Have you noticed how many observance and awareness days, weeks and months related to the architecture/engineering/construction (A/E/C) industry happen in May? If so, you are not imagining it. A wide variety of interest groups hold awareness campaigns in the month of May. The observance calendar of the National Safety Council, which is not A/E/C-specific, shows 21 awareness weeks and months in May, ranging from National Heatstroke Prevention Day (May 1) to National Water Safety Month. The next busiest month was April, with 10 observances.
This week, May 13-17, is Infrastructure Week. It is no longer a joke, but is is lower profile after the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)of 2021. Under the umbrella of Accelerator for America Action, the 12th annual Infrastructure Week continues to raise awareness of the importance of infrastructure and advocate for infrastructure improvements by promoting awareness of the potential transformative investment represented y the IIJA.
Last week, 
Many buildings constructed in the nineteenth century and earlier are timber-frame structures. Builders used plentiful old-growth timber and adapted European construction methods to the new world. While the behavior of timber braced frames are fairly complex, these buildings were built without the aid of structural engineering calculations and design standards. To ensure that the building was safe and useable, the builders could not deviate too far from their prior experience. As a result, historical timber-frame buildings follow common forms and floor plans. Even as light wood-frame construction began to replace timber framing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, vestiges of timber framing practice persisted.
As RJDCE was completing projects from late 2021, the 2022 construction season started quickly. The schedule coordination difficulties that have come to characterize the COVID-19 era in the architecture, engineering and construction industry continued to plague multiple projects. After a few months of an abnormally high proportion of proposals becoming projects and additional services being required for ongoing projects, the practice was severely overloaded. Despite contract labor recruitment efforts to 
Soil and rock anchors, sometimes collectively referred to as ground anchors, are tension elements consisting of a tendon composed of prestressing strands or a reinforcing steel bar that is grouted in a borehole. Ground anchors derive resistance to load through the bond strength between the grout, the tendon and the soil or rock in which it is installed.
With high property values and space at a premium, construction in cities and urban suburbs usually involves redeveloping or expanding the built-up area of a previously occupied lot or collection of lots in an established neighborhood. To maximize the utilization of land, projects are often designed such that the built-up area, including buildings, accessory structures, parking and landscaping are built-up to the property line.
Halfway through spring – according to the calendar more than the weather – the 2022 construction season is off to another fast start. This is one of the busiest times of year for Richard J. Driscoll, Consulting Engineer (RJDCE) and that trend continues this year. Like a lot of firms, RJDCE has a growing backlog and is experiencing delays and cost increases from outside services and vendors. The lack of available schedule “float” every week and frequent disruptions result in unpredictably long delivery times for certain services. 
Richard J. Driscoll, Consulting Engineer (RJDCE), 