Buildings and Construction

A man in safety gear crouches to examine a damaged wall inside a building after an earthquake.

The Highs and Lows of Studying the Aftermath of One of Turkey’s Deadliest Earthquakes

November 15, 2023

Our goal at NIST is to not only document and learn from disasters, but to also spur innovation and make recommendations to help lessen the impact of the next

Jazalyn Dukes poses in front of a display that reads "Engineering a Safer World."

How My Childhood Fascination With Bridges Helped Me Build a Career Protecting People and Buildings From Natural Disasters

February 22, 2023

NIST research engineer Jazalyn Dukes talks about what inspired her career and gives some advice to girls considering a career in structural and civil

NIST’s Researchers Look Ahead to High-Tech Trends in 2023 and Beyond

December 27, 2022

They study topics that impact all of us, from indoor air quality to cybersecurity.

Jeffrey Fong poses smiling in front of a railing overlooking a concrete dam.

My Journey From Designing Dams to Helping Structures Live Their Longest Lives

August 4, 2022

Jeffrey Fong writes about how his personal drive for safe engineering design led him to work at NIST.

Building in a Changing Climate: A Q&A With NIST’s Joannie Chin

July 27, 2022

The director of NIST’s Engineering Laboratory discusses the role of buildings in creating and mitigating climate change.

NIST’s Investigations of Structural Disasters: What We Do and Why They Can Take Years to Complete

March 23, 2022

My Background in Disasters It seems as though I was born to be a disaster researcher. I can vividly remember seeking shelter during tornado warnings in the

Close-up of a map showing a city called Lumberton

The Trials and Triumphs of a Small City’s Hurricane Recovery Could Help Other Communities Bounce Back

January 19, 2022

In September 2018, a North Carolina city’s long road to recovery from Hurricane Matthew two years earlier became even longer. Lumberton, a small but diverse

A white telescope dish is surrounded by wooded mountains in autumn colors.

In Case You Missed It From NIST: 2021 Edition

December 21, 2021

While the pandemic still grips the world, researchers at NIST continue their work on COVID-19 related research, as well as the wide range of other science and

Analyzing the Aftermath of the Twin Towers Aircraft Impacts

August 27, 2021

I consider myself lucky to have been able to perform contract engineering research and consulting for my entire career. The work environment has been somewhere

Inside the Towers on 9/11: My Story of Investigating the WTC Evacuation

September 3, 2021

The kickoff meeting On Nov. 1, 2002, in a small conference room on the Gaithersburg, Maryland, campus of the National Institute of Standards and Technology

20 Years Later: NIST's World Trade Center Investigation and Its Legacy

August 18, 2021

The collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) buildings following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was one of the worst-ever building disasters in

Putting Together the Big Picture for the World Trade Center Disaster Investigation

August 25, 2021

Imagine assembling a jigsaw puzzle of more than 14,000 pieces without an image on the box showing what the final picture will look like. Imagine that important

Reconstructing the Fires That Brought Down WTC 1, 2 and 7

September 8, 2021

Everyone has a story about where they were when they heard about the disaster universally called “9/11.” Mine begins in Ottawa, Canada. As chance would have it

The NIST Summer Undergraduate Fellowship Program Goes Virtual

February 2, 2021

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) designed the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program to inspire undergraduate students

The New NIST Fire Calorimetry Database Is Available to Answer Your Burning Questions

December 16, 2020

Several centuries ago, scientists discovered oxygen while experimenting with combustion and flames. One scientist called it “fire air.” Today, at the National

Knocking Down Fences for Fire Research

November 18, 2020

Wildfires don’t stop where the wilderness ends. They burn through communities and neighborhoods, destroying property and taking lives. In 2018, the California

Resilient Cedar Rapids: Rebuilding Better Pays Off

August 12, 2020

Many cities in the United States have experienced or will experience devastating losses caused by a natural disaster. In the aftermath of a disaster, the

That House on the Hill: Bringing Measurement Science Home

February 21, 2019

When people ask NIST employees what they do, we often rely on the somewhat nebulous term “measurement science.” To many in the technical community, NIST’s role

Top NIST Images of 2018

February 6, 2019

There’s nothing quite like a captivating image to make you want to learn more. And nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to sometimes hard-to

Before the Storm: Measuring and Predicting Hurricanes

June 5, 2018

The Atlantic hurricane season is now upon us, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just released its 2018 seasonal hurricane

Printing with Concrete: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

September 4, 2017

Since they came out a few years ago, the capabilities of commercially available 3-D printers have radically expanded. At first, they could only print little

Refrigerants to the Rescue: Plugging the Ozone Hole

March 13, 2017

Did you know there was a hole in the ozone layer? Thanks to swift, decisive international action not many people under a certain age probably do. Those of us

A Smart Window to Sustainable Development: A Scientist’s Story

December 1, 2016

I think curiosity is at the root of all scientific careers. That, and insecurity. In my formative years, I felt compelled to assign a rational explanation to

Men working at construction site with wood planks on ground and gray house dangling in air by crane

Building Codes, Planning Key to Community Resilience

September 21, 2016

“Buildings built to the most modern building codes were the safest places to be during Hurricane Sandy.” Having spent most of my life in code enforcement, I’ve

Indoor Air Quality Is Nothing To Sneeze At

July 18, 2016

Have you ever wondered if the things inside your house that you consider safe and harmless actually are? The perfume that you spray, the plastic food containers

A line of cars with fire and smoke nearby

Fighting Fire with Fire-Breathing Dragons

June 22, 2016

I’m a dragon wrangler. While that might sound like something straight out of Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, this isn’t fantasy, this is serious science. As a

Resilience Rises from Tragedy in Joplin

May 31, 2016

The May 22, 2011, tornado in Joplin, Mo., rated an EF-5—the most powerful ranking—on the Enhanced Fujita tornado intensity scale. It caused 161 fatalities and

Directing My Energy Toward a Sustainable Future

April 22, 2016

Have you ever wondered what might happen if we run out of fossil fuels? How do you think we will be able to survive without the resources we need to heat and

Smart Cities: Bringing Tech Benefits Directly to You

March 25, 2016

Earlier this week at NIST, we brought together a diverse group of people who will have a profound influence on the future of our cities and the services

A Slice of Math Functions for Pi Day

March 14, 2016

Happy Pi Day! No, not pie day, Pi Day. That Greek character pi, π, that you’ve heard of but aren’t quite sure what the big deal is. Pi is the ratio of a circle

Taking Measure