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INSTRUCTORS:
Donnell Vivian Duncan, P.E., S.E.
Habib Tabatabai, Ph.D., P.E., S.E.
Robert Gunter
Kent Sasaki, P.E., S.E.
Purpose and Background
These presentations were recorded at the ASCE Structures Congress 2025.
Forensic Investigation of Historic 15-Story Building Vault Wall Shear Cracks (15 minutes)
This presentation examines the forensic investigation of persistent water intrusion and cracking in the vault walls of a 15-story historic building in Norfolk, Virginia. The investigation traced the problem beyond leaking pipelines to foundation settlement issues affecting the building’s structural integrity. You’ll learn about the process of document review, field assessment, crack pattern analysis, and practical repair recommendations in this century-old unreinforced brick structure. The case highlights challenges in balancing immediate repairs with long-term structural rehabilitation.
Roof Collapse of a Large Retail Building (12 minutes)
This session reviews the investigation of a partial roof collapse at a retail store in Northern California, which narrowly avoided serious injuries. Investigators uncovered significant long-term wood decay and corrosion hidden under newer roofing materials, aggravated by poor inspection practices during a recent re-roof project. The presentation illustrates how water damage, deferred maintenance, and incomplete structural evaluation can compound to create collapse risks. It also provides important lessons on the responsibilities of contractors, owners, and engineers in evaluating aging structures.
Structural Factors in the Collapse of the Arecibo Observatory Cables (17 minutes)
This presentation summarizes the National Academies’ investigation into the 2020 collapse of Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory, a globally recognized radio telescope. The investigation revealed an unprecedented long-term creep failure of zinc spelter sockets in the stay cables, likely influenced by environmental and electrical effects. Learn how seemingly redundant cable systems can fail, the impact of hurricane and earthquake events on aging structures, and what lessons this collapse offers for future stay-cable-supported structures. The case underscores the importance of thorough inspection, redundancy, and risk monitoring for critical infrastructure.
Analysis Considerations for Existing Structures (15 minutes)
This presentation provides a high-level overview of evaluating existing structures versus new construction from a structural engineering perspective. It explores differences in code compliance, material evaluation, and analysis approaches for older buildings, emphasizing the unique uncertainties and limitations that come with legacy materials and documentation gaps. You’ll learn practical strategies for testing, modeling, and making engineering judgments when working with older or modified structures. The session highlights the importance of balancing precision, client budgets, and preservation of historic or legacy buildings.
Benefits and Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
- Analyze the patterns of cracking and water intrusion to diagnose potential foundation settlement issues in historic unreinforced masonry structures.
- Describe how long-term wood decay, corrosion, and incomplete structural assessment can contribute to the collapse of a re-roofed retail structure.
- Explain the role of zinc creep and electroplasticity effects in the unprecedented failure of stay cables at the Arecibo Observatory.
- Define the differences in code compliance, material evaluation, and structural analysis strategies when assessing existing buildings versus new construction.
Assessment of Learning Outcomes
Students' achievement of the learning outcomes will be assessed via a short post-test assessment (true-false, multiple choice, and/or fill in the blank questions).
Who Should Attend?
- Construction Engineers
- Structural Engineers
- Project Managers
- General Contractors
- Early Career Professionals
- Builders
How to Earn Your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion
To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.
How do I convert CEUs to PDHs?
1.0 CEU = 10 PDHs [Example: 0.1 CEU = 1 PDH]