Speaking of Design

After witnessing the impact of a pandemic on the air travel industry, three architects began to reimagine how airports might look through the lens of passenger health and wellness. They submitted their concept to Healthcare Design Magazine's Breaking Through competition, which prompted further conversations with experts across the design industry. The collaboration led to broader ideas of how we might rethink an air traveler’s journeys, the role technology can play in improving air travel efficiency and how different an airport design could look with a blank canvas.

Each of the 90,000 dams in the U.S. plays a critical role in the community it serves — from preventing floods, to generating hydroelectric power, to providing a water supply. Meet the professional rope access technicians whose jobs involve preserving the structural integrity of each dam — by providing a rarely seen perspective of some of the largest infrastructure in the world. Collectively, our team of more than 40 SPRAT-certified technicians has logged approximately 50,000 hours suspended from ropes, getting an up-close view of dams, bridges, tunnels and other hydraulic infrastructure.

The U.S. EPA's first major revisions to the original 1991 Lead and Copper Rule present broad implications for homeowners, schools and local water utilities. Intended to improve children’s health by further reducing lead exposure from corroding pipes, the revised regulation places greater responsibilities on municipalities to act — but also applies to pipes within homes and schools. HDR Drinking Water Director Chance Lauderdale discusses the challenges presented by the LCR revisions and how a more holistic approach can help utilities prepare for the future. 

In the second part of a two-part episode, we continue our look at how drones are being used in the architecture, engineering and construction industry. From surveying the wreckage of a train derailment to monitoring whale migration to creating a digital twin of a 160-foot-high dam, drones are bringing new perspectives to projects of all kinds. Explore how cutting-edge data collection methods are leading to an evolution of new services within the design and construction lifecycle.

While the work of architects makes a difference in the world, rarely do designers get to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people whose livelihood depends on the very buildings they design. With that in mind, a group of architects from HDR formed Design 4 Others as a way to volunteer their design expertise to make a positive impact on under-served communities. In this episode, we’ll learn more about how they’re partnering with Construction for Change and iKure on a pro bono project to improve healthcare for rural community members in West Bengal, India.

Justin Robbins is a transportation planner who specializes in automated and connected vehicle technology. But at heart, he considers himself a student of cities. In this episode of Speaking of Design, he discusses the way transportation has historically shaped the design of cities as we know them. He also shares his passion for autonomous vehicles, how they’re changing the way we design of urban spaces, and some of the challenges they present to urban planners.

Growing population and rapidly changing transportation technologies are affecting our everyday lives. In this episode, we’ll learn how public transportation agencies are partnering with private sector technology companies to tackle that change head-on in Denver, Colorado. That community’s “mobility blueprint” may suggest a new approach for other metropolitan cities wrestling with the same issues in their communities.

Once considered an environmentally conscious add-on to infrastructure design, sustainability has grown to be recognized for its inherent value in the design process. A big champion for this shift in mindset, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure provides an industry blueprint to define and measure sustainability through its Envision® rating system. On this podcast, ISI’s Anthony Kane and Melissa Peneycad discuss how sustainability benefits the bottom line, the growing importance of resiliency to combat extreme weather, and some of the most innovative infrastructure designs they’ve seen through the Envision verification program.

Once known as the "richest hill on Earth" for its wealth of mineral deposits, Butte became the first major city in Montana thanks to the boom of copper mining. But early 20th century mining practices led to serious environmental consequences, including contaminated groundwater unfit to drink. The city’s new Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant has become a source of civic pride, showing off some of the flashiest technology in the drinking water industry. But on top of many engineering firsts, the facility’s story is rooted in Butte's rich history.

The people of Kansas City love the new KC Streetcar, and you’ll find the vehicles packed on a beautiful summer day. But the idea of building a modern streetcar faced questions and doubts from business owners and residents in a city without rail transit since the 1950s. To get the concept on the rails, the project team played had to educate, listen and collaborate to design a streetcar the community would support. The result? Today, many of those initial skeptics are singing its praises — in some cases literally.

When you think of landfills, you may not think of design. But like almost every type of engineering or architectural design, landfills have changed dramatically over the last 30 years. In the pilot episode of Speaking of Design, you’ll meet one engineer who’s taken landfill design to a new level, creating a source of renewable solar energy.