MSC

MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION
IN THIS ISSUE
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Aesthetic Bridge Design
A World-Class Military
Hospital
MSC
March 2012
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4 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION MARCH 2012
MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION (Volume 52, Number 3. ISSN (print) 0026-8445: ISSN (online) 1945-0737. Published monthly by the American Institute of Steel
Construction (AISC), One E. Wacker Dr., Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60601. Subscriptions: Within the U.S.single issues $6.00; 1 year, $44; 3 years $120. Outside the
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CONSTRUCTION. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission, except for noncommercial educational purposes where fewer than
25 photocopies are being reproduced. The AISC and MSC logos are registered trademarks of AISC.
March 2012
ON THE COVER: A striking new 32-story building cleverly meets all of Roosevelt Univeritys programming requirements in one vertical stack.
Photo courtesy of VOA Architects.
columns
features
steelwise
17
Introducing the V14.0 AISC
Design Examples
BY CYNTHIA J. DUNCAN
This is the second installment of a three-part
series on the new companion materialsall
available free onlinethat have been prepared
to complement the 14th Edition Steel
Construction Manual.
product expert series
20
Technology and Steel Fabrication
BY CHRIS FISCHER
Keeping up with the pace of change isnt easy,
but it has definite benefits in this industry.
bridge crossings
22
Weathering Steel for
Highway Bridges
BY ALEX WILSON AND BRIAN RAFF
By addressing corrosion concerns, weathering
steel offers a sustainable and aesthetic solution
for designers and owners.
economics
26
Reflecting on 2011
BY JOHN CROSS, P.E., LEED AP
At last, some subtle signs of a turnaround for
the construction industry.
business issues
28
Better Project Interview
Performance
BY ANNE SCARLETT, LEED AP
Does your team really behave like a team?
Use these exercises to strengthen your
presentations.
people to know
66
The Leader of the Band
After more than half a century in the industry,
Gill Harris continues to make music as well
as buildings.
departments
6 EDITORS NOTE
9 STEEL
INTERCHANGE
12 STEEL QUIZ
60 NEWS & EVENTS
resources
64 MARKETPLACE
64 ADVERTISER LIST
65 EMPLOYMENT
in every issue
36
40
32
A New Future for Mental
Health Care
BY SAM RANGASWAMY, S.E., P.E., PH.D., AND
ANTHONY EHLERS, JR.
Using SidePlate FRAME cuts the number
of moment connections required, maximizes
design versatility and yields significant cost
savings for landmark public works project.
36

Higher Education

BY ROB A. CHMIELOWSKI, S.E., P.E.
Roosevelt Universitys new 32-story vertical
quad is a showcase for the versatility of steel
framing.
40
A World-Class Community
Hospital for the American Military
BY MATT MUHLENKAMP, P.E., LEED AP BD+C
How design-assist and the boneyard concept
cut design and construction time from 10
years to less than five.
48
Interoperability for Construction
BY CHRIS MOOR AND LUKE FAULKNER
An in-depth look into the how and why
behind the steel construction industrys
migration to IFC.
wsbs preview
52
Aesthetics of Urban Steel Bridges
BY JUAN A. SOBRINO, P.E., PH.D.
Bridge engineers should take responsibility for
the structures appearance, as well as ensuring
that it carries the load.
56
Portlands 1912 Steel Bridge:
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modal Transport
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editors note
WHILE SIPPING MY COFFEE DURING MY youngest sons early Sunday morning
hockey practice, I almost did a spit-take when one of the other parents began describing
the roughly 60x30 ice rink he had recently built in his backyard. I did manage to sputter
and ask how much water he needed for that rink. And while the answer of 12,000 gallons
seemed almost oceanic to me, it turned out he only paid $7 per 1,000 gallons and all the
dads agreed the cost wasnt that bad for a winter of fun.
SCOTT MELNICK
EDITOR
Later that day (when I was a lot more
awake), I thought about the conversation and
was mildly surprised that nobody was con-
cerned about the sustainability issues involved
in using 12,000 gallons of waterthe only
concern seemed to be economic.
But I believe the same holds true when
most owners are looking at building design.
Recently, the Structural Engineering Insti-
tutes Thermal Bridging Working Group
released a white paper (which is printed as a
supplement to this issue) looking at the is-
sue of thermal bridging. For years, Ive heard
about this bugaboo but this was the frst time
I saw anyone actually try to quantify the beast.
They modeled a typical three-story, 9,000-sq.-
ft. offce building and closely looked at fve
details contributing to energy loss.
Interestingly, two of the details (rooftop
grillage posts and roof canopy penetrations)
had a negligible impact on energy usage for
the entire building (were talking the change
in a couch cushion could pay for wasted en-
ergy). A third (structural support of masonry
lintels) had a higher impact but the cost to
mitigate the thermal bridging was so high
that even a card-carrying Sierra Club member
would reject it.
But the other two (roof edge angles and
shelf angle supports) not only saved money
but in at least one case the suggested alternate
detail was actually more economical than the
standard detail. Now thats a win-win.
While the white paper is an interesting ex-
ercise I believe its real impact will come from
designers and fabricators simply giving more
thought to the issue. I would be very surprised
if some clever designer or enterprising fabri-
cator cant improve on the standard details
way beyond what was suggested in the paper
and brilliantly suggest details that economi-
cally mitigate thermal bridging. (If you do
implement an economic alternative detail, let
me knowModern Steel Construction is always
looking to write about innovative details.)
And Ill be very surprised if I dont hear
some of these suggestions next month at
NASCC: The Steel Conference (April 18-20
in Dallas). While continuing education is the
obvious purpose of the conference, its just
as valuable for the informal networking that
occurs. Its a great venue that brings together
the entire steel design and construction team
and the casual atmosphere is highly conducive
to exchanging ideas with your peers. If you
havent registered yet, or need more informa-
tion, visit www.aisc.org/nascc. (Theres even
an hour-long session on Strategies to Mini-
mize Thermal Steel Bridging from 3:15-4:15
on Wednesday April 18. Dont miss it!)
See you at the Steel Conference!
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MARCH 2012 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION 9
steel
interchange
If youve ever asked yourself why? about something related to
structural steel design or construction, Modern Steel Constructions
monthly Steel Interchange column is for you! Send your
questions or comments to solutions@aisc.org.
Shop Drawing Requirements for Welds
I have received approved shop drawings where groove
welds are specified, but the edge preparation is not shown.
Does AISC require that weld preparations be shown on a
shop drawing?
Yes, the AISC Specification references AWS D1.1, and AWS
D1.1-10, clause 2.3.5, titled Shop Drawing Requirements
states:
Shop drawings shall clearly indicate by welding symbols
or sketches the details of groove welded joints and the
preparation of base metal required to make them.
Without this information, the fabrication shop would have
no direction as to preparation of material, and in the case of
partial-joint-penetration groove welds, they would have no
knowledge of the required effective weld size.
Keith Landwehr
Moment Connection with Extended Single Plate
I am designing a directly welded flange moment connection
between a beam and column. The shear connection is an
extended single plate with two columns of bolts. Since
this is part of a moment connection that restricts rotation,
is it appropriate to use a U
bs
equal to 1.0 when checking
block shear on the extended single plate, rather than 0.5
as recommended by the Commentary AISC 360 Section
J4.3 for multiple columns of bolts? In addition, does the
minimum weld equal to
5
8t
p
still apply or can I size the
weld based on the required shear strength only?
Part 12 of the 14th Edition AISC Steel Construction Manual states
that since the angle between the members remains unchanged,
eccentricity need not be considered in the shear portion of the
moment connection. This justifies the use of U
bs
= 1.0, rather than
the value given in the Commentary to AISC 360 Section J4.3 for
such shear connections.
It should be understood that
5
8t
p
is not a requirement,
but rather a provision that can be conservatively applied to
practical situations for single-plate connections to ensure that
the connection can accommodate simple beam end rotations.
The recommendation for a minimum weld size equal to
5
8t
p

is a ductility check intended to address the uncertainty in
the distribution of moments due to the rotational demands
of simple connections. Since rotation is restricted by this
moment connection, the
5
8t
p
recommendation also need not
be considered.
Larry S. Muir, P.E.
Extended Single Plate Connection
Does the existence of stabilizer plates in an extended
single-plate connection to a column web (similar to
Figure 10-12 in the 14th Edition AISC Steel Construction
Manual allow reduction of the eccentricity used in bolt
group design? That is, does the bolt group still have to
be designed for an eccentricity of a, or can a reduced
eccentricity equal to the distance from the stabilizer plates
to the bolt centroid be used to design the bolt group?
The design procedure presented in the 14th Edition AISC
Manual explicitly allows other rational design methods to
be used. One such method would be to include stiffeners
and then design the column for additional moment due to
the eccentricity from the face of the column to the end of
the stiffeners. Since the column has been designed for the
additional moment there is no need to resist this portion of
the moment in the bolts. However, the ductility requirements
may still need to be satisfied, since the actual distribution of
the moment could still vary from the assumed model.
Note that if this approach is taken, the stiffeners are no
longer just provided for stability but instead must transfer a
defined moment to the support.
Larry S. Muir, P.E.
CVN Testing
Section 6.3 of AISC 341-05 requires CVN testing for
certain components of the SLRS. Some heavy material
has been purchased and delivered to the fab shop without
the required CVN testing. The material was purchased
to length so there is no surplus material from which test
coupons can be cut. Is there an acceptable form of NDE
or other analytical technique that can be used to measure
toughness in lieu of CVN testing?
I am not aware of any other method, including NDE, that would
provide material toughness information in lieu of CVN testing.
As to your predicament, I can only offer the following thoughts:
1. If all of the members in question are of the same heat,
you may want to consider sacrificing one member to do CVN
testing. Assuming the test results are satisfactory, then only the
one member would have to be replaced, or possibly spliced,
depending on the application.
2. Producing mills occasionally have CVN data that does not
appear on your MTR. For example, if another customer ordered
the same size material with CVN testing, and it was supplied
from the same heat as your material, the results would be on the
other customers MTR, but not on yours. Check with the mill
to see if they have CVN data for your material heat(s).
Keith Landwehr
steel interchange
Steel Interchange is a forum to exchange useful and practical professional ideas and
information on all phases of steel building and bridge construction. Opinions and
suggestions are welcome on any subject covered in this magazine.
The opinions expressed in Steel Interchange do not necessarily represent an official
position of the American Institute of Steel Construction and have not been reviewed. It is
recognized that the design of structures is within the scope and expertise of a competent
licensed structural engineer, architect or other licensed professional for the application of
principles to a particular structure.
If you have a question or problem that your fellow readers might help you solve, please
forward it to us. At the same time, feel free to respond to any of the questions that you
have read here. Contact Steel Interchange via AISCs Steel Solutions Center:
One East Wacker Dr., Suite 700
Chicago, IL 60601
tel: 866.ASK.AISC fax: 312.803.4709
solutions@aisc.org
The complete collection of Steel Interchange questions and answers is available online.
Find questions and answers related to just about any topic by using our full-text search
capability. Visit Steel Interchange online at www.modernsteel.com.
Heath Mitchell is director of technical assistance and Erin Criste is staff engineer, technical
assistant at AISC. Keith Landwehr and Larry Muir are consultants to AISC.
Weld Access Hole Geometry
Can weld access hole Alternate 3 shown in AISC 360-10
Figure C-J1.2 (see below) be used for rolled wide-flange
shapes or is its use restricted to built-up shapes?
The AISC Specification does not allow Alternate 3 for rolled
sections. AISC 360-10 Section J1.6 states, For sections that
are rolled or welded prior to cutting, the edge of the web
shall be sloped or curved from the surface of the flange to the
reentrant surface of the access hole. Alternate 3 is provided to
accommodate the geometries involved in built-up members
where the weld access hole is cut prior to welding the flange
to the web.
There are statements made in the Commentary to Section
J1.6 that also discourage the use of Alternate 3 for a rolled
section. The Commentary states:
The geometry of the reentrant corner between the web
and the flange determines the level of stress concentration
at that location. A 90 reentrant corner having a very small
radius produces a very high stress concentration that may lead
to rupture of the flange. Consequently, to minimize the stress
concentration at this location, the edge of the web is sloped or
curved from the surface of the flange to the reentrant surface
of the access hole.
It also says, Stress concentrations at web-to-flange
intersections of built-up shapes can be decreased by
terminating the weld away from the access hole. Thus, for
built-up shapes with fillet welds or partial-joint-penetration
groove welds that join the web to the flange, the weld access
hole may terminate perpendicular to the flange, provided that
the weld is terminated a distance equal to or greater than one
weld size away from the access hole.
The three alternatives shown all take measures to reduce
the stress concentration at the web-to-flange juncture.
Alternate 3 does not do this with a rolled section.
In addition to the technical concerns, it would seem to be
difficult and more work to produce an access hole similar to
Alternate 3 in a rolled section. Also, the detail would be prone
to poor cutting along the flange. Thus, economic concerns
also seem to eliminate Alternate 3 for rolled sections.
Heath Mitchell, S.E., P.E.
Eccentrically Loaded Single Angles
The strengths given in Table 4-12 of the 14th Edition
AISC Steel Construction Manual appear to have increased
for some of the angle sizes when compared to the same
table in the 13th Edition AISC Manual. What is the
reason for the increase?
You are correct that there are differences. The changes in
compressive strength values are due to three revisions made in
the procedure used to generate Table 4-12:
1. The 14th Edition Manual uses ANSI/AISC 360 Section
H2 to determine the strength of the single angle, instead of
Section H1 as used in the 13th Edition.
2. In the 14th Edition Manual, the flexural strengths used
at each point are the same; the minimum is calculated for the
section, considering all limit states. This means the interaction
equations are the same at each point except for the sign of
the flexural terms. In the 13th Edition AISC Manual, flexural
strengths were being chosen for each point based on limit
states applicable at that point. In the 14th Edition, we follow
the guidance on what is called the strict interpretation in the
Commentary to ANSI/AISC 360 Section H2(a).
3. The procedure in the 14th Edition applies the appropriate
sign for load direction in the interaction equations. In the 13th
Edition, we conservatively summed absolute values.
Erin Criste, LEED Green Assoc.
1 True/False: There are applications
in which the protective oxide
patina may not form on uncoated
weathering steel.
2 To what color does weathering steels
initial rust bloom turn over time?
a) Dark tan
b) Dark purple-brown
c) Dark grey
d) Doesnt change color, remains
red-orange
3 True/False: Interior passes of multi-
pass welds on weathering steel
can be made with conventional
electrodes for the body of the weld,
provided the external passes are
made with electrodes of a chemical
composition matched to that of the
base metal.
4 True/False: Unlike conventional
carbon steel, weathering steels do
not require surface preparation for
coatings.
5 What ASTM designations apply to
weathering steel?
a) A588 b) A709 Grade 50W
c) A847 d) All of the above
6 True/False: Weathering grades of
bolts, nuts and washers typically
are specified for bolted joints of
weathering steel components.
7 Modifying which of the following
can help reduce the natural fre-
quency of a structural system?
a) Mass b) Stiffness
c) Shape d) All of the above
8 Deflection used to be the primary
cri teri on eval uated for wi nd-
induced vibration of a building.
What other considerations are now
recognized as important?
a) Fatigue
b) Deflection
c) Occupant comfort
d) All of the above
9 True/Fal se: Leani ng col umns
must be designed for second-
order moments per the stability
requirements of ANSI/AISC 360
Chapter C.
10 True/False: The stiffness reduction
factors used in the Direct Analysis
Method are used for strength and
serviceability checks.
TURN TO PAGE 14 FOR ANSWERS
steel
quiz
Most of the answers to this months steel quiz can be found in the AISC Steel
Construction Manual and other AISC publications available at www.aisc.org/epubs.
See also SteelWise from the February 2009 MSC, available for free at
www.modernsteel.com/backissues.

