This is a story about designing brick masonry curtainwalls. It is a story because the events did not all occur on the same project. They all happened, just on different projects.
For context and introduction, the author’s education is in solid mechanics followed by an early career in aerospace designing airplanes. Leaving the aerospace industry to design buildings wasn’t easy. …
Imagine for a moment that the building official for one of your projects decided that they were not going to enforce the code provisions for fire protection or the provisions for exiting requirements. How do you think the project architect would react? Or, if the building official decided that a certain structural design provision could be ignored. …
A common, simplifying assumption used for specifying polystyrene insulation under concrete slabs results in material costs that are significantly higher than necessary. Using a design equation based on a more rigorous analysis of the design conditions can help avoid over-engineering the insulation and save thousands of dollars on the project. …
In constructing a concrete building with a large foot print and/or post-tensioning, it is often necessary to have pour strips. A pour strip, also known as a closure strip, is a section of concrete slab left open to control shrinkage and elastic shortening; it can also be utilized to provide access for stressing of post-tensioning tendons. Pour strips are usually left open for 30 to 60 days to allow for the initial shrinkage and elastic shortening, and then filled with concrete after that time to complete slab continuity. …
Many failures occur in concrete structures because of inadequate detailing of reinforcement in joints and connections. The failures of perimeter vehicular barriers in concrete parking structures offer grim examples where numerous parking patrons have died or have suffered bodily injuries as their vehicles plunged down to the street during the past several years. …
As a part of Pennoni Associates’s on-call contract with an existing client, the Philadelphia structural division investigated and developed repair bid documents for an existing, three-level, 1,200-space precast concrete parking garage during the last quarter of 2012. Part 1 of this series (September 2013) described the existing structure and summarized observations and material testing results. …
The new, fourth version of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental DesignTM Building Design and Construction (BD+C) New Construction and Major Renovations rating system (LEED® v4) contains numerous substantive changes, including a reorganization of the credit categories, a shifting of category point totals, new credits in every category, revisions of existing credits, and a totally revamped materials section. …
More than one A/E has been in the uncomfortable position of having a structure that he or she designed fail an inspection due to a code-related design defect. The immediate reaction, in printable form, is often “How were the plans approved if they didn’t comply with the building code? That’s negligence on the part of the building department.” While this reaction is understandable, it doesn’t provide much support for the A/E when explaining the situation to the owner. …
WSP was an Award Winner for the One World Trade Center project in the 2013 NCSEA Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering awards program (Category – New Buildings over $100M). …
Structural engineering education today is a real mess! The problem starts with the young students who are traditionally attracted to our profession. Almost without exception, they like math and science much more than other subjects. Many, if not most, are more comfortable interacting with other people through their computers and mobile devices than doing so in person. This left-brained, somewhat introverted group is the raw material that feeds the pipeline year after year. Thus, the stereotype begins early. …