Beyond life safety considerations, increasing a building’s service life is paramount in regions of high seismic risk.  With the implementation of scientific structural devices and systems, building services, contents, and economic investments can be protected.
Safe, efficient structural forms are abundant in nature.  The challenge, however, is to mathematically describe these forms and to derive behavior that is adaptable to constructible, cost effective building solutions.  These adaptations, mathematical derivations that use nature’s mechanics in structural design, are particularly important in regions of high seismic risk and have led to innovations in structural systems.   Many of these systems incorporate devices that understand and respond to demand, alter behavior, and ensure optimal performance.
Mark Sarkisian, PE, SE, Partner of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP will present recent work illustrating these designs.  The projects are located in the United States and overseas and typically incorporate non-prescriptive analysis and design approaches.  These projects include innovative approaches to seismic and wind engineering with new concepts that incorporate “mechanized” approaches to structures.