State Leadership

President

Daniel Summerfield (SC)

Vice President

Tyler Winkley (SE)

Treasurer

Matt Leslie (SC)

Secretary

Shalini Prochazka (SE)

Past President

Mike Visser (SE)

Trustees

Shalini Prochazka (SE)

Tyler Winkley (SE)

Jessica Jenness (SE)

Daniel Sumerfield (SC)

Matt Leslie (SC)

Dan Tappel (SW)

Jared Plank (SW)

Brian Parsons (SP)

Matt Hoit (SP)

November 2022 Issue

1. Seattle Chapter's November Virtual Meeting
2. Just Who are the SEFW Forum Panelists?
3. Northeast Conference "Save the Date"
4. Equilibrium Articles & Content – Your Move! 
5. YAF & WID Happy Hour Series
6. Recap of "Multi-Period Response Spectrum in Washington State"
7. Steel the Focus of Four Recent Events
8. SEAW YMG UW Student Social
9. Calendar
10. SWR White Paper to be Presented in November
11. Employment Opportunities
12. Applying or Renewing your Membership in SEAW

Seattle Chapter's November Virtual Meeting

Earthquake Hazard Update and How the ShakeAlert Early Warning System can Reduce Losses

Date: Tuesday, November 15th

Time: 4:00PM - 5:00PM PST

Location: DoToWebinar

Cost: SEAW Members and Students - Free!

Non-Members - $15

PDH: i hour. PDH certificates will be emailed to attendees after the webinar.

Register to Attend: Click here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Presentation:

Bill will provide an overview of recent work that illuminates Washington earthquake hazards. Bill will also introduce the ShakeAlert earthquake warning system and how it has evolved into an important tool for loss reduction. 

Just Who are the SEFW Forum Panelists?

By Angela Gottula Twining, SEFW

The Structural Engineers Foundation of Washington has been hard at work publicizing the 12^th Annual Fall Forum, “Focus on the Footprint: Making Strides in Building Sustainably,” which will address efforts to reduce embodied carbon in the building industry, particularly on the part of structural engineers. The event will be Wednesday, November, 30, at 6 PM at Town Hall Seattle, and is FREE. Register today at www.sefwforum.org, and learn more at www.sefw.org.

SEFW is very excited for its “dream team” of presenters, and we’d like to introduce them to you!

Our keynote speaker will be Kate Simonen, AIA, S.E., executive director of the Carbon Leadership Forum and Professor and Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington. Licensed as an architect and structural engineer, Kate directs the research of the CLF and convenes collaborative initiatives such as the Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator (the EC3 tool) and the Structural Engineers 2050 Challenge. Kate will speak first, highlighting recent efforts and challenges.

After her remarks, she will be joined on stage by four panelists, who comprise multiple corners of the building industry.

Katie Ross leads the sustainability efforts for Microsoft's real estate portfolio and is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategy across the company's office portfolio of more than 33 million square feet, including in Puget Sound, Israel, and Silicon Valley. Katie's career has been dedicated to the adoption of high performance, healthy, sustainable buildings, and she prides herself on being a 'sustainability translator' – working hard so the public understands the nuances and importance of sustainability topics.

Stacy Smedley, is the Executive Director of Building Transparency, a Washington state nonprofit that developed and manages the EC3 calculator. Stacy has close to 20 years’ experience in the design industry, including several positions with architecture and construction firms in Seattle. Stacy also has experience with the Carbon Leadership Forum, U.S. Green Building Council, Cascadia Region Green Building Council, Washington Businesses for Climate Action, Embodied Carbon Network, and more. She is a 2012 Living Building Hero and a 2018 ENR Top 25 Newsmaker.

Kjell Anderson, FAIA, LEED Fellow, is a Principal and Director of Sustainable Design at LMN Architects, working with all of LMN’s clients to set and exceed sustainable design goals. He wrote the first architect-centered book on energy modeling, co-authored AIA’s first policy statement on climate change, and has spoken extensively on energy, water, materials, and embodied carbon. He founded the Seattle hub of the Carbon Leadership Forum and serves on the AIA National Committee on the Environment and the Washington State Building Code Council.

Chris Jeseritz, P.E., S.E., LEED AP, is a Project Manager at PCS Structural Solutions, where he leads the company’s internal sustainability engineering team. He serves as chair of the SEAW Sustainability Committee, Communications Leader for the Structural Engineers 2050 (SE2050) Commitment Program, and is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structural Engineering Institute’s (SEI) Sustainability Committee.

Kate will moderate the panel discussion that will dive into embodied carbon efforts and challenges across the entire industry. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions live in Town Hall or submit questions via the online viewing platform.