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2012
ANSWERS
Anyone is welcome to submit questions and
answers for Steel Quiz. If you are interested in
submitting one question or an entire quiz, contact
AISCs Steel Solutions Center at 866.ASK.AISC or
at solutions@aisc.org.
1 True. The formation of the oxide
patina depends on repeated wet/
dry cycles and the presence of
oxygen. This does not happen
when the steel is continuously
submerged in water or buried in
soil. The patina also is interrupted
where water run-off containing
deicing salts is not directed away
from the steel.
2 ( b) Dark purpl e-brown. Thi s
pr oces s t akes pl ace over
time and depends on several
factors, including exposure and
atmospheric conditions.
3 True. Interestingly, conventional
electrodes also are suitable for
single-pass welds because the
melted base metal will sufficiently
infuse the weld metal with the
alloying elements and provide the
expected patina formation.
4 False. Proper surface preparation
also is important for weathering
steel, when it is to receive a
protective coating.
steel quiz
5 (d) Depending on the specific
end-use there are a variety of
relevant material standards. A few
of the more common types are
ASTM A588, A709 Grade 50W,
and A847.
6 Tr ue. Type 3 bol t s and
corresponding nuts and washers
off er f ast ener s wi t h si mi l ar
weatheri ng characteri sti cs i n
connections in weathering grade
base metals.
7 (d) Changes in the stiffness of
the structural members, the mass
of the structure or the overall
structural shape all can be made
to adjust the vibratory response of
the structure under lateral loading.
8 (d) Deflection, occupant comfort
and fatigue are all recognized
as important considerations. For
additional information see the
article Challenging Vibration
in engineered Structures, in
the March 2004 issue of MSC. It
is available as a free download
at www. moder nsteel . com/
backissues.
9 Fal se. Leani ng col umns are
treated as pin-ended members
and their stability is provided by
the lateral system. ANSI/AISC 360
Chapter C does require that the
system stability effect consider the
gravity load on these columns,
however, when the lateral system
is analyzed and designed.
10 False. The stiffness reduction
factors given in the 2010 AISC
Specification Section C2.3 do not
apply to serviceability criteria,
such as drift.
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march 2012 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION 17
IF YOU HAVE EVER wondered how
to apply any of the tables in the AISC
Steel Construction Manual or a provision
in the AISC Specifcation, the Steel Con-
struction Manual Design Examples V14.0 may be just the help
you need. This collection of more than 150 design examples is
currently available in PDF format for free downloading on the
AISC website at www.aisc.org/manual14. It illustrates the use
of the 2010 AISC Specifcation for Structural Steel Buildings and
the 14th Edition AISC Steel Construction Manual tables.
As an update of V13.1 of the AISC Design Examples that were
keyed to the 13th Edition AISC Steel Construction Manual, the
V14.0 AISC Design Examples continue to include solutions using
both LRFD and ASD methods. Each example includes Specifca-
tion and Manual section and equation references and illustrates
a step-by-step approach. The update includes enhanced naviga-
tion features and a number of new and expanded examples. Also,
the newly added Part IV contains additional design tables and
design aids not included in the Steel Construction Manual.
The Design Examples are divided into three parts:
Part I includes examples that illustrate the provisions of
Chapters A through K of the AISC Specifcation. These
examples follow the same organization as the Specifcation.
Part II covers connection designs.
Part III outlines the design of a four-story offce building.
The intent of the Part I design examples is to demonstrate
how to use various Specifcation provisions, and in some cases,
compare alternative solutions. In addition to updates of the
examples provided in previous versions, additional examples
have been added. For instance, Chapter C includes new exam-
ples demonstrating how to design a moment frame using the
direct analysis method, effective length method, and frst-order
analysis method. Also, there are additional new examples incor-
porated into Part I, such as the design of a double tee compres-
sion member in Chapter E, design of a single-angle fexural
member subject to combined bending about both principal
axes in Chapter F, and several new examples demonstrating use
of the provisions in Chapter I on composite design.
Part II covers four sub-parts: simple shear connections, fully
restrained moment connections, bracing and truss connections,
and miscellaneous connections. Part II examples show how the
Manual tables can be used to simplify designfrom a simple
shear connection, such as the all-bolted double-angle connec-
tion that can be selected from Table 10-1, to a complex bracing
connection design that involves the use of several tables in the
calculations. The miscellaneous connections that are included
in Part II address topics such as prying action, beam bearing
plates, and slip-critical connections with oversized holes.
Part III consists of an 87-page example that addresses
aspects of design that are linked to the analysis, design and per-
formance of a building as a whole. The example walks through
the steps involved, including coverage of lateral stability and
second-order analysis, and design of representative members
for a four-story building that combines braced-frames and
moment frames. This example delves into the major aspects
of designing a typical building, including load determination
using ASCE/SEI 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and
Other Structures, for both LRFD and ASD methods, as well as
drift and defection checks. Floor and roof framing plans, as
well as details of connection designs and faade attachments,
are also included.
The new Part IV, entitled Additional Resources, contains
design tables for 65-ksi column and beam-column design, add-
ing similar information to that provided in Manual Tables 4-1
and 6-1 for 50-ksi steel.
As mentioned previously, a number of new examples not
included in previous versions of the AISC Design Examples
address more complicated designs. One topic not previously
included was the design of a single-angle fexural member,
which is now addressed in Examples F.11A, F.11B and F.11C.
The three different examples have various loadings and brac-
ing confgurationsvertical loading with bracing at the ends
only, vertical loading with bracing at the ends and midpoint,
and combined vertical and horizontal loading with bracing at
the ends only.
Several new examples related to Specifcation Chapter I
INTRODUCING THE
V14.0 AISC DESIGN
EXAMPLES
By cynthia J. Duncan
steelwise
This is the second installment of a three-part series
on the new companion materialsall available free
onlinethat have been prepared to complement
the 14th Edition AISC Steel Construction Manual.
14 +
th
Ed.
cynthia J. Duncan is aiScs
director of engineering.
18 MODERN STEEL CONSTRUCTION march 2012
have been incorporated to cover top-
ics not previously addressed and to
demonstrate the use of new compos-
ite design provisions in the 2010 AISC
Specifcation. For example, the use of
noncompact and slender elements in
flled composite members was not pre-
viously permitted, but now is, and these
cases are addressed. Design Example I.7
addresses the design of a concrete-flled
box beam-column with noncompact/
slender elements and illustrates the use
of the new local buckling requirements
in Specifcation Tables I1.1A and I1.1B.
The design also requires the use of the
new provisions in Specifcation Sections
I2.2b and I3.4b for compression and
fexure in flled composite members
with noncompact and slender elements.
The frst step in determining the avail-
able fexural strength of a noncompact
section is to calculate the moment cor-
responding to the plastic stress distribu-
tion over the composite cross section.
This concept is illustrated graphically
in AISC Specifcation Commentary Fig-
ure C-I3.7(a), and is carried out in this
example. Other new composite design
examples include: a composite girder
design; flled composite member force
allocation and load transfer; a flled
composite member with loads com-
bined with fexure and shear; encased
composite member force allocation and
load transfer; and steel anchors in com-
posite components.
The best way to get familiar with what
is available in the updated AISC Design
Examples is to review the table of contents,
and doing so will make one improvement
immediately apparent: better navigation
features. Navigating through 150
plus design examples is now less of a
challenge because V14.0 of the AISC
Design Examples includes bookmarks for
each chapter in an interactive table of
contents. Within the table of contents,
there are links to the beginning page of
each design example listed. Once in the
design examples, a link at the top of each
page takes the user back to the table of
contents for further searching. This is a
time saver as it speeds scanning through
the hundreds of pages of examples when
searching for the pertinent one.
Whether you are an experienced
engineer designing an encased compos-
ite member under combined loading, or
an engineering student learning how to
design a simple beam, the V14.0 AISC
Design Examples contain information you
need. Go to www.aisc.org/manual14 and
explore this free resource for yourself.
The frst article in this series, on the AISC
Shapes Database V14.0, appeared in the Feb-
ruary 2012 MSC, available online at www.
modernsteel.com/backissues. The third and
fnal installment, which introduces the AISC
Manual Resource Page, will be in the April
2012 MSC.
steelwise
F a l l o n , Ne v a d a | J u a r e z , Me x i c o | Ho p e , A r k a n s a s | B u t l e r , I n d i a n a | S a l e m, V i r g i n i a | L a k e Ci t y, F l o r i d a
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An Example from the Design Examples
For most of the aiSc Design Examples, the problem
statement is given with an accompanying gure. in this
case, Figure 1 shows the angle conguration and load-
ing. after a statement of the problem and assumptions
(for example, a36 steel), the solution begins with cal-
culation of the required exural strength using aScE/
SEi 7 load combinations and side-by-side calculations
of both the LrFD and aSD methods. the solution con-
tinues on subsequent pages of the design example
with step-by-step calculations of the required moments
about the geometric axes, required moments about
the principal axes, nominal exural strength about the
z-axis, nominal exural strength about the w-axis, and
application of the combined stress equation from aiSc
Specication Section h2,
1.0 ( . + + Eq. H2-1)
rx rbw rbz
cx cbw cbz
f f f
Spec
F F F
the text explains that it is acceptable to simply use
the moments in the interaction equation rather than
converting them to stresses, and the example proceeds
to calculate the available exural strengths, including
how to determine the sign (negative or positive) of each
moment at points a, B and c on the angle (see Figure
2). Finally, Equation h2-1 is checked and the design
is complete. as is typical for all of the examples, the
specic limit state considered in the calculation of the
exural strengths is also stated, along with the specic
Specication Section and Equation references.
Fig. 1: Single angle flexural member example.
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ThE way ThaT wE exchange and use data has changed
dramatically in recent years, and the changes are not about to
stop. Where once a set of paper drawings and a book of speci-
fcations provided the baseline for project activities, today proj-
ect documentation is increasingly electronic. As more informa-
tion makes its way into the Building Information Model (BIM),
project team members are relying more on this tool to increase
productivity in many ways. However, adapting to this shift has
presented numerous challenges, on both corporate and person-
al levels, and those challenges already have spawned a variety of
interesting solutions. Todays design and construction profes-
sionals are continually challenged to not only adapt, but also to
discriminate, regarding the technology they choose to adopt.
where we are
Today, Tekla (our preferred software) and SDS/2 are used by
many fabricators to create 3D viewable models. By integrating
BIM into our standard workfow, we can increase our effciency
and the value of the product we deliver to our customer with-
out increasing the product cost.
One example is color-coding members in the model by erec-
tion sequence. By realizing that it is simply a fle of data that
youre working with, and that the information about sequencing
is already in the model, it becomes relatively simple to create
a communication tool to share those erection sequences. Once
someone has done the programming, communicating that infor-
mation becomes no more diffcult than doing a screen capture.
The two color-coded building models shown here illustrate
the kind of visualization that is readily available using the BIM
data. The fact that the coloring of the models is something we
do as part of our existing processes and practices, not something
that is out of the ordinary or only on certain jobs, means this
kind of visualization tool is available on any project. Addition-
ally, because using BIM is integrated into our business opera-
tions, there is no project that is too small for BIM, whether its
a gas station or a high-rise building. If youre doing it right, you
dont increase your costs by using BIM. Rather, you decrease
your risks and you increase your quality.
Our in-house software developers continue to write custom
programs that allow us to focus on the Ithe information
in our BIMs to a higher degree than ever before. This allows us
to combine the features of the software that we love with some
of the information that is not otherwise accessible using the
standard package.
Today we have automation everywhere we can in our fab-
rication and erection operations, including some places where
youd least expect it. But were always looking for additional
tools to improve quality and productivity. That brings us to one
of the wonders of modern technology, which is that its price is
actually falling.
The falling cost of technology means that if you visit the
show foor at the upcoming NASCC: The Steel Conference
in Dallas (April 18-20), youre going to see machinery vendors
there offering machines that cost less than last years models
did, as opposed to more. By bringing down the cost, smaller
fabricators can leverage some of the advantages of computer-
ized fabrication tools that previously were unaffordable.
Take drill lines, for example. Ten years ago the only drill
lines available were very large, and out of reach for most small
fabricators. Now, if you were to poll the exhibitors on the Steel
Conference exhibition foor, youd likely fnd their hottest sell-
ing models are not the super-expensive, luxury, highest-capacity,
deepest-section drilling machines. Rather they are the machines
that a small fabricator can afford, machines that are both more
fexible and provide more value. Thats a good thing for the
industry, generally speaking. For the more we can make steel
more competitive in the marketplace, the better it is for all who
are employed in this industry.
Think about what an infuence it would have on the quality of
the deliverables and the cost of those deliverables, from a global
Keeping up with the pace of
change isnt easy, but it has defnite
benefts in this industry.
text and images By chris Fischer
product expert series
TEChNOLOgy
aND STEEL
FabRICaTION
chris Fischer is the director of
business technology for Phoenix-
based schuff international, the
parent company of schuff steel,
Quincy Joist and aitken, inc., and
schuff steel management company.
he began his career in steel as a
general laborer on the shop foor,
later became production manager
for schuff steels largest plant, in
Phoenix, and since the late 1990s has
been directing and defning the use
of Bim at schuff. he can be reached
at chris.fscher@schuff.com.
perspective, if every steel fabricator in the
world had a CNC beam line. Think of all
the ramifcations that could have on energy
use, and even steel recycling. As the cost of
technology comes down, people can im-
prove their quality without increasing their
cost. That makes everybody more effcient,
and being more effcient is better, no matter
what supply chain youre talking about.
model showing a building before much of the steel erection. red members have yet to
be erected.
Overlaying the model with a photo of the completed project is not something we
commonly do, but its one of the best visualization tools for demonstrating to a
client or supplier that all of this is ultimately about putting up a real building, not just
generating digital data.
model of the same building, nearing completion, with green indicating that members
are erected.
Building Quality Stairs with Sharon Stair
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Our professional staff of sales,
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personnel can get very particular and
detailed information for each steel
member as well as other modeled
components.

APPROXIMATELY 40-45% of all steel bridges today are
being built with some form of weathering steel. Weathering
steel is typically a high-strength, low-alloy steel that, in suit-
able environments, forms a tightly adherent protective rust pa-
tina that acts as a skin to prevent further corrosion to the steel
beneath. Since its development in the 1930s, many U.S. steel
producers have offered corrosion-resistant, weathering steels
as part of their product lines.
Current weathering steels are supported by the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Offcials
(AASHTO) Specifcation M270, which corresponds with
ASTM A709, and can be acquired in grades 50W, HPS70W, and
HPS100W where these numbers correspond to each grades
yield strength in ksi. A new generation of high-performance
steel (those grades prefxed with HPS) provides weathering
performance with a slightly greater resistance to atmospheric
corrosion than its predecessors.
Tips to Ensure Success
Detailing: As with bridges built of any material, the perfor-
mance of the structure often is controlled by the types of details
used. Details for weathering steel bridges must be such that
they will not trap water. If weathering steel remains wet more
than 60% of the timeregardless of the cause of wetnessit
will not perform as intended. Because it can be diffcult and
costly to prevent debris (e.g., pigeon nests) from building up on
horizontal bridge components, it is imperative that bridge in-
spectors brush off this debris during their biennial inspections.
This simple act will prevent the debris from holding moisture in
contact with the steel, thus ensuring long-term performance.
Marine Environment Applications: The FHWA Techni-
cal Advisory 5140.22, Uncoated Weathering Steel in Struc-
tures, (www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/t514022.cfm) provides
guidance with regard to proper environment, location, design
details and maintenance of weathering steel. It recommends
the use of a wet candle test method to determine the level
of airborne salts, with a limit above which the FHWA advises
caution. However, this test is very time consuming. A more
practical approach is to evaluate performance of other types of
steel structures in the general area of the proposed structures,
and if excessive corrosion is not observed, then weathering
steel will perform successfully. Chemical analysis by a corro-
sion specialist of the oxides/rust formed on other weathering
steel structures in the vicinity of the location in question is also
another technique to judge applicability. Since the mid-1970s,
weathering steel has been performing well in applications liter-
ally within a few feet of bodies of salt water. Performance on
these structures is more than adequate, and this performance
level is expected to continue.
High Rainfall, Humidity or Fog: As with the performance
of weathering steel when details trap water, if the environment
is such that the steel will remain wet more than 60% of the
time, then it will not perform as intended. An example of where
the use of weathering steel is inappropriate is in the northwest
U.S., where rainfall approaches 200 in. per year. However, in
areas subjected to annual rainfall of even as much as 100 in.
per yearand in areas with high humiditystructures with
uncoated weathering steel are providing excellent performance
WEATHERING STEEL
FOR HIGHWAY
BRIDGES
By aLex WiLsOn and Brian raFF
bridge crossings
By addressing corrosion concerns,
weathering steel offers a sustainable and
aesthetic solution for designers and owners.
alexander d. Wilson is chair of the steel marketing development insti-
tutes steel Bridge task Force and very active with nsBa members. he
has been infuential in the development of bridge material specifcations
and was infuential in the development of the latest high-performance
steel (hPs70W). he has been this generations key resource for metal-
lurgical information on steel bridges. Brian raff is marketing director
for the national steel Bridge alliance and is responsible for providing
strategic leadership and executing the national marketing program that
builds market share for steel bridges.
even after many years in service. The key is to provide an en-

