Basic Fire Precautions during Construction of large Buildings

ConstruCtion issues

discussion of construction issues and techniques

The topic of fire precaution and safety during construction of large buildings is timely and relevant. The frequency and consequence of this type of fire is attracting attention in both public and private arenas. These types of fires may also impact nearby buildings, can interrupt neighborhood business operations, and can have longer-term effects on the surrounding community. Often they result in property damage, have the potential for worker and first responder casualties and injuries, and can have a longer-term effect on the reputation of companies involved. But most importantly, they can be prevented to a large degree by strict adherence to existing model codes and standards that have been written for just such purposes. These include requirements and references to standards that are almost universally accepted by local governments that oversee most construction in the United States. To that end, the American Wood Council has joined Basic Fire Precautions with Fireforce One, a fire protection consulting firm, during Construction of along with a coalition of Large Buildings stakeholder organizations involved in the construction of large buildings, to develop education and trainBy Dr. Kuma Sumathipala, P.Eng ing materials on how to reduce the frequency and and Chief Ronny Coleman severity of fires during construction. The project is expected to be completed in mid-2015 and will make available video and print materials that can be used by developers, builders, fire services, and the design community to enhance fire safety on the jobsite. This article provides an overview of the areas on which the education and training materials will focus.

Dr. Kuma Sumathipala, P.Eng (ksumathipala@awc.org), is Director of Fire and Energy Technologies with the American Wood Council. Chief Ronny Coleman is a retired California State Fire Marshal with fire protection consulting firm Fire Force One. He can be reached at ron@fireforceone.com.

Fire Safety Plan

In order to manage risks and hazards and reduce catastrophic events, there needs to be a plan and management model in place. In order to have an effective program there must also be a system of accountability. Fire Protection Program According to the Occupational, Safety, and Health Administration (OSHA) a building site must have a Fire Protection Program (FPP) incorporated into its Health and Safety Plan (29 CFR Part 1926 Subpart F). The Model building codes further require that an owner/developer implement a pre-fire plan for each new construction or renovation project site in coordination with the fire department. The program implemented is expected to incorporate the guidelines of NFPA 241 Standard for Fire Safety during Construction, Demolition or Alteration of Buildings.

Model building codes require that an owner/ developer implement a pre-fire plan for each new construction or renovation project site in coordination with the fire department, which is expected to incorporate the guidelines of NFPA 241 Standard for Fire Safety during Construction, Demolition or Alteration of Buildings.

Site Fire Prevention Manager A person with appropriate knowledge should be designated as the Fire Prevention Program Manager for the site, in accordance with NFPA 241. This manager will coordinate their activities with the overall Site Safety Manager. The Fire Prevention Program Manager is responsible for developing and implementing a written, comprehensive Site Fire Safety Plan (FSP). Enforcement Just like location is stressed for real estate, construction site fire safety emphasis must be on training and enforcement. The best Site Fire Safety Plan is ineffective unless training has been provided and the Plan is strictly enforced. Post-fire incident review often reveals that the very cause of a fire was explicitly addressed in the FSP but ignored. Model Code Every State in the U.S. has an adoption process for fire and building codes, and many jurisdictions use available model codes for this purpose. All of the principal U.S. model building and fire codes follow a similar path in setting requirements for buildings under construction.

Best Management Practice (BMP)

BMPs would require all people working on or visiting a construction site to be made aware of the importance of fire prevention and the content of the Fire Safety Plan, including what to do in the event of fire, emergency procedures, location of assembly points, and good housekeeping

practices. Appropriate training in relation to the use of portable firefighting equipment, safety precautions for those undertaking hazardous operations, and site-specific emergency procedures would be provided. Records are also kept of fire safety training and instructions given to site personnel and visitors. Additional area-specific BMPs that are to be addressed in any Site Fire Safety Plan include : • Housekeeping • Hot Work • Electrical Supplies and Equipment • Smoking Activities • Food Preparation • Open Fires/Waste Fires and Temporary Heating Equipment • Plant Equipment and Vehicles • Stored and Waste Materials • Storage of Combustible Building Materials • Exposed Combustible Materials • Flammable Liquids and Gases • Waste/Garbage Chutes Once a building is under construction, there are two primary agencies that have an interest in compliance. The local building official inspects for compliance with applicable codes. The other interested agency will be the fire department that may have ongoing enforcement responsibilities for completed buildings.

Interface with the Fire Department

Regular liaison with the fire department is important. The fire department needs to have full knowledge of a building site before a fire emergency occurs. This allows for a more effective response. Areas to be reviewed with fire authorities, and for which a number of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards exist to provide guidance, include: • Pre-Fire Planning • Water Supplies • Fire Department Access • Emergency Procedures

Built-In Fire Protection Features

Better use can often be made of the additional fire protection that is built into a structure. Planning their use as part of construction staging will allow their installation and operation as soon as reasonably practicable. Components that fall into this category include: Permanent Features • Fire stairs, including fire-resistant walls • Fire compartment boundaries, including fire doors, penetration seals and general protection of other openings

A coalition of stakeholder organizations involved in the construction of large buildings has joined together to develop education and training materials on how to reduce the frequency and severity of fires during construction.

