BASE/SEAMass Dinner Meeting - Apr 28, 2010

Sign up to attend the 2010-2011 opening meeting of BASE. This is a combined meeting with SEAMass, featuring a Risk Roundtable discussion. Dr. Jerome Hajjar, new chairman of Northeastern UniversityÕs Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering will be introduced to the Massachusetts structural engineering community. Following a delightful four course dinner by MITÕs executive chef Mark Benanchietti, attendees will participate in a round table hosted by the Council of American Structural Engineers (CASE). The round table will consist of the following discussions:

What Structural Engineers Risk Working with the State of Massachusetts David Corkum Esq.

How to Collect Your Fees Without Getting Sued David Collings Esq.

The Risk Associated with BIM David Odeh P.E., SECB

The Engineers Role in Government Advocacy Mark Steiner P.E., SECB

At $50.00 per person this is a 'must attend'. <./p>

SEAMass Annual Meeting - May 20, 2010

The SEAMass Annual Meeting was held in conjunction with the 29th Annual Steel Design and SFNE Conference at the Campus Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. SFNE and AISC co-sponsored the annual steel design conference at WPI. This year the conference welcomed SEAMass as a co-sponsor and SFNE will conducted its own series of seminars for fabricators. The steel design conference featured workshops for engineers and architects and covered the design of the Burj Khalifa, the wordÕs tallest building, an AISC Certified Fabricators versus Shop Inspection Services Workshop and a Code of Standard Practice for Steel Buildings and Bridges (COSP) Session. The SFNE educational conference included a workshop to help fabricators save money on workers compensation costs and market businesses in this economy plus a legal forum.

Weston Observatory - Apr 28, 2010

Host and Lecturer was Dr. John Ebel, Geophysicist and Director. This tour and lecture was held at the Weston Observatory, 381 Concord Road Weston, MA from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm.

Design of Vertical Bracing Connections in the Seismic Regime and The Last Bastion of Rational Design - Mar 24, 2010

Design of Vertical Bracing Connections in the Seismic Regime, was held from 8am to 10:30 am. The Last Bastion of Rational Design, was held from 1:15 pm - 4:00 pm.

Stability Analysis & Design of Structural Steel Frames by Computer -Jan. 20, 2010

This morning seminar on Stability Analysis & Design of Structural Steel Frames by Computer was by Dr. Leroy Emkin, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE, from the Georgia Institute of Technology. The purpose of the seminar was to achieve an in-depth understanding of the use of the Direct Analysis Method for the rigorous nonlinear stability analysis of industrial and commercial steel frame non-building and building structures and the design of structural steel members pursuant to both Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) and Allowable Strength Design (ASD) of the 13th Edition American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Manual of Steel Construction, 2005 AISC Specification.

Emphasis was placed on the improvement of the quality and reliability of structural analysis and design computations, increased structural engineering productivity, and the enabling of structural engineers to create more efficient, cost-effective, and reliable structural steel designs under the 2005 AISC Specification. GTSTRUDL will be used as an example of computer software that can be used for the rigorous nonlinear analysis and LRFD/ASD member code check calculations.

Annual Dinner Meeting and Presentation on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) - May 28, 2009

This annual dinner meeting including the business of electing officers and other business items. In addition, a special guest, Mr. Paul Rojko of the Government Services Administration (GSA) provided a perspective on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The ARRA is designed to jump-start our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and address economic challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act includes measures to modernize our nation's infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need. GSA is playing an important role in implementing the ARRA and is actively involved in reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasing green construction. Mr. Rojko is the Technical Services Branch Chief in the New England Region of the General Services Administration (GSA).

