What civil engineers are reading this week

• This $18 million playground doubles as an unusual barrier against rising sea levels

  Perched at the southern tip of Manhattan, the Battery Playscape proves that resilient landscapes can work hard but can look fun too.

• Google warns of 'hermit spyware' infecting Android and iOS devices

  The entrepreneurial grade spyware dubbed "Hermit" allows attackers to steal data, private messages, and make phone calls. Researchers attributed Hermit to a commercial spyware vendor in Italy.

• Bangladesh floods: Experts say climate crisis worsening situation

  The densely populated nation, one of the world's most vulnerable to climate change, is facing its worst floods in 100 years.

• Amtrak launches procurement for tunnel replacement in Baltimore

  The $1 billion-plus Southern Approach construction package is the first of three construction contracts for the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program in Baltimore.

• A major California reservoir has hit its peak for the year at just over half full

  Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir in California's state system, has already reached its peak level for the year, barely surpassing half of its capacity, the state says.

• Mussel shells are clogging London’s water pipes, but one designer has a surprising solution

  A graduate student has developed bio-glass tiles made of ground-up shells of the invasive quagga mussel.