New York, NY
7 World Trade Center
Scope/Solutions
Falling debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center towers (WTC 1 and 2) damaged the building at 7 World Trade Center (WTC 7) and ignited fires. After several hours of fire exposure, WTC 7 also collapsed. SGH analyzed the fire environment in WTC 7 and the building’s thermal and structural response.
The primary objective of our computer modeling was to determine the steel temperature distribution and structural response of WTC 7’s northeastern section due to the fires that burned within the building.
Highlights of our computer modeling include the following:
- Modeled WTC 7’s northeast structural system, representing Floors 8 to 45
- Developed fire dynamics models to determine the heating environments, thermal models to determine the heat transfer to the structure, and structural models to determine the structural response
- Accounted for temperature-dependent properties of the structural members and connections, including thermal expansion, stiffness and strength degradation, and the failure modes of various connections
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Project Summary
2008
Completion Date
Solutions
Failure Investigation
Services
Structures | Advanced Analysis | Performance & Code Consulting
Markets
Commercial
Client(s)
Clifford Law Offices
Specialized Capabilities
Computational Mechanics | Fire Life Safety & Accessibility
Additional Projects
Northeast
50 & 60 Binney Street
Anchoring the eastern corner of the Alexandria Center at Kendall Square, 50 & 60 Binney Street offer 500,000 sq ft of rentable area for science and technology tenants and ground-level retail and restaurant space. SGH consulted on the building enclosure for the project.
Northeast
Ames Building
In 2009, the Ames Building was transformed from Class B office space into a four-star, 114-room boutique hotel. SGH provided structural engineering, building enclosure engineering, and masonry repair services for the rehabilitation.