2009 Issue

16 T HE WISDOM OF ESTABLISHING A national as- sociation is to foster the economic interests of engineers in private practice. America had turned into the new century with its eye to the horizon and its hand on the wheel. The Industrial Revolution had succeeded in bonding science to technology, and the United States, little more than a century old, had embarked upon a period of change that sent it hurtling toward the future. Electricity was replacing steamand gas as a principal source of power. The automobile, no lon- ger a novelty, quickened the need for expanded networks of highways and roads. Air travel had taken its first leap skyward. Public health concerns summoned the need for improvements in water and sewer systems. Advances in structural steel framing brought the first generation of skyscrap- ers rising from the streets of the major cities. In New York, the nation’s first subway system began operation in 1904. All of these developments depended heavily upon engineering, and the profession soon found itself at the center of an era of unprecedented growth. Conscious of the burgeoning weight of responsibility, consulting engineers---those in private practice----were now concerned with establishing standards of profes- sionalism, improving their capability to serve the public need and identifying themselves as a source of the expertise that was increasingly in demand. Given the impetus of common purpose, the urge was upon those in the profession to pool their resources. In the early 1900s, Nassau Street in the finan- cial district of Lower Manhattan was noted for its concentration of Stamp dealers, crowded shoulder to shoulder along the narrow streets as an accommodation to the bankers, brokers, and corporate officials likely to invest their wares. In the spring of 1905, eight consulting engineers met for the first time in a nondescript little building at 35 Nassau Street to unite in fellowship the engineers engaged in the structural design of buildings. The group desired to promote the science and practical efficiency of the profession and to foster professional relationships between the architect and the engineer. The identities of the eight men who met there have been lost to history, but what they accomplished that day has been long remembered; they formed the initial forebear of what eventually evolved into theAmericanCouncil of Engineering Companies. In the spring of 1909, the organization was renamed the American Institute of Consulting En- gineers (AICE) and the members announced that a plan of meaningful activities would be put into effect. The new Institute would formulate a policy that would make it a Power in the community, in matters on which its membership is qualified to authoritatively speak. The first two actions were to devise a code of just charges for professional services as well as such ethical resolutions as in their judgment would be wise. The schedule of fees for consulting engineering services set forth three basic methods of determining compensa- tion—per diem, fixed or lump sum, and percent- age of construction. The document explained that these charges should vary according to the character, magnitude, and importance of thework or subject involved, and according to the experi- ence and reputation of the individual engineer. The Code of Ethics was brief and straightforward, in effect, a set of commandments listing what an ethical engineer may and may not do. In 1916, AICE took part in the revision of the New York City Building Code and worked closely with the city’s Chamber of Commerce on the new subway/elevated railroad system. After six years of History of American Consulting Engineering Council A Hundred Years of Advancing, Defining & Protecting the Business of Engineering MICHAEL SMITH, AMERICAN COUNCIL OF ENGINEERING COMPANIES, UTAH The wisdom of establishing a national association is to foster the economic interests of engineers in private practice. America had turned into the new century with its eye to the horizon and its hand on the wheel. The Industrial Revolution had succeeded in bonding science to technology, and the United States, little more than a century old, had embarked upon a period of change that sent it hurtling toward the future. operation AICE’s leadership was convinced that the future of the profession rested heavily on the machinery of government; therefore, engineers would do well to get their hands on the controls. After WorldWar II, independent associations of consulting engineers were established in seven- teen states to serve the interests of a profession that was growing rapidly. 1953 saw the creation of the Intermountain Institute of Consulting En- gineers the forebear of what would become the American Council of Engineering Companies of Utah. The Intermountain Institute was formed to promote the use of consulting engineers, address problems relating to government regulation and competition, establish standards of professional conduct, enhance the image of engineers in pri- vate practice and improve the economic position of its members. The rapid post-war growth of the nation gave an imperative need for the consulting engineering profession to speak with a single, powerful voice through an organization that could identify the problems confronting the industry and propose workable solutions. Together with nine other existing organizations the Intermountain Institute of Consulting Engineers (Utah) met in St. Louis on October 28, 1955 to discuss the possibility of form- ing a national federation. The resulting federation, the Consulting Engineers Council (CEC) was to deal with common concerns, provide national advocacy for engineers in private practice and represent those engineers in public affairs. There are years in the life of any organization which, in retrospect, seem to have defined its character and shaped the contours of its future. For the consulting engineers 1973 was such a year. The seventies marked the opening of new horizons of opportunity for engineers; however, none seemed to be free of encumbrance from one direction or another. Attacks from the courts on minimum-fee schedules, a looming energy crisis and the growth of environment and pol- lution-control projects were a few of the issues affecting engineers in private practice. With the profession appearing at times to be under siege from a number of directions, a step toward the unification of CEC andAICEwas taken in 1973. The new organization called American Consulting En- gineers Council (ACEC) after a turbulent decade continued on page 18