January 2010 Volume 56, Number 4
Rapid advances in the technology, business processes, and applications of 3D Imaging (laser scanning) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) are dramatically improving project delivery of complex design and construction projects, both new and repair/alterations. This talk will discuss briefly the technical aspects of 3D imaging; its evolution as a tool for design, construction, and real property management; and, case studies illustrating the challenges and opportunities.
In 2003, the General Services Administration (GSA), through its Public Buildings Service (PBS) Office of Chief Architect (OCA), established the National 3D-4D-BIM Program. OCA has led over 30 projects in its capital program and is assessing and supporting three dimensional (3D), four-dimensional (4D), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) applications in over 35 ongoing projects across the nation. GSA is committed to a strategic and incremental adoption of 3D, 4D, and BIM technologies.
GSA’s OCA is currently encouraging, documenting, and evaluating 3D laser scanning technologies on a project-by-project need basis. 3D laser scanning has become a prominent vehicle for acquiring building spatial data in three dimensions with high fidelity and low processing time. In the past 3 years, GSA has employed 3D laser scanning technologies on 7 capital projects, ranging from an entry pavilion to a campus of federal properties.
One of GSA’s major projects involves St. Elizabeths Hospital site in Washington, DC. The hospital was founded by Congress in 1852; it opened in 1855 as the Government Hospital for the Insane, and rose to prominence during the Civil War as it was converted temporarily into a hospital for wounded soldiers. In 1916, Congress officially changed its name to St. Elizabeths, the colonial-era name for the tract of land on which the hospital was built.
St. Elizabeths is divided into two campuses. The West Campus is owned by the federal government, under control of GSA. It is located in the Anacostia community in southeast Washington on a hill overlooking the Anacostia River with panoramic views of Washington and Virginia. The East Campus, owned by the District of Columbia, is located across Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue from the West Campus and is still in use as a mental health facility.
The entire 173 acre West Campus site is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The Center Building was designed by Thomas U. Walter (1804-1887), better known as the primary architect of the expansion of the U.S. Capitol that was begun in 1851. GSA and Optria Inc. are using 3D laser imaging to prepare as-built documentation of 61 historic building structures at St. Elizabeths West Campus site. The Department of Homeland Security announced plans to relocate its headquarters and most of its DC-area facilities to the western campus of St. Elizabeths.
Stephen R Hagan, FAIA, GSA PBS Project Knowledge Center
Stephen Hagan, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA), is recognized as an industry expert and technology evangelist, focusing on the architecture, construction, and real estate industries as well as the federal public sector market place.
Hagan is a member of the AIA Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Community and the AIA Board Knowledge Committee. He is also co-chair of the Emerging Technologies Committee of the Federal Facilities Council; representative to the buildingSMART alliance; and a member on the Executive Committee of the National BIM Standard Committee.
Hagan, with the GSA 3D/4D BIM team, was recipient of the GSA Office of government Policy 2007 Real Property Achievement Award and FIATECH’s CETI Award, and the 1st buildingSMART alliance Innovation Award.
Hagan is a graduate of Yale College and the Yale School of Architecture.
Mitch Schefcik, Optira, Inc.
Mitch Schefcik is president of Optira Inc., a leader in the field of intelligent Building Information Modeling (BIM). In 2003, Optira recognized that as-built documentation (i.e. the blueprint) is predominantly an inaccurate record of a building due to changes that are not reflected after the blueprint’s creation. In response, Optira introduced the use of 3D laser imaging to create as-built, detail, and engineering surveys, which could be calibrated to measure all of a structure’s details and components, and create an extremely accurate 3D CAD model. The precision in Optira’s technology eliminates the unknowns and reduces virtually all risks by making every detail known.
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I hope everyone had a pleasant break and a safe and happy holiday. I want to start by thanking you for being a member of the NCS, as well as all the volunteer efforts, involvement in activities, and attending our section meetings. Participation in section meetings, for instance, continues to be a great way to hear more about topics relevant to our field, meet our guest speakers, network with fellow engineers, and receive Professional Development Hours (PDHs).