Construction Solutions with Cold-formed (Light Gage) Steel Framing - April 21, 2009

This breakfast meeting on Construction Solutions with Cold-formed (Light Gage) Steel Framing was presented by Don Allen of the Steel Framing Alliance. Mr. Allen will explored the latest design standards and capabilities of Cold-Formed Steel. Several design examples were be reviewed using the latest building codes and translated all of it into practical application. He demonstrated the relationships and responsibilities between the Engineer of Record and a CFS Specialty Engineer. Mr. Allen provided structural engineers with the latest techniques and advancement in cold-formed steel including its use as the primary structural component in low to mid-rise multi-family and commercial/institutional projects. Finally, Mr. Allen discussed the use of cold-formed steel in floor, wall, roof systems and trusses and how it stacks up to green building initiatives. Don Allen, P.E., currently serves three active roles for the steel framing industry; Director of engineering for the Steel Framing Alliance, Technical Director of the Steel Stud Manufacturers Association, and Secretary for the Cold-Formed Steel Engineers Institute. Don has worked for a product manufacturer, a specialty engineer, and a full-service structural engineering firm before his current affiliation with the steel framing industry.

IMI & Bentley Systems RAM Advanse -- Concrete Block Manufacturing Tour - May 8, 2009

This event was sponsored by the International Masonry Institute and in cooperation with the New England Concrete Masonry Association. Starting at the doubletree Guest Suites in Waltham with breakfast, David Eckrote, PE from Bentley Structural Group demonstrated the Ram Structural System and RAM Advanse software for the design of both load-bearing masonry as well as hybrid masonry design. Both a single masonry wall as well as the design of an entire building using the software will be covered. This new software leads to easier and faster engineering design of masonry buildings. presentation of the RAM Advanse

Following the presentation, attendees boarded a bus for a ride to the Jandris & Sons Concrete Block Manufacturing Facility in Gardner, MA where they took a tour of the plant and saw first hand how concrete masonry units are produced. Jandris produces a full line of concrete masonry units including split faced, ground faced as well as standard masonry units. Concrete Masonry Units, which use local materials, are manufactured throughout New England.

CRSI Sponsored Concrete Anchors - April 9, 2009

This breakfast meeting at the Holiday Inn in Dedham included discussions by Mike Mota and Neal Anderson on Concrete Anchors and an introduction to ACI 318 Appendix D. Appendix D will be eventually written into the body of the code.

Mike Mota briefly discuss his committee work on Simplified Design, ACI 314.1. This guide will be available soon. It is intended for buildings up to 5 stories, which constitute the majority of buildings being constructed.

Archaic & Historic Structures - January 27, 2009

This morning meeting at the Holiday Inn in Woburn was presented by John Wathne of Structures North. He discussed the development and types of masonry materials as well as common problems associated with different masonry materials. John also discussed the upcoming ASTM Specification for mortar for historic structures.

National Lumber - Reliable Truss - Facilities Tour - December 4, 2008

This morning tour went to National Lumber's Reliable Truss facility in New Bedford as well as National Lumber Facility in Mansfield.

Take a look at some picutres from the tour.

Approximately 35 people attended the tour. The attendees were grouped into 6-8 people for the tour of the Reliable Truss Facility. At National Lumber's facility, a binder containing valuable information on

• metal plate connected wood trusses
• light guage steel trusses
• engineered lumber products
• wall panels
• fasteners
• structural sheathing
• Simpson Strong-Tie catelogues and CD
• custom fabrication
• TrusSteel CFS Truss Design Manual
• BC Framer, BC Calc, and BC column programs

Tours of the Reliable Truss facility included design and fabrication of wood trusses, metal trusses, wall panels and floor panels. The tour of National Lumber's facility included the Hundegger Saw, precision cuttin gof LVL's and I-Joists.

Structural Tests and Inspections Panel Discussion - October 30, 2008

This breakfast meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Dedham. It was attended by over 100 people consisting of structural engineers and building inspectors.

A panel of 6 members included Jim DeStefano, DeStefano & Chamberlain Inc.; Rimas Veitas, Veitas and Veitas; Mysore Ravindra, LeMessurier Associates; Ed LeNormand, Chapin Associates; Terry Louderback, Sousa True & Partners; and Richard Croswell, Symmes, Maini & McKee Associates.

