How to Save for Retirement and Cut Income Tax
Thanks to the 1974 pension law, employed persons can tex-defer 15% of income up to $1,500 a year, and the self-employed, up to $7,500 a year. The money may be put into IRS-approved plans...

New Jack-Up Drill Rig Extends Their Range Into 375-Ft Water Depth
A new design of jack-up drill now building for the Gulf of Mexico extends from 250 ft to 375 ft, the depth of water in which they operate. Until now what limited their depth was their...

States Intensifying Efforts to Reduce Highway Landslides
A recent survey by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) shows the U.S. is presently spending $50,000,000/yr to repair major landslides on the Federal-aid highway system. The total...

Can a Computer Reduce Your Spec Writing Costs�
The most important factors in evaluating use of a computer to write specifications are: the frequency with which a spec section is repeated; and the changes needed to go from master spec...

Albany South Mall: Largest State Government Complex
Among the nominees for the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award of 1976, the Albany Mall, consisting of 12 major structures, is here described with many photos and sketches....

California Coastal Commission Accepts Advice from ASCE on Earthquake Design Controversy
A case history is described of an ASCE section (San Francisco) causing a public agency to change its position with respect to earthquake design criteria. The California Central Regional...

Birth of the Skyscraper
Before invention of the elevator, six stories was the practical limit to the height of a commercial building. Following the Chicago fire of 1871, building designers there were quick to...

Empire State: Greatest of All Skyscrapers
The Empire State Building! That major name instantly brings to mind Manhattan's intoxicating skyline, a skyline this greatest of all skyscrapers has dominated for 45 years....

Job-Site Innovations Slash Time, Cost of Constructing Canada's Tallest Skyscraper
In Building Canada's tallest office building, the 72-story First Bank Tower in Toronto, owner-developer Olympia & York introduced several job site innovations that...

Structural Failures and How to Prevent Them
Reducing failures of buildings and other structures requires compentent design; clear communication of that design to the contractor by means of engineering drawings, etc.; careful and...

Value Engineering Made Mandatory on EPA Projects Over $10,000,000
EPA makes VE mandatory on projects over $10 million. Eleven VE teams in five 40-hour workshops. Isolated changes of $1.2 million on typical $4.1 million project which were acceptable to...

New Era in Fire Protective Coatings for Steel
Building designers have been receptive to new approaches to fireproofing steel. Among alternatives to traditional fireproofing now on the market: (1)Medium density inorganic systems such...

Recycling Refuse Into Energy
Some 50% of large cities, 10% of small ones reportedly are talking about recycling their municipal refuse. Several are building facilities or have recently begun operations. This article...

Metrication�� An Australian Non-Event
Australia's experience with metrication indicates that a series of small, but rapid conversions, well planned in advance, can minimize the cost and inconvenience associated...

Earth Retention by Drilled Reinforced Concrete Caissons
A hillside fill is stabilized by the construction of drilled reinforced concrete caissons. The fill supports a building which houses equipment important to a manufacturing process. Other...

Unemployment, Public Works, and the 1976 Presidential Election Campaign
Unemployment remains near 8% despite recovery from the recent recession. One key reason is the exceptionally large number of women and youth seeking jobs. Those having most difficulty...

The Recycling of a River
After a century of neglect and degradation, the South Platte River is undergoing a process of transformation to become the most significant recreational resource in the Denver area�� a...

Evolution of 208 Water-Quality Planning
In writing the 1972 Water Pollution Control Act Amendments, Congress realized water pollution from non-point sources was a serious problem and would be difficult for the federal government...

Experts Critique the Olympic Structures of Montreal
At a panel discussion held recently in Montreal, a number of prominent architects and engineers critiqued the Montreal Olympic structures. Unlike some previous press reports, the blame...

Structural Analysis and Design of Nuclear Plant Facilities
Draft Trial Use and Comment
This Manual of Engineering Practice in Structural Analysis and Design of Nuclear Plant Facilities is a project of the Nuclear Structures and...

 

 

 

 

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