Designing the future.

• Author: King, Heather L.
• Position: Business Trends: Architecture & Engineering

MHTN Architects, Inc. incorporated state-of-the-art technology in the new American Fork Police and Courts Building while borrowing historical elements from surrounding buildings.

WITHOUT THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES work of architects and engineers, we might live in poorly constructed shacks and go to work at environmentally unsafe locations instead of carefully developed, beautifully designed and technologically advanced homes and offices.

Engineering

The work of Utah's civil engineers is often wrought with increasingly complicated challenges as undeveloped land along the Wasatch Front grows scarce. From more difficult site locations and development to citizen involvement and keeping up with the latest technology, it's important for engineering companies to fully understand the unique situations their clients face and offer the best solutions available.

For one, says Ken Watson, managing principal at Stantec Consulting in Salt Lake City, clients are looking for more full-service work. "We have the capability to do the planning, the engineering and then the construction inspection and management for transportation, land development, water resources and environmental projects. A lot of clients are looking for those services because they want to one-stop shop." The ability to turn to just one firm for a variety of services helps the client feel comfortable with the company's understanding of the project.

Many recent engineering trends are stemming from greater involvement of citizen groups and community boards in the planning and design phases of a project. "It's a plus, because it allows the citizenry the opportunity to have a say in what's going on," Watson says. But with more participation comes more disagreement, which equals time and money to the client.

To help alleviate costly misunderstandings early, some cutting-edge engineering companies are using 3-D simulation modeling of a project site. By combining topography and photographs of the actual site, engineers can create a 3-D model of a trail system, housing development or whatever the project might be, so the client can envision what it will look like long before construction begins. "You're able to walk a person right up a mad to show them exactly what it will look like once it's constructed," Watson says. This tool has a variety of purposes--it offers a better way to present the project during the proposal process, cities or developers can use it to win support of the project from...