship games or tournaments.

Aerial image from 1937 showing arrangement as a baseball stadium

Aerial image as of 2005, after outfield was converted into the 16th Street Speedway

The entry pavillion is precast concrete with a metal awning. The cast reliefs probably refer to local issues set as mythological stories, which was a big hit in Art Deco days.

An art deco design relief (click for larger view)

Art deco relief showing original name of Perry Stadium

An Native American with ceremonial headdress and baseball equipment

The exterior windows are steel with divided lites. The awning and ticket counter windows give the impression of an old movie theater experience, which is probably not coincidental since they were also a burgeoning industry at this time. The management and operational facilities are directly above the ticket counter windows.

Awning above ticket counter booths with more design elements

Original gates to control traffic in and out of turnstyles

Turnstyles in main room of entry pavillion

Main room of entry pavillion with offices above the ticket booths (check out column details)

The vendors are no longer open but the signs are still hanging around

Beautiful desolation

Typical stadium ramp up to the seating area

A wild view greets anyone walking up the ramp to see the old playing surface

I don't know how the upper stadium boxes were accessed, but they appear to be a later addition that has not fared very well. On the other hand, the lighting towers are obviously original and look absolutely fitting in their function and appearance. The roof structure is steel trusses with some type of steel decking covering almost all of the seats. That in itself is a rare thing at any baseball stadium.

Left field of Bush Stadium

Right field of Bush Stadium

One of several enormous light towers

A closer view of the home plate area and the "luxury boxes"

Good view of the windows and ticketing areas

The stadium risers are concrete and look cast in place, supported on brick walls. There is plenty of room for vendors under the risers. The exterior walls have overhead doors at regular intervals, these are access doors for the vendor stands. It looks like one could just back a truck right up into the stall and sell out of the truck. At the very least, it makes loading and unloading a simple affair.

Old vendor stall with roll-up door

The roof is supported by a steel frame structure, likely a moment frame with rigid connections to the truss chords. There is some wood roofing materials falling down, but nothing extensive. The timeline of the stadium shows that public use was still being allowed as late as 2001. I refuse to believe that this structure which has been exposed to weather for 70 years would go from structurally sound to the brink of collapse in 8 years. It seems like a scare tactic to me.

View of the framing from the exterior, note the braced frames in certain bays

The tall steel columns are connected with built-up trusses acting as a rigid frame

Good view of the trusses supporting the roof members

Viewing the structure from the outside, it is clear that this building is still in serviceable condition, and reportedly sees some seasonal upkeep. An outfield wall recently collapsed, but those are typically unbraced at their top so not surprising this would happen while nobody is maintaining the brick. There are no signs of walls being out of plumb, no exposed steel rusted through, nor any evidence of serious degradation by water. Many of the reports reference structural deficiencies, but (at least from the exterior) it appears to be in great shape compared to many of the historic properties I have been in.

My impression is that the decision to leave Bush Stadium was political and the required maintenance of the structure was merely a convenient excuse. Instead of focusing their energy on a solution that would preserve the heritage of the city, the owners (city of Indianapolis) began describing the stadium as "crumbling" or "unsafe" and rapidly abandoned it to raise a new edifice in honor of their own leadership.

Bush stadium is in good shape, even if it does have a few problems needing to be addressed. Only a limited amount of graffiti is present. Many of the window panes are still in good shape, a rare phenomenon for an abandoned urban building. Looking at the above referenced renovation costs, I think it is safe to assume that most of that cost would not be structural issues, but rather M/E/P, accessibility, or "luxury booth" upgrades. Asbestos treatments may be a concern, but there are many structures where management-in-place policies have been very effective.

Looking even further into the future, the stadium is on a direct route from downtown to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Thus, a dedicated people mover could serve both facilities. In my opinion, this is a strong argument in favor of preserving it. It could become another great facility in the portfolio of Indianapolis sports venues. I wouldn't even be opposed to letting it sit for many more years and cultivating Indy's first set of urban ruins, to be celebrated in a picturesque way many decades from now.

I just hope that the city of Indianapolis understands that once something is lost, it is lost forever. In the end if we can't save Bush Stadium then it will be a sad day for us all.