News

Don Scott's Research Catalyzes Development of First Guidance for 'Real' Wind Design

In a long-awaited, historic step toward “real" not cookbook wind engineering, the Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers recently issued a recommended alternative to the building code’s prescriptive procedures for the wind design of buildings. Properly implemented, the Prestandard for Performance-Based Wind Design, available free of charge for all structural engineers to use, results in buildings capable of achieving wind performance objectives specified in the ASCE 7 design load standard, and in many cases, superior performance, according to SEI.

PCS Signs on to SE 2050 Challenge

The Structural Engineers 2050 Challenge (SE 2050), issued by the University of Washington’s Carbon Leadership Forum, is an initiative designed to measure progress toward Zero Carbon buildings by 2050. The challenge, supports the target set by the Paris Climate Agreement to keep the increase of global temperatures well below 2˚C.

CLT Panel at Eastside Community Center in Tacoma, Washington
Wind Tunnel Tests to Update and Consolidate U.S. Design Codes

As the height of a building increases, the most dominant wind forces on a building change from those on the roof to those on the walls of the building. This concept has been the basis of the dual set of provisions in the ASCE 7 Standard and building codes since the original wind tunnel studies were completed in the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Principal Investigator, Don Scott, PE, SE, F.SEI, ASCE
What's Up with the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center Hotel?

By Valerie Hendel | PCS Structural Solutions, Tacoma, WA
 
Avid crane watchers may track the progress of Absher Construction Company at the site of the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. The new Marriott-brand Hotel broke ground on August 8, 2017 next to the main convention center at 1500 Commerce Street in downtown Tacoma, Washington. Progress on the tower core and structural steel is rising at a steady pace and can be viewed via Absher’s webcam at https://oxblue.com/open/absherco/551tacomatowers

Tacoma Convention Center Hotel designed by Ankrom Moisan
PCS Structural Solutions Announces New Special Projects Team

PCS Structural Solutions, a single-discipline structural engineering firm based in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, has formed an internal team of engineers focused on projects with specialized structural engineering needs. These projects include heavy and light industrial facilities, equipment support in new and existing structures, and non-building structures such as water tanks, detention vaults, and crane foundations.

 

Sound Transit Link Expansion Operations and Maintenance Facility
Renaissance Man: Celebrating Rick Oehmcke’s Career and Retirement

by Valerie Hendel

February 25, 2019 | Seattle, WA  |  Rick Oehmcke has been a foundational part of PCS Structural Solutions’ evolution since his arrival in 1987. On February 25, 2019, he will retire from a 38-year structural engineering career.

 

Rick Oehmke Structural Engineer
A Fondness for Light: Celebrating Jim Harris’s Career and Retirement
By Valerie Hendel
January 25, 2019 | Seattle, WA |You could say that Jim Harris—or Lou Billy—took the scenic route in his forty-one-year career—not as many straight lines in the trajectory that you might expect from a structural engineer. But it has a solidity to it, built on years of dedication, commitment and relationships.
 
“Let’s get lunch,” says Lou. “Do you mind a walk?” I grab my coat and we stroll through downtown Seattle. 
 
PCS Hires Six New Staff Members

Please join PCS Structural Solutions in welcoming their newest staff members: Brian Krieger, Connor Moore, Jared Plank, Samantha Taylor, Spencer Sharma, and Valerie Hendel.
 
Brian Krieger joins PCS as a Project Engineer in the Tacoma office. Brian brings over 4 years of industry experience working on flood resilience and transit projects. His current work includes Olympia High School Addition and Modernization in Olympia, Washington and South Bend Elementary School in South Bend, Washington.
 

PCS Structural Solutions New Hires
Building with Cross-Laminated Timber at Tacoma’s Eastside Community Center—It’s All About Connection

by Alex Legé Valerie Hendel
Tacoma, Washington | On Saturday, October 20, 2018 Tacoma’s new Eastside Community Center opened to the public. The enthusiasm for the project goes to the heart of the community that experienced the need for a safe and vibrant community space and the participants that embraced that need.

Cross-Laminated-Timber CLT at entry to Eastside Community Center Pool in Tacoma Washington

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