Enjoy your bi-monthly newsletter. We'll see you again in October.
Enjoy your bi-monthly newsletter. We'll see you again in October.

In This Issue

Best DC Restaurants
Adding Parking Spaces
Tips For a Better Selfie
Set The Mood With Color
Hammering Out Concrete Problems
Luke's Favorite Mobile Apps

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Luke Valentine

Project Engineer
My Favorite Mobile Apps
Fantasy Football Relax and Sleep
ESPN Fantasty Football: Can't leave home without it once the season begins.     Let the trading begin!

Rest & Sleep: Calming
sounds help this busy engineer relax.  Rain is his favorite sound for falling asleep.
Fitbit app mbl ballpark
Fitbit: Moving from one building to the next sure racks up the miles.  Great way to see how far one really travels in a day.
MLB Ballpark: For an avid baseball fan, this app is priceless. From game alerts to baseaball journaling....it's a must have!

Hammering Out Concrete Problems

If you have a concern about the integrity of cracked or spalled concrete, consider using a simple but reliable test. 
Tap the concrete with a hammer.  A sharp, ringing sound tends to indicate that the concrete is sound.  A dull hollow sound means that the concrete may be unsound, unbonded, delaminated or deteriorated.
 It sounds simple and it is....hammer away!

Best DC Area Restaurants

By: Washingtonian
Read More

Did Someone Say More Parking?

By: Kirk Parsons, RRC (ETC, Inc.)
Expanding a parking lot by converting a landscaped area into parking space sounds easy, but in actuality the process can be quite complicated.  As coveted as parking places can be, green space is not something you can necessarily sacrifice without a care.  In many cases landscaped, wooded areas are protected by government ordinance or regulation.  It’s by no means impossible in every instance to get a variance & permit, but don’t expect an easy time of it. 
Even if you manage to avoid or get through the bureaucratic red tape, there’s a good chance that someone in the community will object to the loss of a tree or lawn.  It’s not unheard of for such objections to degenerate into lawsuits.
After you’ve cleared the legal hurdles, you can expect to pay construction cost of $2,000 – $4,000, per space (depending upon factors too complex & numerous to discuss here).  Engineering and permitting fees, feasibility studies, environmental impact studies, surface drainage calculations, etc. that may be needed before construction can begin could add considerably to the cost.

15 Poses and Tips For Better Selfies

By:  Improve Photography
Learning how to pose for a selfie will make a much bigger difference in how you look in the photo than any camera app will. A search for #selfie on Instagram yields over 122 million photos. However, sometimes it can be difficult to take a flattering photo of yourself while also holding the camera. Here are some “selfie” posing tips, along with suggestions for how to hold your camera or phone
READ MORE

Set The Mood with Color

By: Staff Architect (ETC, Inc.)
Color affects our perceptions of our surroundings, particularly indoor environments. As designers, we can use color to set the mood for a particular space.
For example, the use of warm colors like red, yellow, and orange can bring about feelings of excitement, motion, and imagination. This is particularly beneficial in spaces for children, entertainment, and retail sales.
Warm neutral colors like beige and brown evoke feelings of comfort and security. This is useful in commercial office or residential settings.
Cool colors like green and blue are calming, soothing, and inspirational. They promote feelings of freshness and growth and are suitable in medical and religious facilities, classrooms,  etc.
Cool neutral colors like grey, charcoal, or stone are sophisticated and subdued. These colors lend themselves to commercial and industrial spaces.
Color is just as important as form in architecture, as it sets the mood.

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