• Fire-protective materials to structural steel and fire-preventative coverings over combustible construction • Automatic fire sprinkler systems and other automatic suppression systems, where usable • Automatic detection and alarm systems Temporary Systems • Temporary detection and automatic alarms • Manual pull-stations • Emergency telephones strategically located Means of Egress • Adequate paths of travel to fire exits • Regularly checked for obstructions • Clearly signed Fire Extinguishers • Appropriately sized and widely available at all times • Additional extinguishers for fire watch personnel • Always at hot works locations • Maintained and regularly inspected • All staff fully trained in their use Hydrants and Hose Reels • Fully operational as soon as possible Standpipe Risers • Installed and commissioned progressively with construction • Locations well marked • All staff fully trained in their use

Temporary Systems

The construction process often results in a need for temporary installations. These are defined as those that will be removed before finalization and occupancy of the project. Temporary systems may include building, exiting, and heating systems. Such temporary systems are needed, but must never be placed in locations where they compromise the ability to maintain fire safety. The planning process should include and plan for any temporary system, with monitoring of such systems included in oversight and implementation of the fire plan.

Site Security

Security is required on a construction site for many purposes. It includes preventing theft, vandalism, and reducing liability. Notably, preventing arson is one of the most difficult tasks faced at building sites. Depending upon the size and physical configuration of a building, guard services may be required to maintain levels of safety. Additional details are available in NFPA 601, Standard for Security Services in Fire Loss Prevention.

Fire Reporting

When an emergency occurs, time is of the essence. Emergency responders need to be notified immediately, even for events considered small. Research indicates that it is not uncommon for these types of fires to become catastrophic in size before the fire department is even notified or arrives on scene. continued on next page

The International Building Code, International Fire Code, and NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code allow alternative materials, designs, and methods of construction and equipment to be used. However, where such systems are used, care must be taken to ensure they are recognized and addressed in the FSP.

Construction within Occupied Buildings

Final punch-out, renovation, and maintenance activities are often undertaken after buildings have received their certificate of occupancy and may even be occupied. This often presents unique challenges to ensuring fire and life safety during such processes. As with new buildings, the planning phase is critical to ensure that acceptable safety levels are maintained during final construction tasks, renovation, and maintenance. Principal contractors should take the lead in preparing a site Fire Safety Plan for these conditions, but representatives from among those working on the premises and the building owner should also be involved in developing an appropriate and responsive FSP.

The International Building Code and International Fire Code, both published by the International Code Council, and NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code allow alternative materials, designs, and methods of construction and equipment to be used.

Conclusion

National fire organizations, including the U.S. Fire Administration and NFPA have been monitoring losses in construction fires in large buildings for decades. The trend and pattern of these fires is significant, as it shows that a greater percentage result in large financial losses compared to fires in completed, occupied buildings. Research that looked into the causes and outcomes of these fires repeatedly point to construction site accountability and enforcement of existing fire and building codes as primary reasons for such losses, indicating a strong need to improve in these areas. The joint American Wood Council/ Fireforce One project, along with a very engaged group of affected stakeholders, was created to specifically address this need. Later this year, the project will be providing very specific print and video materials, training, and guidance for adoption and implementation to the construction, fire, and design communities. We hope the result will be a highly enhanced awareness of the problem, and a resulting reduction in construction site fire losses.▪

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SkyScraper Watch

2014 Was Impressive, and 2015 Will Be Even More So

By Daniel Safarik

If construction completion is used as the main basis of comparison, it is hard to conclude anything other than the global tall-building industry is burgeoning, seemingly despite emerging signs of global economic doldrums. The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has determined that 97 buildings of 200-meter (656-foot) height or greater were completed around the world in 2014 – a new record. This is a 20% increase from the previous record of 81, set in 2011. Not surprisingly, 60% of these 2014 buildings were in China.

Key Market Snapshots

• A total of 11 supertalls (buildings of 300 meters [984 feet] or higher) completed in 2014 – the highest annual total on record. Since 2010, 46 supertalls have been completed, representing 54% of the supertalls that currently exist (85).

The number of 200-meter-plus (>656 feet) buildings in existence has hit 935, a 352% increase from 2000, when only 266 existed. • The year 2014 was the “tallest year ever” by another measure:

The sum of heights of all 200-meter-plus buildings completed across the globe in 2014 was 23,333 meters (76,552 feet) – setting another all-time record and breaking 2011’s previous record of 19,852 meters (65,131 feet). • Asia’s dominance of the tall-building industry increased yet again in 2014. Seventy-four of the 97 buildings completed in 2014, or 76%, were in Asia. • Once again, for the seventh year in a row, China completed the most 200-meter-plus buildings (58). This represents 60% of the global 2014 total, and a 61% increase over its previous record of 36 in 2013. • The Philippines took second place with five completions, the

United Arab Emirates and Qatar share position three with four completions each, and the United States, Japan, Indonesia and

Canada tie for fourth, with three completions each. • Japan marked its first entry into the supertall stakes with the completion of the 300-meter (984-foot) Abeno Harukas in

Osaka, becoming the country’s tallest building. • South America also welcomed its first supertall, the 300-meter (984-foot) Torre Costanera of Santiago, Chile, which was also the only building of 200 meters or greater to complete on the continent in 2014.

