All engineers have a dream of designing and developing something. That’s so much a part of being an engineer that it’s practically ingrained, and it’s bound to happen at least a few times through the span of a career. But until you’ve been there, really part of a design team that’s trying to bring an…
DetailsWhat if solar energy wasn’t just available, but consistently available on-demand? Researchers at MIT might have found the solution to a longstanding problem, at least as it applies to on-demand heat. This isn’t a development for turning solar into electricity. It’s for using the warmth of the sun anytime, and without the need for a…
DetailsEvery year brings new and wondrous developments in engineering and architecture, and 2016 promises to reveal some of the most innovative. The groundbreaking building products in this year’s lineup are all problem solvers. Some of them, in a most unusual way. Here’s what you can expect 2016 to hold. You might not find them at…
DetailsBIM helps clients really see what makes a building. Architects who use Building Information Modeling or BIM have long had access to better and more detailed planning and design tools. But there’s another benefit to BIM, and that’s communication throughout the design and build, and assisting the client later. What BIM offers is a model…
Details3D printing is doing just fine, at least in manufacturing. Is the era of the personal 3D printer coming to an end, before it even got a reasonably good foothold? Probably not, but that’s not stopping 3D Systems from pulling the plug on Cube. If you own one, the company has promised to continue offering…
DetailsHave you ever wished that your snoring partner had a volume dial so that you could turn down the sound and get a little shuteye? Everyone who has lived with a snorer has a couple of tricks up the old pajama sleeve, but a new device could be the end of the nasaly, nighttime nocturnes.…
DetailsBruce Lee famously said, “Be like water.” Water changes course to move around objects, or it can cut a path through them. It conforms to whatever contains it, but you can’t grab it. Water, in other words, is a real problem. That’s especially true when you set out to protect architecturally significant property from it.…
DetailsEach year, World Monuments Fund (WMF) selects places around the world to watch and help preserve for future generations. These places are significant for different reasons, but all have one thing in common: They’re at genuine risk of destruction. Since 1965, WMF has played a role in numerous endeavors. Funds were raised for the restoration…
DetailsWe haven’t quite made it to the Jetsons yet, but autonomous vehicles are another step toward a life where machines can operate themselves. Whether or not you’re comfortable with that, 2016 might be a giant step forward as more self-operating cars hit the roads. Plenty of people are excited about the industry advances, and plenty…
DetailsThe American Institute of Architects regularly conducts compensation surveys and prepares reports to illustrate the state of architecture compensation across the U.S. In the 2015 report, which you can order here, 923 architecture firms participated and the top and bottom 1 percent was culled, giving you a more accurate representation of what’s trending. If you…
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