vironment with a consistent wet/dry cycle because moisture
activates the corrosion process, but the oxide layer obtains its
nonporous state in its drying state. The faster the wet and dry
states cycle, the more consistent and even the patina will be.
In both marine environments and those with high rainfall,
humidity, or fog, a more in-depth evaluation can be made by
following the wet candle method from ASTM G92, Character-
ization of Atmospheric Test Sites, and using ASTM G84, Mea-
surement of Time-of-Wetness on Surfaces Exposed to Wetting Condi-
tions as in Atmospheric Corrosion Testing, or by consulting with a
corrosion specialist.
Bridge Joints: Regardless of the type of material used in
the superstructure, a main cause of structure deterioration is
the poor performance of bridge joints. The FHWA Techni-
cal Advisory referenced above also recommends use of joint-
less bridges wherever possible as a cure to this ever-present
problem. Weathering steel used in conjunction with jointless
bridge design has performed well. Integral and semi-integral
abutments, in addition to just extending the deck slab over the
abutment backwall, are ways to achieve the benefts of joint-
less bridges. Further guidance and details are available in Per-
formance of Weathering Steel in Highway BridgesA Third
Phase Report, available on the AISI website (www.steel.org)
at http://bit.ly/xuN5rO. Where joints must be used, properly
detailed troughs under all types of bridge joints must be used to
ensure long-term protection.
Staining of Substructures: When weathering steel is di-
rectly exposed to rainfalleither temporarily during construc-
tion or permanently due to bridge detailingconcrete ele-
ments below will be stained by the rust-colored water that runs
off. This problem is prevented during construction by simple
and inexpensive techniques that include wrapping the substruc-
ture units with plastic until the deck slab is placed, precoat-
ing the concrete surfaces with a sealer, or requiring the stains
to be removed by blast cleaning after construction. For areas
where the steel is permanently exposed, detailing the tops of
the substructure to channel the staining water into grooves in
the concrete surface has been used successfully. This provides a
streaked appearance that actually enhances the otherwise rath-
er bland color of the concrete wall. Should staining occur that
needs to be removed, there are commercial products available
that are very successful in removing the stains.
Fatigue Cracking: State-of-the-art designs of steel structures,
including those built with weathering steel, should be immune
from the fatigue cracking that may occur on older structures
that were built before a full understanding of the phenomenon
emerged. However, sometimes a detail that is fatigue-sensitive
still shows up on a newer bridge. Therefore, inspectors must be
continually vigilant to ensure that fatigue cracks are discovered
before they reach the point at which unstable crack growth can
occur. Fatigue cracks in weathering steel are readily apparent
because they exude an orange dust that contrasts with the deep
brown color of the steel itself. These cracks may even be more
ironworkers prepare to field splice the plate girders on the West Virgina approach to the Blennerhassett island Bridge, which used
high-strength, high-performance 70 ksi weathering steel for maximum durability and improved ductility.
visible than ones that occur in painted structures.
Painting: The FHWA strongly recommends that the ends of
beams and girders under bridge joints be painted for a minimum
distance to protect against the certainty of joint leakage. The paint
system used for weathering steel should be high-quality paint as
would be used for any other steel bridge. Where the painted sur-
face is exposed to view, the color of the paint should match the
color of the weathered steel. Note that this color changes dur-
ing the frst several years of service as the protective patina forms
on the steel. One recommended specifcation to achieve this is
Federal Color number 30045. In some instances, aesthetic needs
require a painted bridge. To provide most of the cost benefts of
weathering steel while still satisfying aesthetic requirements, only
the fascia side of exterior girders need be painted. For structures
built with joints, and for those built before the FHWA Tech-
nical Advisory was issued with its recommendation to paint the
steel below the joint, it may be necessary to paint steel that has
been contaminated with the saltwater coming through the joint.
Recommended paint systems for this application are included in
the FHWA Research Report RD-92-055, Maintenance Coating of
Weathering Steel: Field Evaluation and Guidelines, available online
in the National Transportation Library, Bureau of Transporta-
tion Statistics, at http://1.usa.gov/zPCjiK.
Improvements and Research
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is making
an effort to develop a deeper understanding of weathering
steel bridge performance and to provide more detailed guid-
ance on proper application. Research is under way involving 3D
numerical simulations of truck passage events at bridges using
computation fuid dynamics (CFD) to quantify the amount of
salt spray that is deposited on the girders and how this might
be infuenced by various geometric parameters. Also, FHWA
has plans to perform a national study of weathering steel bridge
performance in various micro and macro environments. These
efforts will provide data for improving the guidance by better
defnition of tunnel-like conditions and/or coastal environ-
ments to name a few. FHWA is working with the American
Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Corrosion Advisory Group on
other projects as well.
Engineers have expressed concern with section loss as part
of the weathering process. However, the order of section loss
expected to establish the protective patina amounts to around
100 mils (0.1 in.), a negligible amount when assessing structural
performance. It is also important to keep in mind that because
rolling tolerances generally result in a greater thickness than
specifed, even after many years in service, a weathering steel
bridge will usually have a greater thickness than required by
the origin design.
When excessive section loss does actually occur, it is very
obvious and is in the form of laminar rusting of the surface.
This occurs primarily under the all-too-common leaking bridge
joints when deicing chemicals are used on the roadway above.
Wherever laminar rusting is observed, it is imperative to locate
the source of the corroding water, and if possible, seal it off. If
it is not possible, then spot coating of the affected area may be
necessary (see painting tips below).
Additional Resources
Much more information is available to assist those concerned
with the use of weathering steel in highway bridges. Here are
three recent publications that can be particularly helpful.
Uncoated Weathering Steel in Structures, FHWA
Technical Advisory 5140.22, October 1989, http://1.usa.
gov/yhP3je.
Improved Corrosion-Resistant Steel for Highway Bridge
Construction Knowledge-Based Design, FHWA Tech-
Brief, August 2009, http://1.usa.gov/A8ddO3.
Steel Plate Availability for Highway Bridges, Modern
Steel Construction, September 2011, http://bit.ly/wSVrqp.
Weathering Steel: For unpainted bridges and general
construction, ArcelorMittal USA, December 2012,
http://bit.ly/wNdMza.
This is the frst in a series of updates to the Bridge Crossings columns
originally published in MSC beginning in 1996. The authors would
like to acknowledge Robert L. Nickerson, P.E., who wrote the original
column on this topic.
the national steel Bridge alliance was formed in 1995 to enhance
the design and construction of domestic steel bridges. a division of
the american institute of steel construction, nsBa assists fabricators,
designers and owners in making the best design selections possible,
while also establishing steel as the material of choice for bridges. Be-
yond our membership, nsBa brings together the agencies and groups
who have a stake in the success of steel bridge construction, including
representatives from aashtO, FhWa, state dOts, bridge consultants,
and representatives of the coatings, fastener and welding industries.
From more information, go to www.steelbridges.org.
Where appearance dictates a painted bridge, painting only

the fascia side of exterior girders will provide most of the cost
benefits of weathering steel while still satisfying aesthetic
requirements.
the color of the weathering steel changes during the first few
years as the protective patina is forming.
Visit us at NASCC booth 1409
IT IS EASY TO LOOK in the mirror every morning and
see the same face stare back at you that you saw yesterday,
last week, last month and last year. You feel like nothing has
really changed. Construction activity in 2011 was like look-
ing into a mirror and seeing 2010there were no
noticeable changes.
Construction starts measured in square feet for
buildings (excluding residential buildings less than
fve stories) showed an increase of less than 2% be-
tween 2010 and 2011. In 2011, slightly more than
685 million sq. ft of new buildings started construc-
tion compared to 675 million sq. ft in 2010. Both
years were still far below the most recent peak in
building construction activity of 1.771 billion sq. ft
in 2006, refecting a drop of 62% in the size of the
market. AISC maintains records of market size back
to 1970 and both 2010 and 2011 refect the lowest
level of activity on record.
But if you stare into the mirror a bit longer, you
start to notice some subtle changes: a few more lines
around the eyes, a little more gray hair and maybe a
new blemish. Even though on the surface 2011 re-
minds us of 2010, on further examination there were
subtle differences in the marketplace that are in-
structive as the building construction industry looks
to the future.
First, we have reached the bottom of the cycle. Media reports
may still talk about a decline in construction activity, but they
are generally addressing the broader construction market that
includes infrastructure projects and reference put-in-place
construction. Put-in-place construction refects construction
spending during the period, but construction starts refect the
total value (or square footage) of construction started during
a given period. As a market indicator, construction starts lead
put-in-place construction. The growth in construction starts,
slight as it is, is a precursor of growth in construction employ-
ment and spending.
Second, the mix of project types is undergoing a signifcant
change. While overall levels of building construction remained
relatively constant, there was a signifcant decline in projects
funded publicly versus projects funded privately. The com-
bined total for schools, government service buildings and other
publicly funded building construction dropped 14% in 2011
while privately funded construction grew 9%. Public funding
represented 27% of building construction spending in 2011
compared to 32% in 2010. An increase in private investment in
building construction is a necessary sign for long-term growth.
Third, the beginnings of a recovery can be seen in the multi-
story residential market. Apartments and condominium build-
ings greater than four stories jumped in construction volume
from 28 million sq. ft to 53 million sq. ft, a growth rate of al-
REFLECTING
ON 2011
BY JOHN CROSS, P.E., LEED AP
economics
John Cross, P.E., LEED AP,
is an AISC vice president.
At last, some subtle signs of a turnaround
for the construction industry.
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
2,400,000
2,000,000
1,600,000
1,200,000
800,000
400,000
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
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Put-in-Place versus Construction Starts
Put-in-Place ($) Starts (sq. ft)
Total Multi-Story Residential Construction
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
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most 90%. The vast majority of this growth is in apartments
driven by foreclosure displacements and a reactionary aversion
to home ownership. Growth in this market segment is expected
to continue over the next several years.
Fourth, the industrial sector, which is tracked independently
of the building sector, also showed growth in 2011 with spending
increasing by 5%. That
trend is anticipated to
continue in 2012 with a
projected growth of an
additional 3%. As a mea-
sure of the growing im-
portance of the industrial
market, in 2011 the in-
dustrial sector accounted
for approximately 45%
of the demand for struc-
tural steel, up from 35%
of the demand in 2006
and 2007.
Fifth, the demand for
structural steel remains strong with steel-framed construction
accounting for 58% of constructed square footage. Concrete
framing accounts for 21% of square footage with wood in third
place at 7%. Pre-engineered steel buildings, masonry and other
types of framing systems equally share the remaining 15% of
the market. The structural steel-framed portion of the market
has increased from the 53% during the construction boom of
2006 and 2007 to the 58% level of 2010 and 2011.
Unless we believe in fairy tales, the mirror we look at each
morning cannot tell us what the future will hold. But as we re-
fect on the results of 2011, we can be optimistic about 2012.
In late 2010 the predictions were for a 2% growth rate in
2011 followed by an 8% growth rate in 2012. During the fall
of 2011, those predictions were scaled back to a loss of an ad-
ditional 2% in 2011 and
only a 2% growth in
2012. This was based
on the stagnation of the
U.S. economy resulting
from the prolonged debt
ceiling debate in Wash-
ington. Surprisingly the
market rebounded dur-
ing the fourth quarter
and the initial projection
of 2% growth was met.
So what about 2012?
Growth will probably
exceed the 2% projec-
tions of last fall with a growth rate of 6% to 8% more likely. Is
this good news? It certainly is better than a further decrease or
limited growth, but it needs to be remembered that even an 8%
growth rate will only move construction activity to 750 million
sq. ft of starts, which is still 1 billion sq. ft below the level of
2006 and 2007.
Unless we believe in fairy tales, the mirror we
look at each morning cannot tell us what the
future will hold. But as we refect on the results
of 2011, we can be optimistic about 2012.
YOUR FIRM has been shortlisted for a new project. Now, the
prospective client has requested that your team prepare a for-
mal presentation as the next step in the selection process. At
this stage, its possible to overlook one element that could be
the difference between winning the contract or walking away
empty-handed. When representatives of your frm are out there
making a presentation to win new business, are they behaving
like a true team? Do the decision-makers and infuencers they
are addressing believe your team is credible and effective? Do
they experience an overall chemistry?
As AEC business development and marketing professionals,
we know by the time weve gone through the selling cycle
relationship-building, due diligence, proposal submissions and
site toursthe shortlisted competitors are all well-qualifed.
Some might even argue that once weve received the invite to
interview for the project, the playing feld is completely level.
Wow. After all that effort. A completely level playing feld.
That stings. What can you do to get your frm to stand out from
your shortlisted competitors? Naturally, youll prepare a team
presentation strategy that tightly addresses the buyers topmost
concerns. Of course, youll assemble relevant, eye-catching vi-
suals. Its certain that youll aim to engage client participation
throughout. And no doubt youll rehearse not just the presenta-
tion, but also your management of questions and answers.
But guess whatyour competitor is doing everything
youre doing. And their stuff will likely be good. Very good. So
now you need another way to set your frm apart. How about
underscoringthrough actions and behaviors, rather than just
idle wordshow dynamic, communicative and committed your
team really is?
For some frms, this portrayal of team is easy. For ex-
ample, a multi-disciplined architecture/engineering frm with
a low turnover rate may be able to put forth an interview team
with a proven track record of successful projects, along with a
family-esque demeanor. But often, our interview presentation
teams are composed of disparate professionals. Perhaps weve
strategically included outside sub-consultants, entered a joint
venture, or simply created a brand new team from our internal
staff based on their areas of expertise (makes sense), yet with
little to no experience actually working together.
How in the world can that team come across as compatible,
innovative and easy-to-work with? If you have an open mind,
the answer is simple: team building through improvisation (im-
prov) exercises.
Improv exercises are not just for comedians. Savvy business
professionals recognize that mastering improv skills will re-
sult in myriad team-building benefts: confdence; on-the-spot
thinking; high energy; collaboration; creativity; authenticity;
high performance; the list goes on.
Scores of improvisation exercises can be found on the Inter-
net. One good collection of free resources is the online Improv
Encyclopedia (www.improvencyclopedia.org). In addition to
material, though, make sure that the facilitator of these exer-
cises is articulate, motivational and fun. You may not think fun
is relevant to your prospective client, but fun often translates
into easy and have-a-sense-of-humor. Even the driest or
most complicated of projects will beneft from these attitudes.
Below is a sampling of improv exercises that address pri-
orities typical of a prospective client. Variations exist for every
exercise, so feel free to adapt them to attain your specifc com-
munication goals.
Consistent message; listening skills: Conducted Story gives
team members the opportunity to build a cohesive story to-
gether. My version: Three to seven participants form a line in
front of the room. The audience provides a main character, a
location, and a mood/emotion. The Conductor starts the ex-
ercise by pointing to a participant, who begins telling a story.
At any point, the Conductor can switch to another participant,
who needs to continue the story fawlessly, even if the switch
happened in the middle of a sentence (or the middle of a word)!
After one trial run, we do a second round. Here, participants
Does your team really behave like a team?
Use these exercises to strengthen
your presentations.
By anne Scarlett, leeD aP
business issues
anne Scarlett, leeD aP, is president
of Scarlett consulting, chicago,
and specializes in a/e/c-specifc
strategic marketing plans, marketing
audits and coaching. She also is on
the adjunct faculty of columbia
college of chicago. She can be
contacted through her website,
www.annescarlett.com.
BETTER PROJECT
INTERVIEW
PERFORMANCE
are asked to incorporate delivery skills that
they will use in a business pitch context:
body language to demonstrate listening
to one another; taking a step out in front
of the group when speaking; maintaining
proper vocal tone and gestures to match
their words; etc. And yet another variation:
participants that hesitate or have gram-
matical errors will be asked
to sit down until there is just
one participant remaining.
Synergy and idea-gen-
eration: The Yes, and exer-
cise involves building upon
one anothers ideas, while
simultaneously demonstrat-
ing wholehearted support
for one another. This one
works well, since a core
component of a high-per-
formance team is its ability
to respect one another and to produce out-
comes that are greater than the sum of the
individuals put together.
Innovation, and keen on-the-spot
thinking: What are you doing? offers a way
for participants to think quickly on their
feet and separate visual from oral interpre-
tations by asking participants to act out one
action, while stating that they are doing
something completely different. Translator
is another opportunity for creative in-the-
moment expression, as one participant is
responsible for translating another partici-
pants gibberish talk.
Trust: Siamese Twins forces two partici-
pants to anticipate what one another will
say in response to audience questions, so
that they can say it in complete unison.
Mirroring is a similar follow-the-follower
exercise that can build both trust as well
as non-verbal rapport by requiring partici-
pants to synchronize one anothers move-
ments in complete silence.
Confict resolution: Yes, but depicts
confict that can circle back to agreement.
This is similar to Yes, and, but the group
experiences confict frst. When they have
exhausted their but statements (resulting
in unproductive tension!), they proceed to
ease around to agreement. This simulates
the release thats felt when a team resolves
a disagreement. Further, it underscores the
priority of confict management.
Articulation; concise communica-
tion: Im an expert enables participants to
practice felding questions. The participant
gives a one minute spiel on why he/she is
an expert at something specifc, then in-
vites questions from the audience. This is
one of my favorites, as I fnd the delivery
skills really stick. My version requires
the expert to point their feet at the
asker; re-phrase the question in their
response; confrm understanding; share
eye contact with the room then return
to asker; etc.
Enthusiasm and real-ness: There
are a plethora of improv exercises
(many categorized as WarmUps) that
increase enthusiasm, build comfort, and
eliminate barriers. Some are high en-
ergy and physical, such as Pass-the-Clap
and Samurai.
Further, virtually every improv ex-
ercise involves a better-be-in-the-mo-
ment and united we stand, divided we
fail mentality. In short, improv exercis-
es demand the very essence of team.
Now let me be clearIm not sug-
gesting that your team assume that hon-
ing their improv skills will give them
permission to deliver off-the-cuff inter-
view presentations. On the contrary, the
more the team prepares and practices
its presentation con-
tent and delivery, the
more that same team
will have the freedom
to deliver in a tone
that sounds conversa-
tional and natural.
But, what I am
suggesting is that
practicing ones abil-
ity to be in-the-mo-
ment through improv
has the added beneft
of equipping the team with the fexibil-
ity to adjust from the planned presenta-
tion in response to (perhaps unexpect-
ed) audience input. Equally important,
improv skills will strengthen the teams
overall synergy and rapport. And, be-
lieve me, this will be well-received by
the audienceyour future client.
The more the team prepares and practices its
presentation content and delivery, the more that
same team will have the freedom to deliver in a
tone that sounds conversational and natural.
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abt. ms 1/6/12:Layout 1 1/11/12 12:52 PM Page 1
At least it was to the construction team on the Missouri River Bridge
project when their initial concrete design priced over budget at almost
$45 million. They then had to scramble for other options.
Turned out the solution was steel. After coming up with a new design,
they turned to Nucor. And we were able to help them build a
beautiful, easy to maintain and environmentally friendly bridge at less
than half the cost of concrete. Who wouldve thought.
www.nucoryamato.com
Its Our Nature.