Unfortunately, as you are aware, the current economic situation has affected the engineering profession and some of our fellow engineers have found themselves without a job. ASCE-NCS wants to wish those colleagues the best of luck in their job search and would like to announce an initiative being launched for the January, February, and March section meetings. If you are an ASCE-NCS member who lost their job you can attend the section meetings without paying the registration fee. We hope this will provide effective networking opportunities. Please note space is limited and RSVPs are accepted on a first come, first serve basis for each meeting, the calendar of event shows the schedule of upcoming meetings and activities. Another way to network is to attend a committee event; these can also be found in the calendar of event, at these events the meetings and presentations are more focused on a particular topic. If interested the committees’ chairs can be contacted to get more information. In the coming weeks check your E-mail inbox for more information about various events and activities.
Fady
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Even though it is several months away, please save the date of this year’s NCS Annual Awards Banquet: Tuesday April 20th. We are honored to have ASCE President Blaine Leonard as our keynote speaker this year. The event gives us the opportunity to recognize and celebrate local excellence in projects, engineers, and students who have contributed to our society and our community. Recognized parties will include our meritorious service award winners, student scholarship award winners, and those individuals who have achieved Life Member status.
More details on the Banquet’s activities and program will be forthcoming in subsequent Newsletters.
Blaine D. Leonard is the Research Program Manager with the Utah Department of Transportation in Salt Lake City. He is responsible for balancing needs, priorities, and resources in the Research Division and managing a wide variety of geotechnical, structural, seismic, environmental, and traffic safety research efforts.
Prior to joining the Department, Leonard spent 20 years in the consulting engineering business with broad experience in site engineering, utilities, roads, geotechnical investigations, and earth dams. He was also a partner in a Salt Lake City engineering firm. He earned Bachelors and Masters degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah and is a licensed professional engineer in six western states.
Leonard is active in the American Society of Civil Engineers, where he currently serves as the Society’s President for 2010. He has served as a Zone IV Vice President, a Governor of the GeoInstitute, President of the Utah Section, and has been on a number of national ASCE committees. He currently chairs the Task Committee to Achieve the Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025. ASCE awarded him the William H. Wisely American Civil Engineer Award in 2006.
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Please join us for the evening of Tuesday, February 16, for a panel presentation on “Infrastructure Security: Challenges and Opportunities.” Panelists will present on a wide spectrum of our critical infrastructure including energy, transportation, and water. The evening promises to provide attendees with an improved understanding of infrastructure protection and the challenges faced by organizations responsible for securing such assets.
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Attention writers (or at least members with computers and interest): The term for the ASCE Newsletter Editor is two years and, thus, unfortunately, the time is coming for me to relinquish my role. My final issue as Newsletter Editor will be the May 2010 issue. The new Editor will begin with the September 2010 issue.
The responsibilities of the Newsletter Editor include collecting articles and columns on a monthly basis during the ASCE calendar year, coordinating with the National Capital Section President in preparing the President’s Corner, and furnishing new ideas for articles and creative ways of publishing events and relevant industry trends impacting civil engineering. As part of the executive board, you will also attend board meetings, assist in choosing relevant speakers, and attend member events as a representative of the board.
The reason I am soliciting a protégé this far out is for ease of transition and knowledge management. It would be in the best interests of both the preceding and succeeding Editors to have a little overlap. To this end, I would like to bring a new Editor on board sometime this spring to begin the turnover to facilitate a smooth transition. If you are interested, or know anyone who would be interested, please contact me. Thank you, Rollie. (Rollie.Berry@nrc.gov or 301-415-6119)
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National Capital Section volunteers participated in several events at the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers annual conference held in October in Washington, DC.
NCS members manned the ASCE booth at the SHPE career fair at the DC Convention Center. Volunteers also participated in the Networking event and Pre-College Outreach Workshop at the Marriot Wardman Park Hotel.
