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Inside this Edition

• Targeting Seismic Upgrade


• 2011 AIBC Architectural Award Winners


• University of British Columbia Pharmaceutical Building

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GS·Sayers Moves to Surrey

The GS·Sayers team recently moved to a new office at 205 - 15230 Highway 10, Surrey, BC, V3S 5K7. Phone and fax numbers remain the same. The Glotman·Simpson Group remains at the current Vancouver location.

Community

The Glotman·Simpson Cycling Club recently hosted its 4th Annual Cypress Challenge: A Fundraiser for Pancreatic Cancer in memory of Jack Poole. The event, presented by Concert Properties and Jeff Mooney & Suzanne Bolton, raised $125,000 for pancreatic cancer research fund at the BC Cancer Foundation. Click here for more information.

Recent Events

Rob Simpson recently moderated the BC Construction Roundtable event Shaken But Not Stirred! How Will the Lower Mainland Survive an Earthquake? The half day event included six experts speaking on the potential effects of an earthquake in coastal British Columbia. Click here to see the presentations.

Continuing Education

Did you know that Glotman·Simpson is an approved Continuing Education provider for AIBC? Dr. Didier Pettinga and Rob Simpson recently presented Smart Structural Reconstructions at the AIBC/RAIC Festival of Architecture in Vancouver. Click here if you are interested in a lunch and learn session conducted at your location.

Targeting Seismic Upgrade
(...but what is an acceptable target?)

by Dr. Didier Pettinga

The February earthquake and subsequent “aftershocks” beneath Christchurch have opened up a number of structural engineering debates revolving around how the design codes deal with both new and existing buildings. Aside from an obvious increase in the design spectrum to account for the new-found seismic hazard, the national requirements for existing building upgrade will certainly be re-evaluated given the outright loss of so many historic buildings in the central city area.

In 2002/2003 the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering produced a set of assessment and retrofit guidelines that provided a comprehensive and significant step forward towards Displacement-Based (or Performance-Based) seismic assessment. While the methodology was based on advanced thinking, it did leave a weak-link that has been highlighted by the recent events in Christchurch.

Similar to the Vancouver City Building By-Law, the NZ assessment and upgrade requirements do have a target capacity less than 100% of code – in this case it was somewhat arbitrarily set at 34%, which compares to the 75% that we work to here in the city of Vancouver. The Christchurch earthquakes have definitively shown that 34% is not sufficient, and in many cases, it might indicate that 75% may not be enough. This of course reflects on our current practice here – is 75% acceptable?

Like all structural engineering, the “devil-is-in-the-details”, and brute strength upgrades do not necessarily provide reliable performance. Once again experience has demonstrated that our focus should be on connection detailing and ductility as the key to keeping existing buildings standing. With this in mind it could be argued that 75% can be enough, provided we apply due diligence to our detailing design.

At present, Christchurch engineers are working with a set of interim seismic design requirements that not only raise the design spectrum, but also lift the upgrade requirement to a minimum 60% of code. (Un)Fortunately (depending on where you are in the world!), the current ongoing severe aftershock sequence under the city will provide a good test of upgrade and repair approaches, in particular the use of the 60% strength target. It remains of course for structural engineers in other cities with similar seismic settings, such as Vancouver, to learn from this test-bed and hopefully get ahead of the seismic 8-ball.

The old post office in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. An accurate and effective upgrade helped minimize the damage to this historic building. (Photo credit Ross Becker - from picassaweb)

A similar era building with gable-end restraints that have restrained the building in one direction, but have not sufficiently tied the corners for the outward thrust at the eaves. (Photo credit Mark Lincoln - from flickr)

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Glotman·Simpson Congratulates 2011 AIBC Architectural Award Winners

At Glotman·Simpson, we pride ourselves in providing smart, innovative structural solutions that are architecturally exciting. We’d like to congratulate our architect partners who took home top awards at the 2011 AIBC Architectural Awards held Friday, May 27th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

		UBC Sauder School of Business Redevelopment Lietenant Governor of BC Award of Merit Acton Ostry Architects
This new, state-of-the-art, LEED Silver equivalent, addition to existing 1960s facilities provides the UBC Sauder School of Business with a revitalized facility to match its renowned academic reputation. In the top floor lecture halls, long span Glulam beams accommodate the curved sloping roof. The building is supported by large post-tensioned transfer beams spanning 18.8 meters on the ground floor, which ensure the basement lecture halls have no columns blocking students’ line of sight. The post-tensioned beams are highlighted in the sky-lit atrium, separating the addition and the existing buildings, making it a focal point at the heart of the school.

		Creekside Community Centre Lietenant Governor of BC Award of Merit Walter Francl Architecture Inc. + Nick Milkovich Architects Inc
The LEED Platinum community centre is at the heart of the Village at False Creek, providing key amenities, including: boating facilities, daycare, a rooftop outdoor garden and a two storey restaurant. The long span structure that supports roof gardens over the gymnasium offered special challenges of load and deflection resistance that was best solved with a structural steel framing system. In the summer the building will generate more power than it needs. The green roof and large area of solar panels serve to provide energy, minimize solar reflectance, and create a very liveable rooftop.

		Woodward's Redevelopment Project AIBC Special Jury Award for Outstanding Programming and Place-Making Henriquez Partners Architects
Woodward’s has long been a focal point of Vancouver, providing both consumer merchandise and employment to many people in the local community and beyond. The result is a complex that is socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable, bringing both the building and its neighborhood back to life.

		Cordova Street Stables Lieutenant Governor of BC Award of Merit Gair Williamson Architect Inc
The Cordova Street Stables was constructed in 1902 as a livery stable. The original design utilized a unique cable suspended floor system rather than columns for support - providing better access for horses and carriages. A key objective during the 2010 adaptive reuse upgrade was to maintain that open, uncluttered environment. Part of the solution was to include the seismic systems along the left wall with the washroom and electrical space. The result is an open mixed-use space with strong architectural references to the building’s past.

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Current Project Highlight

Our team is currently working on a wide range of interesting projects including the University of British Columbia Pharmaceutical building. The six storey, 22,871 square meter building is being built to LEED Gold certification standards, and is slated to open Fall 2012. The new facility will accommodate the expansion of the faculty’s undergraduate and graduate programs and help address the shortage of pharmacists in B.C. To see the latest building construction photos, click here.

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