In 1968, civil engineering faculty at the University of California, Berkeley (UC) proposed to construct a 100-foot by 100-foot welded steel shaking table, weighing 2.2 million pounds. It was to be hydraulically powered by 60 to 72 actuators, allowing operation in three translational degrees of freedom, with an acceleration capacity of 2/3 g. The proposed shaking table was designed to allow researchers to experimentally test and identify the earthquake behavior of large-scale structures weighing up to 4 million pounds. …
New Products, Innovations on Tap
The earthquakes that hit Nepal in April and May have once again focused the construction industry and world leaders on the devastating loss of life and property involved in seismic events. More than 8,600 people died in the two earthquakes that destroyed more than a half-million homes, leaving many residents exposed to the upcoming monsoon rains. …
2014 Was Impressive, and 2015 Will Be Even More So
If construction completion is used as the main basis of comparison, it is hard to conclude anything other than the global tall-building industry is burgeoning, seemingly despite emerging signs of global economic doldrums. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has determined that 97 buildings of 200-meter (656-foot) height or greater were completed around the world in 2014 – a new record. …
Companies Innovate, Offer New Products and Services
Companies involved with tall building construction continue to innovate and grow, and they’re bringing new products and services to their customers. For most companies, business is strong. …
Protection for the Ohio DOT’s Largest Project
The Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Interstate 90 (I-90) Innerbelt Bridge replacement project in Cleveland, Ohio, is the largest project ever undertaken by the State. The old bridge over the Cuyahoga River had fallen subject to the effects of the city’s harsh winters and hot, humid summers. After 55 years in service, ODOT needed to address corrosion issues by replacing the historic bridge – the main east-west artery into and through downtown Cleveland. …
A Net Zero Energy Strategy with Structural Implications (and Opportunities)
The Jess S. Jackson Sustainable Winery building (JSWB) project team, led by Siegel and Strain Architects, set out to design a Net Zero Energy, LEED Platinum building, at the University of California, Davis, where summer temperatures exceed one hundred degrees on a regular basis. …
Structural Engineering Challenges
Who would have thought that designing a 10-foot (3 meter) by 13-foot (4 meter) structure would present so many unique challenges? The structure, a single family shelter, seemed very straightforward at first; however, a field visit to Leyte Island in the Philippines proved otherwise. The task was to develop structural drawings for a shelter unit that is being provided to the most vulnerable victims of super typhoon Haiyan. …
Adaptive Reuse of the Shenandoah Building
Parkway 301, formerly the Shenandoah Building, is a transitional masonry structure located in the Downtown Historic District in Roanoke, Virginia. The seven-story building, originally constructed in 1910 and vertically expanded in the early 1920s, had office occupancy over ground floor retail since its opening. …
University of Kansas West Campus Structural Testing Laboratory
With an eye toward innovation and student collaboration, the University of Kansas (KU) School of Engineering wanted to significantly expand its scope of structural research. Opened in 2014, the Structural Testing Laboratory (Figure 1), located on the KU West Campus in Lawrence, is laying the groundwork for future innovation and offers one of the most advanced structural testing facilities in higher education. …
The Forum in Inglewood, California (also known as the Fabulous Forum) is an arena with a cable-suspended structure – not unlike a suspension bridge. There are 40 columns positioned equally on a 404-foot diameter circle that taper into precast concrete arches which support the 70-foot high compression ring. Forty cables, each 3 inches in diameter, one from each column, are strung from these columns to a central tension ring. …