Newsletter of the
Structural Engineers Association of Washington
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State Leadership
President
Darrell Staaleson (SE)
Vice President
Jim Farley (SW)
Treasurer
Theodore E. Smith (SE)
Secretary
Matt Leslie (SC)
Past President
Siri Ashworth (SE)
Trustees
In the Issue
- Seattle Chapter Meeting
- SEAW Refresher Course
- Sustainability & Structural Engineering
- It's a Good Time to be a Structural Engineer
- SEAW Outreach Committee Update
- SEFW Announces New Board Leadership
- State and Chapter Committee Reports
- Membership Postings
- Employment Opportunities
- Upcoming Events
- From the Editor
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January Seattle Chapter Meeting
Annual Student/Young Member Group Sponsored Meeting
Details:
Date
: Tuesday,
January 28th, 2020
Time
: 5:30 - 9:00 PM
Location: UW Waterfront Activity Center
3710 Montlake Blvd NE Seattle, WA 98195
Registration Fees:
Members, Non-Members, & Guests - $20
Students - Free
Table Sponsorship - $250
Fee may be split with another company
Agenda
5:30 - 6:30 pm Registration/Networking
6:30 - 7:30 pm Dinner
7:15 - 7:30 pm Welcome/Announcements
7:30 - 9:00 pm Student Showcase
Annual Student/Young Member Group Sponsored Meeting
Seattle Chapter Younger Member Forum featuring a Firms Showcase and Student Project Showcase. The meeting will take place at the UW Waterfront Activities Center. Our meeting will kick off with the popular Firms Showcase networking event from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The showcase is an opportunity to introduce attendees to a variety of structural design firms in the Seattle area, their work on various types of projects, and answer questions from students on what it's like to work for a Seattle area structural design firm.
Student Project Showcase
After dinner, the evening’s main program will feature presentations from students at Seattle University and the University of Washington. This will be an exciting opportunity to learn about the student projects and academic research going on in our professional community.
Table Availability:
Due to space limitations we must limit the showcase to 8 tables, which will be reserved on a first come, first served basis.
Secure your spot as soon as possible by emailing
seawymg@gmail.com
!
Tables are available for a sponsorship fee of $250 (Tables may be split between two smaller firms under one registration. Just note the name of the second firm with your full table registration). Your sponsorship fee will enable students to attend free of charge. We are working with the students at SU and UW, as well as the Younger Member Group, and should have a good turnout for this event. When you register you will be sent instructions on the types of materials you will be allowed to have.
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Date:
February 4 - March 24, 2020
Time:
6:30-8:30 PM
Webinar Access!
Registration Fees:
Members - $350 / Non-Members - $425
Notes Only:
Members - $150 / Non-Members - $200
SEAW Seattle Chapter, will hold its annual Refresher Course on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from February 4th through March 24th.
The course instruction and PDF notes are designed to assist engineers preparing for the NCEES Structural Exam and for practicing engineers who want to review principles of structural engineering. Fifteen two-hour lectures will present information regarding Structural Analysis, Wind Design, Foundations & Earth Retaining Structures, Seismic Design I & II, Structural Steel Design I & II, Concrete Design I & II, Pre-stressed/Post-tensioned Concrete Design, Bridge Design I & II, Wood Design, Masonry Design and Cold-Formed Steel Design.
Course presentations are exclusively offered online through GoToMeeting.
We would like to welcome Oregon SEAO members for the third year. SEAO Members may register at SEAW member pricing.
For those unable to attend the course, complete course notes of the most recent course are available via a download link for easy access at a price of $150 for SEAW members, and $200 for all others.
Course Schedule:
Tuesday, February 4
Introduction & Analysis
Bruce Erickson, P.E., S.E., KPFF Consulting Engineers
Tuesday, February 11
Structural Steel Design I
Mathew Wies, P.E., S.E., DCI Engineers
Tuesday, February 18
Seismic Design I
Mike Visser, P.E., S.E., Visser Engineering
Tuesday, February 25
Concrete Design I
Mark Whiteley, P.E., S.E., CKC Structural Engineers
Tuesday, March 3
Bridge Design I
Greg Hess, P.E., S.E., KPFF Consulting Engineers
Tuesday, March 10
Prestressed Concrete Design
Ron Mirahsani, P.E., S.E., CKC Structural Engineers
Tuesday, March 17
Masonry Design
John Hochwalt, P.E., S.E., KPFF Consulting Engineers
Tuesday, March 24
Cold-Formed Steel Design
Chris LeVan, P.E., S.E., KPFF Consulting Engineers Inc.