Using SidePlate FRAME cuts the number of moment
connections required, maximizes design versatility and yields
signifcant cost savings for landmark public works project.
LAST FALL, when ground was broken for construction of the
new Eastern State Hospital in Lexington, Ky., two milestones
were reached. The frst was the creation of a modern, state-of-
the-art mental health facility designed to replace a dilapidated,
185-year-old hospital that was ridden with controversy. The
second was the incorporation of the SidePlate FRAME steel
frame connection system, which offered strength and design
versatility as well as savings for this competitively bid public
works project.
Originally established in 1817, Fayette Hospital is the
second-oldest psychiatric facility in the U.S. With an initial
capacity to house 920 patients, the facility population had
increased to nearly 2,000 by 1945. Later renamed Eastern State
Hospital, the facility fell into severe disrepair, and remaining
patients were relocated from the outdated facility to other care
centers.
Under the leadership of the Bluegrass Regional Mental
Health-Mental Retardation Board Inc., which previously had
taken over facility management and day-to-day operations,
stakeholders were able to secure state funds to build a new, mod-
ern facility. Through a unique agreement with the Bluegrass
Community and Technical College, Eastern State Hospital was
relocated to the Coldstream Research Campus, while the college
relocated to the existing site of the original hospital facilities.
When it came time to make critical decisions regarding the
new facility, stakeholders agreed that a project being developed to
meet future needs should incorporate materials and architectural
standards designed for the future as well. The architectural plans
called for a state-of-the-art, 300,000-sq.-ft main hospital consist-
ing of three independent residential pods, each of which connects
with a common, three-story connector building. Two of the pods
are three stories high, while the third is four stories high.
The next question: should the building be made of concrete
or steel? While reinforced concrete moment resisting frames
are popular in nearby Louisville, steel was selected as the more
practical and cost-effective building frame material of choice in
Lexington. Two primary factors dictated this choice. The frst
was the complex geometry of the structure. Concrete would
a new Future
for mental
health care
By Sam ranGaSWamy, S.e., P.e., Ph.D., anD anthOny ehlerS, Jr.
have signifcantly escalated building costs when compared with the

versatility of steel. The second was time. Selecting a steel frame
ensured the structure could be enclosed before winter, allowing
interior work, such as drywall, HVAC ducting, plumbing and elec-
trical, to continue even when the weather didnt cooperate.
The original architectural plans for the spine building and
three separate units called for moment-resisting conventional steel
frames, but required a staggering 359 beam-to-column moment
connections. To stay within the project budget, the structural engi-
neer investigated several ways to limit the extent of feld welding
required and thus reduce the costs associated with having so many
moment connections.
Bracing systems were considered, but quickly eliminated because
they would interfere with the operational and functional require-
ments. Then the team turned to the SidePlate FRAME system,
which was a more economical option because of its strength and
simplicity. Best of all, because of its stiffer moment connections
coupled with improvements in the overall lateral frame layout of the
building, SidePlate required only 199 moment connections, which
translated into a 45% reduction when compared with conventional
steel frames. This ensured fewer erection hours, feld welding and
feld laborall of which translated into an estimated savings of
approximately $300,000 when compared to the original design.
While initially viewed as a steel frame system created only for
earthquake, bomb blast and progressive collapse design applications,
SidePlate FRAME is rapidly becoming recognized by engineers,
steel fabricators and general contractors in lower seismic zones as
a cost-saver in wind-controlled regions as well. Today it is the only
steel moment frame system that uses all fllet-welded construction,
with all welds deposited in the horizontal welding position 2F, in
lieu of complete joint penetration (CJP) groove welds, which can be
costly and require ultrasonic (UT) inspection.
The decision to use SidePlate on the project was unanimous,
but there was one more hurdle. Because Eastern State Hospital is a
state-owned building, open bidding is a requirement. Fortunately,
SidePlate is a proven technology designnot a sole-sourced manu-
factured item. That means it can be competitively bid by any and all
steel fabricators, just like any other steel component in a projects
design documents.
For the new Eastern State Hospital project, the SidePlate
FRAME system offered several signifcant benefts, including:
Sam rangaswamy, S.e., P.e., Ph.D., is principal-in-charge of rangaswamy

& associates, Inc., a planning, engineering and management consultancy
service based in louisville, Ky., which also maintains an offce in India. he
has more than 40 years of structural engineering experience in design,
surveying and analysis in the public and private sectors. anthony ehlers,
Jr., has been a project manager and structural engineer for rangaswamy
& associates since 2003.
Partial view of the steel structure.
Steel frame using SidePlate connections.
Beam end of the connection.
photos by rangaswamy & associates, Inc.
0.5 psf of net steel savings, or 75 tons
of steel
Competitive shop labor (due to
smaller fllet welds and a 27% reduc-
tion in the required number of
moment connections)
Reduced feld labor (due to use of four
fllet welds in the horizontal position
in lieu of more costly CJP groove
welds where beam fanges attach to
column fanges)
Shorter construction schedule
Elimination of all ultrasonic nonde-
structive testing costs
Additionally, the engineers at SidePlate
served as expert resources who worked side-
by-side with the team during the design
phase, including providing information on
lateral frame size optimization and detail-
ing, as well as other detailed calculations.
The engineers also reviewed all welding
procedures and quality control efforts, as
well as steel shop drawings relating to the
lateral load resisting system.
The new Eastern State Hospital is seek-
ing Leadership in Energy and Environ-
mental Design (LEED) certifcation, so the
use of SidePlate also will help achieve this
by using less steel, eliminating waste and
decreasing construction time.
When construction is complete in 2013,
the new Eastern State Hospital will trans-
form how the state cares for individuals
with mental health needs. It also marks a
successful collaboration among several
nonproft, educational and public entities,
opening the doors to not only new oppor-
tunities for patients and their families, but
for economic development as well.
Architect
arrasmith, Judd, rapp, chovan, Inc.,
louisville, Ky.
Associate Architect
SmithGroup, Inc., ann arbor, mich.
Structural Engineer
rangaswamy and associates, Inc.,
louisville, Ky.
Construction Manager
D.W. Wilburn, lexington, Ky.
Steel Team
Fabricator
Steel Service corporation, Jackson,
miss. (aISc member)
Steel Erector
J&B Steel erectors, hamilton,
Ohio (aISc member)
midwest Steel, Inc., Detroit (aISc
member)
assembled SidePlate connection.
column end of the
connection.
p
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

r
a
n
g
a
s
w
a
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y

&

a
s
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,

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.
IES, Inc
519 E Babcock St.
Bozeman, MT 59715
800-707-0816
info@iesweb.com
Visit www.iesweb.com
Download Your Free
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webinars
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be better.
aisc
sPrinG 2012
Podcasts
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Theres always a solution in steel.
American Institute of Steel Construction
One E Wacker Drive, Ste. 700
Chicago, IL 60601
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March Lou Geschwindner
April NASCC
May National Student Steel Bridge Competition
A I S C
Duane Miller Duane Miller
An interview with Welding Expert
5/175/18 Los Angeles, CA
7/197/20 Portland, OR
SteeLCAMP
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Louis F. Geschwindner Seminar
The NEW 14th Edition Steel Construction Manual
Seismic Braced FramesDesign Concepts and Connections
8/22 Anchorage, AK
Steel Deck Diaphragm Design
W. Samuel Easterling, Ph.D., P.E.
3/8
Effective Communication of
Connection Design
Patrick J. Fortney, Ph.D., P.E.
3/28
Current episode: an interview
with Lawrence A. Kloiber, P.E.
Roosevelt Universitys new 32-story vertical quad is a
showcase for the versatility of steel framing.
higher
education
By rOB a. chmIelOWSKI, S.e., P.e.
robert a. chmielowski, S.e.,
P.e., is a principal at magnusson
Klemencic associates, a
140-person structural and civil
engineering frm with offces in
Seattle, chicago, Shanghai and
riyad, Saudi arabia.
VOa architects
IN 2007, Roosevelt University, an independent non-proft
institution in the Chicago metropolitan area, faced a dilemma
regarding the future of its main downtown campus. The City of
Chicago had just instituted new code provisions requiring that
all high-rise buildings, new or old, be fully sprinklered, and the
universitys 17-story residential and student life building, the
Herman Crown Center, did not meet those criteria. Because
the universitys downtown campus revolved around the Center
and the adjacent world-renowned historic Auditorium Build-
ing, tough decisions had to be made whether to renovate the
existing building or abandon it and start anew.
After evaluating the costs of upgrading the existing build-
ing and considering future growth projections, the universitys
board of trustees approved a plan to demolish the Herman
Crown Center and build a new, modern structure that addressed
the universitys specifc requirements.
Nowhere To Go But Up
The university engaged VOA Architects, Chicago, to design
a new building that would meet all needs while creating an
enduring symbol for the campus. The new 470,000-sq.-ft build-
ing would include all common uses found in todays university
campuses: classrooms, laboratories, student services, offces, a
cafeteria, ftness center, and meeting spaces. The building also
would augment the existing university space in the adjacent
Auditorium Building and provide a new 600-room residence
hall for the universitys burgeoning student population. How-
ever, while the new building would contain all of the amenities
and features of a modern university, there was one critical ele-
ment missinghorizontal land area. By the nature of its down-
town location and small 16,000-sq.-ft lot, the entire program
would need to exist in a vertical confguration rather than a tra-
ditional horizontal campus layout. The concept of a university
quad would literally need to be turned on its side.
With this is mind, VOA Architects, in conjunction with the
university and development managers The John Buck Company
and Jones Lang LaSalle, developed a striking 32-story build-
ing that cleverly meets all programming requirements in one
vertical stack. The building is located on the site of the demol-
ished Herman Crown Center and a second smaller demolished
building to the north. It is divided vertically into three distinct
zones. Levels 1 through 5 include student services and student
life functions; Levels 6 through 13 contain classrooms, labora-
tories, and offces; and Levels 15 through 31 include dormito-
ries. At 475 ft, the building will be the second tallest educational
building in the United States and the sixth tallest in the world.
To handle this unique and complex stack of building uses,
multiple framing system options and materials were considered
early in the design. Structural steel was ultimately selected for its
ability to provide column-free spaces at the classrooms and labo-
ratories, allow future fexibility as the Universitys needs change,
and accommodate the projects required framing complexities.
Interfacing With History
The new tower is immediately adjacent to the historic Audi-
torium Building and connects to it in fve places. Designed by
famous American architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler,
the Auditorium Building was declared a National Historic Land-
igher
a three-story diagonal hanger is lowered
into place with the north face of the audi-
torium Building in the background.
a rendering from the northwest of the
completed tower with the auditorium
Building in the foreground.
the new tower structure is prepared to take
over the task of laterally supporting the his-
toric Fine arts annex faade. the braced
frame, which supported the faade during
demolition of the building and during con-
struction, is visible in the background.
two-story deep outri gger
trusses connecting to built-up
box columns increase the lat-
eral stiffness of the concrete
core and maintain accelerations
in the towers residential levels
within recommended limits.
VOa architects
VOa architects

magnusson Klemencic associates

mark in 1975 by the National Park Service. At the time of its
completion in 1889, it was the tallest building in Chicago and the
largest by volume in the United States. It was also, reportedly,
one of the nations frst mixed-use buildings containing offces, a
400-room hotel, and a world-class 4,300-seat theater.
Over time, the Auditorium Buildings heavy brick masonry
walls and large, tiered, shallow foundations settled up to 2 ft
over the soft clay of downtown Chicago. The tiered footings
extend onto the property, precluding the addition of columns
near the Auditorium Building and requiring the new structure
to cantilever up to 17 ft to meet the historic building. Rather
than use heavy and deep cantilevers at each foor, MKA used a
series of three-story steel hanger trusses to cantilever the build-
ing to the south. The stiff trusses minimized structural depths
at each foor, reduced displacements, and effciently carried the
eccentric building loads to the lateral system by decoupling
the hanger forces to a horizontal steel truss at Level 3 and a
concrete diaphragm at ground level. A similar one-story canti-
levered truss was used to extend a bridge over an alley and con-
nect to a portion of the Auditorium Building to the east.
At the northwest corner of the site, the new tower also inter-
faces with history at the location of the second demolished build-
ing on the sitethe Fine Arts Annex Building. The Commission
on Chicago Landmarks mandated that although the buildings
foors could be demolished, the west-facing faade would need
to be preserved and restored. The six-story building and its terra
cotta and stone faade, built in 1925, were supported by a series
of riveted steel frames. The plan developed by MKA involved
salvaging the steel frame directly behind the faade to function
as the faades gravity and in-plane lateral load-resisting system.
However, for out-of-plane bracing, the new tower buttresses the
faade via a series of lateral-only connections.
Prior to making any connections, the chemical composition
of the historic steel was assessed to determine its weldability.
All connections allowed for some form of differential vertical
and in-plane lateral movements between the new tower and the
faade while resisting out-of-plane forces. During demolition,
contractor Power Construction installed a temporary vertical
braced frame to laterally support the faade until the new tower
had been constructed to Level 6, at which point the task of lat-
erally supporting the faade was transferred to the new tower.
Framing Challenges: No Two Floors Alike
Unlike many high-rise buildings where the foor shape and
loading are consistent over many foors, there are no two foors
alike, from a framing standpoint, in the new tower. The mixed-
use nature of the building, numerous building setbacks, and
distinctive undulating faces of the east and west facades of the
tower resulted in 33 different framing layouts and presented
signifcant framing challenges for the design team.
VOAs design called for varying extensions of the foor struc-
ture at many levels of the tower. These extensions are framed
with variable-length cantilevered steel framing of lengths up to
10-ft, 6-in. While the cantilever lengths themselves are not par-
ticularly noteworthy, the complex and varying framing in these
areas necessitated close scrutiny. A beam cantilevering over a
column commonly supports a beam which itself cantilevers to
support a spandrel beam. While this provides dramatic column-
free experiences at the building edge, it required careful consid-
eration of cumulative vertical displacements from the complex
framing. Stiffness rather than strength considerations often
governed the sizing of the steel beams in order to minimize dif-
ferential foor defections for the cladding system.
While the stacking of various programming uses in this
project solved the challenge of limited space for the campus, it
resulted in the need for careful consideration of serviceability
issues, especially vibration control, for sometimes very different
occupancies. The ftness center at Level 5 is situated between
spaces sensitive to vibration and acoustics, such as lectures halls
and conference rooms. The aerobics room in the ftness center
proved especially challenging, given the applied rhythmic exci-
tation and limited available structural depth to increase foor
stiffness. The architect and acoustical consultant specifed iso-
lated, foating slabs to manage acoustics. MKA used detailed
SAP 2010 dynamic modeling and relied on AISCs Steel Design
Guide No. 11, Floor Vibrations Due to Human Activity, to ensure
that accelerations were within recommended limits.
Although the design and construction communities often
think of concrete for residential occupancies, the upper 17 lev-
els of the building provide an excellent example of the use of
structural steel for this application. MKA worked closely with
VOA to locate the main beam and girder lines on demising par-
titions. This allows the beams to be hidden within the parti-
an image from the revit model shows the series of three-story
hanger trusses, which abut the auditorium Building, and the one-
story cantilevered bridge connection over the alley. new connec-
tions to the historic building are shown with blue arrows.
the complicated vertical stack of the universitys program along
with the undulating faades results in no two floors being alike.
a rendering from the street level with the auditorium Building to
the right and the restored Fine arts annex faade to the left.

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the entry to the tower at the street level will pro-
vide an excellent vantage point for the dramatic
undulating west faade.
tions, providing an opportunity for increased ceiling heights between the
beams while maintaining a foor-to-foor height of 10 ft, 10 in. Floor vibra-
tions were studied closely to ensure a serviceable fnal condition.
Steel Bolsters Lateral System
The primary lateral load-resisting element of the tower is the concrete
core. The interior space planning required that the core be situated at a
signifcant offset west of the ideal location, which would have been at the
center of the foor plate. To deal with the signifcant torsion developed due
to the offset location and to minimize the in-plane shear demands on the
foor diaphragms, a steel braced frame was utilized at the eastern end of
the building. The braced frame, which runs full height of the building, was
arranged in concentric and eccentric confgurations as necessary to work
with the interior layouts.
Lateral resistance in the east-west direction proved to be a signifcant
challenge. The aspect ratio of the concrete core was such that the building
accelerations at the upper levels, as determined by a wind tunnel analysis,
exceeded recommended limits. The fact that the most sensitive occupants
for accelerations will reside in the dormitories at the upper levels only
compounded the challenge. Again, structural steel was utilized to solve
the issue. A pair of two-story-deep steel outrigger trusses extends from
the west face of the concrete core at Levels 15 through 17 to increase
the stance of the concrete core and bring wind accelerations to within
acceptable limits.
The tip of each outrigger truss connects to a 1,275-lb-per-lineal-foot
built-up column consisting of a W14730 with two 4-in. by 20-in. cover
plates to provide the necessary axial stiffness. The contract documents
required the bolts of each outrigger brace remain loose until the building
was topped out and all foor concrete cast to prevent possible overload
of the outrigger trusses while the core concrete and outrigger columns
shortened differentially.
When completed in March 2012, the new tower will form an excit-
ing addition to Roosevelt Universitys growing downtown campus. This
unique building epitomizes the defnition of mixed use, reviving the tradi-
tion originally set forth by the Auditorium Building more than a century
ago. As a true vertical university, the project provides an excellent model
for other universities with similar space constraints. As desired, the tower
serves as an iconic symbol for Roosevelt University as well as a bold new
addition to the Chicago skyline.
Owner
roosevelt University
Architect
VOa architects, chicago
Structural Engineer
magnusson Klemencic associates, Seattle
Steel Team
Fabricator
Zalk Josephs Fabricators, llc, Stoughton, Wis. (aISc member)
Erector
chicago Steel construction, llc, chicago
Steel Detailer
Ken Boitz & associates, Bloomingdale, Ill. (aISc member)
Development Managers
the John Buck company, chicago, and Jones lang laSalle, chicago
General Contractor
Power construction company, Schaumburg, Ill.