Each panel member spoke on their perspective of Chapter 17 of the code. J. DeStefano provided an introduction and the history of Chapter 17 and its use in the I-codes. R. Veitas provided the Massachusetts state-specific history and well as how his firm implements the code. M. Ravindra shared how his large specialty SE firm implements the code. Ed LeNormand shared how his small sole-proprietor firm implements the code and how that is different than larger firms. Terry Louderback spoke how his medium sized firm implements the code. Finally, Richard Croswell spoke how his A/E firm implements the code.

A Q&A period occurred at the end of the discussions.

New England SEA's and NCSEA Boards to meet - August 6, 2008

This afternoon Board meeting was held at CBI Consulting Inc., 250 Dorchester Ave., in Boston.

The NCSEA Board met in Boston for their executive meeting. While in Boston, the New England SEA boards met with the NCSEA Board to brainstorm on ways to strengthen the Member Organizations as well as discuss what lessons have been learned by one SEA that can help another SEA.

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NCSEA Board of Directors - General Session - August 7, 2008

This afternoon Board meeting was held at LeMessurier Consultants, 675 Massachusetts Ave., in Cambridge.

NCSEA Board of Directors discussed Board related activities. Open to interested Delegates/Board Members from the New England member organizations. One topic of discussion was the Fourth Summit on Separate Structural Licensing (July 18, 2008). Lunch will be provided.

NCSEA has been inviting local SEA Board Members to their General Sessions for the past few years so the local SEA's are more aware of what the NCSEA BoD is doing. NCSEA also invited the President or Exectuive Director of SEI and CASE to attend. This allows the three national organizations to work cooperatively with each other.

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Annual Meeting - Engineering-Driven Architecture - June 12, 2008

This dinner meeting was held at the MIT Faculty Club in Cambridge.

Glenn Bell of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. presented 'Engineering-Driven Architecture'. Three current trends present opportunities for architecture-engineering teams to realize their creative potential through integration of new building technologies. First, technological advances allow more sophisticated engineering considerations in design and construction. Software, modeling, and automation enable us to conceive and analyze ever-more complex shapes and systems; permit advancements in energy conservation and indoor environment; and enable the construction of complex geometries and non-repeating elements. Second, rising energy costs and shrinking energy resources, combined with greater awareness of environmental responsibility, mean that we must build buildings that are more resource-efficient in construction and operation. Third, today’s society is technologically focused. Expressing technological themes explicitly in our architecture is an appealing concept for our times.

There are significant obstacles to these opportunities, however. Our processes for design and construction are highly fractured. Architecture, engineering, and construction are increasingly viewed as commodities.

Yet there are glimmers of hope. Architects, engineers, and constructors who collaborate on specialized building systems like fabric structures, structural glass, and bioclimate double curtain walls have produced new, technologically advanced systems with spectacular results. In bringing engineering-driven architecture more mainstream we can learn much from their success. This talk will examine the challenges to technologically-driven architecture and discuss the leadership needed to overcome them.

Glenn R. Bell is CEO of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. Glenn joined SGH in 1974 and served as a design engineer working closely with architects to develop structures such as SpaceShip Earth, the geodesic dome at Walt Disney World Epcot Center, and Steven Holl’s MIT Simmons Hall. He was a principal investigator for the investigation of the walkway collapse at the Hyatt Regency, Kansas City, and part of the SGH team that performed a progressive collapse analysis of the World Trade Center Twin Towers for the National Institute of Science and Technology. He has led the company as CEO since 1995.

Annual Meeting - T.R. Higgins Award Lecture - June 6, 2007

This dinner meeting was held at the MIT Faculty Club in Cambridge. SEAMass was one of the 6 privaledged areas in the US to have the 2007 T.R. Higgins Recipient, Mr. R. Shankar Nair, present his award winning paper 'Stability and Analysis Provisions of the 2005 AISC Specification for Steel Buildings.'

