Spotlight

Bellezza e funzione

Design of New Government Seat Combines Beauty & Function

By Aine Brazil, P.E., LEED AP

Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design services through design development for the Lombardia Regional Government’s new headquarters complex in Milan, Italy, a project selected as one of the winners for the NCSEA 2011 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards in the International Structures Over $100 Million category.

Aine Brazil, P.E., LEED AP is Vice Chairman of Thornton Tomasetti.

In 2004, an international competition was held for the design of the Lombardy Regional Government’s new seat and civic square in Milan, Italy. Located in northwestern Italy, Lombardia is the most populous region in Italy and its capital, Milan, is one of Italy’s most densely populated areas. The competition to design the new government seat and civic square required entrants to consider a visible symbolic and functional presence in their designs. Another factor that affected the site was the proximity to the Pirelli Tower, an existing icon in the local landscape. The final Pei Cobb Freed and Partners Architects LLP design was chosen from 10 finalists who were selected from a larger group of 98 applicants. Their winning design was inspired by the region’s interweaving mountain peaks, rivers and valleys. The open spaces created by the curved forms of the buildings encourage the community to gather, reinforcing themes of engagement and social interaction. Thornton Tomasetti provided structural design services through design development for the project Sited in the greater Garibaldi-Repubblica urban enhancement area, close to the heart of the city, its scale relates to the surrounding neighborhood, while the tower speaks to the Pirelli building and the city. Key design principles were: to create an urban passage that invites entry and is a significant destination; design a sequence of engaging spaces that promote social interaction; and add an emblematic vertical element that contributes to Milan’s skyline. This high-profile headquarters includes five nine-story wavelike buildings that total 1.05 million square feet (98,000 square meters), a 43-story tower that is 405,000 square feet (37,000 square meters), three parking/storage levels below grade and a plaza with an irregular footprint of 856 feet by 607 feet (261 meters by 185 meters). The major determining factors in the choice of structural materials and structural system for the project were the curved building shapes and floor-tofloor heights. Construction began in December of 2006 and was completed in March 2011. The completed government buildings include general assembly spaces, offices and areas for social functions and public debates. A large enclosed piazza with a curved glass roof at the center of the site references Milan’s Galleria, and links to two secondary open spaces and a linear landscaped spine. The piazza roof is covered by a tubular lamellar (skewed grid) structure spanning 459 feet by 148 feet (140 meters by 45 meters) and is clad in an extremely light, innovative Ethylene Tetraflouroethylene pillow membrane system. The rim of the “eye” shaped roof structure is supported along the edges of the podium structures with slide bearings that accommodate building movement at expansion joints. The enclosure of the building is a highly innovative and efficient “climate wall” double layered glass curtainwall. The project also includes an open roof garden with trees and landscaping, enclosed by an approximately 50-foot (15-meter) tall wall of glass supported by vertical cantilevered tube steel vierendeel trusses with no overhead beams. Grand entrances to the piazza are created by open double height ground floor areas and multiple column transfers. The project is divided above grade into six building structures separated by expansion joints that accommodate thermal expansion and contraction. The maximum length of these structural units is approximately 361 feet (110 meters). Although in Italy expansion joints are commonly spaced more closely than 328 feet (100 meters), the architectural layout and the arrangement of the structural elements in these buildings facilitate the larger joint spacing. The 525-foot (160-meter), 43-story tower structure has an efficient concrete form even with the curves presented, which made finding economical solutions to structural requirements possible. The major elevator,

Palazzo Lombardia. Courtesy of Simon Hsu.

service and stair core is enclosed by cast-insitu concrete shear walls to create the lateral system for the building, to resist both wind and earthquake forces. The curvilinear form of the building makes a cast-in-situ concrete system an appropriate and cost-effective structural solution for both the low-rise buildings and the tower. Concrete is the local material of choice, and Italian building codes required office spaces to have access to direct light. Flat plate construction was possible because of the narrow building width, which addressed this constraint and eliminated the long spans that can make concrete an unsuitable material. The low-rise buildings follow a repetitive form, permitting multiple reuse of the formwork. Column formwork economy was provided by using uniform sizing and standard floor-to-floor heights. Once the project was passed on to the Italian design-build contractor Consorzio Torre, the construction team opted to substitute some of the cast-in-situ elements with precast elements in an effort to accelerate the schedule. This was most prevalent with the columns and flat plate slabs in the gravity system.▪

