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Evensong “Melody in F”

Evensong services are typically held in cathedrals, collegiate chapels, and large parish churches, where choral music plays a prominent role. These services often feature the singing of psalms, choral anthems, hymns, and other sacred music.  The Evensong tradition holds a significant place in Western civilization due to its historical and cultural importance. It has provided a space for prayer, reflection, and worship for centuries, connecting individuals with their faith and providing a sense of spiritual solace.

The beauty and solemnity of the music performed during Evensong services have also contributed to the development of Western sacred music, with composers creating choral works specifically for these occasions.

Polska

History of Western Civilization Told Through the Acoustics of its Worship Spaces

Reflections / John Nash

“Non-Cooperative Games” 1951 | John Nash

Brian Keating: Cosmology, Astrophysics, Aliens & Losing the Nobel Prize

 

Spring Sport

“When spring came, even the false spring,
there were no problems except where to be happiest”
Ernest Hemingway (A Moveable Feast, 1964)

University of Michigan Sailing Team | Great Lakes

We are consolidating over 10+ years of coverage of sport standards by the season now.  This is our first cut breaking the topic into four separate seasons.  Join us today at the usual hour when we sort through stabilized literature and the codes and standards open for public consultation

Soccer 

Sports, Recreational Facilities & Equipment

Rugby

University of Michigan | Washtenaw County

Rugby

Equestrian

George M Humphrey Equestrian Center ($7M, 2004)

Cricket

Baseball

Baseball Lighting

Sport Lighting

Tennis

New Pickleball & Tennis Courts

Track and Field

University of Colorado | Boulder County

Sports Equipment & Surfaces

Swimming

Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa & Hot Tub Code

Pool, Spa & Recreational Waters

Golf

Green Space

Beach Volleyball

Volleyball Court Lighting

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Field Hockey

Stadium & Arena Structural Engineering

 

King County Seattle

“The Boys in the Boat”

The Boys in the Boat is a true story based on the struggles and sacrifices made by the University of Washington rowing team to compete at rowing at the 1936 Summer Olympics – Men’s eight.

Joseph Sutton-Holcomb from The Seattle Times writes that author Daniel James Brown got the idea to write this book when his neighbor Judy Willman said that her father, Joe Rantz, was a fan of his works and wanted to have a conversation with the author. That conversation with Joe Rantz about life during the Great Depression led to an in-depth chat about his time as a rower at the University of Washington.

sport, mercury, athletic

Track & Field

Aphrodite and Hermes, god of sport

Gustavus Adolphus College | Nicollet County Minnesota

 

Recreational sports, athletic competition, and the facilities that support it, are one of the most visible activities in any school, college or university in any nation.  Arguably, these activities resemble religious belief and practice.   Enterprises of this kind have the same ambition for safety and sustainability at the same scale as the academic and healthcare enterprises.  

According to IBISWorld Market Research, Sports Stadium Construction was a $6.1 billion market in 2014, Athletic & Sporting Goods Manufacturing was a $9.2 billion market in 2015, with participation in sports increasing 19.3 percent by 2019 — much of that originating in school, college and university sports and recreation programs.  We refer you to more up to date information in the link below:

Sports & Athletic Field Construction Industry in the US – Market Research Report

Today at the usual time we will update our understanding of the physical support systems for the track and field activity listed below:

