Structural engineering

Historic churches and civic buildings built during the nineteenth century across the United States commonly feature wood framed roof trusses supported by mass masonry exterior walls. These structures, designed using empirical building traditions rather than modern engineering mechanics, often contain latent structural deficiencies that emerge over decades of service. Understanding the failure modes specific to […]

Structural engineers working on low-carbon civic buildings face a critical challenge: achieving dramatic embodied carbon reductions without compromising structural performance, safety, or serviceability. San Mateo County’s County Office Building 3 (COB3), designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) and currently under construction in Silicon Valley, provides a compelling case study in hybrid mass timber structural

When a fire destroyed the historic Eugene Civic Stadium in Oregon, the community saw an opportunity not just to rebuild but to reimagine what a civic sports facility could deliver. The result is Civic Park, a multi-phase redevelopment project anchored by a 3,716-square-meter (40,000-square-foot) field house built on a pre-engineered steel structure. For building professionals

Recent structural collapses of exterior elevated elements (EEEs) such as balconies, walkways, and stairs have drawn increased attention to the inspection and maintenance of these building features. Stucco-clad EEEs exposed to weather present particular risks because the stucco assembly can trap moisture against structural wood members over extended periods. This sustained wetting accelerates decay of

The FIU Bridge Collapse: What Happened and Why It Matters On March 15, 2018, a pedestrian bridge under construction at Florida International University in Miami collapsed catastrophically, killing six people and injuring eight others. The 53-meter (174-foot) span crushed eight vehicles, seven of which were occupied. The bridge, designed as a signature accelerated bridge construction

In a landmark decision for the construction industry, the Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) approved code changes that permit mass timber as a structural system in buildings up to 18 stories tall. Washington became the first state in the nation to integrate tall mass timber provisions directly into its building code without requiring alternative

Structural steel embedded within masonry walls has served as a reliable load-bearing system for over a century, yet corrosion remains a persistent threat. When moisture contacts unprotected steel, oxidation produces rust scale occupying up to ten times the original metal volume, damaging both steel and masonry. Understanding corrosion mechanisms, assessing section loss, and implementing maintenance

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has released three new research reports on cold-formed steel specification for shear wall systems in mid-rise construction. These studies, conducted at McGill University, represent a significant step forward in understanding how cold-formed steel (CFS) framing behaves under lateral loads, enabling engineers to design taller, more efficient buildings with