NCSEA News

Attracting Young Structural Engineers to their Local FSEA Chapter

By Heather Anesta, E.I., M.S., LEED AP

If you are a PE who employs structural undergraduate interns and EI’s, then you have probably noticed that the past few years have affected your ability to hire, train, and groom your younger employees. The current economic crisis hit the structural industry especially hard, and although poor economic times call for greater efficiency, greater efficiency requires more training. Due to this conflict, many EI’s lost their jobs and many PE’s felt a break in the continual growth of their firm. A Young Members Group within your local NCSEA Member Organization (MO) could offer a way for firms to continue the employment and training of EI’s without impacting their budget. In fact, results from the past year in the FSEA Palm Beaches Chapter Young Members (YM) Group have shown that our EI’s provide greater efficiency at their engineering firms when they regularly attend the YM meetings. Learn together and from each other. If you are an EI or a PE who graduated college within the last 5+ years, you do not need a full article to understand the value of having a YM Group within your local MO. You have most likely already realized that the process of furthering your skills as a structural engineer without imposing on your boss’ time (and money) would be easier if you had company. A YM Group offers a venue for engineers early in their careers to lessen their individual load by forming a network with their peers. A difficult and stressful task for one could become enjoyable and more beneficial when tackled by a large group. I would highly recommend that you go to your local Chapter’s Board of Directors meeting and ask to start a YM Group with their help.

EI’s have fallen into a training gap that few realize exist.

While in school, universities cater to a student’s desire to become a structural engineer by teaching them the basics of mechanics and material strength, as well as the technical background associated with common design procedures. Later in their career, most MO’s and their underlying chapters cater to the Professional Engineer’s continuing education of new products and design techniques as well as professional concerns. In between these phases, the growth and development of a structural EI’s skills and experiences in a group setting have been left solely to their place of employment, which in times of economic downturns leaves EI’s pretty much fending for themselves. MO’s can expect to increase their membership base. I recommend that MO’s extend their operations to cover EI-based functions in order to include the full spectrum of the structural engineers’ career in our organization’s mission to further the structural profession. Visualizing the need for this extension is simple. When an established PE attends a dinner presentation on “Vertical Wall Sheathing”, the PE wants to know the cost, strength, and code compliance of the product. The EI, excited to learn and hoping for more pictures, wants to first and foremost know why the presenter is pronouncing “sheeting” incorrectly. This has nothing to do with the intelligence of the EI, merely their lack of experience. MO’s can utilize YM Groups to fill the gap between schooling and licensed practice, while subsequently filling the gap in their membership base. NCSEA MO’s should consider this as supply and demand; the more information they supply, the greater the demand from the members, leading to more overall involvement.

Prepare EI’s for better discussion of the topic at your next

meeting. When the main chapter plans a meeting on “Vertical Wall Sheathing”, the YM Group carries out a meeting a week beforehand that reviews wood-framed wall design, definitions of terms, and the load path of forces, in order to acquaint the members with why and how vertical sheathing differs from conventional horizontal sheathing. These YM meetings prepare the EI not only to attend the Chapter meeting, but they also attract structural engineers to NCSEA MO’s at an earlier stage of their career. Having a YM Group will help an MO grow while ensuring that its budding structural engineers remain valuable despite economic downturns and shortfalls. The FSEA Palm Beaches Chapter YM Group, established in January 2011, created such a peer network for Structural Engineer Interns. This YM Group provides a venue for those EI’s to find and excel at work as well as for PE’s to find valuable employees, has established an FSEA Student Chapter at Florida Atlantic University, and has allowed its members to develop exponentially. The resulting and continued benefits of the group are outlined below: • A venue is provided for young structural engineers to meet, advise, network, and grow together. • A productive transition from the community of the

