4:00 PM (1.0 PDH)
Maximizing Real Estate
Presented by Mr. Imad Abdullah, AIA, of Landmark Architects, Inc.
BIO: Mr. Imad Abdullah, AIA, is a registered Architect and Interior Designer in Texas and is principal of Landmark Architects Inc. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the AIA-Houston Board of Directors where he established and chaired the AIA Business Practice Series for four years providing bi-monthly continuing education credit courses to AIA membership. Mr. Abdullah is also a real estate broker in Texas and the principal broker of Centra Realty. He is a member of HAR and MLS, HIREBA, and Bay Area Commercial Real Estate Network (BACREN), along with Gulf Coast Commercial Real Estate Network (GCCREN) where he is a past president and board member. Mr. Abdullah is a member and serves on the board of Foundation Performance Association where he chairs the Bylaws Committee. He is a member of the board of “Nora’s Home for Transplant Patients and Their Families”, a 32-guest-suites facility near the Texas Medical Center. He is the author of A Crystal Ball Visioning, Unfolding the 21st Century, published in 2012. He has published numerous articles on architecture and real estate in The Houston Chronicle and The Houston Business Journal and posts articles on current affairs at Academia.edu.
ABSTRACT: Mr. Imad Abdullah, AIA, will discuss factors affecting the value of real estate, design considerations for lot and home, remodeling versus new construction, and successful selection for long-term appreciation.
5:00 PM (1.0 PDH)
Evaluation of Permeable Paving in Houston
Presented by Mr. David Eastwood, P.E., D.GE, DFE, BC.GE, C.A.P.M., F.PTI, F.FPA, F.ASCE, and Mr. James Namekar, Ph.D., P.E., with Geotech Engineering and Testing
BIO: Dr. James Namekar, P.E., is the Chief Engineer for geotechnical engineering at Geotech Engineering and Testing (GET) with responsibility for geoforensic and geotechnical operations and environmental engineering, data analyses, and the preparation of report recommendations. He has 24 years of experience in the fields of geoforensic, geotechnical, environmental, and materials engineering. He has been involved in geoforensic studies relating to commercial structures, residential, slope failures, pavements, retaining walls, pipelines, sewer leaks, plumbing leaks, etc. His other experience includes planning and supervising geotechnical explorations, subsurface investigations, coordinating laboratory testing and analysis of results, date review, report preparation and post-design services. His other experience includes research and development in the field of deep foundations, slope stability, retaining walls, and unsaturated soil mechanics. Dr. Namekar’s geotechnical experience has been in landslide investigations, static and seismic slope stability analysis for embankments, cut slopes, ground improvements, jet grouting, shallow and deep foundation design and special inspection, horizontal directional drilling, settlement, lateral earth pressure, rigid pavement design. He has a lot of experience with the design of foundations on expansive soils. He has also been involved in conducting many environmental site assessment studies, including Phase I and II environmental site assessment studies.
BIO: Mr. Eastwood has practiced consulting engineering for about 48 years, serving in key technical project management and administrative roles. His specialties are in geotechnical, environmental, materials and geoforensic engineering. Mr. Eastwood's experience in these functions include a wide range of project types, ranging from public infrastructure, public works, municipal work, industrial facilities, commercial developments to waste disposal facilities, power plants, dams, marine terminals, and underground storage tank contamination studies.
Mr. Eastwood conducts training in geotechnical, environmental, materials and geoforensic engineering for many agencies and associations. He is the President of Houston Chapter of Texas Council of Engineering Laboratories. Furthermore, he is the founder and past president of Foundation Performance Association, an organization specializing in foundation failure evaluation. In addition, Mr. Eastwood has been certified as a Corrective Action Project Manager with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
Mr. Eastwood is the past President of the Academy of Distinguished Civil & Environmental Engineers at the University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering. Mr. Eastwood is also a 2017 Member of Distinguished Alumni of College of Engineering at the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering. Furthermore, Mr. Eastwood has been accepted as an Academy of Geo-Professionals (AGP) as a Diplomate, Geotechnical Engineer Fellow Member. In addition, he has been accepted as an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Fellows Member. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering from the University of Houston in 1977 and 1978, respectively.
ABSTRACT: Permeable pavements are a porous surface composed of open pore pavers with an underlying aggregate reservoir. Permeable pavement catches precipitation and surface runoff, storing it in the reservoir while slowly allowing it to infiltrate into the soil below or discharge via a drainpipe. The most common uses of permeable pavement are parking lots, low-traffic roads, sidewalks, and driveways. Permeable pavements reduce stormwater runoff and pollutants while supporting pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Many laboratory and in-situ research projects over the past two decades by universities, government stormwater agencies, and industry have demonstrated significant runoff and pollutant reductions with cost-saving benefits. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has published information supporting Permeable pavement use in walkways, plazas, driveways, parking lots, alleys and streets. The purpose of this presentation is to evaluate the infiltration rates on various permeable pavements. We evaluated the infiltration rates on permeable pavements, permeable pavers, natural soils and impermeable pavements. Our study indicates that permeable pavements are excellent for surface runoff reduction.