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PROGRESSIVE COLLAPSE |
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WAI’s engineers have completed progressive collapse assessments of GSA facilities as well as other federal and privately-held facilities. The progressive collapse assessments are typically provided for existing facilities. New facilities adhering to progressive collapse requirements will undergo the appropriate analysis and design modifications prior to construction to mitigate potential for progressive collapse. Existing GSA facilities must follow the GSA requirements, while new federal facilities follow the ISC Criteria; DOD facilities follow the provisions of the Uniform Facility Criteria. WAI engineers have extensive experience with STANDGARD, WINGARD and the other GSA, DoD, and DoS software tools, having regularly used them on progressive collapse-related projects. In addition, WAI has developed a series of specialized computer codes for progressive collapse analysis. The firm has made significant contributions by developing advanced analytical and computational techniques. WAI specialized computer codes (FLEX, EPSA) and programs (WASLAB, WABEAM, WABIBS) are currently used by numerous government agencies. WAI has provided engineering services to federal agencies in the form of research, analysis and design. This began with the renown HUD Headquarter Building in Washington, DC—designed by Marcel Breuer in 1969—through recent GSA-sponsored research efforts on progressive collapse analysis as well as current design support on key federal courthouses and office buildings. WAI has completed over 300 blast evaluations and upgrades of various facilities, this includes more than 50 GSA projects completed in the past two years. Some of these projects were part of a single building evaluation and renovation contract such as the Emanual Celler US Courthouse in Brooklyn, NY. Other projects were part of an indefinite quantity contract with the GSA (21 buildings), Federal Reserve banks (four buildings), and Veterans Affairs (35 buildings). The Blast Assessment effort begins with a confirmation of the Scope of Work to ensure that the engineers and the client are in agreement on the objectives, level of effort and deliverables. The work effort includes a review of applicable drawings of the subject building and site; a site visit to examine the facility’s design and attributes; meetings with the local representatives; and the collection of all available data through non-destructive means to perform the assessment. The result of the study includes confirmation or definition of credible threats, defining vulnerabilities of the facility and/or specific target elements and conceptual hazard mitigation designs. The level of effort, number of threat scenarios and potential solutions are defined by the client through the Scope of Work. The initial effort concludes with a written report submitted to the client. Follow-up efforts would include further development of the hazard mitigation solution through Construction Documents and Construction Administration. We look forward to using our knowledge, experience and technical capabilities to assist federal agencies in identifying vulnerabilities and establishing mitigation strategies to protect their facilities. |