Thursday, February 6
Wind Design
Don Scott, S.E., F.SEI, PCS Structural Solutions
Thursday, February 13
Structural Steel Design II
Mathew Wies, P.E., S.E., DCI Engineers
Thursday, February 20
Seismic Design II
Mike Visser, P.E., S.E., Visser Engineering
Thursday, February 27
Concrete Design II
Mark Whiteley, P.E., S.E., CKC Structural Engineers
Thursday, March 5
Bridge Design II
Greg Hess, P.E., S.E., KPFF Consulting Engineers
Thursday, March 12
Wood Design
Dick Hemmen, P.E., S.E., DCI Engineers
Thursday, March 19
Foundations & Earth Retaining Structures
Andrew McGlenn P.E., S.E., Jacobs Associates
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Sustainability & Structural Engineering
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By Chris Jeseritz
Since the advent of the LEED rating system, the Living Building Challenge, and Passive House, much of the emphasis has been on reducing the operational energy consumed by a building during occupancy. As buildings become more energy-efficient and achieve net-zero energy consumption, interest is shifting to tackle the environmental impact of a building’s structure, exterior envelope, and interior finishes. The impact these systems have on the environment is measured by a material’s associated embodied carbon—the total impact of all greenhouse gases emitted (measured in CO
2
-equivalent) into the atmosphere by a material, product, or system. For structural materials, embodied carbon is primarily linked to the extraction of the raw material, its manufacturing, transportation, and construction, its maintenance during its service life, its demolition, and the end life of the material. The previously mentioned sustainable building programs are beginning to include points and design guidelines that measure and reduce a building’s embodied carbon.
Structural engineers can provide
strategies to
clients, building owners, and local/national governments
for measuring and reducing the environmental impacts of a building’s structural
system. A few tactics include: the
use of alternative
materials like fly ash and slag in concrete,
selection of an
efficient structural system for the building type and usage,
optimization of structural materials
, conducting whole building
life-cycle
assessments, and increasing
a building’s service life.
There are many organizations and programs which structural engineers can access to learn more about sustainability and
how to measure
embodied carbon. One resource is SEAW’s Sustainability Committee, which has monthly meetings
to discuss
topics in sustainability as related to the structural engineering
profession.
The committee’s next meeting is on
Tuesday, January 28, 2020, from 12 – 1 PM
, where an overview and tutorial on using the newly released
Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculation Tool
(EC3) will be presented. If you are interested in this or future presentations and committee meetings, please visit the
SEAW Events Calendar
or contact the committee chair, Chris Jeseritz (
cjeseritz@pcs-structural.com
).
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WSU Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center.
Credit for photo: Lara Swimmer Photography.
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It's a Good Time to be a Structural Engineer
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By
Logun Rasmussen, P.E., S.E. – GLR Engineers
A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to work on a really neat historical building. It was last known as the Wonder Bread Bakery, but it was originally called the Spokane Bakery. It was built circa 1909 and at the time it was the largest bakery plant in the Northwest. In 1917 it was expanded and again expanded in 1920 to produce over 5,000 loaves of bread per hour. At one time in its history, the west half of the second floor burned down and was only replaced with a roof. With its age and the multiple additions from various years, one of the real challenges was understanding the buildings current structural capacity. Although we knew we were decreasing the live load in most areas, there was a place where we were not decreasing loads: the north half of the building. It was comprised of slab on grade for the east half and elevated concrete slab for the west half. This area is known as the Market area, and now has an artisan market with a variety of food vendors. We knew this area was going to have more load than its last use and the tricky part was that I did not have a lick of existing information to work with. The approach we used was to x-ray the slab and extract some concrete cores to determine the strength of the concrete and tell us what kind (size, spacing and approximate location) of rebar we had to work with.
