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STRUCTURE A Joint Publication of NCSEA | CASE | SEI

July 2018 Wind/Seismic

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Build to Last
Seismic and lateral forces may be unavoidable,
but ACI provides you with on-demand
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stay informed and plan ahead.

Standard Requirements for Seismic

Evaluation and Retrofit of Existing Concrete
Buildings (369.1) and Commentary

Guide for Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing

Concrete Frame Buildings and Commentary

Specification for High-Strength Concrete in

Moderate to High Seismic Applications

Guide to Nonlinear Modeling Parameters for

Earthquake-Resistant Structures

www.concrete.org
 LeMessurier Calls on Tekla Structural
Designer for Complex Projects
Interoperability and Time Saving Tools
Tekla Structural Designer was developed specifically
to maximize collaboration with other project parties,
including technicians, fabricators and architects. Its
unique functionality enables engineers to integrate the
physical design model seamlessly with Tekla Structures
or Autodesk Revit, and to round-trip without compro-
mising vital design data.

“We’re able to import geometry from Revit, design in

Tekla Structural Designer and export that information
for import back into Revit. If an architect makes
geometry updates or changes a slab edge, we’ll send
those changes back into Tekla Structural Designer, re-
run the analysis and design, and push updated design
information back into Revit.”

Tekla Structural Design at Work:

The Hub on Causeway
Positioning a large scale mixed-use development next
to an active arena, a below grade parking garage, and
an interstate highway, and bridging it over two active
subway tunnels makes planning, phasing and
For over 55 years, “Tekla Structural Designer has streamlined our engineering paramount. Currently under construction,
LeMessurier has design process,” said Craig Blanchet, P.E., Vice Presi- The Hub on Causeway Project will be the final piece in
provided struc- dent of LeMessurier. “Because some of our engineers the puzzle that is the site of the original Boston Garden.
tural engineering are no longer doubling as software developers, it allows
services to architects, owners, contractors, developers us to focus their talents on leveraging the features of Despite being new to the software, LeMessurier
and artists. Led by the example of legendary structural the software to our advantage. Had we not chosen decided to use Tekla Structural Designer for significant
engineer and founder William LeMessurier, LeMessuri- to adopt Tekla Structural Designer, we would have portions of the project. “Relying on a new program for
er provides the expertise for some of the world’s most needed to bring on new staff to update and maintain such a big project was obviously a risk for us, but with
elegant and sophisticated designs while remaining our in-house software. So Tekla Structural Designer is the potential for time savings and other efficiencies, we
true to the enduring laws of science and engineering. not just saving us time on projects, it is also saving us jumped right in with Tekla Structural Designer. It forced
Known for pushing the envelope of the latest tech- overhead. us to get familiar the software very quickly.”
nologies and even inventing new ones, LeMessurier
engineers solutions responsive to their clients’ visions Efficient, Accurate Loading and Analysis “Tekla Structural Designer allowed us to design the
and reflective of their experience. Tekla Structural Designer automatically generates an bulk of Phase 1 in a single model,” said Barnes. The proj-
underlying and highly sophisticated analytical model ect incorporates both concrete flat slabs and compos-
An early adopter of technology to improve their de- from the physical model, allowing LeMessurier engi- ite concrete and steel floor framing. “Tekla Structural
signs and workflow, LeMessurier put its own talent to neers to focus more on design than on analytical model Designer has the ability to calculate effective widths
work in the eighties to develop a software solution that management. Regardless of a model’s size or com- based on the physical model which is a big time saver,”
did not exist commercially at the time. Their early appli- plexity, Tekla Structural Designer’s analytical engine said Barnes. “On this project, the integration with Revit,
cation adopted the concept of Building Information accurately computes forces and displacements for use along with the composite steel design features enabled
Modeling (BIM) long before it emerged decades later. in design and the assessment of building performance. us to work more efficiently. Adding the ability to do con-
crete design in the same model was a bonus because
While LeMessurier’s proprietary tool had evolved over we had both construction types in the same building.”
three decades into a powerhouse of capability, the
decision to evaluate commercial structural design “Tekla Structural Designer helped this project run more
tools was predicated on the looming effort required to “Tekla Structural Designer offers better efficiently, and in the end it was a positive experience,”
modernize its software to leverage emerging integration of multiple materials than said Blanchet.
platforms, support normalized data structure integra-
tion and keep up with code changes. we have seen in any other product.”

After a lengthy and thorough comparison of commer-

cial tools that would “fill the shoes” and stack up to the
company’s proprietary tool, LeMessurier chose Tekla “Tekla Structural Designer gives us multiple analysis
Structural Designer for its rich capabilities that ad- sets to pull from, which gives us lots of control. Most
dressed all of their workflow needs. According to Derek programs don’t have the capability to do FE and
Barnes, Associate at LeMessurier, ” Tekla Structural grillage chase-down. For the design of beam supported
Designer offered the most features and the best inte- concrete slabs, Tekla Structural Designer allows us to
gration of all the products we tested. They also offered separate the slab stiffness from the beam stiffness, so
us the ability to work closely with their development if we choose to we can design the beams without con-
group to ensure we were getting the most out of the sidering the influence of the slab. In the same model
software.” we can use a separate analysis set to review the floor
system with the beams and slab engaged,” said Barnes.
One Model for Structural Analysis & Design
From Schematic Design through Construction Docu- Barnes also shared similar benefits with concrete “Tekla Structural Designer provided the best fit
ments, Tekla Structural Designer allows LeMessurier column design. “Tekla Structural Designer does for our workflow compared to other commercially
engineers to work from one single model for structural grillage take-downs floor-by-floor, finds the reactions available software.”
analysis and design, improving efficiency, workflow, and applies them to the next floor. This allows us
and ultimately saving time. “Our engineers are working to view column results both for the 3-dimensional
more efficiently because they don’t need to switch effects of the structure as a whole and from the more
between multiple software packages for concrete and
steel design. Tekla Structural Designer offers better
traditional floor-by-floor load take-down point of view.
Doing both has always required significant manual Want to Evaluate
integration of multiple materials than we have seen in
any other product,” said Barnes.
intervention, but Tekla Structural Designer puts it all in
one place.” “We reduce the possibility for human error Tekla Structural Designer?
because with Tekla Structural Designer less user input
LeMessurier engineers use Tekla Structural is required,” said Barnes. “Tekla Structural Designer
Designer to create physical, information-rich models
that contain the intelligence they need to automate the
automatically computes many of the design parame-
ters, such as column unbraced lengths. The assump-
tekla.com/TryTekla
design of significant portions of their structures and tions made by the software are typically correct, but we
efficiently manage project changes. can easily review and override them when necessary.”

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STRUCTURE magazine 4 July 2018

 CONTENTS
32 C
 over Feature
432 PARK
By Silvian Marcus, P.E., Hezi Mena, P.E.,
Fatih Yalniz, P.E., and Chris Shirley, P.E.
The tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere,
Feature
this super-slender structure used more than 70,000
cubic yards of concrete. Challenges were abundant,
including wind/seismic issues and strength
requirements. High-performance concrete materials
were integral to many of the solutions.

26 REBUILDING YEARS
By Benjamin Pavlich, S.E., Elaine Shapiro, S.E., Abhiram Tammana, P.E.,
and William D. Bast, P.E., S.E., SECB
Renovations at the iconic Wrigley Field required innovative solutions to
strengthen foundations and reinforce the stadium. Raker encasements,
composed of CIP concrete, were an integral part of solving issues with the
existing lateral system and its ability to withstand code-prescribed wind loads.

Columns and STRUCTURAL DESIGN

22 Special Moment Frames in
ENGINEER’S NOTEBOOK
48 Increased Seismic Design Forces
Departments Reinforced Concrete By Philip Line, P.E., Michelle Kam-Biron, P.E.,
By David A. Fanella, Ph.D., S.E., P.E., S.E., S.E.C.B., and Michael Cochran, P.E., S.E.
EDITORIAL and Michael Mota, Ph.D., P.E., SECB
7 Why Did They Leave? BUSINESS PRACTICES
By Corey M. Matsuoka, P.E.
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES 53 You Hired a New Graduate,
34 2016 – NCSEA Practitioner Survey Now What?
STRUCTURAL FAILURES By Paul Hopkins Ph.D., P.E., S.E., By Jennifer Anderson
8 Revisiting the Galloping Gertie and Kevin Dong, P.E., S.E.
By Sumanth Cheruku, E.I.T. SPOTLIGHT
55 Creative Rigor: Retrofit of the
HISTORIC STRUCTURES
Desmond, Los Angeles
CODES AND STANDARDS 38 Hell Gate Bridge
By Mark Sarkisian, P.E., S.E., Neville Mathias,
12 ASCE 7-16 Wind Load Provisions By Frank Griggs, Jr., D.Eng., P.E.
P.E., S.E., and Rupa Garai, P.E., S.E.
By Donald R. Scott, P.E., S.E.

INSIGHTS STRUCTURAL FORUM

CODE UPDATES 45 Marketing Services 62 Eureka! Road to Progress
16 Technical Aspects of ASCE 7-16 in an Amazon World By James Lefter, P.E.
By William L. Coulbourne, P.E., By Michael Bernard, AIA
and Philip Line, P.E.
IN EVERY ISSUE
EDUCATION ISSUES 4 Advertiser Index
STRUCTURAL REHABILITATION 47 Reimagined Structural 50 Resource Guide – Concrete Products
18 Wood Bowstring Trusses – Part 2 Design in Capstone Classes 56 NCSEA News
By Filippo Masetti, P.E., Gloriana Arrieta By Deb O’Bannon, Ph.D., P.E., 58 SEI Structural Columns
Martinez, Ph.D., and Milan Vatovec, Ph.D., P.E. and Jim Palmer, P.E. 60 CASE in Point

Publication of any article, image, or advertisement in STRUCTURE® magazine does not constitute endorsement by NCSEA, CASE, SEI, the Publisher, or the Editorial Board. Authors,
contributors, and advertisers retain sole responsibility for the content of their submissions.

STRUCTURE magazine 5 July 2018

Editorial
Why Did They Leave?
By Corey M. Matsuoka, P.E., Chair CASE Executive Committee

E mployees leave bosses, not companies. If you have worked long

enough, it is a statement you have probably heard sometime
during your career. The reason? It is true. According to a Gallup
3) Show appreciation for the work our staff does. According to
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Esteem is one of our most basic needs.
Esteem can be built in a number of ways, from simply voicing our
study, approximately 50% of employees that leave their company appreciation to formal recognition programs. One great way to show
exit to get away from their boss. To make it even worse, recent our appreciation is to provide opportunities for high performing
Department of Labor statistics indicate that the average tenure staff to travel and attend educational sessions. I definitely plan to
of an employee in the U.S. is now only 1.5 years. That number is use these opportunities as rewards and to show staff how much we
likely higher for engineering companies, but it is still an indicator appreciate their work and commitment to the firm.
of where we could be headed. 4) Put Employees, not Clients first. While that may seem counter-
Recently, one of our better employees submitted their resigna- intuitive, Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Galactic puts
tion letter and the theory of employees leaving their boss really it best, “Take care of your employees, and they will take care
hit home. He was not leaving for more money or a promotion; he of your business. It’s as simple as that!” When employees are
just was not happy. In the staff of put first, they feel a sense of own-
40 that I manage, this is the first ership and take the initiative to
voluntary resignation I have expe- solve problems and look out for the
rienced in three and a half years. best interest of the company. On
In today’s economy, where jobs the other hand, when employees
are plentiful, that is a pretty good are overlooked and become dis-
record. Retention has not histori- engaged, they cost companies vast
cally been a challenge for us, so sums of money in lost productivity
this came as a surprise. Naturally, and inattention to detail. Gallop
I began asking myself - was it found that actively disengaged
something that I did or did not employees cost the U.S. $450 to
do that caused him to leave? What $550 billion per year. When you
should I be doing differently to consider the expense associated
make my staff want to stay? with employee turnover, you can
After some soul searching and expect it to cost 30-50 percent of
restless nights, here are the five areas I decided were critical to annual salary to replace an entry level employee and upwards
employee retention… of 150 percent of annual salary to replace a mid-level employee.
1) Promote a culture where communication is a two-way street. 5) Tied in with putting employees first is providing them with an
As managers, we need to listen as well as direct. When we acceptable work/life balance. Employees and managers need
direct, we need to provide clear instructions and expectations. to be on the same page when it comes to expectations of work
When we listen, we need to treat our employee’s concerns as commitments. If not, life for one or both will be miserable. The
our own; they should leave the conversation believing that we good news is that we do not have to measure this by hours in
will take whatever action we can. If nothing can be done, we the office. In a results-oriented work environment, it does not
should provide a logical explanation why. The bottom line is, matter where or when you work, if you get the job done. Laptops,
our employees need to feel comfortable enough to approach smartphones, hot spots, flexible work hours, work from home,
us when things are not going well and then have faith that we and the ability to bring children to work all help in the effort.
will attempt to make it better for them. If we can achieve this Before he left, I did sit down with this employee to thank him for
one goal, we will know long before we get the resignation letter his dedicated service to the company, express my sorrow that he was
that something is wrong. leaving, and offer my apology to him for not being there when he
2) To facilitate two-way conversations, we need to check-in regu- needed me. At the end of the lunch, he asked for feedback on his
larly with our staff. We need to give them the opportunity to performance. I told him that he was a model employee, hardwork-
discuss their strengths, what is going on in their personal lives, ing, eager to learn, and a team player. I told him the only thing I
and items they are struggling with. Glenn Furuya, the founder of wished he did differently was to talk to me when things
Leadership Works, LLC, recommends LBWA (Lead by Walking got tough for him. This is a conversation that I should
Around ), stating that real leaders operate at the grass-roots level, have had with him six months ago.▪
maintaining high visibility and accessibility. Walking around
and holding regular check-ins will allow for a better perspective Corey M. Matsuoka is the Executive Vice-President of SSFM International,
of what is happening, see things first hand, and assess the well- Inc. in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the chair of the CASE Executive Committee.
being of the staff. Leaders who “LBWA” have team members (cmatsuoka@ssfm.com)
who view them as humble, concerned, and connected.

STRUCTURE magazine 7 July 2018

structural T his article reviews the failure mechanisms
of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (TNB) on
November 7, 1940, and the characteristics of
for suspension bridge designs of the time. For
example, bridges like the Manhattan Bridge and
the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge were designed using

FAILURES
the original bridge that facilitated the resultant deflection theory. The TNB design pushed the
theories on its failure. The design of the bridge boundaries of this design philosophy as evidenced
pushed the boundaries of knowledge at the time, by some characteristic features (Figure 1). The
unfortunately with undesired consequences. The width of the bridge and depth of the girders were
failure resulted in a re-evaluation of the design smaller, leading to large slenderness ratios. The
practice. The objective of this article is to illustrate span/width ratio (75:1) of the TNB was 1.5x and
the concept of aeroelasticity and its consequences the span/depth ratio (375:1) was more than two
on structural behavior through this historic failure times that of the Golden Gate Bridge. The lighter
and to evaluate its applicability to some unsus- steel resulted in a center span that is around 3.5x
pecting structures. lighter than the Golden Gate Bridge.
The final superstructure consisted of built
up stiffening girders spaced 39 feet on-center,
Bridge Design 52-inch-deep plate girders as transverse floor
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is located in the beams at 25 feet, supporting (5) 21-inch rolled
Tacoma Narrows of Puget Sound, Pierce County, beams as longitudinal stringers at 5 feet-9 inches,
Washington. Clark Eldridge’s which in turn supported the 5¼-inch concrete
original $11 million design roadway. The stiffening girders were built up with

Revisiting the Galloping Gertie

($192 million: 2017) of the a 96-inch x ½-inch web, (4) 8- x 6- x ½-inch
bridge was modified for angles and (2) 20- x ½-inch cover plates. The
a more economical $6.4 web was stiffened longitudinally with “zees” on
million design by Leon one side and transversely with vertical channels
By Sumanth Cheruku, E.I.T. Moissieff. Eldridge’s original design consisted of on the other. Each of the 17⅛-inch diameter
25-foot-deep trusses that would have stiffened cables consisted of 19 strands of 332x No. 6 cold
the deck. Experts believe the bridge might have drawn galvanized wires, constructed at a sag ratio
survived the winds on November 7, had those of 1/12 with (4) 1¼-inch diameter suspenders at
Sumanth Cheruku is an Engineer trusses been installed (WSDOT, 2005). The 50 feet along each cable.
with Pivot Engineers in Austin, TX. original bridge was designed for 120 mph winds.
He is a member of ACI committees Moissieff designed a two-lane bridge with two
348, 377, 423, Forensic and Wind 1100-foot side spans and a 2800-foot main span.
Bridge Behavior and Collapse
Engineering Divisions of the ASCE Within these constraints, Moissieff used deflec- During construction, which commenced in
and serves as the Secretary tion theory, which depends on the stiffness due November 1938, workers experienced significant
of Chapter 29 task sub-committee to the dead load of the structure to resist the vertical vibration of the deck consequently attrib-
of ASCE 7 for 2022 code cycle. deflections due to the live load. This led to the uting to the title, “Galloping Gertie.” Professor
consideration that the stiffness of the proposed Burt Farquharson at the University of Washington
trusses did not contribute considerably to the was tasked with monitoring these vibrations and
stiffness of the suspended deck and led to the studying retrofit measures. An observation of
design of the stiffening girders for resisting lat- vibrations (Ammann, 1941), documented after
eral wind forces. Deflection theory was common opening the bridge to the public, reported that

Golden Gate
Torsional flexibility
Bronx - Whitstone
Tacoma Narrows

Center span/ Deflection of center span

width (47:1) due to center spanLL(in)

Center span/ 1/ Weight of center

girder depth (168:1) span per linear foot

Figure 1. Characteristics of Tacoma Narrows normalized to the Golden Gate bridge, data from (Ammann, 1941).

