Structural Engineering Blog
How to Avoid Major Parking Structure Repair Costs
There are many factors that influence how long a parking structure will last and at what point you will need to tear it down and rebuild. How can you avoid expensive repairs or a rebuild in the future? Parking structures are directly exposed to the elements, unlike a building structure that’s protected by a building…
How to Prevent Falls from Ladders, Roofs, and Scaffolding
Falls are a hazard in many workplace environments. They can happen during walking, climbing a ladder, and unfortunately, due to the carelessness of workers. How can you protect your workers? Studies by the Bureau of Labor Statistics show there are more than 600 fatal falls annually. Regular fall protection training and enforcement of safety standards…
Commercial Roof Inspection Spring Checklist
Many facilities often go year after year without a proper, comprehensive roof inspection. Managers may assume that the roof is sound and even ignore obvious issues, which will only become more and more severe. Symptoms such as cracking, ponding water, and accumulated debris can indicate a significant problem. Regular, proper inspections of your roof can…
Fall Protection Guidelines and Best Practices
Building a new facility or headquarters for your company is an exciting but large task. The planning involved takes months, and whether you’re an employer, a CEO, or the building manager, your job is to ensure the safety of everyone involved. OSHA requires fall protection for any worker who may be exposed to a fall…
Best Practices for Concrete Work during Cold Weather
With record cold temperatures sweeping across the United States this winter, cold temperature is at the forefront of most people’s minds. As a building owner or property manager, you’ve likely been thinking about how the weather will be affecting your properties. If you’re in the middle of a construction or repair project, cold weather can…
The Importance of Regular, Routine Roof Inspections
Did you know that a piece of façade falls off a building once every three weeks? Unfortunately, it takes death or destruction to force local jurisdictions to enact façade ordinances. How can you avoid an accident at your property? The façade is only one component of the building envelope, and is affected by other portions,…
What Florida Bill S.B. 4-D Means for Property Owners
Earlier this year, we talked about the tragedy of the Surfside Condo collapse in Florida. Over the last few years, more catastrophic structural damage cases, concrete restoration, and progressive collapse cases have been in the news. Because of this, building owners are taking a closer look at their building, and lawmakers have also been making changes…
Surfside Condo Collapse, One Year Later: What We Know
Since the Champlain Towers Collapse in Surfside Florida, we have had numerous requests to perform structural condition assessments. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Construction Safety Team (NCST) is pursuing a dozen failure scenarios and are anticipating a Final Report next year (2023). In 2018 a Condition Assessment Report was issued on…
Why Should You Care About Facade Inspection and Liability?
How important is routine façade inspection? During hurricane, tornado, and severe thunderstorm season across the United States, we’re reminded how important it is to anticipate façade failures before they happen. During Hurricane Irma in 2018, façade failures caused street closures in Atlanta despite the storm being downgraded to a tropical depression. Even though wind speeds…
Avoid Major Parking Structure Restoration Costs
There are many factors that influence the prediction of how long a parking structure will last and at what point you will need to tear it down and rebuild. Parking structures are unique in that the structure is directly exposed to the elements, unlike a building structure that is protected by a Building Envelope. Exposure…