Feds push use of eminent domain to force people out of flood-prone homes

The federal government is giving local officials nationwide an ultimatum: Either use eminent domain to force people out of flood-prone homes, or forfeit the chance for federal money to combat climate change, according to the New York Times.

This move is an effort by the Army Corps of Engineers to protect people from disasters. Officials from the Florida Keys to the New Jersey coast, including Miami, Charleston, S.C., and Selma, Ala., are facing this choice.

Local governments seeking federal money to help people leave flood zones must first agree to oust people who refuse to move. Some local governments have told the Corps they will do so if necessary, while others have yet to decide.

The Corps protects Americans from flooding and coastal storms by building sea walls, levees and other protective structures, and by elevating homes. The Corps typically pays two-thirds of the cost, with local government paying the rest.

This course outlines the attributes, functions, benefits, limits, and acoustic qualities of composite deck slabs. It reviews the three primary types of composite systems that represent the full range of long-span composite floor systems and examines the criteria for their selection, design, and engineering.

Ascent will be the tallest mass timber (CLT and glulam) structure in the world

Wood | Apr 13, 2022

Mass timber: Multifamily’s next big building system

Mass timber construction experts offer advice on how to use prefabricated wood systems to help you reach for the heights with your next apartment or condominium project.

Meet Emerge - WSP's AEC Tech Incubator HorizonTV BayoTech

AEC Tech Innovation | Mar 9, 2022

Meet Emerge: WSP USA's new AEC tech incubator

Pooja Jain, WSP’s VP-Strategic Innovation, discusses the pilot programs her firm’s new incubator, Emerge, has initiated with four tech startup companies. Jain speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about the four AEC tech firms to join Cohort 1 of the firm’s incubator.

Codes and Standards | Feb 21, 2022

More bad news on sea level rise for U.S. coastal areas

A new government report predicts sea levels in the U.S. of 10 to 12 inches higher by 2050, with some major cities on the East and Gulf coasts experiencing damaging floods even on sunny days.

Pictured: LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering, Kim Cowman. Photo: LEO A DALY

Resiliency | Feb 15, 2022

Design strategies for resilient buildings

LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering Kim Cowman takes a building-level look at resilient design.

Multifamily + Hospitality: Benefits of building in long-span composite floor systems

Long-span composite floor systems provide unique advantages in the construction of multi-family and hospitality facilities. This introductory course explains what composite deck is, how it works, what typical composite deck profiles look like and provides guidelines for using composite floor systems. This is a nano unit course.

Concrete buildings: Effective solutions for restorations and major repairs

Architectural concrete as we know it today was invented in the 19th century. It reached new heights in the U.S. after World War II when mid-century modernism was in vogue, following in the footsteps of a European aesthetic that expressed structure and permanent surfaces through this exposed material. Concrete was treated as a monolithic miracle, waterproof and structurally and visually versatile.

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Norshield Products Fortify Critical NYC Infrastructure

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.