STRUCTURE magazine 8 July 2018

 the Strouhal constant. The calculated vortex
shedding frequency for the bridge superstruc-
ture with 8-foot-deep girders, 42 mph wind,
and a Strouhal constant of 0.11 would equate
to 1Hz, while documented oscillations on the
Type 10- day varied from 0.6Hz (37 cycles/min before
Six Nodes 10 AM) to 0.2Hz at failure (14 cycles/min).
27.0 Cycles per Min. This acted as sufficient evidence to refute the
theory of resonance due to synchronization
Type 11- with wind and Karman vortices.
Seven Nodes This calculation also disproved the hypoth-
34.0 Cycles per Min. esized vortex lock-in effects as being a cause
of failure. Vortex lock-in may be character-
Type 12-
ized as mechanical excitation in the presence
Eight Nodes of vortices at the frequency of the structure.
38.0 Cycles per Min. Lock-in vibrations are believed to be the
Figure 2. Observed vertical (plunge) oscillations on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (Ammann, 1941). cause of in-service vibrations observed by
the bridge, but not a cause of failure (Billah,
oscillations with amplitudes of 48 inches were in the collapse of the remaining central span 1991). Lock-in effects typically excite the
observed at 16 cycles/minute at wind speeds superstructure at 11:10 AM. structure at its resonant frequencies; how-
of 3 to 4 mph. However, monitoring also ever, as the amplitude of vibrations increase,
revealed certain characteristics like oscillations changes in boundary conditions introduce
having no effect due to wind turbulence or
Resonance and Vortex Lock-in self-limiting forces resulting in Van-der-Pol
traffic loading. It was also reported that the Early thoughts on the failure mechanism were type limiting oscillations. In the case of the
bridge remained motionless on occasions in directed towards resonance from external TNB, the observed vortices are concluded
winds varying from 0 to 35 mph. Initial ret- wind loading (NYT, 1940). Historical failures to be a consequence of oscillations but not a
rofits to reduce the vibrations included plate of the Broughton suspension bridge in 1831 primary cause for its failure.
girders being tied down, adding 1½-inch- and Angers suspension bridge in 1850 due to
diameter inclined stays from cables to marching troops may have contributed to this
midspan of the stiffening girders, and the line of thought. Federal Works Agency (FWA)
Modern Consensus
addition of hydraulic dampers. The dampers report’s statement, “Its [Tacoma Narrow’s] The FWA report concluded: “The vertical
were not as effective in comparison to similar failure resulted from excessive oscillations oscillations of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
installations on other bridges, and the stay caused by wind action,” was not very clear were probably induced by the turbulent char-
ropes slipped and were ineffective. Professor and inadvertently corroborated the theory. acter of wind action. Their amplitudes may
Farquharson’s recommendation of adding While some attribute the periodicity required have been influenced by the aerodynamic
semicircular deflector shields to streamline the for resonance to turbulence in wind (Miller, characteristics of the suspended structure.
girders, based on wind tunnel model studies, 1977, McCormick, 1969), others attributed There is, however, no convincing evidence
was approved early November 1940 by the it to the shed Karman vortices. However, the that the vertical oscillations were caused by so-
Washington Toll Bridge Authority. variation in the characteristics of wind loading called aerodynamic instability. At the higher
Videographic documentation of the failure at the site could not account for the required wind velocities, torsional oscillations, when
is available (https://bit.ly/2xw174p) for pos- periodicity for the resonance of the bridge. once induced, had the tendency to increase
terity to observe, investigate, and recreate the Interaction of fluids
failure for those interested in understanding with static, bluff (not
the failure mechanism. It should be noted streamlined) bodies
that some inconsistencies in recording (16 results in the forma-
fps (frames per second)) and documentation tion and shedding of
(24 fps) led to inadvertently speeding up the vortices in the wake,
video, which might be inaccurate for recon- referred to as “Karman
struction. The morning, on the day of failure, vortex street.” Figure 3
saw the center span oscillating with 8 to 9 shows the formation
nodes at frequencies of 36 to 38 cycles/min of the Karman street
(Figure 2) while wind speeds in the range of in atmospheric cloud
42 mph were recorded. At around 10 AM, movement due to
the frequency changed from 37 to 14 cycles/ Guadalupe Island, as
min with torsional movement observed about seen from a weather
a node at mid-span. This change in motion satellite. The frequency
resulted in oscillations with cable amplitudes of vortex shedding
of approximately 28 feet, causing an angular will depend on the
twist of the superstructure of about 45 degrees cross-flow dimension
at quarter points. At 11 AM, the 600-foot sus- (diameter of the island), Figure 3. Karman vortex street on GOES-9 satellite observed due to
pended superstructure dropped, culminating free stream velocity, and Guadalupe Island (CIMSS, 2001).

STRUCTURE magazine 9 July 2018

Figure 4. CFD simulation of H-section deck in increasing fluid flow – Figure 5. CFD simulation illustrating the torsional instability of
created from (Wei, 2011). single-axis solar trackers (Rohr, 2015).

their amplitudes.” The body of knowledge aerodynamic forces. Note that this simplifi- damping changes sign and, beyond a certain
on aeroelastic phenomenon was limited to cation is nuanced, and readers are advised to wind speed (critical velocity), results in a net
Theodorsen’s paper on aerodynamic instability follow up with literature for a more accurate negative damping introducing instability in
and flutter of airfoil published in 1934, but understanding of the phenomena. From the structural vibration.
limited extension to bridges until Scanlan perspective of an oscillator, flutter may be Mechanistically, this behavior may be visu-
(Scanlan, 1971). Under limited evidence for conceptualized as an instability arising due to alized as aerodynamic forces deforming the
observation of these phenomenon, the state- a negative net damping as a consequence of structure while the elastic forces are restoring
ment in the FWA report about the failure of aerodynamic damping exceeding the inherent beyond the original undeformed state, pro-
the bridge seems justified. damping of the structure. An example of the viding positive feedback to the aerodynamic
The last line of the statement refers to an oscillations considering a quasi-steady model force. A visual illustration of the behavior can
instability in the torsional mode of oscilla- (for illustration only, recent calculations uti- be viewed online (youtu.be/YzvFxF5LrRA).
tion. This instability, dependent upon the lize flutter derivatives for characterizing fluid Figure 4 shows the CFD simulation of the
aerodynamic characteristics of the bridge, is force) is presented below (Blevins, 1977) to deck section in increasing fluid flow. At low
believed to be a consequence of aeroelastic illustrate the onset of torsional galloping. speeds, the flow is relatively consistent with
phenomenon referred to as torsional galloping Jθθ¨ + 2Jθ ζ θ ω θθ. + kθ θ = FFluid = the entire deck acting as a solid body. As speed
or stall flutter (stall not due to viscous effects). increases, vortices form and oscillation occur
Aeroelastic phenomena occur in the domain (
1 ρU 2D 2 C
M | α=0
+ ∂CM |αα=0 + . . .
) at these speeds, if the frequency of shed vorti-
2 ∂α
of the intersection of aerodynamic, elastic, ces match the natural frequency of the deck.
and inertial forces. The lack of inertial forces
results in a static phenomenon like divergence,
( 2 ∂α
)
Jθθ¨ + 2Jθ ζ θ ω θ + 1 ρURD2 ∂CM θ. + Further increases in wind speed will result in
motion-induced forces due to vortices formed
while the inclusion of inertial components ( 2 ∂α
)
kθθ - 1 ρU 2D2 ∂CM θ = 0 in the immediate vicinity, leading to large
results in dynamic phenomenon like flut- torsional moments and rotations.
ter. Scanlan demonstrated that the failure where Jθ is the polar moment of inertia, ζθ
mode was “SDOF torsional flutter” of a bluff is the torsional damping, ωθ is the torsional
body. Subsequent publications supported this frequency mode, kθ is torsional stiffness, ρ is
Other Structures
mechanism. A non-catastrophic 1D flutter in the density of fluid, U is the fluid velocity, D The intricate nature of aeroelasticity is chal-
plunge motion translated into a large ampli- is the cross-flow dimension, R is the Reynolds lenging to capture in the provisions of the
tude 1D torsional flutter observed at the number, θ is the angular rotation, α is the angle design code. However, this behavior is expected
instance of collapse (Blevins, 1977; ASCE, of attack, and CM is the moment coefficient. in common structures like tall buildings and
1987). The reason for the change in the mode Upon examination of the damping term, bridges, and some unsuspecting structures like
of vibration from plunge to torsional is not the positive feedback (negative net damp- single-axis solar trackers (Rohr, 2015). Figure
well understood, with explanations ranging ing) can occur under two conditions, 5 presents CFD simulation of single-axis solar
from slip-of-cable-mount during the plunge 1) R ∂C∂αM is negative (or can become negative trackers stowed near-flat, illustrating behavior
phase (Ammann, 1941; Malik, 2013) to a due to motion), (Den Hartog Criterion) similar to the bridge deck.
theoretically based energy threshold approach and 2) U exceeds a certain magnitude. The A review of the failure of TNB is provided
(Arioli, 2013; Arioli, 2015). first condition, variation of lift coefficient to illustrate the role of aeroelasticity on struc-
(moment coefficient) with the angle of attack, tural behavior. The objective is to encourage
is characteristic of the shape of the body. designers to contemplate possible aeroelastic
Aeroelastic Flutter Circular sections are mostly insensitive to effects of the designed structure due to wind.▪
Flutter may be conceptualized as a self-excit- angle of attack (inclined cable stays in rain
ing, aerodynamic phenomenon wherein a are excluded). The torsional oscillator equa- The online version of this article
condition of positive feedback is estab- tion shows that as the normalized wind speed contains references. Please visit
lished on the structure’s vibration by the for bluff body increases, the aerodynamic www.STRUCTUREmag.org.

STRUCTURE magazine 10 July 2018

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CODES AND T he new ASCE 7-16 Minimum Design Loads
and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other
Structures (Standard) is adopted into the 2018
Table 26.9-1 – ASCE 7-16 ground elevation factor.

Ground elevation Ground elevation

standards
above sea level adjustment factor
International Building Code (IBC) and is now hit-
ting your desks. The 2018 IBC and the referenced ft (m) Ke
Standard are being adopted by a few jurisdictions
0 (0) 1.00
and will become more widely used in 2019. Thus
starts the time when practicing engineers learn 1000 (305) 0.96
the new provisions of the Standard and how they 2000 (610) 0.93
apply to their practices. To help in this process,
3000 (914) 0.90
changes to the wind load provisions of ASCE 7-16
that will affect much of the profession focusing 4000 (1219) 0.86
on building design are highlighted. 5000 (1524) 0.83
6000 (1829) 0.80
Basic Wind Speed Maps
An updated study of the wind data from over decreased approximately 15% from ASCE 7-10
1,000 weather record- (Figures 1 and 2). To meet the requirements
ing stations across of Chapter 1 of the Standard, a new map is
the country was com- added for Risk Category IV buildings and other
ASCE 7-16 Wind Load Provisions pleted during this
last cycle. This study
structures (Figure 3). These new maps better
represent the regional variations in the extreme
focused on the non- wind climate across the United States.
hurricane areas of the country and used a new Additionally, “effective” wind speed maps are
How They Affect the procedure that separated the available data by provided for the State of Hawaii. These maps differ
Practicing Engineer windstorm type and accounted for changes in from the other maps because the wind speed con-
the site exposure characteristics at the record- tours include the topographic effects of the varying
ing anemometers. This separation was between terrain features (Figure 4). Thus, a Topographic
By Donald R. Scott, P.E., S.E., F.SEI, F.ASCE
thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm events. Factor value, Kzt equal to 1.0 is to be used.
Also, a small revision was made to the hurri- Not many users of the Standard utilize the
Donald R. Scott is a Senior Principal at cane wind speeds in the Northeast region of the Serviceability Wind Speed Maps contained in
PCS Structural Solutions, Tacoma, WA. country based upon updated hurricane models. the Commentary of Appendix C, but these four
He is also Chair of ASCE 7 Wind Consequently, wind speeds generally decrease maps (10, 25, 50 & 100-year MRI) are updated
Load Subcommittee and Chair of across the country, except along the hurricane to be consistent with the new wind speed maps
NCSEA Wind Engineering Committee. coastline from Texas to North Carolina. The in the body of the Standard.
(dscott@pcs-structural.com) wind speeds in the northern Great Plains region
remain approximately the same as in ASCE
7-10. The most significant reduction in wind
Ground Elevation Factor, Ke
speeds occurs in the Western states, which The new Ke factor adjusts the velocity pressure
to account for the reduced mass density of air as
height above sea level increases (see Table). This
reduction was provided in the Commentary of
previous editions of the Standard; however, it
is being brought into the body of the Standard
to facilitate its use. This factor provides a simple
and convenient way to adjust the velocity pres-
sure in the wind pressure calculations for the
reduced mass density of air at the building site.
The adjustment can be substantial for locations
that are located at higher elevations. For example,
in Denver, CO, the “Mile High City,” the ground
elevation factor, Ke, is 0.82 which translates to an
18% reduction in design wind pressures.

Rooftop Equipment
The provisions contained within ASCE 7-10 for
determining the wind loads on rooftop equip-
Figure 1. Example of ASCE 7-10 Risk Category II Basic Wind Speed Map. ment on buildings is limited to buildings with
Printed with permission from ASCE. See ACSE 7-10 for important details not included here. a mean roof height h ≤ 60 feet. This limitation

STRUCTURE magazine 12 July 2018

 Figure 4. Example of ASCE 7-16 Risk Category II
Hawaii effective wind speed map. Printed
with permission from ASCE. See ASCE 7-16
for important details not included here.
Figure 2. Example of ASCE 7-16 Risk Category II Basic Wind Speed Map. Printed with permission
from ASCE. See ASCE 7-16 for important details not included here. a low-sloped roof (less than 7 degrees) (Figure
5, page 14 ) and the second method applies to
any roof slope where solar panels are installed
parallel to the roof. Each of these provisions
was developed from wind tunnel testing for
enclosed structures. Thus, these provisions
are not applicable to open structures because
the flow of the wind over the roof of enclosed
structures and open structures varies signifi-
cantly. Further testing is currently underway
for open structures, and these results will
hopefully be included in future editions of
the Standard.
The wind loads for solar panels do not have
to be applied simultaneously with the com-
ponent and cladding wind loads for the roof.
However, the roof still needs to be designed
appropriately assuming the solar panels are
removed or not present.

Roof Pressure Coefficients

(h < 60 feet)
Figure 3. Example of ASCE 7-16 Risk Category IV Basic Wind Speed Map. Printed with permission
from ASCE. See ASCE 7-16 for important details not included here. The component and cladding pressure coef-
ficients, (GCp), for roofs on buildings with
was removed in ASCE 7-16, and thus the Wind Loads on an h < 60 feet, have been revised signifi-
provisions apply to rooftop equipment on cantly in ASCE 7-16. The new roof pressure
buildings of all heights. One new clarifi- Rooftop Solar Panels coefficients are based on data from recent
cation is that the basic design wind speed New additions to the Standard are provisions wind tunnel tests and then correlated with
for the determination of the wind loads on for determining wind loads on solar panels the results from full-scale tests performed
this equipment needs to correspond to the on buildings. These provisions give guid- at Texas Tech University. The full-scale tests
Risk Category of the building or facility to ance to the users of ASCE 7 that has been indicated that the turbulence observed in
which the equipment provides a necessary missing in the past. Previously, designers the wind tunnel studies from the 1970s,
service. This means that if a cooling tower commonly attempted to use a combination that many of the current roof pressure
is located on an administration building of the component and cladding provisions coefficients were based on, was too low.
(Risk Category II) of a hospital but serves and other provisions in the Standard to Also, the technology available to measure
the surgery building (Risk Category IV) of determine these loads, often resulting in the results of these wind tunnel tests has
the hospital, the wind loads determined for unconservative designs. advanced significantly since the 1970s.
the cooling tower would be based on the There are two methods provided in the new Therefore, the new wind tunnel studies
Risk Category IV wind speed map. Standard. One method applies specifically to used flow simulations that better matched

STRUCTURE magazine 13 July 2018

those found in the full-scale tests along
with improved data collection devices; these
tests yielded increased roof pressures occur-
ring on the roofs. Thus, the roof pressure
coefficients have been modified to more
accurately depict roof wind pressures.
In conjunction with the new roof pres-
sure coefficients, it was determined that the
existing roof zoning used in ASCE 7-10 and
previous editions of the Standard did not
fit well with the roof pressure distributions
that were found during these new tests for
low-slope (≤ 7 degrees) roof structures. These Figure 5. Example of ASCE 7-16 Figure 29.4-7 Excerpt for rooftop solar panel design wind loads.
tests established that the zoning for the roof Printed with permission from ASCE. See ASCE 7-16 for important details not included here.
on these low-slope roof structures was heav-
ily dependent on the building height, h, and
much less dependent on the plan dimensions
of the building. The tests showed that the
“corner zones” were too small for the high
roof pressures that were being measured at
these locations on the building. Considering
all of these effects, a new zoning procedure
for low-sloped roofs for buildings with h ≤ 60
feet was developed. The zones are shown best
in the Commentary Figure C30-1 as shown
in Figure 6.
Bleast > 2.4h 2.4 > Bleast > 1.2h Bleast < 1.2h and Blargest < 1.2h
The roof zoning for sloped roofs kept the Blargest > 1.2h
same configurations as in previous edi- Bleast – least horizontal building dimension
tions of the Standard; however, many of Blargest – largest horizontal building dimension
the zone designations have been revised h – mean roof height
(Figure 7 ). This revision in zone designa- Figure 6. Example of ASCE 7-16 low slope roof component and cladding zoning.
tions was required because the values in
zones around the roof in previous editions
of the Standard were shown as having the
same pressure coefficient, i.e., corners at the
eave versus corners at the ridge have been
found to have varying pressures.

Attached Canopies
on Buildings
New provisions have been added to deter-
mine the wind pressures on canopies
attached to the sides of buildings. This is
the first edition of the Standard that has
contained such provisions.
Previously, designers were required to use
various provisions of overhangs, free roof
structures, and more to determine the wind Figure 7. Example of ASCE 7-16 Sloped Roof Component & Cladding Zoning for 7 to 20 degree roof
loads on canopies. Research became available slopes. Printed with permission from ASCE. See ASCE 7-16 for important details not included here.
for the wind pressures on low-slope canopies
during this last code cycle of the Standard. to improve the safety and reliability of
This research was limited to low-slope canopies
Summary structures while attempting to reduce con-
and only for those attached to buildings with Major revisions to ASCE 7-16 that affect servatism as much as possible. It is necessary
a mean roof height of h < 60 feet. Research the wind design of buildings have been to look at the impact of the provisions as a
is continuing on sloped canopies, and the highlighted. There are also many minor whole, instead of individually, to
Committee hopes to be able to include that revisions contained within the new provi- understand how design procedures
research in the next edition of the Standard. sions. Each of these revisions is intended are affected.▪

STRUCTURE magazine 14 July 2018

CODE C omponent and cladding (C&C) roof pres-
sures changed significantly in ASCE 7-16,
Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for
for Zone 1, the revised coefficients produce an
approximate doubling of roof pressures.

Buildings and Other Structures. For flat roofs, the

updates corner zones changed to an ‘L’ shape with zone

C&C Wind Pressure Comparisons
widths based on the mean roof height and an addi- There are several compensating changes in other
tional edge zone was added. Additional edge zones wind design parameters that reduce these design
have also been added for gable and hip roofs. These pressures in many parts of the country. These
changes are illustrated in Figure 1. For gable and hip changes are:
roofs, in addition to the changes in the number 1) Wind speed maps west of the hurricane-prone
of the roof wind pressure zones, the smallest and region have changed across the country. Wind
largest effective wind areas (EWA) have changed. speeds in the Midwest and west coast are 5-15
And, the largest negative external pressure coeffi- mph lower in ASCE 7-16 than in ASCE 7-10.
cients have increased on most roof zones. Hip roofs 2) The elevation/exposure coefficient, Kz, has
have several additional configurations that were been reduced for C&C pressures for Exposure
not available in previous editions of ASCE 7. The B buildings up to a height of 30 feet. Since
coefficients for hip roofs are based on the h/B ratio most buildings are in Exposure B, this reduc-
(mean roof height to the building width ratio) and, tion in Kz will affect many structures. Table
for roofs with slopes from 27° 26.10-1 in ASCE 7-16 provides the Kz coef-
to 45°, the coefficients are a ficients. The Kz coefficient used in ASCE 7-10

Technical Aspects of ASCE 7-16 function of the slope.

