Sponsored by ASCE Continuing Education and the Structural Engineering Institute (SEI).

This is an excellent way to get information and knowledge shared with a larger community.

Purpose and Background

Hidden conditions of compromised structural integrity exist in some buildings. Some of these conditions reveal themselves in sudden and catastrophic failures, some are discovered and addressed prior to such an event, while some remain undetected, creating the potential for some future unfortunate event to occur. These problems can be caused by design error, poor material or system choices, construction flaw or defect, inappropriate modification, environmental deterioration, lack of maintenance, or a combination of the above.

This webinar is a collection of over thirty brief stories about structural building problems. Each of them were either discovered through a condition review by the author, or identified by the author after a failure event. At the end, recommendations will be presented for when building reviews by a senior structural engineer should be performed. By then, the reasons for doing a review should be obvious: Since human beings design and construct buildings, some degree of human error should be assumed.

Learning Outcomes

• Become familiar with a variety of conditions that can cause structural problems in buildings
• Review common failures of steel joists, wood trusses, basement walls, and other common structural systems
• Gain experience in discerning when observed distress may indicate a structural problem

Webinar Benefits

• Discover how some building flaws can be minimized by good design practice
• Understand how structural problems can be introduced inadvertently by facility operators
• Realize the importance of a careful structural inspection program during construction
• Learn structural weaknesses and limitations of some common building systems
• Gain insight into what to look for in a structural condition review
• Follow a cause and effect process of identifying adverse structural conditions
• Realize the role of good communication in minimizing building problems

Intended Audience

Structural engineers, primarily those who design, analyze, alter, and review buildings will benefit from this webinar.

Webinar Outline

• Introduction
• Roofs and overhead elements
• Gymnasiums and large spaces
• Columns and floors
• Basements and crawlspaces
• Other
• When to conduct a structural review