When Dodge County was faced with two deteriorating bridges requiring replacement, coupled with cutbacks in infrastructure funding and a decreasing budget, they looked at implementing a new accelerated construction technique called Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil – Integrated Bridge System (GRS-IBS). What they learned is that, for qualified structures, implementing GRS-IBS can save time, money, and resources. …
Originally a railway line developed in 1873, the Bloomingdale Line carried passenger and freight trains from the near north side of Chicago 35 miles out to the western suburbs. In 1910, a portion of the line in Chicago was elevated to help reduce pedestrian accidents at street crossings. …
Stepping and twisting around its’ site, this “S” shaped, $25 million mountain home provides 360-degrees of scenic views. Located above Park City, Utah, the Mountain “S” Home is a structural engineering Opus. Every design element of the home represents an engineering challenge. The Mountain “S” Home was a winner of the 2016 NCSEA Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program, category – New Buildings under $10M. …
Growing urban sprawl in Mexico’s most significant metropolitan areas negatively impacts the way people work and live, and many are seeking homes closer to work and public amenities. As a result, the demand for tall buildings is increasing in several urban areas, including Monterrey, the country’s second-largest city. …
A landmarked, 33-story steel moment frame building, 75 Rockefeller Plaza bookends the north end of Rockefeller Center. The building was originally constructed in 1947 for John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Company and features the limestone and cast aluminum façade (Figure 1) that is emblematic of Rockefeller Center. …
The National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards. The awards were announced on the evening of October 13 at NCSEA’s 25th Annual Structural Engineering Summit in Washington, D.C. The awards have been given annually since 1998 and, each year, highlight work from the best and brightest in our profession. …
Currently under construction in Vancouver, Washington, Waterfront Park is part of a 32-acre mixed-use urban redevelopment project on a site that is being reclaimed, having previously been used as a paper mill. Developed by the City of Vancouver, the 7.3-acre Waterfront Park features open lawns, picnic areas, viewpoints, and shoreline paths along nearly 2,500 feet of Columbia River waterfront. When completed in the Spring of 2018, the Grant Street Pier will become the focal point of the new park. …
In the heart of Denver’s Theatre District, the city’s fourth tallest building is steadily rising from the ground. The 42-story, 603-foot-high LEED Pre-Certified Gold building, called 1144 Fifteenth, is the first Class A office tower built in the downtown area in more than 30 years. The soaring glass structure is an emblem to the city’s future.
The building will rise above the rest – literally and figuratively. However, securing its strong foundation presented a long list of challenges. …
This is the type of project that gives geotechnical, geostructural, and structural engineers goosebumps – in a good way. VCU Health’s vision for a new Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Children’s Pavilion required designing in the fourth dimension, where the past, present, and future of the physical facilities critical to this ambitious undertaking were simultaneously considered. Goals were lofty. Not only would it become the largest and most advanced outpatient facility dedicated to children in the region, but the reimagined pavilion was also expected to serve as a gateway to Virginia Commonwealth University’s urban medical campus in downtown Richmond. And that was just for starters. …
A chance to design an “iconic” building is not something one encounters every day. However, that is exactly what the designers at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP (SOM) in their San Francisco office got when they were challenged to come up with a design for the Poly International Plaza project in Beijing, China. …