As structural design evolves, the challenges engineers face intensify, especially in bridge design which mostly depends on drawings. Many structural engineers are using parametric design and BIM-based processes to address these roadblocks. Karins Engineering uses BIM on many of its products.
As the future of architecture is ever-changing, evolving and continuing to shape our environment, we’re eager to absorb and exchange information about projects other companies are working on that inspire us for a stronger, structured future.
Construction technology is growing- and shrinking. New research and innovations in engineering, like carbon nanotubes and 3-D printed houses, are making a sizable impact. These are two of the new techniques being explored in our industry that we’ve been keeping an eye on for what they could mean for the future of our engineering practice.
The Ancient Romans believed they’d found magic when they discovered that volcanic ash, also known as Pozzolana, forms a hard compound when mixed with water. This marks the beginning of a crucial compound we know as concrete, which continues to yield great structures and sturdy materials in communities worldwide.
After the devastating blast in the Lebanese capital in August 2020, Beirut was left to rebuild much of the area around the port. SARAID, a UK-based volunteer force, took charge to work with local engineering teams in this effort. A team was set up to specifically research country construction methods and collate information from previous structural assessment responses.
At Karins, we’re always trying to stay at the forefront of the innovations that are happening in our own industry and adjacent industries within the world of engineering and construction, like this new bridge-building method.
Karins Engineering recently upgraded four large roof terraces and numerous balconies at The Valencia Condominium. The Karins team used 20-year Sikalastic-624 RoofPro to give a seamless finish, matching the exterior’s elegance. Karins chose the product as it is liquid-applied, fully reinforced waterproofing which readily conforms around difficult and elaborate details.
Many of those opportunities have been realized throughout the course of the Karins Way Program by engineers like Ramon Hernandez-Ron, a CAD Draftsman in the Sarasota office, with unique experiences as an architect.
We Recently spoke with a core team member Ramon about the similarities between design thinking and architecture and the centrality of shared ideas in the program.
Our program’s testers collaborated with team members to provide important feedback necessary for refining innovative ideas into implementable solutions. We recently spoke with program tester Hector Velazquez from the Daytona office about the ethical considerations he took into account while testing prototypes.
Meet Cyndy Jackson, Administrative Assistant at our Ft. Myers office. We recently spoke with her about how three heads are better than one and how she intends on giving clients a voice through her team’s innovations in the program.
We gave staff across offices the opportunity to lead innovations together, creating shared ownership and diversity in ideas. We recently spoke with core team member Julia Fabrizi from the St. Pete office about the meaning of team synergy, friendly competition, and the benefits of collaborating at a distance.
With three teams assembled across our six offices, the Karins Way Program was led by Paula Barros from the Sarasota office. We spoke with her about the holistic impact of the program on the company and the role of client empathy in Karins' growing innovation culture.
A key area of how we deliver Engineering Integrity is in the quality and consistency of our documents. We tasked a diverse team from across the company’s six offices to explore how we create, manage and deliver documents to clients.
We spoke about team facilitator Alvaro Castaneda from the Ft. Lauderdale office about the importance of document innovation in delivering a great client experience at Karins.
We spoke with team facilitator Alan Siscoe from the Tampa office about the mindset and process, innovating client education processes and what engineering integrity and innovation inside the company means to him.
Innovation is in the DNA of our engineering practice and our vision for the future. We are happy to announce the successful launch of a new initiative created in collaboration with branding and strategy firm, Studio BC/C called The Karins Way Program.
We’re always looking for ways to bring the magic of engineering home to our friends and families. We know that getting kids interested in science requires good story telling and DREAM BIG: Engineering Our World does just that in a mesmerizing way.
The Portmore Residence is on its way to being completed! We’ve designed the structural elements of the home including foundations, columns, walls and beams. We’ve also provided preliminary planning and design, final design, construction documents and construction administration.
“Everyday Engineering,” put out by American Society of Civil Engineers, created a treasure trove of science-based content to engage with in a creative, exploratory way. This includes fun videos and supplemental educational materials of experiments ranging from chemistry to engineering.
While our industry is being called on to be adaptable and accountable to the important role we play in the communities we serve, many of our professional organizations are stepping up to provide useful resources and discussions.
While most of us have canceled our summer vacations and are planning fun family staycations, we can still travel overseas to great destinations. Take some virtual tours of the world’s most fascinating monuments and buildings with this list from Redshift. On the list are the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal, the "Lost City" of Petra, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater!
For design professionals taking on the challenge of designing for a safer world, here is a helpful resource.
The AIA has built a tool to help professionals share design innovations in response to COVID-19. It’s called the COVID-19 ArchMap.
We’re proud to be involved in realizing the Benoit Monument, set to be completed in August.
Joan Karins, wife of Karins founder Bud Karins, sits on the board of Flight 2014, an aviation organization set out to bring wide-spread public recognition to the story of the First Airline and St. Petersburg’s and Tampa Bay’s unique association with it.
The Karins Engineering team has been working from home, in the field, and in the office, adhering to social distancing and safety protocols to keep ourselves, our families and communities safe.
As the country slowly returns to the office, here’s a great resource to help you and your team transition safely and prepare for the future.
We're just a few short weeks away from completing and installing the Benoist Monument on the south side of the new St. Pete Pier!
This project celebrates the plane flown by pilot Tony Jannus on Jan. 1, 1914 from St. Petersburg to Tampa, and St. Pete's Mayor, Abe Pheil, who was the first passenger in that historic flight. The monument tells the untold story of St. Pete as the birthplace of today’s commercial aviation industry.
John Bonacci, who has been a director at Karins since 2004, has recently been promoted to Vice President of Engineering. Thomas Hagood Jr. has been hired to focus on business development as the Vice President of Design, and Jerome DiMercurio has been hired as an Engineering Manager for the Sarasota branch.
Point Brittney 6 is a 30+ year old Florida condominium that needed major repairs on its 30,000 square feet of balconies. The guardrails on the balconies were constructed of pre-cast reinforced concrete elements and were a significant architectural element of the building.
Karins Engineering was selected as a GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch Honoree in 2016. As an entrepreneur, David Karins has taken advantage of the programs GrowFL offers, gaining insights he needed for his business.
This was the first time the underground parking structure at 440 West Condominium had ever undergone a concrete restoration since being built in 1975. The exposure to the coastal environment and inadequate coverage over the steel reinforcements caused large-scale corrosion damage throughout the structure.
Karins provided services to the Pass-A-Grill condominium that needed major concrete restoration on its balconies, walkways, and stairwells. Due to marine shore breezes the concrete became chloride contaminated, causing corrosion of the reinforcing steel.
Our founder Carter Karins cowrote a paper for FDOT on grouting unbonded PT cables in bridges. This research shows a project can move faster if the workers place more segments at once before grouting.
The boardwalk of the St. Petersburg Pier now displays a full-scale replica of the Benoist Airboat, honoring the birthplace of the world’s first scheduled airline using winged aircraft. The completed 16,000-pound stainless steel monument marks almost exactly 106 years since its original takeoff on January 1st, 1914.
Engineers and architects are artists who work in the medium of buildings. Architect, structural engineer and artist Bradford Russell elaborates on the connection between those three roles, using the Hoover Dam as an example.
Renovating extensive structures can take many months to complete. Though it is no easy task, the results are especially rewarding. When practicing business integrity and renovation go hand in hand, it fulfills a commitment and dedication to protect the longevity, history and purpose of a building.
Engineering has a long history of figuring out what works and, more specifically, how to make something work better. Our practice reminds us that better technology and materials are providing solutions for an architecturally efficient and sound future in our ever-evolving world.
