Open web steel joists have been the preferred framing system for large buildings for over a century. The design—composed of steel top and bottom chords with angular webs in between—provided superior structural support as buildings grew larger and larger. These web trusses are designed and installed to last for decades without fail. However, there may be a day when the joists in your building need to be replaced. This is no simple undertaking! Keep reading to learn about a few of the difficulties your chosen engineering team will face. Scale of project The first reason reinforcing joists is difficult is... View Article
When constructing a safe building, you’ll need to choose the right type of frames. Depending on what your structural and seismic needs may be, you could use braced frames or portal frames. As always, you should ask your engineer or architect which type is better for your specific project. Here’s an overview of braced frames and portal frames so you’ll better understand what these terms mean when your team explains their methodology. What are braced frames? Braced frame construction is also referred to as beam and column construction. You’ve undoubtedly seen this before—it’s an extremely common form of construction that... View Article
Unless you’re an architect, builder or engineer, you may not have any reason to understand shear walls. However, when you’re building a structure, knowing the difference between difference types of walls helps guarantee you get the right kind of construction for your project. Shear walls are built to resist lateral forces like wind and seismic activity, as opposed to walls that keep the building standing upright. Almost all buildings have external shear walls, but usually, only larger buildings include internal shear walls. There are certain challenges associated with shear walls—door and window placement being a major one—but their uses are... View Article
Technology has been transformative for many industries, and architecture is no exception. Building information modeling (BIM) is a relatively new technology that could revolutionize the architecture industry. Read on for BIM explained to learn more about how it can impact your next project in Hudson, CO. What is BIM? BIM uses a single digital model of a building that everyone involved with a project can access or modify. BIM may be useful to architects, clients, suppliers, builders and environmental managers. While 2D documentation had long been the industry norm, the emergence of 3D modeling allows for analysis and optimization for... View Article
Shoring is a (usually) temporary form of support, used when constructing or renovating a building. Since these processes often involve excavation, it’s important to keep the earth from collapsing around the newly excavated space. Shoring can also be used to provide support to walls while the building is being renovated or retrofitted. If your project requires shoring, it’s wise to hire skilled shoring civil engineers in Hudson, CO. They’ll understand which kind of shoring to use for any project. Here is an overview of the different types of shoring, and how they’re commonly used: Contiguous pile shoring: This type of... View Article
