Steven Blake, former Arcadis North America CEO, dies at 59

Steve Blake, a member of the Arcadis executive board from 1999 through 2003 and again between 2010 and 2013 and CEO for Arcadis-U.S. for more than 15 years before retiring in 2013, died on January 16 at his home in Hayden, Colorado after a brief fight with cancer. He was 59.

Prior to joining Arcadis, an engineering firm, Blake held management roles at Geraghty & Miller. Within months of the 1993 merger between Geraghty & Miller and Arcadis, Blake was appointed CEO for the Dutch firm’s U.S. business. During Blake’s tenure with Arcadis, the firm grew organically and through strategic mergers and acquisitions to rank No.12 on ENR’s list of the Top 500 Design Firms at the time of his retirement.

According to Neil McArthur, global chief executive officer for Arcadis: “All of us at Arcadis are deeply saddened to hear of Steve’s death and offer our support and thoughts to his wife and family. Steve had a huge impact on everything and everyone he touched during his life and career. He was able to see the bigger strategic picture but also understood the operational details to make it happen. His plan for Arcadis North America was hugely successful, growing our business five times and profitability 10 times over a 10-year period. He was also a hands-on leader, leading from the front, and incredibly hard working. Steve was a passionate and inspirational leader and fully embodied our passion to improve quality of life and be recognized as the best. He was larger than life, and he will be sorely missed - his legacy will endure.”

Blake was a member of the Society of American Military Engineers, the Construction Industry Roundtable, the National Ground Water Association and the U.S. National Water Well Associates. A registered professional engineer in Oklahoma and a registered geologist in Arkansas, he held a bachelor’s degree in watershed sciences from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in hydrology and water resources science from the University of Arizona.

John Jastrem, CEO of Arcadis’ North America region commented, “Although I wasn’t fortunate enough to work with Steve, I know he was a very successful businessman and a highly respected leader, and I see evidence of this in the company he led for so many years. Steve recognized talent and team spirit, and he empowered the team to 'go make something happen!,' and Steve appreciated every employee and celebrated their accomplishments.  Each of us at Arcadis are part of Steve’s legacy.  He will be missed, but not forgotten.”

Arcadis offers design, consulting, engineering, and project management services through 28,000 people in over 70 countries. The firm supports UN-Habitat with knowledge and expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around the world.  For more information, visit www.arcadis.com.

Merrick's Jennifer Speers leads rocket test stand design effort

Merrick & Company was contracted by NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, AL for the architectural and engineering design of the liquid hydrogen fuel tank (LH2) test stand for the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Leading the design and overseeing project construction is Merrick structural engineer Jennifer Speers, PE, SE. MSFC recently hosted a media day to showcase the rising construction of the two-tower test stand, which included attendance by NASA’s director Charles Bolden and astronaut Butch Wilmore.

“Jen has been tireless in her devotion and technical attention to all phases of this project. The fact that she is the only woman on the technical or construction team is overshadowed by the fact that she is simply one heck of an engineer. Designing a structure of this magnitude that can withstand the forces the SLS rocket fuel tanks will experience during launch is a monumental technical feat,” according to Chris Sherry, PE, Merrick senior vice president and COO.

The 215-foot test stand will be completed by 2016 to allow for testing to begin in 2017. The first launch is set for 2018 and will include an asteroid landing, a manned Mars mission, and an unmanned mission beyond Mars. For additional coverage and an interview with Speers, visit http://goo.gl/GMtfsS.

Merrick & Company , an engineering, architecture, design-build, surveying, planning, and geospatial solutions firm, serves domestic and international clients in the energy, national security, life sciences, and sustainable infrastructure markets. The employee-owned company maintains offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.merrick.com.

GZA subsidiary Huff & Huff receives Engineering Excellence Honor Award from ACEC Illinois

Huff & Huff, a subsidiary of environmental and geotechnical consulting firm GZA, has announced that it will receive a 2016 ACEC (American Council of Engineering Companies) Illinois Honor Award for Engineering Excellence for a remediation project. This involved redeveloping a strip mall that housed a former dry cleaning establishment into an athletic recreational center for the Village of Woodridge and the Woodbridge Park District.