The Pre-college event included construction of student designed “Kicking Machines” for moving table tennis balls from a stationary location into a cup. Students gave their Kicking Machines the ultimate test by substituting table tennis balls for hard boiled eggs at the end of the exercise.
A special thank you to all those that volunteered including: Lisa Jennings, Eunices Simon Alexander, Joy Ogunnubi, Pamela Bingham, Veronica Davis, Angela Borbon, Gina Jayawan, Dominic and Folefac.
The EWB-USA, Johns Hopkins University chapter is working on a Gabion Wall project for their Ecuador implementation. This is Phase I of a project to construct a children’s nursery. The team intends to travel to Ecuador on this implementation in January 2010 (tentative dates Jan 3-21, 2010) and is looking for one or two professional mentors that are available to travel with them. (Professional mentors could split the time between them, i.e. 1.5 weeks for each of two mentors instead of 3 weeks for one mentor). The professional mentors should have a minimum of 7 years working experience in the civil/structural/geotechnical field. Please email project leads, Carolyn Purington (cpurington@jhu.edu) and Hyun-Sun Seo (hyunsunseo@gmail.com) to learn more. Please click here for the fact sheet.
On the average, volunteers spend about 30 to 40 hours working with the student teams over a 3 to 4 month period (Sept-Jan). Some schools work on their Future City projects during class, while others work on them after school. The mentors’ participation and time at the school tends to be concentrated in the early and late weeks of the project. For more information regarding mentorship, please click here. Interested parties should contact Bill Knight, Future City Program Manager, bknight@futurecity.org.
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Application materials for the 2010 Legislative Fly-In are now available on the ASCE Government Relations webpage at http://www.asce.org/govrel The 2010 Fly-In will be held March 23-25. The deadline to submit application is January 29, 2010.
Application submission can be done online! Complete the application, either online or in print, to request to be a part of the 2010 ASCE delegation to Capitol Hill to discuss civil engineering priorities with lawmakers. There is no cost to attend the ASCE Legislative Fly-In besides your own travel expenses. Space is limited and spots will be allocated based on geographic distribution as well as interest in pursuing grassroots activity on civil engineering priorities. For more information visit http://www.asce.org/govrel and click on the “Legislative Fly-In” link.
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Piling and Deep Foundations Southeast Asia conference will be held from March 23-24th 2010 at the Prince Hotel & Residence, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Please go to www.pilingdeepfoundationsasia.com for more details.
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Conference to be held in Las Vegas February 1, 2010, please see the website for email details: http://www.dfi.org/update/ev154-eb.pdf
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Activities planned for January and February are listed below. We hope that you will be able to join us:
January 13 at 6pm at Carpool in Arlington, VA, see event calendar for more information.
If you have graduated from an ABET-accredited engineering program, or hold a license as a Professional Engineer, or are enrolled in an ABET-accredited engineering program and within two academic terms of graduation, you are eligible to participate in the Order of the Engineer ceremony being held in conjunction with the NCS Section Dinner on January 26 at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City. Please click here for the pre-registration form found.
February 3 at 6pm at Capital City Brewery, see event calendar for more information.
We will be hosting our annual exhibit at the 2010 Discover Engineering Family Day Festival on Saturday February 20, 2010. This year, ASCE will host building a Suspension Bridge activity. The objective of this activity is to build a suspension bridge using straws, masking tape, and dental floss. We are looking for volunteers to assist with exhibit planning as well as facilitation of the activity on the day of the event. Please spread the word about this event to family, friends, and colleagues. For more information, visit http://eweekdcfamilyday.org/ or contact Emily Dean at edean@mragta.com.
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The Order of the Engineer is a pledge of ethics and integrity whose history dates back to the 1920’s in Canada with The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer. The goal of The Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer was to bind together engineers from all disciplines and instill an obligation of ethics in young engineers. The original “iron ring” was worn to symbolize an engineer’s pride in their profession and remind them of their humility.
