Many are familiar with the forceful power of cyclonic winds during hurricanes and tornadoes, due to their potential to cause newsworthy catastrophic damage. Straight-line winds are much more common than…
With summer on the way and temperatures rising, many people will be looking to spend some time poolside. Pools can be fun and relaxing, and offer a respite from the…
Wood is one of the most common building materials, often used for structural framing and wall sheathing. Because wood is a natural, organic material, it is susceptible to deterioration when…
As cooler weather moves out, springtime storms begin moving in. These storms can contain hail, strong winds, and even tornadoes. Although tornado season typically peaks in May or June, it…
Wood floors are beautiful and are often an architectural element of interior space design. They can cause a space to feel clean and modern, or they can lend the feel…
Parking garages are unique structures. They are, of course, designed to support vehicular loading; must be designed and constructed with consideration given to the particulars of vehicular traffic; such as…
Basements are underground portions of buildings that were historically used for housing utility equipment, and for storage of items that were not particularly moisture sensitive. In modern times, however, basements…
A vehicle in motion possesses a significant amount of kinetic energy. When a moving vehicle impacts a building or other stationary structure, the impact event can cause damage to the…
Thankfully, collapses of buildings and other structures are rare events. However, when a collapse does occur, the result is often catastrophic loss of property, and sometimes life. Some highly publicized…
For soils that experience volumetric change due to variations in moisture content, dry conditions can result in volumetric loss (i.e., “shrinkage”). Such soils are typically referred to as “expansive soils”…
