North America’s Tallest Façade Retention System – 2025 Honorable Mention Project

In the heart of downtown Toronto, ON, Canada, a full city block at 481 University Avenue and 210 Dundas Street West has become the site of one of the most complex heritage preservation efforts ever attempted in North America. The development of the United Bldg., a 50-story mixed-use tower, required the complete in-place retention of the façades of two historically significant heritage sites…

Pompeys Pillar National Monument Stabilization – 2025 Honorable Mention Project

Pompeys Pillar is one of the most significant sandstone landmarks in the United States, made famous by William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, who carved his signature into the stone in 1806. This fragile historic inscription, along with the surrounding sandstone formation, was in danger of being lost to erosion and instability…

My First Experience with an Inspector

I was 23 years old and eager to make a good impression on my fellow colleagues, my employer, the owner of the project, and the inspection staff…

Lessons Learned on Spillway Shotcrete Overlay

The original Request for Bids specified that cast-in-place concrete be used, with no substitutions provided. After multiple site visits to better understand staging and access, debris removals, and placement logistics, KISC began to develop a value-engineered approach involving the use of air-entrained wet-process shotcrete to replace the cast-in-place specification…