In 1970, the first Order of the Ring Ceremony was performed at Cleveland State University. The tradition was brought to the United States to serve many of the same purposes of the Canadian predecessor. Since 1970, engineers from all over the United States, students and practicing engineers, have accepted the Obligation of the Engineer symbolized by a steel ring worn on the little finger of the working hand.
The Order is not a membership organization. There are no dues or meetings. It is merely a pledge to act ethically and professionally and take pride in your profession.
For additional information check out the following website: http://www.order-of-the-engineer.org/
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A small group of Younger Member Forum supporters met at Rumors Restaurant near DuPont Circle on December 2 to collect Toys for the United Sates Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program.
“The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.”
The National Capital Section Younger Member Forum has conducted Toys for Tots drives for several years. All NCS members are welcome at this event held soon after Thanksgiving each year. Every Christmas, especially in difficult economic times, a simple gift for a child goes a long way towards creating hope for the future.
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Deadline for Submissions: Monday, March 8, 2010
The fifth annual presentation of the ASCE-NCS Sustainability Award will recognize private-industry outreach initiatives/projects or public legislation/programs in the metropolitan Washington DC area that advance or promote the responsible and sustainable development of infrastructure, the built-environment, or the conservation of natural resources. Past recipients of this award include the USEPA for the People, Prosperity, and the Planet (P3) event in 2009, the MWCOG’s Greening the Metropolitan Washington Region’s Built Environment in 2008 (http://www.mwcog.org/store/item.asp?PUBLICATION_ID=304), and the Anacostia Waterfront Corporation’s Environmental Standards for development in 2007 (http://www.dcappleseed.org/projects/publications/EnvironmentalStandards1.pdf).
Award/Recognition Criteria
1. The initiative (The Nomination) advances or promotes sustainable development as defined by the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Code of Ethics: “Sustainable development is the challenge of meeting human needs for natural resources, industrial products, energy, food, transportation, shelter, and effective waste management while conserving and protecting environmental quality and the natural resource base essential for future development.”
2. The Nomination adopts a long-term view cognizant of environmental, social, and economic implications and places heavy emphasis on the impact of choices made now on succeeding generations.
3. The Nomination is located within the jurisdictions of Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, City of Alexandria, Arlington County, or District of Columbia, within the geographical limits of ASCE’s National Capital Section (NCS).
Succinct Description of Initiative (limit to 100 words)
Your description should address the following:
Nominating Individual
Name:
Affiliation:
Phone:
E-mail:
For more information or to submit a nomination contact John Casana, P.E., Chair, ASCE NCS Sustainability Committee, at casana_john@bah.com.
Deadline for Submissions: Monday, February 1, 2010 (6:00 pm)
This first annual Automation Award recognizes private-industry initiatives/projects or public projects/legislation/programs in the Washington, DC metropolitan area that advance or promote efficiency, consistency, standardization, and/or excellence through the use of automation during the planning/design, construction, and/or operations/maintenance of infrastructure or the built-environment. This award program is a joint effort between ASCE-NCS (http://asce-ncs.org) and George Mason University (http://www.gmu.edu/org/asce/).
1. The initiative, project, or proposed/enacted legislation/program (The Nomination) advances or promotes efficiency, standardization, and/or team collaboration through the use of automation during one or more lifecycle phases of the built environment:
2. The Nomination adopts a long-term view consistent with the length of time the built-environment serves those investing in it, and places heavy emphasis on the impact of the choice of technology made in delivering long-term value in terms of efficiency, standardization, and/or team collaboration.
3. The Nomination is located within the jurisdictions of Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, City of Alexandria, Arlington County, or District of Columbia, within the geographical limits of ASCE’s National Capital Section (NCS).
Deadline for Submissions: Monday, 1 February 2010 (6:00 pm)
Award/Recognition Announcement: March/April 2010 (GMU ASCE Special Event)
For more information, the actual form, or to submit a nomination contact Ranjit Sahai, P.E., Chair, ASCE-NCS Automation Committee, at rsahai@ram-corp.com.
