Congratulations on 75 Years! | | | | |
Scott Douglas
Committee: Seattle Chapter & Past President
| | An incredible time was had by all at the SEAW 75th Anniversary at the Museum of Flight in October. Photos courtesy CSI. | | |
15th SEFW Fall Forum to Showcase
the Las Vegas Sphere
| | | | |
Katie Bohocky
Committee: SEFW
| | |
The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington’s Fall Forum is in full swing! Our 15th Annual FREE Fall Forum, “Las Vegas Sphere: Building the Ultimate Experience” will be held on Thursday, November 13, at Benaroya Hall in Seattle.
The Forum will feature Gabe Braselton, Senior Architect, Senior Principal with Populous; Cawsie Jijina, Principal with Severud Associates; and Greg Naso, SVP Sphere Construction.
With its 440-foot diameter steel frame roof, the Las Vegas Sphere is the largest spherical structure in the world with a venue space for 18,000 guests. In addition, the structure supports a high-resolution, state of the art, interior and exterior LED display system that encases the building and can provide the ultimate immersive experience. The 2025 SEFW Forum will be presented by the design and construction team personally involved in the close coordination between architecture and structure, extensive structural parametric design and optimization, and closely coordinated team effort for construction planning and execution that made this project a natural choice for this year’s Forum.
The event will be in-person at Benaroya Hall but also livestreamed for online viewing. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Click here or visit www.sefw.org to register today!
Individuals are free to attend, however, if you are interested in supporting SEFW and the Forum, we invite you to become a “Friends of the Foundation” with a $100 gift! All partners and Friends will be recognized at the event. Click here to become a “Friend of the Foundation!”
If you are interested in sponsoring this great event, please click here for a full list of sponsorship opportunities. Click here to become a sponsoring partner today!
THANK YOU to our current sponsors, including PLATINUM and GOLD sponsors:
| | We invite you to join us for a fantastic evening supporting the mission to advance structural engineering through scholarships, education, research, and outreach! Contact our administrator at admin@sefw.org with any questions or comments. We hope to see you there! | | Learn About Temporary Structures in December | | | | |
Kyle Johnson
Committee: Seattle Chapter
| | |
Have you ever seen a large holiday display and instantly started to try and understand the load path? If yes, then this SEAW meeting is for you! With the holidays around the corner, we will be learning about what goes into the design of temporary structures. More information about the event to come.
Check out this article to pique your interest.
| | | Check Out the New SEAW Website | | | | |
Evan Jordan
Committee: Seattle Chapter YMG
| | |
On October 23rd, SEAW rolled out its new website, utilizing the online membership platform software Wild Apricot. This website aims to update the previous website with a number of features that improve SEAW’s communication with membership. These include:
- A personal membership profile with privacy settings set at your own discretion
- Ability to add yourself to an SEAW committee email list
- Direct messaging capabilities to other members and committee/chapter leadership
- Updated calendar with live events across all SEAW chapters and committees
- Updated chapter and committee pages with improved contact info
- And more!
The membership platform was developed by the Online Membership Platform Committee (OMPC), activated by the SEAW state board in the Fall of 2024. The new website also aims to improve SEAW’s operational capabilities and organization on an administrative level. This website has taken over a year to develop and we are very excited to share it with all SEAW members! We hope the new website will enable and inspire you to become more involved and effective in SEAW to improve the profession and yourselves.
If you are having trouble creating your account, have other technical issues, or have questions on how the website works, please email info@seaw.org describing the issue.
| | Why SEAW Members Should Support HB 1810 | | | | |
Derek Ohlgren
Committee: Seattle Chapter, PE
| | Seattle has identified 1,117 unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings and only about 200 of those are retrofitted to reduce the probability of collapse in an earthquake.Statewide, there may be upwards of 33,000 URM buildings, with most communities unaware of their vulnerability despite the state’s status as the second highest seismic risk in the country. | | The Washington URM Dashboard shows the concentration of URM buildings around the state. Graphic courtesy the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation. Please see the following link here. | | |
Last year Seattle introduced a seismic shift in URM retrofitting by adopting new seismic regulations and defining the minimum level of structural performance of a “Retrofitted URM Building” in the 2021 Seattle Existing Building Code (SEBC). The SEBC also codified the Alternate Method as a reduced scope of work for retrofitting URM buildings, becoming first jurisdiction outside of California to do so.