Huff & Huff was tasked with remediating the site to maintain a tight construction schedule.  The firm used its license from NASA for Emulsified Zero-Valent Iron (EZVI), to cost-effectively accomplish its goal. EZVI destroys chlorinated solvents using a combination of a chemical reaction with micro-scale iron and microbial degradation stimulated by the fermentation of the vegetable oil contained in the EZVI.

The Engineering Excellence Awards are presented to projects that encompass both the public and private sector. Huff & Huff was selected for the honor award for its innovative and effective approach to remediation that maintained the client’s construction schedule while also creating a significant cost savings.


Each year, ACEC member firms submit projects that are judged on a rigorous set of criteria, including complexity, innovation, and value to society. These projects are judged by a panel of industry experts, which includes military and government officials, ACEC National and International leadership, educators from college and university engineering departments and leadership from other organizations dedicated to the built environment.

Founded in 1964, GZA is a multi-disciplinary firm providing environmental, geotechnical, ecological, water, and construction management services. With corporate offices in Norwood, MA, GZA has over 550 employees and operates 27 offices in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes and Appalachian regions. For additional information, visit www.gza.com.  

Founded in 1979 and located in Oak Brook, Illinois, Huff & Huff is a multidisciplinary firm providing environmental, civil, and biological engineering services. Areas of expertise include natural resource assessments, wetlands, remediation design, wastewater design, stream surveys, sustainable solutions, environmental site assessments, air quality, underground storage tanks, risk assessment, hazardous waste management, and transportation-related environmental issues. Huff & Huff became a wholly-owned subsidiary of GZA in October 2014.  For additional information, please visit www.huffnhuff.com

Proposed Virginia Beach light-rail project draws interest from engineering firms

More than a dozen firms are interested in designing and building the proposed light-rail extension from Norfolk to Town Center in Virginia Beach , according to documents released by the city of Virginia Beach. While the 3-mile project has not been officially approved, the city is keeping to its timeline, which includes soliciting interested design and build companies. The city asked for letters of interest in mid-October and got 13 responses by the time the window closed on Nov. 13. Five letters of interest were from a group of companies:

* Herzog, Branscome, CH2M, Clark Nexsen

* Skanska , Balfour Beatty , AECOM

* Kiewit , E.V. Williams , McLean , HDR, Mass Electric Construction Company

* Lane, VHB, Burns Engineering, L.K. Comstock National Transit, RailWorks Track Systems

* Parsons Construction Group, Stacy and Witbeck, Inc.

Three were from potential teams:

* Sacyr Construction USA , Orders Construction Company

* Dragados USA

* VIAS USA

Five others said they want more information on certain parts of the project:

* ARUP, project and construction management

* Infrastructure and Industrial Constructors Southeast, heavy construction

* Spann and Associates , civil engineering and construction

* GET Solutions Inc. , geotechnical engineering

* Inner Circle Concepts, architecture

Five letters of interest were from a group of companies:

The city will ask the firms to show their qualifications starting Jan. 31 . Companies that qualify will be asked to submit a proposal for work in December 2016 , if the city decides to pursue the project.

By July 2017 , funding would be allocated and a contract awarded, according to city documents. The light-rail line would be delivered by July 2019 .

"The City is seeking Design-Builders that are committed to quality, have proven experience in light rail design and construction, will bring innovative design-build approaches to ensure timely completion, and are willing to partner with the City for the mutual success of the project," the letter to interested companies stated.

Design-build projects use a single entity for design and construction services. Norfolk's light-rail project used a design-bid-build process, said Philip Shucet , who oversaw the project as head of Hampton Roads Transit.

Parsons Brinckerhoff and URS did most of the design work, then the design plans were put out for bid, he said. Contractors submitted bids based on the design. The 7.4-mile Norfolk line, which cost about $318 million to build, faced cost overruns and delays.

More than 10 construction companies worked on the project, but Skanska did most of the track, and Truland, now out of business, did the overhead electrical system. W.M. Schlosser built the stations and storage and maintenance garage. The trains were built by Siemens.

HRT is set to release its results from a recent request for proposals for the Virginia Beach project train cars in January.

Editor's note: This originally ran in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, VA and then was picked up by ENR MidAtlantic Insider online magazine

Virginia Tech researcher explores using SERS for detecting environmental pollutants

Rapid pollutant detection can prevent widespread outbreaks. While many techniques exist for detecting such contamination, they generally require highly specific instruments for each contaminant. Peter Vikesland, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, and Haoran Wei of Zaozhuang in Shandong, China, a doctoral student in environmental engineering, describe challenges related to deploying surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for detection in their paper published by Scientific Reports, “pH-Triggered Molecular Alignment for Reproducible SERS Detection via an AuNP/Nanocellulose Platform.”