Solving An Erection Challenge
an accelerated schedule dictated that the
tower crane would best serve the project on the
outside of the structure in order to eliminate all
comeback work on the interior after the cranes
dismantlement. With no location available for a
standard concrete footing due to property line
constraints, robert J. herm, S.e., vice president
of chicago Steel construction, llc, used a cre-
ative solution. the crane base was put on two
large plate girders that were run through the
concrete core, extending out about 12 ft from
the north property edge. having the crane base
roughly 10 ft above grade allowed for the utili-
zation of every precious square foot of ground
on the very limited site. engineering for the
crane support was provided by aISc profes-
sional member christopher Kohout, S.e., prin-
cipal structural engineer with acK engineering
Services, ltd., chicago.
How design-assist and the
boneyard concept cut design
and construction time in half.
community
hospital for the
By matt mUhlenKamP, P.e., leeD aP BD+c
hDr architecture, Inc.; ari Burling
american military
a
World-Class
A KEY ELEMENT of the U.S. Department of Defenses
2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program was
modernizing and upgrading the delivery of medical services,
especially in the region surrounding the nations capital. The
plan included closing the historic yet aging Walter Reed Army
Medical Center and gave rise to a new world-class, sustainable
medical facility: Community Hospital at Fort Belvoir, which
opened in August 2011.
The challenge was to deliver one of the militarys larg-
est hospital projects, which included numerous complex
elements, within a relatively short period of time. Using an
unusual approach for this type of project, the design and con-
struction team was able to place an early mill order for steel
and adopt a plan to design based on pre-ordered and available
material. The result was excellent collaboration and timely
project completion.
The new hospital is made up of seven interconnected build-
ings: four clinic buildings fanning out from the central hospital
building, fanked by two above-ground parking structures at
each end. The threestory and four-story clinic buildings are
separated by open courtyards known as healing gardens. Atop
each clinic is the hospitals signature architectural feature: a
winged roof, which also serves as a collector element to facili-
tate rainwater reuse. The eight-story main hospital building is
positioned in the center of the expanding arch, with a 120-bed
double petal curved bed tower sitting atop a tiered podium.
Sections of the podium that are directly visible from the patient
tower are designed as green roofs, enhancing the healing envi-
ronment and helping the building achieve LEED certifcation.
Starting Out and System Selection
At the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, the mission to
bring a full menu of clinical and hospital services to the military
community in the region began with a plan to bring the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Army Health Facility Plan-
ning Agency, the contractor and designer together in what was a
relatively new delivery method for large hospital projects: Inte-
grated Design-Bid-Build (IDBB). The mission had a clear end
date, requiring the hospital be opened and operational by Sep-
tember 2011. With only fve years from concept to completion,
all the participants recognized early that an integrated approach
to project delivery would be the key to success.
Very early in the project the architect and engineers from
the HDR-Dewberry Joint Venture identifed several framing
options as meeting the projects goals. Most notably, these
included providing a structure system meeting current code
requirements for seismic and wind resistance, as well as the
militarys requirements for force protection and progressive
collapse mitigation. One of the overarching themes of the
project was to provide a hospital built to private industry stan-
dards while meeting the very specialized security and force-
protection needs of a military hospital.
One engineering challenge was to meet both the Unifed
Facilities Criteria (UFC) and the International Building Code
(IBC). Successful integration of these two standards was made
easier by a general transformation of the UFC requirements
toward those in the current IBC. Conficts between these two
standards were resolved by applying the stricter provision of
the two codes. Provisions found in the IBC were usually, but
not always, less restrictive than the standard United Facilities
matt muhlenkamp, P.e., leeD

aP BD+c, is an associate with
hDr architecture, alexandria,
Va., where he is the structural
engineering operations manager.
he has been practicing structural
engineering for 17 years.
he can be reached at matt.
muhlenkamp@hdrinc.com.
Above: Steel framing along the perimeter employed adjust-
able bolted edge angles that were welded into final position.
Pre-installed rebar couplers provided for ease in installation of
edge reinforcing bars.
Below: SidePlate moment connections were used through-
out the project. the connection from the infill beam to the
column stub employed a bolted web connection and field-
welded flange connections.
Photos this page by hDr architecture, Inc.
Guide Specifcations language. By fnding measured and
considered ways to adapt typical industry construction
methods while meeting or exceeding the design criteria
(UFC and IBC), the engineers were able to trim the overall
delivery schedule without compromising on the safety and
security of the building.
For the superstructure, an ordinary steel moment frame
system utilizing SidePlate connections was determined to
meet the needs of the architectural layout, the schedule
and the budget. Composite steel and concrete framing was
employed for the foor framing system. The type of struc-
tural system was a factor in preparing the building layout,
along with critical architectural considerations, including
in-depth studies of patient and provider fow through the
building, required equipment clearances and medical adja-
cencies, as well as the application and updating of the Mili-
tary Health System guideplates showing room by room
equipment layouts. These helped determine the required
bay spacing for the clinic and the hospital: 30-ft by 30-ft
for the hospital, and 27-ft, 4-in. by 32-ft for the clinic
buildings. The SidePlate moment connections were used
extensively to increase stiffness. At the mechanical pent-
houses, braced frames were used to provide the required
structural stiffness. The sweeping curves of the clinic roofs
and the curved outline of the patient tower were created
from a number of straight elements oriented to create the
buildings organic outlines.
During the early stages of design, the general contractor
identifed potential savings to cost and schedule in the foun-
dation system. Controlled modulus columns were employed
to achieve allowable bearing capacities of up to 8,000 lb per
sq. ft under the large spread footings, reducing the footing
sizes and the quantity of cast-in-place concrete.
Schedule
BRAC requirements mandated the transfer of medical
services to the new Community Hospital at Fort Belvoir
begin by September 2011. For the creation of a hospital of
this size and complexity, the schedule required a delivery
method accelerating design and construction, and overlap-
ping the two. Integrating these elements early, while keep-
ing the essential design and construction functions separate,
the goal was to reduce the expected delivery time from 10
years to less than fve. No other solution would be able to
meet the mandates of the BRAC program.
During the early phases of design and construction, in
2006 and 2007, planing and design of the infrastructure
improvements were well under way in order to be ready for
the transformation of the open site on the Fort Belvoir South
Post into a busy medical complex. Roadway, power and
water distribution, and sewer improvements and upgrades
were required in order to prepare the site, formerly a nine-
hole golf course, for its new mission. The location ultimately
housed a number of other construction projects, including
the new Medical Command Center, Dental Clinic and
Warrior-In-Transition Unit, amon others. The construction
contract was awarded in September 2007.
the curved outlines of the patient tower were created

from straight segments.
Braced frames at mechanical penthouses provide the additional
stiffness required in these areas.
Buildings are connected by truss bridges, which are designed to
allow both people and essential utilities to reach the outermost
clinic buildings.
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Design-assist and the Boneyard
The essence of the IDBB process on the Fort Belvoir Hospital
was a cooperative design process that the design and construction
teams referred to as designassist. As soon as the general con-
tractor was selected, their personnel immediately began the pro-
cess of informing and improving the design, which was maturing
for core and shell deliverables. This concept of design-assist was
not new to the general contractor nor to the architect and engi-
neer, who had successfully engaged in design-assist projects for
decades. However, the scale of this project and the schedule and
budget pressures required that the design-assist process begin
early and that the lines of communication be open and short.
In late 2007, the contractor located its project offces within the
architects offces, and work continued in earnest.
Having selected a steel moment frame system, the work of the
structural engineering and the steel subcontractor and detailing
teams of HDR, Banker Steel, and Mountain Enterprises became
the focus of some of the very frst design-assist meetings. The
Corps of Engineers oversaw, facilitated and directed the work of
these teams, although direct communication between engineer
and detailer was encouraged throughout the process.
As the design-assist process for the overall hospital contin-
ued to modify and change the building, as it would for another
four years, the steel team began to focus on the schedule. While
design was still evolving, the schedule required that the mill
orders be placed. In 2007 and early 2008, the process of shop
drawing approval for the clinic buildings began while design
was still progressing on the hospital. The design-assist team
adopted, with the Corps, the idea of a structural steel stockpile,
or boneyarda concept successfully used by the steel con-
tractor on other large schedule-driven projects.
The boneyard concept was simple: As design changed, steel
framing members that needed to be revised or replaced because
of evolving conditions would be stockpiled and repurposed
elsewhere on the project in later phases. The adoption of the
boneyard concept allowed early mill orders to be placed and
shop drawings to be approved while design on other portions
of the building was proceeding. The timing of the early mill
orders was integral to completing the project on schedule and
to controlling costs. Careful consideration of what was in the
changing stockpile was required during the later phases of the
project, as various problems were encountered and solved. This
interdependence of design, fabrication, and erection of steel
Staged construction of the main
hospital building beginning at
the northwest corner. Beyond,
the framing of the clinic buildings,
including the curved roofs, are
nearing completion.
the sweepi ng curves for the
winged roofs were created from a
number of straight elements.
Framing of the curved roofs at the southern-most clinic is being completed as concrete for the tunnel providing major services
from the central Utility Plant is being cast. the buildings were constructed from the extreme ends inward, from the outer clinic
building to the central main hospital structure.
hDr architecture, Inc.
hDr architecture, Inc. hDr architecture, Inc.

members was an early hallmark of the project, and set the stage
for future cooperation for the entire project. The practice of
collaborative design and construction was often repeated in the
later phases and with other disciplines, often preceded with the
mantra just like we did with the steel framing.
Adapting to changes in the locations, weights, and require-
ments of specifc medical and mechanical equipment proved
challenging during ft-out, but was eased by the ability to draw
members from this stockpile. As members were effciently repur-
posed, the contents of the stockpile rose and fell during the four
-year construction of the hospital, resulting in the repurposing
of most of members that were part of the boneyard.
BIM and Coordination On the Fly
The schedule-driven just-in-time detailing, approval, and
erection process of the structural steel members and supple-
mental steel framing was a constant challenge on the project.
The sharing of BIM models created by both the design teams
and the steel detailers was essential to the quick processing of
the fnal shop drawings. The structural engineering team mod-
eled the building using Revit Structure software, while the
architectural, mechanical and electrical teams modeled using
both AutoCad Architectural desktop and Autodesk Building
Systems. Taking these designs into production, the steel model-
ing performed by the detailers was primarily completed using
Tekla Structures software. The general contractor was able to
bring all this information together using Navisworks BIM soft-
ware packages.
Later in the project, the positive working relationship
between the general contractor, the steel fabricators, detailers
and the structural engineers helped the design and construction
teams overcome many challenges. Fit-out for this complex hos-
pital resulted in competition for usable space among the many
systems that were required, including structural, mechanical,
electrical, plumbing and medical equipment. Numerous on-site
BIM visualization meetings allowed the engineers and contrac-
tors to virtually fy through the space, fnding conficts and
proposing solutions to framing and systems confgurations.
Meeting and working with the detailed 3D models on site and
literally in the shadow of the project, BIM meeting conclusions
were immediately followed up by confrmation of the actual
conditions as they progressed day by day.
Serving as an architectural signature, the
winged roofs atop each of the four clinics
also collect rainwater for reuse in land-
scape irrigation.
the new Fort Belvoir community hospital replaces the aging Walter reed army medical center
and DeWitt hospital with a 1.275 million sq.-ft world-class facility.
Community Hospitals Medical Mission
as part of the national capital regions inte-
grated military healthcare organization, the
medical mission for the new community
hospital at Fort Belvoir is two-fold. Its pri-
mary function is to replace the Walter reed
national military medical center. Provision of
clinical outpatient care and long-term care,
as well as transitional medicine and cutting
edge cancer treatment, are a major focus of
55 primary and specialty care clinics that are
located at the new hospital. nearly half of the
1.275 million sq. ft of building area is dedi-
cated to clinical and specialty care, as well as
the administrative offces and operations cen-
ters service the new facility.
the new hospital also replaces the aging
DeWitt hospital located at Fort Belvoir. hos-
pital functions such as surgery, intensive care,
emergency, imaging, labor and delivery, diag-
nostic, and inpatient services are delivered
primarily from the main hospital building,
which occupies the center of the new facility.

Sustainable Patient Care
Energy effciency, sustainability and providing a healing environment
were important considerations during the design and construction to
the Fort Belvoir community as well as to the Military Health System
community. Choices of materials and regional sources, optimizing build-
ing orientations, and using energy-saving and water-saving features are
just some of the strategies used by the design team. Those choices are
expected to result in an estimated $450,000 dollars per year in energy
savings due to the 27.6% reduction in baseline energy usage per the
ASHRAE 90.1-2004 standards.
Additionally, more than 1.6 million gallons of potable water will be saved
each year through the collection and reuse of rainwater for irrigation. Design
choices also have reduced CO
2
emissions from the building by more than
4,000 tons per year. The building is currently tracking to achieve a LEED
Gold Certifcation, which exceeds the original goal of LEED Silver. Having
met the BRAC mandated guidelines, the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital
is now operating as a Flagship of Military Medicine.
Owner
United States Government
Architect and Structural Engineer
hDr-Dewberry Joint Venture, alexandria, Va.
Steel Team
Fabricator
Banker Steel co., llc, lynchburg, Va. (aISc member)
Detailer
WSP mountain enterprises, Sharpsburg, md. (aISc member)
Erector
l.r. Wilson & Sons, Inc., Gambrills, md. (aISc member)
General Contractor
turner-Gilbane Joint Venture, arlington, Va.
Construction Manager
U.S. army corps of engineers, norfolk District
the distinctive wing shaped layout of the inter-
connected buildings focuses visitors to the main
entrance of the hospital. native plantings and rain-
screen cladding systems were some of the many
approaches used to achieve an expected leeD Sil-
ver certification, with a possible Gold certification.
Photos this page by hDr architecture, Inc.; ari Burling