The significance of these
for C&C was listed in Chapter 30 for use with
C&C design. Now that the Kz coefficient is the
changes is the increase same for both the Main Wind-Force Resisting
in pressures that must be System (MWFRS) and C&C, that table has
Determining Components resisted by roof construction elements subject to been moved to Chapter 26.
and Cladding Roof component and cladding wind loads including 3) There is an elevation factor, Ke, that reduces
but not limited to roof framing and connec- the velocity pressure q for a site elevation above
Design Pressures tions, sheathing, and attachment of sheathing 1000 feet. This reduced pressure considers the
to framing. To resist these increased pressures, lower air density at higher elevations; thus this
it is expected that roof designs will incorporate factor modifies the 0.00256 multiplier used
By William L. Coulbourne, P.E.,
changes such as more fasteners, larger fasteners, in the velocity pressure equation. Over 20
and Philip Line, P.E.
closer spacing of fasteners, thicker sheathing, states have a mean elevation over 1000 feet,
increased framing member size, more closely so a significant part of the country could take
William L. Coulbourne is a Structural spaced roof framing, or a change in attachment advantage of the reduced velocity pressure cre-
Consulting Engineer at Coulbourne method (e.g., change smooth shank nails to ated by the new Ke factor. This factor is listed
Consulting, Rehoboth Beach, DE. ring shank nails or screws). An example of these in Table 26.9-1 in ASCE 7-16.
(bill@coulbourneconsulting.com) wind pressure increases created by the increase Table 2 illustrates the Zone 2 (20- to 27-degree
in roof pressure coefficients is illustrated in slope) C&C pressures for ASCE 7-10 compared
Table 1. This Table compares results between to the pressures developed in accordance with
Philip Line is Director of Structural ASCE 7-10 and ASCE 7-16 based on 140 mph ASCE 7-16. The comparison is for 10 different
Engineering at American Wood wind speeds in Exposure C using the smallest cities in the US with the modifiers for Exposure
Council, Leesburg, VA. (pline@awc.org) EWA at 15-foot mean roof height in Zone 2. B taken at 15 feet above grade, location elevation
Pressure increases vary by zone and roof slope. factor, smallest applicable EWA, and reduced
In some cases not shown in Table 1, such as wind speeds from new maps applied from ASCE
7-16 as appropriate.
As illustrated in Table 2, the
design wind pressures can be
reduced depending on loca-
tion elevation, wind speed at
the site location, exposure and
height above grade, and roof
shape. Wind pressures have
increased in the hurricane-
prone regions where Exposure
C is prevalent and wind speeds
are greater. The added pressure
zones and EWA changes have
complicated the application
of these changes for the user.
Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the
Figure 1. Examples of ASCE 7-16 roof wind pressure zones for flat, gable, and hip roofs. Printed with permission from ASCE. changes in the number of zones

STRUCTURE magazine 16 July 2018

 Table 1. Comparative C&C negative pressures, 140 mph, 15-foot mean roof height, Exposure C.
Roof Slope ASCE 7-10 Coefficient ASCE 7-16 Coefficient ASCE 7-10 ASCE 7-16
Shape (Roof Zone) (Roof Zone) Pressure (psf) Pressure (psf)
Flat 0 degrees -1.8 (2) -2.3 (2) -71.8 -89.9
Gable 7 – 20 degrees -1.7 (2) -3 (2n, 2r) -68.2 -115.3
Gable 20 – 27 degrees -1.7 (2) -2.5 (2n, 2r) -68.2 -97.2
Gable 27 – 45 degrees -1.2 (2) -2 (2n) -50.0 -79.0
Hip 7 – 20 degrees -1.7 (2) -2.4 (2r) -68.2 -93.5
Hip 20 – 27 degrees -1.7 (2) -2 (2e, 2r) -68.2 -79.0
Hip 27 – 45 degrees NA -2.7 (2r) NA -104.4
NA: Hip roofs with this slope were not covered explicitly in ASCE 7-10.
Table 2. Comparative C&C negative pressures for select locations, 15-foot mean roof height, Exposure B,
Zone 2 or 2r (20- to 27-degree slope).
ASCE 7-10 ASCE 7-16 Elevation ASCE 7-10 ASCE 7-16
Roof Shape
Location Design Wind Design Wind (feet above pressures pressures
(Gable/Hip)
Speed (mph)1 Speed (mph)2 sea level)3 (psf) (psf)
Figure 2. ASCE 7-10 Gable Roof Coefficients 20- to Gable -47.7 -47.8
Boston, MA 129 120 23
27-degree slope. Printed with permission from ASCE. Hip -47.7 -38.9
Gable -83.7 -94.9
Miami, FL 171 169 7
Hip -83.7 -77.2
Gable -54.5 -61.4
Houston, TX 138 136 47
Hip -54.5 -49.9
Pittsburgh, Gable -37.9 -39.1
115 110 765
PA Hip -37.9 -31.8
Gable -37.9 -31.5
Denver, CO 1154 107 5232
Hip -37.9 -25.6

Oklahoma Gable -37.9 -37.8

115 109 1200
City, OK Hip -37.9 -30.8
Gable -34.6 -32.3
Spokane, WA 110 102 1909
Hip -34.6 -26.3

San Francisco, Gable -34.6 -28.1

110 92 53
CA Hip -34.6 -22.8

Des Moines, Gable -37.9 -39.1

115 110 800
IA Hip -37.9 -31.8

Salt Lake Gable -37.9 -30.2

115 103 4261
Figure 3. ASCE 7-16 Gable Roof Coefficients 20- to City, UT Hip -37.9 -24.6
27-degree slope. Printed with permission from ASCE. 1
Wind speeds developed using www.atcouncil.org/windspeed.
2
Wind speeds developed using ASCE online hazard tool.
3
Elevation obtained from ASCE online hazard tool for selected locations.
as well as the increases in the roof zone coef- 4
Wind speed given in www.atcouncil.org/windspeed is Special Wind Region, yet ASCE tool calls out 107 mph.
ficients from ASCE 7-10 to 7-16 for gable Assumed location is basically in the 115 mph area on the ASCE 7-10 maps.
roofs. Designers are encouraged to care-
fully study the impacts these changes have ASCE 7-16 Wind Loads in accordance with ASCE 7-16 include
on their own designs or in their standard ICC-600 and AISI S230.
design practices. The reduced pressures for
and the Model Codes For more information on the significance
hip roofs in ASCE 7-16 are finally able to be ASCE 7-16 is referenced in the 2018 of ASCE 7-16 wind load provisions on wind
demonstrated in Table 2; the design premise International Building Code (IBC) for wind design for wood construction, see Changes to the
for hip roofs has always suggested this roof loads. In the 2018 International Residential 2018 Wood Frame Construction Manual (Codes
shape has lower wind pressures, but the C&C Code (IRC), ASCE 7-16 is referenced as and Standards, STRUCTURE, June 2018).
tables used for design did not support that one of several options where wind design As described above, revised roof construction
premise until this new ASCE 7-16 edition. is required in accordance with IRC. Other details to accommodate increased roof wind
There is interest at the ASCE 7 Wind Load permitted options based on ASCE 7-16 pressures include revised fastener schedules for
Task Committee in studying ways to make include the 2018 IBC and the 2018 Wood roof sheathing attachment, revised sheathing
these changes simpler and reduce possible Frame Construction Manual (WFCM). thickness requirements, and framing
confusion in the application of C&C provi- Other permissible wind design options and connection details for overhangs
sions for the ASCE 7-22 cycle. which do not reflect updated wind loads at roof edge zones.▪

STRUCTURE magazine 17 July 2018

structural P art 1 of this 2-part series (STRUCTURE,
June 2018) addressed structural behavior
and assessment methods. Part 2 focuses on
analysis and repair options.

REHABILITATION Bowstring trusses were a popular solution for

structurally supporting roofs from the 1900s
through the 1950s, especially in buildings
where large, open spans were desired (manu-
facturing facilities, garages, warehouses, among
others). Many buildings with this type of roof
support are still in service today; given their
age and inherent vulnerability (e.g., to environ-
mental, load, and other factors), their adequacy
and reliability have become a common reason Figure 1. Through-bolt inserted through the depth of
for concern. This article focuses on potential the top chord of a bowstring truss
retrofit options for bowstring trusses that have happen without the supervision of a registered
been identified, through structural assessment professional engineer. These changes can result
(see Part 1 of this series), to be in need of repair. in increased uniformly-distributed loads and/
or in new load-patterned conditions that were
not considered in the original design.
Analysis
Wood Bowstring Trusses
Boundary Conditions
After information on existing conditions has
been collected in the field, structural analysis is The accuracy of results in structural analy-
performed to evaluate the behavior and deter- ses depends, among other things, on proper
mine the structural adequacy of the trusses. assumptions and interpretation of the bound-
Part 2: Investigation, The member service load demands, determined ary conditions. The calculated tensile force in
Repair, and Rehabilitation through structural analysis or modeling (based the bottom chord of the truss is particularly
on the current or planned use and codes), sensitive to these assumptions. For example, a
By Filippo Masetti, P.E., are compared to the allowable service level pin-roller truss model (horizontal movement
Gloriana Arrieta Martinez, Ph.D., capacities for each member and connection in is restrained at one end only) would generally
and Milan Vatovec, Ph.D., P.E. the truss. The calculated structural demand- yield the highest tensile force in the bottom
to-capacity ratios for each truss component chord, whereas a pin-pin truss model (horizon-
then allows the engineers to assess the ade- tal movement restrained at both ends) would
quacy of the truss to withstand the requisite yield the lowest tensile force in the bottom
Filippo Masetti is a Senior Project building-code-prescribed loads. Recurring typi- chord. The authors have found that actual field
Manager at Simpson Gumpertz cal considerations associated with the analysis conditions typically do not warrant selection of
& Heger, Inc. (fmasetti@sgh.com) and design-check processes are discussed below. a pin-pin model. If necessary, the design tensile
force in the bottom chord can be limited by
Changes in Design Snow Loads
Gloriana Arrieta Martinez is a considering the actual lateral stiffness of truss
Junior Structural Engineer at Simpson Until approximately the 1970s, building codes support elements (e.g., columns and kickers,
Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. did not include consideration of drifting or masonry piers, walls, etc.) in the analysis. If
(gamartinez@sgh.com) unbalanced snow loads. Nevertheless, sig- such consideration is made, the adequacy of
nificant additional loads can result from the the support elements to withstand the lateral
Milan Vatovec is Consulting Principal accumulation of snow against parapet walls, loads imposed by the truss should be verified.
at Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger, Inc. adjacent buildings, added mechanical equip-
Top Chord Composite Action
(mvatovec@sgh.com) ment, and modifications to the roof layout
(e.g., the formation of valleys). These condi- The top chord is a truss member typically sub-
tions result in member forces that are different jected to compressive and bending stresses. As
from those considered in the original design. such, the ability of the laminations, if pres-
Specifically, an increase in bending moments ent, to behave compositely (act as one section)
and/or axial forces in localized areas of both may substantially affect the overall truss capac-
top and bottom chords, as well as an increase ity. If composite action cannot be developed,
in axial loads in the web members, can be the ability of the top chord to withstand the
expected. design loads may be compromised. This behav-
ior should be investigated when determining
Changes in Design Dead and Live Load
The online version of this article the allowable capacity of the top chord. Any
contains references. Please visit Buildings may undergo several renovations or analysis that relies on partial or full composite
www.STRUCTUREmag.org. other modifications throughout their life-span. action of the top chord laminations requires an
Often, changes such as reroofing, the addition evaluation of the adequacy of the connection
of mechanical equipment (over the roof or hung between laminations to transfer the horizontal
from the trusses), or addition of ceiling finishes shear flow. Different methods to connect the

STRUCTURE magazine 18 July 2018

top chord laminations exist in practice. In
a lattice truss, all laminations are typically
nailed to each of the closely-spaced web mem-
bers. Trusses with discrete web members rely
on bolts through the depth of the top chord
(through bolts) to transfer the forces; one
through bolt is typically found at each side
of the panel points (Figure 1). Finally, the
laminations may be glued together (glue-lam-
inated construction); however, glue-laminated
construction was not standardized nor was it
used in the production of bowstring trusses
prior to the 1930s.
Allowable Wood Design Values Figure 2. Bottom chord of bowstring truss retrofitted by installing steel tension rods along the span of the truss
There are two methods for selecting allow- (left). The steel bracket at the end of the truss (right) transfers the force from the top chord to the new steel rods.
able wood design values: 1) stress grading
rules in combination with reference design edition of the NDS standard includes refer- should be taken to avoid using reference wood
values published by the National Design ence design values that are most applicable design values determined based on obsolete
Specification® for Wood Construction (NDS®) to the investigation at hand. For example, knowledge. Care should also be exercised to
or other local ordinances, or 2) by applying prior to the 1960s, the allowable tensile stress avoid the use of reference design values that
the visual stress grading method, in accor- parallel to grain was determined from bend- are not representative of wood produced at
dance with ASTM D245, Standard Practice ing tests on small, clear wood samples. In the the time the trusses in question were con-
for Establishing Structural Grades and Related 1960s, tensile tests on full-size lumber pieces structed. When using the visual stress grading
Allowable Properties for Visually Graded (with natural imperfections) revealed that methodology, careful consideration should
Lumber, in conjunction with published the allowable tensile stress was significantly be given to the method used to calculate the
clear wood strength values. Typically, the first lower than that determined from bending allowable design values, and to accurately
method provides more conservative values tests. Currently, reference design values for assess the representativeness of the limited size
than the second one. When applying the first tension parallel to grain are approximately at of members sampled (e.g., 95% probability
method, it is important to recognize which 60% of the reference values for bending. Care of exceedance method).
continued on next page
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STRUCTURE magazine 19 July 2018

 Web Members – Overstressed or distressed the decay is driven by excessive moisture, the
Typical Repair Options diagonal members can be repaired by installing U-shaped steel straps at the ends of the truss
When structural analysis reveals that some new “sister” members bolted (or nailed) to the may also be severely corroded. Depending on
components of the truss are inadequate to existing members. In some instances, replace- the degree of corrosion and decay, reinforce-
withstand the building-code-prescribed loads, ment of web members is warranted or easier. ment of the steel strap may also be required
repair/strengthening is warranted. Repair Bottom Chord – The bottom chord can be through installation of additional steel plates
strategies can vary depending on the level of retrofitted by installing steel tension rods along and bolts.
overstress, cost, access, level of current load on the span of the truss. This can be accompa-
the trusses, etc. Different repair/strengthen- nied by steel brackets at the ends of the truss,
ing details that the authors have considered designed to transfer the force from the top
Conclusions
in their past projects with bowstring trusses chord to the new steel rods (Figure 2, page 19). To achieve long-lasting performance, to
are listed below. Alternatively, installation of new “sister” mem- increase the expected service life, and to avoid
Design Loads – When drift is the controlling bers bolted (or nailed) to the existing members chronic, recurring structural problems, the
condition in the calculation of design snow may be considered. repair strategy for bowstring trusses, as for any
loads, installation of sacrificial roof framing Bolted Connections – Inadequate bolted other structure, must focus on, consider, and
over the existing roof may be used to preclude connections can be reinforced by installing eliminate the underlying sources of identi-
formation of a snow drift. This adds dead load supplemental steel plates with proper consid- fied issues or problems. For example, rather
to the trusses, but it may still result in lower eration of boundary conditions (e.g., spacing, than just strengthening the decayed or cor-
overall design loads. end, and edge distances of bolts) and com- roded elements, the source of moisture should
Top Chord – Partial or full composite action patibility (differential hygrometric behavior also be eliminated (through repairing leaks,
among the laminations can be achieved between steel and wood). installing waterproofing and flashing details at
through installation of (additional) lag screws Bearing Ends – When decay associated with masonry piers, etc.). Typical repair approaches
(or proprietary screws) at sufficient spacing moisture intrusion is found at the ends of the and methodologies include installation of
and edge distances, which would enhance trusses and the remaining, sound bearing areas sacrificial framing to preclude formation of a
the shear flow through the section depth. are inadequate to transfer loads, repair may snow drift, establishing full composite action
Careful considerations should be made with include installation of supplemental (e.g., of the top chord, sistering members, installing
respect to access, the location of splices of steel) framing support tight to the underside steel tension rods in the bottom chord, and
single laminations, ease of drilling through all of the bottom chord. This can be a seat con- installation of seats and additional steel plates
laminations, and overall ease of installation. nected to the existing column, pier, or wall. If at the bearing ends.▪

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STRUCTURE magazine 20 July 2018

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structural T he overall integrity and performance of a
special moment frame, which is required in
buildings assigned to Seismic Design Category
After all of this, the shear strengths of the joints
are checked. Often, the shear requirements are
not satisfied, and the design process outlined

