ASCE has honored Steven G. Buchberger, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE, with the 2024 Julian Hinds Award for his pioneering research on the intensity, duration, and frequency of individual water uses in buildings and pipe networks, including their statistical aggregation and their use in simulating and predicting instantaneous demands in water distribution systems.
Buchberger is a professor emeritus of civil and architectural engineering and construction management at the University of Cincinnati. His research focuses on urban water resources and hydrology with emphasis on estimating peak water demands in buildings. His work on residential water demands began in the mid-90’s with data collection and analysis of household water use from Milford, Ohio. This study resulted in a seminal paper on the Poisson rectangular pulse (PRP) model that has been cited over 250 times.
As residential demands are fundamental to the design and operation of premise plumbing and water distribution systems, Buchberger’s foundational work led him on multiple paths to extend that analysis and its practical application. Most notably, using the PRP model, Buchberger has collaborated on developing demand standards for premise plumbing design that updated approaches from 1940. This effort produced the Water Demand Calculator for estimating peak flows in residential buildings, which has been incorporated in the Uniform Plumbing Code.
As a leading expert on demand modeling, he has been sought out by fellow researchers as a valued collaborator. Among others, Buchberger has published with Dutch researchers on developing guidelines for self-cleaning pipes, New Zealand faculty on peak demand factors, and Canadian, Mexican, and Italian researchers on improving demand estimation. In total, he has authored over 130 archived publications and directed $11 million in research projects. Buchberger’s academic research translated to code and practical design tools has made him a significantly influential member of the water engineering community.
The Julian Hinds Award is given to recognize the author or authors of that paper which is judged to make the most meritorious contribution to the field of water resources development. That award may also be made to an individual for notable performance, long years of distinguished service, or specific actions that advanced engineering in the field of planning, development, and management of water resources.
