Designed by students from Harvard's Graduate School of Design with contributions from Hanif Kara, Horizon House was the winning competition entry for the Third LIXIL International University Architectural Competition. The competition was held on...
The Homestead Hills development comprises 178 one- and two-story, wood-framed homes constructed between 2005 and 2010. Shortly after construction, homeowners reported cracked drywall, displaced concrete flatwork, and deflected and damaged...
As part of the federal HOPE VI housing program, the Pleasantville Housing Authority received a grant to replace aging public housing with new housing. The New Hope Community comprises 140 wood-framed, one- and two-family homes, with twelve...
Led by NADAAA, the renovation of an existing 1930s home transformed the traditional masonry structure into a contemporary residence with a vertical addition. SGH was the structural engineer for the project and consulted on the building...
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed in 1951, the Zimmerman House is a classic example of Wright’s work with its strong horizontal lines, natural palette of materials, and integral relationship with the landscape. Now owned...
Walter Gropius designed and built the house in 1938 for his wife and daughter. Over the years, ongoing water leakage led to deterioration of framing elements and interior finishes. In order to preserve the Walter Gropius House, Historic New...
Designed by a joint team of students from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and Brown University, this "passivhaus" entry for the 2014 Solar Decathlon competition balances the use of new materials, constructability, and solar-powered energy...
Originally a single-family house, the two-story, timber-framed building in Nantucket Harbor was in serious disrepair. The owner wanted to preserve and rehabilitate the building on North Wharf and as part of that effort, they needed to raise it...
The name of the 2,000 sq ft residence comes from the 18 planes, 36 points, and 54 lines that make up the geometry of the structure. SGH provided design-phase building enclosure consulting for the new home that is clad with bronzed stainless...
Originally a horse stable, 23 Cornelia Street is a two-story unreinforced masonry structure built c. 1870. The current owner purchased the Greenwich Village property in 2007 and hired Solomonoff Architecture Studio and SGH to design a renovation...
A rash of failures in PEX-AL-PEX piping in residential domestic hot water and hydronic heating systems in the United States and Canada led to an investigation into the nature and cause of the failures. Failures, which occurred after less...
SGH's Scott A. Tomlinson, Erik W. Farrington, and Makoto S. Weinstein recently published an article in Civil + Structural Engineer Magazine. The article titled, “Build Strong Guards: Part 2,” is a follow up to...
By: David McCormick, Maison, Bruce, Bonowitz, David, Kornfield, Laurence
Abstract: We investigated 1920s-era four-story wood-frame corner buildings common to San Francisco, many of which were damaged in the city's Marina District during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Such buildings can have relatively weak and...
Building wall systems would work great, if it weren’t for all the holes we put in them. One of the leading examples of these holes is caused by the packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC), most common in hotels and multifamily...
This paper discusses the microclimate evaluation, condition assessments, challenges of limited in situ testing, and recommendations for prioritization and planning conservation work specific to the wood elements at a large 1937 historic estate....
Abstract: Single-family townhouses for sale in the stylish West Village neighborhood of New York City are a rarity, and the townhouse at 112 Washington Place was a special case. During our initial site visit in spring of 2007, it was apparent...
Abstract: Traditional steep-slope roof systems for the residential buildings (single-family homes and multi-building apartment or condominium buildings) consist of asphalt glass-fiber shingles applied over vented or unvented attics. The long-term...
Abstract: During a minor earthquake of magnitude 4.4, part of a newly constructed stone veneer wall at a home in Northern California collapsed. Based on records of nearby instruments, shaking at the site of the house was at most approximately 0....
Abstract: Most wood-frame houses are built without the benefit of structural design. Often, when engineered wood components are called for, the local building official will insist that these elements be designed by a registered professional...