University setting to the individuality and confidence of the licensed engineer is made possible. • Confidence and experience are infused among members. • More experienced EI’s and PE’s hone their design understanding and presentation skills as they instruct the younger EI’s and students. • Unemployed YM’s gain experience and knowledge that will give them an edge at their next job interview. • YM’s working in civil disciplines can maintain their structural connections and code knowledge while waiting for the economy to improve, and YM’s employed in structural engineering firms can grow in design knowledge while reducing the time required by their employers to teach such designs. • Members in all stages of their careers are able to take part in refreshing and interesting discussions and presentations, either as an attendee or a volunteer presenter. I highly encourage other MO’s to start YM groups of their own, and to promote it heavily to EI’s and PE’s. NCSEA will provide guidelines for starting a YM group upon request, and I am always available to anyone who has any questions or comments (h_anesta@me.com).

Soft Soil, Water and Wind — The pictures tell the story:

NCSEA Webinars in April

Friday morning speakers: Charlie Hess, Dale Miller, Angela DeSoto Duncan, and Bill Gwyn. Saturday speaker Bill Coulbourne. Seeing the Surge Barrier was no easy task.

Friday reception.

Saturday speaker/sponsor Dennis Boehm. Board Members take the tour in stride.

The Seabrook Floodgate Complex. Speaker Mike Wysockey with Bill Bast and Sarv Nayyar.

Saturday speaker Mike Sheridan.

April 10: Special Inspection Observation & Testing

This presentation, given by Sue Frey, will review a project team’s contract document requirements under the 2006 or 2009 International Building Code (IBC) for Special Inspection, Professional Observation, and Testing. Sue Frey is a principal structural engineer serving as a designer, design manager, structural technical quality assurance reviewer, and multi-discipline team quality assurance manager on various types of projects during her 34 years with CH2M HILL. Ms. Frey is active in various code and standard committees, including masonry and prestressed concrete tanks, and teaches a masonry and building forces class annually at Oregon State University. Register at www.ncsea.com.

April 26: UFC 4-023-03 Design of Buildings to Resist Progressive Collapse

This presentation, given by Ronald Hamburger, will review the procedures, from determination of a building’s risk category through selection of a design method for progressive collapse resistance, including application of each of the methods. Ronald Hamburger was appointed to the joint FEMA/ASCE team that performed the initial investigation of the collapse of the WTC buildings and, later, participated in the more detailed studies performed by NIST. Mr. Hamburger chaired the NCSEA-sponsored joint ad hoc committee that developed the recent progressive collapse resistance requirements proposal adopted by the IBC and currently chairs the ASCE-7 General Requirements Subcommittee responsible for adoption of similar requirements in ASCE 7.

Cost: $225 for NCSEA members, $250 for SEI/CASE members, $275 for non-members, FlexPlan option still available. Several people may attend for one connection fee. 1.5 hours of continuing education. Approved for CE credit in all 50 States through the NCSEA Diamond Review Program. Applicable for SECB recertification. No fee for continuing education certificates. Time: 10:00 AM Pacific, 11:00 AM Mountain, 12:00 PM Central, 1:00 PM Eastern. Miss a webinar that you wanted to see? Purchase the recording at www.ncsea.com.

NCSEA News

The Newsletter of the Structural Engineering Institute of ASCE Structural Columns

Call for Abstracts and Proposals

The Structures 2013 Congress program will provide a forum to advance the art, science, and practice of Structural Engineering. We are currently accepting proposals for complete sessions and abstracts for individual papers to be presented during the Structures Congress. Abstract submissions should be 250 to 500 words describing what will be discussed in the presentation and identifying what the attendee will learn from your presentation. Include the abstract title, all authors, with names, credentials (P.E., Ph.D.), organization, correct e-mail address, and name of the presenter. Session proposals require a two step process. First you upload a 100-200 word session document describing what will be discussed during the 90 minute session, explain if this is a panel session or a traditional session with authors presenting papers. After the session document is loaded, each author will upload their papers to this existing session proposal. List all panel members or authors and paper titles, include name; credentials (P.E., Ph.D.), organization and working e-mail address. Tell us who the moderator is with e-mail address and if the session is sponsored by a committee or organization. Make sure to review the Author Guide on how to upload a full session proposal. Attendance and registration are required for all presenters. Presentations will be selected from the open call, as well as by special invitation.