DESIGN
(SDC) D, E, and F, is dependent on the behavior above must be performed again using revised
of the beam-column joints in the frames. The member sizes or revised areas of longitudinal
inelastic rotations at the faces of the joints produce reinforcement, or both. To help expedite the over-
strains in the beam longitudinal reinforcement all process, a relationship between the required
well in excess of the strain corresponding to the joint area and the area of the beams framing into
yield strength of the reinforcement. As such, joint the joint can be established based on joint shear
shear forces are calculated using a stress equal to strength requirements. Preliminary member sizes
1.25fy in the beam longitudinal reinforcement can be obtained using the following procedure.
that passes through the joint. Determining the Based on those sizes, interstory drift requirements
adequacy of the joints in a special moment frame can then be checked, and member sizes can be
should occur early in the design phase because adjusted accordingly prior to final design and
column sizes, beam sizes, concrete strength, or detailing if required.
a combination thereof may need to be adjusted
to satisfy joint shear strength requirements. A
modification in member size generally requires
Approximate Method
reanalysis of the structure. Consider the free-body diagram of a typical
interior joint in a special moment frame where
beams frame into opposite faces of the joint in
Special Moment Frames in Reinforced Concrete the direction of analysis (Figure 1). The required
joint shear force, Vj, is determined from equi-
librium assuming flexural yielding occurs at the
Determining Preliminary ends of the beam that frame into the joint (that
General Design Procedures
Joint Sizes is, the probable flexural strengths Mpr = As(1.25f y)
Typically, member sizes in a special moment frame (d-a ⁄ 2) of the beams are developed at the faces
are initially estimated based on experience or of the column).
By David A. Fanella, Ph.D., S.E., P.E., F.ACI,
on serviceability requirements. It is common to For columns above the first story, it is reason-
F.ASCE, F.SEI, and Michael Mota, Ph.D.,
go through many iterations before reasonable able to assume that points of inflection occur
P.E., SECB, F.ACI, F.ASCE, F.SEI
member sizes are established. General guidelines at the midheight of the column, as indicated in
David A. Fanella is Senior Director for overall economy should also be used in deter- Figure 1. Thus, the length, lc, is equal to the depth
of Engineering at the Concrete mining initial member sizes; for example, the of the beams plus one-half the clear story height
Reinforcing Steel Institute and can be maximum longitudinal reinforcement ratios in above and below the joint. The shear force in
reached at dfanella@crsi.org. the columns and beams should be no more than the column, Vcol, can be obtained by summing
about 2% and 1%, respectively. Architectural moments about the center of the joint:
Michael Mota is Vice President limitations may also have an impact on cross-
Mpr+ + Mpr- (Vu,1 + Vu,2) × (c1 ⁄ 2)
of Engineering at the Concrete sectional dimensions of these members. Vcol = +
Reinforcing Steel Institute and can be Once preliminary member sizes are obtained, lc lc
reached at mmota@crsi.org. seismic forces are determined and a lateral analysis In this equation, Mpr+ and Mpr- are the positive
of the building is performed. Drift requirements and negative probable flexural strengths, respec-
are checked and tively, of the beams framing into the joint and
member sizes are Vu,1 and Vu,2 are the corresponding design shear
adjusted accord- forces due to the factored gravity loads and the
ingly. Beam design probable flexural strengths.
proceeds in accor-
dance with the
American Concrete
Joint Shear
Institute’s ACI 318- The joint shear, Vj , is obtained from equilibrium
14, Building Code of horizontal forces on the joint. A free-body
Requirements for diagram of the joint in Figure 1 is depicted in
Structural Concrete Figure 2, where it is assumed that any axial forces
and Commentary, on the beams are negligible. To satisfy equilib-
Section 18.6, and the rium, the flexural compressive force in the beam
required amounts of on one side of the joint must be equal to the
negative and posi- flexural tension force on the same side of the joint.
tive longitudinal When calculating the force in the beam longitu-
reinforcement are dinal reinforcement, the stress must be set equal
determined at the to 1.25fy in accordance with ACI 18.8.2.1; this
critical sections of multiplier considers the likelihood that, due to
Figure 1. Free-body diagram of an interior column in a special moment frame. the beams. strain hardening and actual yield strengths greater

STRUCTURE magazine 22 July 2018

 analyses can be performed to determine Vj
using appropriate assumptions for the case
at hand. Overall analysis of the moment
frame can be used as a guide to locate points
of inflection in the columns.
Shear strength requirements for joints in
special moment frames are given in ACI
18.8.4. In general, the shear strength of a
joint is a function of the concrete strength
and the cross-sectional area of the joint only.
Tests have shown that joint shear strength is
not altered significantly with changes in the
amount of transverse reinforcement, provided
a minimum amount of such reinforcement is
present in the joint.
The required shear force, Vj, must be less
than or equal to the design shear strength,
φVn, where φ = 0.85 in accordance with ACI
Figure 2. Shear force in an interior joint of a special moment frame.
21.2.4.3 and Vn is determined using the
requirements in ACI 18.8.4.1:
than the specified value, larger tensile forces Where the same top reinforcement and
can develop in the bars which would result the same bottom reinforcement are used in φVn = φfv λ√fć Aj
in larger shear forces in the joint. the beams on both sides of the joint, the
In this equation, fv is a strength coefficient
The following expression for Vj is obtained above derivation is also valid for sidesway
that is defined in ACI Table 18.8.4.1 based
by summing forces in the horizontal direction: in the opposite direction.
on the joint configuration:
For columns in the first story of a moment
Vj = 1.25As- fy + 1.25As+ fy -Vcol

{
frame or for moment frames where the 20 for joints confined by beams on all four faces
15 for joints confined by beams on three faces or
A similar set of equations can be derived above assumption regarding the location fv = two opposite faces
for sidesway in the opposite direction. of the inflection point is not valid, similar 12 for all other cases
continued on next page
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STRUCTURE magazine 23 July 2018

 A joint face is considered to be confined
by a beam if the beam width is at least
three-quarters of the effective joint width
(ACI 18.8.4.2).
The effective joint area, Aj, is defined in ACI
18.8.4.3 and is equal to the area of the column
where beams are as wide as or wider than the
column in the direction of analysis. Wider
beams typically result in overall economy and
help reduce congestion.
When checking shear strength require-
ments, it is conservative to assume that the
shear force, Vcol, is equal to zero (Figure 2).
Therefore, Vj can be determined from the
following equation where ρ- = As-/bw d and
ρ+ = As+/bw d are the longitudinal negative and
positive reinforcement ratios in the beam,
respectively:
Vj = 1.25As- fy +1.25A+s fy = 1.25f y bw d(ρ- + ρ+)
Assuming d ≅ 0.9h and Grade 60 reinforce-
ment, the above equation for Vj reduces to
Figure 3. Preliminary joint size in a special moment frame.
the following:
Vj = 67.5Ab ρj
is good practice to use a longitudinal rein- Figure 3 can also be used in cases where
where Vj has the units of kips. In this equa-
forcement ratio of no more than about 1% only one beam frames into the joint in the
tion, Ab = bw h is the area of the beams framing
for the negative flexural reinforcement in direction of analysis. The reinforcement
into the joint (it is assumed that the beam size
a beam in a special moment frame; among ratio, ρj, in such cases is the larger of ρ- and
is the same on both sides of the joint) and
other things, limiting the amount of flexural ρ+. Typically, ρ- ≥ ρ+, so ρj = ρ- should be used
ρj = ρ- + ρ+ is the sum of the negative and posi-
reinforcement helps alleviate congestion at in the figure.
tive longitudinal reinforcement ratios for the
the joints. The above reinforcement range,
reinforcement that passes through the joint.
the requirement in ACI 18.6.3.2, and the
Assuming the effective area of the joint, Aj,
guideline regarding a reinforcement ratio
Conclusion
is equal to the area of the column, Ac = c1 ×
of 1% can all be used in establishing an The beam and column sizes at all locations
c2, the following equation must be satisfied
appropriate value of ρj, which is needed to within the special moment frame that are
for joint shear strength, assuming normal
determine Ac /Ab. determined by this approximate method
weight concrete:
Depicted in Figure 3 is the ratio Ac /Ab as a can be used in a model of the building.
Ac 79,400ρj function of the reinforcement ratio, ρj, for Based on these member sizes, drift require-
≥
Ab fv√ f´c each of the three strength coefficients, fv, ments can then be checked. Based on those
assuming the following: results, the sizes can be adjusted accord-
Reinforcement Ratios • Normalweight concrete with ingly, if required. After drift requirements
It is evident that the ratio discussed above f´c = 4,000 psi are satisfied, the longitudinal reinforcement
is a function of the total amount of beam • Grade 60 reinforcement in the columns needs to be determined.
longitudinal reinforcement that passes • Beam width, bw ≥ Column width, c2 Finally, the minimum flexural strength
through the joint. Minimum reinforcement The vertical dashed lines in Figure 3 cor- requirements of ACI 18.7.3 need to be satis-
in accordance with ACI 9.6.1.2 must be respond to the minimum and assumed fied at all the joints in the special moment
provided at both the top and bottom of maximum reinforcement ratios ρj,min(%) = frame in both directions.
the beams. Also, for overall economy, it is 0.33 + 0.33 = 0.66% and ρj,min(%) = 1.81 + Additional information and numerous worked-
advantageous to design beams such that all 1.81=3.62%, respectively. Given a beam size out examples on the design and detailing of
sections are tension-controlled. Therefore, that has been established based on strength special moment frames of reinforced concrete,
the maximum reinforcement ratio should and serviceability requirements and a rein- including ones that illustrate how to imple-
be taken as the tension-controlled rein- forcement ratio, ρj, determined using the ment this approximate method for joints, can
forcement ratio ρt = 0.319β1 f´c ⁄ fy instead guidelines above, a conservative estimate of be found in the Concrete Reinforcing
of 0.025 given in ACI 18.6.3.1 where β1 is the required column area that satisfies joint Steel Institute’s (CRSI) publication,
defined in ACI 22.2.2.4.3. Thus, a range shear strength requirements can be obtained Design and Detailing of Low-Rise
for both ρ- and ρ+ is established. Also, ACI from Figure 3. Alternatively, in cases where Reinforced Concrete Buildings.▪
18.6.3.2 requires that the positive nominal the column size is fixed for architectural or
flexural strength, Mn+, at the face of a joint other reasons, an appropriate beam area can
be greater than or equal to one-half of the be determined. Finally, if both column and The online version of this article
negative flexural strength, Mn-, at that joint. beam sizes are given, the required longitudinal contains references. Please visit
This roughly translates to ρ+ ≥ ρ-/2. Finally, it reinforcement, ρj, can be obtained. www.STRUCTUREmag.org.

STRUCTURE magazine 24 July 2018

 Rebuilding YearS
Renovations b Wrigley Field
By Benjamin Pavlich, S.E., Elaine Shapiro, S.E., Abhiram Tammana, P.E., and William D. Bast, P.E., S.E., SECB

I n 2014, Wrigley Field turned 100 years old. In 2016, the Chicago
Cubs played their 100th year at the ballpark and won the World
Series for the first time since 1908. The Ricketts family has been pur-
To evaluate the site soil conditions, TT called to the pen for GEI
Consultants, Inc. Their findings identified a high water table and sandy
to clayey soil below the ground surface. Based on a combination of
suing an extensive renovation of Wrigley Field, including the stadium these findings, additional and higher loads in the new design, and
and surrounding area, since purchasing the Chicago Cubs baseball the need to prevent undermining of existing shallow footings due
team and Wrigley Field in 2009. Following months of negotiations to the adjacent excavations, it was determined that converting the
between the team, Alderman Tom Tunney, and Chicago Mayor Rahm shallow footings on the A-line and F-line to deep foundations using
Emanuel, the project received endorsements from the Commission micro-piles was the most efficient way to strengthen them in lieu
on Chicago Landmarks, the Chicago Plan Commission, and final of enlarging or replacing them. The A-line footings adjacent to the
approval by the Chicago City Council in July 2013. plaza/office building excavation were tied together with a grade beam
The lineup of renovations called for a $575 million, privately funded supported on micro-piles. The columns along A-line were connected
rehabilitation of the stadium to be completed over the course of five with plates that were embedded inside the concrete curb on top of
years. The proposal included improvements to the stadium’s façade, the grade beam. The remaining A-line footings, not adjacent to an
infrastructure, restrooms, concourses, suites, press box, bullpens, and excavated area, were enlarged based on the load carrying capacity
clubhouses, as well as the addition of restaurants, a patio area, bat- required of them by the new program.
ting tunnels, a 5,700-square-foot video board, and an adjacent hotel, Significant corrosion found at the base of the F-line columns required
plaza, and office-retail complex. The renovations are now expected to a different approach to strengthen the existing footings. To address the
be completed in six phases during consecutive off-seasons, shortened issue of corrosion and to strengthen the existing unreinforced F-line
by the end-of-season playoffs. column footings at the same time, a reaction frame and a shoring frame
Thornton Tomasetti (TT) was recruited as the structural engineer of assembly were used to temporarily support each column and transfer
record for the ballpark renovations, plaza, and an office-retail com- the load down to new micro-piles. Initially, the existing footings were
plex. This article focuses on some of the structural and geotechnical selectively drilled to allow for the installation of the micro-piles that
challenges associated with evaluating the design and condition of
the 100-year-old stadium and the structural engineering behind the
improvements mentioned above.

Strengthening Foundations
The proposed improvements to the stadium required the transfer of
additional loads through the columns to the foundations. Right off
the bat, TT determined that the structural capacity of the existing
typical “wedding cake”-style footings was not sufficient to support the
new program and required strengthening. In addition to the higher
loads, the new program also involved construction of a basement
below the ground level on the field side of column line F and the
plaza/office building on the street side of column line A (Figure 1).
The load above the terrace level, including the roof, upper deck, suites,
and ramps, is carried only by the A-line and F-line columns, while a
series of intermediate columns carry the load at the mezzanine and
terrace levels. Most of the column footings not located on the A-line
and F-line had to be enlarged to carry the additional vertical loads.
Also, additional combined footings were required at new braced frame
locations to complete the lateral load resisting system in the stadium. Figure 1. Typical cross-section of steel stadium structure.
STRUCTURE magazine 26 July 2018
 The existing truss members were welded to the gusset plates so that
shoring would not be required to lead off the node reinforcement
process. These temporary connections were analyzed for the loads
expected during the construction season when the stadium would
remain unoccupied, but could potentially carry snow loads. Next,
the rivets were removed through a process honed by the ironworkers,
contractor, and design team to be time efficient and to maintain as
much original base material as possible (Figure 3). Each rivet head
was cut off; the shaft was then heated with a torch; and finally, the
remaining rivet material was hammered out. Once the rivets were
removed, any damage from the torching process was repaired and new
“finger” gusset plates, shaped to align with the geometry of the truss
members, were installed on each side of the assembly and fastened
with high strength bolts. These plates were thicker than a typical
gusset plate located at the center of the double angle members but
had a lower visual impact on the overall appearance of the trusses.

Creating a Diaphragm
TT’s review and analysis of the Wrigley Field structure indicated that
the existing lateral system was ill-defined and unable to demonstrably
withstand code-prescribed wind loads. To create a reliable lateral
system, TT developed a scheme that would utilize the concrete deck
of the lower seating bowl as a diaphragm.
The lower seating bowl construction is a patchwork of both cast-in-
place (CIP) and precast concrete of varying ages. TT determined that
these concrete sections were adequate to serve as a diaphragm, and
independent testing concluded that the concrete had 40 to 50 years of
service life remaining. However, the connection details at the end of
the precast planks were unable to transmit the calculated diaphragm
Figure 2. F-Line underpinning process. forces. Therefore, using the lower seating bowl as a diaphragm required
a solution to create continuity between the CIP and precast concrete
provide support to the reaction and shoring frame assemblies. After elements. Providing expansion joints would have been structurally
the column was temporarily supported by the frames, the top of the difficult and architecturally undesirable, so a design was developed
existing footing was demolished to allow for repair of the corroded that could function without them.
base of the column, and a new seat within the reaction frame was The chosen solution was to create a concrete encasement around
installed on which the column would bear. After the column was the steel raker beams supporting the CIP and precast concrete spans
completely supported on the reaction frame, the shoring frame was (Figure 4 , page 28). In coordination with Chicago Landmarks
removed and subsequently used at other F-line columns. The reaction Commission, the raker encasements were designed to be approximately
frame assembly supporting the column was ultimately protected by 1 foot 6 inches deep by 3 feet wide utilizing CIP concrete. In addition
embedding it in reinforced concrete. The different stages involved in to creating the diaphragm, the raker encasements allowed the design
the underpinning of the existing F-line footings are shown in Figure 2. team to execute a triple play by addressing two other lingering design
issues. First, due to increased loads imposed by other modifications to
the stadium, the rakers themselves required strengthening. The raker
Reinforcing Existing Trusses encasements were designed to carry the full raker beam load, making
The main trusses of the stadium span approximately 65 feet between the existing steel rakers redundant. Second, many of the precast planks
the A-line column at the perimeter of the stadium and the F-line had severe damage at their support points and required repairs. The
column adjacent to the concourse (Figure 1). A 30-foot cantilever raker encasements provided new end support for the precast planks
projects past the F-line column towards the field. In the existing by encapsulating the plank ends within the raker encasements.
design, the trusses support the upper seating deck and roof continued on next page
above and the suites below. The renovation project includes
expanding the suites and adding a roof deck open to fans
during events.
The original trusses consist of relatively light double- and
single-angle members ranging from 2½ to 6 inches deep con-
nected by rivets at gusset plates. Reinforcement was required
for both the individual members and the nodal connections
to support the larger suites and new roof deck. Member
capacity was increased through various combinations of
faceplates welded to the angle webs or existing flanges and Figure 3. Truss node with truss members welded to gusset plate and rivets removed (left)
flange plates added to create I-sections. and reinforced with new finger gusset plates and high strength bolts (right).

STRUCTURE magazine 27 July 2018

 Conclusions
The desired upgrades to Wrigley Field required innovative structural
engineering solutions to economically and expediently strengthen the
foundations and reinforce the superstructure of the iconic stadium.
Despite being thrown a few curveballs, the repairs developed by the
project team allowed Wrigley Field to maintain its iconic
and historic character, with a structure to withstand the
next 100 years of use.▪

A similar article was initially published online in ASCE’s Civil Engineer

Magazine. The author has expanded on the topic and provided detailed
information on the structural engineering involved in the project.
Figure 4. Schematic raker encasement detail. Portions are reprinted with permission.
Carbon fiber reinforcement was applied to the top side of the raker
Benjamin Pavlich, S.E., is an Associate. (bpavlich@thorntontomasetti.com)
encasements to provide a complete load path to transmit diaphragm
Elaine Shapiro, S.E., is a Project Engineer (eshapiro@thorntontomasetti.com)
forces in tension. Compression forces were transmitted through non-
Abhiram Tammana, P.E., is a Senior Engineer. (atammana@thorntontomasetti.com)
shrink grout which was packed in the joints between precast planks.
William D. Bast, P.E., S.E., SECB, is a Principal. (wbast@thorntontomasetti.com)
Lastly, the effects of volume change in the new continuous
All authors work in the Chicago office of Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.
diaphragm needed to be analyzed. Shrinkage was no longer a con-
sideration because of the age of the precast. However, by locking
all the concrete sections of the lower bowl together, thermal stresses Project Team
became much larger than they were before implementing the repair.
In fact, the thermal stresses controlled the design. Due to the shape Owner – Chicago Cubs
of the stadium, thermal forces cause the diaphragm to try to open Owner’s Representative – CAA ICON
and close like a clamshell. The highest thermal forces in the dia- EOR – Thornton Tomasetti, Inc.
phragm occur at the apex of this movement, behind home plate. Architects – Populous; Stantec (formerly VOA Associates Inc.)
Drag struts and related detailing were provided in these areas to Contractor – Pepper Construction Group
carry the diaphragm chord forces.

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 432
and simplicity of the architectural intent coexist in jux-
taposition of a complex structural solution involving a
series of two-story open mechanical floors, outriggers,

Park
core shear walls, and tuned mass dampers.

