Cascadia Rising 2022 (CR22) is a regional earthquake preparedness and response exercise taking place June 13 – 16, 2022. The purpose of CR22 is to practice responses to a 9.2 Subduction Earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone (full 700-mile long “rip”). The CR22 exercise “starts” four days after the assumed earthquake, and it is assumed that communications systems are functioning. 

As part of CR22, local and county building officials and emergency management offices will work through the process of requesting assistance of volunteer Building Safety Evaluators. SEAW members registered as WAsafe Building Safety Evaluators (BSEs) can expect a series of messages via text and/or email from the WAsafe (WAserv) communications system on June 13 – 15. Please respond to the messages – which will include a statement about this being a drill, not an actual emergency or disaster –to help test the WAsafe system. Responses can be tracked inside the communications system so we can review and learn how to better use it. To the more than 100 SEAW members who are currently registered as WAsafe BSEs: Please review and update your contact information! And thank you!

What are WAsafe and WAserv? WAsafe is our statewide program for volunteer BSEs who have registered in WAserv, the electronic registry for enrolling, managing, and dispatching volunteers following a disaster such as a major earthquake.

How do I qualify to join WAsafe? Take one of the WAsafe trainings. Or, if you’re a first-time enrollee, you can qualify by taking our online “Concept of Operations” module after having taken one of the following trainings: ATC-20, ATC-45, Cal OES SAP Evaluator. Registration in WAsafe is valid for 5 years. You can renew by taking a WAsafe training or, hopefully soon (we’re working on it!) an online Refresher Course.

While no WAsafe trainings are scheduled at this time, an ATC-20 Post-earthquake Safety Assessment of Buildings training is scheduled for May 24, 9AM - 1PM. Sponsored by the National Earthquake Technical Assistance Program (NETAP), the online training free of charge for anyone in Washington, Oregon, or Alaska. For more information and registration details, see NETAP ATC-20.

For more details about the Cascadia Rising Exercise, WAsafe, and the DPRC, see the SEAW Disaster Prep and Response Committee (DPRC) webpage  To receive committee announcements and meeting agendas, join the DPRC email list (see instructions on the webpage). Join us at our monthly committee meetings online on third Tuesdays, 12-1PM (links are sent in the emailed agendas). Our committee welcomes new members and those who want to find out more.

Washington/Oregon Special Wind Regions (SWR) Study – CPP has completed the preliminary draft report for all the special wind regions in Washington state. This preliminary draft report recommends that the Special Wind Region along the Columbia River and North Olympic Peninsula be amended to follow the Risk Category design speeds from the ASCE 7-16 wind maps, versus being classified as a Special Wind Region. The Special Wind Region along the Washington Pacific Coast will remain, with recommended wind loads in general slightly lower than most of the current AHJ recommendations. For those interested in receiving a copy of this preliminary draft report please contact Scott Douglas at sdouglasscott@gmail.com. 

Update to the 2004 SEAW commentary on wind code provisions (ATC 60) – The NCSEA Publications Committee (of which SEAW member Chun Lau is co-chair) is studying the possibility of NCSEA facilitating the update of this 18-year-old publication. The NCSEA Code Advisory Wind Engineering Subcommittee would likely spearhead this effort, with the SEAW WEC contributing. 

Participation – All SEAW members, whatever their experience, are encouraged to participate at in WEC meetings. Please contact the WEC chair, Scott Douglas at sdouglasscott@gmail.com to join the SEAW WEC and receive additional information and announcements on Committee activities and actions. 

Next Meeting – Friday June 24 from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. Meeting will be virtual via the following Zoom link: 

In April, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the report, “Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.” The report states that emissions have continued to rise, and it will be “impossible” to stay below 1.5° Celsius without more decisive climate action this decade. This is a cause for concern. However, now is not the time to be discouraged, now is the time for action. As structural engineers, we are in a fortunate position to reduce the environmental impacts of the building and infrastructure sector through various strategies. Below are three strategies that can be implemented on almost any project that allows for the potential of the structural system’s environmental impacts to be reduced. 

Selection of Structural System 

During the schematic design phase, it is important to select a structural system that maximizes material efficiency while meeting the building code’s requirements and architectural expression of the building. By maximizing efficiency, less structural material can be utilized. If feasible, it is also best practice to begin quantifying the environmental impacts of the different structural systems under consideration. These estimates can help the project team make well-informed decisions on which system meets the project’s goals and vision. Quick estimates can come from the Carbon Leadership Forum’s Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study, the SE 2050’s Embodied Carbon Intensity Diagrams, or Embodied Carbon Order of Magnitude Estimator. 

Performance-Based Concrete Specifications 

Typical concrete specifications include information about the performance of the concrete and elements of the mix. These specifications will likely have prescriptive requirements such as a minimum amount of slag or a maximum water-cement ratio. In contrast, performance-based specifications only include the required properties of the concrete. The performance-based approach allows the concrete producers freedom to use any product or process that will produce concrete with the desired properties. Since Portland cement is one of the most expensive and carbon-intensive ingredients in a concrete mix, performance-based specifications can reduce the amount of cement compared to an equivalent mix with prescriptive specifications. This reduction of Portland cement can lower the concrete’s cost and embodied carbon. To learn more about performance-based concrete and how to implement it on your next project, visit the National Ready Mix Concrete Association’s (NRMCA) Prescriptive to Performance (P2P) Initiative’s website.  

Type 1L Cement 

SEFW’s 2012 documentary “Structural Engineers of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair” interviewed nine of the original engineers on the Seattle Center campus. The engineers were (L-R) Einar Svensson, Tom Kane, Bob Mast, Dick Chauner, Jack Christiansen, Norm Jacobson, Fred Pneuman, Victory Gray, and Gary Curtis. 

Structural engineering is a respected profession and SEFW has been proud to share that message for more than a decade. At the anniversary of the World’s Fair, we are eager to commemorate these great architectural and structural accomplishments and draw attention to the innovation in engineering. SEFW is always looking for additional pathways for education and outreach, and we welcome ideas from anyone at SEAW and the community on this mission. Are there sites around your city that could have structural engineering tours? Do you have contacts in Washington classrooms and ideas of how to present structural engineering? What would you like to see out in the community? Please share your thoughts with us at admin@sefw.org.

Thank you again for considering making a donation at this time of our annual fundraising campaign. Look for emails in your inbox or make a donation at www.sefw.org today!

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

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

To apply, please send resume with cover letter to MC Squared Inc., Attn: Jim Farley, via email at office@mc2-inc.com.

MLA Engineering has a Senior Structural Engineer position available immediately.

For more information, visit our website at www.mlaengineering.com

Please send your résumé and cover letter to info@mlaengineering.com

Holmes is a structural and fire engineering firm, with offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle. We are part of the New Zealand based Holmes Group, with offices around the Pacific Rim. Compelled by the possibilities, we are relentlessly pursuing Why – to create what is Best.

Check us out at www.holmes.us.

INTERESTED IN JOINING US? PLEASE visit Holmes - Career Page TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION.

We’ve been in business for 27 years and remain committed to creating a place where people want to spend their time and energy. Pay is dependent on experience and benefits are great. Check us out at www.ssfengineers.com. If you like what you see, we’d love to hear from you.

Submit your resume to info@ssfengineers.com.

All SEAW members, whatever their experience, are encouraged to participate in PIC meetings. Please contact the PIC chair, Darrell Staaleson at dstaal@staaleng.com or 253.520.0388 to join the SEAW PIC and receive additional information and announcements on activities and actions.