Completed 2014, Height 1251 Feet Owner: Aldar Properties Architect: Foster + Partners Structural Engineer: Halvorson and Partners

Burj Mohammmed Bin Rashid Tower, Abu Dhabi. Courtesy of Arabian Construction Company.

• Tianjin, China, was the city that completed the most 200-meter-plus buildings, with six. Chongqing, Wuhan, and

Wuxi, China, along with Doha, Qatar, all tied for second place with four completions each. • In 2014, 47 all-office buildings were completed (48% of the total), the largest total ever, versus 31 (38% of the total) in 2011, the previous record high. • At 541 meters (1,775 feet), One World Trade Center was the tallest building to complete in 2014 and is now the world’s third-tallest building.

Completions by Structural Material

A majority of tall buildings completed in 2014 were of composite construction – 52 out of 97 (54%), as compared to 24 out of 71 (34%) in 2013, while the number of buildings whose predominant structural material is concrete declined to 37 of 97 completed (34%) in 2014, from 43 of 71 (61%) in 2013. All-steel continued its decline as a primary structural material, comprising only 5% of 2014’s 200-meter-plus completions and 13% of the world’s 100 tallest buildings, though it showed a slight uptick from 3% in 2013.

The World’s 100 Tallest Buildings: Impact of 2014

In 2014, the number of buildings entering the World’s 100 Tallest list was 13, one more than in 2013. The shortest building on the 100 Tallest list in 2013 was the Columbia Center, Seattle, at 284.4 meters (933.1 feet). In 2014, the shortest building became the 291.6-meter (956.7-foot) SEG Plaza in Shenzhen, having moved down the rung from number 87 to number 100. The average height of buildings in the 100 Tallest list has thus increased to 350 meters (1,148 feet) in 2014 from 344 meters (1,129 feet) in 2013 – the figure in 2000 was 285 meters (935 feet). The number of all-office towers in the 100Tallest ranking continues to decline, with 39 all-office buildings, down from 42 in 2013. In context, as recently as 2000, 85 of the world’s 100 tallest buildings were all-office buildings. In the 100 Tallest rankings, 39 buildings were composite construction, versus 36 in 2013. Despite the somewhat surprising increase in 2014, all-steel continued its decline as a primary structural material, comprising only five of 2014’s completions and 13 of the world’s 100 tallest buildings.

Analysis

What can be made of this skyscraper surge? It could very well be that pent-up demand has returned to real-estate markets after a lull during the recession. Now that six years have passed since the global economic crisis/recession began in 2008, and given the long gestation and construction periods common to tall buildings, we are almost certainly seeing the results of a post-recessionary recovery. Clearly, the Chinese juggernaut has not yet run out of steam. The country continues to see new 200-meter-plus completions in cities that previously had few or no such buildings, indicating that the massive plan to urbanize the country – requiring the urban relocation of some 250 million people – is underway. Its effects have begun to percolate into smaller regional cities beyond the first tier of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. It is tempting, but dangerous, to take this as an undiluted sign of economic health, as the

Completed 2014, Height 984 Feet Owner: Cencosud Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli Structural Engineer: Rene Lagos

Engineers

Torre Costanera, Santiago, Chile. Courtesy of Pablo Blanco Barro.

Chinese national and regional governments are principal stakeholders in many of these projects, and the “cause and effect” of the situation is not always clear. Is the government subsidizing tall buildings in order to attract businesses, and in anticipation of future masses, or are business and population needs organically driving growth? The other major trend that would seem to justify further analysis is the increase in the number of all-office buildings, something that has not happened since the previous record year of 200-meter-plus completions across the board that occurred in 2011. The use of all-steel structures also increased slightly, which is counter to the overall trend of a steep decline since 2000. These 2014 figures are likely correlated. The reason most office skyscrapers were historically made of steel is due to the spanning capabilities that steel affords the large, columnfree spaces office tenants desired. But in the past decade, the use of composite construction, such as concrete-encased steel – most often working in conjunction with a concrete core – has risen with the increasing number of mixed-use buildings, and has provided the flexibility needed to accommodate all kinds of uses in one building. On its face, then, the small uptick in all-steel use in 2014 seems somewhat anomalous. The number of all-steel cases is small enough to analyze as a group. All of the buildings have an office component, but two are mixed-use. Three of the five buildings completed are in Japan, which has extremely high seismic requirements. The methods used to satisfy those requirements, such as base isolation and in-plane dampers, are easier to implement in steel. Also, steel has inherent flexural properties superior to that of concrete. The Cathay Life Xinyi A3 building in Taiwan is an office building in a high seismic zone as well. London’s Leadenhall

Completed 2014, Height 977 Feet Owner: Silverstein Properties Architect: Maki and Assoc. /

Adamson Assoc. Structural Engineer: Leslie E.