Structural Solution
The structural concept consisted of a dual tube-in-
tube system formed by an exoskeleton of perimeter
moment frames integrated by spandrel beams and
columns, which were interconnected to the interior
By Silvian Marcus, P.E., Hezi Mena, P.E., shear wall core by outriggers placed at key elevations.
Fatih Yalniz, P.E., and Chris Shirley, P.E. This configuration allowed for unobstructed open
spaces at practically every floor (Figure 1).
The building is a reinforced, cast-in-place concrete
construction which is supported on architecturally
exposed white concrete columns around its perimeter
and a central shear wall core around the elevator shafts
and staircases serving as the spine of the building. The
residential floors are reinforced concrete two-way flat
plates, ten inches thick, supported by the exterior col-
umns and the central core. The construction sequence
had the central core cast three stories ahead of the
perimeter moment frame. Figure 2 shows an overview
of the building after completion of construction.
In order to provide adequate strength and lateral
stiffness to the building, five outriggers, each spanning
Courtesy of DBOX for over two stories, were devised throughout the height of
Macklowe Properties the tower to serve as positive linkages between the inte-
& CIM Group. rior core and the perimeter framing, which enhanced
the overall performance of the structure. The loca-

T
tion of the outriggers, identified by red rectangles in
he tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere and the Figure 3, roughly corresponds to the location of the open floors.
third tallest building in the United States is now located at In consideration of the slenderness and height of the building, which
432 Park Avenue in Midtown, Manhattan. The super-slender is more than twice the height of neighboring buildings with increased
structure has 86 residential floors comprising 104 condominium exposure to high winds, it was necessary to pay special attention to the
apartments, and stands at 1,396 feet high. The total construction control of wind-induced dynamic motion. Also, other wind-related
cost was estimated at $1.25 billion. effects like lateral accelerations, vibrations, and the perception of
movement by the occupants had to be addressed.
The goal for minimal displacement, accelerations, and vibrations
A Super-Slender High-Rise to meet the most stringent standards was achieved through a com-
The design architect behind 432 Park Avenue is Rafael Viñoly, who bination of innovative engineering implementations. For instance,
envisioned the building on the basis of the square, a purist geomet- increasing the slab thickness to eighteen inches on the upper stories
ric form. With identical width and length of 93.5 feet and a total of the building added the required mass-to-limit displacements.
height of 1,396 feet, the slenderness ratio of the building is 1:15. The
architectural concept, the aspect ratio of the building, and its speci-
fied structural performance resulted in interesting challenges which
required the pioneering of several structural engineering solutions.
The design incorporates energy efficiency and renewable technology
approaches which have made the building LEED certified.
The main architectural attributes of 432 Park Avenue are symmetry
and simplicity. The regular 15.5-foot by 15.5-foot grid defined by
exposed structural members is perfectly matched by large squared
glass windows, which allow for amazing views of Manhattan. The
orthogonality of structural members further conveys a sense of strength
and stability to a slender structure. The compact footprint of the proj-
ect, in combination with its extraordinary height, has permanently
changed the paradigm of economical design of high-rise buildings.
The aesthetics of the project rely on clean lines and regularity as
opposed to the frills found in modern structures. It was only natural
for the building to be capped by a flat roof. Nonetheless, the regularity Figure 1. Detail of the open floor layout during construction.

STRUCTURE magazine 32 July 2018

Furthermore, introducing five two-story open two-hour workability periods, and access to
floors along the height of the building contrib- newly cast horizontal surfaces within five
uted to significant reductions of wind demands hours of placement of fresh concrete.
and their effect on the structure, in particular In order to achieve the required material
by reducing the vortex shedding phenom- performance and appearance, white Portland
enon. Finally, the installation of two 660-ton cement was used in the exposed structural
opposed pendulum tuned mass dampers in elements and sustainable mixtures replac-
the top portion of the building was deemed ing up to 70% of regular Portland cement
the best engineering solution to maintain lat- with pozzolanic materials were employed
eral accelerations within the acceptable limits for the interior shear wall core. The success-
adopted as industry standard (Figure 4). ful production of high-strength, pumpable,
Arriving at these structural solutions white concrete was, undoubtedly, one of the
required careful review of the wind tunnel most demanding construction challenges of
testing and repeated interaction with the project.
RWDI, the firm in charge of the testing.
For additional information on the challenges
associated with slender high-rise buildings
Conclusion
subjected to wind demands, see the Feeling at The main structural engineering challenges of
Home in the Clouds article in the December 432 Park were not only triggered by the aes-
2017 issue of STRUCTURE. thetics of Rafael Viñoly’s vision but also by the
financial considerations of such a unique and
ambitious project. Nevertheless, the structural
High-Performance Materials approach developed for the project was able
More than 70,000 cubic yards of concrete and to address the requirements of the client while
approximately 12,500 tons of reinforcing bars providing the most cost-effective solution and
were used for the construction of the super- Figure 2. Overview of 432 Park Avenue after maintaining a balance between aesthetics and
structure. The specified concrete compressive completion of construction. functionality. The collaborative relationship
strength of the structural elements varies from among the design and construction
14,000 psi at the lower 38 stories to 10,000 psi at the upper levels. team members was instrumental in addressing the project
The increase in compressive strength of concrete had a two-fold challenges and successful completion of the project.▪
objective. First, the reduction of the footprint and overall size of
structural elements and, second, an increase in stiffness. Furthermore, Silvian Marcus is Director of Building Structures at WSP, Principal
high-strength reinforcing steel, spliced by means of mechanical con- in Charge of the project.
nectors, was required in the columns and shear walls of the lower Hezi Mena is Senior Vice President of Building Structures at WSP,
portion of the building. Project Director.
All concrete cast in the 432 Park Avenue project was designed for Fatih Yalniz is Structural Analysis Manager and Vice President of Building
enhanced durability by minimizing the ratio of water to cementi- Structures at WSP.
tious materials to as low as 0.25. Moreover, to allow for the proper Chris Shirley is Associate of Building Structures at WSP, Project Manager.
placement of concrete to each casting location and to improve the Additional Credits
finish of the exposed structural elements, the concrete was required Ahmad Rahimian, Ph.D., P.E, S.E, F.ASCE, is Director of Building
to be pumpable, self-consolidating, and with a low heat of hydration. Structures at WSP.
These material and mechanical properties resulted in shorter casting Gerardo Aguilar, Ph.D., is Technical Manager of Building Structures at WSP.
procedures, low internal temperatures leading to minimal shrinkage,

Figure 3. General depiction, structural detail and location of outriggers. Figure 4. Location of open drums and tuned mass dampers.

STRUCTURE magazine 33 July 2018

professional T he Basic Education Committee (BEC)
launched two surveys in 2016 related to
• Structural Analysis I
• Structural Analysis II

ISSUES
the National Council of Structural Engineers • Steel Design I
Associations (NCSEA) recommended • Steel Design II
curriculum: • Concrete Design I
• the Curriculum Survey, which canvassed • Concrete Design II
colleges and universities to gauge course • Technical Writing
offerings (STRUCTURE, September • Timber Design
2016), and • Masonry Design
• the Practitioner Survey, which targeted design • Matrix Methods
professionals to better understand the skills • Dynamic Behavior (including seismic)
necessary to enter the structural engineering • Foundation Design/Soil Mechanics
profession. The Curriculum Survey showed that a few of the
The Practitioner Survey was administered via recommended courses were not readily offered,
email and web links published in STRUCTURE such as timber and masonry design.
and is summarized in this article. As a follow-up to the Curriculum Survey, the
Structural engineering firms have a vested inter- Practitioner Survey was open to design profes-
est in selecting new employees that possess the sionals from September 2016 to December 2016
skills to be successful and that have an education in the form of a web-based survey. Over 400
that prepares them to solve technical issues. As practitioners responded to the survey. These
a resource for structural engineering firms to professionals ranged in experience from new
better understand the education provided by uni- graduates to seasoned engineers, as can be seen
versities, the Curriculum in Figure 1.
Survey was developed. This The geographic distribution of survey respon-

2016 NCSEA Practitioner Survey provided the “supply side”

of the equation but lacked
dents was balanced between the Northeastern,
Southeastern, Southwestern, Midwestern,
the “demand side.” What and Western United States (Figure 2). Some
type of education do struc- respondents indicated their firm has multiple
By Paul Hopkins Ph.D., P.E., S.E., tural engineering firms desire and require of their locations or their work is in multiple regions,
and Kevin Dong, P.E., S.E. new employees? The Practitioner Survey provided and this was considered when evaluating the
a resource to describe the skills and the educa- data. The committee presents this data to dem-
tional requirements that structural engineering onstrate that the results of the survey reflect
firms would like new employees to possess. opinions from across the country and that
Paul Hopkins is a Principal Engineer The Curriculum Survey focused on the 12 rec- regional differences were not significant.
with TD&H Engineering. He has been ommended core structural engineering courses In the Practitioner Survey, the focus was
an adjunct professor at the University offered at accredited engineering and engineer- on the education of the structural engineer-
of Idaho and Widener University since ing technology institutions. The current NCSEA ing student and how it relates to real-world
2008. He presently co-chairs the BEC recommended structural engineering cur- applications, industry demand, and technical
NCSEA Basic Education Committee. riculum is as follows: preparedness. In addition to addressing the
(paul.hopkins@tdhengineering.com)

Kevin Dong is a Professor in the

Architectural Engineering Department
at California Polytechnic State
University and a member of the
NCSEA Basic Education Committee.
(kdong@calpoly.edu)

Figure 1. Respondent professional experience distribution.

STRUCTURE magazine 34 July 2018

core classes, the BEC sought feedback on
technical and communication skills embed-
ded in traditional coursework to gauge its
importance and necessity in the workplace.
Examples of evaluated skills are determining
load paths, evaluating structural stability,
and writing technical communications.
Figure 3, page 36 shows the extent of the
coursework and skills surveyed.
With the exception of matrix-methods
coursework (at 85%), all core classes were
viewed as a necessary component of a struc-
tural engineering student’s education. More
than 90% of the practitioners responding
indicated that the recommended curricu-
lum topics should be included in, or are
very important to, structural education.
The highest-ranked, non-core class or Figure 2. Respondent geographic location.
technical skill was loading and load paths.
Technical skills are generally integrated into The survey attempted to attract a dis- that these variables were not a differentia-
a group of design courses. A few institutions tribution of respondents from across the tor for “most important topics” such as
have courses dedicated to loading, load paths structural engineering profession by practice structural analysis, steel design, and con-
for members/elements, building systems, work type, firm size, geographical region, crete design, nor for lower ranked topics
and connection details. The importance of and years of experience. The goal was to such as timber design and masonry design
this topic and how the BEC will address this identify if these variables played a role in (Figure 4 , page 36 ). Additionally, the
in the recommended course curriculum is ranking the importance of topics for an survey was successful in attracting a diverse
noted in the following. education in structures. The results showed sample of respondents. As expected, most

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STRUCTURE magazine 35 July 2018
 respondents primarily work on build-
ings, which is consistent with the NCSEA
membership.
The Practitioner Survey provided insight
through survey responses and from personal
comments provided by the practitioners. In
general, comments focused on how prac-
titioners value the education of structural
engineering students and what they view
as important to sustaining their profession
and business. Technical communications
and writing skills were both strongly
acknowledged in the survey responses, as
well as the personal comments portion of
the survey.

“Above all else, the structural

engineering curricula should
first address technical writing
and communication skills” –
Figure 3. Practitioner response on the importance of subjects offered at colleges/universities.
practitioner
The chart shown in Figure 5 shows a dis-
tribution of personal responses that were
categorized based on the context of the
message. Most of the responses had strong
views and opinions regarding the need for
classical structural analysis methods, along
with the use of computer modeling and
interpreting results. Many practitioners
also expressed the need for students to
be involved with real-world applications,
design projects, and introduction to full
building design and load path analysis.
Detailing, construction techniques, and
understanding load paths were a common
critique mentioned by respondents.
Likewise, many respondents (~43%)
feel that basic knowledge and hand
calculation methods are required; however,
computer programming, modeling, and
Figure 4. Practitioner response on the importance of subjects offered at colleges/universities by Region. software is needed at the university level to
complement students’ education (~57%).
Figure 6 shows the actual response
distribution from Question 6 on the survey.
From the responses, it can be derived that
structural analysis and classical methods
should not leave the curriculum. However,
from both Question 6 and the personal
responses, understanding structural behav-
ior and interpreting computer analysis
results are also important.
The Practitioner Survey has highlighted,
in our opinion, the need for students to
bridge the gap between using computer
models and successfully understanding
and checking results. Furthermore, educa-
tion of the structural engineering student
Figure 5. Survey personal responses. is essential to the sustainability and

STRUCTURE magazine 36 July 2018

safeguarding of the profession. Without
proper training and knowledge, billable
time is potentially affected along with con-
cerns for public safety.
The BEC is currently working on a new
Curriculum Survey with outcome-based
questions that incorporate information
gathered from prior curriculum surveys and
the Practitioner Survey. It will be released
in 2019 with the intent that trends can be
identified. The Curriculum Survey will also
attempt to address questions and responses
from the 2016 questionnaires, such as the
importance of wood, masonry, light gauge Figure 6. Question 6 – classical methods and computer modeling.
metal design, and structural behavior. These
surveys aim to influence the education of
structural engineering students, promote
continuing education of the design profes-
sional, and identify the qualifications of
entry-level engineers who will be the future
leaders in the profession.

“Existing curricula is extremely

deficient in the fields of
engineered wood structures,
CMU design, and cold-formed
metal framing” – practitioner
Using the results from the Curriculum

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Survey and the Practitioner Survey,
changes to the recommended curricu-
lum may be forthcoming. It is the goal
of the BEC to assess the results from the
two surveys, administer a future student
survey, then measure the effectiveness
and adequacy of preparing structural
engineers as technical leaders. A possible
response is changing the recommended
core curriculum. However, a curriculum
change alone will not satisfy nor meet all
needs of the profession, nor address the
evolving nature of structural engineering.
These courses are only one piece of the
preparation, training, and skill require-
ments sought in graduating students by
structural engineering firms. The survey
responses help to define where additional
training is sought and demanded by the
structural engineering community.
Ultimately, the BEC would like the
results of these surveys to be utilized by
students, universities, and the structural
engineering community. The surveys pro-
vide an avenue to better understanding
educational requirements, raising aware-
ness of the obstacles in providing the
recommended curriculum, and, hope-
fully, inspiring the industry to support
and augment student education.▪P
STRUCTURE magazine 37 July 2018
historic G ustav Lindenthal was
chief engineer of the

STRUCTURES
New York Connecting Railroad
for many years. The length of
his section was 3.38 miles long
and extended from a point in
the Bronx at the intersection
with the New Haven Railroad
to Stemler Street in Long
Island City. The line from
north to south crossed the
Bronx Kill, ran over Randall’s
Island, across the Little Hell Hell Gate Bridge from a postcard with less ornate tower treatment.
Gate, across Wards Island and
over the East River at Hell Gate, and then by and architectural treatment of the main piers at
a long viaduct to the southerly-most point of the same time. He was then planning to use steel
his Division. The largest of the three bridges on towers and girders for his approach viaduct.
the line was the Hell Gate. As was common with Lindenthal’s unique designs,
Lindenthal looked into several designs before he considered the erection procedure in detail, as the
Hell Gate Bridge arriving at the style of bridge he considered most highest loads in the members frequently occurred
economical for the site. He considered a stiffened during erection. He adopted a cantilever technique
suspension bridge with eyebar chains as he had similar to that of James Eads on the St. Louis Bridge
earlier proposed for his North River, Quebec, (STRUCTURE, December 2017). His method tied
By Frank Griggs, Jr., Dist. M.ASCE, and Manhattan Bridges; a three-span continuous his cables/chains back to a deadman that was braced
D.Eng., P.E., P.L.S. truss bridge, like he built in Pittsburgh and had off four lines of stringers placed between the deadman
once considered for his North River Bridge; and and the bridge piers.
a three-span cantilever bridge. Due to the heavy The Engineering Record wrote, “Besides plan-
Dr. Frank Griggs, Jr. specializes in the loading and sharp curves approaching and leav- ning a bridge of ample strength, the company
restoration of historic bridges, having ing the bridge, Lindenthal chose the arch design. has endeavored to make it a thing of beauty. Mr.
restored many 19 th Century cast and He actually considered two competing steel arch Gustav Lindenthal designed the structure and
wrought iron bridges. He was formerly designs. The first design was similar to Gustav associated with him was Mr. Henry Hornbostel,
Director of Historic Bridge Programs Eiffel’s Garabit Viaduct in France. The second consulting architect. Mr. Lindenthal’s conception
for Clough, Harbour & Associates design, a flatter “spandrel arch,” had the lower is that of an imposing portal, or gateway, from the
LLP in Albany, NY, and is now an chord begin at the bottom of the abutment while Sound into the East River, just as the Brooklyn
Independent Consulting Engineer. the upper chord began at the top. The latter design Bridge forms a gateway from the harbor.”
(fgriggsjr@twc.com) was inspired by similarly designed bridges over the Between 1907 and the start of construction in
Rhine River in Germany. 1912, Lindenthal made many changes in the
He prepared his preliminary designs from 1904 design. He significantly modified his portal with
to 1905. In June 1907, Scientific American was an archway rather than towers on each side of
running articles on the bridge with the head- the tracks. The change in the tower was the result
line, “The Largest Arch Bridge in the World.” The of the Municipal Art Commission’s rejection of
Engineering Record published a profile of the bridge the plans. The New York Times reported, “Hell

Alternative designs of Hell Gate Bridge (Ammann 1918). Arch designs, with steel viaducts (Ammann 1918).

