Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.

Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before the start time.

Wednesday, November 20, 2024 
9:00 am – 4:00 pm CST

 

Presented by: James D’Aloisio P.E., LEED AP

Learning from Catastrophe: The Importance of Studying Structural Failures

  • Structural problems and failures throughout history
    • Construction disasters
    • Design flaws
    • Construction flaws
    • Damage, distress, deterioration
    • Unusual loads
  • The development and enforcement of building codes and standards
  • Lessons learned from failures
  • Historical failures
    • 27 AD: Fidenae, Italy, Stadium Disaster, 20,000 dead
    • 140 AD: Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy, 13,000 dead
    • 1860: Pemberton Mill, Lawrence, MA, 1860 88-145 dead

Forensic Case Studies

  • 1907: Quebec River Bridge Construction Collapses
    • Inadequate design; ignored evidence of problems
  • 1919: Molasses Tank Failure, Boston, MA
    • Development of material standards and building codes
  • 1922: Knickerbocker Theater Collapse, Washington DC
    • Heavy snow loading – high occupancy building
  • 1968: Ronan Point Tower Collapse, East London, UK
    • Progressive collapse
  • 1973: Skyline Towers Construction Collapse, Fairfax County, VA
    • Premature concrete shoring removal
  • 1973: John Hancock Tower Window Failure, Boston, MA
    • Wind-induced building flexure; thermal stresses
  • 1978: Hartford Civic Center Roof Collapse, East Hartford, CT
    • Flawed computer design approach
  • 1978: Willow Island Cooling Tower Construction Collapse, WV
    • Premature concrete shoring removal. Worst construction disaster in U.S.
  • 1979: Kemper Arena Roof Collapse, Kansas City, MO
    • Hanger failure; lack of three-dimensional analysis
  • 1981: Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse, Kansas City, MO
    • Flawed hanger connections modified during construction
  • 1987: L’Ambience Plaza Construction Collapse, Bridgeport, CT
    • Unstable lift-slab construction system
  • 1989: East Coldenham Elementary School Cafetorium Wall Collapse, Newburgh, NY
    • Wall not designed to resist wind loading

Forensic Case Studies Continued

  • 1994: Smith Road Elementary School Cafetorium Roof Collapse, North Syracuse, NY
    • Low-capacity, undersized glued-laminated timber beam
  • 1995: Sampoong Dept Store Collapse, South Korea
    • Inadequate structural design; excessive loading; ignored warning signs
  • 2003: Chicago Balcony Collapse, Chicago, IL
    • Low-capacity, underdesigned wood framing
  • 2007: Interstate 35W Bridge Collapse, Minneapolis, MN
    • Undersized steel gusset plates
  • 2013: Rana Plaza Building Collapse, Savar, Bangladesh
    • Most fatal building collapse since 1st Century A.D. Warning signs ignored.
  • 2015: Wilson Hospital Picciano Parking Garage Collapse, Johnson City, NY
    • Inadequate structural design; construction flaws
  • 2018: Florida International University Pedestrian Bridge construction collapse
    • Inadequate design and shoring sequencing; inadequate peer review
  • 2021: Champlain Towers South Collapse, Surfside, FL
    • Theories of possible causation

Summary

  • A concatenation of lessons learned
  • Structural condition reviews and failure risk reduction

 

Webinar Instructions

All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)

Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled.

Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps       Hardware: 2GB RAM or more

For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com

Credits

Engineers
6.0 PDHs

Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours

AIA - American Institute of Architects
6.0 LU|HSW

ICC - International Code Council
.6 CEUs (Building)

 

Continuing Education Credit Information

This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.0 PDHs for professional engineers and 6.0HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.

HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300) and North Carolina (S-0130). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Regulations of the Commissioner §68.14(i)(2) and §69.6(i)(2)). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses. 

The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 HSW LUs(Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES. 

The International Code Council has approved this event for .6 CEUs in the specialty area of Building (Preferred Provider No. 1232). 

Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed). 

On-Demand Credits

The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request: 

6.0 HSW LUs (AIA) 

Speakers

James A. D’Aloisio , P.E. LEED AP

Principal with Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt in Syracuse

Mr. D’Aloisio is a principal with Klepper, Hahn & Hyatt, a structural engineering, landscape architecture, and building envelope services firm in East Syracuse, New York. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is a registered professional engineer in New York and Massachusetts. He is a member and past president (1997 – 1998) of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Syracuse Section, and a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York State (SEAoNY). Mr. D’Aloisio is a member of ASCE/SEI’s Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations Committee, the Structural Condition Assessment of Existing Buildings Committee, and the Sustainability Committee. Mr. D’Aloisio received the Order of the Engineer at Syracuse University in 1997. His 30-plus years’ experience as a consulting structural engineer has primarily involved the design of new building structures, additions, and modifications, and analyses, assessments, and investigations of structures and facades. Mr. D’Aloisio has performed structural condition reviews of over 15 million square feet of buildings and he has performed over 150 structural forensic investigations. He has presented over 300 times.

AIA Info

AIA Provider Statement:

HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

Course Title: Structural Forensic Engineering Case Studies

Delivery Method: Live Online

Course Description:  This course begins with an explanation of the importance of studying structural failures, the main causes of failures throughout history, the lessons learned and subsequent development and enforcement of building codes. The main focus of the course are the 20 different case studies that will be closely examined and analyzed. From unusual loading to faulty materials, the selection case studies include a wide range of causes.

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objective 1:
Learners will be able to discuss the most common structural problems and failures, including design flaws, construction flaws, unusual loads, damage, distress and deterioration, and responsive development and enforcement of building codes and standards, and lessons learned from history.

Learning Objective 2:
Learners will be able to analyze case studies in which heavy snow loads in a high occupancy building caused a collapse and case studies in which premature concrete shoring removal was the cause of failure.

Learning Objective 3:
Learners will be able to examine case studies in which a flawed computer design approach was the cause for a roof collapse, and case studies focusing on wind-induced building flexure.

Learning Objective 4:
Learners will be able to explore case studies in which a glued-laminated timber beam failed, and case studies in which undersized steel gusset plates contributed to the collapse of an interstate bridge.

LUs: 6.0                                                                                              LU Type: LU|HSWs.

Prerequisites: Knowledge of structural design

Advance Preparation: None

Program Level: Intermediate

Course Expiration Date: 02/01/2026

Complaint Resolution Policy:

Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.