STRUCTURE Articles

WSP Cantor Seinuk was an Award winner for the 8 Spruce Street – Beekman Tower project in the 2012 NCSEA Annual Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards Program (Category – New Buildings over $100M). When it opened in 2011, the 870-foot, […]

Risks Associated with the Alternatives The information contained in this article is derived from an internal committee at Degenkolb Engineers. The author wishes to acknowledge the work of that committee and thank them for their efforts summarized here. As an […]

Most typical nonstructural partitions are specified and constructed in accordance with the industry or manufacturers’ design tables and would not require additional, formal engineering input on a project-by-project basis. The manufacturers’ design tables are based on engineering principles and tests. […]

A Case Study Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) have historically been used more for residential construction than for non-residential construction. However, SIPs are gaining popularity in the commercial arena, especially for school construction. There are several schools throughout the country that […]

Real boundary living is a refusal of tokenism and absorption, and therefore it is genuinely dangerous. —Mary Daly In my first year of engineering work, my boss asked me to write for the company-wide newsletter, addressing this question: How does […]

Question Recent changes were made to ASTM C90 related to the minimum web requirements for loadbearing concrete masonry units (CMU). What, if any, impact do these changes have on the design of concrete masonry assemblies? Answer For the vast majority […]

As Joseph Dunne has noted (“The Rationality of Practice,” September 2012), a practice as defined by Aladair MacIntyre (“Rethinking Engineering Ethics,” November 2010) is “something that can succeed or fail in being true to its own proper purpose.” Both MacIntyre […]

UFC 4-010-01, DoD Minimum Antiterrorism Standards for Buildings, dated February 2012, outlines 21 standards that govern site planning and the design of structural, architectural, electrical and mechanical systems for Low and Very Low Levels of Protection. The current document was […]

Modjeski, (ne. Rudolphe Modrzejewska) was born in Cracow, Poland on January 27, 1861. His mother was an internationally known actress who encouraged him to become a concert pianist. But, at an early age, he determined he would become a civil […]

The winter of 2010-2011 was particularly snowy in the Northeast. Heavy snows resulted in nearly 500 problem roofs in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island, of which 382 were full or partial collapses. This large number […]

The entire engineering profession is buzzing about two important changes that are on the horizon. The discussion fuels feelings of excitement and anticipation in some, while in others, it stirs feelings of fear and dread. The topics are structural engineering […]

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Lightweight Concrete in Building Construction Recently, lightweight concrete has been implicated as the primary culprit in moisture-related failures of adhered flooring systems. Although fast-track construction techniques and government-mandated changes in flooring adhesives also have contributed […]