Union Station Seismic Repairs to Vaulted Plaster Ceiling Winner of 2017 WBC Craftsmanship & Star Awards

In March 2017, the Washington Building Congress awarded both Hayles and Howe, Inc. and Norwood Environmental Systems each with a Craftsmanship Award in their respective categories of Plaster and HVAC-Sheet Metal.

In addition, the WBC Craftsmanship Award Judges conveyed the highly coveted Star Award for Excellence in the Face of Adversity to Hayles and Howe for their exceptional work in the execution of solutions used to restore and stabilize the damaged ceiling in the main hall of Union Station. It was noted, that the supporting structure of the glorious coffered ceiling was weakened by the 2011 earthquake. Pieces of the ceiling began to break and fall into the main hall of the train station. Technical excellence was represented by the way the Hayles and Howe craftsmen worked with structural engineers and architects to create seismic bracing to protect the ceiling from future earthquake damage. The difficulty of execution in this project was to repair the enormous ceiling in the main hall without shutting the station down. In order to keep the patrons safe from the work going on above them, Hayles and Howe built an enclosure around the scaffolding. Quality of craftsmanship was found in the precision applied to the repair of each damaged coffer. With these techniques the historic ceiling was returned to its original splendor.

Additional Project Team Members include Construction Manager–Jones Lang LaSalle; Architects–Gensler and John Bowie Associates; and MEP Engineer– GHT Ltd.

Five McMullan Engineers Complete Training & Receive CalOES, SAP Certifications

In March 2017, five engineers of McMullan & Associations, Inc. completed the training to receive their California Emergency Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and Safety Assessment Program (SAP) certifications. The training was offered through the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA).

We congratulate our colleagues for furthering their level of professional expertise!

• David Whitman, PE
• Megan Beery, PE
• Stephen Propsting, PE
• Sze Patrum, PE
• William “Garrett” Sullivan, EIT

Union Station Seismic Repairs to Vaulted Plaster Ceiling Winner of 2017 Outstanding in Structural Engineering Excellence Award by SEA-MW

In February 2017, the Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington (SEA-MW) Excellence in Structural Engineering (ESE) Awards recognized this project as demonstrating exceptional innovation, creativity and constructability.

Arts and Industries Building Revitalization Winner of 2016 Outstanding in Structural Engineering Excellence Award by SEA-MW

The Arts and Industries Building (AIB), a National Historic Landmark designed by Cluss and Schulze Architects in 1879, was the first structure built to house the U.S. National Museum. It is one of the finest examples of historic exposition architecture in the country. Its 19th century state of the art fire proof masonry walls and light weight iron trusses and purlins support 46 different roof areas. The interior was so spectacular that it hosted President Garfield’s Inaugural Ball when it opened in 1881.

The AIB has a a central rotunda 100 feet tall and four halls and courts 53 feet tall which are surrounded by eight ranges. In the last 50 years, some of these high areas were filled in with additional floors but otherwise very few changes were made. In 2009, it was the Smithsonian Institution’s desire to repair the exterior envelope, remove the added floors, and restore the AIB back to its original layout. In addition, the entire building was to be upgraded to meet current code requirements for snow, wind, seismic, blast and progressive collapse.

Father O’Connell Hall Winner of Best Project (Renovation/Restoration) given by ENR MidAtlantic

The Catholic University of America’s Father O’Connell Hall recognized by ENR MidAtlantic with Best Project in Renovation/Restoration category. This was a very unique and challenging project as each wing had different structural systems. Virtually no original construction documents existed, so the team encountered many unforeseen challenges which required quick and cost-effective solutions. The building’s basement-level slab was structurally unfit to brace new retaining walls. We replaced a large area of the slab, and also re-sequenced subsurface grading excavation work to reduce the need for temporary shoring.