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An in-depth look into the how and why behind the steel
construction industrys migration to IFC.
IN 1998 the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC)
adopted CIS/2 and invested heavily to make it the data exchange
standard for structural steel. The effort proved to be a huge suc-
cess. So why, 14 years later, is now the right time to start focus-
ing efforts on another open standard: IFC?
IFC does not stand for Interoperability for Construction, but
it could. Its actually an acronym for buildingSMARTs Indus-
try Foundation Classes, an industry-wide open standard that is
gaining traction across the vertical and horizontal construction
industry. While on the surface it purports to offer no more than
any other neutral format or standard, in fact it offers a prom-
ise unmatched by previous standardsthat of interoperability
using a single standard across the construction industry and up
and down different trades and professions.
For almost 15 years, AISC and the structural steel industry
have been leaders in electronic data interchange (EDI). The
structural steel industry was among the frst to adopt 3D mod-
eling tools throughout its supply chain and by working with
software vendors, educating the market and promoting the
benefts of EDI, CIS/2 was adopted and embraced. It became a
major success, improving productivity and positioning the steel
industry at the forefront of interoperability and what was later
to be called building information modeling (BIM).
However, as with so many so-called neutral formats, CIS/2
is focused exclusively on one discipline, structural steel. Other
materials were not even considered in the schema. It has been
widely adopted within the steel silo and often continues to
provide the best option for transferring data up and down the
steel supply chain. However, the inability to share data beyond
this limitation, coupled with a lack of formal certifcation and
testing, have left CIS/2 on a plateau, with further growth, devel-
opment and support unlikely.
While the steel industry led the way in the use of 3D models,
other industries and trades have quickly been catching up. This
has led to a widespread trend toward adoption of not only BIM,
but also collaborative delivery methods that BIM enables. Now
the construction industry as a whole aspires to have a single
global data exchange standard. Such a standard would enable
project teams to strive for multi-discipline models and seam-
lessly exchange model data among architects, engineers, con-
tractors and a multitude of subcontractors.
Interoperability
for Construction
BY CHRIS MOOR AND LUKE FAULKNER
Chris Moor is AISCs director of industry initiatives.
He can be contacted at moor@aisc.org. Luke
Faulkner is AISCs director of information
technology initiatives. He can be contacted at
faulkner@aisc.org.
Past and Present
For too long the industry has relied on an assortment of data
exchange formats, each tailored to a specifc discipline, software
set, or even country. Software vendors have spent hundreds of
thousands of dollars and man-hours programming and main-
taining these formats and users have had to spend valuable time
trying to learn which one works where and to what degree. Too
often, expectation has been overstated and the quality of data
exchanges has been unreliable and unpredictable with no one
in particular to blame.
Much of the problem lies in the way open standards have
been, and still are, viewed. CIS/2, for example, took a top-down
approach focused on capturing every single piece of data that
might ever be needed, and in
every possible way it could
be described, within a single
industry. Simplistically the
idea was that if two software
products fully adopted the
schema, then the end user
could simply press a but-
ton to exchange data and it
would be 100% correct.
As a result of this
approach, the depth of data
available within the CIS/2
schema is impressive, but
implementing and programming it has become complex. Soft-
ware programs contain different amounts of data described and
referenced in different ways; of course, unless the same pro-
grammers write all the industrys software programs using the
same language, these differences will always exist. So when it
came to writing that data out to an external neutral format,
programmers had to decide how to defne various elements
within the CIS/2 schema. Invariably then, two programs may
end up with different, but still correct implementations of
CIS/2. Because of this, CIS/2 favors developed (i.e., two soft-
ware vendors agreed on ways to interpret data such that their
programs worked together) and results became erratic. With-
out a formal, independent, testing and certifcation program to
police these kinds of things, the problems continue and faith in
the standard erodes, even as vendors continue to work on it.
Interestingly, these issues, along with advancing technol-
ogy, have led to an ever increasing number of proprietary links
between various software programs. Software companies stra-
tegically create such links in direct response to market require-
ments. More often than not the quality of the exchanged data
is very high and in addition, well documented and tested. The
downside to proprietary links is that one is needed for every
link in the chain, which is expensive to develop and maintain. It
also gets confusing for the end user as choices expand.
Lessons Learned
Digesting this information leads to one conclusion: In the
future, if interoperability is to become a reality, new approaches
will be necessary. Over its 15-year experience with the topic,
AISC has learned a few things that help determine what those
new approaches might be:
1. Successful interoperability requires more than just
the technical capability of the chosen format, the software
and the end user. First, a legal framework and appropriate con-
tract documentation are necessary to allow the sharing of data
between parties without the fear of increased risk or liability.
With the increase in collaborative delivery methods the sharing
of data becomes an integral component of the project team but
documents need to be in place to protect the participants.
Added to this, communication among the project team is
crucial: Expectations must be set at the outset of the project with
apparently trivial things, such as origin points and fle formats,
being decided early as possible. It must be clear what is to be
modeled to what extent by whom and when, and just as impor-
tantly, what will likely not be
modeled. A clear narrative
on the level of development
of models must be in place
such that other users know
what the model content can
be relied upon for. The list
goes on, but developing this
kind of BIM execution plan
is time well spent.
2. Interoperability is
market driven. Software
vendors want a return on
their programming invest-
ment and are naturally driven by market requirements, strategic
opportunities and client needs. Consensus-style open standards
move too slowly to meet changing market requirements so
software companies need to look for the quickest, most reli-
able and effcient way of meeting the need. Often, the answer
is a proprietary data exchange link. As noted above, proprietary
links are expensive to maintain and support and vendors tell
us repeatedly they would prefer to have one standard to write
to and maintain, but that standard needs to help them satisfy
the market. To be successful then, any open standard in the
future needs to have some kind of mechanism where changes
and extensions to the schema can be done quickly and without
waiting for consensus approval.
3. Open standards can never exchange all the data two
programs could exchange directly. There is no escaping the
fact that an open standard can never exchange all the data two
programs could exchange or that a client wants to exchange.
In essence open standards do not support innovation or cre-
ativity and cannot always keep up with the market. As a result,
even with the best will in the world, there will always be a need
to supplement the open format data exchange with additional
enhancements. It boils down to this: Open Standard + Propri-
etary Enhancements = State of the Art.
The open standard allows the essential data to be transferred
while a layer of proprietary data enables a company to maintain
its competitive edge, meet market requirements and still reduce
its overall development effort. As long as the limitations are
known, solutions can be found.
4. Interoperability needs to be workfow driven. While
the top down approach described for CIS/2 has proved suc-
cessful, a bottom up approach will provide more fexibility and
Industry Foundation Classes offer
the promise of interoperability using
a single standard across the entire
construction industry.
agility. A workfow driven approach
requires studying and documenting
every data exchange point within the
supply chain, from concept to instal-
lation. At each exchange point a thor-
ough understanding is needed of who
is involved, what software is involved,
what data needs to be exchanged (or can
be exchanged) and what
that data will be used for.
This becomes a blueprint
for the industry and the
foundation upon which
an open standard can be
built. Every software pro-
gram serves a niche set of
users and in this way, only
the exchanges that affect
them need to be consid-
ered. In the same way,
this approach deals with
the areas where other disciplines are
involved or need to be combined, avoid-
ing any issues with silos.
5. A successful open standard
needs to have formalized procedures
and be well defned, policed and offer
a certifcation program for software
providers. This is an area where CIS/2
fell short and it was a long way out of
the realm of AISC. However, it is an
important area that ensures reliability
of the exchanges and reduces the likeli-
hood of errors or unexpected results.
With these lessons in mind, and
noting that a new direction clearly was
needed for the structural steel industry
to maintain leadership and competive-
ness, AISCs Technology Integration
Committee (TIC) has spent the past
year studying this issue, refecting on
our past experience, and considering the
options before us. The reality is that the
broader construction industry has started
to embrace BIM in a big way and IFC has
been gaining a huge amount of traction
among various disciplines and industries.
In the end AISC has chosen a unique, bold
approach that leads us toward an IFC solu-
tion for the industry, that is both fexible
and realistic along the way.
By understanding the fve
points made above, the choice
to head toward an IFC solution
for the future was actually fairly
easy; the keys were to be realis-
tic about the capabilities and to
keep an eye on improving the
present situation. In review-
ing the above fve points, IFC
scored high because:
While the scope of an open
standard such as IFC does not
cover legal issues and collabo-
ration/communication, these concepts
cannot be ignored. buildingSMART,
aside from having IFC at its core for
interoperability, also heavily promotes
communication and collaborative deliv-
ery methods and processes. In addition,
the National BIM StandardUnited
States (NBIMS-US) has active AISC
involvement and supports all of these
topics within its mission.
While the market is driving interopera-
bility, there are efforts across the indus-
try to promote IFC at all levels such that
the market is beginning to demand IFC
as its solution.
IFC exchanges are derived from workfows.
Among these formalized procedures are
a well-thought-out, user-defned specif-
cation for what information is required
and additionally, a technically defned
methodology for adapting these require-
ments into a specifc schemaIFC in this
case. This is work that is well under way
and will help the steel industry in hon-
ing a standard that allows all the required
information to fow to a fabrication level,
while at the same time easily exporting
to a level useful for coordination by a
general contractor. AISC is working with
industry experts at Georgia Institute of
Technology, and is in the fnal stretch
of completing an Information Delivery
Manual (IDM) for the structural steel
industry. The IDM is a plain English
explanation of the data exchanges that
occur within the structural steel industry
from concept to installation. It includes a
description of each exchange, including
IFC already has become a broadly
supported and accepted standard
outside the structural steel world.
that will establish what information is
in IFC. In this way, we hope to improve
the exchanges available right now, and
at the same time build a knowledge base
that can be used for building the IFC
exchanges for the future.
Summary
Its not without some serious thought
that, after 15 years, AISC decided it was
time to move toward IFC. But IFC is
for the future and we also needed to
improve interoperability and help our
members such that they can exchange
data as they need to right now. CIS/2
does not go away, just as SDNF and
other older formats have not gone away.
They have their place and are used where
appropriate, and that will continue to
be the case. AISCs approach takes into
account all currently available options
and hopes to be able to learn from each
of them, document them and build the
foundation for an effective IFC solution
for the industry in the future. IFC may
not stand for Interoperability For Con-
struction yet, but it will.
such things as who is exchanging the
data, what data are included, what the
data can be used for, and what software
is being used.
A formalized and offcial testing and cer-
tifcation procedure is in place for IFC.
Aside from the ability to communicate
data effectively beyond the structural
steel supply chain, IFC offers an advan-
tage CIS/2 never could; an established
methodology for testing and certifca-
tion. IFC has a well-defned, system-
atic, rigorous procedure for this. While
its not easy to attain, a certifed imple-
mentation offers a level of certainty
that CIS/2 never did or could.
While this is exciting, we still have
to acknowledge that IFC is not quite
readyyet. We know that IFC is capable
of moving data supportive of structural
steel at the coordination level; we even
know that it is capable of supporting some
fabrication-level information. The reality
is though; you will not wake up tomor-
row or next week, or next month to fnd
that IFC is ready to supplant CIS/2 for
fabrication-level information. It is a long
and arduous process that at times may
prove frustrating. The payoff, though, is
that the steel industry will end up with a
standard that was developed with its own
input to support its own needsboth
internal and external.
The Missing Link and the Key
Component
What gets lost in all the talk of IFC is
what happens between now and when a
solution is available. This is the key com-
ponent in AISCs strategy.
Yes, AISC has changed its single-
minded outlook from only
CIS/2.
Yes, AISC is actively moving toward
an IFC solution for the industry.
No, AISC is not abandoning any-
thing, or putting anything on hold in
the meantimequite the opposite.
The reality is that the broader
construction industry has become very
BIM-hungry and as its capacity to
utilize BIM has grown, so too have the
expectations of what data it expects to
be able to access. Its not without some
serious thought that AISC opted to pursue
this course. Although IFC lacks the overall
capability of CIS/2 within the structural
steel domain, it already has become a
broadly supported and accepted standard
outside the structural steel world. To
remain a leader, it has become incumbent
upon AISC to look not just introspectively
at our own industry, but to look beyond
and examine how we will ft into a wider
BIM world.
Our short-term goal is to ensure
data can be exchanged as needed utiliz-
ing any type of data exchange available.
In other words, we support, recommend
and encourage the use of any format to
exchange data to the satisfaction of both
parties, be it proprietary, CIS/2, SDNF,
DSTV, XML or a combination thereof.
To support this, our foundation is the
Information Delivery Manual described
earlier. AISC is using the IDM as a living,
evolving document to understand data
exchanges, identify problem areas and
gaps, and then fnd ways to solve them.
The IDM is a valuable tool that now sits
at the heart of all the interoperability
objectives for the steel industry.
Essentially, we will examine each data
exchange point and get a thorough under-
standing of what data is being exchanged
and why, and between what roles and
which software. From there we will look at
all available data transfer options between
the software programs on either side of
the exchange and document what works
and what doesnt, whats missing and,
in the end, what the best solution is for
exchanging the needed data at that point.
If we fnd that one method works better
than another, that is what we will recom-
mend for that particular data exchange. If
we fnd fxable errors within exchanges,
we will report them to the software ven-
dors and recommend they be corrected.
In the end, our goal is to provide a service
to the industry such that users can enter
a few pieces of information about their
role, software and the data they wish to
exchange and in response will obtain a
recommendation for how best to achieve
the exchange.
At the same time, its important to
note that while AISC is moving toward
IFC and preparing the market and the
foundation, the most important thing is
that interoperability can happen now.
CIS/2 is not being disavowed. It fts into
the larger, short-term strategy that we
want exchange cases to be supported in
the most robust, capable way. Where fea-
sible, CIS/2 will be further enhanced to
support those data exchanges, and will
even help us document the workfows
Phone: 281-20-9749 Fax: 281-20-9771
8PE6|AL|Z|NC |N 6U8T0H
8TEEL 60NNE6T|0N 0E8|CN
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Consulting Services, Inc.
sixth_page_04-06-2010.pmd 4/5/2010, 8:26 AM 1
THE AESTHETICS of a bridge play a role as important
as effciency, economy, sustainability and constructability.
Bridges, as long-lasting structures, modify the landscape
and their infuence in the life of various generations is something
we cannot forget in their planning and design. Good architects and
engineers have this conceptthe signifcance of the appearance
always present when they conceive a house, a building or a transporta-
tion infrastructure.
There are many bridges out of context that have irreversibly dam-
aged natural and urban landscapes. Too many bridges are devoid of any
creativity, unattractive, and both badly conceived and built. These ano-
dyne works have caused civil engineering to lose its good reputation.
Unfortunately, the design of most modern bridges is based only on
cost and effciency. Cost and value have long been confused in bridge
design. This is a strange contradiction, because the communities feel
linked to and proud of their city, if public spaces are taken care of, if
aesthetics are present, if history and culture form part of the citys
tradition, along with other intangible values related to beauty.
In the last decade, poor bridge designs have resulted in the con-
struction of landmark bridges that want to be different, usually out of
scale, and neither effcient nor economic. Political demagogy has also
had its consequences, and manifests itself in some leaders that, unable
to decide or to accept technical advice in such matters, transfer those
decisions to lay people. These spectacular landmark bridges are creat-
ing confusion in both the public and bridge owners. There is a feeling
that aesthetics cost more money, but this is not true. Luxury costs
more money, but that is not necessarily true of aesthetics.
Fortunately, there are many tools and resources to help in design-
ing expressive, attractive bridges. We engineers are conscious of the
importance of properly selecting the structural type, the shape, the
dimensions, the relationship between the bridge and the site as well as
among different bridge elements, the design of details, the color and
the textures. All of these aspects, combined with a technical approach
to analyzing the effciency and the economy on a life-cycle cost basis,
plus using CAD and virtual simulation techniques, allow bridge engi-
neers to make the right decisions.
Urban bridges with small or medium spans offer an opportunity
to explore new forms and construction methods, because the cost of
construction depends mainly on the free span and the material, as
long as they can be built using conventional methods. In urban zones
the cost of the fnishes, the restrictions of the site, the services af-
fected, and the traffc disruption can approach the cost of the structure
itself. The limit is an ethical matter. We work with taxpayer money
AESTHETICS OF
URBAN STEEL
BRIDGES
Bridge engineers should take responsibility
for the structures appearance, as well as
ensuring that it carries the load.
By JUan a. SOBrInO, P.e., Ph.D.
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Fig. 1. Girona pedestrian bridge.
and the engineers duty is to make responsible
use of these public resources. An engineers real
challenge is to conceive aesthetic bridges with
no cost increase.
Steel bridges offer great aesthetic possibili-
ties to bridge designers in addition to the advan-
tages in erection, rapid construction and sustain-
ability. If each bridge is unique, why not explore
the enormous opportunities in steel construc-
tion now open to us with the use of CAD/CAM
and numerical control techniques?
Pedestrian Bridges with Structural
Railings
Railings are important elements of a bridge,
as pedestrians are close and can touch them. The
form, color and materials selected for railings
are crucial for the appearance of the bridge.
An interesting idea is to design railings, which
are always present, as structural components to
increase stiffness and to reduce the visual depth
of the deck. This concept has been used in sev-
eral pedestrian bridges we designed in Spain.
The pedestrian bridge designed in Girona,
from 1996, crosses the Onyar River 60 miles
north of Barcelona. This structure is a frame
with one span of 190 ft that is supported on
reinforced concrete blocks integrated into the
existing embankments. The main part of the
bridge deck is a weathering steel box girder made
up of stiffened steel plates with a 50 ksi yield
strength (Figure 1). The typical cross-section is
a unicellular box girder with a top fange 7.9-ft
wide with its depth varying between 2-ft (L/97)
at mid-span and 5.6-ft (L/34) at supports. The
girder is very slender thanks to the structural
railings, which are connected to the box girder.
The presence of the ribs creates shadows on the
web surface creating an attractive 3D effect. The
fnal result, a sober and simple shape, conceals a
complex process of searching for the optimum
design, but is at the same time exciting. The
weight of steel girder is only 46 tons.
The same concept used at Girona was ap-
plied in 2005 to a longer pedestrian bridge in
Andoain, in Spains Basque Country. The main
span is 223 ft and the box girder depth varies
between 3.1ft (L/71.6) at center span and 5.6 ft
(L/40) over the supports (Figure 2). The overall
weight of steel is only 103 tons.
This idea of using the railing as a part of
the structural system was pushed to the limit at
the pedestrian bridge in Matadapera, which is
in the Barcelona Province, Spain. The solution
consists of a very slender steel box girder with
Juan Sobrino, P.e., Ph.D., is the founder and

president of Pedelta, Inc., coral Gables, Fla., with
additional offces in Pennsylvania, Spain and latin-
america. he has been involved in the concept or
design of more than 500 bridges worldwide and
has promoted the use of advanced materials in
bridge construction. he is collaborating as a part-
time docent on structural analysis and conceptual
bridge design with the technical University of
catalonia, Barcelona, Spain, and with carnegie-
mellon University, Pittsburgh, respectively.
Fig. 2. andoain pedestrian bridge.
Fig. 3. matadepera pedestrian bridge.
a length of 571 ft. The typical cross-
section is a unicellular box girder at
the extremes that is transformed into
an extremely slender multicellular
box girder of only 8.3 in. at mid-span
(Figure 3).

Innovative Bridges with Stainless Steel
Fundamental advances in structural engineering have clearly been
related to the use of new materials along the history of construction.
The increase in the use of advanced materials in bridge design can
partially be attributed to the growth in awareness of owners about
the use of materials that require reduced maintenance in addition to
having greater mechanical resistance and capacity to be reused.
In 2005, we designed the frst European road bridge with a com-
plete duplex stainless-steel structure at Cala Galdana, in Minorca,
Spain. Minorca is a Mediterranean island that was declared a reserve
of the biosphere by UNESCO and Cala Galdana is one of its most
beautiful beaches. The surroundings are only partially urbanized,
and they contribute to the islands attractiveness to tourists.
The bridge had to replace an existing concrete bridge that was
only 30 years old but exhibited signifcant degradation due to the cor-
rosive marine environment. The new bridge had to meet four explicit
owner requirements. It had to be environmentally friendly, have high
durability, require minimum maintenance and be a symbol of innova-
tion. For these reasons duplex stainless steel was selected.
The structural systems consist of two parallel arches with a free span
of 147.6-ft and an intermediate deck (Figure 4). The main structure
is made of Grade 1.4462 duplex stainless steel, which exhibits a high
resistance to corrosion by chlorides. The arches, with a total rise of
19.7-ft, have a triangular cross-section with a central web. Its 2.3-ft
depth is constant throughout its overall length. However, the width
of the section varies between 2.3-ft and 3.3-ft. The use of a triangular
cross-section produces a very apparent slenderness. The deck is made
of reinforced concrete connected to a series of transverse foor beams.
The use of stainless steel introduced some diffculties, in particular in
the treatment of the surfaces, and some specifc rules had to be applied.
wsbs
preview
Fig. 4. Stainless-steel road bridge in minorca.
Fig. 5. Stainless-steel pedestrian bridge in Sant Fruits.
One of the main concerns when using stainless steel is
the increase of construction cost. In this particular case, we
estimated that the increase of cost will be offset in 80 years
due to the minimum maintenance required.
In 2009, a pedestrian bridge combining stainless-steel
and glass fber reinforced polymer (GFRP) panels for the
foor was built in Sant Fruits, near Barcelona. In this pe-
destrian bridge we combined a traditional structural type,
the arch, with advanced materials. The arch is connected
to the deck to avoid horizontal forces at the supports. The
deck is very slender and has a triangular cross-section with
transverse ribs supporting the GFRP planks. This structure
is very light and transparent and very easy to maintain.
The inclined arch is designed to generate a more ex-
pressive structure without signifcantly increasing the cost
of the structure. The structural system is very effective,
which was confrmed in the static and dynamic tests. The
lighting system is also crucial to achieving a warm atmo-
sphere during the night (Figure 5).
Abetxuko Bridge
The Abetxuko Bridge, completed in 2006, crosses the
Zadorra River in Vitoria, Spain. It is intended as a vindi-
cation of an open and creative engineering design, which
meanwhile does not exclude the traditional engineering
approach. New forms have intentionally been sought in an
attempt to escape from standard geometry (Figure 6).
The bridge replaced an old and very narrow (19.7-ft-
wide) bridge with a poor hydraulic capacity. Crossing the
old bridge was risky for pedestrians and the municipality
decided to improve the mobility of the users.
However although the bridge is intended to be a land-
mark, its structural system is very simple. The bridge is a
continuous structure with three spans of 85 ft, 131 ft and
85 ft and with a total deck width of 103 ft, carrying four
road traffc lanes, a central light rail line with two tracks, and
two pedestrian walkways. The structural system consists of
two parallel trusses with organic forms, their dimensions
adjusted according to the structural analysis. The fow of
the Zadorra River is safeguarded because the structure has
two longitudinal steel trusses and a steel-concrete deck sup-
porting the traffc. The trusses, which ultimately support the
deck and the traffc, are arranged with a large part of their
structure above the deck. This allows the level of the new
road to be raised to meet the hydraulic requirements.
The uncomfortable experience felt by pedestrians on the
old bridge was reversed so that they are in a privileged situa-
tion on the new bridge. Pedestrians cross the river on exter-
nal walkways of the bridge, protected from the traffc by the
organic structure and enjoying the best views of the river.
The irregular, curvaceous forms of this bridge are in def-
ance of the traditional use of symmetry, purity and order in
engineering design. The chosen material, weathering steel,
is intended to show the expressivity of the structure and the

