Alfred Benesch & Company was an Outstanding Award Winner for the 130th Street and Torrence Avenue Railroad Truss Bridge project in the 2013 NCSEA Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering awards program (Category – New Bridges & Transportation Structures). …
During my first NCSEA conference in 2011, I was inspired by the passion for the structural engineering profession displayed by my more senior peers. Throughout the conference, a major discussion topic was the need for structural licensure in addition to generic professional engineering licensure. As I listened to the arguments, I did not fully understand the reasoning either for or against structural licensure. …
The subject building is an existing timber-framed, multi-story structure that is over one hundred years old. Previous installments of this article have discussed the investigation and resulting need to evacuate the occupants, the nature of the deterioration observed, and the solutions considered for repair of the deteriorated columns. …
Engineering advancements can have a major impact on the end design of buildings, improving their aesthetics and therefore their marketability. Cutting edge techniques employed for a six-story tilt-up speculative office building near Houston prove that advancements in the field of tilt-up concrete construction are having a positive impact on real estate profitability. …
Department of Defense (DoD) facilities have never had a more complex set of protective needs than they do today. Following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the DoD published its Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 4-010-01, DoD Minimum Anti-Terrorism Standards for Buildings. In 2013, this document was updated to its current version. UFC 4-010-01 identifies what reasonable precautions can be taken – for a reasonable cost – on buildings owned, leased, privatized or otherwise occupied, managed or controlled by or for the DoD. …
Volunteer professional organizations occupy a significant role in the business, education, regulation and licensure of structural engineering. These groups provide a positive influence from the professionals’ vantage on the laws, integrity and quality of our careers and act as stewards for the profession. Over the years, several organizations focusing on structural engineering have addressed separately the many issues surrounding the practice. …
Regular readers of this column know that more often than not it addresses some aspect of the relationship between philosophy and engineering. It should thus be no surprise that I am eager to discuss a recent book called Philosophy and Engineering: Reflections on Practice, Principles and Process, edited by Diane P. Michelfelder, Natasha McCarthy, and David E. Goldberg, and published by Springer. …
Earlier this year, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute (CRSI) published A Comprehensive and Invaluable Treatise on all Forms of Steel Reinforcement Employed in the Design and Construction of Reinforced Concrete of Long Ago. …
As recently as 25 to 30 years ago, the steadily increasing availability of concrete with compressive strengths above 6,000 psi had the industry’s rapt attention. Back then, in many regions, strengths this high were considered revolutionary. Some people even questioned the need. …
It is estimated that the concrete repair industry in the United States generates between 18 and 25 billion dollars per year in construction spending. Unfortunately, repairs that do not perform as intended, either due to poor design or execution, require “repairs to the repairs”, which form a substantial component of the total figure. …