SERS has great potential for ultrasensitive chemical analysis and detection of multiple contaminants in a range of environments. Capable of detecting single molecules without excessively expensive equipment or sample pretreatment, SERS has promised rapid field and point-of-use detection that could prevent pollution or biohazard threats and stop outbreaks before they begin. But that promise has gone largely unfulfilled.

One problem is that many of the substances that SERS could potentially detect are moderately hydrophobic, or water-repellent, thus making it harder to attract them to the hydrophilic, or water-loving, gold or silver nanoparticle surfaces used for SERS. Efforts to use molecular traps to better bind target molecules have been explored, but they have added complexity to the material synthesis and tend to produce background signals that complicate data analysis.

In the paper, Vikesland describes a study he and Wei conducted using bacterial cellulose as a SERS platform created by synthesizing nanocomposites made of bacterial cellulose interlaced with gold nanoparticles. Bacterial cellulose makes an excellent base for a SERS substrate. It is low-cost and easily fabricated, and its fibers are nanoscale in diameter and retain their 3-D structure in water.

The study used this platform to attempt to detect a number of common pollutants — carbamazepine, atrazine, and melamine, among others. By manipulating the suspension pH, the authors were able to consistently and reproducibly increase the SERS signal due to the increased affinity for the pollutant to the substrate at low pH.

A SERS platform based on bacterial cellulose could finally help fulfill the promise of this exciting technology. The platform can be synthesized in a one-step process and it can be reused many times. The protocol could simplify and reduce the cost of detecting many compounds. The platform is easy and cheap to synthesize and provides short sampling and detection times.

Vikesland also leads an international team of researchers as the principal investigator for a five-year $3.6 million Partnerships in International Research and Education grant from the National Science Foundation. They seek to halt wastewater-derived antimicrobial resistance dissemination.

ACEC California announces Engineering Excellence Awards that showcase unique projects

The American Council of Engineering Companies, California (ACEC California) recently unveiled the 2016 recipients of its Engineering Excellence Awards, highlighting some uniques projects in the state. In all, 24 California firms representing 27 projects were named, the majority of which were public works projects completed in partnership with local government entities throughout the state. Because of their selection by ACEC California, Honor Award winners are eligible to enter the ACEC national level Engineering Excellence Awards competition. 

"Each year, the recipients of the ACEC California Engineering Excellence Awards represent some of the most innovative solutions to complex public and private sector challenges, including traffic congestion, water resource management, alternative fuel infrastructure, and structural building projects, to name a few," says Brad Diede, executive director for ACEC California. "Engineering continues to help California thrive, and I am deeply proud of our industry accomplishments that directly improve Californians' lives."

 

ACEC California's annual Engineering Excellence Awards entries are accepted into one of 12 project categories: studies; research and consulting engineering services; building/technology systems; structural systems; surveying and mapping technology; environmental; waste and storm water; water resources; transportation; special projects; small projects; energy; and industrial and manufacturing processes and facilities. An independent panel of judges from the public sector evaluated the projects and made the award selections.

 

Honor Awards were granted to 14 firms, including Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group of San Francisco for its work on the San Francisco Zoo-South American Rain Forest Exhibit in San Francisco and the R.B. Oliver Bridge Replacement in Tulare County. Cornerstone was contracted by Tulare County in 2010 as the prime consultant to design the state-of-the-art bridge replacement project. Because of the design team's knowledge of the Kings River and partnering between the design team and the County of Tulare, the final design of the project was delivered in less than 2 years, an unprecedented pace for a $20 million bridge replacement project. The project also included development of new bat habitats, which have increased the bat population at the bridge to four times its original number.

Cornerstone provided the structural engineering services required to create the San Francisco Zoo's South American Rain Forest Exhibit, its newest exhibit, as well as seismically retrofit the historic WPA building. The Aviary features a realistic rainforest ecosystem, full of colorful free-flight birds, exotic plants and trees, a two-toed sloth, and the Zoo's first significant herpetological collection, which will include a 15-foot long green anaconda as well as rare tree frogs, turtles, lizards, and snakes.

