Will smart cities define the future of American infrastructure, or will strapped budgets and closed-mind thinking force us to dwell in “dumb” cities?

How can specifying/consulting engineers and/or facility managers specifically use a growing roster of artificial intelligence (AI)  equipment to reimagine the offices, classrooms, and health care facilities they design?

Recently, the New England Fuel Institute (NEFI) and others announced a goal to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. Is this ambitious benchmark truly achievable?

What impact will Wi-Fi 6 have on the engineering industry? What about 5G? How influential will the convergence of these technologies be in commercial settings?

In the built environment, these are heavy-hitting questions. And, there’s only one place you’ll find the answers: Engineered Systems’ recently launched Percussive Maintenance podcast.

A Brand New Flavor in Your Ear

The Percussive Maintenance podcast was launched last month out of a desire to offer our audience a new angle into the minds of engineering’s leading thought leaders. These detailed, one-on-one interviews examine HVAC engineering trends, share success stories from influential firms, explore answers to challenging questions, offer updates from the HVAC industry’s movers & shakers, and much more.

The first episode, featuring John Ruggieri, LEED AP, vice president, director of urban design, Hoefer Wysocki, examined the feasibility of smart cities and how consulting/specifying engineers can best prepare their firms to meet such futuristic design standards. Subsequent episodes feature Rhonda Scharf, author of “Alexa Is Stealing Your Job: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Your Future,” who discusses the budding role of AI in engineering firms; Charlie Uglietto, president of Cubby Oil and Energy, who shares the thought behind NEFI’s net-zero initiative; and Tiago Rodrigues, CEO, Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), who examines the importance of connectivity in the built environment. And, we’re just getting started!

Percussive Maintenance

So, why the name Percussive Maintenance? According to the Urban Dictionary, Percussive Maintenance is defined as “The fine art of whacking the snot out of an electronic device to get it to work again.” You laugh, but we’ve all been pushed to the brink when it comes to these new-fangled technologies.

My intention with this podcast is to present consulting and specifying engineers and/or facility managers the information they need to refrain from kicking the bolts out of their equipment — to keep you from reaching the breaking point Samir, Peter, and Michael Bolton hit in “Office Space.”

All episodes are available on our website, Google Play, and the iTunes store. You can also subscribe through an RSS feed.

While the first four episodes are in the books and ready to be downloaded or streamed, I’m always on the lookout for interviewees interested in sharing their stories for future episodes.

Has your firm recently completed a monumental project? Share the details on our podcast. Have you embarked upon an outstanding policy, endeavor, or commitment? Share the particulars with our audience. Did you hit the mother lode when it comes to attracting new talent? Spread the wealth. If you have something interesting, entertaining, or educational to share, let’s set up a time to chat. 

So, rest your eyes and put your ears to work. Listen, learn, and laugh with us on the Percussive Maintenance podcast. For more information, visit https://www.esmagazine.com/media/podcasts/6740


Register for our free webinars at http://webinars.esmagazine.com, where users can also view any webinar from the last year on demand in our archive. Here is a look at our next webinar event.

Dec. 3

Intelligent Switchboards and Automatic Transfer Switches

Presented by Julius Neudorfer, chief technology officer for North American Access Technologies Inc., and sponsored by Kohler.


Dec. 7-10

HARDI Annual Conference

New Orleans
www.hardinet.org.


Dec. 9-12

2019 Buildings XIV International Conference

Clearwater Beach, Florida

https://www.ashrae.org/conferences/topical-conferences/2019-buildings-xiv-international-conference


Jan. 24-25

9-21

EASA Educational Seminar: Principles of Medium and Large AC Motors

Cincinnati, Ohio

www.easa.com.


Jan. 29-31

MCAA Technology Conference

San Diego

https://www.mcaa.org/events/calendar/construction-technology-conference-2-3