As was mentioned last month, here are some other important details:

• Registration is requested at www.sefwforum.org.
• The event will be in-person at Town Hall Seattle and livestreamed on a custom platform. (Register for all the details and reminders.)
• This year we are returning to have a pre-function networking reception for sponsors, donors, and special guests. Individuals may attend with a minimum $40 donation to SEFW, or become a “Friend of the Foundation” and receive special recognition for a $100 donation.
• The reception is from 4:30-5:30 PM with the free lecture beginning at 6 PM!

Visit www.sefw.org to learn more about the event, and we hope to see you on November 30!

Northwest Conference "Save the Date"

Equilibrium Articles and Content - Your Move!

By Darrell Staaleson, PIC, and Angela Gottula, Editor

At the SEAW State Board of Trustees meeting in September, the Public Information Committee and Equilibrium Subcommittee submitted a plan for Equilibrium content for the rest of the year and into 2023. Pertinent details include:

• As each SEAW Chapter President attends the SEAW State Board of Trustees meetings and reports on happenings at the Chapter and represents the Chapter, after the meetings the Chapter President will submit a recap to Equilibrium to be published. These updates will occur about five times per year after the Trustees meetings in January, March, May, September, and November.
• Every SEAW statewide committee or Seattle committee listed on the SEAW website is invited and expected to submit an article at least one time per year. Each committee has a Board liaison which will support and encourage this effort. The article can be authored by anyone on the committee but managed by the committee leader or Board liaison. The articles can include progress reports, calendar items, calls to action, technical efforts, or any number of other committee-related news.
• An annual Equilibrium Editorial Calendar will be published with all of the committees assigned a month for submission, along with estimated dates for submission and publication. Committee leaders will receive this calendar in January and again in June. Committee leaders may submit in an alternate month if needed to accommodate committee happenings and schedule, but this needs to be communicated to the Equilibrium Committee ahead of time.
• As has always been the case, all SEAW members are invited to submit articles for publication! Articles might cover “Engineers Notes from Afield,” technical subjects of interest, project spotlights, seminar or conference recaps, or even photo submissions of structural engineering at work. The possibilities are endless!

As a reminder, this is your Equilibrium. The newsletter for the Structural Engineers Association of Washington is not meant to be curated by the same few individuals every time, but instead is meant to be a robust and joint effort between all members of the association to improve technical understanding and advance professional development. Please participate in this process and take ownership over this valuable resource!

Thank you for allowing this committee to serve you. If you have any comments or feedback, please email Darrell or the Equilibrium Committee at [email protected].

YAF & WID Happy Hour Series

By Evan Jordan, YMG

The AIA Seattle Happy Hour Series is a monthly gathering presented by the Young Architects Forum and Women in Design committees to encourage connections within the Seattle design community. This year’s happy hours will highlight innovation and emerging technologies throughout the design and construction process.

This event is a great opportunity for structural engineers to meet young architects in a casual setting. Build relationships with potential future clients! See you there!

November 10th

5:30PM - 7:30PM

Cushing Terrell

1201 Western Ave, Suite 700

Seattle, WA 98101

More information can be found at the event website.

Recap of "Multi-Period Response Spectrum

in Washington State"

By Ryan Thornton, YMG

SEAW Seattle was thrilled to host Scott Neuman, head of SEAW’s Earthquake Committee, as the main presenter for the October 25 chapter meeting. Mr. Neuman presented on “Multi-Period Response Spectrum in Washington State.”

With the release of ASCE 7-22, the Multi-Period Response Spectrum (MPRS) has been officially codified, replacing the traditional two-period response spectrum seen in earlier versions of ASCE 7. Currently, ASCE 7-16 is the referenced document by the IBC and even with the looming adoption of the IBC 2021, ASCE 7-16 will still be the standard reference document. The two-period response spectrum had some shortcomings with softer soil sites (Site Class D and E) that were brought to light shortly before the release of ASCE 7-16; the spectral demands for softer soil sites could be substantially underestimated for moderately long period structures. Because of the timing, adopting the MPRS so late into the code development would be impractical, so instead a temporary fix was developed which involved requiring site specific testing for these problematic sites. Per ASCE 7-16 Section 11.4.8, penalties could be taken to artificially increase the spectral demands for softer soil sites in lieu of complying with the site-specific testing requirements. Unfortunately, these requirements were confusing and inconsistent, leading to the release of two supplements to clarify the language of the code.

