One of the issues that this column has addressed is the need for an interface between designers, practitioners, product manufacturers, code and governmental organizations, end users and research organizations.
History is full of examples of venerable committees who refused to accept new paradigms simply because those departures conflicted with their pre-conceptions of what was or could be possible.
The concept that it could actually rain more and that this should be the driver for a government invitation to universities to consider how research programs in the built environment should respond may appear somewhat bizarre.
September in the U.K. is the season for political and academic conferences, with highlights ranging from a speech by Bill Clinton to seminars on siphonic roof drainage and positive air pressure transients.
NFPA's attempted invasion of the building code publishing world has put the association in the position of having to foster a disingenuous propaganda battle to win the hearts and minds of the state and municipal authorities responsible for adopting construction codes in their jurisdictions.
Over the past 18 months, the university has been preparing for a major reorganization that has regrouped John's division's 18 departments into six large schools and two postgraduate institutes.
A few months ago, President George Bush enacted sweeping tariffs and quotas on a number of imported steel products, sending ripples throughout the manufacturing and construction sectors.
One of the recurrent themes of these columns over the past couple of years has been the need to encourage the use of modern simulation and analysis tools to aid in the modernization of building drainage system design.