Suggested Technical Paper Topics (full list of subtopics available on the Congress website)

• Blast and Impact Loading and Response of Structures • Bridges and Transportation Structures • Buildings • Business and Professional Practice • Education • Non-Building and Special Structures • Nonstructural Systems and Components • Research Visit the SEI Website at www.asce.org/SEI for an author guide on how to upload a session proposal or abstract.

Key Dates

All Abstract and Session Proposals due June 12, 2012

Notification of Acceptance September 18, 2012 All Final Papers due January 15, 2013 (extensions not possible) For more information about the Structures 2013 Congress and how to submit your abstract, visit www.asce.org/SEI.

Journal of Structural Engineering Special Issue

Call for papers on Sustainability

The Journal of Structural Engineering is planning a special issue to highlight and document some of the recent advances in sustainability. Yahya C. Kurama, Ph.D., P.E., of the University of Notre Dame, and Arzhang Alimoradi, Ph.D., P.E., of Southern Methodist University will be the guest editors. The special issue will contribute to the general mission of the Journal of Structural Engineering by focusing on fundamental knowledge on the stateof-the-art and state-of-practice in structural design, analysis, behavior, and construction as related to sustainable building structures. Manuscripts that investigate the physical properties of sustainable materials will demonstrate strong relevance to structural engineering through building or component design, analysis, and behavior. Papers that rigorously discuss real-world applications and case studies on reducing the environmental impacts of building structures through better engineering will be within the scope of the special issue. Deadline for submissions is April 30, 2012. Tentative publication date for the special issue is July 2013. Visit the JSE website for more information and details about how to submit your abstract: http://ascelibrary.org/sto/.

ASCE 7 Committee

Call for Proposals for the 2016 Edition

The Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) of ASCE is currently accepting proposals to modify the 2010 edition of ASCE 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures Standards Committee to prepare the 2016 revision cycle of the standard. Interested parties may download the proposal form from the SEI Website at www.asce.org/SEI. The committee will accept proposals until June 30, 2012. For additional information please contact Jennifer Goupil, SEI Director, at jgoupil@asce.org.

SEI Logo Available for Local Groups and Committee Chairman

ASCE Branding Toolkit

ASCE’s Collaborative Marketing Department has created a Branding Tool Kit website to help standardize branding across the Society. All institute logos, including SEI’s, were redesigned recently to include the ASCE shield. Please make sure that you use the most up-to-date ASCE and SEI logos when sending out correspondence, creating flyers, or marketing events. The Branding Tool Kit includes logos in black and white, color, horizontal, and vertical versions. The website will walk you through creating a login to access the toolkit. Visit the Branding Toolkit today at: www.ascebrandingtoolkit.com/pages/login.php.

Advanced Analysis in Steel Frame Design

New Publication Now Available

Advanced Analysis in Steel Frame Design presents formal guidelines for the use of second-order inelastic analysis in the design and assessment of steel framing systems. This advanced analysis methodology focuses on the strength of the structural system as a whole, rather than design load levels producing first member failure. The report includes design rules, background and commentary regarding these rules, and benchmarks for columns and frames. It also provides specific recommendations regarding the rigor of the analysis, minimum modeling requirements, consideration of limit states, serviceability, and live load reduction, yet allows latitude for the judgment of the design engineer. 2012 | Soft cover | 56 pp. | ISBN 978-0-7844-1196-4 | Stock # 41196 | List $45 | ASCE Member $33.75 To order, visit the ASCE Publications website at: www.asce.org/bookstore.

