Most structural engineers are creative in the sense of finding a structural solution to an architectural challenge, but they are not often thought of as artistic. Once in a great while, a design team and an owner come together and the whole is truly more than the sum of its parts. …
Part 1 of this series discussed the investigation of an existing timber-framed, multi-story building, that is over one hundred years old, and the resulting evacuation of the occupants due to an unsafe condition at the main support columns of the building. This installment discusses the nature of the deterioration observed and the solutions considered for repair. …
Structural engineers are starting to see wisps of the cloud. What has become common in many industries – working from the cloud – is beginning to see daylight among those engaged in construction. …
This article, which will be presented in three parts, discusses the investigation and subsequent repair of an existing timber-framed, multi-story building that is over one hundred years old. The investigation initially resulted in the need to evacuate the occupied building, which allowed for the innovative repair of severely deteriorated timber columns by encapsulating the wood within replacement steel columns that essentially jacketed and abandoned the original wood members in place. …
The 8.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile in April, along with the resulting tsunami, killed six people; two of them succumbed to heart attacks. Contrast this to the February, 2010, 8.8 magnitude earthquake in which 500 Chileans died. Although no two earthquakes are exactly the same – geographically or otherwise – increases in planning and code enforcement helped to lower this year’s quake death toll, according to government officials. …
By all appearances, the small increase in the total number of tall-building completions from 2012 into 2013 is indicative of a return to the prevalent trend of increasing completions each year over the past decade. Perhaps 2012, with its small year-on-year drop in completions, was the last year to register the full effect of the 2008/2009 global financial crisis, and a small sigh of relief can be let out in the tall-building industry as we begin 2014. …
The Statue of Liberty National Monument reopened to visitors July 4, 2013 after a 20-month renovation to upgrade visitor access, egress, safety, and comfort.
Structural improvements included installation of new primary and emergency elevators and two independent, fire-rated, and code-compliant stairs within the pedestal. The improvements include new egress routes that extend through the War of 1812-era Fort Wood surrounding the monument. …
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Guastavino Company designed and built some of the most exceptional masonry structures in history. By adapting a traditional Mediterranean vaulting method to the demands of American construction, Rafael Guastavino Sr. (1842-1908) and Jr. (1872-1950) had a major impact across the United States. …
The tallest post-tensioned masonry building in the United States was completed in 2013 in Sentinel Plaza, an Independent Senior Housing Development, in Tucson, Arizona. The new building is six stories high with 139,000 square feet and 143 units (Figures 1 and 2). …
Failing anchors in marble ceiling panels limit access for ceremonies and visiting patrons for interred loved ones in the mausoleum (Figure 1). Constructed in the 1920s, the Fairmont Memorial Mausoleum is located on the 150 acre grounds of the Fairmount Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey. The 250 foot long by 92 foot wide “H” configured building has an exterior built of granite upon a cast-in-place concrete frame and concrete floor infrastructure. …