With the release of ASCE 7-22, the MPRS was able to be successfully developed alongside with the USGS’s newly updated geodatabase. The MPRS is based on a new hazard (previously 2/3 MCE in older versions of the code) which requires no adjustments or scaling since the new geodatabase has all the ingredients that can affect site specific spectra baked into its recipe. The SEAW EEC has successfully pushed through a new Emergency Rule that will allow (but not require) the early adoption of the MPRS throughout the state. The early adoption will help address and overcome the complexity of ASCE 7-16 Section 11.4.8 requirements and generally reduce the spectral demands for moderately long period structures on softer sites. With the MPRS, the S_DS is based on 90% of the peak spectral acceleration (same as Chapter 21 requirements of ASCE 7-16) and the S_D1 value is based on the peak between a period of 1 second and 5 seconds. With use of the MPRS in conjunction with the IBC 2018, an exception exists where S_a can be based on T = C_u·T_a, likely producing a lower spectral demand. The SEAW EEC has put together a comparison of the ASCE 7-16 two-period spectral demand to the newly implemented multi period spectral demand across numerous Washington State sites and site classes. For now, the MPRS is not required and will not be adopted until an IBC is adopted that references ASCE 7-22, but the benefits of early adoption are clear. Avoiding the site-specific requirements of Section 11.4.8 could lead to significantly lower spectral demands. In sites that are further from large subduction zones (Inland Washington, for example), the decrease in spectral demands is significant enough to warrant consideration of the MPRS.

SEAW thanks Mr. Neuman for his time discussing these coming changes to the seismic code. We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you at the next Seattle Chapter meeting!

Steel the Focus of Four Recent Events

By Anand Mourougassamy, Evan Jordan & Kevin Aguilar, YMG

At the end of September, SEAW hosted David Fennel from the American Institute of Steel Construction for a virtual presentation on the topic of “Choosing the Right Framework for Sustainable and Resilient Structures.” David is the structural steel specialist in the greater Seattle market for AISC and is committed to helping all project stakeholders in achieving better project outcomes with structural steel.

David presented the numerous characteristics of structural steel that positions steel as a material of choice for sustainable and resilient structures. David also analyzed the cradle-to-cradle processes involved with different construction materials like concrete, timber, and steel and highlighted the differences. It was interesting to learn that structural steel had a recycling rate of about 98 percent.

David took the time to bust a few common myths about domestically produced vs. imported structural steel. He noted that imported steel usually has higher environmental impacts due to the old and energy intensive processes used in manufacturing. He pointed out that all domestic structural steel is made from scrap using modern Electric Arc furnaces closing the gap in the life cycle loop. This builds the case for engineers to be keener on the source of the steel and leverage this knowledge to help with better project outcomes.

He also highlighted the various modernization efforts undertaken by domestic producers with sustainability in focus. All three major domestic steel producers are already shipping net-zero steel (Econiq) using a combination renewable energy and carbon offsets to help project teams meet their sustainability goals. It was inspiring to learn about the plethora of efforts lead by AISC to help decarbonize the steel construction industry.

Then, on October 21 to celebrate this year’s “Steel Day,” AISC and Metals Fabrication co-hosted a lunch presentation at the Microsoft Auditorium at the Seattle Central Library. AISC first presented the latest economic trends in the steel construction industry, focusing on both the larger domestic market and narrowing in on the West Coast market. An example of market trends are the growing demands for parking structures and data centers in the coming years, especially in California. 

Metals Fab presented their business practices that make them a successful steel fabricator. They outlined where and how their steel gets made, how they create shop drawings, and what their QC looks like for management and industrial processes.

SEAW thanks AISC for organizing the event as well as Metals Fab for taking the time to educate engineers on the steel industry. For further questions about AISC email them here. For further questions about Metals Fab email them here.

A bit farther south, AISC held a similar event to celebrate Steel Day with a tour of the Alpha Iron fabrication facility in Ridgefield, Washington.

Lastly, on October 27, the Seattle SEAW YMG and David held a joint event to kick off the new school year at Seattle University. With over 20 students in attendance, students got the chance to learn about both the SEAW YMG and AISC organizations and the events and resources that they provide students throughout the school year. A few lucky students were also able to snag a copy of the current AISC Steel Manual that they can use for their steel design classes and capstone projects. The YMG definitely looks forward to hosting more events this year with Seattle U! 

By Anthony D’Onofrio, YMG

University of Washington is back in session, and so is the student-professional organization relationship! October 3rd was SEAW YMG’s first student event held post-COVID restrictions. The atmosphere was a casual environment meant for students to socialize amongst themselves and talk to professionals in the industry. There were professionals from Moffat Nichol, MKA, WJE, and Mackenzie at the event. In addition to this, Dave Fennell from AISC attended and gave away several Steel Construction Code Manuals, as well as other auxiliary steel design literature. A total of 10 books were given away to the students, both undergraduate and graduate. It was a successful event that reintroduced SEAW and allowed us to reconnect with the students at our local campus! Many thanks to AISC and all the professional attendees.