STRUCTURE magazine 38 July 2018

 Islands “feared that inmates of the municipal
institutions on those islands would climb
them and make their escape. It was insisted
that the design adopted should prevent this.”
His final design, completed with the help of
Profile of Hell Gate (Engineering Record) with original steel approach towers and spans. David B. Steinman and Othmar H. Ammann,
was for a 1,017-foot span bridge, 977 feet
6 inches center-of-skewback to center-of-
skewback, between Astoria in the borough
of Queens and Wards Island. At the time,
this made it the longest and most heavily
loaded railroad bridge with four (4) tracks
in the world.
The project, along with more than 17,000
feet of approach spans and viaducts, also
included an inverted bowstring truss bridge
with four 296-foot 6-inch spans crossing the
Little Hell Gate and a bridge of two 175-foot
Proposed erection procedure (Scientific American 1907). fixed trusses with abutting masonry arches
Gate Bridge Plans. Engineers Will Try Again as a whole, disapproved of the decorative across the Bronx Kill.
to Please Municipal Art Commission…The features of the towers and their bases.” The Lindenthal’s assistant, O. H. Ammann,
original plans for the structure were rejected revised plans were not submitted to the Art wrote a lengthy 152-page paper on the
by the Municipal Art Commission on the Commission until May 29, 1911, and were project in the Transactions of the ASCE in
single ground that the structural designs finally approved on June 13, 1911. The origi- 1918. The article had a 132-page discussion
were not up to the aesthetic standard now nal 1907 plan as noted called for steel girders in which many leading engineers of the time,
required by the city.” O. H. Ammann, his and steel piers to be used on the viaducts, but including Lindenthal, contributed. Most of
assistant, wrote of the tower, “The commis- Lindenthal changed to concrete piers as the them were very complimentary of Lindenthal
sion, although not objecting to the design prison authorities on Ward’s and Randall’s and his design. One of the most significant

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STRUCTURE magazine 39 July 2018

 things Lindenthal included was a program to
measure stresses in his arch during construc-
tion under the guidance of D. B. Steinman.
Steinman wrote a companion paper to
Ammann’s entitled Stress Measurements on
the Hell Gate Bridge in which he described
measurements made on the structure to
determine the accuracy of the computa-
tions. Steinman indicated that Lindenthal
“certainly deserves all possible credit for his
initiation of a public service in personally
defraying the expenses of this investigation
as a contribution to engineering science.”
The bridge opened in 1917. It continues
to carry railroad traffic on one of the most
heavily traveled rail lines in the country. Leon
Moisseiff, in his discussion of Ammann’s
paper, wrote, “The Hell Gate Bridge is an Hell Gate Bridge, Viaduct, Little Hell Gate Bridge (inverted bowstrings) foreground. Courtesy of HAER.
excellent example of what engineering genius
can accomplish if the project is entrusted to A great engineering work cannot be spontane- In the execution of a great and complex
one mind to plan and direct, unhampered by ously created in its final, perfect form, but has engineering or scientific undertaking, collabo-
red tape and lay commissioners. The bridge to grow and develop gradually, in its entirety ration of experts in various fields is essential,
reflects credit on the Engineering Profession, as well as in its constituent parts. Although but a great structure of monumental character
and much praise is due to Mr. Lindenthal and the layman can only judge such a work in must be the product of an individual creative
his able associates…” The bridge remained the the light of an accomplished fact, the engineer and directive mind.
longest arch bridge in the world until 1931 must ever be conscious that it is only through A great structure cannot be the result of a set
when Ammann opened his Bayonne Bridge extensive and laborious preliminary studies, of rules and specifications, nor of elaborate,
with a span of 1,675 feet. and untiring efforts to improve, that he can mathematical computations. Such a work
Ammann summarized the project as follows: hope to achieve a perfect work. requires wide experience and sound judgment,
and therefore, should be entrusted only
to engineers of high professional attain-
ments and reputation.
2015 Modern Healthcare Throughout this paper, the importance
Design Award–Bronze Award
of rigidity in bridge construction has
2015 ENR Best Project Awards– been pointed out. Rigidity ensures greater
Healthcare Award of Merit durability and safety. There are remark-
able examples of structures which have
stood up under excessive strains under
which they would have failed had it not
been for the rigidity of their members or
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connections. Large bridges must be built

for generations to come. Engineers to-day
[sic] cannot afford to build important
structures cheaply, to serve their purpose
for the time being, and incur the risk
of having to replace them after a short
period of usefulness.
Emphasis has been laid on the
appearance of the structures described.
Engineering structures are still regarded
Scripps Prebys Cardiovascular Institute, San Diego, CA Photo by Stephen Whalen
by many engineers as mere works of
utility, which deserve no consideration
in architectural or artistic treatment.
SUPPORTING So long as this opinion prevails, the

INNOVATION
Engineering Profession will not lift itself
Seattle San Francisco St. Louis to a higher plane, and it is even run-
Tacoma Los Angeles Chicago
ning the risk of being relegated to second
IN ARCHITECTURE Lacey
Portland
Long Beach
Irvine
Louisville
New York
place – or after the architect – in the
KPFF is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Eugene San Diego creation of such monumental
www.kpff.com Sacramento Boise structures as properly belong
in its domain.▪
STRUCTURE magazine 40 July 2018
ARCHITECTURAL FREEDOM

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 2018 NCSEA STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING SUMMIT
October 24–27, 2018 · Sheraton Grand Chicago
Can’t Miss Events
Wednesday, October 24
Atlas Tube Plant Tour
Take part in a tour of the Atlas Tube manufacturing mill to see how Hollow
Structural Sections are made. Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries,
manufactures a wide range of steel tubular products and is the leading provider of
hollow structural sections (HSS) in North America. This tour has been NCSEA
Diamond Review-approved for 1 continuing education hour.

Wednesday, October 24
Structural Engineering Cruise on the Chicago River
This one-of-a-kind event, sponsored by Atlas Tube and brought to you by
NCSEA and SEAOI, will offer a river’s-eye view of the structural engineering
and architectural marvels along the Chicago River. The cruise will feature special
presentations about the architecture surrounding the river delivered by Chicago
Engineers & SEAOI Members, our personal docents of the evening. Food and
cocktails will also be available on the fully enclosed, climate-controlled boat.

Thursday, October 25
A Celebration of Structural Engineering at Navy Pier
Hosted by Computers & Structures, Inc., and held at one of Chicago’s top
attractions, Navy Pier. This extravagant event includes dinner, champagne, and
live music that will be enjoyed with extraordinary views of the lake and Chicago’s
magnificent skyline. Come celebrate the immeasurable contributions of the
structural engineering profession and the ways in which structural engineers are
essential to the progress of society while experiencing the architecturally stunning
environment that showcases the vitality of Chicago.

Friday, October 26
NCSEA Awards Banquet & Reception
This banquet features the presentation of the NCSEA Excellence in Structural
Engineering Awards, honoring the best examples of structural engineering
ingenuity throughout the world, and the NCSEA Special Awards, given to
NCSEA members who have provided outstanding service and commitment to the
association and to the structural engineering field.

Rates increase on September 7th, register today to save! Visit www.ncsea.com/register

 Don’t miss this year’s Structural Engineering Summit –
NCSEA’s 2018 event is the best & biggest it has ever been!
EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS HAVE BEEN INCREASED FOR MORE CHOICES
Over 25 presentations led by SE & business experts; 5 education tracks on Thursday,
4 on Friday, an Opening Keynote, a Leadership Plenary, and a Luncheon Plenary!

Opening Keynote
Always Striving For Better with Ron Klemencic, P.E., S.E., Hon. AIA
Engineering is an ever-evolving discipline. Advances in material science, construction methods, analytical tools, and
design methodologies continue to provide opportunities for improving on what has been accomplished in the past.
In his presentation, Ron Klemencic will review how some of the most impactful innovations in recent years were
developed, and he will speculate as to what areas are ripe for the next wave of advancements.

Leadership Plenary
Influence Redefined…Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday®
with Stacy Hanke
See yourself as others see you. Are you as good – or bad – as you think you are when you communicate with influence?
This presentation will help you persuade, sell, influence, and communicate face-to-face with a clear message.

Luncheon Plenary
Empowering The Next Generation of Structural Engineers...to lead, influence, and inspire a
changing world! with Ashraf Habibullah, S.E.
The presentation will discuss how the structural engineer’s education and role must change if our profession is to
triumph and flourish in these rapidly-changing times, and why engineering students need to be exposed to much more
than just our technology if they are to fully leverage the limitless potential of the profession.

THE TRADE SHOW HAS EXPANDED BY MORE THAN 30%

This year’s Trade Show will be the largest in NCSEA history!

The Trade Show opens on Wednesday night for the Welcome

Reception. This is your first chance to meet with fellow attendees
and to connect with the companies that provide the software,
materials, and tools for structural engineers. Thursday’s breakfast
and lunch, along with Friday’s breakfast, will be held for additional
time to connect with exhibitors.

ATTENDANCE HAS INCREASED BY MORE THAN 100% IN THE LAST 3 YEARS

The Summit provides many great opportunities for networking. With increased attendance, you have a better
chance of making the important connections you need within the profession!

Designed by structural engineers for practicing structural engineers, this event

was developed to advance the industry.
View the complete schedule on www.ncsea.com
 InSIghtS
Marketing Services in an Amazon World
By Michael Bernard, AIA

W hen a nationally-known organic food

market arrived in my neighborhood,
I was very excited. The store radiated an idio-
of evolving customer needs in the grocery store
stimulated my thinking about how to strategi-
cally market consulting services in an age where
What are the key things to do to make your
relationships “sticky”? If your repeat clients
love working with you, trust and rely on you,
syncratic “crunchy granola” vibe. Fresh flowers, convenient, impersonal transactions are on the they will be far less likely to look for random
a coffee bar, and a shoeshine station situated at rise. A friend calls this “The Amazon World.” options acquired online to meet their needs.
the store entrance communicated the message When we circumvent the need for relation- Create a case study for each of your repeat
that this market would be unlike any other. The ships, do we also lose a sense of the importance clients. In each instance, identify the catalyst
youthful, hip staff seemed enthusiastic about of value? How do we market when we think that transformed a transaction into a durable
their work, making eye contact and small talk we are to compete on price alone? professional relationship.
at the register. I felt cool and trendy buying Maintaining awareness of the value of your Make a habit of integrating up-to-date post-
organic and largely local products. I was only service offerings and how they meet evolving completion feedback into your evolving pitch
too happy to stop shopping at the generic local customer needs is essential. It is very easy to to prospective clients. Internalize what others
branch of a major national supermarket chain get caught up in the competition to win on tell you that makes your professional relation-
just across the street. price alone, offering more service for less fee ship valuable. Share that information internally
Over time, though, the vibe of the new market and fighting to the bottom. The best way of with your entire team, from top to bottom;
began to diminish and so did its allure. The staying on top of this dynamic challenge is to you never know which of your employees will
shoeshine bench disappeared, as did the fresh establish and strengthen personal relationships. find themselves in a situation where they can
flower stand. The aisles and entrances were soon In the context of ANY challenge (technology, nurture a potential client relationship.
jammed with online order employees, who were delivery method, price, etc.), it is the only way It is really a question of how you provide
oblivious to the walk-in clientele. Gradually, service in a manner that distinguishes you
the store shed its cool ethos. The company
had strategically changed its business model,
How do we market when and your firm such that people do not want
to work with anyone else. How do you
and the store became more of a food ware- we think we are to compete communicate it?
house, promoting convenience and lower Finally, all of this points to a longer
cost. The customer experience that initially on price alone? conversation about identifying and com-
drew me in, driven more by community municating the value you deliver. Start
than low cost, now existed only as a memory. to reliably ensure your client base is more likely with the intention of making contact. Learn
Many of the products I sought were available, to be aware of what you offer and why this what prospective clients want. Try to avoid
but the shopping experience had changed. is important to them – and to stick around. an early impulse to merely make a sale. First,
So I walked back across the street to the Creating awareness of the content and value focus on building relationships that eventually
major chain supermarket. What did I find? of what we sell, not just its cost, can and lead to sales – and to repeat clients.
The management had seized the opportu- should be seen as the means to get people to In the tale of two grocery stores, one com-
nity to compete and began stocking many pick up the phone. This creates the pretext pany places a higher value on convenience
of the same products as the new store. There for conversation, where the real relation- and made significant changes affecting
is more, though; I had known the staff at ship-based sales process can begin. Create customers without communicating that
the supermarket for over 25 years – often by the context that gives a prospective client message to the clientele. The actual cus-
name. When the organic food market moved enough motivation and curiosity to call to tomer experience, driven now by online
in, the lure of novelty distracted me from ask you more about what you do. Once you sales and lack of personal connection, is
the familiarity and reliability of the ordinary connect with them, WOW them with person- inconsistent with the original mission of the
supermarket. I reconnected with the com- to-person interaction. Do not rely on email company – and sales are down. The other
munity I had left behind. alone to communicate; pick up the phone. company looked inward, made adaptabil-
The business model for each company had Make a personal connection. ity part of its mission, and communicated
gradually changed, revealing different goals Of course, the question then becomes: what that change clearly, both internally and
and intentions. For some customers, the con- do you put out there as the lure to get them externally. In fact, they never really devi-
venience of low-cost, online grocery shopping to make the call? What, outside of cost, makes ated from the initial message of community
is of paramount importance; no human con- your offering unique and worth the pursuit? and value – they are again drawing crowds.
tact, just make sure apples and milk are in my Before contacting a prospect, develop a clear Which would you rather be?▪
food locker by 5 PM. However, my prefer- outline and understanding of your process.
ences for connection and relationship were Avoid jargon. Be authentic. Avoid reliance on Michael Bernard is the Founder and Principal
more important than lowest possible cost and canned phrases. Listen to your prospect and at Virtual Practice, a consultancy firm based
in San Francisco that focuses on management
convenience. Recognition and prioritization understand their needs. Hold off jumping in
mentoring, firm organization, staff development,
of these fundamental values brought me back immediately with solutions. Start this outreach
and sales/marketing techniques, specifically
to my familiar supermarket. with the people that you find are easiest with
tailored to the small design practice.
Both stores have business models that respond whom to communicate. Hone your pitch as
(mbernard@v-practiceconsulting.com)
to customer trends and values. My experience you increase the challenge of your outreach.

STRUCTURE magazine 45 July 2018

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 Education issuEs
Reimagined Structural Design in Capstone Classes
By Deb O’Bannon, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, and Jim Palmer, P.E.

W hat if students in capstone design

classes completed structural designs
for real sites, interacted with a real client, and
capstone. His suggestions have been
incorporated into the structural projects:
1) Determine the loading in the
added value for future construction? structure (ASCE 7, IBC)
In undergraduate education, structural 2) Include references to codes in
capstone designs are usually retrospective the client’s report
or invented, even when planned for a real 3) Include design process justifica-
site. Universities create competitive design tion in the report
climates, even incorporating virtual reality 4) Use a commercial structural
into capstone design courses. Some universi- analysis program
ties invite practitioners to judge the students’ 5) Provide load calculations in the 2017-18 structural engineering student design
design presentations. However, the projects report to the client recommendation for boiler enclosure at KCP&L location.
are not constructed. The students know that 6) Include structural connections in the designed by the students) by in-house con-
the project will never be constructed: it is drawing set struction staff at the municipalities, or redrawn
just about learning and, ultimately, a grade. A right-sized structural design project was and stamped at the DOT. For KCP&L, the
An alternative is illustrated by the civil engi- volunteered by Kansas City Power & Light structural project group creates a technical
neering capstone design class at the University (KCP&L), a power generating and distribu- concept study for the company’s budgeting and
of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), which tion company in western Missouri and eastern long-range planning, which will help the com-
has incorporated real general civil engineer- Kansas. Jim Palmer, P.E., is the program pany create bid documents for construction.
ing projects into capstone classes since 2003 manager of the KCP&L central engineering The role of the practitioner within the class-
and real structural engineering projects since program and the practitioner for the struc- room is central to the success of the course.
2016. The classes frequently and spontane- tural capstone group. The “Redcone Project” Ultimately, these practitioners are responsible for
ously engage in discussions and analysis of reinforces personal, professional responsibility keeping the students within scope, maintaining
registration and ethics. The practitioners and the consequences of engineering actions focus, ensuring quality, and providing profes-
and faculty are quite transparent about their because it is a real project for an actual client. sional mentorship. The practitioners ensure
opinions, experience, and limitations. Ashraf The 2016-2017 project was a 45- x 45-foot student ownership of the project by using their
Habibullah’s dream for the future of structural enclosure for fly ash loading under an existing expertise to provide guidance, not direction, to
engineers is shared with the design teams. fly ash silo. The project also included iden- the university, students, client, and the work-
The capstone students at UMKC have the tifying a dust control system and designing force. The practitioners in the UMKC capstone
professional satisfaction of knowing that their the deck on which the equipment would sit class meet weekly with their design group, so
project is of real value to the client. above the trucks. The students had to con- full support from their employers is essential.
The capstone design class is a two-semester sider the truck driver’s safety and create an The structural capstone design project
studio class where students work in teams of enclosure that would be robust enough to applies to universities that a) have a relation-
6-8 with a practitioner (P.E.) on small projects use a skid steer to remove accumulated fly ship with a client who needs small, structural
for area municipalities and other clients. In ash inside the enclosure while choosing an improvements to their property, such as a
the fall semester, the students define their easily maintainable external material. The power company; and b) have a structural engi-
project scope and present their design options group also recommended rubber overhead neer who can mentor the students through the
and budget at the client’s site (city hall, corpo- doors that would re-seat themselves if hit design. The authors encourage fellow civil and
rate headquarters, etc.) as both a presentation by a truck and a dust suppression system for structural engineering design departments
and a design report. Over the winter break, the enclosure. Their design calculations cited to consider including a real project-based
the client decides which design options they the AISC Steel Construction Manual, IBC, structural capstone design option that will
want to be developed; in the spring semes- ASCE 7, and LFRD Load Combinations. satisfy the students and better prepare them
ter, the students develop 30% construction The 2017-2018 project is a design for the for professional practice.▪
drawings. Typical general civil projects have demolition and relocation of existing compo-
included intersection improvements, urban nents of a boiler building, and a 31- x 55-foot Deb O’Bannon is a Professor of Civil
stormwater improvements, and rural box enclosure that would house new auxiliary boil- Engineering at the University of Missouri-Kansas
culvert replacements. All students attend an ers. The project team created designs utilizing City. She redesigned the civil engineering
engineering public meeting and learn about a variety of materials including concrete, steel, capstone class to incorporate real projects and
easements, rights-of-way, utility conflicts, and masonry, and precast/prefabricated options. real clients in 2003. (obannond@umkc.edu)
interactions with the public. There are very The design incorporated building codes for
Jim Palmer is a Consulting Engineer with
few traditional classroom events as part of the personnel egress with fire protection, includ-
Kansas City Power & Light and is the
course – it is almost entirely a studio class. ing a firewall.
practitioner for the structural capstone design
A recent alumnus, working in a structural The structural design project completed by
group at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
design firm, was asked for his advice on proj- the UMKC students is of real value to KCP&L. (jim.palmer@kcpl.com)
ect components for a structural engineering General civil projects are usually built (as

STRUCTURE magazine 47 July 2018

EnginEEr’s notEbook
Seismic Design Forces 1.60
ASCE 7-16 ASCE 7-10

ASCE 7-16 Revised Capping Provision for 1.40

Short Period Regular Structures

(site coefficient =1.0)

