By Heather Haffener with contributions from Amy Mestas, SE, PE On the morning of November 30, 2018, the earth awoke the residents Southcentral Alaska with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. For Anchorage, it was the second-largest earthquake to strike the area in the short time it has been a city. After the quake, the hard part Read More
Tech Talk
Do I Need an Engineer for my Residential Project?
do you need a P.E? by Planner, Pat Cotter It’s construction season, and we frequently get calls from homeowners wondering if they need an engineer for their project. Sometimes it’s something simple like a new deck, while others are more complex like an addition or new construction. Here are some general guidelines for determining if Read More
Is it time to shovel your roof?
To Shovel or Not to Shovel…. that is the question! by Structural Engineer, Amy Mestas We all saw pictures of the Dome collapse over this past weekend, but the Dome is the exception to the rule of what facilities are designed for here in Anchorage. In the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA) the minimum required snow Read More
Drone Field Testing – Part 2
Drones Part II – Results Wow! Drones can collect surprisingly accurate data. I’ll save you from a discussion of the technical details, but the bottom line is that drones clearly have a place in data collection. With surveyed ground control factored in, the drone collected imagery with approximately 2” horizontal and 4” vertical accuracy. So Read More
Indoor Air Quality
by – Mark Frame, PE, Mechanical Engineer Don’t Let High Energy Cost Take Your Breath Away!! Have you fallen asleep in meetings even after a good night’s rest, or felt like you were not able to concentrate? Do you sometimes wake up with a slight hangover, even when you didn’t have any alcohol the night Read More
Drone Field Testing – Part 1
It’s a beautiful spring day when I pull into the parking area – one of those clear blue sky days that makes the Fairbanks winter a distant memory. I’m at the north end of the new Tanana River railroad bridge near Salcha, not entirely sure what to expect from the drone demonstration I’ve come to Read More
Cracks after an earthquake; should I be worried?
Cracks in typical residential construction after an earthquake; should I be worried? by Don Gillie, PE The ground starts moving; the house starts shaking; rumbles, cracks and pops are heard throughout. This is a scene all too familiar to people who live in earthquake prone regions. As the building stops moving you’ll probably walk around Read More