Even with the Alternate Method reducing retrofit costs by up to 70% for qualifying buildings, retrofitting remains prohibitively expensive for many building owners. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is pursuing financial incentives and assistance programs before switching from voluntary to mandatory URM regulations.
House Bill 1810 (HB 1810) aims to complete the state’s inventory of unreinforced masonry buildings and conduct a study for incentives to reduce the financial burden of retrofitting. In the spring 2025 legislative session, HB 1810 advanced out of committee but was not scheduled for a hearing with the Appropriations Committee. The upcoming 2026 legislative session is HB 1810’s last chance of passing. To strengthen its chances, the City of Seattle, AIA Washington Council, and SEAW are working together through the #FixTheBricks campaign to promote HB 1810 as an important step towards improving Washington’s seismic resilience.
URM retrofitting may be a niche specialty, but its success affects all of us. URM buildings form the core of some of our most beloved and culturally important neighborhoods. Severe damage or collapse of URMs in an earthquake will make entire blocks inaccessible and significantly delay economic recovery. HB 1810 will document these vulnerable buildings and lay the groundwork for making retrofitting economically feasible for all building owners. HB 1810 means safer buildings, stronger communities, and a more resilient Washington for all.
Learn more about HB 1810 here or watch the video here.
| | | | |
Lisette Terry
Committee: SE3 (Diversity & Inclusion)
| | |
Taking the SE3 (Structural Engineering Engagement & Equity) survey is important because it helps the industry identify trends in job satisfaction, engagement, and retention, leading to improvements in areas like career development, compensation, work-life balance, and workplace culture. Your participation provides data for industry-wide conversations and helps ensure a clear path to success for all structural engineers by highlighting the factors that influence career decisions and workplace dynamics.
Why your participation is crucial:
-
Improves the profession: The survey's goal is to improve engagement and equity by identifying areas for improvement within the profession, such as career development, compensation, work-life balance, and mentorship.
-
Identifies key trends: It helps to understand the current state of the industry and identify trends in how structural engineers experience their work.
-
Drives industry conversations: The data collected initiates conversations and provides the basis for developing solutions and best practices for firms and the profession as a whole.
-
Informs career decisions: The findings can influence positive changes in career choices, work-life balance, and workplace culture, making the profession more sustainable for all.
-
Ensures a path to success for all: The SE3 Committee's mission is to help retain the best talent and ensure that all structural engineers have a clear pathway to success, which is impossible without data from professionals.
Thank you for contributing to this great effort! The survey can be found here.
| | |
SEAW General Code Requirements Committee Meeting
November 4th & 14th | 12:00PM | Online via Zoom
SEFW Fall Forum
November 13th | 6:00PM | Benaroya Hall
SEAW Wind Engineering Committee Meeting
November 14th | 12:00PM | Online via Zoom
SEAW General Code Requirements Committee Meeting
December 9th | 12:00PM | Online via Zoom
| Visit the SEAW website for other event dates and information. |
| |
Welcome New Members!
Sergio Rodriguez, Associate (AUE) | Seattle Chapter
Neil Madison, Student
Bijay Mainali, Student (Seattle University)
Emily Worthy, Student (University of Washington)
Peter Swanson, Member PE (TKDA) | Seattle Chapter
Taylor Tharp, Member PE (LSB Consulting Engineers) | Spokane Chapter
Alex Carpenter, Member PE (Concrete Technology Corporation) | Seattle Chapter
Matthew Crowell, Member PE (Concrete Technology Corporation) | Seattle Chapter
| | Are you currently seeking employment as a structural engineer, senior manager, or a senior engineer technician? Check out our job board for current employment opportunities. | |
Applying or Renewing your Membership in SEAW
SEAW is organized into the membership categories and their corresponding dues structures listed below. Select the membership category that best fits your status. Your contact information is shared with our foundation, SEFW. In order to “opt-out” please contact the association office.
| Please consider making a line-item donation to SEFW as part of your dues renewal. Special designation can be placed on the donation, so it can be applied to scholarships, disaster preparedness or research opportunities. SEFW fulfills its mission with the assistance of donations from individuals and corporations. More information on SEFW and its mission to promote structural engineering can be found at www.sefw.org. Thank you for your support! | | | | |
