WC Engineering

Great points about how to rethink homes and their exorbitant costs. ?? @nabrliving

Think AI is a trend? Look how fast it’s changing the game!

https://lnkd.in/gYTeWZy9 For others in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry here are some valuable resources from the Engineering News-Record: Top 500 Design Firms by year from 2003 to 2024: https://lnkd.in/gz4sHjCy Explore the impact of inflation on the industry in ENR’s 2023 report: https://lnkd.in/gD63eek9 Learn how artificial intelligence is shaping the future in the 2024 edition: https://lnkd.in/gB97a4cc

?? @keithloutit - Small Worlds ?? @sepiaproductions Design team: Wong Mun Summ, @richardhassellart, Phua Hong Wei, Bernard Lee, Kim Young Beom, Evelyn Ng, Christina Ong, Huang Yue, Larissa Tan, Chen Shunann, Iyan Mulyadi, Oscar Korintus, Victoria Meadows, Simopoulou Olympia Konstantinou, Donovan Soon, Ang Chow Hwee, Dennis Kweky

Lots of benefits of adding a green roof ?? particularly in urban settings ?? ? Increase the lifespan of your roof by 300% and reduce the impact on landfills. ? Save energy by reducing indoor temperatures by up to 18°F. ?Extensive living roof systems can reduce cooling needs by 25% and prevent heat loss by 26%. ?Enjoy improved amenity spaces and improved floor area ratio (FAR). ? Enjoy local, healthy food sources through urban agriculture. ?Enhance your building’s visual appeal and enjoy delightful aromas. ?Manage stormwater and prevent flooding with growing media that absorbs up to 80% of rainwater, compared to 20% on standard roofs. ? Absorb urban noise pollution for a quieter environment. ? Pair them with solar panels in a biosolar system to enhance the performance of the panels by up to 15%. ? Air pollution reduction, particles cut by 6% and SO2 by 37%. Additionally, as inflation drives up food costs, green roofs present an opportunity to support local food security. While green roofs are currently more affordable for wealthier individuals, they could help make fresh produce more accessible by donating or selling at low cost to those in need. Early adopters can play a critical role in making green roofs more mainstream, helping to drive down installation costs over time and making them accessible to a broader range of communities. ?? ZeroWasteStore

California moves to accelerate to 100% new zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) sales by 2035. This includes new cars, light / pickup trucks, and SUVs, and allows plug-in hybrid EVs. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the trailblazing Advanced Clean Cars II rule that sets California on a path to rapidly deliver cleaner air and massive reductions in climate-warming pollution. The regulation realizes and codifies the light-duty vehicle goals set out in Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-79-20. Los Angeles Metro’s plans to have an emission-free fleet by 2030 (via LA Times) by spending $138 million on electric buses. Proterra has been trying to become the Tesla of buses by working on all-electric buses since 2004. Called the Catalyst E2, the 40-foot bus can drive 350 miles on a single charge on typical test track conditions. That means the buses can operate for a full 18 hours, the same as a diesel bus. The Catalyst E2 is a major improvement from Proterra’s first-generation bus that had a range of just 146 miles. In 2009, it made its first sale: three buses to Foothill Transit in Southern California. In 2017 the startup has raised over $280 million in venture funding, opened its second manufacturing plant, and sold a total of 400 buses. They IPO’d in June 2021 and in 2022 delivered 199 new transit buses and battery systems for 1,229 vehicles. Unfortunately, they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2023 but plan to continue normal operations throughout the bankruptcy.

We’re researching hempcrete (fiber crop), which can be parged on to the outside of concrete buildings, which is durable, looks attractive, and filters CO2 and pollutants out of the air. It would be 1/2-inch thick mats that help make a building carbon negative. It could be sold to concrete manufacturers, but not used as an additive to concrete. Instead, it would adhere by parging like grout smeared on the outside of concrete blocks, filling in the block pores, smoothing the outside surface, and hiding block lines. Some regulation problems with getting the material are likely, as hemp would have a minimal amount of marijuana seeds.

I loved the movie "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" and particularly the part where Edward Norton describes disruption theory. “You have to look inside yourself and ask, am I the sort of person that will keep going? Will you break more things? Break bigger things. Are you willing to break the thing that nobody wants you to break? Because at that point, people are not gonna be on your side. Because as it turns out, nobody wants you to break the system itself.” I can't help but think that ChatGPT is a once-in-a-generation disruption that heralds the age of Internet 2.0. It's interesting to consider how close we might be to seeing widespread adoption of this technology to augment the work traditionally done by designers. In Feb. 2016, I obtained my DriveWorks Pro Administrator (https://driveworks.co.uk) certification from TriMech SolidWorks. This software allows you to automate the creation of 3D models (parts and assemblies) and fully-dimensioned drawings. An engineer creates electronic forms that can be easily filled out and submitted by administrative support staff. ?? @manasbhatiadesign. Architect Uses AI to Create Utopia Where Buildings Grow and Breathe” https://lnkd.in/giNFkVY4 Sustainability Challenge Spring 2023: Automation in Design: https://lnkd.in/dRYZv8up