April 24, 2020

Understanding New York City’s Green New Deal and Updated Energy Code

By: Cheryl Saldanha, Sean OBrien

nycOn 12 May 2020, the updated New York City Energy Conservation Code (NYCECC) will go into effect with several...

Keywords:Code Compliance, Code Consulting, Energy (Energy Modeling, Energy Audits, Energy Commissioning)
April 15, 2020

Understanding the City of Oakland’s Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Ordinance

By: Kenneth Tam, David McCormick
In 2009, the City of Oakland passed a mandatory ordinance (No. 12966) requiring owners of certain buildings to undergo structural screening to determine if the building contains a potential “soft story” at its lowest level, typically comprised of large open areas compared to the stories above.
Keywords:Inspection, Ordinance, Retrofit/Upgrade, Seismic Engineering and Retrofit, Soft Story
April 15, 2020

Step-by-Step Overview: Typical Soft Story Seismic Retrofit Ordinance Project

By: Kenneth Tam, David McCormick
Several cities have passed mandatory ordinances requiring owners of certain buildings to undergo a structural screening process to determine if their building contains a potential “soft story” at its lowest level, typically...
Keywords:Inspection, Ordinance, Retrofit/Upgrade, Seismic Engineering and Retrofit, Soft Story
March 24, 2020

Adjacent Structure Technical and Legal Risks

By: Scott DiFiore, Matthew Johnson, Gregory R. Meeder, James P. Chivilo

Excavation and heavy civil construction in urban environments directly impact abutters and existing adjacent structures. Noise and dust create nuisance concerns, while demolition, excavation and dewatering can cause earth movement and structural...

Keywords:Adjacent Construction, Building Settlement, Condition Assessment, Damage, Demolition, Dynamic/Vibration, Excavation, Excavation Support, Foundation, Geotechnical, Groundwater, Monitoring, Construction, Settlement, Shoring/Temporary Structure
March 20, 2020

Rain Loads: Guide to the Rain Load Provisions of ASCE 7-16

By: Aaron Lewis, Michael O'Rourke

Rain Loads: Guide to the Rain Load Provisions of ASCE 7-16 provides the practicing structural engineer with a detailed description of the rain load provisions of Minimum Design Loads and Associated Criteria for Buildings and Other...

Services:Structural Design
Keywords:Roofing
March 6, 2020

Landmark Restoration: Comprehensive Repair of Michigan University Fountain

By: Daniel Clark

In this article, Daniel Clark discusses the university’s desire to address water leakage concerns at the 1940s-vintage fountain, which serves as a prominent landmark on campus. SGH performed condition assessments to investigate these...

Services:Building Enclosure Rehabilitation
Markets:Education - College & Prep
Keywords:Historic, Metal, Preservation Technology , Water Leakage
March 3, 2020

Innovating with Materials

By: Matthew Bronski, Glenn Bell
Mankind has innovated with design and construction methods and materials since Homo Habilis laid one flat stone horizontally across two upright stones to build the first dolmen around 2,000,000 BCE. Since then, our progress in building materials innovation over the millennia has been tremendous. A short list of some of the most innovative buildings and structures in history would have a great deal of overlap with a list of the most beautiful and inspirational buildings and structures of all time.
Services:Materials Design
Keywords:Material-Related, Materials Testing for Design
March 3, 2020

Finding Value in Building Enclosure Commissioning

By: Peter Babaian, Emily Hopps, Brian Rose, Matthew Normandeau

Presented/Published:
American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington DC Chapter, Washington, DC, 23 January 2017, by Brian Rose
SGH New York 2016 Seminar...

Services:Building Enclosure Design
Keywords:Building Enclosure Commissioning, Energy (Energy Modeling, Energy Audits, Energy Commissioning), LEED Projects
February 27, 2020

2019 NYS Code Requirements of Parking Garage Structures Inspections and Maintenance

By: Robert Antes

All parking garages under the jurisdiction of the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code must undergo a periodic condition assessment to help ensure structural integrity and user safety. This is a recent mandate resulting from a...

Keywords:Codes & Standards, Condition Assessment, Parking Structure
February 13, 2020

Investigation and Initial Stability Analysis of a Wharf on Severely Deteriorated Steel H-Piles

By: Daniel Schuetz, Paul Schuman, Dominic Kelly, Daniel Robbins

The wharf at the Fore River Shipyard was built for shipbuilding circa 1960; recently, it was home to the USS Salem, a permanently-moored retired US Navy heavy cruiser that served as a museum. True to its intended purpose, the wharf is a robust...

Services:Structural Investigation
Markets:Ports & Terminals
Keywords:Condition Assessment, Marine Engineering, Risk Assessment

Pages