Mark Thomas and Company of San Jose received an Honor Award for its work on the I-280/ I-880/ Stevens Creek Boulevard Interchange Project in San Jose. The I-280/I-880/Stevens Creek Boulevard Interchange Project, delivered for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), improved this highly congested facility. The existing interchange was a full cloverleaf configuration originally constructed in 1959. Since that time, the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara have grown tremendously, and the facility had become outdated. Additionally, the interchange is adjacent to the busiest shopping area in Santa Clara County, including Valley Fair and Santana Row. The reconfiguration allowed for increased traffic capacity, enhanced bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and  accommodated the Stevens Creek Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) alignment. Lastly, the project design incorporated aesthetic treatments and sustainable stormwater handling facilities.

McMillen Jacobs Associates of Walnut Creek was honored for its work on the Bay Tunnel in Menlo Park/ Newark, the first tunnel excavated under the San Francisco Bay. The $288 million project is a successful and significant part of San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's (SFPUC) $4.6 billion Water System Improvement Program to upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Water System, which brings water through gravity-fed pipes from Yosemite National Park to the San Francisco Bay Area. The Bay Tunnel extends 5 miles under the Bay, replacing the aging water pipeline infrastructure built in the 1920s and 1930s that presently traverses the Bay on wooden trestles. The tunnel provides up to 224 million gallons per day of high-quality drinking water to about 2.6 million of SFPUC's customers in the Bay Area.

Walter P Moore of San Francisco, received an award for its work on the Air Traffic Control Tower and Intergraded Facilities Building at San Francisco International Airport. The iconic new tower, which replaced SFO's long outdated 1960s-era control tower, is the first air traffic control tower delivered through a partnership between the airport and the FAA. The tower relies on an innovative vertical post-tensioned system to self-right the structure during a major seismic event, ensuring that air traffic controllers remain fully operational after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. This is crucial since the airport is just four miles from the San Andreas Fault.

Stover Engineering of Crescent City and COWI (formerly Ben C. Gerwick, Inc.) of Oakland were cited for their work on the Crescent City Harbor Inner Boat Basin Reconstruction Project  in Crescent City. This $32.7 million tsunami-damage repair project is the first known marina in North America designed to withstand a significant tsunami event. Marinas currently have no established design criteria for tsunamis, so the project required engineering judgment to justify the repairs to both funding and permitting agencies. Modeling performed to establish the tsunami loads was validated by a subsequent tsunami that occurred prior to final design of the project.

GHT principal Ray Smith elected to Building Commissioning Certification Board Examination Committee

GHT Limited (GHT), a DC metro area mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) consulting engineering firm, announces that principal Ray Smith has been elected to the Examination Committee of the Building Commissioning Certification Board (BCCB). The Examination Committee consists of national subject matter experts who collaborate and employ best practices to create the Certified Commissioning Professional (CCP) examination forms. The committee’s responsibilities include writing, reviewing, and approving questions; creating and approving the form; and setting the passing score for a minimally competent practitioner.

The BCCB was formed in 2004 as an administratively independent arm of the Building Commissioning Association (BCA) for the purpose of recognizing building commissioning professionals who meet the standards of the BCA. Its mission is to provide commissioning professionals with the premier industry-recognized commissioning certification program that accurately validates their professional skill level, is accepted as the standard within the industry, and is recognized within the building community and governmental agencies.

Ray Smith specializes in optimizing the performance of MEP systems in new and existing buildings. As Section Head of Commissioning and Building Operations Consulting in GHT's Operations and Energy Services (OES) studio, he works closely with facility owners, managers, and operators to solve problems, develop strategies for operational excellence, and provide commissioning services that focus on long-term performance goals. He has more than 40 years of experience in the built environment, including three years of building operations experience. His unique combination of design and field experience and MEP system performance expertise makes him a resource for MEP studies, troubleshooting, forensic evaluations, concept option studies, payback analyses, post-installation training, and all levels of commissioning.

GHT provides mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineering solutions for the built environment. Their approach integrates proven techniques with the latest technologies and sustainable design practices. In addition to MEP design and commissioning for base building systems and interiors, GHT offers operations and energy services that enhance building performance and real estate advisory services that inform investment decisions. For 50 years, GHT has strived to improve efficiency and value for commercial, institutional, and government real estate in the Washington, DC region.