1.20
By Philip Line, P.E., Michelle Kam-Biron, P.E., S.E., SECB, and Michael Cochran, P.E., S.E.

D
1.00
esign forces for short period, regular the story limit applied to the

SDS
0.80
structures, five stories and less in height, number of stories above the top
in high seismic hazard areas, are permitted to be of a rigid podium. For ease of 0.60
designed for less seismic force than would oth- reference, provisions appearing 0.40
erwise be required by use of the mapped ground in ASCE 7-16 follow:
motion parameters. The reduced force levels 12.8.1.3 Maximum SDS Value 0.20
are permitted under ASCE 7 Minimum Design in Determination of Cs and 0.00
Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Ev. The value of Cs and Ev are 1.5 1.75 2 2.25 2.5 2.75 3
Other Structures, Section 12.8.1.3, which caps permitted to be calculated using a SS, Mapped MCER, 5% damped, spectral response
the level of design force for such structures value of SDS equal to 1.0, but not acceleraon parameter at short periods
based on engineering judgment formed by less than 70% of SDS as defined in Comparison of SDS in accordance with capping provisions of
observations of good seismic performance in Section 11.4.5, provided that all ASCE 7-16 and ASCE 7-10 Section 12.8.1.3. (Fa = 1.0).
prior California earthquakes. of the following criteria are met:
The concept of the cap first appeared in 1) The structure does not have irregularities, structure with two levels of mezzanines is
the 1997 Uniform Building Code (UBC) as defined in Section 12.3.2; considered a structure with seven stories for
with permissible use of a reduced near- 2) The structure does not exceed five stories the purpose of this cap and would exceed the
source factor under certain conditions. An above the lower of the base or grade plane five-story limit for applicability of reduced
alternative form of the cap appeared in the as defined in Section 11.2. Where present, seismic design forces. Similarly, a five-story
2000 NEHRP Recommended Provisions for each mezzanine level shall be considered a structure over a two-story rigid podium, in
Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and story for the purposes of this limit; accordance with the two-stage analysis pro-
Other Structures. This is the basis of language 3) The structure has a fundamental period, T, cedure, is considered a structure with seven
capping maximum values of the calculated that does not exceed 0.5 s, as determined using stories for the cap and would also exceed the
seismic response coefficient, Cs, for short Section 12.8.2; five-story limit for applicability of reduced
period, regular structures five stories and less 4) The structure meets the requirements nec- seismic design forces. Additional informa-
in height in ASCE 7-02 through ASCE 7-10. essary for the redundancy factor, ρ, to be tion on ASCE 7-16 Section 12.8.1.3 can be
For reference, ASCE 7-10 provisions follow: permitted to be taken as 1.0, in accor- found in ASCE 7-16 Commentary.
12.8.1.3 Maximum S S Value in dance with Section 12.3.4.2; Designers of residential multi-story light-
Determination of Cs. For regular structures 5) The site soil properties are not classified framed over-podium structures should check
five stories or less above the base as defined in as Site Class E or F, as defined in Section with the local jurisdiction to see if they have
Section 11.2 and with a period, T, of 0.5 s or 11.4.3; and adopted any of the ASCE 7-16 Section
less, Cs is permitted to be calculated using a 6) The structure is classified as Risk Category I 12.8.1.3 requirements early. Some jurisdic-
value of 1.5 for SS. or II, as defined in Section 1.5.1. tions are considering adopting ASCE 7-16
In development of ASCE 7-16, which is The design 5% damped spectral response Section 12.8.1.3 requirements now rather than
referenced in the 2018 International Building acceleration parameter at short periods, SDS, in waiting until the local adoption of the 2018
Code (IBC), the cap language was judged to accordance with capping provisions of ASCE IBC, which adopts the ASCE 7-16 design
be overly broad when considering original 7-16 and ASCE 7-10 used to calculate seismic requirements by reference. For example, the
intent based on observations of good seismic base shear, is shown in the Figure. City of Los Angeles has already adopted the
performance of certain regular buildings. Under the revised capping provisions of ASCE 7-16 Section 12.8.1.3 changes as part
The revised capping provision of ASCE ASCE 7-16 Section 12.8.1.3, design seismic of their 2017 Los Angeles City Building Code
7-16 more narrowly scopes applicability. forces for short period, regular structures, instead of waiting for their next building code
For example, use of the capping provision five stories and less in height are increased adoption cycle in 2020, knowing of the signifi-
is not allowed for Risk Category III and IV in areas of high seismic hazard when com- cant changes forthcoming with ASCE 7-16.▪
structures and on sites classified as E or F. pared to ASCE 7-10. The increase in forces
The force reduction is also limited to 30%, is largest for areas of greatest seismic hazard. Philip Line is a Senior Director of Structural
which is more in line with the maximum The revision does not affect design seismic Engineering at the American Wood Council.
level of force reduction permissible under forces in low seismic hazard areas. While (pline@awc.org)
the 1997 UBC. Additionally, the applicabil- seismic design forces are higher for these
ity of the cap based on number of stories is structures in high seismic areas, the changes Michelle Kam-Biron is a Senior Director of
revised to count each mezzanine level as a in the applicability of the provisions based Education at the American Wood Council.
story and by counting the number of stories on clarifications to agree with original intent (mkambiron@awc.org)
relative to the grade plane. The phrase “above are likely the most significant. For example, Michael Cochran is Vice President at Thornton
the base” for counting number of stories in under the revised capping provisions of Tomasetti. (mcochran@ThorntonTomasetti.com)
ASCE 7-10 allowed for interpretation that ASCE 7-16 Section 12.8.1.3, a five-story
STRUCTURE magazine 48 July 2018
ConCrete ProduCts Guide
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STRUCTURE magazine 50 July 2018

 ConCrete ProduCts Guide
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STRUCTURE magazine 51 July 2018

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STRUCTURE magazine 52 July 2018
 Business Practices
You Hired a New Graduate, Now What?
By Jennifer Anderson

Y ou recently hired a new college gradu-

ate to join your team – congratulations!
Adding someone new to the team feels great
and has the potential to be very rewarding
for you, the existing team members, and the
new hire. In this article, four key points about
assimilating your new graduate into your
company will help you and the new hire
have more success.

Onboard
The onboarding process is as important, if
not more important than the recruiting and
interview process. Over the years, the author
has heard from countless new employees
who have expressed frustration with the
onboarding process at their new employer. It
is ironic that companies go to great lengths
to improve their recruiting and interview companies have a 90-day probationary evalu- to get to know a variety of people in the
process and, when they finally bring on the ation, but the same goes for the new hire. The company so that they are learning about
new hire, it is as if they have forgotten that new hire is evaluating you to make sure that your firm from different points of view,
the new hire is still evaluating their decision they still want to stay with the company. If any not just their peers.
to join the company. of the promises that you made in the interview
If you have hired anyone in the last 3 to 6 process are not coming to fruition, the new
months, ask them about their onboarding hire is going to be more and more frustrated
Mentor
experience. Look for gaps in their expecta- until those promises are met. It is vital that An effective way to make sure that the new
tions. Clean up any discrepancies in what you ensure that the new hire’s experience will college graduate feels like they are a part
new hires were told during the recruiting align with what was communicated to them of the team is by facilitating a mentoring
and interview phases in comparison to their during the interview process. If their expecta- program in your company. In a previous
actual onboarding experience. A fruitful tions are not met, then you will experience STRUCTURE article about mentoring
source to recruit new employees is from rapid turnover in new recruits. (Mentoring in the Workplace, April 2018),
the contacts of your new hires, so take their New employees flock together and talk. you will find advice and techniques on
feedback seriously. It does not mean that They will compare notes on how work is how to effectively implement a mentoring
their perspective is accurate, but it is their going, what the managers are like, how program at your company. Mentoring, spe-
reality which means it is true to them. to navigate the new job, etc. So, if one of cifically for new college graduates, is critically
Ultimately, you want to have an onboarding them is not happy, it is likely their bad important because they are coming from
process that is simple to navigate for the new opinion will spread to other new recruits; a lifetime of always having a mentor – be
hire, the manager, and HR. Cut out anything likewise, if they
that is not helpful and aim to make their are happy and
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first day – and week – as comfortable as pos- enthusiastic to

sible. You are concerned that you have hired be at your firm, Demos at www.struware.com
a good person; likewise, they are concerned they will encour-
Wind, Seismic, Snow, etc. Struware’s Code Search program calculates these and
that they have joined the right firm. Building age each other other loadings for all codes based on the IBC or ASCE7 in just minutes (see online
your employer brand during the onboarding to stay and work video). Also calculates wind loads on rooftop equipment, signs, walls, chimneys,
process will make a big difference in ongoing hard. While it is trussed towers, tanks and more. ($250.00).
recruiting efforts. great to hang out CMU or Tilt-up Concrete Walls Analyze solid walls for out of plane loading and
with “like-minded panel legs next to or between openings by automatically calculating loads to the wall
people,” especially leg from vertical and horizontal loads at the opening. ($75.00 ea)
3-Month Mark during the first 3 Floor Vibration Program to analyze floors with steel beams and/or steel joist.
Compare up to 4 systems side by side ($75.00).
The first 3 months will be a time of transition months, encour-
and growth; a new college graduate probably age and support Concrete beam/slab Program to provide bending, shear and/or torsional reinforcing.
Quick and easy to use ($45.00).
has not had a “real job” previously. Many new employees

STRUCTURE magazine 53 July 2018

 it a college professor, University advisor, them with someone who is only a few years
teacher’s assistant, friends, parents, or family older. Mentoring from someone who is
Survey
members – who have guided them through close in age, but has at least 5 years of work- If you feel your company is doing a good
major decisions and turning points in their ing experience, will help the new graduate job with onboarding and communicating
life. Now that they are working at your com- feel like they are getting relevant career with and mentoring the new hires, you may
pany, they will still appreciate and seek career guidance. After they have been with the want to survey them to confirm that they
guidance and counsel from a mentor. If they company for at least a year, they can look feel just as good about being there as you
are going to seek guidance, you want them to for another mentor from the senior team think they are. A short anonymous online
get advice from someone who is committed and get additional career development assis- survey with a few questions is ideal so that
and experienced in your firm. tance. In the first year, they need help with you can get feedback on your specific new
When connecting them to a mentor in basic things that may be in the too distant hire processes. Always include a way for the
the company, look for opportunities to pair past for senior team members. survey respondents to comment in general
and encourage suggestions. If you have
fewer than 10 new hires in the last 6
months, it may be better to talk to each
of them individually and get direct
feedback. Ten people is a reasonable
number for sending out a new hire
survey without them feeling like it is
not really an anonymous survey.
The height Keep in mind that new graduates are
sensitive to doing a good job; they

of structural might not be accustomed to giving

honest feedback. Encourage honesty
and candor as much as possible. Once
protection. you receive the feedback, compile
and review for trends and tangents.

Literally. Review the results with the manage-

ment team and develop a plan for how
to assimilate new hire feedback and
suggestions. You probably will not be
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From a Space Program Hall able to do everything they have sug-

gested but start with at least one thing.
of Fame induction to one
Tell the new hires – and the rest of the
of the tallest, mixed-use company, for that matter – that you
buildings in San Francisco, heard their suggestions and what you
Taylor devices continues to are doing about them. If you listen to
provide the most efficient, and move forward with their idea(s),
they will be more invested with their
effective and innovative time at your firm and will honestly
structural protection respond to future surveys.
products on the planet. With new hire onboarding, atten-
tion to the first 3 months, short and
long-term mentoring, and surveying,
you will connect with your college
new-hires in helpful and satisfy-
ing ways. Ultimately, when hiring
a recent college graduate, you will
find that they want to succeed and
have a great career. Make the most
of their time with your company and
odds are they will stay and help grow
your firm while they are growing their
successful careers.▪

Born into a family of engineers but focusing

on the people side of engineering, Jennifer
Anderson has over 20 years helping
716 694 0800 | seismicdamper.com companies hire and retain the right talent.
(www.CareerCoachJen.com)

STRUCTURE magazine 54 July 2018

 Spotlight
Creative Rigor: Retrofit of the Desmond
By Mark Sarkisian, P.E., S.E., LEED, M.ASCE, Neville Mathias, P.E., S.E., LEED, M.ASCE, and Rupa Garai, P.E., S.E., LEED, M.ASCE

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP was an Outstanding Award winner for The Desmond Building
project in the 2017 Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program in the Category
– Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures under $20M.

L ocated in downtown Los Angeles’ rising

South Park commercial district, The
Desmond Building has recently been infused
to the building, stringent criteria were
established through in-depth discus-
sions with the Los Angeles Department
with new life through a full renovation, of Building and Safety (LADBS).
expansion, and seismic retrofit. Before the To meet these criteria, the project team
renovation and seismic retrofit, independent devised a solution in which the sixth-floor
research had identified the Desmond as one addition was made as light as possible, cou-
of Los Angeles’ many existing seismically pled with resourcefully reducing seismic
vulnerable, non-ductile concrete buildings weight throughout the building. Multiple Courtesy of Robert Meyers Studio
at risk of being significantly damaged in the two-way steel special moment frames were
next major earthquake. Mayor Eric Garcetti provided for the addition, with columns cen- and anchored to the new pier and link beam
of Los Angeles, in December 2014, issued his tered on columns below to uniformly distribute framing structure, maintaining the exterior
Resilience by Design initiative – introducing and balance the seismic loading effects. A light- appearance. Unobstructed multi-lite steel
guidelines that require all vulnerable non- weight roof system and exterior cladding were windows were refurbished.
ductile concrete buildings in LA to undergo used. Mechanical system equipment was dis- Along the solid north wall, two single bay
a seismic retrofit. The Desmond exemplifies tributed over the height of the building rather long shear wall piers were provided and linked
how similar historic properties can be innova- than concentrated on the roof (as is typical). to the diaphragms using steel collector beams.
tively renovated to include additions without New lightweight architectural finishes were At the base of all the new piers on the other
exceeding code retrofit triggers. used throughout the building. As a result of three sides of the building, an interconnected
Designed in 1916, the building was initially controlling weight, the need for a seismic retrofit foundation system of grade beams and new
a Willys-Overland car dealership and assem- was not triggered per code. A complete seismic footings was provided. Lastly, composite fiber
bly plant, which later became a Desmond’s retrofit was nevertheless provided. wrap confinement was provided at the ends of
department store warehouse. The building The internal structure supporting gravity all internal gravity columns to meet deforma-
stood mainly empty for many years before loads – floor framing, columns, and founda- tion compatibility requirements.
finally being purchased by a prominent devel- tions – was originally designed to support a The rigorous, code-prescriptive retrofit solu-
opment company in 2013 to renovate for live load of 100 psf on all floors including the tion enabled the addition of income-generating
high-end creative office use. roof. Changing to office usage with a live load space while preserving the historic character
The existing five-story-tall concrete structure, of 50 psf (reducible) allowed the addition of the of the century-old building. This resulted in
approximately 100 x 157 feet, consisted of col- new floor without triggering the need for ret- the project developers finding a tenant for the
umns framed by shallow girders and two-way rofit of the gravity load supporting members. entire building, well before construction was
flat slabs. The columns and beams constituted Additional measures were taken to minimize complete, who ended up buying the building
non-ductile moment frames in two directions. the loading on individual members. Existing upon its completion. This renovation and retro-
Existing condition surveys classified the struc- stair and elevator openings were re-used, and fit project successfully improved the street appeal
ture as in very good condition. Fortuitously, cast-in-place concrete stairs were replaced with of the building and increased The Desmond’s
good quality original drawings were also made lighter steel stairs. New openings for MEP total square footage from 75,000 square feet to
available to the design team. systems were minimal and unnecessary exist- 82,000 square feet. The Desmond’s structural
Because of the low original design material ing weight was removed. Controlling weight solution exemplifies how many other non-
strengths, and the proposal to add a story to avoid triggering a retrofit was so fine-tuned ductile historic properties in Los Angeles can
that an inch of architectural concrete topping be safely and sustainably renovated for creative
was removed at two floor levels. office use – to preserve each neighborhood’s cul-
Even though the loads were controlled so ture and history while still adding more “Class
that a retrofit was shown not to be required A” spaces with appropriate structural resiliency.▪
by code, the owner desired to assure tenants
that the structure was safe and designed to Mark Sarkisian is a Partner in the San Francisco
resist the same seismic forces as a new building office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
under current codes. An internal perimeter (mark.sarkisian@som.com)
retrofit was developed to mimic the original Neville Mathias is the Associate Director at Skidmore,
industrial look in a non-intrusive manner, Owings & Merrill LLP in San Francisco, CA.
using new concrete wall piers and upturned Rupa Garai is an Associate Director at Skidmore,
link beams to envelop the perimeter on three Owings & Merrill LLP in San Francisco, CA.
Courtesy of David Lena
sides. Exterior brick façades were restored
STRUCTURE magazine 55 July 2018
 This year’s Structural Engineering Summit in Chicago, IL is set to be the best and
News form the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations

the biggest event in NCSEA history. There are more sessions, more opportunities to
network, and more exhibitors than ever! This is a can’t-miss event!
Each year, the Summit draws the best of the structural engineering field together
for excellent practical education opportunities designed for them by practicing struc-
tural engineers. The Summit also honors the best of structural engineering with the
Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards recognizing ingenuity throughout the
world, and the NCSEA Special Awards highlighting members who have provided
outstanding service and commitment to the organization. This event has been built
to advance the industry.
The Summit is designed with you in mind. Will you attend? Registration is open now,
but fees are set to increase on September 7th. Registration rates for 2018 are available
in two main categories: Full Conference Plus and Basic Conference Registration. Both
categories offer full conference options for First Time Attendees, Young Engineers,
and Spouse/Guests.
Full Conference Plus Registration Includes:
• All Educational Sessions & Resources
• Over 25 presentations led by SE & Business Experts
• SE River Cruise
• A Celebration of Structural Engineering hosted by CSi
• Morning & Afternoon Meals
• Multiple Networking Opportunities
• Refreshment breaks
• Trade show access
• NCSEA Awards Reception & Banquet
• Tour of the Atlas Tube manufacturing mill
Basic Full Conference Registration includes all of the above except for the SE River Cruise.
Rates increase on September 7th. Register now to save! Visit www.ncsea.com for
more information about this year’s Summit, including registration information,
this year’s host hotel, exhibitors, and the current schedule.

Can This NCSEA Benefit Jumpstart Your Next Project?

NCSEA Grant Program Applications due August 1st
The NCSEA Grant Program began in 2015 to award SEAs funding for 2017 Grant Recipients:
projects that grow and promote their SEA and the structural engineering
Structural Engineers Association of Georgia
field in accordance with the NCSEA Mission Statement: NCSEA advances
to promote visibility for the profession.
NCSEA News

the practice of structural engineering by representing and strengthening its

Member Organizations. One of the highlights of the NCSEA Structural Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii
Engineering Summit is the announcement of the Grant Award recipients for a shake table.
and the projects they will undertake to advance the profession. Structural Engineers Association of Illinois
The Grant Program is open to all NCSEA Member Organizations. to host a Young Engineers Symposium.
Requests can be submitted for any program or endeavor that is consistent
with, and supportive of, NCSEA’s Mission Statement. All applications Structural Engineers Association of
must be approved by the appropriate Member Organization. Massachusetts to host an ACE Mentor Program.
Want to learn more about the Grant Program directly from your peers? Structural Engineers Association of New
NCSEA held a webinar focused on the program in June with past winners; York for a diversity launch party with the SE3
the webinar covers the history and process of the Grant Program as well committee and to host networking skills events.
as testimonials from past recipients. Learn about how this benefit could
Structural Engineers Association of Ohio
jump start your next project and about how SEAOI and SEAONY used
to enhance their existing student mentoring
their grants to fund events! Visit www.ncsea.com to view this webinar
program.
and to apply for the 2018 Grant Program.

