The American Society of Civil Engineers has decided that emergency changes to wind-load provisions in ASCE's 2010 building design standard are not needed. ASCE recently reviewed the provisions, prompted by a red flag raised by structural engineer-researcher Emil Simiu, who says the wind standard is flawed and needlessly complex. SIMIUInconsistencies in chapters 26-31 of the 608-page “Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures: ASCE/SEI 7-10” can result in “unconservative” designs, says Simiu, a member of the 2010 standard's subcommittee on wind loads. “Some buildings can be produced that do not meet the intended risk levels implicit in the standard,”
In the aftermath of Tuesday's 5.8-magnitude earthquake in Virginia, building owners in the Washington, D.C., region are accessing potential damage to buildings. Other industry voices are questioning whether the temblor, the largest Virginia has experienced on record, will lead to new discussions of Seismic codes for the East Coast.Several major facilities are closed while teams of engineers inspect structures. Most notably, the National Parks Service closed the Washington Monument indefinitely after teams discovered cracks near the top of the 555-ft-tall obelisk, considered the world's tallest of its kind. Other closed facilities include the National Building Museum, the Dept. of Homeland
Photo by Gustavo J. Parra-Montesinos Orthogonal layouts of shear stud reinforcing at slab-column connections in flat-plate concrete frames do not perform well, says researcher. Photo by Gustavo J. Parra-Montesinos A researcher suggests radial layouts should replace orthogonal layouts of shear stud reinforcing at slab-column connections in flat-plate concrete frames. Related Links: Healthy Doses of Steel Fiber Clear Rebar Congestion Structural designers say there is cause for concern but no reason to panic over research that indicates potential for premature failure of flat-plate concrete frames reinforced at slab-column connections with a popular shear-studs-on-a-rail detail.Engineers estimate that in seismic zones alone there
Buildings Unfinished Chicago Condo Redeveloped as Apartments Capitalizing on new demand for apartment dwellings, Related Midwest, a unit of New York City-based Related Cos., plans to convert an unfinished Chicago condominium into a 65-story, 500-unit luxury apartment building. The Chicago-based developer Teng & Associates originally planned to construct a 90-story condominium-hotel on the site, but the company only completed a 27-story concrete shell before running out of money in 2008. Property records indicate Related Cos. paid $26 million in late July for the structure, which is located on Wacker Drive. Other area developers, including Michael Reschke and Mark Goodman, previously
Rendering Courtesy of Tishman/Turner Challenges ahead include fabricating the curving, sloping "bones" of the dove in heavy steel in Italy, transporting them to the site and stabilizing them during erection. The expressed steel framing for the grand-scale sculptural transit hall of the WTC’s Transportation Hub, designed by architect-engineer Santiago Calatrava to evoke a dove of peace, already has been simplified to keep it from literally flapping its wings. Yet it still is going to be “as challenging a steel project as it gets,” says Dan Payea, vice president of operations for Skanska Koch, a Carteret, N.J.-based division of Skanska Civil
Courtesy of National September 11 Memorial & Museum Panels with 2,983 names of victims can be heated or cooled for the comfort of visitors. Photo by Nadine Post/ENR Sole surviving tree from 9/11. Related Links: At New York's New World Trade Center, Uncommon Cooperation Key Links Help Reshape Manhattan Below Grade at WTC Hub, a Transit Tango Tower Crews Get Royal Treatment Editorial: In Close Quarters, Spirit of Cooperation Reigns Slide Show: ENRs World Trade Center Saga Continues Port Authoritys World Trade Center Site All Coverage of Rebuilding Ground Zero Video: Progress in Rebuilding Ground Zero Video: An Overview of
Rawabi, a planned city for 40,000 residents, is under construction in the West Bank. The first phase will encompass about 100 residential buildings between five and nine stories tall, ranging from 2,800 to 3,500 square meters, as well as schools and other public and commercial buildings. The 1,557-acre site covers the slope of a hill in Birzeit, a university town located just north of the town of Ramallah in the West Bank and 10 miles north of Jerusalem. “Rawabi” means “the hills” in Arabic. Earthmoving and road construction began late last year, and construction of the buildings began in June. The
Architects and structural-steel, concrete and masonry interests fighting the “wood first” movement are breathing a collective sigh of relief since Oregon legislators adjourned for the year on June 30 without enacting legislation that would give wood a leg up over other framing materials for use in public buildings. Photo by Patrick Cotter Architects The Remy, a six-story, wood-framed apartment building in Vancouver, B.C., where the wood-first movement was born. It was partly complete when a May 3 fire destroyed it. Photo by Nick Procaylo / The Vancouver Sun An opponent of Canada's 'wood first' movement cited the Remy, a six-story
A new report claims that Foster + Partners’ unfinished Harmon Hotel tower on the Las Vegas Strip is beyond repair and could potentially collapse in a “code-level” earthquake. Related Links: Who's To Blame for Faulty Foster Tower? Owner MGM Resorts International recently commissioned Weidlinger Associates, a California-based engineering consulting firm, to perform a structural assessment of the 400-room, oval-shaped high-rise that anchors the northeast corner of CityCenter.The report, whose findings were made available July 11, represents the latest salvo in a battle that dates to 2009. It says the 28-story tower’s construction defects are “so pervasive and varied in character
Teams of budding and seasoned architects faced off last week for the second annual Iron Designer Challenge, where they constructed freestanding “Portals”—structures that mediate two spaces—in less than three hours. Photo Laura Mirviss The Gensler team after winning the 2011 Iron Designer Challenge. Photo Laura Mirviss The Turner team assembles their Portal, which is primarily made out of bamboo. Related Links: Architects, Students Compete in Iron Designer Challenge Student Teams Strive to Build Best Emergency Shelter The Gensler team won the 2010 contest, in which participants built emergency shelters, and once again, it took home the grand prize. Inspired by