Robertson Asssoc.

4 World Trade Center New York, NY. Courtesy of Fadi Asmar / LERA.

Building, which entirely consists of offi ce space for lease, had many particular site constraints that resulted in prefabrication being selected as the optimal construction method. Steel lends itself to the lifting and adjustment requirements of prefabrication, of course, and the project’s architect, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, is widely known for its use of expressive steel exoskeletons in its work.

Trend-Watching

If anything, 2015 will be more active than 2014 and, indeed, any year previous. We currently project the completion of between 105 and 130 buildings of 200 meters’ height or greater, eight to 15 of which will be supertalls, and one of which will be a megatall – Shanghai Tower. Once again, China is expected to lead by a wide margin. China is on track to complete or top out 106 buildings of 200 meters or greater – that’s 86% of the low-range estimate (105) and 72% of the high-end estimate (130). Here are some of the developments that will be making headlines in 2015: Global Th e US Department of Agriculture’s $2 million Tall Wood Building Prize Competition closed in February 2015 and, as of press time, the agency was considering technical proposals. Th e winning proposal team will go on to construct a wood building based on their design at least 24 meters (79 feet) in height. It’s looking like 2015 will be a critical year in the development of this new/old building technology. Plans for tall wood buildings have been announced in Vienna and Stockholm, while a project in Bergen, Norway is under construction. To capture all the great learning that is happening now in this fi eld, CTBUH has formed a Tall Timber Working Group. Changsha Brushing off the apparent cancellation of its plan to build the world’s next tallest building (220 stories, 838 meters [2,749 feet]) out of prefabricated modules in a matter of months, the Broad Sustainable Building company fi nished a 57-story skyscraper using the same techniques in March 2015 – in 19 days – a stunning achievement. Dubai Th e long-planned Burj 2020 is back in action, according to CTBUH insiders. In late 2014, shortlisted architecture-engineering teams were being interviewed, making the claimed start of construction in 2015 seem plausible. If the 660-meter (2,165-foot) tower’s developers want to keep its original plan to have the highest observation deck, it will have to top the Burj Khalifa’s 555.7-meter (1,823-foot) perch. Las Vegas Th e erstwhile Harmon Hotel, a planned 47-story building, was stopped in 2008, having completed only 26 stories, after it was determined to be structurally unsound due to construction defects. Th e deconstruction began in June of 2014, and should complete by June 2015. Th e traditional Vegas-style implosion was eschewed, due to its proximity to the surrounding $8.5 billion CityCenter. London Th e beleaguered Pinnacle, a mere “stump” since 2011 due to the recession, was promised another lease on life under PLP Architecture and new owners Axa/Lipton Rogers in late 2014. In February, it was revealed that the unfi nished twisting skyscraper would be demolished and replaced in a $480 million plan. Th e new building is more rectilinear in form, and will be called 22 Bishopsgate when it opens in 2018. Moscow Th e burgeoning Moscow-City complex has begun to pick up pace, after several economy-related delays and at least one fi re. Th e Vostok Tower, at 373 meters (1,224 feet) the higher of the two Federation Towers, will also become the tallest building in Europe in 2015. Shanghai Th e 632-meter (2,073-foot) Shanghai Tower will complete by midyear, becoming the tallest building in China and the world’s second-tallest building. Th e project is also highly anticipated due to its extensive use of double-skin façades and skygardens.▪

Daniel Safarik is the Director of the China offi ce of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and is editor of the CTBUH Journal. Daniel can be reached at dsafarik@ctbuh.org.