choice of weathering steel is also a reference to the history of the
Basque country. The color of this steel alters over time; together
with the irregular shadows generated by the curves of the struc-
ture, it is intended to create the idea of a living bridge.
The total weight of steel used in the bridge is about 671 tons
(43 lb/ft
2
). The total cost of the structure was approximately
$150 per ft
2
, which is only about 10% to 15% more than a
standard composite bridge of the same dimensions.
Fabrication of the complex steel structure was carried out at one
steel yard in Vitoria. The process included preparation of drawings,
defnition of the pieces, cutting, preparation of plate edges, bending
of curved plates, pre-assembling, welding of stiffeners, assembling
of the segments, and transport to the site and the erection of the
sections and welding of the rest of the steel members. The process
of fabrication illustrates the enormous possibilities available through
CAD/NC techniques. As the inner surfaces of the steel structure
will be inaccessible, the members were made completely watertight.
Conclusion
Bridge engineers have a very creative profession, but we
should improve our designs through adopting an open and fexi-
ble view, providing not only cost-effective bridges but also caring
about their aesthetic aspects. An open and creative engineering
design does not exclude a traditional engineering approach.
Steel provides excellent possibilities for bridge designers to
create innovative structures that transmit beauty and goodness
at a reasonable cost. We just have to explore how to do it.
The author of this article will present additional international perspec-
tives in session B6, Ideas From Abroad, at the World Steel Bridge Sym-
posium, April 18-20 in Dallas. Learn more about the World Steel Bridge
Symposium and NASCC:The Steel Conference at www.aisc.org/nascc.
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preview
Fig. 6. abetxuko Bridge in Vitoria.
The worlds only known working telescoping
dual-lift truss bridge is soon to begin its
second century of service to the community.
IN THE MID-19TH CENTURY, the Columbia and Willamette Riv-
ers carried major seagoing traffc to and from the inland port city
of Portland, Ore. As Portland grew to be a major shipping port for
wheat, lumber, and other commodities, these two major rivers run-
ning through the city presented major obstacles to local travel.
By 1853, ferry service began across the Willamette River, but not until
1887 did the frst Morrison timber bridge with a wrought-iron swing
span cross the Willamette. It was followed a year later by the original
Steel Bridge, a double-deck swing-span railroad bridge. Its name derived
from the fact that in 1888 steel represented an unusual bridge-building
material. The additional bridges that followed contributed greatly to the
growth of Portland, which by 1900 had grown to 90,000 inhabitants.
A Replacement Steel Bridge
Early in the 20th century, the Oregon Railway and Navigation
Company, which today is the Union Pacifc, and the Southern Rail-
road made plans to replace the original Steel Bridge. Although the
intent was to carry only passenger and freight trains, the city insisted
Setting the Standard
for multi-modal
transport By JIm talBOt
Jim talbot is a freelance
technical writer living
in ambler, Pa.
Portlands 1912
Steel Bridge:
engineer John Lyle Harrington, designed
the $1.7 million 1912 replacement as a
through-truss, double-deck, double-lift
steel bridge. The lower deck served to
carry passenger and freight trains and the
upper deck horse-drawn carriages, auto-
mobiles, and electric trolley cars. The
frm of Waddell & Harrington designed
more than two dozen vertical lift bridges
while their partnership existed between
1907 and 1914, and Waddell went on to
design many more lift bridges over the
course of his lifetime.
Harrington contributed the bridges
ingenious lift mechanisms. Small compo-
nents included equalizers that distribute
weight among the ropes and the guides
that keep the spans in alignment as they
move. The telescoping vertical members
and the system of ropes, sheaves and coun-
terweights are examples of larger novel
contributions. Harrington claimed that
with proper maintenance, such as renewal
of decks and cables, occasional painting,
and daily lubrication, his bridges would be
permanent. Now, as the structure com-
pletes its frst century of service, his claim
sounds much less far-fetched than it must
have in the bridges earlier days.
Constructing the Steel Bridge took
two years. The Union Bridge Construc-
tion Co. of Kansas City, Mo., built the
piers and Robert Wakefeld of Portland
erected the trusses, towers, and lift span.
The design included a wrought-iron
woven lattice railing for the top deck as
its only decorative embellishment.
The record-setting loads of counter-
weights and lift-spans demanded innova-
tive engineering to erect. Elaborate travel-
ers, falsework and ramps facilitated erection
of the lift towers and mechanisms. Massive
posts and lower chords, each measuring a
yard or more in width and depth, help the
century-old structure continue to safely
carry its multi-modal transports.
Double Lift Raises
The lift span of the bridge extends
211 ft. The lower lift span consists of ver-
tical steel members while the upper one
has both vertical and diagonal members.
Two secondary steel through-Pratt truss
spans on either side of the lift span, about
on an upper deck for road and pedestrian
traffc. The new bridge, being essentially
on the same site and of the same material,
took on the Steel Bridge name. It opened
for trains nearly a century ago, on July
21, 1912, and less than a month later for
vehicles and pedestrians.
The 1912 Steel Bridge is the sec-
ond oldest vertical-lift bridge in North
America and is the only known working
telescoping dual-lift truss bridge in the
world. The lower deck retracts neatly
into the upper deck girders, permitting
vehicles to continue crossing the upper
deck undisturbed.
The bridge continues today as the epit-
ome of multi-modal transport. The upper
deck has two light-rail tracks bracketed by
one lane for automotive traffc and a 6-ft-
wide pedestrian lane on each side. The
lower deck carries two railroad tracks and
has an 8-ft cantilevered pedestrian/bicycle
lane on its southern side. The average daily
traffc in 2000 was 23,100 vehicles (includ-
ing numerous buses), 200 light-rail trains,
40 freight and Amtrak trains, and 500
bicycles. Adding the lower-deck walkway
in 2001 sharply increased bicycle traffc;
by 2005 it had grown to more than 2,100
daily, many bound for the Eastbank Espla-
nade on one end of the bridge or Portlands
downtown Waterfront Park on the other.
Design and Construction
Prolifc civil engineer John Alexander
Low Waddell, along with his mechanical
the Steel Bridge, Portland, Ore.
Our nations rich past was built on immovable
determination and innovation that found a highly
visible expression in the construction of steel
bridges. the Steel centurions series offers a
testament to notable accomplishments of prior
generations and celebrates the durability and
strength of steel by showcasing bridges more than
100 years old that are still in service today.
Steel centurionS
SPANNING 100 yeArS
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Jet lowe, from the library of congress haer
290 and 300-ft long, complete the river crossing. The typical
top deck width runs to 74.5-ft (62.5 ft for the roadway plus two
6-ft sidewalks). The sidewalks fare out at the towers, taking the
maximum width to 77 ft.
This Steel Bridge is believed to be the worlds only double-
deck bridge with independent lifts. The operator can raise the
lower deck 72 ft; the lower lift truss smoothly telescopes into
the upper lift truss. The operator also can raise both decks, pro-
viding 163 ft of vertical clearance above the water. Two coun-
terweights serve the upper deck, and eight the lower, totaling
about 4,500 tons.
The machinery house sits above the upper-deck lift span
with the operators room suspended below it, allowing the
operator to view both the river traffc and the upper deck. The
operator can raise the lower deck 45 ft in about 10 seconds, and
the upper deck at a rate of 1-ft per second. As in other early
American machine rooms, colorful paint patterns added deco-
ration and function. Small painted numbers indicated points of
lubrication. Oilers charged with wiping excess extruded lubri-
cant from metal-on-metal movements would soon learn to
determine optimum lubricant amounts.
With experience, operators learned just when to cut the motor,
allowing lift sections to coast to a stop and avoiding the need to
apply band brakes. The exact instant to cut motors changes with
the weather and grease applications during the day. The band
brakes have an oak block wearing surface, exuding a barbecue-
like smell when appliedas during operator training.
The lower deck offers relatively low clearance above the
water: 1 ft at high water and obviously no clearance at food water.
Major foods threatened the lower deck in 1948, 1964 and 1996.
The 1948 food submerged the lower deck in 5 ft of water. Dur-
ing the 1964 and 1996 foods, water touched the lower deck.
Lower deck raisings have continued to diminish through the
years. In 1914, operators raised the lower deck 20,339 times for
river craft. Lower deck annual raisings declined to 10,687 and
these highly detailed,
annotated illustrations
of the mechanical and
structural systems from
Portland's Steel Bridge,
the only working double-
deck, double-lift span in
the world, can be found
at www.steelbridges.org/
Portlandcenturion.
the Steel Bridge, Portlands century-old mechanical marvel.
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POrtlanD
Morrison Bridge (1958)
steel double-leaf
trunnion bascule
St. Johns Bridge (1931)
two-tower, cable steel
suspension, steel deck
half-through truss
Broadway Bridge (1913)
double-leaf rall bascule drawbridge,
steel through truss
Steel Bridge (1912)
steel through Pratt truss
double deck, double
vertical lift
Sellwood Bridge (1925)
steel deck Warren truss
Abernethy Bridge (1970)
combination steel deck
plate girder, plate girder,
and box girder
Oregon City Bridge (1922)
steel half-through arch
Interstate Bridge
(1917 northbound, 1958 southbound)
steel through Pennsylvania-Petit
truss, vertical lift span
Glenn L. Jackson
Memorial Bridge (1982)
segmental concrete box girder
Ross Island Bridge (1926)
steel deck truss (cantilever)
Marquam Bridge (1966)
steel double deck
through truss
Hawthorne Bridge (1910)
steel through Parker truss,
vertical lift
Burnside Bridge (1926)
steel double-leaf
Strauss bascule
W
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l
i
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e
t
t
e

R
i
v
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r
Colum
bia River
RR
R
R
R
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Fremont Bridge (1973)
steel half-through tied-arch,
orthotropic upper deck
A City of Steel Bridges
the bridges of Portland, Ore.,
number 14, or 17 if you count the
railroadonly crossings. twelve
vehicular bridges are concentrated
on the Willamette river between
St. Johns and Oregon city, and
two interstate bridges cross
the columbia river into the
state of Washington. these are
supplemented with three important
railroad structures.
Portlands bridges have
contributed greatly to its growth.
the city population, according to
the 2010 census, now numbers
about 580,000, and about 2.6
million people live in the Portland
metropolitan area. the citizenry
originally concentrated downtown
on the Willamettes west bank. new
bridges encouraged migration to
the east bank, which is now home
to 80% of the population.
the PDX Bridge Festival each
summer sponsors an annual,
citywide cultural arts festival that
celebrates the Willamette river
Bridges. this organization considers
the bridges central to regional
identity, tying the geography and
cultures of Portland into a vibrant
whole.
Other cities may have more
bridges (new york city boasts 75),
but Portlands represent a varied
catalog of bridge types, some
unduplicated anywhere. Included
are the worlds only telescoping
double-deck, double-lift bridge
(discussed here), plus the worlds
oldest vertical lift bridge and the
longest tied-arch bridge. the
signifcant vehicular bridges are
shown in the map on the right,
including dates of completion and
bridge type.
3,000 in 1943 and 1988 respectively. Now its the practice to
keep the lower deck up when no train crossings are scheduled.
Later Developments
Originally, as noted earlier, the upper roadway deck included
rails for the citys frst electric trolley cars. With the decline in
streetcar use, the rails were removed in mid-century. In 1950
the Steel Bridge became a signifcant portion of a new U.S.
99W highway. In 1986 rails returned when a $10 million reha-
bilitation project added the cross-river portion of Metropolitan
Area Express (MAX) light rail system, which is part of TriMet,
the public transit agency for the Portland metropolitan area.
In 2001, another project installed a 220-ft-long, 8-ft-wide
cantilevered walkway on the south side of the bridges lower
deck, raising to three the number of publicly accessible walk-
ways across the bridge, including the two narrow sidewalks on
the upper deck. Oregon DOT closed the upper deck in the
summer of 2008 for maintenance and to allow a junction to be
built at the west end for the MAX Green Line.
Union Pacifc owns the bridge, which is the most complete
and complex transportation link in the city, and leases the upper
deck to the Oregon DOT, which subleases to TriMet. The City
of Portland takes responsibility for the approaches. Today, as
it turns 100, the black, towering Steel Bridge dominating the
skyline at Willamette River mile 12.1 is the most well-known
among Portlands world-class collection of bridges.
Existing Certied Erector Facilities

Existing Certied Bridge Component Facilities
Existing Certied Fabricator Facilities
Newly Certied Fabricator Facilities
Newly Certied Erector Facilities
Newly Certified Facilities: January 131, 2012

