View Important Policies and System Requirements for this course.

This webinar was co-sponsored by ASCE's Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) and ASCE Continuing Education

Instructor:  James A. D’Aloisio, P.E., SECB, LEED AP, BD&C

Course Length: 1 Hour

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, we’ll present recommendations 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

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

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

Seminar 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

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions).

Intended Audience

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

Seminar Outline

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

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.

How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?

1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]