STRUCTURE magazine 56 July 2018

 NCSEA News
NCSEA Excellence in SE Awards NCSEA SE Exam Review Course
Submissions for the 2018 Excellence in Structural Engineering The Best Instructors. The Best Material.
Awards are due. This program annually highlights some of the Available to you immediately when you register.
best examples of structural engineering ingenuity throughout
the world. Structural engineers Start studying for the fall NCEES SE Exam now! The NCSEA
and structural engineering firms SE Refresher & Exam Review Course offers a thorough review of
are encouraged to enter the awards a majority of the topics that will be covered on the SE Exam. The
program. Projects are judged on course offers 30 hours of On-Demand Instruction, taught by
innovative design, engineering experts in each field. The course will give you exam preparation
achievement, and creativity. tips and problem-solving skills to pass the exam. All lectures
Projects can be entered in one of seven categories: are up-to-date on the most current codes and include handouts
• New Buildings Under $20 Million and quizzes.
• New Buildings $20 Million to $100 Million Registrants will receive instant, unlimited access to the
• New Buildings over $100 Million course! Sign up now and start studying within minutes!
• New Bridges/Transportation Structures Continued access is also included, so if you don’t pass the
• Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures exam this Fall you can start preparing for the next exam. PLUS,
up to $20 Million registrants are added to the Virtual Classroom, which provides
• Forensic/Renovation/Retrofit/Rehabilitation Structures an online chat room for course discussion with instructors and
over $20 Million other attendees.
• Other Structures At $495 for members and $695 for nonmembers, this
on-demand course is the most economical SE Exam Prep Course
Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 17, 2018. available. Group pricing is also available!

News from the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations

The process is now entirely online and can be completed by Visit www.ncsea.com for the complete course listing and
visiting the Awards section of www.ncsea.com. to register now!

NCSEA Webinar Bundle:

Introduction to Seismic Design with Thomas F. Heausler, P.E., S.E.
July 19, 2018 Introduction to Seismic Design - Low Seismic
A simple one-story building, located in a region of low seismic risk, will be presented with the
procedures for defining seismic loads and associated criteria for the structure using ASCE 7
Seismic provisions. Formulas will be presented and their underlying theory will be explained.
The resulting calculations will be formatted so that they may be utilized as a flowchart and
checklist for future use when designing actual buildings.

July 26, 2018 Introduction to Seismic Design - High Seismic

A simple multi-story building, located in a region of high seismic risk, will be presented with the procedures for
defining seismic loads and associated criteria for the structure using ASCE 7 Seismic provisions. An introduction to
the material standards, such as AISC 341 Seismic and ACI 318 Chapter 18 Seismic, will be presented. The non-
structural components equations will be described and implemented. The resulting calculations will be formatted
so that they may be utilized as a flowchart and checklist for future use when designing actual buildings.
Register at www.ncsea.com. The bundle includes both Introduction to Seismic Design courses.
$350 for Members, $400 SECB/SEI/CASE Members, $450 for Nonmembers.
Courses award 3 hours of continuing education after the completion of a quiz following each webinar.

NCSEA Webinars
August 2, 2018 Dealing with Floor Vibration in a Modern Structural Consulting Firm -
Lessons from the Field James Lamb, Ph.D.
August 16, 2018 Ground Improvement for Structural Engineers: Benefits, Limitations,
and Considerations Alex Potter-Weight, P.E.
Register at www.ncsea.com. Courses award 1.5 hours of continuing education after the completion of a quiz.
Diamond Review approved in all 50 states.

STRUCTURE magazine 57 July 2018

 SEI Online
New SEI Online Voting
Vote in SEI Online Election for SEI Board Members by July 31
The SEI Board of Governors is comprised of two representatives from each of the five SEI Divisions (Business & Professional,
The Newsletter of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE

Codes & Standards, Global, Local, and Technical Activities), one appointee from ASCE, the SEI President, SEI Past President,
and the SEI Director as a nonvoting member. The Division representatives each serve a four-year term. In accordance with the
SEI Bylaws, this year SEI is conducting an election for one Business & Professional and one Codes & Standards representative to
the Board of Governors, terms effective October 1. The respective Division Executive Committees have nominated the following:
For SEI Business & Professional For SEI Codes & Standards
Activities Division (BPAD) Activities Division (CSAD)
Representative to the SEI Board: Representative to the SEI Board:
Randall P. Bernhardt, P.E., S.E., Donald R. Scott, P.E., S.E.,
F.SEI, F.ASCE F.SEI, F.ASCE
Current SEI members above the grade of Student will receive an email July 1 from Association Voting on
how to verify and submit your secure ballot online. Ballots are due online no later than July 31.
Other news at www.asce.org/SEI:
• Embracing Structural Fire Protection
• New Thinking for Power Line Structures
• SEI Visit and Seminars in Israel
• SEI Student and Young Professional Experiences and Connections at Structures Congress

Kevin LaMalva, Michael Miller, Mustafa Mahamid, Jayne Marks, Skylar Calhoun, Luis Duque,
P.E., M.ASCE P.E., M.ASCE Ph.D., P.E., S.E., EIT, A.M.ASCE EIT, S.M.ASCE EIT, A.M.ASCE
F.SEI, F.ASCE

ASCE 7 Online Follow SEI

Visit www.asce.org/SEIStandards to:
Structural Columns

• View ASCE 7-22 Committee Meeting on Twitter

schedule and archive
• Submit proposals to revise ASCE 7
@ASCE_SEI

Students and Young Professionals

ASCE Younger Member Leadership Symposium
August 10 – 12 at ASCE
Open to ASCE Younger Members, age 35 and under. Provides early-career professional skills development to succeed and lead
in the workplace. Space is limited and fills up quickly. Registration deadline July 19.
www.asce.org/event/2018/younger-member-leadership-symposium

Advancing the Profession

Call for Nominations for ASCE Distinguished Membership
ASCE Members and Fellows who demonstrate eminence in civil engineering or its related arts and sciences are eligible.
Consideration is through a confidential nomination process due October 1.
Learn more at www.asce.org/distinguished_members or contact awards@asce.org.

STRUCTURE magazine 58 July 2018

 Structural Columns
Learning / Networking
SEI Local Leaders Conference
Local SEI Chapter Chairs: Save the date for the SEI Local Leaders Conference October 5-6 at ASCE for best practices and
leadership training. If you are a local SEI Chapter Chair and are not on the local SEI leaders email list, contact Suzanne Fisher
sfisher@asce.org. Connect with your local SEI professional or Grad Student Chapter at www.asce.org/SEILocal.

The must-attend conference on trans- Save the date for a career-invigorating event
mission line and substation structures of inspiring speakers, dynamic learning,
and foundation construction issues. networking, collaboration with partners,
Unparalleled learning and networking and fun social events. #Structures19
for utilities, suppliers, contractors, con- www.structurescongress.org
sultants, and more. Learn about scholarship opportu-
Learn more and register at nities for young professionals at

The Newsletter of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE

www.etsconference.org #ETSC18 www.asce.org/SEIYoungProfessionals.

Share What Inspires You in Structural

Engineering Your Blueprint for the Future
Do your summer travel plans include visiting
Begin Your Career Search
some great examples of structural engineering
– buildings, bridges, towers, etc.? Share your with Career Connections.
experiences and what inspires you in structural • Job listing database w/600+ jobs
engineering by tweeting @ASCE_SEI or email • Searchable by title, geography, salary and more
• Interviewing & resume tips
a brief message and photo to Brittany Boyce
at bboyce@asce.org. Careers.asce.org
@ASCEJobs

NEW SEI/ASCE Live Webinars – Learn from the Experts

July 16  10-Step Design of Post-Tensioned Floors
July 20  Non-Linear Time History Analysis
August 3  Significant Changes to Tensile Membrane Structures, ASCE 55-16
Register at Mylearning.asce.org for these and much more.

Prepare for Fall Exams

ASCE P.E./S.E. Live Exam Review Courses
Interactive, expert-led classes begin August 1. Group rates are available for two or more engineers at the same location.
Sign up at www.asce.org/live_exam_reviews.

Errata SEI Standards Supplements and Errata including ASCE 7. See www.asce.org/SEI-Errata.
If you would like to submit errata, contact Jon Esslinger at jesslinger@asce.org.

STRUCTURE magazine 59 July 2018

 CASE Risk Management Tools Available
Foundation 3: Planning – Plan to be Claims Free • Be proactive in communications. Not reactive.
• Must have a plan for the firm in order to be claims free. • Create an atmosphere for good and open communication.
The Newsletter of the Council of American Structural Engineers

• Train staff to plan, then implement the plan. • If in doubt, communicate early and often.
• The plan needs to be simple, understandable, and inclusive • Select the best method of communication (email may not
to be effective. always be the best approach).
• Have Policies and Procedures that are workable and followed. • Communicate effectively.
• Communicate and repetitively reinforce the plan.
• The plan may need to adjust as conditions change. Tool 4-1: Status Template Report
This tool provides an organized plan for keeping your clients
Tool 3-1: A Risk Management Program Planning informed and happy. This project status report is intended to
Structure be sent to your Client, the Owner, and any other stakeholder
This tool is designed to help a Firm Principal design a Risk whom you would like to keep informed about the project status.
Management Program for his or her firm. The tool consists of
a grid template that will help focus thoughts on where risk may Tool 4-2: Project Kick-Off Meeting Agenda
arise in various aspects of their engineering practice and how to Effective communication is one of the keys to successful risk
mitigate those risks. Once the risk factor is identified, a policy management. We often place a significant amount of effort and
and procedure for how to respond to that risk are developed. care into communication with our clients, owners, and external
This tool contains 10 sample risk factors with accompanying stakeholders. With all that effort, it is easy to take for granted
policies and procedures to illustrate how one might get started. communication with our internal stakeholders — the structural
The tool is designed to insert custom risks and policies to tailor design team. If a project is not started correctly, there is a good
the product to individual firms. chance that the project will not be executed correctly. Tool 4-2
is designed to help the Structural Engineer communicate the
Tool 3-2: Staffing and Revenue Projection information that is vital to the success of the structural design
Firms are provided a simple-to-use and easy-to-manipulate team and start the project off correctly.
spreadsheet-based tool for predicting the staff that will be neces-
sary to complete both “booked” and “potential” projects. The Tool 4-3: Sample Correspondence Guidelines
spreadsheet can be further utilized to track historical staffing The intent of CASE Tool 4-3, Sample Correspondence Guidelines,
demand to assist with future staffing and revenue projections. is to make it faster and easier to access correspondence with
appropriate verbiage addressing some commonly encountered
Tool 3-3: Website Resource Tool (Updated May 2018) situations that can increase risk. The sample correspondence
This tool lists website links that contain information that could contained within this tool is intended to be sent to the Client,
be useful for a Structural Engineer. A brief description of the Owner, Subconsultant, Building Official, Employee, etc., to
website is also included. For example, there is information keep them informed about a particular facet of a project or
about doing business across state lines, information regarding their employment.
the responsibility of the Engineer of Record for each state, links
to each State’s Licensing Board, etc. Tool 4-4: Phone Conversation Log
Poor communication is frequently listed among the top reasons
Tool 3-4: Project Work Plan Templates for lawsuits and claims. It is the intent of this tool to make it
Preparing and maintaining a proper Project Work Plan is a faster and easier to record and document phone conversations.
CASE in Point

fundamental responsibility of a project manager. Work Plans

document project delivery strategies and communicate them to Tool 4-5: Project Communication Matrix
the team members. Project Managers will use this template to This tool provides an easy to use and efficient way to (1) estab-
create a project Work Plan that will be stored with the project lish and maintain project-specific communication standards
documents. and (2) document key project-specific deadlines and program/
coordination decisions that can be communicated to a client
Foundation 4: Communication – Communicate to or team member for verification.
Match Expectations with Perceptions
• A high percentage of claims occur because of poor You can purchase these and the other Risk
communication. Management Tools at www.acec.org/bookstore.

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STRUCTURE magazine 60 July 2018

 CASE in Point
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STRUCTURE magazine 61 July 2018

Structural Forum
Eureka! Road to Progress
By James Lefter, P.E.

E ureka is the moment when someone

(an Innovator) suddenly realizes that
information organized into a new pattern
solves a problem or gives new insight. Eureka
moments have occurred frequently in engi-
neering, science, medicine, law, economics,
and all other areas of study. Many engineers
mention Eureka moments experienced when
facing an apparently insoluble design, con-
struction, or failure problem.
This article draws inferences from “Eureka
moments” examples about the characteristics
of the Innovators and the Eureka moment.
It also lists a few of the barriers to a Eureka
insight and its acceptance.
Eureka (I found it!) was supposedly shouted
by Archimedes (mathematician, engineer, motion induced by the sudden release of law within humans. Knowledge about the
inventor) who had been charged to determine energy during an earthquake. The design heavens is understanding the known laws of
if the king’s gold crown contained base metal. forces were set by building codes, generally nature and science. They are the grist for that
While he was bathing, Archimedes observed in proportion to the level of ground motion work. Louis Pasteur wrote that chance most
that a body immersed in water sinks until the predicted. Professor Mete A. Sozen, then at favors the prepared mind. On those terms, the
volume of water displaced is equal to the volume the University of Illinois, and his students, Innovators were well prepared. They all had
of the immersed body. This insight, coupled noted that a trivial increase in the design intensely studied and thought about the laws
with density calculations, allowed Archimedes forces as set by the codes led to as much as of science. These can be taught.
to prove that the crown included base metals. a fourfold increase in the lateral displace- But human responses to stimuli cannot be
Archimedes’ Principle is used in fluid mechanics. ment of the structure (called “drift”). After taught. It was chance that the Innovators saw
Isaac Newton, at age 25, was considered a further testing, in a Eureka moment, he an apple fall, a man on a roof, seismic drift, but
poor to average student. His laws of statics realized that drift was the critical criterion it took years of preparation and study in the
and dynamics are the foundation for struc- for seismic-resistant design of structures. field coupled with human imagination to turn
tural engineering. Along the way, he also Modern building codes reflect his insight. the chance observations into Eureka moments.
invented calculus and tracked the movements This insight was introduced in the 1972 The passion, the search for new knowledge,
of the solar system. Then he saw an apple fall edition of the Veterans Administration’s the heat and intensity, the independence,
from a tree and, in that Eureka moment, was building code and promulgated by the the creativity all drive the Innovator.
inspired to develop the theory of gravity. National Science Foundation. Coincidentally, the Innovators were taking
Albert Einstein was an examiner in the Bern William LeMessurier was a prominent a break (taking a bath, watching a man
patent office. He had not yet earned his doc- structural engineer and a part-time teacher. on a roof, pacing on a restless night). The
toral degree. In 1905, age 26, Einstein wrote On behalf of his students, he contracted, Innovator’s conscious mind focused on other
five papers that revolutionized science: molec- through an MIT team, to develop a new matters at that instant, while the subconscious
ular dimensions (dissertation), Brownian design approach to high-rise steel-framed mind was still working on the problem.
Motion, his special theory of relativity, light residential structures. He was having a rest- The personal characteristics of Innovators
and quantum mechanics (Nobel Prize 1921), less night when his Eureka moment struck, include a commitment to problem-solving,
and the equivalence of mass and energy. A few envisioning the “Staggered Truss Framing concentration, determination, background
years later, he saw a worker on the roof of a System” that offered many advantages over knowledge, tenacity, creativity, independence,
nearby building and suddenly realized that the other widely used structural systems. and an interest in exploring solutions.
worker, if falling off the roof, would not feel The tools and locales preferred by the
his own weight until he hit the ground. That Innovators vary widely. Thomas Edison
Eureka insight later inspired him to extend
Characteristics worked in his laboratory. Einstein seldom
his special theory of relativity to his general From these examples, what may be assumed went to the laboratory; he worked at his desk
theory of relativity by redefining gravity. as the characteristics of the innovators? with a ruler, compass, and pencil.
In areas prone to earthquakes, engineers Immanuel Kant wrote about the need for Interestingly, most of these Eureka moments
design structures to resist the lateral ground knowledge about the heavens and the moral occurred to the young (20-30 somethings).

Structural Forum is intended to stimulate thoughtful dialogue and debate among structural engineers and other participants in the design and construction process. Any opinions expressed in
Structural Forum are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCSEA, CASE, SEI, the Publisher, or the STRUCTURE® magazine Editorial Board.

STRUCTURE magazine 62 July 2018

 Roadblocks Summary
Once the Innovator has a Eureka moment, the Although this article was written to encourage Further Reading
first hurdle is to determine whether the new Eureka Moments, one cannot go looking for
concept has merit. The most common error is them. They will just happen. The key to being Blastland, M. and Dilnot, A.,
assuming a correlation that indicates causation. an Innovator is to recognize those Moments The Tiger That Isn’t, Profile Books
Some Eureka moments are never recog- and be willing to pursue them. Pasteur’s LTD, Great Britain, 2008
nized as such or are not pursued to their full “chance most favors the prepared mind” is a
Hossli, R. and Flucker, R., William
potential. Some rely too heavily on experience guide. Those with prepared minds have the
LeMessurier, STRUCTURE
and simply do not recognize the value of the background to understand the nuances of the
magazine, June 2013
Moment. Sometimes insights may be rejected problem and explore solutions.
because there is insufficient evidence (statis- However, there is no way to teach the inner Ioannidis, JPA, Why most published
tical, mathematical, or practical) to support fire and determination needed. And, aware- research findings are false, PLOS
them. Jealously, the bias of peer reviewers, lack ness of potential roadblocks may be a measure Medicine, August 30, 2005
of support from colleagues and others within towards overcoming them.
Kounios, J., and Beeman, M.,
the community, employment restrictions, and In conclusion, the road to progress, Eureka,
The Eureka Factor, Random House,
even intellectual property theft can put a halt follows a zig-zag path – one that needs to
NY, 2015
to the fruition of Eureka Moments. be traveled.▪
Edison, a dedicated experimenter, developed Livio, M., Brilliant Blinders, Simon
direct current. Nikola Tesla, a trained engi- James Lefter (retired) was Visiting Professor and and Shuster Paperbacks, NY, 2013
neer and former Edison employee, developed Lecturer at the University of Illinois and at Virginia
Sozen, M.A., A thread through time,
alternating current, an innovation that Edison Tech. He held Senior Executive Service positions
School of Civil Engineering, Purdue
entirely rejected. Their “battle of the currents” in the Office of Facilities, Veterans Administration.
University, West Lafayette, IN, 2015
continued for years, costing millions of dollars He served on the American Concrete Institute
and delaying electrification progress. Committee for Building Code Requirements for Weighman, G., EUREKA How
Finally, current trends toward Artificial Structural Concrete (ACI 318), and as Director Invention Happens, Yale University
Intelligence (AI), with its emphasis on replac- of the Learning From Earthquakes Program of the Press, New Haven, 2015
ing engineers, may have a long-run damping Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
effect on Eureka insights.
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