In a career that has focused on structural engineering for large architectural and civil engineering projects, Nair has designed many major bridges, including structures for Interstate highways over the Mississippi River, and the structural systems of many skyscrapers.

His building projects include the Harborside Hyatt Conference Center and Hotel in Boston, an early example of low floor-to-floor height steel construction and 900 North Michigan in Chicago, where the lower 30 levels are framed in steel and the upper 40 levels in concrete. His bridge designs included the longest tied arch in the world and the longest-span steel stringer structure in America. Active as a researcher and lecturer, Nair has published numerous technical papers and has held positions of leadership in many professional societies and committees, including the chairmanship of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. He is a member of the AISC Specification Committee, National Academy of Engineering, and Chicago Committee on High-Rise Buildings. He has previously received the AISC Lifetime Achievement Award, the ASCE George Winter Award, and the SEAOI John F. Parmer Award.

Mr. Nair’s describes clearly and concisely options available for dealing with stability and second order analysis as found in the 2005 AISC Specification for Structural Steel Buildings. It highlights the relationship between the two simplified methods available in the body of the Specification and the detailed Direct Analysis Method presented in the Specification Appendix. The paper shows the logical progression of methods from the one applicable to the most general structure to those that are applicable to the more typical building structures and provides an introduction to these approaches.

The meeting concluded with SEAMass business. Ms. Cindy Chabot, the current president of SEAMass presented where the organization will go from here and the leadership that is required to maintain SEAMass.Download the powerpoint presentation.

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Panel Discussion on Proposed Chapter 34 (Existing Buildings) - April 25, 2007

This dinner meeting at the Henderson House in Weston - an historic structure of its own right - presented 6 'test drives' of the use of the proposed Chapter 34 of the 7th Edition of Massachusetts State Building Code and compared it with the existing Chapter 34 of the current 6th Edition of the code. This Powerpoint presentation printout will provide you a flavor of the discussions. A few of the tests demonstrated the significance of wind loads on existing buildings in the new code. High rises, in particular, may take a particular beating; in light of this, the code may require additional work to fairly assess existing structures.

The location of this meeting is new to most of us; most agreed that the Henderson House was a great place for a dinner meeting. The din of discussions during dinner was deafening as structural engineers relayed their experiences to others sitting next to them at their table. The meeting ended with a call to structural engineers to help provide input on the proposed Chapter 34. Rubin Zallen stated that there may be a hearing on the proposed code in November this year. Those wishing to provide input to the 'test drive' should contact Richard Croswell.

You may review the proposed revisions for Chapter 34: Download proposed Chapter 34 provisions. You will also need the proposed Chapter 16; Download proposed Chapter 16

Notes:

- Table 1610.4, found at the end of Chapter 16, provides the various design parameters for seismic, wind, and snow for each city and town in the State.

- The seismic provisions are not yet included in Chapter 16; however, they are based on ASCE 7-02. Therefore, follow ASCE 7-02, except where material requirements are cited follow the proposed Chapters 19, 21, 22, and 23 on the same web page as Chapter 16.

Bracing Design for Stability: Columns & Frames - November 1, 2006

This all-day seminar brought to SEAMass by NCSEA and SSRC included Ted Galambos, Professor Emeritus of Structural Engineering in the CE Dept. at University of Minnesota and Perry Green, Technical Director of the Steel Joist Institute.

Topics included an introduction to stability (Ted), column stability (Perry), frame stability - alignment chart and modifications (Ted) and frame stability - P-delta method and FAQs. The combination of Ted's scientific explanations combined with Perry's practical applications of simplified analysis for quick checks provided a practical knowledge that all attendees could take back with them.

First Meeting - September 21, 2006

SEAMass' First Meeting was held at the Holiday Inn in Newton. The meeting topic included the new Massachusetts State Building code revisions. Reference material from that meeting is provided the Code Resources section of the website.

The meeting was attended by over 70 people and provided the 1st ever opportunity for new SEAMass members and would-be SEAMass members to meet and discuss technical issues for structural engineers.