CONSTRUCTION OF TALL BUILDINGS GOING STRONG

Companies Innovate, Offer New Products and Services

By Larry Kahaner

Companies involved with tall building construction continue to innovate and grow, and they’re bringing new products and services to their customers. For most companies, business is strong. At RISA Technologies (www.risa.com) in Foothill Ranch, California, Vice President, Operations, Amber Freund says, “We continue to hear from engineers that projects are coming in and design work is keeping them busy.” She adds: “With a well-trained team of engineers and software developers, RISA is working to meet the needs of our growing client base by implementing new design features and expanding the suite of software tools that we off er. Providing exceptional customer service is a priority to us, and is something we continue to strive for in our day-to-day operations. We have a wide variety of engineering design experience within the offi ce, which gives us a great perspective for future development goals. Our focus is squarely on our clients.” Freund notes that the company released RISAFloor ES in 2014 “so RISA now off ers everything you need for concrete design.” She adds, “For concrete fl oors, including beams and two way slabs, nothing beats RISAFloor ES for ease of use and versatility. Th e design of columns and shear walls with RISA-3D off ers total fl exibility. Integration between RISA-3D and RISAFloor ES provides a complete building design.” She says that the company introduced RISAFloor because companies asked for it. “RISAFloor customers had been asking for elevated concrete slab design with the same easy to use interface they were used to. Adding this feature was a good fi t and expansion of our design features within RISAFloor.” (See ad on page 68.) Also on the software side, Tekla, Inc (www.tekla.com/us). in Kennesaw, Georgia, has launched a new building analysis and design solution in March called Tekla Structural Designer (TSD). “TSD utilizes some of the technologies from previous CSC solutions, Fastrak and Orion,” says Stuart Broome, Engineering Business Manager. “TSD has been developed with BIM integration in mind and enables structural engineers to model, analyze, design and produce drawings for complete buildings in a single interface. Capabilities include: steel, composite and concrete, and it is versatile enough to include fl oors, complex roof structures such as trusses, slopes, and hangers, as well as gravity and lateral systems all in the same model.” Broome also says the company had introduced version 21 of Tekla Structures in March, bringing much more drawing capabilities to their BIM solution. “Tekla Structures is well known around the world as being the most widely used and complete solution for steel and concrete detailing, but is less well known as a structural engineer’s tool for producing construction documents and general arrangement drawings. V21 includes many new features to make drawing production quicker than ever before. Because all of the detail is contained in the actual model, there is no need for additional 2D line work. Even dimensions and labels are automatically produced on the drawings. Th is also makes dealing with changes very quick,” says Broome. StructurePoint (www.structurepoint.org), formerly the Engineering Software Group of the Portland Cement Association (PCA), located in Skokie, Illinois, considers itself “a convenient single point of access to the vast resources and knowledge base of the entire cement and concrete industry including Library services, training, R&D, publications, building codes, specialty engineering, concrete material and testing, concrete repair, codes and standards consulting,” according to Heather Johnson, Marketing Director. Johnson wants SEs to know about StructurePoint’s release of spMats v8.00, which was issued in the fall of 2014. “It provides foundation designers a sophisticated, brand new fi nite element solver. Th is increases capacity and substantially speeds solutions for larger and more complex models such as commercial building foundations, industrial facilities, slabs on grade, and equipment foundations. Also introduced are new results sections, including a report of reaction values for restraints, soil, spring, pile, and slaved nodes.” She notes: “StructurePoint is now focused on incorporating ACI 318-14 code changes into our software suite. We are very pleased with the new code organization and fi nd its new member based chapters a perfect match to our member design programs. Now there is a code chapter that correlates exactly to spBeam, spSlab, spColumn, spWall, and spMats. Our end users can easily account for all the 318 code provisions directly in their corresponding StructurePoint software output and results.” Johnson says that they continue to support and gain credibility with international clients along with a defi nitive expansion in the Middle and Far East. “Meanwhile, our U.S. clients continue to consolidate and refi ne their software choices by increasing StructurePoint licenses for increasing work in retrofi t and occupancy changes. Th ese opportunities can sometimes make for very tough and long days, so we are continuing to add staff to address the consulting and educational projects that are no longer addressed by departments of Portland Cement Association.” (See ad on page 40.)

Cast Connex Corporation, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario (www.castconnex.com), works with structural engineers and architects to enable them to incorporate cast steel components into their designs, and then assist contractors successfully integrate Cast Connex products into the structures they construct, according to Carlos de Oliveira, the founding Chief Executive Officer. “In so doing, we simplify the design and enhance the performance of structures. And when we say ‘enhance performance,’ we mean performance in the broadest terms: from architectural to structural performance.” De Oliveira says that casting manufacturing offers the ability to produce monolithic, high integrity structural steel components of virtually any geometry. “Designers across the United States and the world over are leveraging cast steel components in innovative ways to economically address design challenges and to enable unparalleled architectural design opportunities – enhancing structural performance, improving quality, refining aesthetics, and saving money all at the same time.” He adds: “Aesthetics aside, castings provide an opportunity to improve connection load path and connected member efficiency. For example, cast joints can be used to eliminate or reduce shear lagging effects in connections, allowing for higher member utilization. Also, given their isotropic material properties, castings are ideal for use at heavily loaded, multi-axis connections. In high rise construction, a common practice is to build up nodes from plates ‘laminated’ to one another. However,” says de Oliveira, “when the loading on built-up nodes is multi-axis and results in the need to transfer load perpendicular to the direction of lamination, the engineering of such built-up nodes can be challenging and fabrication costs dramatically increase. Replacing those complex, built-up joints with castings is ideal. In fact, there are a number of high rises in Asia where this approach has been implemented with great success, and where this use of castings provides a higher degree of confidence in the quality and robustness of the joints. Note, too, that because machining is a standard part of casting production, cast nodes can be produced with machine-level dimensional precision at locations where structural steel elements are to mate with the casting. As such, shop jointing and field fit-up can be improved in projects which leverage castings.” (See ad on page 4.) At CTS Cement Manufacturing Corporation (www.ctscement.com), in Cypress, California, Janet Ong Zimmerman, the company’s marketing director, says: “Business is very good. Restoration, tilt-up, and flooring are growing for us and our customers. Residential is still a little slow, but coming back. Engineers, architects, contractors and other construction professionals are turning to innovative products to help solve and simplify their construction needs. For instance, they are looking for products that are fast, strong, durable, and easy to use.” She suggests that SEs will be interested in their Rapid Set V/O Repair Mix (Vertical Overhead Repair Material). “Damaged concrete, even in vertical or overhead locations, can be dealt with quickly and easily using Rapid Set V/O Repair Mix,” says Zimmerman. “V/O Repair Mix is a high performance, polymer-modified blend of Rapid Set Cement with additives and specially graded fine aggregates, so it bonds well with existing concrete and is freeze/thaw and corrosion resistant. It is ideal where rapid strength gain, high durability, and low shrinkage are desired.” continued on next page