  1. Sprinting: Races over short distances, typically 100m, 200m, and 400m.
  2. Middle-distance running: Races covering distances between sprinting and long-distance running, such as 800m and 1500m.
  3. Long-distance running: Races over longer distances, including 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m, and marathons.
  4. Hurdling: Races where athletes jump over hurdles at set distances, such as 110m hurdles (for men) and 100m hurdles (for women).
  5. Steeplechase: A long-distance race that includes hurdles and a water jump.
  6. Racewalking: A form of walking competition where athletes race over various distances while maintaining contact with the ground.
  7. Relays: Team races where athletes take turns running a specified distance before passing a baton to the next runner. Common relay distances include 4x100m and 4x400m.
  8. High jump: Athletes attempt to jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without knocking it down.
  9. Pole vault: Athletes use a pole to vault themselves over a high bar.
  10. Long jump: Athletes sprint down a runway and jump as far as possible into a sandpit.
  11. Triple jump: Athletes perform a hop, step, and jump sequence into a sandpit, with distances measured from the takeoff board to the nearest mark made in the sand by any part of the body.
  12. Shot put: Athletes throw a heavy metal ball for distance.
  13. Discus throw: Athletes throw a discus, a heavy circular object, for distance.
  14. Javelin throw: Athletes throw a javelin, a spear-like object, for distance.
  15. Hammer throw: Athletes throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle for distance.
  16. Decathlon (men) / Heptathlon (women): Multi-event competitions where athletes compete in ten (decathlon) or seven (heptathlon) different track and field events, with points awarded for performance in each event.

Open to everyone.  Log in with the credentials at the upper right of our home page.

Issue: [19-46]

Category: Athletics and Recreation, International,

Contact: Mike Anthony, Jack Janveja, Christine Fischer


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Elevators & Lifts

The first elevator in the United States was installed at Harvard University in 1874. It was not a passenger elevator as we typically think of today, but rather a freight elevator used to move heavy items within a building. The installation of this elevator marked an important development in building technology and transportation within multi-story structures. It was based on the design of Elisha Otis, who is famous for inventing the safety elevator with a safety brake system that prevents the elevator from falling if the hoisting cable fails. Otis’ innovation played a pivotal role in making elevators safe and practical for everyday use, leading to their widespread adoption in buildings around the world.

Elevator design by the German engineer Konrad Kyeser (1405)

Education communities are stewards of 100’s of lifts, elevators and moving walks.  At the University of Michigan, there are the better part of 1000 of them; with 19 of them in Michigan Stadium alone.   The cost of building them — on the order of $50,000 to $150,000 per floor depending upon architectural styling — and the highly trained staff needed to operate, maintain and program interoperability software is another cost that requires attention.   All building design and construction disciplines — architectural, mechanical and electrical have a hand in making this technology safe and sustainabile.

We start with international and nationally developed best practice literature and work our way to state level adaptations.  Labor for this technology is heavily regulated.

Its a rarefied and crazy domain for the user-interest.  Expertise is passionate about safety and idiosyncratic but needs to be given the life safety hazard.  Today we review o pull together public consultation notices on relevant codes, standards and regulations today  11 AM/EDT.

Московский государственный университет имени

Elevators 500

More

NFPA 70 Article 620 Elevators, etc.

NEC Article 620 | David Herres

Elevator U

International Building Code Chapter 30: Elevators and Conveying Systems

Inside Higher Ed: Tragedy in an Elevator

Jimlielevators

University of Michigan Elevator Recall Control Wiring Schematic

University of Michigan Elevator Shaft Lighting Schematic

 

Lifts, escalators & moving walks

At the 1853 New York World’s Fair Elisha Otis amazed a crowd when he ordered the only rope holding the platform on which he was standing cut by an axeman. The platform fell only a few inches before coming to a halt; thus proving the safety locking mechanism he had invented will work. These elevators quickly became the type in most common usage and made vertical living possible.

Elisha Graves Otis shows his first elevator in the Crystal Palace, New York City, 1853. — Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

Most large research universities have 100 – 1000 elevators that are highly regulated, maintained by highly regulated service personnel and inspected by highly trained conformance operatives; thus our primary interest in state-specific regulations.  We have a  secondary interest in innovation in the technology generally.  Many sustainability goals urged in academic circles  — which include greater population density in smaller areas — are challenged by mobility issues.

