The Transcona Grain Elevator Failure Revisited: A Modern Perspective a Century Later
More than a century ago, a seminal event in the then world of foundation engineering took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, when the mat-foundation-supported Transcona Grain Elevator underwent catastrophic...
A Combo Foundation Does the Job: Piled-Raft Foundation Design for a Supertall Skyscraper
Lotte World Tower is a 123-story, 555-m supertall skyscraper with a 6-level basement for retail and car parking located at Jamsil-dong in Seoul, South Korea. (Editor’s Note: For additional information,...
Failures Inspire Progress: Protecting Sensitive Buildings from Tunnelling
Tunnelling in urban areas is always a challenge, and it’s especially so when construction is proximate to densely populated districts. Such was the case on January 25, 2005, when a 10-m length of a Barcelona...
Energy Star
The recently opened corporate headquarters of United Therapeutics is one of the largest net-zero energy office buildings in the world. Geo-exchange wells, an earth labyrinth, natural ventilation, and electrochromic...
Skinny 'Scrapers
Incredibly slender towers are rising around the globe into the skylines of major cities, especially New York City. Often targeted at the wealthy who are able to pay astronomical price for spectacular views,...
Crossing the Forth
Scotland’s Queensferry Crossing spans the Firth of Forth, connecting Edinburgh and the Kingdom of Fife. Built at a cost of $1.89 billion in six and a half years, the 1.6 mi long cable-stayed bridge, with...
Permeable Concrete Could Be Improved with Cured Carbon Fiber Composite Material, Study Finds
One Small Step
A concept design for an inflatable habitat on Mars incorporates indigenous ice as a structural element and a shield to protect occupants from galactic cosmic radiation....
Pro Bono Solar Project Restores Power to Puerto Rican Shelters
Supertall Timber
At 350 m tall, this supertower would be three times the height of the California Redwoods and boast a structural system that is 90 percent wood....
Lightweight Alternatives for Embankments on Soft Ground: A Focus on Railway Systems
Lightweight material for civil engineering application is primarily used for accelerated roadway and bridge approach construction, settlement mitigation, utility and tunnel abandonment, reduction of static...
Compliance with the Standard of Care: Hurricane Katrina Canal Breaches in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward
Hurricane Katrina Canal Breaches in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward. On August 29, 2005, more than 50 levees and flood walls failed to protect New Orleans, LA, during Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating...
Forensic Investigations Get to the Facts: East Side IHNC Flood Wall Breaches during Hurricane Katrina
East Side IHNC Flood Wall Breaches during Hurricane Katrina. I served as a geotechnical expert for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) supporting the defense of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)...
Towering Views
A proposed observation tower for New York City’s Central Park would comprise the world’s tallest temporary wooden structure and include a wind-powered system to filter water from the reservoir it would...
Rock Glue Gets the Job Done: Reducing Rockfall Hazards along the G.W. Parkway
After a large rockfall damaged the road and disrupted traffic along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in 2002, the National Park Service was looking for solutions to stabilize the slope against additional...
Largest Mass Timber Building in U.S. Takes Shape in Minneapolis
Earthquake-Resistant Bridge Under Construction in Seattle
Structurally Independent Theater Systems to Be Added to California High School Auditorium
Calibration of Jackup Leg Foundation Model Using Full-Scale Structural Measurements
The fitness of jack-up rigs to operate in varying water depths and weather conditions is determined by "site-specific" structural assessments. These assessments are conducted by a wide range of companies...
Heave Compensated Landing System - A Novel Tool for Subsea Intervention
This paper presents a new intervention system that allows the use of a low cost workboat to deploy and recover delicate payloads in subsea installations. Vessel motions are decoupled from the subsea package...
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