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Excerpts from the report from Budinger and Associates
With this information in hand we were able to determine that the slab did not quite have the capacity we needed. After many discussions with the design team and contractor, and some in-house brainstorming, we decided to look into FRP (fiber-reinforced polymer).
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Simpson Strong-Tie drawing
We determined that we had enough existing rebar and thus strength to cover a code-defined minimum amount of load required, and then we added FRP to provide the extra capacity we wanted.
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Workers installing the FRP on the bottom of the slab
It was my first time utilizing FRP and walking through the process. In my mind, it is like adding rebar on the outside surface of the slab. I find it very enjoyable to live in a time when new products are coming to market that give us the opportunity to use new and innovative ideas to provide solutions which were not available in the past. Now, I am not so foolish as to think that every new product is better than the last, or that each new product should be used in all applications, but I do think that if we can understand the target market for these new products we can set ourselves up to use them in a manner that is time saving or labor saving. And by doing this, we are providing a valuable service to our clients and ultimately giving them a reason to want to work with us in the future. I will tell you that contractors, like engineers, can be leery to try a new product, and rightly so. But with the help of the manufacturer’s information, there is a lot of help with training, installation, costs, engineering, and proper application use to make us feel comfortable and confident in our designs. If you are going to use new and innovative products, find yourself a team that is willing to look at the benefits of these applications and do the research to find out how beneficial they may be, as well as what pitfalls to look for. This is a special time to be a structural engineer, with not only a solid base of historic materials and applications but loads of new and innovative products out there that might just open the door to new ways to solve your next problem.
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The finished space
A little bit about the project:
Project Name: Wonder Building Adaptive Re-use
Architect: Wolfe Architectural Group (WAG)
Contractor: Yost Gallagher Construction
FRP manufacturer: Simpson Strong Tie Company, Inc.
Testing and Inspections: Budinger and Associates, Inc.
Structural Engineer: GLR Engineers
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SEAW Outreach Committee Update
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By Gino Mazzotti, Outreach Committee
Help the SEAW Outreach Committee inspire growth and promote diversity in STEM education across the state. Together we can ensure that the work we do as Structural Engineers continues on through generations of STEM-inspired individuals.
VOLUNTEER with us at the following:
WABS After School STEM Academy
This 6-week program starts on January 13
th
and gives students an opportunity to work in teams to solve real-world STEM problems, design and build prototypes and troubleshoot issues along the way. As a local industry volunteer, you will facilitate the six one-hour activities and relate them to your engineering discipline. This gives students first-hand experience with how engineers work, think and interact in real life.
Check out this video
to see what volunteering in a classroom looks like.
Join the SEAW Outreach Committee and over 150 other industry volunteers that already take part in this program!
PSEC 2020 Engineering Fair
Sat. Feb 8
th
, 2020
2-3 hour shifts between 9am & 5pm
Museum of Flight, 9404 E Marginal Way S, Seattle, WA 98108
The SEAW Young Members Group and Outreach Committee will be co-hosting this year's Shake Table booth complete with an endless supply of toothpicks and gumdrops for kids and “kids at heart” to build, shake and learn with. Come inspire students, educate parents and network with industry leaders.
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SEAW Booth at the 2017 PSEC Engineering Fair
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SEFW Announces New Board Leadership
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By Angela Gottula Twining
Welcome 2020! The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington had an exciting 2019 and is looking forward to great efforts this year to advance the structural engineering profession through scholarship, education, research, and outreach.
With the turn of the year, SEFW is pleased to announce new leadership for the Board of Directors. Stepping down after two years leading the organization are Chair Tom Corcoran of Integrus Architecture, Vice Chair Nancy Devine of the City of Seattle, and Vice Chair Ted Smith of Smith & Huston. Thank you Tom, Nancy, and Ted!
Craig Roberts of CT Engineering will now serve as Chair, while Shana Kelley of KPFF Consulting Engineers and Cary Kopczynski of Cary Kopczynski & Company will serve as Vice Chairs. Tom Corcoran will remain involved as Past Chair and Ted Smith will remain as treasurer.