New ASCE Structural Webinars Available

SEI partners with ASCE Continuing Education to present quality live interactive webinars on useful topics in structural engineering. Several new webinars are available:

Webinar Title Date

Instructor

Design of Buildings for Coastal Flooding April 5, 2012 Bill Coulbourne The Five Most Common Errors Made During Bridge Inspections April 18, 2012 Jennifer Laning Significant Changes to the Wind Load Design Procedures of ASCE 7-10 April 19, 2012 Eric Stafford Elevating Wood Framed Structures April 25, 2012 Bill Coulbourne Wind Tunnel Testing for Wind Loads on Structures April 30, 2012 Leighton Cochran Connection Solutions for Wood Framed Structures May 2, 2012 Tom Williamson Deflection Calculation of Concrete Floors – Immediate; Long-Term; Cracking May 3, 2012 Bijan O. Aalami Wind Design for Non-Residential Wood Structures May 11, 2012 Scott Lockyear Webinars are live interactive learning experiences. All you need deliver the training to your location, with minimal disruption is a computer with high-speed internet access and a phone. These in workflow – ideal for brown-bag lunch training. events feature an expert speaker on practice-oriented technical ASCE Webinars are completed in a short amount of time – and management topics relevant to civil engineers. generally 60 to 90 minutes – and staff can earn one or more Pay a single site fee and provide training for an unlimited PDHs for each Webinar. number of engineers at that site for one low fee, and no cost or Visit the ASCE Continuing Education Website for more details lost time for travel and lodging. ASCE’s experienced instructors and to register: www.asce.org/conted.

SAVE THE DATE

ATC & SEI Advances in Hurricane Engineering Conference

Miami, Florida October 24-26, 2012

For more information visit the ATC & SEI Hurricane conference website at: www.atc-sei.org/.

2012 Electrical Transmission and Substation Structures Conference

Columbus, Ohio November 4-8, 2012

For more information visit the ETS conference website at: http://content.asce.org/conferences/ets2012/index.html.

ISEC-7

Call for papers

The Seventh International Structural Engineering and Construction Conference (ISEC-7) has issued a call for papers. ISEC-7 will be held June 18-23, 2013 in Honolulu. Papers are sought for the following tracks: All branches of Architecture and Architectural Engineering, Coastal Engineering, Construction and Engineering Management, Construction Safety, Cost and Project Management, Education and Professional Ethics, Energy, Facilities and Asset Management, Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering, Housing, Infrastructure, Law and Dispute Resolution, Materials, Policies for Technology and National Development, Procurement, Quality, Risk Analysis and Disaster Management, Structures, Sustainability, Water and Air, and more. Abstract submissions are due by June 15, 2012. For more information visit the ISEC-7 website: http://isec-society.org/ISEC_07/index.htm.

CASE in Point

CASE Member Firm Wins Grand Award

Congratulations to CASE Member rm Magnusson Klemencic Associates of Seattle, Washington for winning a Grand Award for project Aqua at Lakeshore East and for being a nalist for the Grand Conceptor Award. e Grand Conceptor Award is given to the year’s most outstanding engineering achievement. e Winner will be announced at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala during the ACEC Convention in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. As described in their application for the award: e developer of Aqua wanted an aesthetically appealing, highly marketable, sustainable residential tower, so architect Jeanne

Gang set out to create a one-of-a-kind “topographic tower” with direct sightlines to Chicago landmarks. Turning vision into reality required six major engineering achievements, most visibly the design of 78 individually unique curving oor plates with balconies that cantilever up to 12 feet and feature skinny 6-inch edges. Engineers also invented a new structural system, performed advanced wind engineering analysis on the 868-foot tower, utilized cutting-edge techniques to increase foundation e ciency, developed a method of molding 8 miles of concrete slab edges into delicate ripples, and

digitally transformed the architect’s intent into construction reality. e technologies developed for Aqua (pending LEED

Silver) will transform the next generation of buildings, with dramatic architectural options, increased occupant comfort, enhanced amenities, and community reconnectivity. Additionally, two CASE rms have been awarded 2012 Engineering Excellence Honor Awards. Walter P Moore of Houston, Texas was honored in the Structural Systems category for the KFC Yum! Center Louisville Arena, in Louisville, Kentucky. Also winning an Honor Award was the SSFM International/Mo att & Nichols Joint Venture of Honolulu Hawaii for the Submarine Drive-In Magnetic Silencing Facility, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. On behalf of CASE, congratulations to the Honor Award winners and best of luck to Magnusson Klemencic Associates on April 17th! For more information on the EEA Awards, visit www.acec.org/getinvolved/eea.cfm or contact Daisy Nappier at dnappier@acec.org.