From the project prospectus:

“…The main feature of these products is that they are an integral part of industrial, residential or public buildings. Consequently, they should be adaptable to the technical and architectural constraints of such buildings. They must also meet the capacity requirements imposed by the intended use of the building. These products are considered as means of transport and therefore represent an essential component of the functional life of the buildings in which they are installed. Contrary to most public means of transport, they are intended for free use and operation by their passengers, which makes the integration of safety an essential concern…”

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN ISO/TC178: Lifts, escalators and moving walks

The Association française de normalisation (AFNOR) is the global Secretariat.  ANSI’s US Technical Advisory Group Administrator is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.  Stakeholders in US-based education communities are encouraged to communicate directly with ASME;  CLICK HERE.

We maintain the work products of this committee on the standing agendas of our Mechanical, Elevator and Global colloquia; open to everyone.  See our CALENDAR for the next online meeting.

Michigan Stadium — the largest collegiate stadium in the world — has 19 elevators.

Issue: [11-50]

Category: Mechanical, Mobility, Global

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Larry Spielvogel

Paternoster Lift Challenge

Sicurezza degli ascensori

Elevator Safety Code

Elevator,  escalator  and moving walk systems are among the most complicated systems in any urban environment, no less so than on the  #WiseCampus in which many large research universities have 100 to 1000 elevators to safely and economically operate, service and continuously commission.  These systems are regulated heavily at state and local levels of government and have oversight from volunteers that are passionate about their work.

These “movement systems” are absorbed into the Internet of Things transformation.  Lately we have tried to keep pace with the expansion of requirements to include software integration professionals to coordinate the interoperability of elevators, lifts and escalators with building automation systems for fire safety, indoor air quality and disaster management.  Much of work requires understanding of the local adaptations of national building codes.

Some university elevator O&M units use a combination of in-house, manufacturer and standing order contractors to accomplish their safety and sustainability objectives.

In the United States the American Society of Mechanical Engineers is the dominant standards developer of elevator and escalator system best practice titles;  its breakdown of technical committees listed in the link below:

A17 ELEVATORS AND ESCALATORS

C&S Connect: ASME Proposals Available for Public Review

November 2024 Package #2

https://cstools.asme.org/csconnect/Filedownload.cfm?thisfile=PublicReviewDraft3178.pdf&dir=ANSI.BSR8&45638.2441204&preview=true

Public consultation on revisions to the Elevator Safety Code closes April 23rd.

ASME A17.7/CSA B44.7 – 20XX, Performance-based code for elevators and escalators (280 pages)

Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators

Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks

Guide for Elevator Seismic Design

As always, we encourage facility managers, elevator shop personnel to participate directly in the ASME Codes & Standards development process.   For example, it would be relatively easy for our colleagues in the Phoenix, Arizona region to attend one or more of the technical committee meetings; ideally with operating data and a solid proposal for improving the A17 suite.

University of Wisconsin Stadium Elevator

 

All ASME standards are on the agenda of our Mechanical, Pathway and Elevator & Lift colloquia.  See our CALENDAR for the next online teleconferences; open to everyone.  Use the login credentials at the upper right of our home page.

 

Issue: [11-50]

Category: Electrical, Elevators, #WiseCampus

Colleagues: Mike Anthony, Jim Harvey, Richard Robben, Larry Spielvogel

 


More:

Bibliography: Elevators, Lifts and Moving Walks

ISO/TC 178 Lifts, escalators and moving walks

Human Factors Using Elevators in Emergency Evacuation

Archive / Elevator Safety Code

 

Elevators and Conveying Systems

Group B Proposed Changes 2024 Editions Complete Monograph (2630 Pages)

The International Code Council bibliography of elevator safety practice incorporates titles published by American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the National Fire Protection Association and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.  The relevant section of the International Building Code is therefore relatively short and linked below.

2021 International Building Code: Chapter 30 Elevators and Conveying Systems

The 2021 IBC is the current edition but committees are now forming to developed the 2024 revision according to the schedule in the link below:

2024/2025/2026 ICC CODE DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE

2024 GROUP A PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE I-CODES

Comments on changes to the Group A tranche of titles will be heard in Long Beach California, October 23-31st. 

IBC Electrical

Means of Egress

International Mechanical Code

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