SEFW is also pleased to report the addition of three new Board members: Cale Ash of Degenkolb, Pete Barlow of Contech Services, and Connie Holloway of ZGF Architects. The board is excited to welcome these new members along with the new ideas and perspectives they will bring.
All are welcome to participate with SEFW as it funds efforts to advance the profession of structural engineering this year. Please contact
admin@sefw.org with questions or comments. Thank you for your support!
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State and Chapter Committee Reports
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Contact the committee chair if you are interested in learning more or getting involved:
·
NCSEA Delegate – Chun Lau
·
Earthquake Engineering Committee – Kai Ki Mow
·
One of the current main focus and an important topic that the committee hopes to address in the upcoming year is the Increased Seismic Load in the newly published ASCE 7-16.
·
Members interested in EEC can find additional information regarding the meeting on the
SEAW website calendar or can contact the committee chair.
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Outreach Committee - Gino Mazzotti
·
To receive emails about volunteer opportunities please sign up on the
SEAW Outreach page
·
Sustainability Committee – Chris Jeseritz
·
Refresher Committee – Mark Whiteley
·
Public Information Committee – Darrell Staaleson
·
Disaster Preparation/Response Committee – Joyce Lem
·
WABO Liaison Committee – Matt Snook
·
The SEAW/WABO Liaison committee is now available for questions from SEAW or WABO members. These questions can be about subjects addressed in the white papers already issued or general questions in the realm of structural engineering practice as it relates to interaction with the various building departments. Comments or questions can be emailed to
matts@cplinc.com
.
·
Technology Taskforce – Morgan Wiese
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Membership Task Group – Jill Shuttleworth
·
Continuing Education Committee – Nathalie Boeholt
·
Scholarship Committee – Kevin Solberg
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In accordance with SEAW bylaws, membership applications are vetted by the executive director, granted probationary status by the chapter board, and posted for membership comment. Membership is considered accepted 30 days after posting if current year dues are paid and no member objections have been received.
Read More
New Members:
- David Adie
- Carleen Altinok
- Matthew Copus
- Amanda Dejonghe
- Katie Dobszinsky
- Pablo Echeverria
- Robert Frazier
- Levi Gilbert
- Jesse Gobeli
- Craig Keller
- Amy Kuo
- Iris Kwong
- Brian MacRae
- Ian McWhirter
- Anandharam Mourougassamy
- Juliette Peyroux
- David Sommer
- Louis Lee Yaw
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Are you currently seeking employment as a structural engineer, senior manager, or a senior engineer technician? Check out our job board for current employment opportunities.
Learn More
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Entry-Level and Mid-Level Structural Engineer
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Company:
Brienen Structural Engineers
Location:
Kent, WA
Description and Details:
Are you excited by structural design and achieving an architectural vision? Want a shorter commute from the South Sound? We look forward to talking with you!
Brienen Structural Engineers is a structural consulting firm in Kent, WA looking for engineers to grow with our team.Our work varies from 20-story hotels to mid-rise mixed-use, large-venue entertainment to boutique retail, high-end residential to small remodels, and more. Our engineers see their work through from start-to-finish, staying with each project from initial feasibility, through all phases of design, and into construction administration and the grand openings, while developing positive and effective client (and coworker) relationships in the process.
We offer competitive benefits packages, flexible scheduling, free parking, and a culture of mutual interest, diversity, growth, and success.
Minimum of 2 years relevant experience, 5 years preferred, for Mid-Level positions. Wood and/or cold-form steel experience required. MS Structural Engineering preferred, BS with Structural emphasis and demonstrated industry experience welcome. Revit experience preferred.
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Located across the street from T-Mobile Park, Lund Opsahl is a growing structural engineering firm that provides a wide spectrum of services, including planning, design, seismic and damage assessments, upgrades, additions, tenant improvements, and construction support for a variety of new and existing building types in the Pacific Northwest. Our reputation as creative innovators and technical experts is built on responsive service, collaborative teamwork, and lasting relationships. Our firm's size offers early opportunities to work on challenging projects and encourages exciting career growth uncommon at larger firms, especially for the ambitious.
Currently, we are looking for Structural Engineers with minimum of three (3) years experience.
