From this Engineer’s perspective the following major events of 2020 have impacted the Architectural Engineering Community in many Ways:
- Covid 19 Pandemic
- The Global Warming impacts
- Infra Structure bills
- Impact of Technology – Communications, Retail, Office, ….
Covid 19 Pandemic Impact:
- Force Majeure impacts on all contracts, leases, excusable delay clauses AIA A201 Section 8.3.1, Consensus Docs 200 Section 6.3, and, for federal contracts, at Section 52.249-14 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
- Government and City Hall operations of processing documents
- Delays or lack of materials due to shutdowns and transportations
- Site, office, location safety protocols based on CDC guidelines
- Possible legal challenges to employers for contracting the virus job sites, office, by employees, patrons, staff, …
- Contractual impracticability/frustration of performance: Presence of unexpected events by key personnel such as Mandatory Quarantine
- Additional steps in slowing down the work force due to added OSHA, Workplace Safety and Health Compliance
- Subsequent similar restrictions on hundreds of other subcontractors, material suppliers, and project supply chain, where only one key element may slow, halt, or through timing make the project no longer viable
- Additional insurance, indemnification, and mitigations
- Possible suspension and termination of a member of the team and engagement of new team into the project.
The Global Warming Impact:
The discussion is not about selecting a green product or sustainability. The question is simply the Canadian architect and engineer were not designing the building to be in a 120 degrees environment. The New York City basements (and there are in thousands) were not designed to be in flood zone like in banks of Mississippi River.
Holland has reach environments not recorded in 700 years. The word “Century” (100 years) in the “Storm of the Century” no longer applies. The finishes and materials are now assumed to be designed as in Phoenix, regardless of locations. The adhesives, the mud, concrete, air conditioning designs and many more must be redesigned for any projects.
And of course, this Engineer prays for all new architectural roofs to be south facing and roofs with proper angle inclination for maximum solar sun use.
We are no longer in the past. Future design process must change for both very wet and very dry at the same time.
Infra Structure Act and Bill:
The $1.2 trillion is simply an extension of normal ~annual budget of $690 billion, only increase by $510 billion. This was purely for construction plus other components on power and communications. The construction sector will grow from 1.5% to 5.3%. This is a good shot in the arm for next 8 to 15 years. The $1.2 Trillion barely covers all the infra structures in the country that have received D and F grading from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The next item is the normal budget bill $3.5 Trillion. Still debated. The additional budget of this year versus previous does contain construction sector increases. Of course, it does address the housing portion and other infra structures that will keep the Architects and Engineers busy.
Impact of Technology – Communications, Retail, Office, ….
There are nearly two to three packages per day/week in front of our doors. Fry’s Electronics closed, and Jeff Bezos can afford $5.5 billion dollars for a 4 to 11 minute outer space ride.
Retail spaces may exist only in a boutique format. Movie theaters are now on the palm of our hands, pop corns are delivered. Help desk services of companies may never see the light at a regular office desk. Every minute of every employee can be statistically monitored, a restroom break a Amazon is exactly 8 minutes. Office cubicles were reduced from 200 to 100, to 56, and may be 40 square feet with four monitors.
All processing through city halls just transformed from slow to extremely slow due to electronic communications. City halls will return your calls in three to four business day at 8:00 am. Some Cities have the plans for nearly ten months for rehabilitation of an office damage by a car.
Office complexes may saturate very fast and the employees may increase their home in square footages by creating an office with very high STC walls/roofs/floors with locking doors cover to keep their kids and tails of their dogs and cats from appearing in a formal sales meetings with clients.
Technology is changing the Architectural Engineering Community.
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