Tool 2-4: Project Risk Management Plan

CASE is announcing the newest tool under Foundation 2, Prevention and Proactivity, Tool 2-4: Project Risk Management Plan. Have you ever had something go wrong on your project and when looking back you say, “I should have thought of that!”? Well, here’s your chance to prove it. We all need to be thinking about what could go wrong on our projects, and what we need to do to prevent that from happening. With Tool 2-4, Project Risk Management Plan, you’ll walk through the methodology for managing your project risks, along with a few common project risks and templates on how to record and track them. It’s the tool that no project should live without. Developed by the CASE Toolkit Committee, this product is for sale at www.booksforengineers.com.

A/E Industry’s Premier Leadership-Building Institute Filling Fast for September Class

Since its inception in 1995, the American Council of Engineering Companies’ prestigious Senior Executives Institute (SEI) has attracted public and private sector engineers and architects from rms of all sizes, locations and practice specialties. Executives–and up-and-coming executives – continue to be attracted by the Institute’s intense, highly interactive, energetic, exploratory, and challenging learning opportunities. In the course of ve separate ve-day sessions over an 18-month timeframe, participants acquire new high-level skills and insights that facilitate adaptability and foster innovative systems thinking to meet the challenges of a changed A/E/C business environment. e next SEI Class 18 meets in Washington, D.C. in September 2012 for its rst session. Registration for remaining slots is available. Executives with at least ve years’ experience managing professional design programs, departments, or rms are invited to register for this unique leadership-building opportunity. As always, course size is limited, allowing faculty to give personal attention, feedback, and coaching to every participant about their skills in management, communications, and leadership. SEI graduates say that a major bene t of the SEI experience is the relationships they build with each other during the program. Participants learn that they are not alone in the challenges they face both personally and professionally, and every SEI class has graduated to an ongoing alumni group that meets to continue the lifelong learning process and provide support. For more information, visit www.acec.org/education/sei/ or contact Deirdre McKenna, 202-682-4328, or dmckenna@acec.org.

CASE Business Practice Corner

If you would like more information on the items below, please contact Ed Bajer, ebajer@acec.org. Local Preference

e preference for hiring local rms appears to be spreading to procurements for professional services, despite that the requirement does not having any rational connection to the technical requirements of the project. More than a few states and municipalities have these preferences written into state law or municipal ordinance. Many businesses, including engineering rms, use this to their advantage by citing their local connections in their proposals. On the other hand, some states without local preference have asked rms to disclose whether the jurisdiction of their headquarters has a local preference with the inference of possibly using it against them. Here is an excerpt from a veto message on a local preference bill vetoed by then Gov. Schwarzenegger (CA) in 2010. Reciprocity statutes, enacted by at least 36 other states, would add a percentage to bids submitted by California businesses bidding on contracts with those states, making it dif cult for California businesses to contract with other states. For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill. a non-compete agreement? Is it the responsibility of the person under the agreement or can the rm get dragged into it? When considering hiring someone under a non-compete ask to see a copy of it. Is it enforceable under your state law? Some courts look for ways not to enforce them because people have to be able to work. e decision may ride on how limited the opportunities are in a particular geographic area.

Substitutions

An engineer should be entitled to presume that an item sold by a manufacturer based on their speci cations does in fact meet the advertised standard (but this has not always been true). ere are cases where the engineer has been held liable for failure to have new material tested. Where new materials or equipment are called for, the engineer should be sure that the producer knows how their product is to be used and, where practical, the producer’s representative should be present when it is used.

Non-Compete

It seems non-compete agreements are becoming more common. What to do when possibly hiring someone under