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CAD Draftsman / Designer—with 24 years experience in Structural drafting and 5 years experience in Architectural drafting, seeks full time job in Montgomery Co., DC Metro area, or Frederick Co. Experienced in AutoCad, Revit, and Microstation. Available immediately. Email Fred Edelstein at Fredelstein@comcast.net or write: 9920 Killarney Ln., Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Phone (301)330-1570 (please leave msg.).
Office Manager—Bohler Engineering is looking to fill an Office Manager position, if interested please contact Ginger Greunke (ggreunke@bohlereng.com).
The ASCE-NCS provides the Employment Clearinghouse as a free service to its membership. The Clearinghouse allows members to post short (100 word maximum) notices for available positions or candidates seeking employment. If you have questions or would like to post a position, please email Rollie.Berry@nrc.gov.
By submitting a “Position Available” notice, all employers are certifying that they are equal opportunity employers.
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Nominate your civil engineering project for achieving excellence in the implementation of technology for the first “Automation in Civil Engineering Annual Awards” sponsored by the NCS Automation Committee in conjunction with GMU ASCE Student Chapter. For further details, please contact: Ranjit at RSahai@ram-corp.com
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| Fady Afif, President | afiff@bv.com |
| Mark Leeman, Vice President | mark.leeman@feapc.com |
| Qamar Kazmi, Treasurer | qkazmi@schnabel-eng.com |
| John Casana, Secretary | casana_john@bah.com |
| David Dajc, Director | David.Dajc@fhwa.dot.gov |
| Christian Manalo, Director | manalo_christian@bah.com |
| Stephen Powers, Director | Stephen.Powers@MWAA.com |
| Adam Stewart, YMF President | Astewart@ehlert-bryan.com |
| Rollie Berry, Newsletter Editor | Rollie.Berry@nrc.gov |
| Fernando Pons, Past President | fpons@haleyaldrich.com |
| Dean Westman, Past President | dwestman@wrallp.com |
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ASCE-NCS January Section Meeting. 6pm to 8:30pm, Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, VA. Topic: GSA’s 3D Imaging Efforts for Saint Elizabeth. Stephen R Hagan, GSA and Mitch Schefcik, Optira, Inc. $30 (non-students); $5 (students); $15 (life members). Contact Fady at Afiff@bv.com or click here to register.
ASCE-NCS YMF Happy Hour. 6pm, Carpool in Arlington, VA. Contact Marcus at mcherundolo@gmail.com.
ASCE-NCS Structural Engineering Committee. 6pm, AECOM Offices. Topic: Old Materials and Modern Structural Design Codes. Conrad Paulson, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. Contact Bernie at berniedennis@mindspring.com.
ASCE-NCS YMF Professional Development Meeting/LEED. 6:15pm, Washington, DC. Contact Marcus at mcherundolo@gmail.com.
ASCE-NCS YMF Happy Hour. 6pm, Capital City Brewery, Metro Center, Washington, DC. Contact Marcus at mcherundolo@gmail.com.
ASCE-NCS February Section Meeting. 6pm to 8:30pm, Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, VA. Topic: Infrastructure Security Discussion Panel. $30 (non-students); $5 (students). Contact Fady at Afiff@bv.com.
ASCE-NCS YMF Family Day. Discover Engineering at the National Building Museum. Contact Emily at EDean@mrgata.com.
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Rollie Berry, Editor
United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Nuclear Security & Incident Response
Mail Stop: T-3B46M
Washington, DC 20555-0001
Telephone: 301-415-6119
Rollie.Berry@nrc.gov
February 2010 Issue Deadline: January 15, 2010
To Submit Articles: Email: Rollie.Berry@nrc.gov
Address Changes: Call 1-800-548-ASCE, email member@asce.org, go to www.asce.org/myprofile/, or write: ASCE - Membership, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Include your membership number.