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Zimmerman says: “Use V/O Repair Mix in thicknesses from ½ inch to 6 inches (1.2 to 15.2 cm) for general concrete repair, resurfacing, vertical and overhead applications and mortar beds. It can be applied full-depth with a single coat. V/O Repair Mix sets in 45 minutes and is ready for loading in 2 hours. It does not need to be wet cured in most applications, because it uses a cutting-edge self-curing technology (SCT). The mix is tinted gray to match most Portland concrete surfaces, and can be used indoors or outdoors.” The impetus for this product came from customers. “We did market research and found a lot of products for patching, but not many products that do what V/O Repair Mix does. V/O Repair Mix is versatile and can be used on different types of projects. It is innovative due to its built-in corrosion inhibitor, fiber reinforced, and self-curing technology. It allows contractors to apply from a very thin to thick application in a single lift, which is rare for this kind of product,” says Zimmerman. New Millennium Building Systems (www.newmill.com) has developed the Flex-Joist Tension-Controlled Steel Joist design approach, in part to address a growing interest in ways to resolve roof overloading. The approach provides for an overall increase in steel joist strength, reliability, and safety, according to a company spokesperson. “The safety advantage relates to the joist’s ability to flex before it breaks. A Flex-Joist system can be equipped by a third-party sensoring installer to establish an early warning system for roof overloads. This is a ductile tensile yielding design approach that has been well researched. The method was published last spring in the AISC Engineering Journal. Flex-Joist also meets the design requirements of the Steel Joist Institute.” Company officials see a trend in steel building design and construction around the concept of composite joists. “The approach has been around for many years, but is now more top-of-mind due to the rise in multi-story building construction,” the spokesperson continued. “A composite steel joist achieves a higher density floor structure, compared to more conventional methods. This is achieved by integrating the structural elements into one compact system. Floor-to-floor elevations can be narrowed due to the thinner floors. Mechanical runs can be passed through the open web steel joists, rather than under a solid wide flange beam. Longer spans mean fewer columns and a more space-efficient design. Lighter and fewer joists also mean less cost at every step, including joist erection and joist fireproofing.”▪

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Software

ADAPT Corporation

Phone: 650-306-2400 Email: orian@adaptsoft.com Web: www.adaptsoft.com Product: ADAPT-Edge for Load Takedown and Column Design Description: e ideal tool for rapid load takedown and column design of concrete buildings. O ers both tributary-based and 3D FEM analysis loading of columns. Use Edge’s integrated column design module or export all tributary and load values into a exible XLS format. Seamlessly imports building models from Revit Structure.

Bentley Systems

Phone: 800-236-8539 Email: structural@bentley.com Web: www.bentley.com Product: RAM Structural System Description: Quickly design, analyze and create documentation for your building projects, saving time and money. Design anything from individual components to large scale building and foundations. Product: RAM Connection Description: Perform analysis and design of virtually any connection type, verify your connections in seconds, all with comprehensive calculations, including seismic compliance. Increase your productivity to optimize work ows and full integration of 3D design models, including the ability to customize the application with your preferences.

Computers & Structures, Inc.

Phone: 510-649-2201 Email: sales@csiamerica.com Web: www.csiamerica.com Product: ETABS 2015 Description: New special-purpose options and algorithms for the practical and e cient application of Performance Based Design (PBD). PBD represents the future of earthquake engineering, giving reasonable assurance that a speci c design will meet a desired level of performance during a given earthquake.

POSTEN Engineering Systems

Phone: 510-275-4750 Email: sales@postensoft.com Web: www.postensoft.com Product: POSTEN Multistory Description: E cient and comprehensive posttensioned concrete software in the world that, unlike other software, not only automatically designs the tendons, drapes, as well as columns, but also produces highly e cient, cost saving, sustainable designs with automatic documentation of material savings for LEED. Powers Fasteners

Phone: 845-230-7533 Email: Mark.Ziegler@sbdinc.com Web: www.powers.com Product: Powers Submittal Generator Description: A new submittal and substitution online tool that helps contractors create submittal packages in just a few steps,. and allows them to include all applicable code reports and technical details with a few clicks. Contact us for a free demonstration!

Product: Powers Design Assist (PDA) Description: Anchor design software now includes the ACI 318-11 code provisions. Download or update to version 2.2 today, to take advantage of the most current code.