If you have questions about this event or ideas for future events to engage the UW SEAW Student Chapter, please email Anthony D’Onofrio at [email protected].

November 1 - November 4: NCSEA Structural Engineering Summit @ Chicago Hilton

November 10: YAF+WID Happy Hour Series, 5:30 PM @ Cushing Terrell Seattle

November 15: Seattle Chapter Technical Webinar, Earthquake Hazard Update and How the ShakeAlert Early Warning System can Reduce Losses, 4 PM, Virtual Meeting

November 30: SEFW Fall Forum, “Focus on the Footprint: Making Strides in Building Sustainably,”

6 PM @ Town Hall Seattle

SWR White Paper to Be Presented in November

By Scott Douglas, WEC

The SEAW Wind Engineering Committee submits the following report for November:

• Washington/Columbia Special Wind Regions (SWR) Study – A SEAW White Paper has been authored by the SEAW WEC. This White Paper supports the recommendations in CPP’s Special Wind Region Study – Washington State and Columbia River dated 1 August 2022. The White Paper is scheduled to be submitted to the SEAW State Board for approval at their next meeting. Once the State Board approves the White Paper, SEAW’s recommendations for the SWRs in Washington State will then be submitted for adoption by the Washington State Building Code Council, and eventually for inclusion in ASCE 7 and the IBC. The White Paper draft has also been posted on the bottom of the “Resources” page on the WABO website: https://www.wabo.org/resources.
• City of Bellevue Kzt Map – A Wind Load Factor Map following the format of the existing City of Seattle Wind Load Factor map for rapid determination of Kzt and shoreline exposure factors will be generated for City of Bellevue consideration and potential adoption. 
• Update to the 2004 SEAW commentary on wind code provisions (ATC 60) – The NCSEA CAC Wind Engineering Subcommittee is proceeding with this update effort. An outline is being developed for the new commentary in order not to duplicate commentary in ASCE 7 or other publications.
• Participation - All SEAW members, whatever their experience, are encouraged to participate at in WEC meetings. Please contact the WEC chair, Scott Douglas [email protected], to join the SEAW WEC and receive additional information and announcements on Committee activities and actions.
• Next Meeting – Friday January 27, 2023, from 12:00 noon to 1:00 pm. Meeting will be virtual via the following Zoom link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86093403973pwd=OGppeTRkTTZtUlVxSDlDWXlmVktBQT09

Meeting ID: 860 9340 3937

Passcode: 900233

Employment Opportunities

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.

Regional Director & Technical Director

Company: Woodworks

Location: Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis (home based office)

Description & Details:

Are you tired of being stuck behind a desk? Do you want to help construct more sustainable cities? 

WoodWorks is a recognized leader in providing project assistance related to non-residential and multi-family wood buildings. As a result of our continued success and positive impact in the industry, we’re adding new staff who want to be part of this exciting growth and help to guide the future of building in the U.S.

Regional Director & Technical Director

Company: Woodworks

Location: Seattle, Chicago, Minneapolis (home based office)

Description & Details:

Are you tired of being stuck behind a desk? Do you want to help construct more sustainable cities? 

WoodWorks is a recognized leader in providing project assistance related to non-residential and multi-family wood buildings. As a result of our continued success and positive impact in the industry, we’re adding new staff who want to be part of this exciting growth and help to guide the future of building in the U.S.

Structural Project Manager

Company: Dibble Engineering, Inc. (DEI)

Location: Kirkland, WA

Description:

Structural Project Managers at Dibble Engineers, Inc. (DEI) are provided opportunities to enhance their management and leadership skills by training and mentoring junior staff. PMs are challenged to strive for their SE licensure, Team Lead and Associate-level positions, and are encouraged to assist in business development, client retention, and company growth initiatives.

If you are a creative, proactive, and detail-oriented leader with the desire to manage your own projects from beginning to end, further advance client retention and referral strategies, and help grow our business, you could be a great fit for our learning culture. Our team works collaboratively to enhance the structural design and construction process; however, if you also enjoy mentoring and educating junior staff to build confidence in independent research of complicated engineering issues, we will provide you the chance to grow your leadership and people management skills. If you enjoy a good laugh and a fun working environment yet possess excellent technical skills and uncompromising work ethic and quality standards, we will highly value your contributions to our growing team.

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. Click here for our privacy policy.

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 the upcoming wind study. 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!