What’s new for 2008? Plenty!

As the saying goes, you either are getting better or getting worse. Much preferring the former, Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s editorial team worked hard leading into 2008 to prepare a host of additions and refinements designed to meet the evolving information needs of our readers. Because you have a vested interest in how an engineering publication works and works for you, let me expla...

By Michael Ivanovich, Editor-in-Chief January 1, 2008

As the saying goes, you either are getting better or getting worse. Much preferring the former, Consulting-Specifying Engineer ’s editorial team worked hard leading into 2008 to prepare a host of additions and refinements designed to meet the evolving information needs of our readers. Because you have a vested interest in how an engineering publication works and works for you, let me explain the what and why of these changes that start in this issue.

First, we merged the On the Web and Table of Contents departments to convey the increasing integration of online and in-print media, and to make it easier for magazine readers to know what is on our Web site, which is amended daily. We also moved the contact information off the Letters page and into the Table of Contents, which is where most readers would expect to find it. Looking at this department, on pages 3 and 5, you might notice that we grew our Editorial Advisory Board from 13 to 18 people. The Board provides Consulting-Specifying Engineer with a body of expert, diverse, and enthusiastic authors, speakers, and reviewers, ultimately helping our content become more practical, useful, timely, and accurate. Because our content covers fire and life safety, HVAC, electrical systems, lighting, controls, and plumbing, we needed to add more members to ensure breadth and depth of coverage. See pages 12 and 14 for a proper introduction to our Board members.

In response to the growth in the green market among engineering firms, we are introducing a new monthly column on the back page, which this month is page 74. Green Space will feature invited authors, such as the kick-off column by David Sellers, PE, opining on topics relating to sustainability, some of which will be heartfelt and personal, and will challenge the performance or practicality of reportedly green buildings. Green Space aims to engage engineers on a market that is still, ummm … green.

In between the Board introductions and Green Space is a new department, Equipment Lifecycles (see page 29), which covers one type of equipment or system with insights on issues such as economics, installation, O&M, and commissioning. The goal is to have engineers consider lifecycle costs and benefits more often and more deeply during the design phase, which will ultimately improve and extend performance and reduce economic and environmental costs.

Another new department is Case Study, on page 57. Our internal studies show that engineers seek case studies because no one wants to be among the first to specify new products, and that engineers want case study facts, not fluff. Case Study concisely presents how a new product was matched to a specific application in the field, why it was selected, and how it performed.

In closing, I want to publicly salute the editorial and design team, Scott Siddens, Amara Rozgus, Melissa Hillebrand, and Myles Adamson for their talent and hard work. We all look forward to serving you and the industry in 2008 and beyond.

Send your questions and comments to: Michael.Ivanovich@reedbusiness.com