news
People and Firms
Executive vice president Stephen
I saacson i s overseei ng the
new sal es and management
office opened by Schuff Steel
Company in Murray Hill, N.J., in
December. Isaacson has been in
the steel construction industry in
the New York area for more than
35 years. Phoenix-based Schuff
Steel, which is a subsidiary of
Schuff International, Inc., plans to
self-perform erection services in
the New York City market, while
providing fabricated steel from its
existing facilities in the Midwest
and Southeast regions. More
information is available in the
press release on the Schuff Steel
website at http://bit.ly/ze0TZh.
Chi c ago- bas ed Teng &
associates, Inc., which provides
archi t ect ur al , engi neer i ng,
technology integration, program
and construction management
services, has changed its name
to exp. The name change is
intended to better align the firm
with its parent company, exp
global Inc.
International engineering firm
Thornton Tomasetti recently
opened a new office in lower
downtown Denver. Senior principal
Steve hofmeister, an AISC
professional member, is overseeing
the new office as manager of
the companys Midwest U.S.
regi on. The new
office will offer the
services of the firms
Building Structure,
Construction Support
Services, Property
Loss Consulting and
Building Performance
practices.
a.C.T. Metal Deck Suppl y
has opened a new distribution
cent er i n At l ant a, whi ch
i s i t s 11t h l ocat i on. More
information is available at www.
metaldecksupply.com.
To fnd a certifed fabricator or
erector in a particular area, visit
www.aisc.org/certsearch.
Newly Certifed Fabricator Facilities
Albert Freytag Inc., Minster, Ohio
Hayes Manufacturing Company, Pineville, La.
Southwest Steel LLC, Arizona Plant,
El Mirage, Ariz.
Steel Fab, Inc., Jackson, Tenn.
Newly Certifed Erector Facilities
Superior Steel Connectors Corporation,
Sedalia, Colo.
Tilbury Constructors, Inc., Escalon, Calif.
Engineers are known to be masters of technical rigor,
but according to engineering historian and author
Henry Petroski, they cannot easily be leaders beyond
this sphere without also having a sense of their own
professions culture and traditions. His latest book, An
Engineers Alphabet: Gleanings from the Softer Side of a
Profession, calls attention to the importance of putting
the quantitative engineer in touch with qualitative
language and thought, emphasizing the importance of
both sides of the brain to creative engineering.
In this abecedarian tome, Petroski presents a col-
lection of anecdotes and factual entries covering var-
ious topics and concepts related to the practice and
history of the engineering profession. Sample pages
and the index from An Engineers Alphabet are avail-
able on amazon.com at http://amzn.to/yNpTqC.
If youre unfamiliar with Petroski, you can learn
more about his industry accomplishments and the
dozen other books he has written on Wikipedia at http://amzn.to/x0Z7RZ.
PUbLICaTIONS
an Engineers alphabet
news
The latest version of Teklas free con-
struction collaboration tool, Tekla
BIMsight 1.4, is now available for use on
the job site. The software offers a dedi-
cated user interface for Windows tablet
computers and features enhanced pre-
sentation tools. You can choose which
interface is best suited for your working
environment, desktop or tablet.
Learn more about the latest version
of Tekla BIMsight and download the
software for free at www.teklabim-
sight.com. Video tutorials and a cus-
tomer support forum are also available
on the website.
The Huey P. Long Bridge, which crosses
the Mississippi River in New Orleans,
has been named a National Historic
Civil Engineering Landmark by the
American Society of Civil Engineers
(ASCE). The designation makes this
steel structure one of fewer than 250
ASCE landmarks in the world includ-
ing the Eiffel Tower, the Panama Canal
and the U.S. Capitol Building. A full list
of landmarks is on the ASCE website at
http://bit.ly/zzA6LK.
The Huey P. Long Bridge is now in
the final phase of a $1.2-billion widening
project. When completed in 2013, the
expanded bridge will have an additional
travel lane and inside and outside shoul-
ders on each side of the bridge. The total
width will be expanded to 43 ft, more
than double the current driving surface.
The project also includes construction
of new elevated bridge approaches and
ramps, as well as new intersections with
traffic signals at Bridge City Avenue and
Jefferson Highway.
To read more about the details of the
bridge widening project, see Lift, Slide,
Attach, Repeat in the September 2010
issue of MSC, available at www.mod-
ernsteel.com/backissues.
AWARDS
Huey P. Long Bridge Named Historic Landmark
The Mid-Continent Tower, a landmark
36-story office building in downtown
Tulsa, Okla., has received the American
Institute of Architects (AIA) 25 Year
Award. The organizations Eastern
Oklahoma Chapter recently presented
the award to the Tulsa office of Dewberry
(then known as HTB), which designed
the distinctive tower for then-owner
Reading & Bates in the early 1980s.
One of the most challenging design
and construction projects in the nation
at the time, the Mid-Continent Tower
was built adjacent to and above the his-
toric 16-story Mid-Continent Building,
also known as the Cosden Building,
which is listed on the National Register
of Historic Places. Reading & Bates, an
energy resources company, owned the
circa-1918 building and sought to expand
the property to serve as its headquarters.
Because the existing buildings struc-
tural system would not support addi-
tional weight, Dewberrys design con-
cept called for constructing the towers
base adjacent to the building to its full
height, and then cantilevering over the
building for an additional 20 stories.
In all, 330,000 sq. ft were added to the
original 90,000-sq.-ft building, aided by
a series of five massive steel trusses, each
weighing 230 tons.
The feature article Mid-Continent
Tower: Key to Tudor-Gothic Revival
covering the project begins on page five
of the 1983 Q4 issue of MSC, which is
available online at www.modernsteel.
com/backissues.
AWARDS
Mid-Continent Tower Honored by AIA
PRODUCT NEWS
New Version of Tekla BIMsight Available for
Tablet Computers
Youve likely worked on or marveled at all
kinds of steel structures from buildings to
bridges to sculptures. But just how well
do you know your steel landmarks? We at
MSC thought wed have a little fun with
our readers and launch a monthly trivia
contest on our website (www.modern-
steel.com) for all who wish to test their
steel structure knowledge.
On the last Friday of each month, a
new photo revealing only a detailed por-
tion of a steel structure will be posted to
our websites Steel in the News section
as our weekly Steel Shot. Your chal-
lenge is to identify that steel structure
and answer the trivia question provided
in the news post. If you think you know,
send your best guess to MSC associate
editor Tasha Weiss at weiss@aisc.org.
The first three people who supply
the correct answer will receive an MSC-
branded stainless steel back scratcher!
Youll need it to successfully tackle those
pesky itches after the trivia pressure sub-
sides. (And check out that extension!) Its
five-fingered curved design reaches from
7 in. to 20 in. in length.
Think you have what it takes to win?
Youll have to go to www.modernsteel.
com to find out! Our first trivia question
was posted on Friday, February 24, so you
can check out the news post under that
date to see what youre up against. Now
is the time to study up for this months
trivia question! Itll be posted at 10 am
Central Time on Friday, March 30.
CONTEST
Head Scratchin Steel Structure Trivia
For the frst time ever, the leading design
and construct conferences for fabricated
steel buildings and bridges are coming to-
gether for a massive three-day event, April
18-20, 2012 at the Gaylord Texan Conven-
tion Center, adjacent to the Dallas/Fort
Worth airport. The World Steel Bridge
Symposium (WSBS) is co-locating with
NASCC: The Steel Conference, bring-
ing you practical seminars on the latest
design and construction techniques, more
than 100 technical sessions, extensive trade
show exhibits showing products ranging
from structural engineering software to the
latest fabrication equipment, and various
networking events. Join more than 4,000
of your peers and clients at the conference
and register now at www.aisc.org/nascc.
(Your registration gains you access to both
conferences and the earlier you register, the
more you save on your registration fee.)
The current breakneck pace of tech-
nological advancements in our industry
makes attending NASCC essential, said
Matt Danza, John Maltese Iron Works
(AISC Member), North Brunswick, N.J.
Last year we learned about dozens of
innovations we otherwise wouldnt have
known about, things that can give us a leg
up on the competition and help us win
more work.
The conference is the premier educa-
tional event for structural engineers, fab-
ricators, detailers, educators, and others
involved in the design and construction
of fabricated steel buildings and bridges.
You have the opportunity to learn from
top industry leaders in all facets of the in-
dustry, and this years event features two
new tracks: the Technology in Steel Con-
struction Conference (TSCC), and Ruby
University focusing on constructability
topics such as lateral stability and cam-
ber. It also includes the Structural Stabil-
ity Research Councils Annual Stability
Conference, and the Sustainable Steel
Conference. You can earn up to 24 PDHs!
(Professional Development Hours)
The conference kicks off with a key-
note address from Daniel Simons, pro-
fessor in the Department of Psychology
at the University of Illinois and creator of
the famous invisible gorilla psychology
experiment. Hell share real-world sto-
ries and startling demonstrations to show
how we all miss more of what goes on
around us than we realize. Youll gain a
better understanding of the gap between
how we think we pay attention and re-
member and how we really pay attention
and remember, gaining new insights into
how your customers mind works and al-
lowing you to craft a more persuasive and
compelling message.
Another keynote session expected to
draw a large crowd is the 2012 T.R. Hig-
gins Lecture presented by Michel Bru-
neau, P.E., Ph.D., professor of civil, struc-
tural, and environmental engineering at
the University at Buffalo, SUNY. He is
the recent recipient of AISCs prestigious
T.R. Higgins Award for his paper on
steel plate shear wall design published in
AISCs Engineering Journal, and will dis-
cuss this topic along with other elements
of his work such as new design concepts
for seismic design, blast-resistance, and
multi-hazard resistance concepts.
Other cant-miss sessions include: Ac-
celerated Bridge Construction: Lessons
Learned by Michael Culmo from CME
Associates, Tim Noles from Hardesty
& Hanover, and Mike Laviolette from
HNTB; Floor Vibrations by Thomas
Murray, emeritus professor at Virginia
Tech and Brad Davis, professor at the
University of Kentucky; Steel Joists and
Wind Uplift by Michael Roach from
New Millennium Building Systems and
Rick Jensen from Vulcraft; Welding
Metallurgy for the Structural Engineer
by Duane Miller from The Lincoln Elec-
tric Company; Designing Green by the
Book: The IGCC by AISCs John Cross;
BIM WorkfowLessons Learned by
Brian Cobb and Warren Goodrich from
Structural Detailing, LLC.
Have you ever visited a steel mill? In
addition to the plentiful conference of-
ferings, one of the nations most advanced
mills, Gerdau, is providing a free tour of
its Midlothian, Texas, facility. The morn-
ing of the frst day of the conference, at-
tendees will be transported from the con-
vention center to the mill where youll
discover the entire process of how steel is
madefrom mounds of scrap to charging
the furnace to continuous casting. Youll
see quality control processes frst-hand
and develop an understanding of rolling
schedules and steel availability. (There is
no charge to attend this event, however,
space is limited. You can sign up for the
tour in your conference registration.)
And thats not all! Sign up for
the WSBS and youll receive a pre-
commercial version of LRFD SIMON,
a software solution for preliminary steel
plate and box girder bridge design.
Registered attendees will also receive a
complimentary USB drive loaded with
bridge design and construction resources
including the Steel Bridge Design Handbook
and its design examples.
View and download descriptions of all
conference sessions in the Advance Pro-
gram at www.aisc.org/nascc. (See pages
8-11 for all WSBS sessions.) Additional
conference details and the schedule can
also be found on the conference webpage.
What are you waiting for? Register
now at www.aisc.org/nascc.
news
EDUCaTION
NaSCC and wSbS Join Forces for Combined 2012 Conference
Hobart Brothers now offers 16 metal-
cored and flux-cored (gas- and self-
shielded) wires that meet the AWS D1.8/
D1.8M: Structural Welding Code-Seismic
Supplement for demand critical welds in
seismic moment frame welded connec-
tions. These wires are pre-qualified for
seismic applications and can be used by
contractors without additional filler metal
testing. More information is available at
800.532.2618 or on the Hobart Brothers
website at http://bit.ly/yiafsd.
PRODUCT NEwS
Pre-qualified wire for welding
EARN
UP TO
2 4
PDHS!
Incorporating the World Steel Bridge Symposium
and the Annual Stability Conference
Gaylord Texan Convention Center
Dallas, Texas
201 2
Learn from more than 100 specialized sessions on all aspects of
steel building and bridge design and construction. Meet with the
nation's leading designers, fabricators, and erectors. See the latest
equipment and software.
April 1820
To view the advance program, visit
www.aisc.org/nascc
L e arn. Me e t. S e e .
For the rst time, NASCC: The Steel Conference and the Annual
Stability Conference join together with the World Steel Bridge
Symposium to offer more than 100 seminars and a 200+ booth
exhibit hall. Join more than 3,500 of your peers at this incredible
event! One registration fee includes all three conferences.
To advertise, call 231.228.2274 or e-mail gurthet@modernsteel.com.
marketplace
Search employment ads online at www.modernsteel.com.
AISC Quality Certification
LOSING OUT TO COMPETITION?
Get Certified!
Need Steel Erection Certification? Call Jim Mooney
Your Quality Certification Connection
JAMES M. MOONEY & ASSOCIATES
941.223.4332
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Increase productivity
Maximize profit
Looking for something from an old issue of
Modern Steel Construction?
All of the issues from MSCs first 50 years are now
available as free PDF downloads at
www.modernsteel.com/backissues.
Advertiser Listing
AISC.................................................... www.aisc.org ........................... 35, 47, 63
Applied Bolting Technology, Inc. ............ www.appliedbolting.com ....................... 29
AZCO Steel Co. .................................... www.azcosteel.com .............................. 19
AZZ Galvanizing Services ...................... www.azzgalvanizing.com ....................... 15
Bentley Systems .................................. www.bentley.com .................... Back Cover
Brown Consulting Services, Ltd. ............ www.steelconnectiondesign.com ........... 51
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CMC Steel Products ............................. www.cmcsteelproducts.com .................. 14
FabTrol Systems Inc. ............................ www.fabtrol.com .................................. 11
IES ...................................................... www.iesweb.com ................................. 34
MDX Software, Inc. ............................... www.mdxsoftware.com ......................... 50
New Millennium Building Systems ......... www.newmill.com ................................ 18
Nucor/Yamato Steel Co. ........................ www.nucoryamato.com ...................30-31
Peddinghaus Corporation ..................... www.peddinghaus.com ........................... 2
RISA Technologies ................................ www.risa.com ...................................... 67
SDS/2 Design Data .............................. www.sds2.com....................................... 7
SidePlate Systems, Inc. ........................ www.sideplate.com ................................ 5
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St. Louis Screw & Bolt .......................... www.stlouisscrewbolt.com .................... 13
Tekla, Inc. ............................................ www.tekla.com ....................................... 3
True North Steel ................................... www.truenorthsteel.com ....................... 55
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dba-Sharon Stair
Are you in the KNOW about the NEW?
Did you know that the AISC Board of Directors approved the
new Standard for Steel Bridges2011 (205-11) in 2011? The
Certication Department is in process of working on a Program
for Steel Bridge Fabricators. These efforts will involve specic
program requirements, participant transitioning needs, as well
as marketing requirements with the ofcial program rollout and
existing-participant transition starting in mid-2012.
As always, if you have additional questions or comments on these
or other items related to AISC Certication, you are encouraged to
contact us at certification@aisc.org.
AISC Quality
Certification
Call: 312.861.3000
Email: Information@atema.com
www.atema.com
Atema can help you get certified and
prepare for the demands of your customer!
wRemote or Onsite Assistance
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AISC Quality
Certification
Call: 312.861.3000
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LATE MODEL STRUCTURAL
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employment
To advertise, call 231.228.2274 or e-mail gurthet@modernsteel.com.
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and overall customer satisfaction. IDS offers a benefits package, competitive
salary, and relocation allowance.
Please call 314-872-1791 or email your resume to Michelle Vossmeyer at
mvossmeyer@ids-inc.net.
Novel Iron Works, Inc., 250 Ocean Rd, Greenland, NH 03840, www.noveliron.com
Detailing Checker
Candidate must have minimum of 7 yrs experience creating detailing drawing
for structural steel fabrication. Position is for in house only. Must have thorough
knowledge of reading and interpreting architectural and structural building
drawings. Strong communication skills are a must. Good knowledge of general
computer programs. Previous experience with SDS/2 is a plus.
Please forward cover letter, resume and salary requirements to; Dennis Belliveau,
Novel Iron Works, dbelliveau@noveliron.com
Chief Engineer / Quality
Assurance Manager
Hammerts Iron Works, (www.hammertsiron.com) a subsidiary
of Stupp Bros., Inc., is currently accepting resumes for our Chief
Engineer/Quality Assurance Managers position. This position
reports out of our office in St. Louis, Missouri and is responsible for
maintaining and implementing the quality assurance program. This
position is the main contact regarding clarity, content of shop drawings
and insuring AISC and AWS specification requirements are met
throughout the company.
Prospective candidates must have a working knowledge of AISC,
AWS codes D1.1, D1.5 and D1.8, SSPC specifications and codes,
knowledge of structural steel design and the ability to communicate
in multiple levels within the organization. A Bachelors degree in
Engineering with more than 5 years experience related to structural
steel also required.
Please email resumes to ttt@stupp.com | EOE
CHECKER
Stupp Bridge Co., (www.stuppbridge.com)
a division of Stupp Bros., Inc., is currently
accepting resumes for a Checkers position.
This position reports out of our office in St. Louis, Missouri and is responsible for
the accuracy of all detailed bridge drawings before going into production.
Prospective candidates must have a superior level of accuracy, attention to detail,
5 years of checking experience and knowledge of drafting and detailing principals.
Please email resumes to ttt@stupp.com | EOE
Novel Iron Works is seeking a highly
motivated individual to fill the position of
Detailing Manager
at our plant located in the New
Hampshire seacoast area. This is
a management level position that requires the ability to deal
with various aspects of steel detailing utilizing SDS2, including
scheduling and overseeing projects with in-house staff and outside
subcontractors, and working with other departments to facilitate
steel fabrication. Candidate must have strong communications skills,
knowledge of theoretical and practical aspects of structural steel
detailing, and excellent problem solving and decision making skills.
A minimum of 15 years of detailing experience required. Novel Iron
Works Inc. offers a competitive benefit and salary package.
Please email resume with salary requirements to:
novel@noveliron.com
Structural & Misc. Steel Fabrication
Our organization has been recruiting for the Structural and Misc. Steel
Fabricating industry for over 20 years. Current positions include:
Project Manager General Manager Quality Control
Plant Superintendents Estimators Detailers
Chief Draftsman Checkers
Please send resume to:
Richard Stauffer
United Employment Associates, P.O. Box 8, East Texas, PA 18046
phone: (610) 437-5040 fax: (610) 437-9650
e-mail: rstauffer@unitedemployment.com www.unitedemployment.com
TO Say ThaT gILL haRRIS is involved in music is an
understatement. From the time he first picked up a trumpet
as a teenager, he has racked up more than 50 years of experi-
ence in the music business. That parallels his distinguished
structural engineering career, which includes a six-year stint
beginning in 1987 as the director of research and engineering
for the Metal Building Manufacturers Association.
Harris played in the school band beginning in seventh
grade, later joining his high school dance band. Soon after
graduation, he found himself playing in an Army Band in
Atlanta where he spent the latter days of World War II. Harris
next stop was Clemson University, where he studied civil engi-
neering, followed by several years in Houston working in the
metal buildings industry. While there, he earned a masters
degree at Rice University.
In 1962, Harris moved to Columbus, Miss., to join Ceco
Building Systems as the firms director of engineering.
Meanwhile, his interest in music continued.
I started putting bands together back in the 60s and 70s,
Harris said. We did these old minstrel shows, and my job was
to put together a Dixieland band down in front of the stage
and play selections from the evenings music as folks came in.
I belonged to a jazz club down in Jackson, about 150 miles
away. There was a particularly good trombone player there and
I invited him to come up and play with us. Well, I sort of built
the whole band around him. Now whenever I see him I say,
Howard, youre the one responsible for getting me in the big
band business. And he says, How is that? I say, You know, I
built that band around you, and here I was down there in that
pit with that little band waiting for you to come in. The audi-
ence starting coming in, the auditorium filled up, and there was
no Howard. We had to play that whole evening without you!
And I said to myself, I will never, ever have a small band again!
Of course, its no small task to put together a big band, not
the least of which is assembling a book of charts, the printed
music from which the 18 band members play.
I used to travel a good bit, and I would often go into a
music store and rummage through their music. I never found
a big mother lode, but would find one thing, like Les Browns
Leap Frog, or Glenn Millers theme song, one piece at a time.
Eventually I built it up to a couple hundred songs, and so we
have quite a library of pieces now.
As a trumpeter, Harris used to play Harry James-style solos,
but I dont have the chops for that now, he said. Still, he has a
deep appreciation of the importance of a good trumpet section.
Thats especially true when he has the band play some of his
favorites from Stan Kenton.
Some of us in the band business consider the Stan Kenton
Orchestra the absolute pinnacle of big bands, Harris said. Stan
was a great guy, a great manager, a great band leader and of course
a fantastic musician. But you dont often hear bands play his music
because its rare to have a trumpet section that can blow his charts.
He was a no-trumpet-left-standing type band leader, with the
trumpets really up there in the high register. Stan used to tell us,
Theres nothing very exciting about a trumpet playing low C.
Today Harris continues to produce concerts, most recently in
early February when Gill Harris and the Big Band Theory played
at the Trotter Convention Center in Columbus. Were play-
ing some Kenton these days, Harris said, because Ive got a
trumpet section that can handle it. Leading a band the way that
band was kicking last Saturday night brings out the Walter Mitty in
me, he said.
Between concerts he also remains very involved in the
engineering world, giving continuing education lectures, serv-
ing as a technical witness for litigation, conducting wind tun-
nel work, and whatever comes along.
After more than half a century in the

industry, Gill Harris continues to make
music as well as buildings.
people to know
ThE LEaDER
OF ThE baND
Gill Harris and the Big Band
Theory, which he operates out
of Columbus, Miss. Harris can
be contacted at gillharris@
cableonenet.
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Bentleys new Passport Subscriptions for structural engineers provide access to
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2010 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the B Bentley logo, MicroStation, RAM, and STAAD are either registered or unregistered trademarks
or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are
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