RISA Technologies

Phone: 949-951-5815 Email: amberf@risa.com Web: www.risa.com Product: RISAFloor and RISA-3D Description: Modeling has never been easier whether you’re doing a graphical layout, importing a BIM model (from Autodesk Revit Structure), or prefer spreadsheets. Full code checks and optimization for six di erent material types makes RISA your rst choice in buildings.

S-FRAME Software

Phone: 604-273-7737 Email: info@s-frame.com Web: www.s-frame.com Product: S-FRAME Analysis Description: A powerful, e cient 4D structural analysis and design environment with fully integrated steel, concrete and foundation design & optimization tools. Use S-FRAME to perform linear or advanced non-linear analysis on commercial and industrial structures. Includes feature-rich BIM and CAD links.

StructurePoint

Phone: 847-966-4357 Email: info@structurepoint.org Web: www.StructurePoint.org Product: spColumn and spSlab Description: spColumn: design of shear walls, bridge piers as well as typical framing elements in buildings and structures. spSlab: analysis, design and investigation of reinforced concrete oor systems. Product: spMat and spWall Description: spMats: analysis, design and investigation of commercial building foundations and industrial mats and slabs on grade. spWall: design and analysis of cast-in-place reinforced concrete walls, tilt-up walls, ICF walls, and precast architectural and load-bearing panels.

All Resource Guide forms for the 2015 Editorial Calendar are now available on the website, www.STRUCTUREmag.org. Listings are provided as a courtesy. STRUCTURE® magazine is not responsible for errors. Tekla

Phone: 770-426-5105 Email: kristine.plemmons@tekla.com Web: www.tekla.com Product: Tedds Description: A powerful software that will speed up your daily structural and civil calculations, Tedds automates your repetitive structural calculations. Perform 2D Frame analysis, utilize a large library of automated calculations to US codes, or write your own calculations while creating high quality and transparent documentation. Product: Tekla Structures Description: Move from design-oriented to construction-oriented engineering and enable structural engineers proved additional services. rough our open and collaborative software environment, you can work with other disciplines and reduce RFIs. From concept to completion, Tekla software gives you collaboration and control.

Suppliers

American Wood Council

Phone: 202-463-2766 Email: info@awc.org Web: www.awc.org Product: Code Conforming Wood Design (CCWD) Description: e CCWD documents summarize allowable wood use in buildings in accordance with ICC’s 2009 and 2012 IBC. Emphasis is on design exibilities permitted for wood in commercial construction. Eight occupancies including Groups A, B, E, F, I, M, R, and S in construction Types I – IV are discussed.

CTS Cement Manufacturing Corporation

Phone: 800-929-3030 Email: jong@ctscement.com Web: www.ctscement.com Product: Rapid Set® Cement Products Description: For concrete repairs, restoration and new construction, and to achieve high durability, fast strength gain and structural or drive-on strength in one-hour. Install concrete structures and industrialsize oors using Type-K shrinkage-compensating cement products with no curling, no drying shrinkage cracking and no intermediate saw cut joints.

Simpson Strong-Tie®

Phone: 800-999-5099 Email: web@strongtie.com Web: www.strongtie.com/srs Product: Simpson Strong-Tie® Strong-Rod™ Systems Description: Anchor tiedown systems for shearwall overturning restraint and uplift restraint for roofs address many of the design challenges speci cally associated with light-frame, multi-story buildings that must withstand seismic activity or wind events. Simpson Strong-Tie engineers can help optimize your designs with tested, code-listed solutions. Contact us today.

26,000 GALLONS OF COATINGS

PROTECTION FOR THE OHIO DOT’S LARGEST PROJECT

By Dee McNeill

Roughly 1.8 million square feet of steel comprise the nished westbound span of the Innerbelt Bridge over the Cuyahoga River, shown with nished coatings.

A painting contractor applies the intermediate coat to the steel girders under the Innerbelt Bridge. He uses a light mounted on his hard hat to improve visibility while stripe coating the bolts.

The Ohio Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Interstate 90 (I-90) Innerbelt Bridge replacement project in Cleveland, Ohio, is the largest project ever undertaken by the State. e old bridge over the Cuyahoga River had fallen subject to the e ects of the city’s harsh winters and hot, humid summers. After 55 years in service, ODOT needed to address corrosion issues by replacing the historic bridge – the main east-west artery into and through downtown Cleveland. ODOT is currently in the midst of replacing the old Innerbelt Bridge with two new bridges, one to carry tra c in each direction. e pair of bridges has been named in honor of Ohio statesman George V. Voinovich. e decision to replace one bridge with two allows ODOT to maintain tra c during construction and increase capacity on I-90. e connection serves more than 140,000 vehicles per day. e rst of the pair is now open and temporarily carrying tra c in both directions while the second bridge is being constructed. e rst new bridge, which will eventually carry westbound tra c, is 4,347 feet long and stands 120 feet over the Cuyahoga River Valley at its highest point. To expedite work and minimize disruption to both local motorists and those traveling between Chicago and the Northeast, ODOT used a value-based design-build approach, versus a design-bid-build approach, for the rst time.

