[ HAWAII AT WORK ]
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Guardians of
the high-riseStructural engineers
like Frank Humay keep
buildings standing tallI am a structural engineer at Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering Inc. I find it interesting that most people have little idea of what a structural engineer does, yet they put their trust in us every day.
Have you ever wondered what would happen to the high-rise buildings downtown if Honolulu were hit with an earthquake or how your new house would fare in a hurricane? As structural engineers, it is our job to wonder about these topics and to understand how buildings behave when subjected to extreme and unpredictable forces such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods.
Usually after telling people that I am a structural engineer and I design buildings, the blank expression is followed by "I thought that's what an architect does." I in no way want to diminish what architects do, as I have the utmost respect for many of the architects that I work with; however, I find it disconcerting that structural engineers receive little if any recognition for the work that we perform.
If you were asked to name a famous architect, I'm sure a number of them will immediately pop into your head. Now try to name a famous structural engineer -- difficult isn't it? Remember, without a structural engineer, that famous architect would probably have had to settle for famous artist.
We are assigned with the unenviable and difficult task of ensuring the public's safety by designing buildings for forces that are not always well defined. The following comment, made by one of my professors in graduate school, will always be ingrained in my memory. His words really put into perspective the responsibility placed on our profession, "Always remember, if a doctor makes a mistake, one life may be lost. If a structural engineer makes a mistake, hundreds of lives may be lost."
Because of BASE's involvement in government projects, I was fortunate to be a part of the team that designed the first residential building in Hawaii in accordance with the Department of Defense Antiterrorism/Force Protection standards. The structural design included the mitigation of progressive collapse, the type of failure seen at the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. Designing buildings for blast loading and to mitigate progressive collapse required a significant deviation from my former training. Instead of evaluating the most efficient arrangement of columns and beams to make a building stand up, I now must also investigate which of these members could be removed to make a building collapse.
Interest in anti-terrorism design led me to volunteer for the Hawaii State Civil Defense Urban Search & Rescue Team. Civil Defense is in the process of developing a team based in Hawaii. If an event occurs in Hawaii, this team would act as first responders, prior to a FEMA Team reaching Hawaii from the mainland. This past May, I spent a week in Fairfax County, Va., training as a FEMA-certified structures specialist. Structures specialists are responsible for evaluating the structural stability of an area to be entered during rescue operations and to minimize risks to rescue personnel. It was humbling to hear firsthand accounts of structural engineers who were amongst the first responders at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
I am fortunate that my employer is supportive of continued education and training. I believe that structural engineering is a profession in which you can never stop learning.
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