BENEFITS:
- Competitive benefits and salaries
- Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance/Health Savings Account
- Performance-based bonuses
- Flexible working hours
- 401(k) with matching contribution
- Profit Sharing Plan
- PTO, and holidays
- Group activities and team events
- In-House education programs
- Free parking
- (Did we say we're next to T-Mobile Park?!)
Please visit our
website
, for additional information and job descriptions for each of these positions. Inquires and resumes may be sent to
careers@lundopsahl.com
.
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Opportunities for Mid-level Design Engineer and Senior Project Manager
Seattle Structural is looking for qualified professionals to join our talented group practicing across a number of different industries. Seattle Structural offers an excellent opportunity to work on a variety of public and private institutional, healthcare, educational, and commercial projects both domestically and internationally. We offer a competitive salary and a relaxed, collaborative work environment. Benefits include medical insurance, transit reimbursement, and retirement matching. Seattle Structural is a firm that makes it easy to become personally invested in the achievements of your company.
Seattle Structural is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
We are filling two positions. Candidates must meet the following requirements:
- Mid-level Designer: 5+ years’ experience.
- Senior Project Manager: 10+ years’ experience.
- BS or MS in Structural, Civil/Structural, or Architectural Engineering.
- Experience in steel and concrete buildings, lateral analysis, deep foundations, and marine projects are desired.
- Working knowledge of CAD and Revit preferred.
- Strong emphasis on client service.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Strong technical skills.
Please address inquiries to:
Howard Burton, President
Seattle Structural PS Inc.
3131 Elliott Ave STE 600A
Seattle, WA 98121
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LSB Consulting Engineers is a well-established, Spokane-based Structural Consulting firm with a history
of delivering innovative project solutions throughout the Pacific Northwest. Our team members are empowered and inspired to produce high-quality work with an unwavering dedication to our clients.
We currently have an opportunity for a Senior Structural Engineer to join our team.
Minimum
requirements include the following:
- 7 years of progressive engineering experience, preferably in a consulting office
- Professional Engineering license, Civil or Structural
- Demonstrated capabilities designing steel, concrete, timber, and masonry systems
- Intimate working knowledge of IBC and ASCE 7 code requirements for Structural Design
- Familiarity with analysis software such as Enercalc, RISA-3D, & RISAFloor, and production software such as AutoCAD and Revit
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Commitment to design excellence and efficiency
- Demonstrated ability to manage project staff
- Ability to work collaboratively and individually
- Professional attitude and commitment to success
LSB enjoys strong, ongoing relationships with architectural, industrial, and municipal clients, providing
diverse and challenging design opportunities for our staff. We offer a positive and collaborative work environment with significant growth opportunities, a competitive salary, and a robust benefits package.
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JAN 2020
Equilibrium Publication Team:
John Gunn, Editor
Darrell Staaleson, Past Editor
Zohrah Ali
Allison Tran
Blaine Sanchez
Lisette Terry
Shivang Gupta
Chase Young
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ACTION ITEMS:
1. All members are welcome to submit articles to Equilibrium. To help you with your writer's block, here are a few topics: Write “Engineer's Notes from Afield,” summarize an
interesting technical design you worked on, write about how you have been successful and increased productivity with an accounting procedure or marketing technique, write about your experiences doing community service, or share some construction site photos and talk about lessons learned.
2. “A Picture and a Paragraph.” Please use the article submittal form provided and the picture needs a caption along with the names of the people in the photo.
3. Please submit your articles in Word format using the Article Template.
[
Article Template
]
CORRECTIONS:
None.
January Puzzle:
What is the largest catspecies which purrs?
Clue: It has two common names.
Bonus:What is the smallest cat species which roars?
Look on the SEAW Facebook Page for a picture clue!
The first SEAW member to respond on our SEAW Facebook Page or at the next dinner meeting–
with a correct and full answer
–
will get a prize.
December Puzzle:
Which animated movie was being produced by Walt Disney when he died?
Clue: It has two live-action/photo realistic remakes.
Bonus: Who is the author of the book the movie is based on?
Bonus Picture Clue:
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Answer:
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.
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Structural Engineers Association of Washington
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