Choosing the Right Contractor

Aesthetics played a vital role in choosing a general contractor for the westbound bridge project. e bridge’s architecture has distinctive delta-shaped girders, made of A709 Grade HPS 70W steel, that complement the Cuyahoga Valley topography without dominating it. e design teams that competed for the work were evaluated on their ability to deliver not just on cost and an ambitious schedule, but also on preserving the aesthetics that de ne this part of Cleveland’s landscape.

Inspections Lead to Action

In 2008, inspections conducted by ODOT concluded that the old Innerbelt Bridge was showing signs of aging sooner than expected. Harsh de-icing chemicals in the winter months, its location in a highly industrial area, roadway, waterway and vehicular tra c, and businesses located under the structure all presented corrosion threats to the bridge. All structural steel corrodes or rusts when exposed to water and oxygen. e major ways to mitigate the corrosion of the structural steel are protective coatings applied to the steel and the closed drainage system. Not all states require steel bridges to be coated, but ODOT stipulates protecting its bridges in a speci c manner. Bridges in northeast Ohio must stand up to some of the most rigorous inspections there are, given the constant expansion and contraction caused by thermal cycling, and exposure to road salt and airborne contaminants from Lake Erie winds. To achieve all of its requirements, ODOT needed products with high gloss, a low lm build of 2-4 mils with higher-build performance, superior weathering capabilities and that were easy to apply. ODOT decided on a proven coating system in this part of the country for structural steel protection, specifying an inorganic zinc, epoxy and urethane coating system. Sherwin-Williams was chosen to supply coatings for the new span to provide a high-gloss nish and protect the structure from the harsh Cleveland elements.

Painting a Bridge is Like an Obstacle Course

One of the challenges was the bridge’s proximity to high-tra cked areas in the Cleveland metropolitan area. e biggest challenges for a painting contractor include rigging and containment, not only to provide safe surface access to painters, but also to contain overspray, from application practices, falling onto passing motorists. Other challenges for the applicator include temperature and humidity. Dew point may a ect the ability to apply coatings in general and to apply coatings within their stated recoat window. A contractor does not always have a realistic idea of the challenges an applicator may face during a project like this. In addition, ODOT painting

speci cations require work to be completed within certain calendar dates to minimize disruption to the public. Painters must schedule this work appropriately to complete all work within time and temperature parameters. Painters must also work in conjunction with the prime bridge contractor to avoid interfering with crucial operations. With so many potential complications, it was important to establish how the coatings would be applied as early on as possible. A combination of spray guns, rollers and brushes are used. e entire area must be encapsulated with tarps. e tarps have to be secured and free of tears to prevent the paint and construction materials from escaping.

Why the Coating System Works

Zinc-rich primers have been proven through years of testing in various environments to provide the best corrosion protection for steel substrates in all types of environments, including salt, fresh and atmospheric water. e inorganic zinc prime coat is considered sacri cial once in direct contact with the structural steel – because zinc is weaker on the galvanic scale when exposed to oxygen and moisture, it sacri ces itself and corrodes instead of the steel. e epoxy intermediate coating is a barrier coating. It prevents exposure to moisture and oxygen by adhering well to the inorganic zinc primer and protects the steel components from early corrosion. Epoxies break down when exposed to ultraviolet rays. is is where the urethane topcoat comes into play. e gloss retention properties of a topcoat are crucial to determining its ability to resist the negative e ects of UV exposure and protect the intermediate coating from degradation. In this instance, an o -white high-gloss polyurethane topcoat known to demonstrate gloss retention after 9,000 hours of exposure was used (5,000+ hours of UV exposure in QUV accelerated weathering testing is Ohio’s standard). is doubles the maintenance-to-recoat cycle and provides unprecedented value for the taxpayers. In addition, the topcoat’s good color retention would enhance the bridge’s appearance and make it easier to keep clean throughout the years. A nal component was an organic epoxy, which was used by eld painters to touch up shop-primed steel sections and splice plates that may have been damaged in the transportation and steel erection processes. In total, more than 26,000 gallons of coatings were used on the massive bridge project.▪

e Cleveland Innerbelt Bridge project facing north. e original bridge, which opened in 1959, is the main east-west artery into and through the city’s downtown.

CASE SUMMARY

Project

Construction of the westbound span of Cleveland’s George V. Voinovich Bridge required protective coatings to prevent corrosion of the structural steel and provide a 30-year service life.

Coating System

Sherwin-Williams Macropoxy 646 intermediate and HP DOT Acrylic topcoat

Field Touch-up

Zinc Clad IV organic epoxy

Project Owner

Ohio Department of Transportation Design-Build Team: Walsh Construction (Chicago, IL), HNTB Corporation (Columbus, OH), HDR (Omaha, NE) Subcontractors: Atlantic Painting (Oak Lawn, IL), Corrosion Resistance LTD (Stow, OH), APBN Inc. (Campbell, OH)

Dee McNeill is regional market director (U.S and Canada), Bridge & Highway, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings. With more than 35 years of coatings experience, he is responsible for bridge and highway coating speci cation approval and for facilitating the development and acceptance of new technologies to protect the nation’s bridge inventory.