Beam Me Up, Scotty … Or is it Down?

We're all familiar with AM and FM radio. Now, "XM" digital satellite radio—being touted as the biggest advancement in radio technology in decades—has hit the airwaves, with thousands of subscribers signing up nationwide. A big part of XM's success can be attributed to the completion of its highly secured, mission-critical digital broadcast center in Washington, D.

Deregulation Drives Need for Interval Metering

The changing landscape of the power generation market has resulted in an increased need for interval metering—also known as automated meter reading—which is the practice of utilities and end users to measure energy use in short time intervals. Demand-response programs, particularly in New York and California, allow end users the option to voluntarily shed load at times when the elec...

Engineers to Manufacturers: Let’s Do Lunch

Cold calls, noncurrent technical information and pushy salespeople are among the pet peeves of consulting engineers when called on by manufacturer representatives. But vendors can score major points when they offer consistently updated and comprehensive product information on their web sites, educational lunch 'n' learn sessions and timely follow-up and product support.

The State of Sprinklers: MIC, Recalls and New NFPA Standards

CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (CSE): Central Sprinkler's recall of 5 million Omega sprinklers, the recall of dry-pendant sprinklers and now o-ring replacements in glass-bulb and solder-link sprinklers potentially affecting 35 million in- stalled sprinklers brings into question sprinkler reliability.

The Many Advantages of Fabric Duct

Delivering a wide range of installation and operating benefits, fabric duct has slowly been finding its way into a number of projects involving open spaces, such as food processing plants, supermarkets, indoor swimming pool facilities, gymnasiums and convention centers. As an alternative to traditional metal ductwork—which often requires dozens of grills and diffusers for air distribution...

Global BAS: Where is the U.S. Holding?

Although U.S. equipment manufacturers and system integrators have made great strides in the development of controls systems and protocols, the likelihood that the average American will experience such cutting-edge technology in action is somewhat greater overseas than it is at home. "Although the U.S.

Singapore’s Savvy New Tower

With a tenant's ability to use his or her own PC to monitor and set the office temperature, find an open parking space via an intelligent parking guidance system and catch up on the latest financial news while taking a ride in an elevator, Singapore's Capital Tower seems to have raised the bar for intelligent buildings.

Daylighting and Dimming

Although natural daylight can offer significant energy savings, this can only be achieved with proper "harvesting" and integration into a dimming control system. This month's panel describes how to best specify sensors and control systems, along with other important issues of lighting design and technology.

ERs, ORs and PEs

If you haven't visited a hospital in a while, you may be surprised to find some very high-tech gadgetry, such as the latest in diagnostic imaging equipment; architecture and décor resembling a hotel more than a health-care facility; and patient rooms equipped with data ports for medical professionals to download patient information to a personal digital assistant (PDA) instead of a c...

Boiling it Down

What types of boilers are more commonly specified, how do engineers sort through different manufacturer options and in what direction are boiler controls heading? These are a few questions that a panel of boiler experts have set out to deal with in this month's M/E Roundtable.CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (CSE): What kinds of trends have you seen with different types of boilers?PARKER: T...

M/E Roundtable: Boiling it Down

The demand for modular boilers, thought-out control strategies and better service are a few trends driving boiler specifications

Behind Bars

With stringent security requirements and many resources at their disposal, Madison, Wis.-based Arnold & O'Sheridan made integration and technology an essential part of the design for the new Supermax maximum-security prison in Boscobel, Wis.The end result—a technologically-savvy, on-time, on-budget performance by the building team—has earned the firm a 2001 Consulting-Spec...

Promoting Project Web Sites

Technical support, software training, enthusiastic users and well-defined roles among the project team are key to the effective use of extranets and web sites as project management tools

ICC Electrical Code Under Fire

In response to the International Code Council's announcement "that it has no plans for the development of an electrical code that would duplicate the purpose and then compete with the National Electrical Code (NEC)," a coalition of electrical industry organizations has called for the ICC to formally rescind its ICC electrical code.

Navigating a Stormy Economy

Industrial and pharmaceutical opportunities are helping engineers to steer through rough waters left by slumps in the telecom and industrial markets

Staying in Power

Power-quality experts highlight benefits, challenges and new advances in power monitoring and conditioning equipment

Codes & Standards: Engineers Wanted

Who better understands the way buildings live, operate and breathe than the engineers who design them? So when it comes to ensuring safety in facilities via codes and standards, wouldn't it make sense for engineers to be intimately involved in the development process? Ideally, yes. But practically, it's not so simple.

Recruiting 101

With the challenge of hiring and retaining good talent becoming more acute, engineering firms are rethinking their recruitment strategies

The Evolving Engineer

How important is the consulting engineer to the building team? In the 1970s, a typical reply probably would have been somewhat important. However, if one were to ask this question in the year 2001, a more likely response is very important.Yes, it's true.

Sustainable Design at Fox Studios-Take One

While their parents spend the day shooting the latest episode of a prime-time sitcom or building the set for an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster at Fox Studios in Los Angeles, more than one hundred infants, toddlers and preschoolers are busy playing with toy trucks and blocks at a new, cleverly engineered day-care/child-development center located right on the studio lot.

Redundancy = Reliability

As critical facilities such as data centers, telecommunications hotels and hospitals continue to occupy the workloads of engineers, so does the need for redundant power-system design. A select group of professionals, currently active with projects, discusses new technology, design challenges and strategies in the last of this year's new Consulting-Specifying Engineer feature.

Dynamite Design for Hazardous Areas

Step inside a manufacturing facility, refinery or laboratory where toxic gases and materials are processed and discover some heavy-duty industrial engineering. For example, every electrical conduit is enclosed, the lighting fixtures are sealed and the fire-protection system is well-fortified.

Moving Harmonics out of Harm’s Way

Are harmonics refusing to jibe with the harmony of a facility's power flow?In the old days of predominantly linear loads, harmonics were a natural occurrence that didn't cause problems because with normally balanced, three-phase AC systems that have nondistorted waveforms, the harmonic currents got cancelled out.